The Summer Anthology ✔

Story #24- Guilty of Bliss

Written by user marienggles

That day was the 2nd death anniversary of her older sister, Nathalie. She was her most precious sister, her confidant, her only friend.

But she left her.

Nathalie became both her mother and father after the tragic murder of their parents, Gabriel and Sophia Riviera in a business meeting in HongKong five years ago. Now she's left alone with all the duties and responsibilities as CEO of Riviera Land Inc., an international real- estate firm established by her grandparents.

Her name was Selena Olive Riviera. The second heiress of the company ruled by a family dynasty.

She was a girl who relied the minors and majors of her life to her sister, Nathalie. Why wouldn't she? Nathalie was very kind, responsible, and selfless.

Of course, as an understood "family requirement" she took up a degree in business management. Selena's college life was her happiness' peak. She was in ecstasy. She was a girl so carefree, lively, and impeccable in other people's eyes.

Everything in her life was perfect, thanks to her sister's unwavering hard work.

But life doesn't go so easy to anyone.

The bliss proved to only be temporary when one evening she found Nathalie lifeless in her bed due to drug overdose.

She blamed herself for being happy while Nathalie was struggling to work things out and keeping the company running.

They said she drank too much sleeping pills the day she lost a big deal in Japan.

Selena lost herself thereafter as if her perfectly burning character was extinguished by the greatest horror of her life.

She always thought from then on that she should stop being a foolish girl in cloud nine and start being independent and stern with everything that she does because that's the only reason for her to live.

What did she know about the realities of life?

Hating the goodness that came after she lost her only family, she became very successful despite the fact that it was never her dream to become the youngest queen of real estate business in her entire life.

She knew that she had to do it to atone for the greatest mistake she'd ever made back then-- to be blissful when everyone else around her suffered on their own.

There she was standing in front of her family grave recalling the dark, haunting and seething past.

As she moved nearer Nathalie's tomb, tears jerked from her hazel brown eyes reminiscing the sweet, happy face of her lost one.

Wiping away her tears with the back of her hand, she saw it again...

The bouquet of pink roses that she sees whenever she visits Nathalie's grave. She was expecting it but the sight of it now seemed all new to her.

She had been wondering for a long time who often visited her sister in the cemetery.That person never left a clue of his/her identity until today.

She couldn't recall any friend or family friend close to Nathalie to do this considering the fact that her family name's all tainted with tragic history and rumor.

Reaching for the bouquet to admire it, she lowered her hand and to her greater surprise, the beautiful pink roses had a card with it that day.

Flipping the white and gold rectangular card, she read aloud the words which said,

"Selena, I'm sorry."