Aurora [H.S AU]

Prologue

When people learns that I'm my father's only child, they usually pats my back a few times, a smug look on their faces, which usually also has a tiny amount of envy.

Gonna inherit a hell of an empire someday. Lucky you!, some even have the courage to say, as if I should be thinking about how my life will be after my father dies.

Those people look at me as if I'm the luckiest person in the world. Look at her, born with a silver spoon on her mouth, nursed on a golden crib. She will never know the feeling of having to choose between paying the rent or buying food. Born under a lucky star!

I mean, I'm not an hypocrite. I know having my surname is a hell of a privilege. I know money will never be an issue for me, know that from the moment I was born to the moment I die, everything that money can buy is only a snap of fingers away. And I'm not saying I don't enjoy that - I mean, I'm not an idiot. Having money is amazing.

But what people don't know, is that under the facade of this perfect, wealthy family I was born to, there's so much trauma, pain and regret that I would trade all the money in the world if that meant I would be able to go back in time and change the past.

Maybe if I could, I would convince Maddie not to go to that damn frat party.

I was only seven when she left for college, the greatest proud of the family was going to Princeton. My parents actually thrown a big party when the admission letter came in the mail, inviting everyone from their social circle, eager to show the world how their first born was already shining so bright under the spotlight. They were so proud of her.

Little did they know, less than a year later, there would be another social gathering regarding Maddie. This time a much darker, sadder one.

Her funeral.

It destroyed my family.

My father was absolutely wrecked. He was such strong foundation of my family, always so firm, cold, distant. It was utterly terrifying to see him howling in pain over my sister's coffin. Something in him died along with Maddie that day, and it's been buried seven feet under ever since.

But nothing compares to the state my mother was in. She didn't even left her bedroom during the entire memorial service. Actually, she didn't left her bed for weeks after that fateful night when the police came knocking on our door. And when she finally got enough strength to leave her room, she wasn't my mother anymore. She was someone who looked like my mother and even sounded like my mother, but wasn't her anymore. She was just an empty shell.

It didn't take long till I'd lost my mom too. But this time, it wasn't for death. It wasn't something that couldn't be avoided, no. What took my mother away from me was herself - she chose it when she decided to go away and leave me behind. She didn't even say goodbye, the only explanation I had was a letter she left over my pillow while I was at school, just a few weeks after Maddie's death.

One moment, I was a normal seven years old with a wealthy family, who idolized her older sister and had the greatest parents in the world. The next moment, it was only my father and I living in a big house and trying to adapt to our new reality, as well as the fact now we were the only members of a family of two.

So yeah, when I hear people saying about how lucky I am, for having a rich dad and living in a fancy luxury building, I have to control myself not to punch their throats. Not that I would actually know how to do something like that but hey, I'm a fast learner.

But I can't blame them, though. Besides my immediate relatives, only my dad's partner and his family knows what truly happened to my mother and sister, and how it destroyed what was left from my family. So it shouldn't be a surprise that the rest of the people that knows me thinks I'm fucking lucky for being born a De Loutherbergh.

Aster H. De Loutherbergh.

Born under a lucky star, have her life all figured out and can do whatever the fuck she wants, because even if she screws up, her money can fix anything.

Little do they know what it actually means to be a De Loutherbergh. But to be honest, neither did I.