The sky hung heavy with ash- colored clouds, cloaking the world in a dim, silvery hue.
The sun had longed retreated behind the overcast veil.
Trees swayed slowly in the breeze.
A drizzle began to fall, soft but steady, pattering against rooftops and windows like distant footsteps.
The scent of damp earth and wet pavement filled the air. It was a kind of evening where time felt slower, silence pressed in gently, and even the wind seem to sigh.
She held her umbrella tightly as she walked through the deserted path, admiring nature.
All she wanted was to make beautiful memories out of the alluring scenery before her.
The soft rustle leaves beneath her shoes was the only sound accompanying her quiet steps.
The breeze brushed against her cheeks, cool and comforting, like nature's own embrace.
She paused for a moment, watching the raindrops ripple in a puddle that reflected the gray sky dancing within it.
Though her body ached for warmth and food, her soul felt full. In the stillness of the gloomy evening, she found a strange kind of hope- subtle, quiet, but present.
"Hey." The voice called from behind.
She turned her head slowly, trying to identify the caller.
Looking at his face, she looked puzzled.
"And who are you?" she asked.
"I am Jake Robert, of the…
"Robert Family?"
He nodded and she jolted backwards.
She was not supposed to be seen with a rival's son.
"Nice meeting you, but I have to go." She excused herself politely.
But he followed.
"Don't you think you owe me an apology for bumping into me like that at school?" he asked.
She paused.
Was he really the one?
But that shouldn't matter, an apologetic word or statement could come from her mouth and they would be just fine.
And then she could leave without having to be disturbed by him.
"Oh, well, I am sorry, it was not…
"If you really want to make it up to me, then you need to take me to Westpark, I need to get there as soon as possible, it is urgent." He spoke.
She sighed heavily.
"Do I really have to do that?" she turned to face him.
"Huh…Yes."
"Let's go." She said, she knew she had to do it.
If she was going to get it over with, she had to be quick.
"What a nice way to ruin an evening." she muttered with a frown as she ambled through the path.
Westpark
"Finally!" A guy came running towards Jake as soon as he entered the park.
"You've been waiting?" Jake asked, looking surprised.
"What, you did not think I'd leave, did you?" The guy questioned, looking more surprised.
Anna just kept a neutral expression as she watched them.
After some moments, the other Guy acknowledge her presence and signaled to Jake, asking him who she was.
Without waiting, she responded.
"Hi, I am Anna and I helped your friend get here."
"Anastasia, right?" The guy asked.
"Yes"
"I am Henry, Jake's best friend."
"Nice to meet you." She replied with a smile.
"Same here." He responded.
The smell of the delicious tofu got her- her stomach grumbled.
"Is that a Chinese tofu?" she asked, her mouthwatering.
"Yes, want one?" Henry asked.
She was too hungry to understand the need for courtesy- she nodded.
Henry smiled as he handed one big tofu to her.
"Enjoy." He said as he watched her devour the delicious tofu.
"This is extremely satisfying, and delicious." She commended.
"Bon appetite" Jake mumbled.
"I really appreciate your hospitality, Henry. Mucho Gracias, amor." She thanked.
"My pleasure."
Three Days Later.
"Hey, do you maybe… want to grab some latte on your way back?" Jake asked nervously as he approached Anna.
"You ask that every day since we met, and you know my answer, don't you?"
Anna said as she walked away.
"Come one, just this once, pleasssseee." He pleaded.
She paused and turned to face him.
"We are enemies, rivals, we should not get along, we…
"Are supposed to be enemies, but we are not, because you helped me, so I don't see us as rivals, and if you want us to be rivals, you need to tell what we are fighting against each other for."
Anna sighed. "You are impossible, Jake, so impossible."
"Does that mean you'll come with me?" he asked eagerly.
She nodded slowly.
"Does it look like I have a choice?"
"Yes, you can just say no if you don't want t…
"Should I turn back then?" She asked.
"No!" he shrieked.
Then he laughed.
"Can we go now?"
"Of course."
Finally, he was getting a good chance to become friends with her.
She was more approachable as a normal person, more than she was as a blind person.
Looking at her, he felt great sense of pity as he wondered what it would be like to be in total darkness, a one even the beauty of nature can't pull you out from.
"If you keep staring at me like that, we are going to miss our opportunity of having latte together."
Her voice jolted him back to reality.
"Oh, let's get some latte then."
She wanted no grudge between them, not because of family ties and not because of personal issues.
But she knew how obsessed her "dada" was with the Robert family. She knew her dad didn't want them getting to the top before him and the struggle was tough.
It had to be either the Woods or The Robert, but for her, it was all the same.
"Aren't you bothered that I am using you to get to your family." Jake asked, sipping the latte from the mug slowly.
"I was blind since I was little, I have not really been introduced to any family business, how can I be of help?"
He placed the mug carefully and smiled.
"You know, drinking hot latte during summer is not to cool the heat, it's just because of its sweetness, similarly, you can be of no use when it comes to business, but you can surely bring shame to your father."
He spoke.
His words felt creepy and she started feeling insecure.
Shame? What did he mean by shame, and why did he bring her here, was it to bring shame to her father?
But how would having a latte with him bring shame to her father?
His smiles became sinister, he wore a different expression that described a total stranger.
"No need to worry, Anna, this are things you need to know as an heiress. You don't need to trust people so easily, you need to take a lot of time, because sometimes, a little doubt reveals everything."
Anna sighed. She was just been delusional. He was only trying to teach her.
"I hope you never become a doctor." She mumbled, looking at his face, half-covered by the mug that smoked out scents of delicious latte.
"Why?" he asked.
"Because, you can kill a patient before they die!"
"Really?"
"Hmmn."
"That's not good."
"Yep."
Few Minutes After.
"I think it's time I leave, I need to get home as soon as possible." She said hurriedly as she wiped her mouth and stood from the chair.
"Anna." Jake called.
"Yes."
"What if we get married, and put an end to this rivalry between both families?"
"Then you'll have to call me biscuits."
Without another word except for her irritated look which conveyed a lot, she left the café shop.
She scoffed.
Did he actually talk about marriage? Just to stop the rivalry between two families, they had to get married?
She could have never been more irritated by his words.
If they ever got married, she would become a pine of pineapples.
There was no way she was going to get married into a family of Technology Gurus.
Although it wouldn't be that bad.