Sonata 1: 4th Movement

Lara's visit enlightened me about some things. The only downside is that what she said is too heavy for me to bear. It's as if the boulder I am carrying doubled in its size.

If you're carrying that huge of a burden to yourself, why did it took you so long to tell me, Lara? What else is holding you back?

A few minutes after she left, Jed came home.

"You look like a mess. What happened?"

"Lara came here."

"Oh, I see." He puts away his jacket. He was about to enter his room, but I stopped him.

"Don't you have something to say to me, Jed?"

If Jed musters his guts to tell me what she said, then I'll leave it at that. But if he says no, then I have no choice but to confirm it by other means. Even if it means I have to bring Ethan to the main house.

I was hoping for an explanation from Jed, but as twisted as he is, he gave me an answer I never expected to hear.

"There are some things that I hid from you because it's out of my boundaries. What I can say is that we're not the ones who should enlighten you about the whole truth."

"Then let me change my question since it's not your story to tell. Why did you take Jed in?" I was near tears, but I try to control my temper. If Jed's reason matches my expectation, then all the pieces will come together. But then again, Jed gave me an uncanny answer.

"I did what I had to do. Don't worry, though. Everything will come to light soon." I run to my room, locked the doors, and cry myself out to sleep.

For the rest of the week, I kept on giving Jed silent treatment as I keep myself busy with school council works and club activity preparations. My work had me too preoccupied that I have no time to stop and think about what Lara told me. It was more like I am terrified to know the whole truth.

If the whole truth is what I expected, a lot of people will get hurt.

One of the good news that came to me is that I can spend a whole day to myself before school starts. Lizzie is seldom at home these days because of her upcoming concerto, and Jed also busied himself with songwriting, countless visits to the main house, and meeting with his producer.

Ethan kept me company, although we barely talked. We don't even share the same mealtime. I was about to lock myself in my room when I heard the doorbell ring. As I open the door, a tall guy with a slim figure stood at the doorway. He has this same vibe as Gavin, which gave me a hint on who he is.

"It is a surprise to see you here, Mr. Han."

"Miss Ella, Lady Vivienne asked me to escort you to the main house."

"What's her reason?"

"The Lady just gave me the orders. She didn't tell me any details." I just rolled my eyes. I asked him to take a seat first while I change my clothes. The main house has a dress code that we should follow if we are within the premises.

Since I hate making people wait, I just picked a simple emerald off-shoulder A-line dress that falls below my knees partnered with mint green toe heels. Grabbing my bag, I went out of my room, and Mr. Han led me to the car.

The drive to the main house was quiet, which relieved me. The Perillo estate is like one of those European manors, which contradicts Jed's simple Japanese house. Wearing a simple shirt and jeans here is like an insult to the elegant abode.

Grandma's office is at the farthest room in the west wing, which is a two-minute walk from the entrance. That also means that an encounter with a lot of people is highly unavoidable. As proof, I am already facing my mother upon taking the grand staircase. Thankfully, I have a servant with me.

"And what do you think you are doing here? I thought mother banned you from entering the premises?"

"I beg your pardon, Lady Beatrice. But Lady Vivienne gave the order to escort her here." She just rolled her eyes and went on her way.

After bearing the unusual stares from almost everyone I came across, I finally arrived at Grandma's office. Grandma welcome me with a smile and wrapped me in a hug. The servant took a bow and closed the door.

"So, granny. What makes you bring me here?" I took a seat.

"The only private place for me to talk is at my office, so I brought you here. And I wanted to talk about Lara. I heard she visited you." The mere mention of her name immediately changed the tension in the room. It's suffocating.

"Yes, she did."

"Did Jed tell you anything?"

"Are you implying that Jed has something to do with what Lara told me?" She takes a sip from her tea, which poses suspicion from me. It's as if she already knows about our conversation. Thankfully, the tension disappeared, or else it would be too suffocating.

"Okay, enough chitchat. The real reason why I brought you here is to give you something." She brings out a small box from the table drawer and hands it to me.

The box has the family symbol engraved on it. Inside it is a set of jewelry, an old notebook, and a fountain pen. There is also an old pocket watch hidden beneath the jewelry set. The pocket watch has engraving on one side that says "Givro Eterna Amicizia," translated as "I swear eternal friendship."

"Granny, why are you giving me this?"

"Someone wants you to have it. And I guess it's the right decision to let you hold on to it."

"Thanks, Granny. I don't think I'm the one who should hold onto it, though." I am still unconvinced by her words. Grandma must have noticed it as she let out a deep sigh.

"The heirloom you're holding is not the only one. There are six boxes in total. The leaders of the Aeris Group have one. I already gave Lara and Eizen their boxes."

I have heard about the group since I was a kid. They say that six friends who are experts on classical, pop, and country music shared a special bond. They took a vow of eternal friendship, hence giving birth to Aeris. Each of them carries a pocket watch and a set of jewelry as a symbol of their unbreakable vow.

"But granny, I--" before I can even retort, she cut me off.

"No buts, young lady. The family has already decided that you'll be a successor. It's the same with other leaders. Your grandpa Tim and I are retiring, so we handed those to the three of you. Lara and Eizen are the successors of classical music. You, on the other hand, will inherit pop music."

So that's why she wanted me to become the leader of the pop music club.

Grandma is an expert at pop music. And as a child, she's the one who trained me. Mother would want me to inherit classical music, though. That started the cold war between her and granny.

"By the way, about our agreement, how about you formally enter the music industry?"

"You mean, become an artist? I don't think so. And besides, Mom is against the idea."

"Oh, hush your mouth. Your mother's not the one calling the shots here now, is she?" She pats my shoulders as a sign of assurance. I am still skeptical, though.

I was about to add another argument, but granny won't have it. I heaved a deep sigh, surrendering to my dear grandmother's request. Granny's as stubborn as Jed once she sets her eyes on something.

"Granny, why did you permit Jed to take in Ethan?" Granny halted for a second, then resumes what she's doing. I expect to hear a proper answer from granny, but then again, my expectations failed me.

"Haven't I told you? Ethan's family has a close tie to us. His parents asked Jed to take him in case something happens to them." Granny's answer brought more confusion to me. Ethan said that he did what he had to do, but granny's response lacks information.

They are still hiding something. It's like the family is hiding Ethan's real identity.

I was about to ask another question, but a knock on the door stopped me from doing so.

"Lady Vivienne, your visitor is here."

"Let him in." As soon as the door opens, my suspicions melted away as Ethan's connection to the family came to light.

Granny greeted Ethan like how she greeted me earlier.

"Come and have a seat, Ethan." Ethan took a seat beside me as a servant sets down a pot of tea on the table. I couldn't believe what I saw that it's hard for me to compose myself. Thankfully the servant brought tea to distract me.

"So, Ethan. How have you been? I heard you are staying in London before moving to Jed's house."

"I've been well, Lady Vivienne."

"That's good to hear. I see you have met my granddaughter Ellaine. How is she at home? Did she cause too much trouble?"

"Not that I'm aware of, my lady."

"Oh, I see. That's great, then. You see, my granddaughter looked like she's a pampered princess, but she had a horrible childhood." She heaves a sigh of defeat.

"Uh... Granny, I don't want to be rude, but why did you bring Ethan here?"

"Well, Ethan is not a stranger to you, isn't he?"

"Is he, though? I've wanted to ask you this, What is Ethan's relation to our family? You don't treat him as an outsider." She took a sip from her tea before answering.

"The Lopez family has close ties with ours. That's all. Or are you implying something, my dear?"

"None of the sort, Granny." I have to be grateful that granny clarified things for me, but there are still questions that are left unanswered.

They are hiding something, especially about what happened in the car crash.

"Good. Now, about why I asked you to be here. How do you feel about formally becoming a part of this family, Ethan?"

"May I ask what do you mean by that? I'm quite confused." Granny took a brown envelope from the drawer on her table and presented it to us. She was about to explain the contents of the drawer when the door suddenly opened.

"Mother, what is the meaning of this? Did you revoke Hanna's inheritance?

"Not now, Anne. I cannot deal with you at this moment."

"Great. And you're dealing with these outsiders? That hardly seems fair."

"Watch your mouth, Anastasia. They are not outsiders. Unlike your daughter. She's not even a Monteverde." Aunt Anne stormed outside the room, closing the door loudly.

Grandma suddenly had a headache that she immediately dismissed us. Mr. Han was waiting for us by the gate as soon as we get out of the house.

"Let me escort you home, Miss Ella, Mister Ethan."

"Thanks, Mr. Han. Can you take Ethan first? I have to go somewhere."

"As you wish, Miss. We'll take our leave then." Ethan got in without a word, and after the engine roared to life, they sped away.

The visit to the main house was too shocking that my feet automatically brought me to Meissen lake, my secret place. Thank goodness it is only a 15-minute walk from the main house. I would have had to embarrass myself by walking around the streets looking as grand as a princess, otherwise.

I stayed there for a few minutes, taking in my surroundings in the process. Whenever I have a lot in my mind, or if Jed is too busy or childish to hear my rants, I would often come here. I was about to go home when I saw Mr. Han in the distance.

"Lady Vivienne presumed I'll find you here, so she requested to pick you up. Shall we go, Miss?"

"Thanks, Mr. Han." He then led me to the car. Unlike Jed, Mr. Han is a careful driver. He focuses on the road and keeps the conversation to a minimum. After a half-hour drive, we finally arrived at Jed's house.

"Lady Vivienne forgot to give you this. It's from Lady Luce. She wanted you to have it." He then hands me an old wooden box.

Why would granny give me this? It's hers.

"Thanks, Mr. Han."

"I'll be on my way, then. Take care, Miss." I just smiled at him as a response. He takes a bow, and immediately after entering the car, he sped away.

Ethan was waiting for me to return so that we can have dinner together. It was a simple dinner, but it's only for those who have high economic status. He cooked balsamic bruschetta, vegetable jambalaya, and mixed tofu with bacon. He even opened a bottle of champagne to match the food.

We had a peaceful dinner, with Ethan starting a casual conversation from time to time. It was the best part of my day: having a simple dinner with Ethan. I was able to forget the questions and confusion in my mind.

What I didn't expect is that Ethan is slowly becoming a part of my messed-up world. Because the day I was deemed a successor is the same day Ethan did.

One More Day @2020 by Ryann Taaca