Chapter 4

While I was packing my things, I remembered all the things that happened on the day we arrived in Clayland. I was not the happiest when we had to move to the countryside but my mother was so adamant about it.

***

I stared blankly at my room. The pink wall, the expensive decorations, the spacious room that I'm used to having. I never imagined that in an instant, everything would be taken away from me.

My comfortable life was now gone and it's all gone!

I suddenly sat on the floor, silently lost in thought. Even the mansion that we owned has been sold to pay off all our debts.

I felt my nanny’s hug from behind. She's the person I spent the most time with. And now, amidst our bankruptcy, my Nanny has to leave.

"Nanny..." I couldn't help but rest my head on her chest. It's just too hard for me.

She comforted me by caressing my back. "It's okay, my child. Everything will be fine. This is just a test for your family. The higher power knows that you didn't have anything to do with that scam."

Our company was involved in a scam controversy. All our investors pulled out, and we were sabotaged. Unlike my brother, I didn’t know much about the business, but I knew that from this day forward, our lives would never be the same.

"Come on, my child, the car is waiting outside," Nanny said. “This is our last moment together. I am going to miss you, Krystal. Please take good care of yourself in Clayland. I will come and visit soon.”

"Thank you, Nanny," I said.

I stepped out of the vast mansion that used to be ours. I got into our van, and for the last time, I glanced at the place where I grew up. While inside the van, my brother was not present. He flew to another country for work. Dad would be staying in Claybourne while hoping that a powerful man like Jacob Summers would help him. So, it would just be me and my mother who was bound to Clayland.

Honestly, I have never heard of Clayland until my parents decided to sell the mansion and moved there. Until now, my heart felt heavy. There was also a tingle of annoyance! It was really frustrating the hell out of me!

"Stop making that kind of face, Krystal. Your Dad promised that we will survive this problem, okay? Let’s trust him, sweetheart. This is only a temporary setback for our family,” my mother said.

I looked at Mommy, and despite her age, she still looks like she was in her late 30s. I inherited most of my features from Mommy. From the porcelain skin, and my hazel-colored eyes, to our naturally pinkish lips. Actually, both of my parents had foreign blood in them. Then, I forced myself to smile at her.

“I guess, we don’t really have a choice,” I mumbled in a barely audible voice.

I'm usually a brat, so spoiled. I always buy and have whatever I want. My brother and Daddy raised me like a princess. But now, I don't want to act like a child. We're all struggling! I even heard them arguing and crying because they were scared about our future.

Of course, I wanted to rant about our situation. I'm not used to this kind of life! I hate not getting what I want, but we were left with no choice. Everything would change from this point. We've sold almost everything to repay the money we lost from our investors.

I didn't know that Clayland was so far away. It's been six hours since we started traveling from Claybourne, and yet we still didn’t reach our destination yet. From the window, I could see the huge transition in every scenery. From modern houses and buildings, it was replaced with vast fields, crops, and all the boring things that I only saw in my nightmares. I bet even a spa or a fast food chain couldn’t be seen in Clayland!

"I can see that frown again, Krystal. I'm telling you, you'll enjoy it here, my child. There are lots of interesting places you can visit," Mommy said.

I sighed. "Okay, Mom."

I looked at my cell phone. It was the latest model in the market, but since we became poor, I might not be able to keep up with the trends. I also remembered my friends, well, not all of them were real. I had no idea that there were fake in my circle of friends.

When they found out about our family's issue, they suddenly distanced themselves from me! They're so fake and opportunistic! I suddenly felt angry! I've become even more moody because of the stress. Except for Khloe and Amelia, I couldn’t consider them as my friends anymore!

An hour later, we finally got to our destination. It was an ancestral house in Clayland, and it was surrounded by fields. As the van stopped in front of the old house, I suddenly felt weak at the realization that everything was real, and not just a nightmare!

"Mom," I said to Mom like a child. It feels like I just set foot in this countryside and I already wanted to give up. “I don’t think I will be able to survive here,” I complained and Mom hugged me and gently patted my shoulder.

"I'm sorry, my child, this wasn't part of the plan, but we can't do anything about it,” she said in an apologetic voice.

From the gate, I looked at the house where we would be staying. It was kind of creepy but at least there were orchids and flowers planted in the garden next to the gate.

The exterior looked old, and yet it was magnificent. Grey bricks were used to construct it, and the grey embellishments matched perfectly with the entire design. Its overall aesthetic was enhanced by large rectangular windows that have been placed in a symmetrical pattern. The property has a modest kitchen and five bathrooms. It also featured a pleasant living room, five bedrooms, a modest dining area, a library, and a large storage room.

The roof was high and pyramid-shaped, and it was covered with red roofing materials. Large, skylight windows gave plenty of light to the rooms below the top, and the home itself was surrounded by a lovely garden, including a hanging grapevine, a pergola, and a fountain.

Flowers and shrubs surrounded a lovely grassy area. A pergola with an outdoor kitchen stood in the garden’s front left corner. The flower beds have no boundaries, and there wasn’t a single grass in sight. A short picket fence winded its way around the garden, giving visitors a view of the nicest areas. Grass, roots, and vines kept each other in check, but they were all hungry for additional space. The pergola was the garden’s primary focal point, and it was built mainly for that purpose. In short, the flower garden was commendable!

"Let's go, my child. It's getting dark, and I still have to cook our dinner, okay?"

I nodded in response.

The living room greeted us first. Wooden floors, clean, and there's an electric fan. It means there's no air conditioning unit in the ancestral house. From my point of view, I could say that my stay in Clayland would be horrible and I felt like crying as I imagined myself sleeping in a bedroom with no air conditioning unit.

The elderly couple who were the caretakers greeted us immediately.

"Good evening, my dear. I'm Martha, and this is my daughter, Alice. She will show you to your room," Martha said, and I politely smiled at them.

Martha’s daughter has tanned skin and she was so beautiful. However, I found her to be weird when she suddenly hugged me. We just met for goodness sake, so how could she hug me like we were close friends?

"Hi! Alice is my name! I used to be the reigning beauty here in Clayland!" she said to me, with that wide smile that creeps me out.

I awkwardly smiled and then she pulled me toward the second floor. She's so energetic, huh?

"Can you stop pulling me?" I said irritably to her. My hand hurts. I didn’t want to deal with this.

"Oh, sorry about that, oh yeah! Here's your room! Rest in peace so we can go out tomorrow," she said, like what the hell?

"What do you mean rest in peace?" I asked, almost hyperventilating. I groaned in frustration at the woman who dared to run her mouth like that! “Rest in peace? Am I dead?” I asked in frustration and she immediately covered her mouth as soon as she realized her mistake.

"Oh! I meant beauty rest!" Then she flashed a peace sign.

I sighed and finally shooed her away from my room. She didn't do anything. I just couldn’t deal with her right now. I'm filled with negativity, and I might end up snapping at her!

“I’m sorry if I have offended you, Krystal,” she said before leaving.

“Just leave me alone for now. I am tired,” I told her.

As soon as Alice was gone, I just lay on the bed. Although the bed covers seemed clean, I was suspicious. While lying on the bed, I wished that everything was just a dream or a nightmare, and I might wake up soon.

However, as I closed my eyes, I suddenly saw Logan’s face inside my head. What the fuck was wrong with me? How could I imagine that man when my family’s fortune was gone?