Revenge of The Furtive Billionaire Heir by Ryker Helios

28. Letting go of past is important.

Coraline instantly gets up from her seat and embraces me.

“I’m sorry, Jace,” she says, squeezing me.

I let her friendly warmth comfort me and wrap my arms around her. I do not like the fact that my mother’s death makes me feel so out of depth. I feel like I’m weak for still getting this emotional over it after so many years. The rational part of my brain understands that losing a parent, especially a parent who entirely raised you is going to be hard, and that kind of wound cannot be healed easily. But the smaller, illogically macho part of me that still reels over the fact Stone managed to send me to the hospital urges me to man up and bottle all my feelings inside. It’s a constant battle to not give into that voice because I’m well-read enough to know bottling up feeling ultimately leads to a nasty climax. So, I force away those feelings and focus on the present, on the tickle of Coraline’s hair on my cheeks, and the pleasant smell of her body wash that still drifts.

“It’s alright,” I say, “I mean, it’s sad and all, but I’ve come to terms with it. It was a hit-and-run, and the driver of the car didn’t even stop to see if she was okay. She had been crossing the road, you see,” I feel the old anger rise, “that bastard left without even slowing down.”

Coraline breaks away from me to give me a calculating look. “No one even saw the number plate?”

“Nope, no one did. Everyone was too busy trying to help my mother. She was…it hadn’t been pleasant. There was a lot of blood.”

Coraline covers her mouth in her sympathy. “What happened to you afterward?”

“Well, I was nearly eighteen, so I was given a choice to stay out of the foster system and get emancipated. Mom had a little money saved, and my father was willing to help as soon as I let him.”

“But you did not let him,” she guesses, and I can’t help but huff a laugh.

“I was angry, so angry at everything,” I whisper, “so I told him that I wanted nothing to do with him. I could live alone; I could survive alone. I didn’t need his money. Deep down, I blamed him for not choosing my mother over his wife. I irrationally thought that if we had been a family, mom would’ve never had to move away from him, and thus get killed by the hit and run.”

drag a hand over my face, my emotions tumultuous, “I wasn’t in a good headspace, so naturally, I came up with convoluted logic. In my hurt,

the funeral,” Coraline says, “I didn’t visit because I was out of state at the

about it,” I confess, “I was under this sort of haze throughout, watching everything as I was underwater. School gave me some time off to get my head straight. It took

afterward? How did

my mom’s savings until I could find a decent job. It wasn’t easy, the first few days. I was so worried about surviving that I only had two meals per day. But somehow, I found a balance Had to work two jobs, though I also freelanced on the internet, writing academic paperc and such. After I graduated, I applied to a bunch of schools. King’s College was not my choice, but Gerald always called me despite my protests and encouraged me to apply for the scholarships there. I did it almost as a joke. I was going

“I’m not

I remember.”

smile at that, “Thanks. So, yeah. Moved to Empire city, got a job and an apartment,

we are,” she repeats, “why did you come

day when I decided that enough was enough, and I was letting my past anger

stretch our legs. We have an adequate cafeteria in Zelt Tech, but there were little cafes and food joints strewn all around, so most of the time we went

and chat amicably. I ask Coraline what happened

I’m still attending university as well,” she says, ” got selected to an accelerated business studies program

manage to do this job while also studying

a smile, “I like keeping busy Besides, you’re the same as me

a normal bachelor’s degree.” I point out, 1