Leave Me If You Dare

Arabella was so amazed at the mansion’s elegant interior. The trademark of a billionaire was screaming inside the mansion. The shiny polished woods and bricks were at their finest and high qualities. In the corner was a chimney and the lightings were warm that reserved the coziness of the place.

She thought that she already had entered all the rooms in the house, but still, she could not find Bill.

Just when she accidentally tripped a button on the brick wall.

The wall automatically slid to the side, revealing a stairway down to the basement. In every step, the pathway lit until she reached a huge door that was slightly open. From her position, she could hear some noise coming out through the open.

It made her more curious and strode towards the room. From the small opening, she sneaked to see what’s inside only to find out that the room was dim.

Bill was sitting on a leather chair and he was seriously watching on the big screen in front of him.

The room was like his own theater room.

Though it’s dark, she could still see how big this room is through the light coming from the big screen. She could only see Bill’s broad back and she couldn’t stop thinking why this room was secretly located in a basement.

‘Did he come here just to watch a movie?’

‘Why did he have to bring me here?’

‘Definitely, he had no time to dispatch her on the road.’ Herself refuted.

With a curious expression, she averted her gaze to the big screen.

For some reason, she felt delighted with the random pictures and videos are shown on it.

There was a cute little boy and an old man.

They were very happy being together in every picture.

The little boy’s handsome face had a mere resemblance to the old man.

She could easily tell that the cute little boy was Bill and the old man was his grandpa.

Her hand subconsciously touched her belly. She seemed to see the actual face of her baby when he grows up.

Wanting to see more, Arabella tip-toed and got inside silently. She sat on the other leather chair nearest the door.

“My boy, look! These are the materials I prepared for my gift on your birthday. This is just a plank of wood, I know! I just got it outside. You may think it has no value, but I want to let you know that, happiness is not measured on expensive things.” The old nobleman cheerfully said in a recorded video.

Then the noble old man carved the wood in the video. His face was very sincere and optimistic to come up with a good creation. He was very skillful that in just a little while, he did make a wooden robot out of it.

“Tadaahhh…. The simplest thing can give you great happiness.” The noble old man added when he finally finished the wooden robot. His noble face was full of satisfaction and happiness. His happiness was a mere reflection of his achievement by making up a good gift from a piece of wood that he just saw in the forest while he was hunting.

“I am so excited to give this to you. I hope you will like it. I know you will conquer the world soon. I don’t have any doubt about that! But do not ever forget to live a happy life. The life that you wanted not the life that others wanted you to be. Promise me that.”

“I love you, my boy!” He added cheerfully showing his wooden toy robot in the video.

This was supposed to be his grandpa’s gift to him on his sixth birthday, but his grandpa died the day before his birthday.

It was the most tragic part of his life.

That was the day he first broke his heart.

Bill was just five at that time, but the heartbreak he had felt was trapped in the deepest part of his being.

It was supposed to be a children's birthday party but the day became a wake of his loving grandfather. His grandfather seemed to know that he would die before his birthday since he brought his gift wrapped with a blue and red ribbon the day before he passed away but Bill opened the gift exactly on his birthday.

He was so happy to see his toy robot personally made by his grandpa yet the sadness he felt was incurable for losing his best friend and the only man who spoiled him a lot. He had a very hard time believing and accept that his grandpa wasn’t with him anymore. For so many nights, he cried in his sleep and woke up lonely, and had no appetite to eat.

With his grandpa, he felt so much alive as he could do everything that normal kids do. But after, he was only left with a wooden toy robot and his spontaneous words of wisdom together with their good memories together.

Though he was so young at that time, he clearly remembered everything and valued every single memory of his grandfather.

After the loosing of his grandpa, Bill didn’t celebrate his birthday anymore. He mourned every year and he never missed visiting his grandpa’s grave on his every birthday. The toy robot he cherished the most, was carefully put into a glass display container in his room.

Until one day, he entered his room with shattered pieces of glass on the floor together with his broken toy robot. The head, arms, and legs were detached from the main part of the body.

His heart was broken again for the second time.

This was because of one little girl. A troublemaker girl who deliberately went into his room and destroyed his most treasured toy. That was the only toy in his life made by his late grandfather, but the girl was cruel.

She destroyed everything.

Jane Foster.

Arabella Jones.

Bill clenched his fists in anger. If he had a favorite place in the world, it was his late grandpa’s mansion. If everything turned so tiring in the city, he traveled about 3 hrs. just to recharge in the mansion. Every time he went there, he always spent the time watching his beautiful memories with his grandpa, but every time he saw the toy robot, his anger on Arabella always welled up.

“Hmph...Hmph..” A weeping cry was heard in the room that made Bill snapped back to his senses.

He quickly pressed the button to open the lights and turned around only to see the woman who he hated the most sitting at the back. With bursting fury, he stood up and dragged her up immediately.

“Out!” Bill was enraged that he shouted very loud.

Arabella shivered in fear. She didn’t know why he was so angry with her when she just sat and watch the big screen quietly. She didn’t mean to distract him, but she could not help to cry when she heard the loving message of his late grandfather.

“I am sorry. I was just curious.” She explained while her eyes were amazed at how big was the room. Now, she could clearly see the wall of the room was full of pictures with him and his grandfather. There were also books and some old collections in the corner. The room was full of memorabilia of his late grandfather.

“Curious?” Bill held her arm tightly and dragged her closer to the screen.

At this time, a picture of a little boy with the wooden toy robot in his hand appeared.

Bill held her two shoulders behind preventing her to move while they faced the screen.

“Now, do you remember that toy?” His voice was agitated.

Arabella frowned. She had no idea what he was talking about.

“No! What are you doing?” Arabella felt pain on her shoulder as his grip tightened.

“Think Jane Foster, think!” Bill exclaimed with resonating voice enough to send her goosebumps.

Arabella shivered in fright and at the same time, she was puzzled by his unrestrained action.

She knew there must be something about his anger as he called her old name. Then, her gaze focused on the toy robot. She tried wracking her brain. The wooden robot was indeed very familiar.

In just a minute, Arabella’s shoulders suddenly dropped. Her big tears rolled down uncontrollably. The shivering in her body increased and her head slowly looked down before she slowly turned around to face him.

“I am sorry.” Arabella cried the kind of cry with guilt.

She had remembered everything.

That time, she with her family went to Sky’s family house for a close family gathering. She even played a few piano pieces after dinner. Everyone was very fond of her. She was like a little princess in the eyes of everyone.

But not with the boy who always went directly to his room after every dinner. He always had an unfriendly face and she never saw him smile.

That day, she decided to approach him and make friends. She knocked on his door, but there’s no answer. She continued to knock until she decided to enter inside.

When she saw that there’s no one inside, she decided to go out but her eyes caught something on his bedside table.

It was her first time seeing a wooden robot toy. So, she couldn’t help to touch it. She lifted the glass container, brought it closer to her, and stared at it closely. She smiled as she was so amazed until someone suddenly went inside the room that made her rattled and unknowingly dropped the glass container.

She saw the glass container shattered and the robot broke into pieces. She felt very devastated and wronged especially when the boy dashed inside and cried while picking up the pieces of his robot. His hand was scratched with fragments of glass and bleed tremendously, but the boy didn’t mind it at all.

He looked at her with disdain, then, she ran away terrified.

After that, she didn’t have the chance to step again into the Sky family’s mansion.

“Now out! You are forbidden in this place. Don’t dare to come here again.” Bill screamed at her while forcefully dragging her out. Then he closed the door with a bang.

“Bill, I am sorry. I didn’t mean it.” Arabella was crying while she leaned on the door outside. At this time, she felt very wronged. She didn’t expect that she had done that in the past and the most shocking part was she did it to Bill.

Who would have thought that they knew each other since they were kids and she had wronged him?

Is fate playing at them?

Though they were young at that time, she knew the pain she caused to that little Bill. Now she realized why Bill was cruel to her.

It’s all because of his wooden toy robot.

She destroyed it and he had all the reason to get his revenge. All she could do was to apologize to him and make up for her wrong when they were young.

It was already noon time when Arabella decided to have a walk outside the mansion with a heavy heart. She needed fresh air to think and have a good sight of everything. It was a shocking memory for her that she didn’t expect Bill and she had a tie since they were young.

An unpleasant tie.

They started badly. How could she fix it?

How could she make Bill forgive her?

Sitting on a bench, Arabella breathed out heavily then an idea came up to her.

She quickly stood up, then went back to the mansion.

Cooking dinner for Bill would be a great start to show her sincerity. With the help of two servers, she cooked pasta and a steak with oven-roasted vegetables. She also served wine.

After, she knocked again on his door, but he didn’t answer.

“Bill please come out and have dinner with me. I cooked good food for you.” Arabella knew his weakness when it comes to food. All she could do was put a little hope in her cooking.

Bill didn’t reply so she went back to the dining table and eat alone with no appetite at all. The food had no taste as her mind was with Bill in the room.

She understood to give him space. Time would heal everything and she was willing to wait for Bill to finally forgive her.

Night came and she decided to get ready for bed. Her mind was still with him. He didn’t eat his lunch and dinner. She felt sad for him that she couldn’t sleep.

Maybe he was also sleeping alone and lonely.

At this time, she hoped to hug him sincerely.

Gathering all her courage, she went to the basement again. In the middle of the night, she knocked on his room. She didn’t care if she would face his anger or he would not open the door. All she wanted was to share his burden.

“Bill, please open the door,” Arabella said in a low voice. She was scared, but it’s a way for her to make up for him. She was determined to try her best even if her best wouldn’t be good enough for him.

Unexpectedly, the door opened.