Sold? Oh Please.

Jessie laid on her bed the entire day, looking up at the ceiling. She couldn't stop the tears from flowing, she felt utterly betrayed and heartbroken. Her whole life was a lie, she hadn't achieved anything at all, honestly nothing at all! Now she had no idea weather to hate her father or not. He only did what he did out of love for her but still. She left home with the mindset of proving herself to her family, she wasn't completely useless. She was good at something, she was extremely talented at something but apparently she wasn't. She was just a spoilt rich girl that was throwing a tantrum and deceiving herself for ten whole years. 

She heard a knock on the door, sitting up she wiped her red face. "Go away! I don't want anything."

"Jessie?" She heard her father's voice at the other side of the door. 

"Go away father, I don't want to talk!" She screamed. 

"Jessie please open the door." Her father pleaded, his voice sounding so pained.

She got of the bed, still in her bath robe and walked to the door, she unlocked it. And walked back to her bed. Her father following suit, shutting the door behind him.

"Jessie, I cannot begin to understand what your going through-"

"Now you can't father, you can't." She spat. "I don't know which is worse, being betrayed by someone you wholeheartedly trusted or living a lie." 

"Living a lie?"

"Yes father, Tony told me everything, my whole life has been a big fat pitiful lie." She cried.

"Don't you say that Jessie, I know we've been strangers for ten years but you grew up with your family for the majority of your life. And the love we had for you was never a lie." Her father reprimanded her.

"Is that so? Father you of all people shouldn't say that. When everyone was always looking down on me, when they said I was useless and dumb, you stood by me. Whenever I wanted something you gave me, whenever I was sad you made me laugh. But what did you do when I wanted to become an actress? You disowned me, how I'm I even supposed to believe that you ever loved me? Huh? Do you know how much you broke my heart?" She cried. "And now all I wanted to do was be the very best I could so I would come back and show you that I'm not a failure, that i didn't make the wrong decision. But what did that get me? It was all a lie, I never achieved a thing!" 

"Don't you dare say that, Aera. I've never been prouder of any of your siblings the way I'm proud of you. You are the only child that ever stood up to me and challenged me because of something you wanted for yourself and for that alone you earned my respect." Her father said, walking over to hug her.

"I love you Aera, more than you'll ever imagine. So stop fighting, just come home hmm?" He said. And she nodded against his chest to spent to cry anymore. 

After Harish stepped out of the room he saw Tony standing in the hallway, waiting for him. 

"How is she?" Tony asked as he walked towards him.

"The poor thing is has cried so much it physically hurts to see her like that." He sighed.

"But was it necessary to lie to her?" Tony asked.

"Aera is a difficult child, she has always been. She's head strong and stubborn. But the thing that scares me the most is her strong will, when she believes in herself it doesn't matter what anyone says or does or how dire her situation is, she wouldn't give up. I need my daughter Tony, I've spent ten years without her and I can't anymore. This is the only way to get her to come." He said slowly. 

"Alright sir, I'll trust you on this one, when will you be leaving?" Tony asked.

"First thing in the morning, I gave the pilot a day off his family lives here."

"That's very generous sir, I guess I'll be there to say goodbye." Tony nodded. 

"Yes, do come Aera will appreciate it. And say hello to Joo hui and the girls." 

"Will do, good bye sir." He said walking away. 

*************************************************

Jessie frowned when she heard ringing. That was definitely a phone but she didn't have one anymore. Not after Tony tossed hers into the fountain, although that was probably for the best. She might have caved and called Jason, it would have been too pitiful. It was for the best that she just forget this past ten years and especially the past two months. At least she had a chance at a fresh start. 

She walked over to the phone and picked it up, her breathing stopped when she saw the caller ID. Mimi, that was her father's pet name for her mother. Her mother!

"Hello?" 

"Hari- oh my goodness... Aera?" Her mother

gasped.

"Mother" Jessie said breathlessly. 

"My sweet girl, oh my baby how are you? How have you been? How are you alive?!" Her mother cried.

"How are you? I'm sorry that your sick because of me." Jessie cried.

"What? Sick? I'm not sick. Sick and tried of waiting for my baby girl yes, but not sick." Her mother said.

"You're not sick? At all?" Jessie asked her mother.

"No not at all, where did you get such rubbish from?" Her mother asked.

"Father, father told me you were really ill mother." Jessie frowned wiping her cheeks. 

"That's strange... how are you even with your father? Where did you two meet?" Her mother asked.

"He... he kidnapped me or rather had Tony do it. Then he told me you were very sick after hearing I was dead, and that I should come back home so you can get better." 

"Damn you Harish." Her mother cursed. 

"He lied?" Jessie asked utterly and totally confused. 

"Aera, calm down your father must have had his reasons, besides I believe it's high time you come back home." Her mother said.

"It's funny, I've always wanted to hear that, hear you guys say that. Hear father say that, but now I don't know what to think anymore." Jessie scowled. 

"You have no idea how many times I've wanted to call you my baby, how many times I've wanted to come out and see you." 

"Then why didn't you come mother? Why didn't you call?" She asked sadly. 

"Because you father wouldn't let me, he would always say our daughter is flying, all on her own and we shouldn't drag her down. We shouldn't distract her, she's soaring high. Let's see how far she can fly on her own." Her mother said softly.

"What does that mean mother?" Jessie asked.

"Your father was heartbroken when you left Aera. He never expected you leave, honestly when he said you were no longer his daughter if you left was only that... a threat. He didn't think you would actually choose your dreams over your family, over him." Her mother said.

"Everyday he would wait for you to call, everyday for ten years he refused to change his cell number." 

"That doesn't make any sense mother, if he wanted to see me he could have just come. He was the one that banished me in the first place!" She yelled, getting agitated. She didn't understand anything anymore. 

"Aera, don't be mad at your father. If he lied to you it's because he just wants you to come home. He felt very guilty and sad when we heard news of your death. He fell very ill, Aera your father had cancer."

"What? Since when? Why didn't he tell me?" Jessie yelled.

"It's not much of a problem right now, around the time of your death he was getting treatment in the hospital. So we couldn't even come claim you body. He is much better now, and infact he told me he was coming to get you, your corpse. But here I am talking to my daughter." Her mother cried.

"I don't, I don't know what to say mother." 

"Talk to me dear, what happened? How are you still alive?" 

Jessie tearfully narrated her story to her mother and her mother was sobbing by the time she was done.

"You are really a fighter do you know that?" Her mother said.

"No mother, I'm not a fighter I'm just fraud. I didn't do anything on my own, I just learnt that dad  was involved in my career. What kind of fighter I'm I? I'm I going to be if I couldn't even make my career on my own?" She said bitterly.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean father helped me in the background, Tony told me and father confirmed it."

"Listen to me closely Yoo Aera. You did not get any help from any one. Goodness knows how many times I begged your father to intervene when Tony informed us about you. He never did, he would tell me, our daughter has what it takes to conquer this on her own. And you did. Whatever Tony or your father told you isn't true." Her mother insisted. 

Jessie covered her mouth and fell on her knees, she couldn't cry and more so she began to laugh but the was no happiness in her laughter. Only anger, betrayal, relief and sadness. 

And right at that moment her father barged into her room his eyes searching, searching for his phone. Jessie gaze flew to he door, and she stood her hands hanging limp by her side. 

"You lied to me."