Chapter 143: The haunting past

Braelyn’s POV

The city where we were heading coincidentally was the same area Gregory mentioned in his will. It felt like a good idea and maybe it was also fate

I wanted to see my parents’ old holiday villa. Things were quickly organised for the trip and we left as soon as we could. To get away from the chaos at Volkov Apex group.

After what happened with Amelia’s project I was more curious to meet Killian Orlov.

The sky was dark long past midnight when the flight arrived at the airport terminal. I felt a soft caress on my cheeks.

My eyes fluttered open to meet a pair of soft hazel eyes staring intently at me. A blanket was draped over me, making me cosy.

I blinked slowly trying not to be dazed by his soft smile. “The flight just landed sleepyhead.” He flickered my forehead lightly. I glanced at the window to confirm the bright row of lights.

I could not believe we were really here. I felt secretly excited not just because of the chance of meeting Killian Orlov but also the thought of visiting my parents’ old holiday villa

Gregor described this city as the place they fell in love with. “It’s almost dawn,” I muttered.

We checked in through the appropriate authority, and a couple of minutes later, we were already heading out of the air. Lucien seemed a bit excited about the trip, and it turned out he had stayed a couple of years in the country.

“Did you do your medical internship here?” I could not help but ask out of curiosity. We were outside the airport waiting for our ride.

“Yeah, I also attended university here.” He admitted with a calm voice his gaze flickered with distant memories.

I tilted my head trying to figure out something. “Why did you travel so far?” I could not help but ask. He didn’t choose another city but travelled all the way to another country. Did he hate his family that much?

It was rare for Lucien to speak about his past, and I couldn’t let this opportunity pass. The weather was a bit chilly since winter was drawing closer. Lucien was wearing a long coat that made him seem a bit more domineering for his image.

The cold autumn breeze blew through my hair and across my skin giving me goosebumps. The ride was taking a bit longer than expected and my eyes were still drowsy with sleep

“I had a lot of reasons, ” he admitted. My head bobbed up. I wasn’t expecting he would actually answer. Lucien didn’t glance at me. His gaze still has that distant look. I reached for his hand, which felt warm to touch, and I squeezed it softly. He was spacing out once again.

“I needed space, but I think another reason was that I wanted to be closer to her.” I blinked wondering if it was his old flame he was talking about. He chuckled after something flickered across his face.

It looked like grief. It left me dazzled, for a moment I was reminded of the lone figure standing by his father’s grave under the rain.

Something curled in my stomach, it felt like curiosity and maybe something deeper. My voice was soft. I asked him softly. “Who was she?”

His body stiffened for a moment, the silence made my skin tingle. His lips parted and he mentioned someone I didn’t expect

“My mother. I was searching for clues about her .” He said, leaving me stunned. His mother. A look of understanding appeared on my face. Just like me he had grown up without his biological mother

Lucien’s mother passed on when he was an infant. He barely knew her. “Sorry,” I muttered. He froze, then blinked at me, his forehead creased with confusion. I didn’t know why I said sorry but the thought of him coming over here to study as a means to connect with a mother he didn’t know felt lonesome

Lucien laughed before pulling my cheeks. “Stop carrying that sad expression. I am fine and there is no way to say sorry.” He chimed

A car pulled over by our side and the driver rolled down the window. “Braelyn Volkova.” The driver called out my name. I quickly checked my phone to confirm it was the ride I booked..

I confirmed with the driver before we got into the car. The car immediately pulled onto the road and rode en route to the old villa. Lucien sat silently beside me.

His gaze was locked on the window as he watched the city blur past. It was a beautiful city without a doubt, unfortunately, I couldn’t enjoy the view because I was secretly nervous the entire way.

My finger was tapping my thighs the entire time, unable to sit still. The silence stretched leaving just the sound of the humming ac unit. “There are a lot of fun hotels here, you know.” Lucien’s voice made me jolt.

“Huh,” I blurted

He dragged his gaze from the window to stare at me. “If you aren’t ready, we can always stay at a hotel, after all, it would be more fun than staying in a haunted villa “, he joked.

A soft laugh slipped from my lips. “It isn’t a haunted villa.” I laughed, shaking my head. “This is something I want to do. I will understand if you choose to stay at a hotel. Instead, you don’t have to come with me.”

When I mentioned my intention of visiting the holiday villa, Lucien opposed the idea at first because the villa wasn’t close to the city and felt a bit desolate. After failing to change my mind he reluctantly agreed on the condition that he was going to stay with me

Honestly, I was secretly happy he insisted on coming along.

Lucien scoffed. “You must have lost your mind if you think I would agree to let you stay there alone.” He grumpily said.

“Although I still prefer a hotel.” He added with a bitter expression. The night sky was slowly turning into an orange hue as the stars faded.

By the time we arrived at the old gates, it was already dawn, and soft chirping sounds echoed. I nervously stood in front of the gates, unsure if I should go in at all.

Since there wasn’t any resident in the villa, there wasn’t a permanent staff so the driver had to drop us at the locked gate. From the property document, it mentioned there was a maintenance fee for cleaning and gardening staff who were in charge of maintaining the property.

“Are you going in, or are we just going to stare at the gate?” Lucian grumpily said, “You know it isn’t too late to change your mind.”

I clicked my tongue. “Why do you hate it here so badly? It’s not like you have been here before.” I hissed at him.

Lucien pursed his lips. “Because it looks like those haunted buildings in movies.” He admitted and maybe he was right. It felt like I was visiting the ghost of my parents’ past

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