Chapter 1
🎵 Under the bridge downtown,
is where I lose my way… 🎵
Under the bridge…
The radio kept playing a song by a well-known band. The volume was turned up high in a luxurious yet unkempt room.
The double-winged door was made of dark narra wood. Above it, the gray ceiling held a chandelier large enough to belong in a grand living room. The walls were painted a gloomy shade of pink with subtle hints of gray. In the center stood a king-sized gray bed with a cushioned headboard that nearly reached the ceiling.
The bed was adorned with pink and gray sheets and pillows. Bedside lamps on the white tables to either side of the bed were switched on, casting a warm yellow glow throughout the room. On the gray wooden vinyl floor lay a large round black carpet that covered most of the bedroom floor. Resting on it was an old Marshall speaker, still playing music.
The wall on the left side of the room was lined with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves filled with books. Some books were scattered across the floor, yet they remained neatly organized by genre and author. On the right side of the room was a full glass sliding door leading to the balcony. Beside it was another door that led to the walk-in closet, dressing room, and bathroom.
Rosette slept soundly in the corner of the bed. Her feet hung over the edge of the oversized mattress. She was wearing black lingerie that revealed part of her hips and accentuated her long, silky legs and smooth upper back. Her creamy skin shimmered beneath the sunlight that slipped through a small opening in the black curtains covering the balcony doors.
The small alarm clock displayed the time: 2:00 PM.
The afternoon had come and gone without Rosette noticing. She remained asleep, exhausted from a night of drinking and partying.
A middle-aged woman with an aristocratic appearance and ebony hair entered the room and sat beside her.
“Rowee, darling. You have to wake up now.”
The woman gently brushed Rosette’s hair aside and spoke softly in an attempt to wake her.
Rosette felt the tender gesture and recognized the comforting voice of her mother, Ellydia. Instead of waking up, however, she shifted closer, rested her head on her mother’s lap, wrapped her arms around her waist, and continued sleeping.
Mrs. Ellydia smiled and softly patted her daughter’s shoulder, much like a mother singing a lullaby to her child.
“Rowee, darling, we have a cruise to catch at seven tonight, and you still haven’t decided what clothes to wear or what things to bring,” Ellydia said with a smile. She was already accustomed to her daughter’s clingy nature.
Rosette lazily opened her eyes and tightened her embrace around her mother.
“Mom, it’s just an Asian cruise. I can wear and bring anything.”
She immediately closed her eyes again, hoping to get a little more sleep.
“Oh no, darling. We have an appointment with the stylist for your hair treatment,” Ellydia sighed. “Have you forgotten that we’re meeting the Aristotles on the way? They’re coming with us on the cruise.”
She gently tried to lift her daughter’s head.
“Come on now, darling. Let’s do something about that hangover.”
Rosette rolled over and grabbed a pillow, using it to cover her face.
“Mommy, five more minutes, please,” she mumbled, her eyes still closed.
Ellydia gave in and granted her daughter the requested extension. She remained seated beside her, gently running her fingers through Rosette’s hair while keeping an eye on the time.
Five minutes later, she tried once more.
“Rowee, darling, it’s been more than five minutes already,” she said softly as she shook Rosette’s shoulder.
Rosette slowly opened her eyes, rubbed them, and finally sat up with great reluctance.
Soon, the two women were busy preparing for their four-day, three-night Asian cruise.
At quarter past five, they were seated in the VIP lounge of the most prestigious salon in town. The family driver had brought them there in one of the family’s luxury vehicles. Later, Mr. Rafael Olsen, Rosette’s father, would pick them up.
The family of three would then take the thirty-minute drive to the port, where representatives from Norwegian International Cruise Line and Tours would be waiting for their arrival. The Aristotles would soon join them as well, and together they would enjoy a welcome dinner aboard the ship before the official start of the cruise.