A few days after the death anniversary, a press conference was held by Viviana Carsten, the chairwoman of Carsten Electronics, along with the five CEOs of the company's branches:
✰Leona Hayes, CEO of Carsten TechWorks
✰Dr. Ramil Ortega, CEO of Carsten EnerVision
✰Isaac Mauer, CEO of Carsten NeuroLink Systems
✰Commander Elle Stratford, CEO of Carsten AeroNavis
✰Professor Aiko Ren, CEO of Carsten QuantumCore
After the press conference, it was already nighttime when Viviana returned to her mansion. The entire place reflected her luxurious taste, golden vintage vases, expensive floor tiles, walls decorated with gems, and spotless glass windows. Everything sparkled with elegance. Even the dust in her home seemed like it could be made of gold.
The moment she entered her mansion, everyone inside, the servants, maids, gardeners, bodyguards, chefs, and cooks, bowed respectfully to her. The head maid, Maria, and the butler, Marco, who were twins, stood at attention. Her assistant reported everything that happened while she was gone.
Viviana went straight to her bedroom, not in the mood to eat dinner. She felt lonely in the big mansion. Of course, she wasn't completely alone, many people worked there, but she didn't have any real friends to talk to because of her attitude.
At least her grandniece was close to her, since they shared the same taste in novels.
She sat on the edge of her bed, feeling nostalgic. With a sigh, she leaned back against her large, expensive bed.
Then she muttered, "Damn annoying reporters… those sons of @#$##@@#21@@!!! When are they gonna stop asking me when I'm going to retire or who's taking over after me?!"
She threw a pillow across the room. Typical of her.
"Just because I'm 60 now doesn't mean I have to retire! I'm still young! Look at my beauty! See?! Ugh..." she said, looking at the mirror, trying to spot any flaws. But to her, she looked flawless.
She wanted to stay young forever and used expensive cosmetics to make herself look like she was in her early thirties. She sighed again, feeling tired but not ready to sleep.
She remembered the novel her mother gave her when she was 17.
"It was just an old novel. How come kids these days seem to like it?" she muttered.
"They even adapted it into different versions... and Elyza said it even became a game."
She stood up and opened the vault hidden beneath her bed, pulling out an old book. The cover was worn but clean. The pages had turned brown with age, but she had taken good care of it.
Inside the vault were four items Viviana never let anyone touch or clean: the book, a locket, the contract papers for the mansion she now lived in, and a family photo.
They were all from her late parents...and her past lover.
The book, titled The Droopy Rose, was the last gift her mother ever gave her. She cherished it more than anything, like her life depended on it. She cleaned it, polished it, and did everything she could to preserve it. She even read it twice every month, to the point she had memorized nearly every detail. The novel had over 3,000 pages. It was really good, addictive, even. She was obsessed, especially with her favorite character, Zeuz Venozoir.
The locket belonged to her past lover. Yes, she once had someone she truly loved. He was the only one. Ever since he died in a car accident, she never fell in love again, not in a romantic way. She still loved her family, though she'd never admit it out loud. She never married because of him. His death shattered her, and that explained a lot about how she is now.
She cherished the locket just as much as the book. She cleaned it and polished it regularly, but never wore it, too afraid she might lose it. Inside the locket was a photo of the two of them sharing their first kiss under a sakura tree. It had been taken by a close friend, just for fun, but to her, it meant the world. A memory that never faded...
Next was the contract papers, a gift from her father when she was 17. It had her signature and confirmed that she now owned the mansion her father gave her. She treasured it deeply. Over the years, she made a few renovations, but nothing major. It was also the last gift her father ever gave her before he passed away, broken by depression, stress, agony, grief, anger, and guilt.
And the last item was the family photo. It was taken on February 13, 1985, her 17th birthday. It was also the last birthday she ever celebrated with her parents. She stood in the center of the photo, wearing a fancy gown that made her look like she was having a debut, even if she was still too young. The background looked grand and elegant.
On her right stood her mother, pale, weak, wrapped in a blanket, just out of bed, but still forcing a smile for the photo. On her left was her father, dressed sharply for the occasion, smiling proudly. Behind her were her four brothers in suits.
The first on the left was the eldest, Vincent Carsten, who was 23 at the time. He smiled brightly, like the sun. Next to him was Vince, with glasses and a stern face. He didn't smile, typical of him. The last was Valentin, the youngest, just 11 then, turning 12 the day after her birthday. He smiled adorably, his chubby cheeks standing out.
She treasured that photo more than anything, it was the last picture she ever took with both her parents.
Everything inside that vault was priceless to her. As she held the book tightly in her arms, tears fell down her face. She cried...more miserably than ever.
After a few hours of crying, she gently placed the book back inside the vault and locked it. She wiped her tears, returned to her bed, and tried to fall asleep...until she finally did.
To be continued...