Chapter 175: Funeral Service
"We are here to pay our last respects to our father, brother, and friend, Shen Tao..."
The words hung heavy in the air, twisting tight around Athena’s heart. She turned her head into Aiden’s hard chest, allowing the tears she had fought so hard to contain to finally flow.
It was a moment of surrender amidst grief, the acknowledgment of loss as the funeral service reached its peak, the moment where they were about to close the coffin of Master Shen.
The memories flooded in then, uninvited yet insistently vivid.
She had met Master Shen at one of those ridiculous parties organized by Antonio’s parents six years ago, a world she desperately tried to fit into but continuously stumbled out of, landing back in the dust.
Antonio had been a darling six years ago, when she had arrived at the mansion gates, with nothing but the knapsack Gianna had given her, and the directions and contact on the piece of paper—even though she had arrived a month later than the time Gianna had given this friend of hers whom she had met in college.
Three rows with three different guards later, Antonio had finally appeared, in a Lambo(car) and with a bimbo, who had kept eyeing her badly thinking she was another of Antonio’s girlfriends.
Antonio had listened to her, had given her a room in the mansion, ignoring his parents insults and threats. He had even risked his place, his birthright as a first son, when he had a row with his mother because the woman had attempted converting her to a maid.
It had all gotten worse as her pregnancy started to show. The whispers and labeling had grown louder in the halls of that extravagant mansion, pushing her further away from the parties until one fateful night where she had finally met Master Shen at a celebration for Antonio’s sister.
She had been outside in the garden, rubbing her conspicuously round belly and occasionally muttering to her babies when she heard a smooth male voice behind her, sending a ripple of anxiety through her.
"What are you doing out here alone? Aren’t you joining the party?" He had asked, taking a seat beside her on the bench.