Secretly The Hidden Gem

Five

It's been 4 days since I got fired and I've spent many hours of those days at this bar, leaving only when they're about to kick me out. 

I'm running through my savings as fast as I can. I can starve afterwards. 

Besides, it’s even better if I die than if I continue to live like this.

Today is the day the designs are to be presented to Matteo, the Senior Director. 

Today could have been my day. I'm sitting at the bar when someone changes the channel to a live coverage of the event at MT Hurtsville. 

Great, now I have to watch it on television. 

I watch as the Senior Director walks around admiring the designs and giving comments as he looks at them. He stops occasionally to scrutinize some designs and looks pleased with almost all of them. 

I see him take a pause and he looks taken aback. The camera turns to focus on what made him stop. 

This particular design causes an applause to go through the crowd. 

Matteo looks on in awe. 

It is my design. 

“This is beautiful. I haven't seen anything like this since my grandfather's time. It's very rare to see talent like this anymore. Even I am not sure I could pull off such a design as this,” he says, his eyes brimming with nostalgia.

“May I know who did this?” He asks 

And then I have to watch in anger and disgust as Lucas Evans steps forward and claims he is behind it. 

He knows he wasn't the one who did it. And yet he took credit for it. 

I have endured so much cruelty.

Matteo goes in to look at the other designs presented but it's clear to everyone that he has made his choice. 

After going through everything, he goes to the stage and gives a short speech congratulating everyone who made an effort. Those who do not win will be given a compensation price of cash of €100,000. He finally calls Lucas to the podium and announces him the winner of the competition. He will be receiving a promotion and an increase in his salary. That could have been me. I turn in disgust towards the bartender and order another round of beer. 

 I'm drowning my sorrows in my seventh bottle when I notice a very familiar looking lady entering the bar. I recognize her as Oceana's best friend, Leah. She walks over to the table where I am sitting and gives me a dirty look. I wonder what is wrong with her because if anyone is supposed to be mad here it is me. She then grabs one of the bottles on my table and pies its content over my head. 

“Are you mad?” I ask her. I am already more than halfway drunk and so my words come out in a slur. 

“Me, mad Lynn? The person drinking himself to stupor is asking if I am mad. Very funny". 

 By this time, other people in the bar are already laughing at the scene. Some have even taken out their phones to video. 

“After all you did, you think you can just get to waste away here?”, she says and I am confused.

All I did?

“I'm surprised Oceana kept you around for as long as she did,” She continues.

I'm thoroughly confused as to what I did but I'm too drunk to even counter her. 

These people must think I've done something so bad to her as they look at me in disgust.

I am trying to explain myself but my words come out slurry.

All of a sudden I can feel her dragging me by the arm and I'm too drunk to hold back. 

She drags me to the convenience in the bar. She begins to tear out the buttons of her shirt which leaves her breasts exposed, she smirks at me then, her eyes glowing evilly in the dark.

She is going to do something bad, I think and I am trying to stop her but I'm too sloppy to do anything. 

She messes up her hair and smudges her makeup a little and begins to cry.

She then lets out a scream which brings one of the workers into the bathroom. 

“This guy tried to assault me,” She cries. 

The guy drags me out and she follows behind crying. 

“No, no!!” I try to explain, “She dragged me in there. I didn't touch her,”I say in a slur. 

A punch lands on my face as I try to defend myself. 

I hear someone say that the police should be called. Soon I hear the sirens and some policemen walk into the bar. One goes over to Leah to take a statement from her and the other two walk to me where I'm being held down. One handcuffs me while another asks me questions. I'm almost sober by this time. 

I try to explain that I was drunk but I didn't touch her. They don't seem to be listening to me. 

“I think I can help with your investigation sirs,” a voice from behind me says. 

“I own this place and in my office at the back, I happen to have the security footage from the bathroom hallways where she claims this happened,” 

 I turn to see a woman standing there. I look back at Leah and see she is becoming tensed up. The police officers go with the woman to the back and a few minutes later they return. 

“We are very sorry sir. We just watched the footage and we realized that this was framed. So sorry for the embarrassment this might have caused,” one of the men says. They uncuff me and apologize again. 

They move outside to look for Leah but she's nowhere to be found. She must have slipped out when no one was watching. 

I stand up and I'm about to tell the woman who gave them the footage thank you when I feel myself blacking out. The last thing I remember before passing out is her face.

It's early in the morning when I finally open up my eyes. I'm lying in bed that I know is not mine. 

How did I end up here? 

I try to remember the events of last night but not everything is clear. The door to the room I'm in opens and a lady walks in. I try to remember where I have seen her and I realize she's the bar owner from yesterday. 

“How do you feel now?” She asks

“You are…?”, I ask her, cocking my head to one side as I arched up my eyebrows.

“My bad. My name is Aurora. I have been watching you at my bar but I didn't want to say anything until I was sure”

“Sure about what?”

“I wanted to be sure it was really you. I have something to tell you that has been haunting me for a long time now. It is nothing but fate that you walked into my bar the day you did,” She says mysteriously and I tense.

 “What do you have to tell me?” I ask her, curious.

 “I need you to promise first that you will not do anything to me after I tell you this,”

“I promise I won't hurt you,” I say, eager for her to get in with it.

“Alright. I used to work as a nurse before I opened this bar. I was there when your mother gave birth to you,” she begins. 

“Okay?" I shift uncomfortably, balancing my weight on the other leg. I don't wake up every day with someone claiming that they helped brought me to this world. 

“You see they people who you know as your parents right now are not your biological parents." She says quietly, and slowly the meaning of her words sunk in. Biological parents? Is she mad?

As if reading my unspoken questions she goes on, " Matteo Lorenzo is your biological father. A man named Zente Lotte had approached me and paid me to switch you with his son, Bruno Lorenzo,” She holds up her hands to silence me as I'm about to interrupt her again. 

“Bruno ended up growing up as the heir to the MT Hurtsville while you lived as Zente’s abandoned son, you Lynn are the real heir to the MT Hurtsville empire, Matteo Lorenzo is your real father,” She says.

Anger boils within me, my chest heaving up and down. I feel like redecorating her pretty face with the imprints of my hand, but I manage control myself. 

“What about my mother and my father, the ones who took care of me?”

"Those are your adopted parents Lynn, and if I remember correctly I know she died just after your birth." 

My breathing hitched and I slump back weakly against the wall with a blank expression on my face. 

She had made me suffer all this while because of a little cash.

I look at Aurora and hold back the urge to slap her. Had I known I wouldn't have promised not to hurt her. She probably knew I will want to hurt her that's why she made me promise not to do something stupid.

But I am still shocked to find out that Matteo Lorenzo is my real father. 

I think of Bruno and Zente and it all makes sense now, it explains why they hate me so much.

Until now, I had never felt deserving of their hatred and terrible actions.

But now, now that I know the truth, I will burn their world to the ground.

The same way they burnt mine.

Bruno and Zente and everyone else that looked down on me, I will make you all suffer.