Tales of Light

SOAR

Skipping through the wide, highly decorated lobby that led to her father's study, Tiara Inerio slightly wondered why this part of the building felt eerily cold.

She rubbed her shoulders, shivering, and guessed perhaps one of the servants had forgotten to put off the central air conditioning system. But it wasn't this cold downstairs.

Well, she reasoned, the body heat of all the guests downstairs could have cancelled the chilly effect.
She looked down at her after-party gown, a simple silvery gown made of layers of silk and satin, and was satisfied that she was neatly  covered.

She had escaped out of the boisterous noise and partying with her faux friends and stinking rich business moguls who had all brought their respective sons to vie for her hand, and gone for a stroll in the garden with Dave, her trusted bodyguard.
Then, it happened.
Her father had to know what had transpired tonight.

Her father, Mr Bennett Inerio, was the billionaire CEO of Injel Corporation and she was his heiress. Ever since he divorced her mother, Tiara had been the pampered girl of her father, though he barely had time to spend alone with her.

She had all the luxuries in the world. Being just a teenage girl crossing over to womanhood, her father threw her a flamboyant sweet sixteen party upon her request. 

Tiara always felt people used her and wanted to get close to her because of her net worth and her captivating beauty.

Secretly, she suffered from anorexia nervosa, always starving herself to maintain her lithe shape, because of an inherent fear that men would leave her just like her dad left her mom.

That was until she met Dave.
Her Dad had hired Dave Badmus as her bodyguard after a frightening incident at her former school when some gunmen held all the students hostage until an insanely huge ransom was paid.
Dave was a part-time employee of her father who took time off his college holidays to earn some cool cash since he had a solid background in martial arts. At first, Tiara wasn't happy to be so closely monitored, but as she got to know Dave inch by inch, it wasn't so bad anymore.

He was masculine and well-built such that his presence made all the girls in her school constantly drool after them, but there was something else about him that was attractive. This otherworldly glow and gentle spirit, when he wasn't kicking bad guys' asses of course.

Up for the new and fascinating challenge, she promptly ignored all her truckload of admirers and began to use all the tactics in her sleeves to try to seduce him to fall for her.

However, it was as though Dave's heart was carved out of steel and stone. He was either always fleeing or unmoved by her many seductive antics. Instead, his thoughtful and caring nature won her over. He restrained himself from taking advantage of her on many occasions.

When she found out he was a Christian, it all began to make sense. Though she detested religion, she didn't flinch when Dave began to talk to her about God. Soon, her attention shifted from Dave to the God he always talked about in glowing terms. She began her quest for truth, with Dave eager to guide her on the way. And she found what she'd been looking for in God.

Alone with Dave in the lush garden, she announced to him her decision to accept Jesus. His normally stoic face had lit up in delight and he had led her in the sinner's prayer, keeping his distance of course.

Feeling so free and loved, she had excused herself from him to go upstairs. Her aim was to tell her Dad. He had to know this liberation too.

She unlocked the door of her father's gigantic study.

"Dad! Dad, I have the most amazing news to share with you!" she gushed as she pushed the door in. 

The swivel chair slowly turned to reveal her father.
But, wait, something was wrong. His head was bent downward at an awkward angle and he was oddly quiet. Hadn't he excused himself from the party to attend to some important business?