Forever And Never

ONE || SASHA

The sky is bright. It is glowing, a beautiful sea of a gleaming yellow. I stare up at it, the noises around me fading away. I am not in pain. I look up, and I see him there.

I am crying, but I am not sad. I want to scream, I want to dance, I want to show him how happy I am. I am exhilarated.

I reach out, and he says my name.

For the first time, he says my name.

I hold his hands in mine. He is real.

He is real.

———

Ten Months Earlier

I pick up the torn jacket and throw it at Odette, her face scrunching as the silver zipper hits her mouth. A small cut forms on her lip and she whimpers, her eyes watering. My blood is boiling with anger as I clench my fists, waiting for her tears to start coming.

"You think you're sly enough to do this?" I ask, holding up the blouse in my hand. "You really think you could get away with something like this?!" I throw the blouse down at her feet.

Odette swallows hard, her lip wobbling. "I'm so sorry, Sasha—"

I smack her across the face. The sound echoes throughout the entire room and the maids all wince. Odette cries out and crumples to the floor, her mouth agape in horror as she presses her hand against her cheek.

"You call me Miss Nam in this house," I snap. "Do you not know the rules here? What makes you think you can use my first name, you dumb little—"

The doors open and I turn around in annoyance. My father steps inside, a straight expression on his face. I let out an exasperated sigh.

"Sasha," my father says. "That's enough. We have a busy schedule today and William is waiting in the car."

"Appa, this little brat tore my things on purpose last night," I retort, gesturing to my ruined clothes on the floor. "We might as well just fire this child."

My father eyes the maid angrily. "I will let Mrs. Ingrid handle this. For now, let's leave."

I give Odette a dirty look and kick my jeans at her. "This isn't over, Odette. I suggest you start working extra hard to pay for those expensive clothes you just ruined."

Following my father outside, my heels clack against the pavement as I walk to the car. William, our driver, is seated in our vehicle, hands clasped around the wheel. He's been our driver ever since I was born, and now he's just at the brink of turning 60.

"Good morning, Miss Nam," William says as I hop into the backseat.

"Morning, William," I mumble, pulling out my phone. "Did you have a good sleep yesterday?"

"Sure did," he answers as my dad gets in next to me. "Where are we off to today, Mr. Nam?"

"Head to the company," my dad orders. "Sasha, call your mother and tell her to meet us there."

Vivace, the name of my family's company, is a thirty minute drive from our house. It's located in Downtown LA, a towering skyscraper with a department store, a hotel, and a few restaurants directly inside. In just a few years, I will become the head CEO of Vivace.