The Traps of Black Swan

[WARNING: Depressing chapter ahead. Read at your own risk.]

As though it wasn't enough to make her life difficult, Ava was dropped at school every day in the car with her little brother being treated like a prince but she always ran behind the car to go home.

She didn't know why the driver and her mother always forgot that she was also in the same school but she never complained and ran behind the car. Sometimes screaming to stop the car, sometimes embarrassed running behind it like a stray dog.

She was mistreated by her parents to the extent that even the maids started to disregard her. Some doubted her as adopted, some doubted her as a mistress's child or illegitimate child...

Even Ava doubted and asked her grandfather to confirm if she was really their child and his granddaughter. "Grandfather, please tell me the truth, am I really your granddaughter? A biological daughter of Mom and Dad?"

Her grandfather had stopped his work and called her next to him, "You are my granddaughter. Why are you doubting? Shane and Maisie are your parents."

Ava shook her head without believing him, "Nope, you are lying to me so that I don't feel bad, aren't you? It's alright if I was found on the road or somebody left me in front of the house, please tell me the truth."

Hayden was shocked to see she was calm even uttering those words. But before he could respond, Ava continued, "Or am I the daughter of Dad's but not Mom's?" 

She meant to ask if she was a child of the first wife or an illegitimate child which Hayden clearly understood. His heart ached to see her still cool and ready to accept it if it's a fact.

Seeing her reluctant to believe, he had proved her with DNA parental test reports.

...

However, who was going to confirm the maids in the villa. She was once hit by the maid when she had asked her why she was laughing at her. Many times, maids purposefully used to eat off breakfast or dinner leaving her with nothing.

Hence she learned to cook for herself by the age of fifteen. She wouldn't have minded cooking for maids if they were ill, yet they never really saw her in a new light but Ava never demanded it.

Between all these, her life of struggling to live never stopped. She would burn with fever without anybody caring to check on her and cough her lungs out due to cold. Even on her first menstruation, she had fainted on the bed with lots of bleeding and the pain of heavy cramps.

Whatsoever, she earned only disgust and loathing from her parents whether she lived or at the stage of death.

When her parents got to know she was learning business, they forced her, used every ridiculous reason to bring her away from Hayden Kelly. 

The ones who never identified Ava openly as their daughter had reached school to write in college entrance form as she will join home science and learn cookery. They didn't let her choose any other profession.

The teachers who knew Ava well, also knew she wanted to be a businesswoman and she was studying Finance and business management. The home teacher saw her meekly nod to the order of her parents before submitting the form to them.

Ava spoke to her grandfather having no heart to join cooking college, she didn't want to be a chef, it was never her dream. Her home teacher didn't want to waste such talent so he spoke to Ava and her grandfather.

While her parents thought everything was as they planned, little did her parents know, the teachers and Hayden put on the act of sending her abroad for learning international cooking whereas Ava passed the scholarship and entrance exam of University S.

She lived on scholarship. The pocket money or the expenses sent to her became her savings. She worked as a finance manager and earned quite a big amount.

The only place she was happy for a pretty long time was in the country S. She had thought she could be happy having Shawn and Dax with her when they returned but she didn't expect her world to change upside down.

As soon as she returned, her plan was to move out of her parent's villa and hunt for the potential company which was suffering to grow up. She got a company, rebranded it to Skylar, and kick-started the business. She faced many hurdles, competition but Dax stood as her support. She planned out everything and hunted while Dax handled revamping and excelling. 

She had thought she could be finally happy in her life seeing things working in a quick phase but none liked her happiness. Ava who left three years ago was a wholly new person. Her simple style was sophisticated, one who used to silently move away from them was walking next to them with chin up without caring about their presence.

Among all these, Hayden who knew she was President of Skylar and running it successfully so far, kept praising her everywhere he went but he hid about Skylar so that her parents won't start pestering her with something else.

Hayden knew well, her parents were cunning enough to write the company in their name and make her an employee of it so he preferred her well-being.

However, that irked her parents, and sensed a big danger due to her change. They didn't want Hayden to hand the company to Ava. How could they accept the one who they disgusted every day becoming their boss? So they started plotting to throw her aside.

Maisie and Shane kept an eye on her. They soon found Ava was the one who approved some investments and projects which Hayden blindly signed. Hence they doubted if she learned the business in the country S.

They tested her by sending all maids away and asked her to cook a feast lying as they will have guests for the dinner. Ava had been to a cooking course and she always baked for Shawn and Dax so it was a child's play for her before she presented a huge dining table full of continental cuisines.

Each dish won the taste buds so they assumed she learned cooking.

Soon they found out she knew Shawn Rivas. They presumed she started cooking in the Highland bar and restaurant without knowing she was going there because she was a co-owner of it.

One day, she was entering her home after sealing a deal, her mother brightly smiled wrapping her arm around Ava's shoulder taking her inside, and treating her warmly.

"My lovely daughter. We were waiting for you. Come, I will introduce them." Maisie's behavior was a shock to Ava before her jaws dropped in surprise when she noticed Shane Kelly delighted too.

Her heart clearly knew they weren't genuinely happy for her, they were happy for something else yet Ava who was confident of her work turned into a teenager. That teenager who always wanted to see her parents happy for her presence in their life.

She gave modest bows to the ones her mother introduced while her eyes glued on her mother or father. She agreed to everything they told without even looking at the groom they were talking about.

For the first time in her whole life, she felt being treasured when the two families faked their affection for her. 

When they had asked her decision over the wedding, her eyes were on her mother saying, "If my parents are happy, I don't have any objection."

Again she got a loving smile from her parents causing her to smile and go to her room in a daze. 

From the next day, Maise treated her like a daughter, cared about her, fed her, and treated her really well. Since she hadn't loved anybody, she accepted as it was just an early wedding with a stranger.

Her grandfather just hoped she should get a loving family and the things he heard about the Hays family were the same. So he didn't object.

The three men, Shawn, Dax, and Zain repeatedly alerted her to be careful. They knew well why she was getting married yet they failed to stop her. At some point, even they hoped that her parents wouldn't treat her badly anymore.

For a whole month, she became a puppet of her parents, a teenager Ava who heard everything. Until her daydream broke into pieces while she was sitting in her room waiting for the groom. 

Wasn't she the victim when the groom didn't reach the wedding venue? But what she earned was a tight slap on her cheeks with the entitlement, "Jinx." who jinxed her own life.

Her parents who acted the whole month finally revealed their color which Ava actually knew. That was the day, she decided, never expect for their affection anymore. Even if it is shown, even if it is true, don't believe them.

She threw her engagement ring, removed the wedding gown hearing the endless curses of her parents.

She went to Skylar and locked herself working day and night straight for two days to stop herself from crying over such people. 

When she was ready to sacrifice her life for her parents, all she got was fake affection and curses. Why should she cry over them when her heart was broken to an irreparable state?

When she had finally answered a call, it was to inform her that she was labeled as a sl*t, a wh*re, and her parents announcing as they are disowning her.

Ava really wanted to ask them, when did they own her to disown?