Chapter 112 - The Darkness

Ah Hai had been sitting in his chair for the past few hours as he analyzed over and over what Miss Silvia Grey had revealed. He had alsways wanted to protect Shi Ai from the darkness in the world but the more he tried the more that darkness tried to engulf her. Though Silvia had left a while back, Ah Hai had yet to pick his phone to make a call to Shi Ai. He thought back to the words that Silvia had told him, "The girls' father was addicted to gambling and their mother was addicted to drugs. I don't know how or why, as I said I was young. Also what I am telling you is something that I have only understood as I grew so they are mostly assumptions. Their mother was a beautiful woman and most men liked to cheat their father so that they could have a chance with her. I guess she hated to be used or I don't know but whenever this happened,she would lock both girls in the closet with their mouths and hands tied. As Shi Ai got older,she started to understand the pattern and most of the times managed to bring herself and Shi Xaio to my hose to escape. But one day something out of the ordinary happened. She got late in leaving and her father brought the men home to settle his debts.

One of those men then took a fancy to Shi Ai who was an early bloomer. Shi Ai's father tried to sell her but her mother was lucid enough that she refused and handled the man on her own by begging and pleading. She slapped Shi Ai and ordered her to go into her own room. But her father had already gained ideas. His daughter was his property like his wife. But his wife was getting older and could not be used much but his daughter was a fresh flower who would gain him a very good amount. You might want to know how I this. It is because after she went to her room,her father followed her and took her back to the room where those men were using her mother. He told her these things himself! Shi Ai was scared and ran to my home and continued to vomit for an entire day. She refused to go back or send Shi Xaio back for fear that her father may sell any of them."It was at this stage that Silvia had paused and her expression had turned bitter.

"Finally, I was able to convince Shi Ai to go back but her nightmare had come true. A new 'father' had come to their home to adopt her. By now Shi Ai's eyes had been opened to the horror of the world. That man requested Shi Ai to sit on his l.a.p but she refused. Seeing this her father coaxed Shi Xaio to sit,who was still unaware and happily sat on the man. Once she had agreed the two men went to discuss some 'business'. Once her father went out,Shi Ai ran back to my place and told me everything. She could have been saved..if I had not made a mistake.."

Silvia Grey was crying earnestly now but Ah Hai paid her no mind. He had already connected the dots. Whatever happened,Shi Ai had managed to save Shi Xaio by leaving her at an orphanage before she went back to face those demons. She had been a truly brave elder sister. He knew this because the one thing his wife remembered recently was that her sister had left her at the orphanage with an order to forget everythin,even her own name. Which she had done..

Ah Hai rang for Assistant Yang to bring a box of tissues,who brought them immediately along with a glass of water. After calming down,Silvia Grey,once again started her story," It is a known fact in the entertainment industry that I am alienated from my family but no one knows the reason. The reason is Shi Ai. When I had heard what Shi Ai's father had planned to do, a tiny part inside me had been relieved that I was not related to them. My parents, I had believed were morally upstanding. But poverty has no friends. And on my eighteenth birthday,I discovered the truth. It was on that day,I severed all ties with my so called family. This is what happened after that,"Shi Ai was still the one who was chosen in the end to be adopted and her father was given two days to get her ready. Her father believed that Shi Ai had already accepted fate and tried to fill her head with all sorts of ways to grab money from her new 'daddy'. He was teaching his thirteen year old daughter..But Shi Ai had become numb inside and was already planning her escape. I..I convinced her to come to my home and promised her that she could hide there. since we were neighbors,she was wary but I believed in my parents and told them everything. They also agreed that both the girls could come here and then they would send them to my aunt's house. We planned everything and I was sent to my aunt's house earlier so as to not arouse any suspicions."

The night those girls were set to come to my aunt's house,I waited by the door. The entire night I was worried about them but no one came. I begged my aunt to let me make a phone call but she refused. Finally as the day broke,my parents came..alone. They told me that their plan had failed and been discovered. In order to save her dignity and her sister,Shi Ai had burned herself and her sister in the house they lived in..After this,they brought me to America claiming that I needed to get over the shock and a change in environment would help that.