MELTING A FROZEN HEART

Chapter 39

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VINCENT

Rude. Stubborn. Petty. Ill-mannered. Reckless. Selfish. Insufferable.

That had been my impression of her in the beginning.

And it continued for days further as she bumped into me over and over again.

I was livid at her for the way she behaved with me when both of us landed in the middle of a forest.

Irrespective of how calm and collected I presented myself, I was, in the corner of my mind, angry at her and had decided to give her a fitting payback.

I went ahead and warned her directly too that I was not going to let the disrespect slide.

I wanted to show her the overwhelming difference between me and her and lead her in a path that would break her resolve and she'll have no choice but to bow down and apologize to me for the disrespect.

It was at that moment when I was ready to land my blow, I received a file with her background information.

And the moment I found out about her past, I was stunned would be an understatement.

I was not ready to believe what was in it.

I couldn't believe that there could be a woman who would survive this far alone in this world after being subjected to such brutal scars.

I had once seen my mother, being surrounded by her family, try to take her own life in the face of those disturbing memories and the emotions they evoked.

Then, how did Raelynn Baker survive it all on her own? How did she move ahead? How did she find enough will in herself to succeed?

Several questions occupied my mind. Questions I could not find logical answers to.

When I found out about her further, her journey in raising her confectionary brand, her handful of interviews, her social organization, her charitable events to spread awareness about emotional difficulties, her stocks management, her investments, her shrewd ways of accumulating wealth and directing it to her social help organization, her competence, her sharp acumen in growing the value and popularity of her brand, everything felt unreal.

It blew me away with an astonishing realization that there does exist a woman so unwaveringly strong that even death didn't faze her, who fought her own demons and this world to grab her success, honing her intelligence, hard work and perseverance to conquer her failures to seize an undeniable win and turning around her own haunting experiences to offer kindness to those in similar difficulties.

All my previous impressions of her shattered, giving me a new perception.

Cold. Intelligent. Shrewd. Persistent. Kind. Compassionate.

Words weren't enough to describe her.

After all, it takes an overwhelming strength and courage to be kind even after being beaten to the lowest depths of the abyss.

That day, I was certain of one thing.

A person like Raelynn Baker deserves to be respected.

And that respect pushed aside any resentment or anger I had once held for her.

As days passed by, respect turned into admiration and before I could realize, that admiration has started to mold into something more steady, deep and intimate.

I had often seen her smile politely or out of courtesy at others. When I first saw her laugh genuinely with those girls in the remote town, I was halted in my tracks at its dazzling radiance. Even so, I brushed the thought away and moved on.