The Winter Bride (TSBS-2) COMPLETED

Prologue

Prologue

The cold breeze of rain was apparent as the heavy droplets crash onto the window panes. The loud crack of thunders could be seen with a white flash lighting up the dark sky. The roar of clouds clashing with one another could be heard all over the manhattan city. It was a dark stormy night in the beginning of April.

A ringtone of a phone joined the commotion of the night. The whole penthouse was basked in darkness but through the hallway, a dim light was visible from one of the open bedroom door. A man laid, deep in sleep over the plush bed, after a night of wild party. The groan of the said man was loud and clear indicating his displeasure and then the brash voice, heavy with sleep spoke.

"You better have a good reason for waking me up."

The smooth but anxious voice of a female hurriedly replied, "I can't reach Mom and Dad. Did you hear from them?"

Sitting up then leaning his broad shoulders on the headboard, he threw the cover away and cupped his other ear to block out the sound of the storm. "No Hi, hello to your brother? Now, that's just rude."

The reply came back quick, "Did you even listen to anything I said? I can't reach them."

Yawning, he said uncaringly. "Oh come on, Kate. I heard you the first time. They're not kids. They'll get home when they want to. The network from wherever they are, probably sucks. So now if you are finished, I'd like to get back to my sleep."

"You idiot. Do you even know there's a storm outside? Our parent's cellphones are unreachable. We have no idea where they are, and you want to go back to your sleep? Really?"

The so called idiot brother of Kate rolled his eyes at his elder sister's usual anxiousness. She had always been the person who worries about every single thing.

"Really? Kate? Are you forgetting you are pregnant? Why are you worrying over nothing? They will get home soon."

The loud booming voice of his sister indicated that his sister had lost her patience and that there was hell to pay later. "Shut up and get your ass out of bed! Go and watch the news! It's bizarre outside! For god's sake little brother, can you be serious for once in your life?"

That got his attention. When did Kate become like his parents?

His parents were the only one who taunted him everyday for his actions. They were the only one who never took him seriously. They never even gave him a chance to prove.

For once, he would show. He would show that he could be serious, that he could take charge, could take responsibilities like every other elite man in the society.

Plus worrying Kate wasn't something he enjoyed. Moreover, in her condition? No, thank you. Her husband would bury him alive. He got up from his bed and walked toward his closet, clutching his phone tightly and ignoring the pounding in his head. "Fine, fine. I'm getting up. Can you relax for a sec? Where is that husband of yours? Tell him to be with you. I'm coming there. Okay?"

His sister sighed, "Thank you. Just get here brother. I don't know why but I have a bad feeling. Just get here soon."

******

"The number you are trying to call is unreachable. Please try again later."

The monotone voice kept on repeating the same damn line again and again. Dropping the phone on the couch, he gripped his head in frustration.

"What did it say?"

Kate, his sister was getting more paranoid with every unreachable call, with every pace she took. And now he was getting paranoid too. It had been hours and there was no response from their parents nor there were response from the people he sent to look for them. Since, it was still not 24 hours, cops couldn't help with anything.

Well, at least that's what they would do when it was normal civilians. Belonging to one of the most influential, wealthy family in the city, police wouldn't dare say no to him but they were no help either since his parents were not found yet.

He looked up at Kate, pacing infront him holding her very pregnant stomach. "It's still the same, Kate. Unreachable."

Suddenly his phone blasted up with a metallic song and for once, his sister didn't scrunch up her face in disgust.  He quickly jumped to his phone, thinking it might be their parents but it was an unknown number. Nonetheless he answered. "Hello?"

"Hello, is this Parker Harris and Marie Harris's son?"

An unknown male voice asked. Straightening up from the couch, he glanced at Kate, who was at his side in a flash.

"Yeah, this is him. Who's asking?"

At first there was silence but then, "Mr. Harris, This is NYPD and I'm calling because there has been an accident."

"Accident? What accident? Where are my parents? Are they okay?" He asked frantically.

Kate already started crying. Why was she crying? Why did she already start crying? His parents were fine. They should be fine. They must be. He gestured to Derek, his brother-in-law and turned Kate to him.

"It was an hit and run. Your parents...I'm sorry, Sir. They couldn't make it. The damage was too much. Sir, we will do everything in our power to find whoever did it. But now you need to come down to the sta...Sir? Mr. Harris? Are you there?" The phone dropped to the floor with a thump, that left an ominous feeling over his body.

He was vaguely aware of Derek picking it up and Kate rushing to him all the way shouting, "What? Tell me! Where are they? What happened? Talk to me, you idiot!"

The brother pulled his sister to his chest and wrapped his arms around her, answering her by shaking his head. Lone tears ran down his cheeks, his shirt all wet with his sister's tears. He memorised everything, he remembered everything, for he wouldn't stop at nothing to find the culprit, to find the person who broke his family apart before he even got the chance to prove his worth.

"No, No..they can't. No, please..how?why? Talk to me!" Kate cried out, punching her soft fists over his chest repeatedly.

It was an Hit And Run!

Someone did this. Someone took away his parents from them.

They couldn't make it.

His parents were no more. His Mom and dad...no more.

The damage was too much.

And that was enough for him to take a vow. He spoke out loud with such conviction that it was hard not to believe him, it was hard not to have faith in him.

"I promise, Kate. I'll find out who did this and when I find them, I'll make them pay. I'll ruin them, Kate. I'll ruin them all. I promise."