Sosuke arrived at his hotel room and sat by the balcony watching over the city. He had to admit that meeting with Esmeralda made his day even more eventful. Sosuke had never met such a woman who spoke with maturity and jokingly at the same time, especially at her age. No other woman made him feel that way; he had been with plenty.

Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted when he heard a buzz from his cell phone. It was a text from his uncle Bradley. He asked if they could make a video call. Sosuke dialed and waited for his uncle to appear from the other end. Seconds later, his uncle appeared from the other end. Bradley was sixty years of age but still looked young, even with the slight wrinkles on his face. He had a robust and broad appearance which showed that he took care of himself. His hair was pitch black and slicked back, and he had a dark mustache with light turquoise eyes, although one of his eyes was covered with an eye patch. "Sosuke, my boy, how was the meeting?"

"It went well, the fools thought they could try to get a lower price, but their threats were meaningless. In the end, I got what was needed."

Bradley chuckled. "I expect nothing less from you, my boy. I raised you to be a strong man." Bradley took a sip from his teacup.

"How is Aunt Amelia?" Sosuke noticed the softness in his uncle's eyes. Sosuke has always known his uncle to be a strong and ruthless man, especially those who work for him or try to overcome him. However, deep down, Bradley has a soft spot for his wife, who he loves with all his heart.

"She is still ill; the medicine is not helping her as much. We are thinking of finding another doctor."

Sosuke sighed. "I think you should return to Germany; they take better care of patients and give them medicine that helps. America only cares about business."

"I know Amelia is still not well enough to travel, but you also know that she doesn't want to leave you alone. You know her."

Sosuke smiled. "I keep telling her not to worry about me that much. I'm grown and can make my own decisions."

"You should stop womanizing, and try to find a nice woman to settle down with, and I think your aunt can rest easy." Bradley let out a laugh.

"I've told you too much about my dating experiences, uncle. Women nowadays are hard to trust and please."

Sosuke was a bit thoughtful; Bradley couldn't help but notice. "You're hiding something. You met a woman, haven't you?" Sosuke poured himself a cup of whiskey, and Bradley smirked. "I was right. Tell me, how is she?"

Sosuke took a sip. "I don't want to say much, uncle. Let's change the topic."

Bradley still kept his smirk. "Whatever you say. By the way, you know that our family is hosting a yearly celebration here in our home, and we need our main event; an entertainer."

"Of course, you leave that to me, uncle."

Then, Bradley's expression changed. "You know that your father will be in attendance."

Sosuke squeezed his glass of whiskey.

"I know that you two don't get along, but at least be civil; at the end of the day, he is still your father. Well, you need rest, my boy. Take care." With that, Bradley hung up, leaving Sosuke sitting on his lonesome. Sosuke felt his day ended on a sour note since his uncle mentioned his father.

His father was a man that he hated.

.........................

Esmeralda POV

It was weird I was in a place I'd never been to. I see many green hills and mountains. It was a lovely place. The air was fantastic, and the sun was quite warm. I was walking in what seemed like a field. I felt at peace. I kept on walking until I saw what looked like a river. Even from afar, I noticed the color of the water was very bright and clear. I could see many fishes going by the currents. I arrived at the lake and looked down. I could see my reflection in the clear water. I bent down and touched the water.

It was icy cold, and my hand was stuck as I tried lifting it. What in the hell!? Why is my hand stuck!? I tried hard to pull my hand out, but it was pointless. Suddenly, I felt something grabbing my hand. My eyes were wide with horror. It was my reflection. My reflection eyed me with a hint of sadness. 1"Ya mero. Ya mero." Then my reflection wept tears of blood as she pulled me down and-"

"Aahh!"

I looked around, and I was in my bedroom. My heart was pounding, and sweat was all over my body. I took deep breaths, trying to calm myself, and moments later, I could—what a terrible dream. I had nightmares before, but this one was different; it was as if I was in the dream, and everything could be felt. I looked at the time, and it was 9 am. A sigh of relief escaped me. I was also happy that today is Saturday and there is no work. "Well, I need to get up and make some breakfast."

..........................................

Esmeralda was in the kitchen as she finished making some pancakes with eggs and sausage. She also made champurrado for herself and her father. As she finished, she saw her father getting out of his room in his work clothing. "Buenos dias, papa. Vas ir a trabajar hoy? (Good morning, dad. Are you going to work today?)"

Her father was in his late forties and stood at five feet and seven inches tall. He had dark tan skin, with scars on his hands and arms. He had a dark mustache and a lot of washed black hair. His name is Anselmo. The elder smiled as he kissed her head. "Buenos días mi niña. Sí, hoy me voy a trabajar. Al menos tendré horas extras." Anselmo sat and ate the breakfast that his daughter had made for him. Within fifteen minutes, he finished. "Muchas gracias, te miro mas tarde." With that, her father went away. 

Esmeralda sat and ate her breakfast comfortably in the quiet. As she ate, she heard a slight buzz from her phone as; she looked down. She was a bit surprised that Sosuke texted her. He told her good morning, that he was looking forward to seeing her today, and that he would hopefully see her dance.

She smiled and texted him that she looked forward to seeing him and called him by nickname. Esmeralda was excited to see Sosuske, even though they had barely met. She couldn't deny that Sosuke was a very handsome and mysterious man. The young woman felt her cheeks blush, and she shook her head. "Get your head out of the gutter. He may be handsome, but it doesn't mean that he has a good character." Esmeralda was done with her breakfast and did some grocery shopping downtown since they had better food than in her neighborhood. It was far, but she wanted to buy good food for her father since he had diabetes. Also, the grocery store was close to a bookstore she liked.

Moments later, she was on the road to the grocery store, and once there, she got what was on her list and put it in the trunk of her car. However, the bookstore was across the streets, to her luck. She arrived, and a couple of people were checking out some books. Esmeralda was a frequent customer and knew the owners very well. They were an elderly couple who adored her, and since she was their best customer, they would always give her discounts, even though she would refuse. Esmeralda looked at the language section. She liked learning languages to sing and knew it would bring her more opportunities. The young wanted to give her father a better life so he could retire in peace. The young woman got a couple of books to learn German. It was an exciting language; it had similarities to English. The couple was there and, of course, gave her a discount. Esmeralda knew that it was pointless to resist. They were stubborn to the core. However, she was grateful to them at the same time.

Esmeralda decided to go to the square to walk around a bit and get fresh air. She wanted to think about what to do for tonight's performance. Esmeralda was thinking of singing and dancing at the same time. She noticed a large fountain, and there weren't many people around since it was the early morning of Saturday. Esmeralda then took out her phone and headphones from her purse and got on the fountain. She was practicing a song called "Nami Nami." She began to sing:

Nami nami ya sughiraa
Yel'la khafi al-ihasira
Nami nami ya sughiraa
Yel'la khafi al-ihasira

Nami ealytymy gülyaa
Bokura shansi gülyaa
D'a hatafi-a bekabi
Rylwyllenko yel bi-aa

Nami nami ya sughiraa
Yel'la khafi al-ihasira
Nami nami ya sughiraa
Yel'la khafi al-ihasira

Bokura baba gollyi
Gollyi'n shansi llawy-a
Gozleri akabi el'ansa
Mura fiji lawy-a

Yel'ha asfur al-andaka
Share khazlara andaka
mür'i-e yehe'e ellwyhe
Wür-e sufi el'da-ka

Nami nami ya sughiraa
Yel'la khafi al-ihasira
Nami nami ya sughiraa
Yel'la khafi al-ihasira

Nami ealytymy gülyaa
Bokura shansi gülyaa
Bo defi la-ah o bekabi
El-rylwylwnko yel bi-aa

Translation:

Go to sleep little one
Let us rest on this straw mat
Go to sleep while it is yet dark
Soon the clouds will disappear
And reveal a great light to light up the neighborhood

Tomorrow your father will return home
With money from the lemons he sold
He will bring you clothes and a scarf
To keep you warm in December
My beautiful one, with the lovely handpicked black hair
Whoever does not love you or kiss you
Knows not what they are missing

As Esmeralda sang, she danced with the soft tune and moved her legs, feet, arms, and hands. She made sure not to fall onto the water. When the song finished and she finished singing, she took off her headphones and was about to climb down, but when she turned to do so, Esmeralda stilled—before her stood a man, a very tall man. He looked to be more than 6 feet tall. He had long, pitch-black hair that was tied nicely. He wore a dark suit, a white buttoned shirt underneath, and nice black slacks with polished shoes. His eyes were light blue that could turn anyone into ice. He had a big mustache that connected to his hair. The man had many wrinkles but had a sense of youth.

The young woman had to admit he was a bit handsome, but the man's icy eyes stared at her as he held no expression. It scared her a bit. "What is your name?" the man asked in a calm yet demanding voice. This made Esmeralda flinch. "Uh, i-it's Esmeralda and y-yours, sir?"

The older man never lost focus on her and smiled underneath his mustache. "I am Yhwach."