A Fangirl's Love: An Eternal Guiding Light

CHAPTER ONE - AN UNEXPECTED LOSS

Ria sat in her room, crouched over her desk, and focused on her sketchbook, her pencil moved across its pages. She was a girl whose world revolved around her art. It was her favorite thing to do besides listening to music.

Suddenly, she heard the loud ring of the house phone operating through the peaceful silence. Ria flinched out of shock, her pencil slipping and leaving a long, dark line across her sketch. She frowned, annoyed at the interruption. The phone rang again, its sound echoing through the house and reaching her ears loudly as the doors to her room were wide open.

Ria sighed, pushing her chair back and making her way downstairs. She wondered why no one answered the phone then she remembered that the butler and maids were given a day off. Her parents were out for the evening, leaving her alone with the old man who should be sleeping by this time or resting in his room.

She picked up the phone on the third ring, "Hello, Zevon residence."

The voice on the other end was filled with a great sense of urgency which made Ria scared and filled with terror. She listened to the person on the other end talk, her hand gripped the phone tighter with each word he said, and she became scared. The sketchbook, the comfort she had, the peaceful evening, everything faded into the background.

Her parents... there had been an accident.

Ria felt her knees go weak, the phone slipping from her hand. She sank to the floor, her mind distorted with thoughts and emotions. Her loving and peaceful world had just shattered.

"Ria?" The voice of her grandfather broke through her thoughts. The ringing of the phone must have woken him up and made him come out of his room. He looked at Ria, his face full of concern. He picked up the good phone which had slipped from Ria's hand and listened to the voice speak. He hung up the phone after listening, his heart was now filled with grief.

"Grandpa..." Ria looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears.

He pulled her into his arms, holding her tight. His voice was choked and sorrowful as he whispered to her ears, "It's okay, sweetheart. It's okay."

The old grandfather clock chimed, marking the beginning of her sorrows. Ria was no longer just a teenager engrossed in her art and showered with love from her parents. She was now a girl with her grandfather as her only family.

She was only seventeen, in her last year of high school. Her parents had shown her a lot of love and care, they scored her a lot.

Before they had left, she had seen them off, she did not expect it would be the last time she would see them.

With a heavy heart, she went up the stairs, her mind filled with the harsh reality of the sudden death of her parents. Her world had shattered at that moment and she felt like she was drowning in a sea of despair. She pushed open the door to her room, the familiar scent of rose and vanilla doing nothing to soothe her shattered spirit.

She lay on her bed, the soft fabric of her comforter doing little to comfort her. Tears streamed down her face, soaking the pillow beneath her. Her sobs echoed through the room, the only sound in the silent room.

Suddenly, she heard a soft melody echoing through the room. She lifted her head, her tear-streaked face reflecting confusion. The sound was coming from her phone, a notification from a music app. The new song from a newbie K-pop group she decided to follow had just been released.

Captivated, she wiped her tears and reached out for her phone. She played the song and the room was suddenly filled with a comforting melody. The song was a ballad, the lyrics speaking of loss, and pain, but also hope and resilience.

"Even when the rain falls, and the darkness swallows everything, remember that the dawn will come, and the sun will shine again," the lyrics echoed in her room, piercing through her shattered heart. The voice of the singer acting as a cushion to her sorrows.

She listened, and her tears subsided slowly as she immersed herself in the song. The lyrics resonated with her current situation, the words seemed to give her warmth, offering solace and comfort in her time of grief.

It reminded her of one of her favorite songs "Our dawn is hotter than day" by seventeen.

The song spoke of the anguish of losing a loved one, but it also spoke of the strength to move on with life despite it.

It was as if they were there with her, comforting her.

CHAPTER 2 - You Find Them When You Need Them

By the time the song ended, she was already calm. Her tears had stopped. She knew life was going to be tough now without her parents but the song had given her a ray of hope, and strength to go through though times.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror, her eyes red and swollen from crying. But there was a new light in them, a light that hadn't been there before. She took a deep breath, the lyrics of the song echoing in her mind.

"Even when the rain falls, and the darkness swallows everything, remember that the dawn will come, and the sun will shine again."

And with that, she knew she would find the strength to face the dawn.

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

Ria woke up the next morning only to find herself in a corner coiled up on the floor beside her bed. A song was wafting through the room, bringing her back to her senses.

The memories from last night came rushing like a violent breeze. Her parents were dead, and she is now left with her grandfather as her only family.

The song which comforted her was from a group she found yesterday, Dïadëm. She suddenly remembered a popular kpop saying, "You don't stan them late, You find them when you need them".

"Ria......are you awake?" Someone knocked on her door a few times and asked but did not get a reply.

"I'm awake, you can come in" Her grandfather who was about to go back turned around upon hearing Ria's reply.

As Old Man Zevon walked into the room, the first thing he noticed was his granddaughter curled up in a corner. Grief and pain filled his heart at the sight of this.

He realized that life was really unpredictable. They were still a happy family yesterday, with the house filled with the laughter of his son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter. But now, the huge house was filled with sorrow and misery. His son and daughter-in-law were no more.

At the thought of this, he felt a surge of emptiness overwhelm him.

He went forward to hug his granddaughter. His heart ached to see his treasured granddaughter like this, so he wanted to comfort and assure her through the hug.

Sure enough, Ria felt a sense of determination at the hug. Her grandfather was the only one she had left, so she had to treasure him. She was determined to cherish and love him more than ever before, never to let him down.

She leaned into her grandfather's embrace as she listened to the comforting lyrics of the song which she had on repeat since the night before.

"Ria.....It's okay" Her grandfather said patting her softly on her back.

"Go wash up and come downstairs for breakfast" Old Man Zevon spoke softly into her ears.

"Okay," Ria's voice was hoarse as she replied.

As soon as Old Man Zevon left, Ria immediately went to wash up. When she went downstairs her grandfather was already waiting for her at the table. She increased her pace and quickly went to have her seat.

As the food was served, she realized that butler Jace and the other maids who were given a day off were back to work. She guessed they must have heard the news as their faces were also filled with grief.

As they ate, no one said anything. Even the workers did not make a sound. She felt frustrated because she wasn't used to the house being this gloomy. She did not like the air of misery that filled the house.

All of a sudden, the ringing of a phone broke the silence in the house. Ria looked toward to sound to realize it was Old Man Zevon's phone.

At the same time, Old Man Zevon picked up the phone and answered it. Ria guessed the call must be very important because Old Man Zevon would never pick up a call at the table unless it was very important.

After a while, he hung up the phone and went to the parlor to turn on the TV. Ria quickly followed after him to see what the matter was. After changing the channel a few times, he got to the news channel.

Ria read the news headlines and was in dismay.

[Tragedy strikes as the ZELLA group mourns the loss of their CEO and his wife in a car accident.]

[ZELLA group: Death of the CEO, who will take over.]

[Speculations of chairman returning as CEO]

[Can a seventeen-year-old manage an international brand such as ZELLA?]

Seeing the news, Ria realized that she had never thought of this before. Since her parents are now dead, she is supposed to take over the company, but she is only seventeen. She had to wait till she was 18 or older to legally manage the business.

Her grandmother always loved drawing and designing. So together with her grandfather, they created ZELLA. It was her grandmother's name, which was also the name of their very own clothing brand. At first, it was only a small clothing brand, but gradually they built it together into a luxury brand.

In the long run, Old Man Zevon also invested in different sectors such as gaming and entertainment.

Today's ZELLA Group consists of three sectors. ZELLA's Style, ZELLA's Game Corp., ZELLA's Entertainment.

Ria still being a student, could not take over the company. All she wanted to do now was to finish her studies and quickly relieve her grandfather of the burden as he was already so old.

Ria was determined more than ever to work hard towards a brighter dawn.

CHAPTER 3 - Within Familiar Walls Again

FIVE YEARS LATER

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

The airport was bustling with activity as Ria stepped off the plane. She was back in her home country after years of studying fashion design abroad. Her heart filled with a mix of excitement and nervousness.

The airport was crowded with people either coming to pick up or send off their loved ones. She squinted, trying to figure out the location of Eric, whom her grandfather sent to pick her up.

Eric was Old Man Zevon's driver. He has been working for the Old Man way before Ria was born. He is more of a family member than just a driver.

As she got closer to the exit, she finally saw Eric.

"Uncle Eric" Ria smiled while she waved at him.

"Miss Ria you are finally back, the old man would be very happy" Eric who had been with Old Man Zevon for years could tell when he wasn't happy, and since Ria left, the old man had been lonely and gloomy.

Eric took her things and put them in the car before gesturing for her to enter.

As she stepped in the car she was excited to see her grandfather again after 5 years. She kept thinking about her grandfather throughout the ride.

Gradually, they reached home. She could see the huge gate of the mansion which she grew up in. The familiar sight of her grandfather's house filled her with nostalgia. It had been five years since she had left the country to study fashion design in Paris after her parent's death.

Now, she was finally back home, she missed the old man very much, her only family.

She was back home finally fulfilling her dream and her parents' dream. And she couldn't wait to see what the future held for her.

Old Man Zevon, stoic as usual, paced around the room until he heard the sound of a car. He quickly rushed outside to welcome his beloved granddaughter.

Ria stepped out of the car filled with excitement and anxiety.

The face of the old man who was waiting for her on the porch lit up as soon as he saw her. He was a tall, dignified man, with a head full of silver hair and a pair of twinkling blue eyes that always seemed to be full of mischief.

"Ria!" he exclaimed, opening his arms wide. She ran into his embrace, her heart swelling with joy. "I've missed you a lot, my dear."

"I've missed you too, Grandpa," she said, pulling away and smiling at him. They then walked inside hand in hand.

They talked for a while about her time in Paris before they moved to the table for breakfast.

The house was filled with Joy. The Old Man was happy about the return of his granddaughter, and the chefs and other workers in the house were happy about the return of their Miss whom they have taken care of since she was a child. And Ria was happy to be back home, within those familiar walls with familiar faces.

After breakfast, Old Man Zevon still had to go to the company, as it was a Monday.

She had just returned from her five-year adventure in Paris, and there was one person she couldn't wait to see her best friend, Adena.

She quickly called Adena and they decided to meet at a cafe.

Ria did not want to trouble the drivers at home so she asked for the keys instead and drove herself there.

As the sun shone brightly over the bustling streets of the city, Ria stepped out of the car, her heart pounding with excitement at the thought of seeing her best friend.

Ria stood outside the quaint little cafe, her eyes scanning the crowd for a familiar face. And there she was, Adena, standing by the entrance, her eyes widening with surprise as she spotted Ria. They rushed towards each other, embracing tightly.

"Ria, you're back!" Adena exclaimed, her voice filled with joy. "I can't believe it's been five years!"

Ria smiled, her eyes sparkling with happiness. "I know, it feels like a lifetime. But I'm here now, and I want to make the most of our time together."

Adena nodded eagerly, her excitement mirroring Ria's. "Absolutely! Let's start with some retail therapy, shall we?"

With that, the two friends linked arms and strolled down the vibrant streets, their laughter and chatter blending seamlessly with the sounds of the city.

They entered boutiques trying on clothes and accessories, sharing fashion tips, and giggling like schoolgirls.