Chapter 1

 

Ten-year-old Melisa, with his family, flies to Europe. They will have a one-week vacation in one of the most popular tourist spots. They are too excited about their trip. Unfortunately, the plane had a problem because of the sudden weather change. The weather gets terrible—heavy rainfall. The loud sound of thunder and lightning flashes affects the plane's smooth flight. Lightning struck a part of a plane that crashed. The plane went down on an unknown island before reaching its destination. Even worse, the plane landed in a body of water where the shore was more than several meters away from where the plane crashed.

 

Melisa was trapped in her seat while her family members were safe after they ran out of the plane, which was about to explode.

 

Melisa struggles to remove her seatbelt. Fire spreads around her. She is not alright. She can't breathe. 

 

Finally, she removed her seatbelt. She ran as fast as she could to escape the plane, which was about to explode. 

 

Before it exploded, Melisa managed to get out, but it was just a matter of seconds. 

 

Splash!

She jumped into the water. Float again. 

 

Blast!

The explosion made glasses from the airplane shatter!

Debris was scattered everywhere. 

 

PAK! A large piece of debris hit her head, causing her to faint and lose consciousness. Her body was submerged in the water, then floated again.

 

The big waves splashed on Melisa's body and brought it away from where the crash occurred. Because she lost consciousness,  the giant waves carried her to another side of the island. 

 

Fortunately, her body was entangled on a log that floated on the water like her body, which was carried away by the big waves. Melisa's body was taken to the seaside near a fishing port and a beach resort. 

 

A few hours later. Slowly, snowflakes fell. The cold snowflakes falling on her face woke her up. When she wakes up, her head and body are in too much pain. She can't remember what happened. Why is she floating on the water alongside the log? And sadly of all, she doesn't remember who she is. 

 

Melisa's palms are sweaty even in cold weather. A drop of sweat trickled down her forehead. She scanned the area for any signs of human beings. It's dark out there. She doesn't even know where she is. 

 

In the distance, she sees faint lights from distant buildings. What she sees is a hotel and restaurants, and cottages near the beach. 

 

The cold wind bite made Melisa's teeth clatter. At the seaside, she feels cold. Because she was too chilly, hungry, and dizzy, she lost consciousness again. 

 

But an hour later, she was awake and felt nervous when she heard voices meters away from where she was. Then he saw several men in a group of six. They walk along the seashore, heading to a distant place her sight can't reach. They look like gangsters. Melisa prays that they will not notice her home. She feels afraid of them because they look savage. Melisa was relieved when the men's group passed by without seeing her. She still sits on the seashore, where the big waves carry her away. 

 

Several minutes later, Melisa heard a motorboat approaching. An older man drives it. And there's a man and a woman who look like passengers. They get off the speedboat carrying a seafood container as they walk to the seaside. The woman notices Melisa, so they stop walking and approach Melisa. 

 

“Hey, kid, do you need help? Are you lost? Are you a fisherman's daughter or a tourist?”

 

“Yes. "I need help,” Melisa said, nervous because she was unsure if she would trust strangers. 

 

"Come with us." We live in a nearby town. We own a small seafood restaurant at a nearby beach resort. Don't be afraid. My husband and I will help you until you can return to your family…”. The woman said, smiling at Melisa. 

 

“Thank you.” 

 

“Anyway, what is your name?” the woman asked. 

 

Melisa couldn't immediately answer because she didn't remember her name until she saw a small written word on her bracelet.

 

“Melisa!”

 

“Alright. I'm Lupin, and this is Esmeralda.”

 

"A pleasure meeting you, Ma'am, Sir!”

 

“Nice meeting you too!” 

 

Melisa travels with them to their home. Melisa notices that the house they live in is ungraceful. She meets their two children, who always quarrel and make trouble, disturbing the peace inside the house.

 

Melisa thinks she needs to leave the place as much as possible. Unfortunately, she doesn't know where she is heading. She doesn't even remember herself.  

 

A few weeks later. She was stranded in that house because she didn't remember where she lived. Esmeralda and Lupin's actual attitudes slowly reveal and mistreat her. Since she has no money to spend during her stay at Lupin and Esmeralda's house, she needs to do plenty of household chores. This is in exchange for living in their house. 

 

“Melisa, darling, since you have no money to spend on your expenses, there's no such thing as free board and lodging here. I'm afraid you need to help me do household chores here in the house in exchange for us allowing you to stay here. I hope it is fine for you."

 

“Yes, it's fine with me, Aunt Esmeralda. Please don't send me out of your house because I don't know where to go….”

 

“Alright, dear. All you have to do is start cleaning the whole house first and do the laundry later, okay?”

 

“Yes, I will.”

 

“Okay. Good girl! Come on, start doing it.”

 

A month later. 

 

“Melisa, it's been another month, but you still don't remember where your home is. I have no choice but to send you out of my house because it appears you will burden me….” 

 

“Aunt, please don't send me out. I have nowhere to go, please?” 

 

“Alright…. Hmm. I think the jewelry set you are wearing is expensive. Are you willing to give that to me?” 

 

“What if I give it to you? Will you allow me to stay in your house as long as I don't remember where my home is?”

 

“Hmm… Yes…”

 

“Promise?” 

 

“Yes…” 

 

When Melisa heard what Esmeralda said, she removed the jewelry she was wearing and gave it to Esmeralda immediately. 

 

“Here…take these!”

Melisa wears jewelry. Esmeralda sold her to a pawnbroker. Then she allowed Melisa to stay in their house for extended periods. They do not know where to bring Melisa to find her family again. 

 

Since Melisa's high jewelry value, Esmeralda and Lupin got additional capital for their small seafood restaurant.  

 

Lupin also bought a second-hand vehicle, an old pickup truck. He uses the pickup truck to buy seafood from the fishing port to cook in their small seafood restaurant near the beach resort. In that beach resort, many wealthy people hang around, primarily clients who order food from Lupin and Esmeralda's restaurants. 

 

On the other hand, Melisa's family, relatives, and friends are mourning the news about Melisa. 

 

The rescuers and airline authorities claimed Melisa died in that tragic plane crash. They concluded that Melisa was trapped inside the plane and could not escape before it exploded. Melisa is alive and has temporary amnesia. 

 

Because officials have confirmed that Melisa was dead after their thorough investigation, Melisa's family believes such reports are accurate. 

 

Seven o'clock in the evening. 

 

In an elegant living room, a handsome, wealthy man sits on a long sofa holding a bottle of brandy. He drinks and cries. He is Travis, Melisa's father. Not only that, but he can't accept that he lost his favorite daughter to his stylish, sophisticated dead wife.

Chapter 2

Ten years later

Bosnia and Herzegovina 

It's Monday morning.

Melisa and her stepsister reached the fishing port. Melisa parked the pickup truck outside the seafood market. A marketplace where they buy seafood supplies to cook in their seafood restaurant. 

They needed to enter the fish market to buy seafood products. However, Sara, her stepsister, never wished to visit such a place her whole life. Melisa permanently joined that place whenever Esmeralda asked them to buy supplies for their restaurant. Sara didn't like seafood. She dislikes its smell. 

From outside the fish market, Melisa can see the slippery floor covered with dirt and thin mud. The soil is from the footprints of people who come and leave the area. She can smell fish and seafood inside the market. There are many fish vendors and fishermen who are too busy buying and selling. It appears that the situation inside is chaotic. It's too noisy inside the building. 

Melisa walked inside the fish market like she used to do while Sara stayed in the pickup truck. She talked to the fisherman and fish dealers. She bargained with a seafood vendor looking for supplies at a cheap price. This is because Sara gave her only a tiny amount of money to buy the supplies they needed for their restaurant.  

Sara always omits part of the money Esmeralda gave them to buy supplies, so Melisa always needs to find the cheapest stores. When Sara hangs out with her friends, she uses the money she gets from them.

After half an hour, Melisa got a good deal and bought an adequate supply. But the problem is that she needs to transfer the seafood from the seafood dealer's storage container to the seafood storage ice box. She also needs to carry fish outside the market by herself.

Without hesitation, Melisa removes her worn-out long-hooded windbreaker jacket and ties it around her waist. 

Melisa's fitted sleeveless shirt shows off her beautiful body. And she is pretty, so most men in the marketplace look at her when she removes her jacket that covers her face and body. Some of the men greeted and whistled at her, but she never responded to them. 

Melisa frowned while transferring the seafood to the ice box from the dealer's seafood storage container. She quickly moved as if she wanted to leave the place immediately. She feels like she is in hell right now. She has been tired of doing these things for ten years while living with her adoptive family.

She could not leave her adoptive family's house because she had never regained her memory. She never had a chance to look for another job because she had no diploma or documents to show for herself. So she had no choice but to live with her adoptive family. 

She finished what she was doing in just a few minutes. After paying for the fish, she lifted the ice box on her shoulder and carried it outside the marketplace.

When he got near the pickup truck, she loaded the fish into the car. She got into the pickup truck.

Sara smells of Melisa. She dislikes Melisa's smell. Her perfume smelled of seafood. So Sara orders Melisa to drive as fast as possible to escape the market outside the fishing port area. 

After an hour of driving, Melisa reached their restaurant. Sara exited the pickup truck and met some friends dining in their restaurant. Melisa started unloading seafood from the pickup truck. In the restaurant's kitchen, she brought it with her.  

Melisa started to help their cook prepare ingredients for restaurant recipes. Her stepbrother, Sanin, called her and sent her on an errand. Sanin is five years older than her, so he passes all their parents' errands on to her. 

"Melisa, deliver these food orders to Mr. Ajdin Feratovic. He is in the nearby cottage with his friends."

"Alright, Sanin."

"And be sure to impress him. You know he belongs to a wealthy family…."

"So?"

"So? Is that all you can say? Did you hear what I said? He belongs to a wealthy family. And he is a young billionaire. Imagine the good luck you will have if he likes you."

"Haha. Do you think a billionaire like him will only pick up a lady like me who smells like seafood?"

"I'm telling you, Melisa. If he shows signs that he likes you, all you need to do is grab the opportunity."

"Why should I do that?"

"Idiot! That is a big opportunity for us. You can uplift our family status if he marries you!"

"Marry? Huh! Forget your illusions, Brother. I bet he will not waste time on me with even a single look." 

"Fine! Let's see... Go ahead. Deliver his orders. Now."

"Alright."

Melisa grabs the food to deliver and loads it onto their motorcycle to provide it. After fifteen minutes of driving, Melisa reached the cottage where Sanin told her that Mr. Ajdin Feratovic and his friends were. 

Melisa delivers to the elegant cottage. Several men and women enjoy the beach scenery. They take selfies and photos of the place. 

"Excuse me. Food delivery for Mr. Ajdin Feratovic."

All the people in the cottage looked at her. The three women looked at her from head to foot. At the same time, the three men smiled at her. One of them answered her. 

"Put it on the table and wait for Ajdin. He was out for a while answering a phone call."

"Alright, Sir."

Melisa did what the man said. After a few minutes, a man wearing a sleeveless shirt and ripped-off jeans arrived. He looks so handsome. His shirt almost revealed his six-pack abs because he wore a dropped armhole tank top—one of the men in the cottage was talking to him.

"Ajdin, the food delivery is here. The food looks delicious, including the carrier." 

"Will you stop Macro? Where are your tastes? Even a lady who smells like fish is

Impressum

Verlag: BookRix GmbH & Co. KG

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 03.06.2023
ISBN: 978-3-7554-4388-9

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Widmung:
I dedicated this book to all my readers.