Reborn from the Ash
1.1 - The Sanchez Family
The Sanchez family was one of the most affluent families in all of Windenburg- if not the world. Antonio and Jacqueline Sanchez received invitations to every influential event, and while the chance of either of them actually attending was low, their presence indicated great success in that individual’s future. The Sanchez Mansion, a gorgeous, four story masterpiece, had graced the cover of many a magazine and had come to represent a real success story. The mansion, located high up in the hills above Windenburg, had numerous windows that looked down on the town below, almost seeming to emphasize the family’s position above the common folk.
Legend had it that Antonio Sanchez had came from nothing. Born to an impoverished family in the jungles of Selvadorada, Antonio worked until he could secure passage on a boat to Windenburg, where he felt he’d have a greater chance at success. Once there, he took on the first job he could find- a job on the dock where he loaded shipments on and off of ships. After a year working there, Antonio drew up a plan that made the business that much more efficient, more profitable, and as a result, his boss recommended Antonio to a friend who was struggling to organize their business. Antonio, recognizing his skill, began to charge for his aid and people hired him based on the glowing recommendations of those who had received his aid. As his reputation grew, so did the cost to hire him, and thus began the accumulation of the Sanchez fortune. Now, very few can afford to hire him, and those who can are only able to afford Antonio briefly, but he keeps a close eye on the businesses that personally interest him from high up in his mansion in the hills.
Jacqueline’s entrance into Antonio’s life was an entirely different story- one that she loves to retell and boast about. Wanting to aid his former home, Antonio returned to Selvadorada to invest a portion of his wealth into their community. But when he was there, Antonio encountered Jacqueline- who was clad in a ravishing red dress that immediately caught his eye, as she tells it- and he was immediately enamored. By the time Antonio left Selvadorada, he and Jacqueline were deeply in love and the two had an extravagant wedding with a lengthy VIP list upon their return.
Eventually, Antonio and Jacqueline had a daughter, and they named her Kiara.
In the present day, the elegantly dressed Kiara stood on one of the many balconies on the third floor of the Sanchez mansion, arms crossed as she leaned against a pillar, elegantly brushed brown hair blowing slightly in the faint breeze. The sound of merriment drifted up to her from the patio below- the idle chatter of yet another of Jacqueline’s lavish parties. She looked down at the finely dressed crowd, where woman in a colorful assortment of gowns and men in black suits made hearty conversation, and sighed to herself. The usual people. Occasionally, Jacqueline would throw a party where the invitations were a little less VIP than usual, and a couple of poor hopefuls would show up and put on a show in hopes Antonio would chose to work with them. Because of course, now that her dad was loaded, he was now able to be ridiculously selective as well.
Kiara hated it. She hated everything about her family and the way they operate.
She was startled from her musings by a stylish hand gently placing itself on her shoulder.
“Kiara darling, why aren’t you at the party?” her mother, Jacqueline asked, smiling sweetly.
“Wasn’t in the mood,” Kiara said quietly, not wanting to turn around to meet her mother’s eyes.
Jacqueline crossed her arms. “Dear, is that the impression you want to give to our guests? That they’re not worthy of your time? You do know, one day, you’ll have to manage your own guests without-”
“Please spare me the lecture, mother,” Kiara said, giving in and she turned around to look at Jacqueline. “I’ll go down to the party- for you.”
As usual, Jacqueline was dressed entirely in designer clothes. And as usual, it was an outfit Kiara had never seen before- Jacqueline wouldn’t even be caught dead wearing the same outfit twice. Regardless, she still kept everything in one of her closets, because heaven forbid she give what she didn’t need to the less fortunate.
“My daughter, actually making a fleeting appearance at my party? Wonderful! The guests will be positively star struck!” Jacqueline exclaimed. She offered Kiara a bracelet clad arm. “Shall we?”
“Don’t fool yourself, I’ll go down to the party to spare myself another lecture, not for any other reason,” Kiara muttered under her breath.
Jacqueline either didn’t hear her, or pretended not to, as her perfect smile and composure didn’t slip. Kiara hesitantly took her arm, then Jacqueline led her off the balcony and eventually down one of the mansion’s numerous wood paneled hallways. Golden framed artwork hand picked by Jacqueline that Antonio had secured for her through serious negations decorated the walls, illuminated by the plethora of expensive chandeliers that dangled from the ceiling.
“Kiara, darling… how old are you now? 27? 28?”
“26.”
“My apologies! Your rather melancholic demeanor sure fooled me! But, as I was going to say, you really need to start giving where you’re going to lead this family more thought. Before retiring and passing down the family business to you, your father wants to ensure that the direction you want to take our family is the right one… at 28, I believe you’ve had more than enough time to give it thought. Am I wrong?”
“26, mother. And… I need to. You’re right.”
“Excellent,” Jacqueline smiled. She stopped in the hallway that led to the ballroom, and let Kiara’s arm go. “I need to discuss the delay on the crème au caramel with the cooking staff, but I believe you can find the rest of your way yourself?”
Kiara nodded.
Jacqueline pouted. “Look at you! 28 and you’re able to make your way to the back patio by yourself! If I didn’t know any better, I’d assume you’d already started drafting some sort of plan for your father’s business!”
Without giving Kiara a chance to respond, Jacqueline gave Kiara a tiny wave and swept back down the hallway she and Kiara had just walked down. Of course. Jacqueline has never had any intention of actually walking into the party with Kiara- she just found a fine opportunity to antagonize her and took advantage of it.
Shaking her head, Kiara headed past the ballroom and down another intricately decorated hallway that led the patio. Everything her mother said felt like thinly veiled poison. She’d wrap sharp words in glowing compliments and before Kiara had a chance to process, she’d twist the dagger. Any conversation with her never led anywhere expected.
She wasn’t sure who she liked talking to more. Any conversation with her mother felt like walking through a silver strung spiderweb weaved by a rather crafty and venomous spider, whereas her father was intense. He demanded what he desired, and expected to get it. But, at the very least, he didn’t mince words.
Arriving at the main doors to the patio, Kiara pushed them open and headed out into the light of Jacqueline’s party. Nodding a hello to the servants who stood guard by the doors, Kiara walked down a short slight of stairs and entered the crowd, which swirled with an assortment of finery and delicate conversation. Everything was scored by live entertainment- a piano player and a singer, to be exact- that absolutely no one paid attention to. They were all too caught up in the dance of securing a successful businesses deal.
As she headed further into the party, a servant passed her a drink- which she quickly passed on to the nearest guest. The guests consisted of mostly the people she’d expect to see, as she’d guessed earlier. The Fengs, the Winstrates, Olivia Santiago, but most importantly, the Villareals. Kiara’s greatest friend in the entire world, her one spot of light at dreary parties such as this, Luna, always visited alongside her older brother Hugo.
Spotting Luna in the crowd, Kiara made to wave, but was halted by a commanding voice. “Kiara. Nice of you to finally join us.”
Kiara swallowed her hello and turned around. “Good day, father.”
Antonio, dressed in an expensive looking suit as always, stood in front of a wrought iron table that sat underneath an enormous umbrella. There was a disarming smile on his face that he only put on when he wanted something from her.
“Please, come and sit with us,” he said gesturing towards the table behind him.
Seeing no other option, Kiara did as he asked.
Antonio sat down next to Kiara, then gestured to the two others at the table. “This here is Nash Holiday, and right next to him, we have Jasmine Bailey. Nash, Jasmine, meet my daughter, Kiara.”
“Hey,” the snazzily dressed blonde man said, giving a casual wave. Kiara guessed he was Nash.
Jasmine gave Kiara a smile as taut as her painful looking braid.
Kiara stretched out a hand. “Nice to meet you both.”
Neither of the two took it, and Kiara awkwardly withdrew her hand.
Antonio cleared his throat. “Kiara, as my future heir, let’s hear your thoughts. Both Nash and Jasmine have approached me for assistance in their business ventures. Nash is a DJ who’s already seen a decent amount of success, so he wishes to grow his influence to something worldwide. Jasmine here is an aspiring author, and while she hasn’t seen any success yet, she comes from a very talented family. Which of these two would you pick?”
Kiara shook her head. “Father, I couldn’t possibly, I just don’t have the same level of experience-“
“Gut instinct, Kiara,” Antonio commanded.
“I don’t know, uh, Nash? If he’s already seen success-“
“Trick question, Kiara. That was nowhere near enough information for you to make an educated decision. When you take over the company someday, you will have to learn to be more rational under pressure.”
“I’m so sorry, Nash, Jasmine…”
Nash waved off her concern, and while the look on Jasmine’s face indicated that she was hurt, she seemed too anxious to respond.
“Never fear,” Antonio reassured them. “By the time I step down, which is still far off in the future, I assure you, Kiara will be trained to masterfully make decisions as well as, if not better than me.”
Kiara smiled. “Yeah, I-“
“You can excuse yourself now,” Antonio cut in. “This is a private matter, Kiara.”
Kiara nodded, once quickly. She hurriedly pushed her chair back, stood up, then pushed it back in and made her escape, reentering the fringe of the group that was milling about in the open area in front of the doors that led inside.
It wasn’t like she’d wanted to talk to her father and those two strangers anyway. Whatever. Her only intention when she came down to the patio was to seek out Luna and hang out with her near the fringe of the party to keep up appearances for Jacqueline. Sure, Jacqueline would be able to see right through her, but at least she wouldn’t be able to complain about her lack of presence.
Moving quickly through the crowd and across the patio, Kiara headed towards where she’d spotted Luna earlier.
“Luna. Luna!” Kiara called out as she approached her best friend, who was standing a distance away from the rest of the party near a fountain alongside her brother.
Luna, a delicate looking girl who was as finely dressed as the rest of the guests at the party, was locked in conversation with her older brother, Hugo, a heavyset man that regularly worked alongside Antonio. Upon hearing Kiara’s voice, Luna looked around and her face immediately lit up when her eyes landed on Kiara’s.
“I’m so glad you’re finally here,” Luna exclaimed, breaking away from Hugo to wrap Kiara in a hug.
“Good to see you, Kiara,” Hugo nodded.
“Likewise,” Kiara smiled.
Luna stepped away from Kiara and looked her up and down. “Stylish as ever, Kiara.”
“I could say the same about you!”
“Um. Excuse me, Kiara,” Hugo interrupted. “Is Antonio busy with those two?”
“He seemed like he was to me, but he might make a special case for you, Hugo.”
Hugo nodded, straightened his glasses and his shoulders, then marched over.
Kiara and Luna watched as Hugo walked over, and after a brief conversation, joined Antonio at his table.
“Well, why are we still standing around? Come on. We both know you want nothing to do with all of this,” Luna whispered playfully.
She walked over to the fountain elaborate fountain that sat just behind where she and Hugo has been talking earlier, then sat down on the edge. She tapped the space next to her, indicating that Kiara should join her. “Well? Now that we’ve gotten rid of my brother by talking about what’s furthest from his interests- fashion- I thought I’d talk to you about these new butterfly earrings I got!”
Kiara joined her. “They’re so cute! Tell me about how you got them, like, did you find someone and not tell me, and… uhhh… I’m sorry Luna. It’s hard for me to even feign excitement I… I have a lot on my mind. Can we put our conversation about your earrings on hold for now?”
“Of course,” Luna smiled. “Well? Tell me about it. What’s on your mind?”
Running her fingers through the cool fountain water, she sighed. “A lot, Luna. A lot.”
“One of those days, huh?”
“They’re so convinced that they’re going to shepherd me along into being just like them. Somedays… it just feels like there’s no escape. Why can’t I make any decisions for myself? I think their lifestyle is entirely too frivolous, but I know if I told the that, I’d be met with laughter.”
Luna listened and nodded. “I can’t say I relate myself. But… perhaps Hugo once felt like that- I know he was the one my father groomed to take over because at that age I was into chasing boys and Max was already a terror but… who knows? And Kiara, we can not have you end up like Hugo. I mean, look at him.”
The two glanced over, and saw him visibly sweating as he talked with Antonio’s guests.
“No matter how hard you try to reinvent yourself, it’s going to show when you’re not meant for a certain life,” Luna sighed. “I hope that you’re able to get out of this, Kiara.”