Ace and Diamond (R18+)

Savannah Arabella Williamson

"Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are..."

Eight-year-old Savannah happily sings. She's in a room on the second floor of their mansion, waiting for her mother. Her mom said she would just finish cleaning the kitchen. Every night, her mom sings to her to help her sleep, but she hasn't come yet.

"Teddy bear bear, should I go to mom? She's not here yet."

Savannah looks out the window, and it's raining heavily. She's scared of the thunder and lightning. She covers her ears when she hears a loud thunder.

She sings her favorite nursery rhyme, the one her mom sings to comfort her from the fear of thunder and lightning.

"T-Twinkle, twinkle little star—

She stops singing when she hears another loud thunder. She can't handle her fear anymore. She stands up, takes her teddy bear, and decides to go to her mom herself because she's scared.

"Mama?"

She's halfway down the stairs when she stops. She drops her teddy bear when she sees her parents' bodies at the bottom of the stairs.

They're covered in their own blood and lifeless.

"M-Mommy? D-Daddy?"

Savannah slowly approached her parents. She lifted her hands but stopped in mid-air when she saw their blood spreading towards her feet.

"Mommy..."

"M-Mom..."

Her hands were trembling as she looked around.

"N-No! Mommy! Daddy!" she screamed.

----Philippines, 2028

Savannah woke up with her hands raised. She closed her eyes tightly. It's been eighteen years, but the memory of her parents covered in their own blood is still vivid in her mind.

It feels like it happened just yesterday. The image of them bathing in their own blood is a recurring nightmare.

She slowly got up, holding her head as she felt dizzy.

"It's been twenty years, Mom... Dad... and justice still hasn't been served for both of you."

At the age of eight, she endured losing her parents in an unimaginable way. Her family used to be happy, with her caring mom and loving dad. Their family, part of the billionaire circle in the Philippines, was full of love for her. However, that happy family disappeared in just one night.

She had no idea back then that her father had received numerous death threats due to his rivals in business and also about their family's assets. Everything turned chaotic when her parents died, and the transfer of assets was halted as a decision of her grandfather out of respect for his deceased son.

Her grandfather, Salvattier Gustavo Williamson, a powerful figure in the business world and the head of the Williamson family, took care of her after her parents' passing. She was his only grandchild since her father's brother, Marlon Williamson, had no children despite having been married twice.

When the gruesome murder of her parents occurred, her grandfather immediately sent her to Hawaii to ensure her safety.

While growing up away, Savannah became more aware of the dangers surrounding the Williamson family's life. She then learned a secret—that her grandfather had established an organization dedicated to protecting their family.

The Williamson Organization had been safeguarding the family for the past forty years yet failed to protect her parents.

Everything was challenging for her—the days and nights without her parents, the bedtime kisses, her mother's voice, and her dad's laughter when she danced for them. She missed all of it, but she couldn't do anything. She was just eight years old, unable to protect them or even herself.

Savannah's hands trembled. She immediately got up and took her medicine, a pill to calm her down. Whenever she recalled the past, her body would react negatively.

She suffered from anxiety, was depressed, and couldn't be in crowds.

She has demophobia

Her grandfather only found out about her demophobia when she was already in Germany. It happened when she was just nine years old. She was in Hawaii with her Nana Pransya and Butler Denver at that time. Her caregivers noticed the change in her whenever they were in public places with many people. She would panic and struggle to breathe.

It was tough, the adjustments she had to make. She couldn't even visit beautiful places to relax because she was afraid of crowds that might trigger her phobia. It was incredibly challenging, but Savannah still grew up as a beautiful and fearless person.

She is courageous and dauntless. What happened in the past made her who she is right now.

She promised herself that she would personally find the person who killed her parents.

"Savannah?"

She looked at the door of her room upon hearing the voice of her Nana Pransya. She stood up and walked to open it.

"Your lolo is waiting. He wants you to have breakfast together," Nana Pransya said.

She pursed her lips. Oh right, she's in the Philippines now. It's been two weeks since she arrived.

"I am still mad at him for lying to me to go home, Nana Pransya," she said, turning away. She approached the closet, took a cardigan, and put it on.

Her grandfather lied to her just to get her to come home. After twenty years of staying in Hawaii, he wanted her to return. However, she couldn't easily leave everything, especially since she was already working there, even if it was from home, and she enjoyed it.

But her decision not to go home changed when the doctor called her. The doctor said that her grandfather was seriously ill. Without thinking twice, Savannah immediately booked a flight to the Philippines that night, only to find out that her grandfather lied just to get her to come home. It wasn't really a doctor she spoke to but Gaston, her grandfather's right-hand man.

But I can't resist him.

When she arrived, her grandfather cried in front of her. After twenty years, they could finally live together. Salvattier talked to her about her parents' case, explaining that the killer still hadn't been caught.

He was honest that he was still afraid for her safety, but Savannah told her grandfather that she's not the eight-year-old girl anymore. She can now defend herself if something bad happens.

She learned physical self-defense and became proficient in using a gun.

She didn't want to lose loved ones just because of power-hungry people.

"But you will still come down, right?"

She looked at her nanny as she tied her hair. She saw her smiling.

"Yes."

"I can't resist grandfather Nana Pransya."

Nana Pransya bowed and left her room. After tying her hair, Savannah picked up her cellphone from the table.

"It's 7:00 o'clock in the morning. What am I going to do in this mansion for the whole day?"