Title:Love and Bitter Memories.Chapter 1 Author:Tapestry Email:Shaddow_Cat@hotmail.com Standard Disclaimer. I apologize if the POV's will get pretty confusing. 'Serena's POV' Terra Shields Enterprises...one of the biggest companies in Europe. "Can I help you??" I stared at the secretary of Mr.Shields.Her name is Raye Marscia.She had queer violet eyes and raven coloured hair.Probably another person with a perfect life.Everything I expected of Darien Terra Shield's tastes on secretaries.Due to his reputation of course. "I have an appointment with Mr.Shields."I stated. "You must be the interior decorater..correct??"she asked me,smiling. I returned the smile politely....the smile,not reaching my eyes. "Yes." "Please wait a moment.I'll inform Mr.Shields.I believe he's just finishing up with his....client."she hesitated. I said nothing,sitting down. The office door opened and a woman with red hair and piercing green eyes exited.I recognized her....who didn't recognize the famous Miss Beryl Brooks of one of the most elite companies of the business world. She was wearing a burgundy suit. I smirked.Bitchy women were just Shields type....typical rich men... "Mr Shields will see you now,Miss Lunaria."informed the secretary. I nodded at Raye. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 'Darien's POV' I am Darien Terra Shields....27 years-old and CEO of the biggest company all over Europe. An orphan since the age of 12.My only relative...my grandfather. I've prided myself of being a man who was always in control.Never letting emotions cloud my thinking. Who needed emotions anyway?? I never believed in love or hope.What good was it anyway??Never let your guard down.Always know who your real friends are.... Like me...my only friend is Andrew Brimstone.My only friend since childhood who stuck by me through thick and thin....All the rest....all phonies.Darkness shrouds my world. Only the facade we weave over ourselves matters.Nobody can be truly honest with themselves.Nobody....ever....will understand me..... I can hide my emotions very well... I was cool,calm and collected when Beryl was here.Calm when my parents died in the accident. Under control when my life fell apart...the betrayal of people who I thought were my friends. Who knows....love doen't exist...at least not in my view,none at all.... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The door opens.It is the interior decorater I hired.Top in the city. Moonlight Designs.The owner,Serena Lunaria. The new building I built needed some interior designs...like Raye my secretary said....it needed a.....feminine touch. I stare down at my reports,not even bothering to look up as the decorater enters the office. "Good Morning,Mr Shields....." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 'Serena's POV' I entered the office room.Drab and bland walls....just the way I like it. Looks like he's busy as he does not look up.How irritating.He should have at least the decency to look me in the eye,instead of making me feel like I was irrelevent. "Good Morning Mr.Shields..." It was then,did the giant of the financial world,look up. It startled me....he had dark mercury blue eyes,along with dark midnight hair to go with it. I had never expected Darien Terrs Shields to be so..... "Good Morning...you must be Miss Lunaria??Have a seat."he said coldly. .....So arrogantly ungentlemanly. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 'Darien's POV' I stared at the young woman who sat in front of me,who was sorting through some files... She had golden blonde hair which gleamed a soft silvery colour.She had sky blue eyes of the brightest day. In short...a perfect beauty who looked innocent.Not my type... She looked up and she frowned.Her eyes though bright blue,seemed to be made out of ice. How could the young woman in front look so soft and cold at the same time? "So,Mr Shields.Let us get down straight to the facts.You want Moonlight Designs to do the interior decorations of your new office building??Do you have any ideas or designs in mind??" Hmmm.....Bussiness-like and so stern and serious....I like it...definately not your everyday typical young woman who had a loving family with a cat or a dog....Interesting... "Yes,I do...In fact...I would like it something with a bit more pastel colour.Not everybody likes dark and dull,drab colours like I do....the workers say it's depressing....."I said. She was silent."I like it." "What??" "Dull drab colours..."she replied. I smirked.This was interesting.This sunny-looking blonde,liked dull,dark colours??This told a lot of personality. After all...appearences could be decieving to the real person that lay beneath..and in Miss Lunaria's case...it truely was decieving. "When would you like me to start work??"she asked. "When can you start work??" "Next week." "Fine...next week then."I told her,turning my attention back to the papers on my desk. "That's good."she replied coldly.Not a hint of emotion in her voice. Astounding....Never have I met such a.....mysterious woman.I think,I'm going to enjoy trying to find out what lies beneath the facade of Miss Lunaria. "If that is all,Mr Shields...I shall be off??" I smirked slightly. "No that is not all...would you consider having lunch with me,to further discuss the designs,I trust you have a first name??" She stared at me.Not saying a word. "I do,Mr Shields...however I prefer,we stick at a....proffesional distance and no thank you...I am busy this aftrnoon."she stated firmly. A small smile played my lips....this was interesting....usually women would claw to be with me...however this one had openly refused to go to lunch with me AND give me her first name...yes...I would enjoy the challenge she represented........ "If you insist,Miss Lunaria." "I do...and if that's all...I'll be leaving." "Make another appointment for tomorrow.I want to further discuss the plans."I told her. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 'Serena's POV' Darien Terra Shields was probably,not used to people saying no...and his words had sounded more of an order than a request. "I'm sorry Mr Shields...I cannot-"I began....but he cut me off... "The word does not exist in my volcabulary.And Yes you can,Miss Lunaria, I'm sure you can squeeze the appointment into your...hectic....schedule?" He was more mocking than sarcastic...pure arrogant.The type that thought he owned the world.... "Fine."I replied coldly. "Good.That's all,Miss Lunaria."he said. "Good day,Mr Shields."I said icily,walking out of the office. Closing the door behind me...I could still feel the man's eyes burning into my back,reminding me of a hungry panther. Damn him....he was all his reputation had said of him.Calm,arrogant,hard and cold.Just like me....Only a slight difference.... I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 'Darien's POV' I stared out of the office window.Her name was Serena....she had intrigued me.... Her name didn't describe anything of her.She was hard,cold and definately decieving.Like me..... Her voice though sounding sweet,had come out cold and icy at the same time.If it had been a normal average man...Serena Lunaria...could have frozen his toes off...however..he was NOT the average everyday man. It was clear Serena Lunaria,didn't give a damn about emotions as none had even played on her face.None of the bright sunny expressions I expected from a woman like her. She struck me as,stubborn and defient.Women like that were one in a million.Hell...what was this feeling???Emotions had never arosed before... Warning bells were going off....Serena Lunaria was dangerous.... I didn't know if it was wise to spend time on the project as I didn't need to at all...however...I wanted to... I knew all about shells...heck...I even wore one....but Serena Lunaria seemed different...She wore a shell alright...a thick one.... One which must have been built since the beggining....just like me... Aaah...forget about it Shields....you can analyse this another time. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 'Serena's POV' I wrenched off my heels and tossed them on the carpeted floor of the penthouse. Today had been a day in hell....Darien Terra Shields was dangerous....I knew it the moment I stepped into the office...but he was my client now... and my company had a reputation to keep...I had to see it through.... After all....for somebody as emotionless as me....how was it possible one man to be a threat to my current lifestyle??? Probably not a bit if he'd been the average man....but Darien Shields was no average.Nothing at all...Purely Shields....purely arrogant. Cold...hard...ruthless...intelligent...handsome...and sexy....yup...no threat at all.....not.. I poured a glass of brandy from my bar....Sipping it....I stared at the vivid colours which poured through my window from the setting sun.... contemplating my current situation. Nope...Darien Shields was not a man to be messed with.Hopefully....the job would go smoothly and finish quickly.Then he'd be out of her life and business..no trouble...no waves....only a straight line to and back... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Satisfied with my thoughts..I enjoyed the rest of my brandy...watching the blood red sun,sink into the ground....as the sun displayed all it's beauty and glory.... I wonder how Mina's test went.....??? Hopefully....everything went well....closing my eyes...a single tear,ran down my cheek..... For the first time since my amnesia....I cried.... I never cried.....not at orphanage...not at my childhood home...not at Ilene's burial....not even at Mina's mother's burial....I had never allowed myself to cry....Crying was a sign of weakness...But for ONCE... I had allowed myself to cry..... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The sun sank....from the sky.....night in turn taking it's place... I don't know how long I sat there....I fell asleep but then,waking up in the early morning of 3.30am-4.30am. Moonlight shone through my balcony glass....bathing me in it's silvery light.Looking up at the silvery moon...I smiled faintly...before the smile disappeared leaving me again..back to my cold hard self.....my tears before,forgotten...... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 'Darien's POV' I sat up from bed at 4.00am in the morning...bathed in sweat.I cursed slightly....I hadn't been able to sleep comfortably all night....not that I ever did.... But at least I never had any dreams or nightmares....However....tonight, I had deamt about my not so pleasant childhood....My childhood which had never been complete.... Sure,grandfather had tried...but it had just NOT been the same.....I cursed again as the moonlight shone through my bedroom view.....I hated it.....my life.... The moon was full tonight.....a beautiful one at that... However....in someways...the moon was like a human being.A human being who changed as much as the moon,waxed and waned. Different facades always settling in.....a mask which hid the feelings and a shield which protected themselves..... Shaking my head slightly....I gave a yawn and fell back into the covers... not really believing I would get any rest before dawn came...... Slowly....I closed my eyes....no more nightmares came again...... I....was....in...control...again..... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 'My POV' Both figures fell back to sleep....back into their grey worlds of no dreams....no hopes...no love... Moonlight shone down into the city...the moon watching it's peaceful slumber.....into the early morning hours... Tomorrow...would be a new day..... A new day where....both Serena and Darien...would once again slip back into their cold defeses and outer shells..... Their late night thoughts...forgotten....a thing of the past... As they continued on in their lives....doing,daily chores and what had to be done.... Cold...hard...unfeeling....in short...dead inside...this was their world. Shrouded in darkness and other emotions which had caused them the way....that they were.... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! To be continued.... Hope it's okay so far....stay tuned for Chapter 2