The Alchemists

Chapter 2 - Not A Grab Car...

Finland was an orphan. She was raised by her grandmother on the outskirts of Jakarta until four years ago when she went to university. Her mother died when she was 10 years old and she never knew her father.

Her beautiful mixed-bred appearance, her weird name, and her pauperism made her a bullying target in school. It was as if looking mixed and being poor is a crime. She had to endure everything alone because she had no parents to protect her.

When Finland was accepted to study at NTU four years ago on a scholarship, she moved to Singapore and lived in a dormitory. She tried to forget her life in Indonesia and started anew. She only went home several times to visit her grandmother.

Last week her grandmother passed away and Finland flew home for the last time. She was now alone. It had been a very tough week and Finland was still grieving when she returned to Singapore.

She had all her remaining worldly possessions from her grandmother's old place in her two suitcases. She did not know if she would ever return to Indonesia. If only she hadn't carried those two pieces of luggage, she would probably be on the MRT and the incident tonight wouldn't have happened.

Thinking about her unfortunate life welled up her emotions. She didn't realize her tears flowing down her cheeks as she sat and mourned for her grandmother again.

Suddenly she felt a soft touch on her shoulders. Through her tears Finland saw the guy handing her a handkerchief.

"I don't believe the address you gave me. I must make sure you do live in Robertson Road and the address you gave me is not fake. Please get in the car with me."

Oh, it is him again!

Finland refused his handkerchief. When she heard that he did not believe the address he was given and demanded to follow Finland to Robertson Road to ensure that the address was not fake, she brightened up. She didn't care about his disbelief. All she cared about was that she can go home tonight.

"Fine, but I'm not paying for the taxi. Your disbelief is not my responsibility. "

"OK."

Finland slowly got up and followed the guy, pushing her trolley through the door out of the airport. The guy stopped in front of a black Mercedes-Maybach and handed his suitcase to the driver who rushed out of the car.

Oh, they were taking a Grab car!

Finland often heard that lucky passengers in Singapore can get a luxury car when they ordered Grab or Gocar. She had been using Grab for a long time but never got such luck.

"She is joining us," said the guy to the driver while pointing at Finland. The driver gave a questioning look, but obeyed and helped lift Finland's suitcases into the trunk.

Finland then realized her mistake...

This is not a Grab car.

"Sir, do you want to stop by the usual place first?" the driver asked before starting the car.

"Not tonight. We stop by Robertson Road to take this lady home," replied the guy without looking. He was busy nursing his wounded elbow.

Oh... apparently this was the guy's driver and car. Such a luxurious vehicle!

Unfortunately Finland was not into cars so she wasn't able to guess how much this car was worth. Singapore had very strict rules regarding car ownership and owning just a normal car is already very expensive.

Finland cannot imagine how much money this guy spent to have such a fancy car in Singapore. This guy must come from a very rich family.

The thought suddenly made her heart sank. She just hit and injured a guy from a wealthy family! Why was she always struck by such bad luck? How can she ever repay the compensation he would ask for?

It was a quiet journey. Now, Finland had the time to examine the guy sitting next to her. She was too frustrated before to pay him any attention. All she remembered was a pair of brilliant blue eyes. She cannot remember anything else about his face.

Well, things couldn't get any worse, could it? So, she glanced to her side and studied the guy.

He had an international look. Possibly European, but she wasn't sure. He was well dressed. His jet-black hair framed his handsome face perfectly and gave out a cold and mysterious vibe. He was approximately 180 cm tall and slenderly built.

His appearance actually reminded Finland of Jean, her best friend. If he weren't this rich, Finland would have guessed that this guy too was a model.