Chapter 1: Family
July 2000.
London’s summer is like an adolescent child, moody and unpredictable.
Mornings can be sunny, afternoons might bring sudden showers, and by evening, it clears up again. Once this mischievous weather appears, the temperature difference becomes significant, and the streets are filled with all kinds of people.
Short sleeves and shorts represent the height of summer, while trench coats and rain gear speak of spring and autumn. What truly stands out, however, are the sweaters mixed in, as if to say the bitter cold hasn’t quite faded, but even more so, as if to remind people that winter will eventually return.
“No wonder Benedict Cumberbatch always wears a trench coat and scarf whenever he appears in Sherlock.”
“I thought it was to maintain his style and emphasize elegance, but I didn’t realize it was genuinely cold.”
After the rain, on the street.
Isabella, looking around, felt a bit emotional. The distinct four seasons made her a little homesick.
That’s right, she wasn’t from this era.
Two weeks ago, she was living in 2025, a citizen of a great Eastern nation. Then, she closed her eyes, opened them, and found herself in Great Britain at the turn of the century, a true Londoner, born and bred. It was truly unexpected.
Even more surprising, she was currently a ten-year-old girl.
“Isa?”
“Isa!”
“Oh my God! I finally found you!”
Suddenly, a shout came from behind her, and a girl ran over. Her waterfall of golden hair bounced with each step, her fair face flushed naturally from running, and her simple long dress couldn't hide her youthful beauty. Her jade-like eyes were filled with anxiety.
“Why did you run all the way here? Didn’t we agree you’d wait for me in the car? Hey? Why do you have a newspaper tucked into your waist?”
“I just felt a bit stuffy in the car, so I came out for some fresh air.”
As she spoke, Isabella tucked the newspaper from her waist into her jeans pocket.
Ignoring this, the girl continued, “Fresh air? Couldn’t you have waited for me to come back? I just went to the restroom! Mom asked me to look after you before she left, and I promised. So if you got lost, how would I explain it to Mom?”
“Oh, my dear sister, how could I get lost so easily? Yes, I know London’s public safety isn’t perfect, but we’re in the West End right now. If I could get lost easily here, is there any safe place left in London?”
“Isa, you… Oh, I’m not going to argue with you about this. Come on, let’s go, hurry back with me!”
Catherine couldn’t win an argument with Isabella, but brute force was the ultimate truth.
Three years older than Isabella, she grabbed her sister’s wrist, gave a strong tug, and the little girl flew up with a “biu~” sound.
The difference in strength left Isabella helpless, so she could only take small, quick steps, following her sister back.
Most of the buildings in the West End of London are Victorian and Edwardian era architecture.
The former’s core feature is the Bay Window, a bay window design;
Window frames are often adorned with carved sashes, and the glass is colorful Splicing, revealing dazzling light and shadow when the sun shines on it.
The latter’s characteristic is Sash Windows, vertically sliding sash windows;
The large glass design is a representative of minimalism.
Isabella hadn’t actually walked very far. After walking quickly for about half a minute through the slightly curved, quaint city, a five-story white building appeared before them. This was the original point where the two sisters had separated.
A yellow banner hung on the side of the building, with a simple lion's head drawn at the top and the slogan printed below:
The Lion King.
Lion King.
On the front, above six pillars, the name of the building was carved:
Lyceum Theatre.
Lyceum Theatre.
“Mom’s already out?”
“No.”
“So she doesn’t know what just happened?”
“What do you mean?”
Catherine frowned slightly, glaring at Isabella.
Isabella, smiling, opened the back door of the black Mercedes in the temporary parking space beside them and said, “Catherine, you wouldn’t want Mom to waste her energy on trivial matters, would you?”
“So you mean you’re allowing me to just punch you instead of Mom?”
Catherine raised her eyebrows, lifting her fist.
She understood Isabella’s little trick and wasn’t falling for it.
“Alright, Cath, please, don’t tell Mom about this, okay?”
Absolute force made Isabella wilt, putting on a pitiful expression.
“Then will you listen to me?” Catherine asked.
“Deal?” Isabella smiled again.
“Get in!” Catherine pointed forcefully into the car.
“Hehe~” Isabella squeezed into the back seat of the Volkswagen.
Catherine, however, didn’t follow.
She stood outside, slamming the car door shut with a vengeful sound.
Catherine's attitude might have been a bit harsh, but the harsher it was, the more it proved she didn't want to tattle.
In this, Isabella was just like her; she also didn't want to worry the few blood relatives she had in this life.
Isabella was not a member of the starting orphanage, but there were not many members in her family, only three in total.
They were her mother, Vivian Carlson, Catherine Heywood, and herself, Isabella Heywood.
As for her father?
He was currently lying in Highgate Cemetery in the northern suburbs.
Isabella’s father, Eric Heywood, was considered the British version of a small-town achiever. He didn’t attend one of the nine top public schools, but he still managed to get into UCL with excellent grades, and then transferred to Cambridge for his postgraduate studies. This allowed him to successfully join Barclays after graduation. At 30, with exceptional emotional intelligence, he became a senior executive in the private banking division, specializing in serving billionaires. If he had worked steadily, Eric could have been promoted to UK Head before 40, and there was a high probability of becoming the Global Head of Barclays’ Private Banking division before 50. But who in the financial industry doesn’t want to make quick money? No one can resist the temptation of earning a century’s worth of income in a single year. So, Eric also did some investing outside of work. Initially, he was quite cautious, aiming for steady growth, but when he accurately predicted the September Crisis in ‘92, bet correctly on the peso in ‘94, and shorted the Thai baht in ‘97, his courage swelled infinitely. He ventured into entrepreneurship. After realizing that the internet would be the next big trend, he wanted to achieve everything in one go, accumulating five generations of family wealth by himself. Then, in March 2000, everything went to zero… Eric jumped from London Bridge.
‘Alas, still immature. He’d been investing for so many years but hadn’t seen the essence of investment.’
‘The K-line chart of the financial market isn’t a wealth code, but a precisely designed harvesting machine.’
‘The goal of capital is those threats who want to achieve class transcendence.’
‘You know, even Warren Buffett is a rookie in front of the Capitol Hill stock gods, and the Capitol Hill stock gods have to stand up and applaud when they see the American sun. If you can’t be the dealer, then don’t use leverage. What is worth gambling your life for?’
Isabella felt a little emotional.
If her cheap father were still alive, she would be a rich young lady no matter what.
Because in her memory, when her father went all-in on the internet, he had already put in over fifty million in cash.
2000!
Fifty million pounds in cash!
If she had that, she wouldn’t be able to spend it all in her lifetime!
To put it bluntly, she could just lie down and do nothing!
But now?
Snap—
Gone!
All gone!
“Oh, Cath, Isa, you truly are Mom’s good darlings~”
“Thank you for helping Mom watch the car, you’ve worked so hard. When we get back, Mom will definitely buy you something delicious~”
“How about Patisserie Valerie?”
“Cath, Mom will buy you your favorite strawberry cake? Isa, do you want a raspberry tart today?”
As she was silently sighing, a laugh suddenly descended.
A middle-aged woman, who looked only in her twenties, with a beautiful face and slender figure, appeared before the two.
She first bent down slightly, hugged Catherine outside the car, and kissed her cheek. Then, she leaned on the car window and winked at Isabella inside. Her joyful yet fearful expression revealed everything; she was their mother, Vivian.
“Oh, Mom, I love PV’s raspberry tart, thank you.”
Before Catherine could speak, Isabella had already chimed in.
This situation made Catherine glare at her sister, then put aside the previous unpleasantness, hugged her mother back, and accepted the reward.
“Mom, I like strawberry cake too, so is this a celebration?”
“Uh… I guess so.” The expectant question made Vivian’s smile stiffen.
However, as she looked back at her eldest daughter, she composed herself, “We’re celebrating you helping Mom watch the car.”
“What? The theatre side…”
Catherine’s eyes flickered.
“Can we talk about what happened at the theatre when we get home?”
Vivian’s smile grew wider, “Darling, some things aren’t suitable to discuss outside.”
“O…kay, I understand, Mom…”
Catherine didn’t press further, and Vivian smiled as she opened the door.
After confirming that her dear daughters had buckled their seatbelts, she finally got into the driver’s seat.
As the car started, the street scenery on both sides quickly receded.
In the rearview mirror, the Lyceum Theatre, the most famous theatre in the West End of London, gradually shrank until it disappeared from view.
Vivian was born in ‘65, making her 35 this year.
At 10, she was already performing on stage in the West End of London, and at 14, she even took on the lead role of Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, and she was the A-cast Juliet. As she grew older, even when she was no longer suitable to play Juliet, Vivian was not abandoned by the stage. Instead, she moved on to direct Cats, and then performed in it for two years. It’s no exaggeration to say that when Vivian was at her peak, she was a well-known star throughout the West End. Then, at 21, she chose to retire. Because she fell in love and got married. When Isabella’s father, Eric, was pursuing Vivian, he already had a fortune of tens of millions, so Vivian didn’t need to be in the public eye. Therefore, after marriage, Vivian chose to be a devoted wife and mother, and this leisurely life continued for 14 years. Vivian thought her life would always be peaceful, but no one expected that her husband’s one all-in bet would cause everything around them to change drastically. After hearing the news of her husband’s death, Vivian actually wanted to just leave. But her two daughters were still young, and there weren’t many relatives in the family, so… onward she went. And after losing her source of income, Vivian, who had no diploma and only knew how to act, wanted to return to her old profession. In her opinion, even if she had been away from the stage for ten years, with the boost of her past fame, it shouldn’t be difficult to return to the theatre and find a job. After all, she wasn’t seeking a lead role; just having a part to play was enough. Other things could be discussed later. But…
“Would you know my name~ If I saw you in heaven~”
“Would it be the same~ If I saw you in heaven~”
“I must be strong~ And carry on~”
“’Cause I know I don’t belong~”
“Here in heaven…”
Passing an intersection, while waiting for a red light, Vivian casually turned on the car radio.
The next second, Eric Clapton’s song came on.
It was “Tears In Heaven.”
The coincidental appearance of the melancholic song made Vivian pause. A few seconds later, she pursed her lips as she regained her composure.
Even her hands gripping the steering wheel tightened slightly.
Note: ① Eric Clapton, a famous British musician, has won 18 Grammys. ② “Tears In Heaven” is a song released by Eric Clapton in ‘92, about his longing for his son after they were separated by death. It was later used as a remembrance for the deceased by the living.
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