Chapter 1:

A group of men and women garbed in black stood still as they paid their final respect to the deceased. Eyes fixated on the name carved on the tomb stone, he let out a soft sigh.

"Daddy…" a little girl tugged his coat sleeve.

He turned and smiled at his baby girl, Abigail who was being carried protectively by his beautiful wife Gabriella. He gently pulled Abigail from her mother's arms and kissed her small forehead.

"Ti—tired daddy." Abigail leaned on her father's chest and yawned. "Sleepy…" she mumbled as she rubbed her eyes.

"We will get home soon." He promised her and kissed her head.

"Troy…" Gabriella hooked her arms around his free arm and gazed steadily into his eyes. Tiptoed, she leaned forward and kissed Troy lightly on his lips. "You don't look so good."

He smiled weakly and replied, "I'm fine. I'll be better after a light nap."

Titling her head slightly to the right, she sighed. "Darling, you can't lie to me…you're not fine. We should drop by at Driscoll's?"

"No. That won't be necessary." He shook his head. He did not want to see any doctor. Especially Dr Lawrence Driscoll.

"I know you are not entirely fond of him – " she began to speak only to be cut short by her husband.

"I am never fond of him" He corrected angrily, causing his little girl to whine softly in her sleep.

"I wonder why you hate him so much. He's a gentleman. He's a sound man."

"I know."

"Then? Is there something you want to tell me? Did the two of you argue?"

Not wanting to continue the conversation any further, he kept quiet. Sometimes he wished Gabriella would just keep her mouth firmly shut. Slightly angered by his silence she took Abigail from his arms, waking the tired child.

"Home…" Abigail murmured groggily as she reached her hand out to tug at her father's tie. He smiled at her sweet angelic face and pinched her nose lightly.

"You have been sleeping all day." The little girl giggled and shut her heavy eyes again, mumbling the word that daddy softly.

"She's a child. What do you expect?" Gabriella said. "Oh, I need to talk to Sharpay for awhile." She walked away.

Troy watched her approaching a teary Sharpay. He inhaled deeply and exhaled.

He studied his surroundings silently.

"What an unpleasant surprise." A voice said from behind.

Turning around, Troy's eyes widened. "Ryan."

Their first meeting after years and this was how Ryan Evans greeted him.

He could feel those cold eyes studying him from the back of the shades. "Did my father ask you to come?"

"No." Troy answered. "I know your uncle. He is a generous man."

"Not generous enough." Ryan scoffed as he stared at his uncle's mistress.

Shaking his head lightly, Troy decided to change the topic of their conversation. "It's a real miracle seeing you walking out of the plane crash in one whole piece."

"Why? So eager to see me dead?" Ryan asked darkly as he recalled the accident that had happened seventeen days ago.

"No!" Troy replied a little too loudly, causing the other mourners to glare at him. Lowering his voice he asked, "How's your eyes?"

"What is it to you?"

"That's because I'm worried." Troy answered, slightly agitated. "I heard Driscoll saying something about the head concussion and it's affecting your vision."

Ryan raised a brow. Driscoll eh, he thought as he kept his lips sealed.

Feeling uncomfortable with the awkward silence between them, Troy tried his chance again to converse in a friendly manner with Ryan.

"Your eyes…your eyes can't take the current brightness?" Troy asked.

"It can't take any sort of brightness. It's only fine at night." Ryan muttered a reply.

Troy kept quiet. He wanted to open his mouth to say something. Anything. He did not want to end this conversation with Ryan. There were so many things that he needed to say to Ryan.

Before his lips could part to utter a word, Ryan cut in.

"I don't need your sympathy."

Troy waited for his wife in his Lamborghini.

"Damn." He cursed as he remembered that cool face of Ryan Evans. Grabbing a bottle from the backseat, he dropped his pen from his coat pocket.

"What's wrong with me?"

He slumped back on his seat. How long did he want to fake it? How long did he plan on hiding it?

Glancing at his rear view mirror, he saw Ryan Evans entering his Rolls-Royce. He felt his heartbeat raced at the sight of the handsome blond.

He always had feelings for Ryan Evans. Even before he met Gabriella. But he wanted so badly to be normal, to be straight. He could not accept the fact that he was silently in love to Ryan Evans, a male.

He slapped his palm on his forehead.

"I have a good career. I have a loving wife and a beautiful daughter."

"I am happy, right?"

Once inside his car, Ryan removed his shades and rubbed his temple slowly. His eyes were killing him. His eyes were not getting better. His vision was getting slightly hazier than the day before.

He glanced out from the tinted glass and noted Gabriella was walking toward the silver Lamborghini parked two cars away from his. He screwed his face slightly. His love rival. She was carrying a little girl tightly in her arms.

He cocked a brow as he studied the little girl. "Peculiar…" he mumbled.

He dismissed the thought and signaled his chauffer to move. Dialing a number, Ryan hooked his earpiece firmly on his left ear.

A voice greeted him through his earpiece. "What is it Evans?"

"I need your help." Ryan Evans answered, eyes glazed. "That crash was no accident."

Author: ...got the plot but I have a bad feeling that its gonna be quite long...longer than what I had expected.