Inside the home of the Gavi family, there is a lady, screaming and hurling valuable vases away. Family members, especially her husband, try to calm her down while attempting to escape being hit.

The lounge is spacious and well-lit, with gray and gold accents. Its walls are adorned with priceless artworks and treasures, the linens and upholstery are sumptuous, and the accessories are glitzy. The shattered fragments of glasses and vases that litter the floor, however, transform the sophisticated appearance into a maelstrom.

One should never truly provoke Demeter Gavi, the lady of the house.

“What do you mean by Astrid is missing?! No, she is not! She'll be home shortly! I'm sure she will!” Demeter shrieks, her eyes bloodshot, causing everyone in the room to flinch as her scream reverberates across the room.

Her husband, Orion, approaches her with caution, seeking to massage her shoulders. “Demeter, calm down. Throwing a tantrum will do nothing to get your daughter back,” he says, glancing at the door as a young girl, who appears to be Astrid's age, enters the room.

The girl approaches them carefully, hesitant to approach anyone while the rest of the family members, with the exception of Demeter, gaze at her. She trembles quietly, feeling agony in the back of her throat.

Unable to toss another possession as Orion embraces her so tightly to stop her, Demeter continues to scream, “I will not stop if I can’t find my daughter!”

Her sons sigh and shake their heads as they see her go into a frenzy. They are already accustomed to Demeter's behavior. If things don't go her way, Demeter will frequently go feral and have a tantrum in the living room or her bedroom. This used to bother them, but they ultimately became acclimated to it. This time, though, things are different since their only sister has gone missing.

Demeter’s eyes land on the girl approaching them. “Selene!” she calls the girl’s name. “Aren’t you with Astrid yesterday?! How come she didn’t return but you did?! How come she went missing?!”

Selene's gaze falls as she becomes agitated. “S-she . . .” She gulps, reluctant to tell Demeter the truth.

Demeter glares at her. “She what?!”

“Astrid . . .” She takes a deep breath. She doesn't want to tell them the truth for fear of breaking her vow to Astrid, but the strain of the family's glances at her as they wait for her to respond gets heavier, prompting her to give them what they want to hear. “Astrid wasn't with me yesterday. She . . . she’s with someone else. She t-told you that she’ll hang-out with me but the truth is that it's simply an excuse for her to hang out with . . . her.”

Except for Ares, the eldest child, all of them frown in confusion when they hear what Selene says. “Her?” Ares asks.

Selene gives a nod. “Astrid has a girlfriend . . . She's been dating her for a few years and h-hasn't told you because she's terrified of what's to come.”

Silence.

Cadmus, Eros, and Eryx, the other sons of Demeter and Orion, have their eyes wide and jaws down the floor; Orion frowns, refusing to believe it; and Ares doesn’t have any reaction.

Demeter, on the other hand, breaks free from Orion's grip and approaches Selene. She grabs Selene’s shoulders and shouts at her face, “Astrid has a girlfriend?!?”

Hearing her voice, Selene flinches, her soul departing her body. She shakily nods and mumbles, “Y-yes, you h-heard it correctly.” Tears fall down, her thoughts rumbling inside her mind.

Oh, did she just break her promise with Astrid to not tell anyone?

Demeter’s face reddens, her nostrils flaring. “Tell me . . . Who is her girlfriend?”

Selene gulps and shakes her head. “I-I'm not sure . . . I've never met her. A-Astrid never introduced me to her. She just told me one day t-that she has a girlfriend and—and that’s it.”

She chases her breath when Demeter finally lets go of her and walks out of the home, despite her awful appearance. Still in the state of shock, all of them follow Demeter.

Selene is the last person to leave the house. She may be free of the family's prior pressure, but she will never be free of the shame of breaking her pledge and being one of the reasons Astrid vanished. It is devouring her, and as a result, she is unable to think clearly.

The Tribune Times

Just In: Astrid Gavi, the affluent Gavi family's daughter, went missing yesterday. According to Royal Public Security, this is by far the 21st case of a lost progeny as of January 2035. Demeter Gavi, Astrid's mother, has offered a $3 million reward to anyone who helps locate her daughter.

“Okay, here’s the deal. You find my sister and the reward is all yours. That’ll be the payment to my debt. Is that alright?” Cadmus speaks to the phone, his heart beating fast. “Oh, thank you. I’m glad we agree on this.”

The caller responds. [You better keep your word. If we failed to get the $3 million reward and you didn’t pay us by the end of the month, you better run for your life]

Cadmus exhales a sigh. “I’ll keep that in mind. I’ll give you an update soon, don’t worry. I’m dropping the call. Bye.” With one click, he ends the call.

He gives his forehead a massage. Cadmus is already stressed enough with his debts, but then his older sister disappeared and his mother offered a high reward for those who could find her. He couldn't pass up the chance to settle his debts and spare his life from the thugs he used to gamble with.

It’s his own fault though. He himself is the reason why his life is falling down. He began gambling in his adolescence. His peers pushed him to do it. Then he found pleasure in every game he played and won. He eventually became hooked on it. It doesn't matter to him whether he continues to lose a lot of money as long as he can enjoy himself and escape from his life difficulties.

The end result? He is drowning in indebtedness as a result of many recent gambling losses. Gambling, which he uses to avoid or ignore his issues, becomes one of them.

Addiction never really ends well.

Cadmus goes on a walk behind their house, hoping to get some fresh air, when he notices his younger brothers, Eros and Eryx, standing in a corner as smoke twirls skyward. He approaches the two with a grimace. “What are you two doing?”

Both Eros and Eryx jump and look at their brother. “Dame you startled us,” says Eryx.

Cadmus looks at their hands as his brothers try to hide it from him. He asks, “Are you two smoking cannabis?”

Eros clicks his tongue. “It’s none of your business.”

Cadmus scoffs. “Well, it’s definitely none of my business if Dad beats the two of you until death,” he says, leaving the two of them behind.

Orion exhales a sigh as he answers a phone call. He silences the caller before she can even speak. “Jamaica, I've already informed you that I won't be able to come today. How many times do I have to tell you that?”

Jamaica whines and it’s obviously pretentious. [But what about me, Orion? Don’t you love me anymore? I’m your lover for goodness’ sake! Is it really so difficult for you to offer me even a few minutes of your time?]

“And I am also Astrid’s father. I have to find my daughter. Please keep that in mind, Jamaica. I promise I'll make amends with you shortly. For the time being, I'll send some funds to your bank account. Go on a shopping spree as I look for my daughter.” Orion turns around, his free hand on his waist, facing the master bedroom's front door. He sighs again, remembering his wife, who has been wreaking havoc since she learned of Astrid's disappearance.

Orion has a mistress despite being married to a woman who grew up with wealth and grace that everybody used to seek and look up to in their youth. He's been cheating on her for years, and he's well aware that his wife is aware of it. Demeter is convinced that even if Orion finds another lover, he will never toss her out of his house, because doing so will break Orion's influence in an instant.

However, if by chance Orion files a divorce, Demeter has no objections with it at all. After all, despite the fact that they married for the purpose of inheritance, Demeter knows she will lose nearly nothing if they end the relationship. Perhaps it is a wise option for her not to rely on her husband most of the time, as this allows her to shine with or without a man as her spouse.

[I want you to accompany me! You have the money after all, so why don’t you leave the search to your servants? I need you here, Orion.]

Orion groans. “Just fucking shop on your own, Jamaica! My daughter needs me the most! If you don’t stop whining, you best get out of my sight or I'll end our relationship!” He hangs up the phone.

Demeter lies on the floor of the house’s master bedroom, hugging an image of her daughter as she whines uncontrollably. Everything around her is a mess, despite her servants’ best efforts to keep things clean. She just couldn’t stop erupting her wretched whirlpool of emotions.

The servants continue to console her with jewels, something she adores the most. She has had an interest in various valuable gems, stones, and pieces of jewelry since she was a youngster. She frequently uses these to flaunt her wealth and showcase how special she is among other nobles. Her charm is enhanced by her jewelry, and she feels desirable as a result.

However, no matter how many jewels servants provide her, no matter how rare and exorbitant they are, they couldn’t calm Demeter down. She keeps saying, “I need my daughter, not those jewels! They can’t bring my daughter back! Give me back my daughter!”

She weeps, leaning on the side of her bed. Shaking, she strokes Astrid's image as though her daughter is right there with her. She mumbles, “Is this a punishment from the gods? Where did I go wrong, my dear? Why did they have to take you away from me?”

Demeter closes her eyes, embracing the portrait. She couldn’t believe the truth. She couldn’t believe any of what is happening are true. She thought she did her job well, but why did Astrid betray her by doing things behind her back?

After learning that Astrid has a girlfriend, Demeter questions where did she go wrong, what did she miss, and if her efforts are not enough that Astrid turns out to be imperfect. She didn’t raise her to be like this. She raised her to be extraordinary in every aspect, to outshine her and leave a new legacy in her wake.

Imperfect. It is the most chastising word for her.