Sylvester heaved a sigh of relief as Emily walked out of the house. He heard the car start up and the engine rev, and somewhere in him was a peace that calmed his soul.When Emily left the house, there was a smile on her face. It was unlike there had ever been since they had been married, and for the first time in three years, things seemed to be looking up.‘Optimism?’ his mind sought to tear down his hopes, but he didn’t mind it. A fair dose of skepticism was allowed. Besides…he was sure that Emily couldn’t just go from wanting to divorce him one day, to loving him wholeheartedly the next.“No,” he said to himself out loud, leaning into the soft cushioning of the couch. “Not optimism. Hope,”He reminded himself that hope was something different. It was more than being positive in the good ending of their story. It was seeing the light in the darkness. Peace in the fact that if they ended bad, he would not lose his smile.The energy from seeing his wife smile flowed within him and ga

Sylvester stared at his phone, Emily stared at her tablet. She had just shared a link to an article that had video evidence of her husband assaulting her brother.As she looked up from the wide screen, she caught the smile on his face.“You know this article doesn’t paint you in the best light, right?” she asked, but with a hint of pride on her gleaming face.“That’s what makes it more effective. Now, they know even more, not to mess with you because I will bash their face in even more,” smirked dangerously, and Emily felt a shockwave pass through her from the feet, chilling her spine and up to her brain.The shock left her in a daze.Wasn’t this what she always wanted? A man. A true man. One who would protect her. One who would stand by her and be her rock, pummeling anyone that dared to cross her?Something was off about yester-night when he confronted Cullen. It wasn’t normal. He started walking not too long ago, and now, he was able to beat Cullen up? Not just that, but he was als

Sylvester didn’t spend too much time at Verity’s place. She was more than happy to see him, but more eager, it seemed, for him to become a more powerful version of even his previous self.She pointed him in the direction he needed to go and urged him to take off without further hesitation.“You are going to be our savior when things bigger than we could have ever fathomed would come our way, boss…our big gun, if you will,” she said as she saw him off to the door.“Really?” Sylvester chuckled half-wittily, “And what makes you think something is coming?” he asked.“We stand in the pinnacle of cultivation, Sir. Powers beyond mortal understanding. You think that power was just left for us to discover and play with?” she asked with a knowing look poised in Sylvester’s direction.“I think not,” she answered the question when Sylvester was too lost in thought.He never really thought of the possibility of an enemy more cruel than the greed and insatiable desire for “more” that humans had for

The days passed by in a blur, and Sylvester focused on his cultivation, while Emily obsessed over preparations to the gala.Being unfazed by wealth and power, Slyvester couldn’t understand her stresses over every little detail and from an outside perspective, Emily was a little annoyed. She didn’t understand why her husband didn’t think this was important.“No one is an island,” she reminded him when he whined about going to get a new suit. “Every step of the way, I’ve had someone help me achieve my goals. That’s why my company is successful. Your network defines you,” she grunted, her voice hinting at a bit of annoyance for the man who seemed indifferent to the whole thing.‘Does he not want my success?’ she thought to herself as she noted the disproving look on his face as he tried on the suit.“It’s 10,000…don’t you think it’s excessive?” he noted.“The material on the collar was woven from Vicuna wool, and the rest of the piece is velvet. Nothing reeks of class more. Besides…I can

Sly moved around the banquet halls bored out of his mind. He already had his talk with Hunter Windstorme. Nothing out of the usual ‘we can make this city a better place,’ that elated Emily more than he could understand.This wasn’t a space he fit in particularly well. He would rather gather together with warriors and talk strategies than huddle up and gorge about the economics of the land.Most of them, he was sure, were people that created problems just so they could solve and eventually enrichen themselves. It was a game he would get angry if he played…and so he avoided it…for the sake of Emily.As he moved, he caught sight of Katherine fending off an old man that seemed to be insistent on talking to her in whispers. “Katherine, dear…come over,” he said loud enough for the man to hear. Katherine rolled her eyes in relief and gave the old man a light push away, making him sneer at both her and Sly.“Thank you, Sir. You don’t know what you just saved me from,” Katherine dusted her d