And so Phoebe’s mind went blank with all the possibilities she had in her head. Marlin had a large network and if they were going to play the game, then they had to be smarter, faster and more brutal than anyone that he had at his disposal."What about a bluff?" she said finally after a long pause, the calmness of her voice betraying the activity in her mind. The idea is that we can’t buy her everything, but what if we make it look like we have a piece of Marlin’s secret fortune? What there is that will make her feel that she is safe as well as wealthy if only she will follow his instructions?Seth raised an eyebrow. “A bluff could work… but it’s dangerous. If she discovers that we don’t have anything, she leaves and we miss our chance of defeating Marlin.”Phoebe looked out the window once more, the gravity of the situation sinking in her. “It could be a risk we may have to take,” said she gently. If we don’t, it’s all about waiting for Marlin to attack. We need to get ahead of him."
Christian’s eyes softened. He could not compel her but he could not look the other way and see her a prisoner of her circumstances. “I’m here for you, Phoebe. No matter what you decide. All I want you to remember is this – you are never without options.”Phoebe took a deep breath, nodded even if her eyes were not fully convinced. “Thank you, Christian. I just need more time.”Christian looked at her for a second and then he simply agreed. “You have all the time in the world that you want.” But when you’re ready to leave… call me. I’ll be there.”He walked to the door then suddenly stopped himself just before his hand touched the door handle. “Phoebe, one more thing.”She raised her head and her eyes were puffy from crying. “What is it?”He gulped, his voice barely audible. “I love you. Don’t ever forget that.”But before she could answer, Christian strode out, which left Phoebe standing there, her heart in a war between the rock and a hard place.Phoebe stood frozen in the hallway, Ch
Phoebe stepped back and shook her head at the same time. “It’s not about being better. It’s about moving on. We’ve tried, Seth. We’ve tried to make this work and we’ve failed. Sometimes, love is not enough to mend what is broken. Sometimes, it is about letting go. ” Steady silence followed them like fog. Seth’s jaw clamped”, his hands were fisted at his sides as if he was on the verge of losing his temper. “Is it Christian?” he asked, almost in a whisper. Phoebe blinked, and felt the pressure of the question that was asked. She had not planned to talk about Christian here, but it appears that his name will always crop up. “Yes,” she said after a pause of a few seconds. “But it is much deeper than that; it is about me; it is about me getting my own happiness and my own peace and I can never get that if I continue to hold on to you. ” Seth’s face was that of a man struggling to contain his sorrow; he had to swallow hard to even speak. “This is what you wanted?” he croaked. “This is g
It’s because you are human and you have the freedom to make good and bad decisions. But don’t be overwhelmed by the fear of the unknown or the burden of the past. It is one of the things that make you powerful.” After a slow nod, Phoebe tried to absorb what Sarah said.Phoebe gasped for air when she realized the implication of what Sarah was saying. She had been a prisoner of her own thoughts regarding the wrong decision and now she realized that there would be no right decision. Life was complex, chaotic and full of the unknown. But Sarah was right. The only real error would be to let herself stagnate, to be afraid to take that leap, to do something different, to be confident in herself.Phoebe sank back into the couch, her limbs growing even more leaden than they had been before, as if the burden of the decision she had yet to make was weighing her down. She looked out the window, at the orange, warm light of the evening that painted the world in peaceful color so unlike the storm t
The dead silence of the room followed her remark as if she had put a rain cloud over the sun, which was already clouded in Phoebe’s consciousness. She was uncomfortable with the fact that Marlin had been keeping something personal from her. What could it be? She began to try and solve the jigsaw in her head."What do you mean, Gloria?" The latter question was whispered by Phoebe.Gloria tilted her head forward and looked serious. Marlin has been watching Seth for a long time. He has been accumulating his ammunition, dust if you will, for the day to catch him off guard. There is something, something from Seth’s past that Marlin plans to hold against him and bring him down. It is something that Seth himself is not aware of, possessing or having concealed."Phoebe gasped. "What could that be? Seth is careful. He is very particular with everything."Gloria shook her head slowly. ‘It’s something deeper,’ Phoebe. Well, Marlin has always been one step ahead. So now that he’s backed into a co
The gravity of the situation seemed to sink into Phoebe and her eyes welled up with tears. “But what if that future doesn’t exist or they are not part of it?”Gloria smiled bitterly. “Then perhaps that is what you need to do.” Marlin’s chaos may have thrown you into asking these questions earlier than you wanted to, but perhaps it is high time to stop running. Perhaps the moment has come to start choosing what one’s life should be like.Phoebe took a deep breath as she desperately attempted to control the storm that was going on in her mind. “And what if Seth doesn’t forgive me for walking away?”Gloria’s voice was calm, it was focused, and it was the only thing that seemed to make any sense at all. “If this boy named Seth really loves you, he will be able to comprehend it.” But if Christian loves you as he has said, he will set you free to make your decision when the time comes.”Phoebe nodded slowly and a flame of determination started to burn in her. “I need time. Time to work out
It was such a short drive to Seth’s house that it felt like the car took hours to get there. She was having palpitations by the time she parked her car in front of the familiar driveway. She had to calm herself down before she got out of the car and so she took a deep breath.Seth was in the living room when she got in, his eyes unfocused, and he appeared to be deep in contemplation. When she appeared, his face changed from surprise to suspicion."Phoebe?" he said, standing up. "I wasn’t expecting you."Phoebe didn’t waste any time. She moved directly towards him with her gaze focused on him. "We need to talk, Seth. And I need you to be honest with me. No more secrets. No more evasions."Seth’s forehead creased but he did not argue. "What’s this about?"Phoebe took a deep breath to calm herself and her voice was clear. "It’s about Marlin. That’s the thing, Seth he is up to something. Something big, and it has to do with your past, something to do with your father.”Seth stood still, h
Looking quite scared, Phoebe asked You mean the bald man I saw at the beach or the man I met in the car park? Seth had never elaborated when his father died to them, but she had thought that Seth never chose to talk about it and that he was still mourning.“What kind of dealings?” Phoebe inquired, and her voice was very soft.He looked at her, his eyes guilty, ‘Seth said’. “Money laundering. Fraud. He was mixing it with some bad company and you know when things started getting hot… he ensured that I was not dragged into the mess. He asked me to promise him not to speak a word about it to anyone in order to cover the family’s reputation.”Seth nodded grimly. “Somehow, he found out. He probably went round searching for documents I assumed no longer existed in our archives. That’s why if he reveals this… everything is at risk of being ended. Our Careers and even our lives”Fear gripped Phoebe in the chest. Scars of past life were clearly present in Seth and she could feel that he was suf