“Vincent woke up to the disturbing sound of his loudly beeping alarm clock before he went on with a drama free day”
This routine repeated itself for a few days.He sluggishly battled to open his eyes before reaching for the clock.When he checked the clock, he was surprised at what the time was.“I slept till 9am?”Oh well ... .It was another day to wake up with a smile.He stretched his legs, spreading them across the bed while he rubbed his eyes that had been shut for a very long time.He felt better than he did when he woke up the previous morning.Vincent finally sat up on the bed, staring into oblivion.While thinking of how to do something productive that day, his phone suddenly beeped.“Must be one of those notifications again” He thought to himself as he searched for the phone in his sheets.“There” Vincent picked up his phone and began to go through a series of notifications from numerous a“Are you okay?” Vincent asked Mr. Issac, feeling concerned just by seeing the look on his face.Again, Mr. Isaac heaved an even deeper sigh and shook his head which was hung low.“I should have given custody to her mother….All those years ago”The moment he heard this, Vincent immediately knew that the old man was referring to his daughter, Jessica.It turned out that when Mr.Isaac returned from his trip, he got to know about Elizabeth’s pregnancy.She was living under his very roof so there was no way that she could possibly hide it from him.He asked her several questions regarding it but she bluntly refused to answer them.That compelled him to harness his powers as leader of the underworld, using his position to his advantage.It was then he found out the backstory concerning everything that resorted to Jessica’s current state.He was extremely disappointed in her.He regretted taking up th
Vincent opened the door to see Ms. Marie with a tray in her hands.In it was a plate of roasted salmon and vegetables with a glass of orange juice and a bottle of water.“Thank you” Before she could utter a word, Vincent took the tray from her with a smile.It was almost as if she had read his mind.Vincent ate his dinner and went to bed.The next day, he went on with his normal life hoping for positive results in his endeavour.Elizabeth came over to visit Samuel and Vincent ignored that, trying as much as possible to avoid coming in contact with her.Although Elizabeth washorrid in nature, Vincent didn’t mind her visiting.He could clearly observe that Samuel was slowly getting attached to Elizabeth and he didn’t want to ruin anything for him.Vincent knew exactly how that felt, he himself had once been in that position and he’s still facing the consequences of someone else's actions.It plea
“Yes Miss” The attendant replied with a slight bow.“Well I’m sorry to inform you but there must’ve been a mistake because I didn’t order anything”“No Miss, I’m certain”“Look over here, this has your name written on it if I’m not mistaken” The attendant said, showing her a small tag by the side with “To Jane Miller written on it”“Yes…That is my name but who sent the package”“Pardon me Miss but my job is to deliver packages to the residents of this hotel”“No further information is usually disclosed to the hotel management except the arrival of packages”“Ohh” Jane slowly nodded in understanding as she gestured to him to bring the bouquet into her room.The short young man picked up the giant sized bouquets of flowers that were almost as tall as him and placed them in the position she had ordered after which he immediately left.Jane shut the door and made sure to lock it the moment the att
With a mind full of doubts and uncertainty, Vincent slowly retreated back to the desk and picked up his phone.He squinted both his eyes as he curiously scrolled through the notification bar hoping to see what he was expecting.The rules of nature seemed to be working to his advantage this time as Vincent’s face lit with joy while he unconsciously smiled very widely to himself.She actually did send him a text!Jane sent him a text!He was right afterall.Vincent opened the text from the notification bar and was caught by a confusing surprise in his direct message.“?"She sent him a question mark?? Well ... .on the bright side, she at least took the liberty of unblocking him.It was quite obvious that Jane wanted Vincent to text first. So he didn't hesitate to do so. Vincent decided to reply to her question mark with an actual question. “How do you find them?"
“When Jessica learned that we were together, she didn't take the news very wellShe didn't give up eitherJessica spiked my drink and had me druggedThat's when it all happened" "Look, I wanted to tell you but I didn't know how to explain it to you.I was afraid that you wouldn't understand but leave me instead And now, the current situation of things has left me with no choice but to tell you since my fears eventually turned into reality”“She didn't stop there, The pregnancy was real, but it was the product of an insemination She did this just to pin a responsibility that'll bound us together““And you didn't even give me a listening ear" Jane was utterly speechless.Vincent became emotional while reminiscing about everything that had transpired in the past.“Jane didn't even reply the texts he just sent" He failed but at least he tried. He
The drive from Savoy resort to the airport was not a very long one.It was built not too far from that airport because it was a tourist attraction. Just like she projected, Jane was right in time.She got checked in and prepared for flight.The moment she got on the plane, she informed Vincent about it.Her mom wasn't even aware of her sudden arrival.Jane was sure to take her by surprise. She'd be even more surprised to know that she actually went to London and not Greece. Well… Gone were the days when she informed her mom of every single detail regarding her life and personal matters. She wanted to pedal her own bike from now on.The flight was a long one.It was going to take about a total of 9 hours and 30 minutes.Jane was sure to arrive very late at night since the plane took off at exactly 2:30pm.“This is going to take forever" She muttered under a muffled
This prompted her to put certain restrictions on all her social media accounts. One of which was to make her accounts private to non-mutuals and to disable random accounts from having access to hers without a granted permission from her.This made it impossible for them to randomly reach out to her through social media platforms.Vincent couldn't log into his accounts on another device because he had forgotten the password.It was something he created many years back. Trying to retrieve the password would eventually require a verification and he still needed his phone for that. Worst of all, Vincent couldn’t log into his fake account on another device because he couldn’t recall the password he used for it.When he created the account, he used a one time password that he came up with that night.It never occurred to him that he might someday be in dire need of such information.Samuel didn’t have her
Jane!“I've been looking all over for you" Vincent said as he slowly stood up to face the lady that stood right behind him. "I had a feeling you'd be here" She threw open her arms for a hug that Vincent received warmly.Afterwards, she took a seat at their table.“I've called your number countless times this morning""Jeez, It's been over two hours now…..What Happened?” Jane asked in confusion, demanding a valid response from Vincent and Samuel. Vincent proceeded to explain to her how he forgot their only form of contact at home.And how he couldn't reach out to her through social media platforms due to the privacy policy and restrictions that she placed in them.“Ohhh" Jane nodded in understanding as she paid rapt attention to him. “Well then, what are we waiting for”"Let's leave this place” Jane urged as Samuel stood up in agreement “Yes…. Finally“ Vincent followed suit, having
Closing her eyes, Irene unspooled her magic into a gentle, probing thread, and laid a palm on that splattered star atop his spine.The cold slammed into her, spikes of it firing through her blood and bones.Irene reeled back as if she’d been given a physical blow.Cold and dark and anger and agony—She clenched her jaw, fighting past this echo in the bone, sending that thread-thin probe of power a little farther into the dark.The pain would have been unbearable when it hit him.Irene pushed back against the cold—the cold and the lack and the oily, unworldly wrongness of it.No magic of this world, some part of her whispered. Nothing that was natural or good. Nothing she knew, nothing she had ever dealt with.Her magic screamed to draw back that probe, move away—“Irene .” His words were far away while the wind and blackness and emptiness of it roared around her—And then that echo of nothingness … it seemed to awaken.Cold filled her, burned along her limbs, creeping wider, encirc
“Will it be hours every day that you work on him?” Nesryn’s words were steady, almost flat, and yet … The woman was not a creature who took well to a cage. Even a gilded one such as this.“I would recommend,” Irene said to Nesryn over a shoulder, “that if you have other duties or tasks to attend to, Captain, these hours would be a good time for that. I shall send word if you are needed.”“What about moving him around?”The lord’s eyes flashed at that.And though Irene was predisposed to chuck them both to the ruks, she noted the lord’s simmering outrage and self-loathing at the words and found herself saying, “I can handle most of it, but I believe Lord Westfall is more than capable of transporting himself.”Something like wary gratitude shot across his face. But he just said to Nesryn, “And I can ask my own damn questions.”Guilt flashed across Nesryn’s face, even as she stiffened. But she nodded, biting her lip, before she murmured to Vincent , “I had some invitations yesterday.”
Vincent shot Irene back an equally displeased look the moment Kashin paused to sip his wine, and then launched question after question to the prince regarding his life. Helpful information, he realized, about their army.He was not the only one who realized it. Arghun cut in while his brother was midsentence about the forges they had constructed near their northern climes, “Let us not discuss business at dinner, brother.”Kashin shut his mouth, ever the trained soldier.And somehow Vincent knew—that fast—that Kashin was not being considered for the throne. Not when he obeyed his eldest brother like any common warrior. He seemed decent, though. A better alternative than the sneering, aloof Arghun, or the wolflike Hasar.It did not entirely explain Irene ’s utter need to distance herself from Kashin. Not that it was any of his business, or of any interest to him. Certainly not when Irene ’s mouth tightened if she so much as turned her head in Vincent ’s direction.He might have calle
Vincent waited until Nesryn had been gone for a good thirty minutes before he summoned Kadja. She’d been waiting in the exterior hallway and slipped inside his suite mere moments after he’d called her name. Lingering in the foyer, he watched the serving girl approach, her steps light and swift, her eyes downcast as she awaited his order.“I have a favor to ask you,” he said slowly and clearly, cursing himself for not learning Halha during the years Levi had studied it.A dip of the chin was her only answer.“I need you to go down to the docks, to wherever information comes in, to see if there’s any news about the attack on Rifthold.” Kadja had been in the throne room yesterday—she’d undoubtedly heard about it. And he’d debated asking Nesryn to do some searching while she was out, but if the news was grimhe didn’t want her learning it alone. Bearing it alone, all the way back up to the palace. “Do you think you could do that?”Kadja lifted her eyes at last, though she kept her head
She’d known his age, but Irene had still not expected the former captain to look so … young.She hadn’t done the math until she’d walked into that room and seen his handsome face, a mix of caution and hope written across the hardened, broad features.It was that hope that had made her see red. Had made her ache to give him a matching scar to the slender one slicing across his cheek.She’d been unprofessional in the most horrific sense. Never—never had she been so rude and unkind toward any of her patients.Mercifully, Hasar had arrived, cooling her head slightly. But touching the man, thinking of ways to help him …She had not meant to write the list of the last four generations of Towers women. Had not meant to write her mother’s name over and over while pretending to record his information. It had not helped with the overwhelming roaring in her head.Sweating and dusty, Irene burst into Hadiza ’s office nearly an hour later, the trek from the palace through the clogged, narrow str
He tried not to flinch. Even Nesryn blinked at the frank question.“Yes,” he said tightly, fighting the heat rising in his cheeks.She looked between them, assessing. “Have you used it to completion?”He clenched his jaw. “How is that relevant?” And how had she gleaned what was between them?Irene only wrote something down.“What are you writing?” he demanded, cursing the damned chair for keeping him from storming to rip the paper out of her hands.“I’m writing a giant no.”Which she then underlined.He growled, “I suppose you’ll ask about my bathroom habits now?” “It was next on my list.”“They are unchanged,” he bit out. “Unless you need Nesryn to confirm.” Irene merely turned to Nesryn, unruffled. “Have you seen him struggle withit?”“Do not answer that,” he snarled at Nesryn.Nesryn had the good wits to sink into a chair and remain quiet.Irene rose, setting down the pen, and came around the desk. The morning sunlight caught in her hair, bouncing off her head in a corona.She
So Vincent had, half paying attention to the meal unfolding before him, half monitoring every word and glance and breath of those around him.Despite their youngest sister’s death, the heirs made the meal lively, conversation flowing, mostly in languages Vincent did not know or recognize. Such a wealth of kingdoms in that hall, represented by viziers and servants and companions—the now-youngest princess, Duva, herself wedded to a dark-haired, sad-eyed prince from a faraway land who kept close to his pregnant wifeand spoke little to anyone around him. But whenever Duva smiled softly at himVincent did not think the light that filled the prince’s face was feigned. And wondered if the man’s silence was not from reticence but perhaps not yet knowing enough of his wife’s language to keep up.Nesryn, however, had no such excuse. She’d been silent and haunted at dinner. He’d only learned that she’d bathed before it thanks to the shout and slamming door in her chambers, followed by a huff
Hadiza ’s face darkened. Not with ire, but memory. “I was once asked to heal a man who was injured while evading capture. After he had committed a crime so unspeakable … The guards told me what he’d done before I walked into his cell. They wanted him patched up so he could live to be put on trial. He’d undoubtedly be executed—they had victims willing to testify and proof aplenty. Eretia herself saw the latest victim. His last one. Gathered all the evidence she needed and stood in that court and condemned him with what she had seen.”Hadiza ’s throat bobbed. “They chained him down in that cell, and he was hurt enough that I knew … I knew I could use my combat to make the internal bleeding worse. They’d never know. He’d be dead by morning, and no one would dare question me.” She studied the vial of blue tonic. “It was the closest I have ever come to killing. I wanted to kill him for what he had done. The world would be better for it. I had my hands on his chest—I was ready to do it. Bu
Of all the rooms in the Torre Cesme, Irene Towers loved this one best.Perhaps it was because the room, located at the very pinnacle of the pale-stoned tower and its sprawling complex below, had unparalleled views of the sunset over Antica.Perhaps it was because this was the place where she’d felt the first shred of safety in nearly ten years. The place she had first looked upon the ancient woman now sitting across the paper- and book-strewn desk, and heard the words that changed everything: You are welcome here, Irene Towers.It had been over two years since then.Two years of working here, living here, in this tower and in this city of so many peoples, so many foods and caches of knowledge.It had been all she’d dreamed it would be—and she had seized every opportunity, every challenge, with both hands. Had studied and listened and practiced and saved lives, changed them, until she had climbed to the very top of her class. Until an unknown healer’s daughter from Benjamin was appr