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Chapter Sixteen: Connoisseurs and Liaisons
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
Dangerous Games Chapter Seventeen: Cat and Mouse
“I’m keeping this dress you know,” I announced as I pulled my skirts from beneath me, ready to exit the car, “As compensation, for you dragging me to this event,”“Like I would have much use for a dress,” he drawled, the sound smooth and dipped in honey.“Who knows you might have a secret girlfriend, lurking around here somewhere, you sure they won’t mind that your taking me to this fancy ball?” I joked.“I have no secret girlfriend, Miss Laurence, I do not know where you get these absurd ideas from,”“You sure are lonely aren’t you? Having to take someone you're paying to be your date…”I trailed off at his pointed look, just a hint of amusement and my statement unravelled itself, “Oh my god, I sound like an escort,”“Don’t think too much about is Miss Laurence, we have a plan to enact,” I grumbled as he held out a hand, taking my palm in his and elegantly pulling me out of the sleek black car. He straightened his shirt with his free hand, making sure the buttons on his blazer were f
Dangerous Games Chapter Eighteen: Fall from Grace
We were in a quiet room, off to the side, one I hadn’t even noticed, It seemed that Kendal Groves knew a lot of things people didn’t. I had seen the looks int he womens eyes as they followed her and I. There were looks of contempt, of pity but there was an overwhelming amount of awe.She had the whole business world wrapped around her fingers.The betrayer, some called her.A bewitcher that had two powerful men fall at her feet.She was everything I wasn’t and that wasn’t a bad thing, I think I would hate myself if I ended up like that. So consumed by the game, that it was all my identity was.I wanted a quiet life after all of this was over, escape with some guy who was just as crazy as I was, drop off of the map, well that was only what part of me wanted. The other half of me wanted to stay here, start my own business one day, do what I was good at.Leading.Though it was Kendal thatwas leading me through her maze, not knowing that I already knew the path to the exit.“Do you want a
Dangerous Games Chapter Nineteen: Crescendo
With probably one of the most stressful situations I had been in this past year done and dusted with, we walked out of the room at the back of the hall. I tried not to make it obvious that my eyes were searching for Mr Emerson but he was nowhere to be found. I caught Niklaus’ gaze and quickly looked away, I was embarrassed at how fast I had tilted my head and dreaded that Kendal had seen it, seen recoil at the man I had spent the last hour convincing her that was better than Emerson.Though she seemed to be so entrenched in the idea that I was helping her, that I would be the key to the fall of Emerson Industries.It was going to be her hubris that caused her downfall, and I would watch with glee.“He doesn’t seem to be here,” she murmured, in that tone, I was very sick of it at this point.But I needed to lay it on thick, “I wouldn’t be surprised if he left without me,”“Oh hon, I’m really sorry but it will be over soon, and I don’t know if I should tell you this yet,” My ears perked
Dangerous Games Chapter Twenty: Souls and Smiles
Another day, another squeal from Kian. “So you’re telling me not only did you meet them, and I mean the,” he jumped for joy enthusiastically and when I say enthusiastically I mean with more vigour than he usually had, he was full of unabated joy and I wondered how he never ran out of battery because my social battery was drained from just getting up today and turning my alarm off. That was enough interaction to really make me feel like today was going to be the worst.This is why I needed my weekly dose of Kian antics to lift my spirits, and of course, it’s working, “The Noir Dupont, you had lunch together and you made him make this amazing video of him reading my line!”He turned to Merelle who was busy setting up Honey Perhaps for its breakfast customers, “Merelle do you know how life-changing this is! Noir Dupont said my lines! He called your slab of stone boss a sonovabitch and he said it like that. Merellle,” his voice was half a screech a sound way too early for this time of da
Dangerous Games Chapter Twenty-One: Berry
I had never run faster in my life. I was out of breath, my hair a mess as I stormed into the hospital. The reception was bustling and it was a good 15 minutes before I could speak to anyone. The scent of disinfectant flurried through my nose and fogged my brain, and each scream and cry tore my eyes in its direction as I imagined Corbyn in unimaginable pain.The rational side of me should have realised that he sounded fine over the phone, but I was full of paranoia.“How can I help you miss?” the lady behind the glass smiled up at me, the wrinkles in her face, smoothing out to just smile lines as she tipped her glasses forward.“Oh um, I’m looking for a Corbyn Emerson,” I rushed out and she was already looking at her spreadsheet.I guess she just assumed that I was a relative or a spouse because she didn’t ask me how I was associated with him.“I’m sorry dear, but I don’t have a Corybn Emerson on this system,”“I what- but,”She looked carefully back at the spreadsheet, “I do have a Gr
Dangerous Games Chapter Twenty-Two: Cinnabon's and Cynicism
“Ignore what Grace said,” Corbyn said curtly as we walked to the integrated cafe in the hospital. After the cinnamon twist, Grace had felt even hungrier, it could take quite a toll on her, her body working to fight against all odds and survive.“Is that a request or a command?” I quipped as we turned into the cafe.He gave me an unimpressed look, pressed against his features, the tears were gone, he was no longer in disarray no longer clinging to me, his shirt was tucked back in a hidden behind his dark blazer. He was the picture of put together, but I had seen those moments of vulnerability. I had felt the thundering of his heart, the hot tears trailing down his eyes and splashing onto me.“What happened, Mr Emerson, why did you think that Artymov had something to do with this?”“I am rather irrational when it comes to Grace. I thought that maybe as he has so much pull in this city, he had paid her nurses to be neglectful. Absurd leaps in logic on my part, I trust these nurses, they
Dangerous Games Chapter Twenty Three: Nothing More. Nothing Less.
I spent hours with the both of them, playing board games, not noticing how much time was escaping me. I don’t think I have smiled more; Grace was brilliant, such a beautiful, sweet girl, and it tugged at my heart every time she broke out into coughs, her eyes watering as she put on a brave face and tried to keep her eyes on her cards.“I’m just trying to get you to be sympathetic for me, so you don’t see this,” she slammed down a blackjack when it was about to be Corbyn’s turn, “coming,” she grinned, laughter bubbling in her throat at the look of displeasure on Emerson’s face.“Well, that’s rather unfortunate for Miss Laurence, isn’t it?” he arched a brow in my direction, and I knew what was about to transpire.I sucked in a breath, “No way, you haven’t just been keeping that as revenge for my plus 2. That was like hours ago,”“23 minutes,” he responded curtly, “It was 23 minutes ago you used that underhanded tactic to win.”I scrunched up my nose, “Go on then, put me out of my misery
Dangerous Games Chapter Twenty-Four: Dreams and Stalkers
Corbyn offered to drive me home, but I politely declined, “You should stay here, with her, she’ll want to see you when she wakes up,” he gave me a grateful look as I quietly left the room, being careful not to make too loud of sound as I shut the door.For a moment I stood there, my palm pressed against the door, feeling the wooden beneath my fingertips and knowing that just beyond this inch thick wall, there was a man I would never see beyond these walls. A man who cared, who loved, who had lost so much, who could be just as vulnerable as anyone else.Out of these hospital walls, everything would be different, and I wasn’t sure if I was ready for that.I made my way home, the streetlights glowing at full brightness, but London was always busy the streets were still packed with people trying to escape the rain, that had begun to drizzle over us all. There was a chill in the air but nothing too major and it wasn’t too late that the train station was deserted.10 pm was often a second s
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Dangerous Games Chapter Thirty-Four: Pulled Back
The night ended in laughter and not a trip back to the office, but there was something more, something else in Corbyn’s eyes. He was on edge, a difficult breath pulling through him as he waved a hand through hair that had become increasingly dishevelled over the past couple of days, nothing like the perfectly combed hair I had seen on my first day.It wasn’t only him that could make keen observations.I was still hung up on the fact that he had known I liked strawberries. It wasn’t the most unusual like, but I hadn’t told him which made it different, that he had paid attention.It also meant he was staring at you eat.I stifle to bark of laughter that tries to escape my mouth at the thought.“Well,” Valerin begins, “I’ll have to leave you too here, CEO duties call.”“It’s the middle of the night,” but Valerin just gave me a mirthful look.“Ask Corbyn there is no rest from work,”“I would say that,” was the drawl of a response, “If you had any work ethic at all.”“I have work ethic, I
Dangerous Games Chapter Thirty-Three: Milkshakes and Moods
“Doesn’t it feel kind of awful for you to have her back at work?” Valerin had gushed over me as soon as I had entered the room, my wound healed enough that it didn’t require a bandage but still a brazen purple that peaked through a layer of concealer that appeared to accentuate it more than conceal.“When she is here, in my sight, I know she is safe,” Corbyn bristled, looking up from his laptop momentarily to glare at Valerin, “And Ms Laurence, is here for pretences only, I have not made any demands of her.”“That’s where your wrong,” I quipped, “You demanded that I stay here sat in your office, even though mine is right there, and is completely transparent. I would be-““You stay here,” and there was no argument about it.“And you,” he spoke to Valerin, “Leave.”“No. I’m not leaving not when Drea is in danger, because of that utter dick.”Corbyn’s mouth pressed into a thin line.“At least let me do something, I’m going to die of boredom if I sit here. And it’s rather misogynistic to
Dangerous Games Chapter Thrity-Two: Promises and Plots
“Drea!” my thoughts were pulled from a dreamless sleep, a familiar light voice tumbling into my eardrums, a voice that was impossible.My eyes cracked open, assaulted by a blast of bright light and a garish looking balloon primed in the fingers of my sister.“Day?” was the confused croak that left me.She flung herself forward, wrapping me in the tanned bronze of her arms.“Hey Dee,” I saw the lopsided grin of Dayna’s boyfriend Hiro, leaning over.“How are you here?” I tried to sit up, shuffling the blankets from beneath me.“Well, uhm…” her eyes darted to Hiro who shrugged, “Your boss?”“What?” I almost flung myself from the bed frame had I not been eased back down by Dayna.“Easy there, Dee, stop being dramatic. I’m your emergency contact you were in an emergency so he called me.”I felt a wilted sickness in the base of my throat.“But you’re your supposed to be home, in Malaysia, you’re-““Well, we took an expedited flight. Corbyn got us here.” Hiro said in his matter-of-fact way.
Dangerous Games Chapter Thirty-One: Neither
“Get away from her,” rough voice that sounded as though it was drowned flitted between my ears. My eyes were heavy, and there was a burning in my chest, I felt a laboured breath escape my lips.“She’s waking up-““All non-family members must leave the room,” confusion rippled through me as my eyes creaked open to be met with sterile white.“That means you Corbyn.” My heart sunk, in the pits of my stomach, why was he here, what had happened?“And what right do you have to be here?” the voice was calloused.“I’m her fiancé,” and that pushed me to wake.I heaved, and coughed, sputtering and keeling over the side of the bed.“God she’s going to be sick,” and I felt my brain melt.Kendal.She rushed over holding a bed pan, that I upchucked what little was left in my stomach into the brown vomit catcher.I was too busy being sick to glare at her.“Urgh,” I groaned lifting myself up, and reaching for the box of tissues at my side, wiping off the gunk at the side of my lips.I looked less th
Dangerous Games Chapter Thirty: A Spectre of Before
I wanted to take it back. Rip the words from reality as I stared into those eyes that were so good at concealing emotion that I cursed them for not doing that when I needed his indifference the most.“Ok,” Valerin spoke softly, “We’re all going to sit down, and calm down. Is that ok Drea,” I couldn’t speak so all I did was nod.I sat across from him, the impenetrable thicket of his eyes, burning away, as a sadness over took his gaze.“Say something,” I finally rasped.“I can’t.” was all he responded and everything crumbled, there were tears in my eyes, the fresh wound of his death wrenched open. I had mourned, I had grieved and accepted that Arthur my Arthur was gone.And now I couldn’t comprehend that he was alive.“Ok. That’s,” I stuttered out the words, “That’s fine. This is all. I-, I need to go,” I lifted myself, Valerin’s eyes imploring me to stay, I felt a whisper of hurt as I tore my gaze from him, still torn by how he too had lied to me.All this time, every moment we had shar
Dangerous Games Chapter Twenty-Nine: Shards
“I-““Mr Dupont, you cannot enter, Mr Emerson is having and important-“Valerin came skidding into the room, a look of pure glee and mischief as he stared at us, impossibly close, as though he had caught us in the most compromising of situations.“Am I interrupting?” he laughed boisterously slinging an arm over Agnes’ shaking shoulders. The receptionist with an affinity for doing everything by the book look flustered in his presence, even more so with the added physical contact.Mr Emerson turned backing away from me, putting much needed space between the two of us. I didn’t mind it, there was no lack of warmth, no detachment just the space that needed to stay between the two of us.“Don’t worry about this delinquent Agnes, I will deal with him,” she gave a curt nod, glad to get out of the clutches of Valerin Dupont, who had a taste for chaos.Hastily I wiped my tears, putting on my practiced waitress smile, the one that never reached my eyes and whispered, “Hey Valerin, how are you?”
Dangerous Games Chapter Twenty-Eight: Black and White
I didn’t know how to speak anymore; I was sure I held more resemblance to a guppy fish than a person at that point.“Nothing to say, Miss Laurence, that is a first,” he joked as if he hadn’t just turned my whole life upside down.“Don’t do that,” I hissed, and he seemed surprised, as I stood, jabbing a finger in his direction, “Don’t you dare make a joke, when you just-“I couldn’t find the words, I wanted to the scream.So, scream I did.“Arghhh, you infuriate me to no ends, Mr Emerson, or should I say Arthur,” there was venom around his name and soon he was up. His imposing figure, tall and broad and so much all at once, he walked over to me, his hands ready to frame me, to put back together the shattered pieces whilst he still held the mallet in his hand.The weapon of destruction, the key to my undoing those damn lips.“Likewise, Miss Laurence, I know you are upset,”I steeled myself, “Upset? Upset?” I charged at him, and I don’t know what came over me, I started punching him, and
Dangerous Games Chapter Twenty Seven: By Design
You can tell a lot about a person based on how long they take to answer a question that you know they don’t want to answer.The curl of the lip, prepared to lie and I knew it, “Really think before you answer,” and then with all the nicety of a starving fox, “Mr Emerson.”“Your drawing conclusions based on conjecture, Miss Laurence,” he spoke calmy, but I wasn’t having any of it.I let out a bitter laugh, so bitter I could taste the acridness on my tongue, “Are you seriously gaslighting me right now?”For the first time since we had met, I saw him falter. There was a spark in those usually measured eyes, a flicker that was soon gone.“No? Nothing?” I walked over to him my arms crossed and my eyes as analysing as possible. I wanted him to cave so badly even though I knew that was a fantasy that would never be fulfilled. But even seeing the reserved slab of stone I knew crack under the pressure of me just looking at him. There was so much he wasn’t saying and so much I could no longer ig
Dangerous Games Chapter Twenty-Six: Far too Coincedental
I called Dayna during my lunch break just to put my mind at ease, “Hey Drea, what’s up.” It was a blessing in itself to hear her voice.“Nothing much, just on my way to take down a conglomerate, a normal Tuesday afternoon if you ask me,” I didn’t need to lie to my sister, it would be remis of me to do so anyway. She needed to know so she could avoid anyone that might be associated with my arse of an ex.“Your kidding right?” Dayna had always been the more rational of us two, which was odd given her profession. You would think a savvy business woman would have more realistic ideals that an glamorous actor, but as always my younger sister had the better brain. She was a bundle of joy, bouncing off the walls with energy but she knew the importance of quiet. How it could sway a room, so the only voice being listened to was the whispers dripping from her mouth. It’s what made her such an incredible actor.It also made her very aware of the world around her, so I wasn’t the least bit surpri
