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Chapter Thirty: A Spectre of Before
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56
Nadira AlomHiya, sorry I have been gone for so long here's a new chapter!
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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 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-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 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 Prologue
“You’ll never be anything,” he roared at me face red with unspeakable anger, spittle frothing at the mouth like a rabid dog ready to lurch forward and rip the flesh from my bones. Hot tears ran down my face as I hiccuped, the bubbling sound of failure ricocheting through the office, as he prowled around, his strong hands far too close for me to feel safe. I stumbled back as I saw the darkness in his eyes, the paleness of his skin becoming more shrewd with each bout of anger. I couldn’t breathe. “I made you Andrea, I made you and I will destroy you. You are nothing,” he paused, glaring at me with all the malice in the world, and a man which had once meant so much to me was tearing me down, shattering me and using the splinters of glass that made up my frame to plunge into my heart. Carve me open and lay me bare with a mess of emotions and scars, “You are nothing without me.” And I believed every word, they suffocated me as I stared down at the floor, a floor I wanted to swallow me
Dangerous Games Chapter One: Set it Alight
“FIRE! ANDREA THERE’S A FIRE!” Tobias’ shrill voice sounded from the kitchen and I almost dropped the plates I was precariously balancing on my arms. With a wild look in his eyes, he ran into the front room not caring that he was scaring the living daylights out of the customers, who had increasingly concerned looks on their faces. It just had to be the day I was left in charge that Tobias would set the place ablaze. I rushed into the kitchen, quickly slipping the plates I was holding onto the counter and as I felt the heat of the room blast from the stove that was indeed going up into flames I wondered how Tobias was still employed. Roaring flames, that tried their best to lick the highly flammable ceiling, burst from the pan. In a display of orange and red, a distinct difference to the burning blue of the hob’s flame. I didn’t have time to think, I couldn’t remember if a wet cloth was the best for these sorts of fires so I just did the most rational thing and reached for the fire
Dangerous Games Chapter Two: Less than a peace offering
“What?” I sputtered completely past the point of schooling my words so they were the epitome of politeness.“I can’t, I have a job.”“You do?” and I didn’t like the intonation in his voice, “How long do you think that would remain true?”“But, you don’t even know me. Whether I’m qualified or not. And are you expecting me to work for free because I am pretty sure that is highly illegal? I know enough of my rights to know that.”His expression was still stern and an expression I was sure I would associate with the most emotionally removed people. He didn’t seem to care about my protests.“It’s administrative work. A personal assistant role, if you can run a restaurant by yourself when the owner has instilled that trust in you to run his establishment,”“Her,” I bit out, “Her establishment.”He brushed over my comment as though it had no relevance at all.Great, he was an emotionally unavailable misogynist.In other words, impossible to reason with.“You are more than qualified, you have
Dangerous Games Chapter Three: Cyber Stalking
I had gone insane, I knew that for a fact as I lay down on my small single bed staring at the glossy black business card in my hands, with silver lettering embossed in a clear font that screamed professional.Corbyn Emerson CEO of Emerson Industries.I regretted the decision immediately, the moment he had pressed his business card into my palm, the cool touch of his skin against mine, sending waves through me, that I had made a mistake. There was something in those eyes that told me he knew something that I didn’t. Maybe this was a trap, maybe this was a Ponzi scheme or the front for an illicit money laundering and drug circle. My imagination ran wild, pulling at different threads of trashy guilty pleasure novels I had read about women falling into a world of danger and criminal activity once they were approached by a brooding CEO.Though Corbyn Emerson didn’t appear to be a Mafia Lord or gang leader, he seemed too proper for that. And judging from the lack of visible tattoos that di
Latest chapter
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
