Dante woke up the next day, sitting up and blankly looking at Amara, who was still lying beside him on the bed. He yawned and forced himself out of the bed, making his way to the bathroom. Within a few minutes, he was done with taking his bath and brushing his teeth. Today was one of those Saturdays where some outstanding deals he couldn't conclude with during the workdays would be attended to. In less than 30 minutes, he is expected to be meeting with one of such clients.After dressing up completely, he stood for a moment to observe the bed once more. Amara was still fast asleep, breathing hard, and hardly even moving a bone. Dante shook his head and turned to leave the room.When he climbed down the stairs, the first thing he noticed at the base where the dining room area was located was the set table. His food flask had been packaged into a bag with a bottle of water placed beside it.He fixed his hands uniformly on his waist."This was the handwork of Lyra." He reasoned with a k
"What? What is she doing here? And why are the Thompsons also here?" Lyra kept questioning herself, stealing quick glances at the familiar figures like a thief. Dante, who could sense Lyra's sudden stiffness and funny body language, steadied her hand with his own for the second time and continued heading toward the seat directed to them by the usher. When they were just in front of the central circle of seats with the exquisite wine bottles gently placed on top of the middle table, Dante halted and moved to the group of seats next to theirs as he exchanged pleasantries with a group of business associates familiar to him. Lyra was already beginning to feel left alone and exposed. She cowered on her seat, with sweat lines dripping slowly down her temples. To calm herself and keep her throat from constantly running dry, she gestured to one of the attending waitresses for a glass to sip one of the wine bottles on the table; it was provided in a matter of seconds. Lyra still did not see
A YEAR AND HALF LATERAt the old Cooper's mansion, the family building had been decorated inside and out with balloons. It was grandmother Cooper’s birthday, and all members of the family were present.The event was already a few hours in, and Edward stood at the center of the room to announce that it was time for the toast. He urged everyone standing to take their seats again. It was at this point that Lyra rushed into the room from the backdoor. She was all sweaty, and from the matching uniform she was putting on, it was obvious she had just arrived from work. She would have been there earlier if not for her boss, who declined when she tried to get permission the previous day. She knew she needed to be in Kennedy's good books since she was still planning to continue working there even after the marriage contract was over.At the point when Lyra was sneaking in, Mirabel, who was just standing next to the door and handling out instructions to one of the maids, had made her out at onc
Trigger Warning: This chapter contains themes of depression and suicide. Reader discretion is advised. ~~~Lyra started to cry when she got back to her room. She knew Dante's anger was justified and that he had every right to be angry, but she had no choice but to react the way she did. She slumped on the bed and brought out her phone to dial Aria's number, but her number was not reachable. After that, she did not bother to dial it anymore. The last time she spoke with her friend, Aria had made a series of complaints about her mother's failing health. Perhaps that was why she had been reclusive for some time; it was better to let her be instead of plaguing her with her problems.Later that night, Lyra lay curled up on her bed with the screen of her phone to her face. She spent a long number of minutes scrolling through many familiar pages on social media. But she stopped when the picture of Felix and his fiance popped up on the screen; it kept her glued to one spot. The caption on t
Some minutes after the ambulance sped into the hospital facility with the injured body of Lyra, an immediate frenzy ensued. The attending doctors were running about in there, with their supporting nurses trailing behind them to the ward.The man who had made the emergency call sat in one corner of the waiting room with his knees drawn up. He was praying silently for Lyra, wishing for her to be okay. He looked so disturbed that he could barely look upwards throughout the first 10 minutes they arrived. He could barely even answer the phone vibrating continuously in his pocket.After some moments of waiting in suspense, one of the doctors rushed out again from the ward and trudged towards the man. Finally, the man readjusted himself and looked up with expectant eyes."So how is the girl doctor?" He asked as soon as the physician was close enough."She needs surgery." The doctor replied sharply, and his voice appeared to have gone hoarse from shouting out instructions to the orderlies b
Dante woke up the following morning and dressed to prepare for work. He straightened his tie and grabbed his suitcase, hurrying down the stairs the moment he was set.Downstairs, when he walked past the dining area with the door that opened into the kitchen right behind it, he bowed his head as the space suddenly evoked memories of Lyra.He could not help but remember the vivid routines of the recent past—how Lyra would always pack and set his lunch bag aside before his office time. How she would greet and differ from him, her little innocent smile, and her naive gestures.Dante exhaled. He did not need anyone to tell him that he had begun to miss Lyra, but then again, one had to consider why she had to leave. Her lies—there was no way one could trust someone like that."Never." He thought aloud, shaking his head repeatedly, as he finally made his way to leave.Dante arrived at his office less than an hour later. As soon as he erupted from the private elevator that opened directly i
Dante's jaw hung loose as he read through the shocking findings on Felix, particularly his medical information, which showed that the man was seriously ill at some point."Does it mean Lyra did all she did to save him?"He reasoned uneasily with his head aching as he tried to grapple with the possibility of such a scenerio and what it would mean for him."He remarried? Could he have betrayed her?" He murmured in deep thought.Exhaling and narrowing his eyes as he tried remembering again how tensed Lyra had looked on that day of Felix's engagement—her weird gestures and thoughtful silences.He shook his head and leaned towards the wall to unplug Lyra's phone from the socket. He pressed the power key with his thumb to switch it on; it came on, but the screen seemed to have been locked with a password."Aggh!" Dante groaned with a palm on his forehead. Then he grabbed his phone again to call Marcus."I need you to find me a good phone engineer who can unlock a device with all the previou
"Good morning to you Mr Dante." Felix greeted cheerfully, flashing an even more happy smile as he turned around to face Dante."Morning Mr. Felix please have a seat." Dante gestured as he tried to maintain his composure and keep a straight face, choosing to momentarily ignore the weight of the discovery he just made about the face standing before him."Thank you," Felix responded in the same jovial manner before stooping to take his seat.“So nice to meet up with you this early, at your office...I heard it's always so tight." Felix remarked, still sounding quite light-hearted. His energy was intrusively and unapologetically jocular so Dante knew he would have to employ double effort in keeping his calm and staying professional. In the preceding minutes, their conversation took on a more formal tone as they delved into the contract negotiations immediately. A large chunk of the first few minutes was spent by Dante questioning Felix's trustworthiness and experience.From questions l