It was a Sunday morning, and Dante woke up from sleep quite early, which was weird because he had slept late the previous night. He sat up on the bed with his legs half-folded and his eyelids blinking repeatedly as they tried to adjust to the bright light of the central halogen bulb hanging over the room. He rubbed one of his palms over his face and lifted his head slightly upwards to check the time; it was exactly 6:30 a.m. He shook his head and pulled the duvet he had wrapped himself into one side, then he started to shift measuredly from the center of the bed until he got to the edge of the bed. "Gosh." He whispered as he recollected the last set of thoughts he ruminated on the previous night before his mind finally yielded to the call of sleep; every single one of them was about Lyra. His mind has been restless since yesterday evening after the unexpected discovery he made at his office. The stab of shock that had left his face broken into many puzzled pieces after Marcus
Lyra fiddled with the rope in her hand as the air between them became even more tense after her question. Then she turned around and made to leave, taking some steps closer to the door again, but Dante was relentless; he followed her."You're the one I struck a deal with, not Felix." His voice came again from behind."Why not tell me the whole truth about Felix's health?" He continued; his tone, this time, was monotonous and slightly accusatory."You should have told me the whole truth back then. Instead of lying just to get money." He pushed even further in a bid to deliberately trigger her to talk back.Lyra turned around again slowly, and the look on her face fluctuated from tiredness to point-blank boredom, or better yet, both."Yes, I lied." She began softly without switching expressions."But I still stayed at your house, pretending to be your wife, for two years." Then she shook her head before she added,"Stop lifting up dust from the past and just move on."Dante did not le
Two weeks later, the organizers held the annual showcase event in the city's heart. And as though that was not conspicuous enough for the organizers, they also decided to select the tallest building in the entire city for the event: the Silver Crest Tower.Also, one of the largest and most luxurious halls situated right in the face of the tower was chosen, and from there, the view of the skyline, ocean, and parked cars underneath the edifice was visible to the attendees through the wide transparent glass windows.Apart from the important personalities that filled and glided around the hall, smiling and exchanging pleasantries, the top-tier members of the largest fashion industries in the city, alongside the designers, stylists, and models who were all eager to display and outshine each other with their creativity and artistic projects,There was also the sheer number of famous musicians present in the hall, prominent of which was the crooner of one of the most popular rock songs boomi
Mirabel looked over her shoulder struggling to pair up the name she just heard with the image of the person she was looking at."Lyra?" She mouthed with her facial muscles muddled up."No, it can't be Lyra." She said, shaking her head doubtfully and casting a glance at Dante who was still staring in the same direction."I mean how come? Like how did she do it?" She queried again with raised shoulders when it was becoming really obvious that she was indeed the one.Dante who was still staring in that direction, nodded silently to himself but had not said anything else. However, unlike Mirabel, who kept all her attention on Lyra herself, Dante's point of focus was more on the person Lyra was standing with; Matthew Stone. And the more he stared, the more his eyes reddened. When Lyra finally disengaged from Matthew, turning around to answer the beckon of the anchor and wending her way quickly toward the direction of the raised podium, the audience started to clap.Matthew had a lovin
As the event started to draw to a close, Lyra moved towards the portion of the hall where her models stood in small groups inside the hall.She displayed a satisfied grin on her face, looking particularly pleased by their performance. She opened up her arms to give each of them a hug."Great job, guys." She praised, gesturing cheerfully."This is exactly how I wanted my product to be launched. We did it. We really did." She repeated, nodding happily.While the felicitation was still going on, Lyra's secretary, Bancroft, immediately joined the gathering from behind, looking a bit anxious. She had her boss's bag slung over her shoulder and one of her phones in her hand."Madam, your phone has been ringing nonstop." She said, stretching out the phone as soon as she was near Lyra. "It's Drey." She added in a half-whisper.Lyra collected the phone with an even brighter smile on her face.She picked up the call and started to make her way outside the building, with her secretary tagging
Lyra smiled after the whisper from Matthew. Matthew smiled too and reclined, taking about two steps backward before taking Lyra's hand again and leading her towards the ballroom, where the dinner party was already kicking off.Behind them, the shutter-click sounds of multiple cameras persisted.The moment the duo entered the crowded hall with more people standing and moving about than sitting, the first pair of eyes Lyra saw glaring at Matthew and herself from the front seat was Dante's eyes. His face was red with anger mixed with jealousy, and he looked like he was ready to punch Matthew from where he sat if given the chance. She looked away, ignoring him with a calm smile still on her face as she proceeded with Matthew toward another group of chairs on the left side of the room. She could still sense Dante's eyes even after they had taken their seats.She sat back and picked one of the vintage wine bottles on their desk, and with practiced ease, she peeled away the foil and extra
"No." Lyra blurted, shaking her head faintly and turning to face Matthew again."No, we can't.” She repeated.But we can still be friends, though." She added.Matthew breathed out loudly, taking a short but heavy pause to absorb the response. After that, he nodded and tapped on the steering wheel gently with one of his palms before smiling to respond."Okay." Lyra smiled back and thanked him for his understanding.He turned on the ignition and drove off in a forward direction.After their time at the park, Matthew dropped Lyra off at her apartment's central gate. After she climbed down, he lowered his head from the window to wave meekly."Thanks for making my day, Eleanor. I hope to see you again soon."Lyra let out a short laugh, waving back to say,"Thank you too, and same here."She stood to watch him make a reverse with one hand, finally returning the car to face the previous route before zooming off again into the dark. She then heaved a silent sigh as she turned around after
Dante stiffened at first as the hoarse voice behind him repeated the same question.He swiveled on his feet anxiously and flung his head backward to confirm his fears; it was indeed the wizened, accusing face of Grandmother Alessandra standing behind him.Lyra stepped partially out of the elevator, triggering the sensors on the doors, which delayed them from closing up. She was watching the familiar older woman and her grandson quietly.Dante threw one last helpless glance at Lyra before turning to face his grandma completely."What…what are you doing here?" He stuttered to ask with his eyes twinkling like someone who was before a ghost.And when his grandma kept staring at him judgmentally without answering for the first few seconds, he ran his hand over his head nervously before asking further."I mean, how did you find out about this place?"The old woman shrugged weakly."I told you I would find you, and so did I."Then she folded her arms and moved closer to him by two steps."Re