2. Under The Darkness.

"Sir, do you want anything else?" a man, dressed in a proper formal suit asked respectively as his head bowed down.

"No, Arrow. That's all. I want to sleep," he, who was leaning back on the bed with satin silk covers on top of him.

The servant obediently gave a nod and without interrupting him further, he left the room.

Nighttime... it's always his favourite. Not a single worry of anything, the darkness, the silence... not anyone roaming in the streets and chattering loudly. Pure silence... which gives him peace.

Darby stood up from his bed, his bare skin was pale as he walked towards the balcony.

The stars are somewhere behind the haze of black cloud that is stretched thinly above and the transitory moonlight bleaches the grey-scale world momentarily, and then it is gone. His mind is a blur with possibilities, each more fanciful than the next.

Even if he told his servant that he wanted to sleep, but every single person in his villa knows that Darby barely sleeps.

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A man walking on the forest pathway, wearing a long black cloak with a hood, covering his handsome face but his lips were pursed in a thin line.

After the never-ending lights of the city, he underestimated the utter blackness of nighttime in the woods. In his mind, the trees would be black trunks against a bluish charcoal sky, the path would become the deepest brown and the moonlight would bleach the stones within it. Hadn't every painting of woods at night been like that? Even if there was a moon tonight its silvery rays would not penetrate the dense canopy above. He was in too far in to turn back, the twilight he had mistaken for the night had passed rapidly. The darkness pressed in on him from all sides. All the while he listened for the bear and the wolves...

He stood next to the old white oak tree, the leaves barely present on it. The trunk was too strong...

"I hereby call Althea in this darkness!" he yelled and the second later, there was a thunder caused by the lightning. The area covered in thick fog and the wish blew faster.

"You called me, master..." a woman, wearing a black maxi dress bowed down in respect as if showing a curtsy to the king.

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"Thank you..." Hilda declined the line as she sighed deeply.

"Hilda, come to bed already..." the male voice came from the other room as she walked there and put her phone on the side table.

"Who were you calling?" he asked tucking with her.

"Some people. I have to find a new assistant for my boss," she said hugging him back.

Next morning when Hilda reached early in the office to arrange the interview for the new assistants, she was before time.

The time for the interview was reaching as she looked up to her watch and the boss was nowhere to be found.

She called on his private phone number and asked if he's ready and should she send him the driver?

"Alright boss. I will call you once the interviews are over..." with that she disconnect the line and get back to her work.

After nearly three hours, she walked out of the cabin and felt exhausted.

"Can I get a coffee, please?" she asked.

Head up, shoulders straight Darby Rothschilds walked in the company like a boss. As arrogant as he is, his face was calm but a hint of annoyance rinse upon his forehead.

"Hilda? How was day one of the interview?" he asked as he got seated comfortably on his long office chair as he leaned back on it, waiting for an answer.

"Yes, sir... I don't perfectly like any of the girls... to be very honest I knew you would reject them in an instance. None of them was sincere or..." Hilda was interrupted by him saying, "Keep the hunt going."

"Anyways, is today any of my meeting important?" he asked and the secretary checked her IPad busily. 

"Sir, no..." she shook her head still looking down to her IPad.

The ring on the intercom interrupted their conversation when he asked her to pick it up.

"Yes?" she talked and after listening to it for almost a minute, she asked Darby, "Sir... Ms Laura is here."

Darby who was working on his laptop paused for a second and raised his head to her with a clenching jaw.