In the bar there was not much light; the only sound that could be heard was the faint music which was rather encouraging but at the same time unsettling.The light flickered on the walls as I moved from one table to the other; the floor had a thick carpet that absorbed the sound of steps. To say the least, it was not a venue I would have preferred for the meeting, particularly with Dora.But when she called and insisted we meet, her tone uncharacteristically civil, I couldn't refuse. Curiosity and caution warred within me as I made my way to the secluded corner where she sat, a drink already in hand.“Varya,” she greeted with a thin smile as I approached.There was nothing friendly about her smile; rather, the curve of her lips betrays a smirk, icy and unkind.I nodded getting into the seat opposite her. “You wanted to talk?”She slowly sipped on the liquid that was in her glass and she never once looked away from me.With narrowing eyes and lips parted, they were like twin pools of i
KYLO’S POVI allowed my mind to wander towards Varya as the documents on the table before me began to merge and get hazy. Since our rather aggressive encounter in the kitchen, I found myself not able to get her out of my head.Her rebellion and her weakness, her body language, and her eyes when she was scared but there was a hint of something else that I cannot describe. Something awoke in me – I could not fathom what that was, for that moment I refused to acknowledge its presence.It was so quiet that the knock at the door suddenly brought me out of my daydreaming. I was about to give my answer when Dora threw the door open and entered the room with a most fierce look on her face.”Kylo,” she said immediately, “we have to talk.”I breathed in deeply, and let out a tired breath as I leaned back in the chair. "What is it, Dora?"She walked up to my desk and threw a piece of paper before me The piece of paper gave all the details.“Why the hell didn’t you inform me about this?” she stor
VARYA’S POVIn the days that followed Dora's threat, there was constant tension. I saw that I was staring over my shoulder all the time, wondering when the other shoe might come out. I decided to get lunch with Jasmin to take my mind off things.I reasoned that some normalcy could be helpful. We decided to meet at a mall near the office, somewhere I could get lost in the crowd and temporarily forget about my problems.The familiar sights and noises of the mall provided a little escape from my troubling thoughts as I strolled through it. At our normal location, a quaint café tucked away in a secluded nook, Jasmin was already waiting. She gave me a hug and gave me a worried expression."Hey, Varya. How are you holding up?" she asked as we sat down.I sighed, feeling the weight of my anxiety. "I'm managing, but barely. The thought of Mr. Cassian finding out about the contract is eating me alive."Jasmin grabbed my hand from across the table. "We'll work things out. In this, you're not by
After such an exhausting day, I needed premium rest. The meeting with the clients today went well and securing their agreement felt like a significant victory. I sighed deeply as I stepped inside my room and took off my business suit. There was a tap on the door as I turned to put on my nightgown.For a brief while, my heart raced for no apparent reason. Was it Kylo? I hadn’t seen him for three days now. The thought of him being there filled me with an odd mix of anticipation and dread.“Give me a moment,” I called out, quickly slipping into my robe. When I opened the door, a wave of disappointment washed over me. It wasn’t Kylo.Why did I feel this way? Was that how much of an effect he had on me?Dora stood there, her expression cold and unreadable. She swept passed me and sat down on the couch without waiting for an invitation. Shutting the door behind me, I faced her, wondering what new conflict this one would bring.“I believe you know there’s no way you would stay in this house
Varya's POVAt one point it seemed as if the weight was on my neck, desperate to tighten its noose around my neck. I had to escape the turmoil that was slowly creeping into my life even if it was for a few days.—a little beer to lift my spirit, and maybe a visit to my mother tomorrow. I needed a familiar face, a reminder of why I was enduring this mess. Seeing my mother happy was the reason I pushed through.I opened the mini fridge in my room and took out a few cans of beer, gulping down the first can. The coldness seemed to freeze my throat, numbing the turmoil boiling up within me.When I turned to look at the floor where I sat, I saw four empty cans of beer. One final can remained, clutched in my hand as the music from my headphones lulled me into a hazy, half-conscious state.Kylo's POVI had been knocking on Varya's door for the past 25 minutes, but she hadn't answered. She never wasted time responding to her room door. It made me uncomfortable and wondering what the hell was g
Varya’s povThe kitchen had of course been my saving grace, my place of solace, the only place I felt truly alive and calm as I chopped, stirred, rolled out pastry, and kneaded dough. Today, I was cooking a meal that I remembered in the early stages of marriage with Kylo, everything was so unpredictable.While slicing vegetables and cooking sauces in my mind I recalled the last eating with Grandpa. It had been one of them, one of those occasions when we had to portray that we are a really happy married couple. I smiled recalling how shy both of us were and particularly Kylo’s attempts at being smooth.Before I knew it, there were footsteps by the kitchen door and I could hear the door shut from the other side. Turning, I saw Kylo there, somewhat awkward, yet fierce.“Need any help?” he asked, the words winding around him freely but there was worry in his eyes.I raised an eyebrow. “Since when do you help in the kitchen?”He shrugged, stepping closer. "Since now. What can I do?"I hand
At first, our fingers touched, and then our eyes locked and I almost felt like everything was but a distant memory.“Um, Grandpa, that is quite a drastic. . . decision do you not think?” Kylo replied in a bid to avoid the question.Grandpa laughed aloud and the sound was as hearty as it had always been. “Well, watching you two for quite some time, it’s high time you two begin thinking of such issues.”Dora’s eyes sparkled with rage, and Cassandra’s mouth formed a tight line. However, Grandpa never cared about other people’s reactions; he was only concerned with us.I got embarrassed, but at the same time, I got something more than simply being embarrassed, there was something within me that was struck at the core, which I could not express fully.The idea of having children with Kylo was something I had never really considered, given the nature of our marriage. But now, with Grandpa's words hanging in the air, it felt like a possibility, a future that was suddenly real and tangible.K
VARYA’S POVThe early morning light peeped in through the curtains as a signal that brought the kind of day I had been desiring. Today I was planning to go and see my mother in the new house Kylo had bought for her.There was a small excitement to be around her and to see her in a place where an ordinary woman like her could live comfortably and where we did not carry along our past.Standing in front of the mirror brushing my hair and hoping that my nerves would not get the best of me. I fell into the habit of not visiting her as often as I used to and that was quite a long time ago, so much had happened.My marriage – they each appeared so complicated, so tied up in knots – and my feelings towards Kylo were not straightforward at all. But today, I had the need to forget all that and just for a few hours give all my attention to my mother.I had just come out of the bathroom when I heard the knock on the bedroom door Kylo.“Varya, are you almost done?” he said, and it seemed to her t