Lyra's POV:Gallen, Havoc and I returned to the mansion as planned. Not exactly as planned, Gallen and I were to sneak back in while we remained hidden in a barrel. While Havoc could return on his own the next day.Instead the three of us sneaked back in using the barrel. After the offloading process, we got out of our respective wine barrels, dressed up in our normal attire and sneaked back into our rooms.I tiptoed to my bed, took out all the pillows one after the other then I slipped into my bed.Before I drifted off to sleep I reminded myself of one thing. Havoc's explanation, he claimed that I was with him while I was with Clegane.This can only mean one thing. “It was Draven Darkmoon.”>I woke up quite late, I guess the stress from my journey with Gallen and Havoc last night really got to me.I was about to step out of the room with Eadmond, who had come to fetch me. When a maid ran in.“Ser Xander has been found.” She announced, her face beaming with smiles.Her happiness c
Lyra's POV:Later that night I sneaked out of the room and went to the library.When I got inside I turned around trying to make sure the door was perfectly closed.“How have you been?” A familiar voice asked out of the blue.I turned around and I was shocked to see Xander stitted on the sofa.He looked tired and worn out, he looked linner than usual and he was staring at me deeply.“I have been good.” I replied. “Were you treated badly over there?” I asked but he continued to stare.“Is there a problem? Why do you keep looking at me that way?”“I can't take my eyes off you, Lyra. You look beautiful.” He replied.I was surprised, I expected him to have gotten a reality check by now. But here he was, spewing rubbish.“You need to stop this, you are only making things harder for the both of us.” I replied.“While I was away, I grew scared. Not because I feared losing my life or my position. But because I couldn't imagine a life without you. I wished that I could tell you how I genuinely
Thalia's POV:I lay down on my bed, face down. I was frustrated. Everything that unfolded earlier at the garden left me stunned.I couldn't believe my mother lashed out like that,And as for Xander, it seemed as though he had no desire to engage with me, his gaze seemed cold and distant."You ought not to be upset with me, child." Mother said softly as she took her seat beside me.“I am not vexed, merely confused.” I replied. “Why did Xander appear so disinterested? He did not even try to acknowledge your presence." I sighed, I suddenly recalled Lyra's words, she often urged me to hasten my training and secure Xander as my mate, lest the distance between us would widen beyond repair.“I must disclose something to you, Thalia,” Mother began, she sounded worried. “Before you were born, when Talon was but a young child, your father uncovered a most startling truth: he was fated to two mates. The other was a young and comely seamstress. By the time I learned of your father’s infidelity, i
Lyra's POV:A few days past, I dreamt of my life within the walls of the Orphan Home, before I fled and found myself in the city of Zurik.In those days, I was but a child, scarcely ten years of age. The harshness of the Orphan Home had grown unbearable, and so, I came up with a plan for escape.TEN YEARS AGO: On the Fourth Day of the Eighth Month in the Year 1737.AT: St. Modera’s Orphan Home in Corvin.“Why are you still awake, Lyra? You must retire to bed before Elder Syriana finds you.” Elisar Cautioned.Elisar had been like a sister to me since the day I first learned to walk. She had always cared for me, being the eldest among us, while I was the youngest.“I’m devising a plan.” My small voice answered.“What plan?” She asked, stepping closer.“An escape plan.” I whispered, crouched upon the cold floor of the children’s room. A piece of charcoal in my hand, I scribbled on a scrap of newspaper, forming words and blurry diagrams.“Have you lost your mind, Lyra? Do you wish to be b
Lyra's POV:Leaving the Orphan Home I found myself on the streets of Corvin. I roamed around during the day, begging for food and plucking fruits in the forests. At night I slept under a bridge where other homeless children and beggars slept.Luckily, I came across Ma-Elora. She was a local seamstress who had no children, she was abandoned by her husband because of her inability to have a child.Ma-Elora took a liking to me, she took me in as a young apprentice. She was like a mother I never had, but things took a turn for the worse when she began to get losses, she barely made sales, or had customers.I had merely worked with her for two weeks when the losses began, so she blamed it all on me. She called me Bad Luck, and from then on the maltreatment started.My life was once again made a living hell, but regardless it couldn't be compared to my rough life at The Orphan Home.One night, while I was in a light slumber. I heard noises emanating from Ma-Elora’s room.I slowly crept out
Lyra's POV:The next morning, Ma-Elora sent me out as usual to get some materials from the Town Square. So I grabbed the opportunity to run away, once again.Getting to the Towns Square, I roamed around trying to find a way out of town. When I stumbled upon a group of men engaging in a discussion. Apparently these men were wine distributors who were to distribute barrels of wine to several locations two of which were Zurik and Joaska.The other locations the other distributors were heading to was quite far and it would be too tedious to travel in a wagon.I couldn't decipher which one belonged to whom, so I sat down not too far from them and listened to every single thing they said, in order to know the wagon to hide in.I overheard a man called Ove. Say that his wagon heading to the King's house Joaska contained nearly eight barrels because the King's wife recently had a child and he would be needing much wine to celebrate.There was a wide smile on my face as he spoke. I immediately
Lyra's POV: I couldn't recall how many times I roamed about in the Garden, Lady Blackstorm and Queen Aria were overseeing Thalia's training. Which meant that I had been idle all day, and I was fed up. I grew tired of being out of work, so I made a decision. Havoc usually painted in the Storage House at this time, so I planned to go there and watch him paint. Although I would still be idle, at least my boredom would be cured. Getting to the Storage House I discovered that Havoc was not there, so I decided to go in a little deeper. ‘He might have gone further.’ I thought. I was about to take a step forward heading further inside when I heard someone say. “You and my brother have grown quite close.’ Turning around I wasn't exactly surprised to see Xander standing a few feets away from me. It seemed to be a usual norm of his to come up at me from behind. “He considers me a friend.” I replied, stari
Thalia's POV: I was extremely happy, my training went perfectly well today. Unlike usual Lady Blackstorm was not as cold and uninviting as she has always been. She actually praised me, she commended my efforts. Today was literally the best day of my life, which would soon change to be the day I wed Xander. Although she may have praised me because Mother was present, I still felt extremely happy to be praised for once. After my training the first thing that I did was search for Lyra. I needed to share the good news, she would be the happiest. I know Mother has warned me about her, or rather she has warned me to rid myself of her. But I won't be able to, Lyra has been with me since the very beginning. And I wasn't going to turn my back on her now. I made a decision last night, instead of spilling Lyra's blood, it was best to send her away from Joaska. Probably send her back to Zurik. I even told Mother abo
River's POV:We were done with the appetizer in no time, we moved to the main course which we had Beef Wellington and Lobster Tail. Then for the side dish we had Truffle Mashed Potatoes and a White Rice Pilaf. Finally for dessert we had Tiramisu (an Italian dessert) and Chocolates Fondant.We were currently seated at the dining table sipping champagne from a fancy new glass.When Michelle decided to break the silence. “So River, I heard that you studied History, is that true?”‘Oh boy here we go again. What is it with these people and my choice of study.’“Well yes I did. In Fact, I work as a manager of one of the greatest Museums in England.” I added to lessen her criticisms but it seemed to only fuel it the more.“So you are in it for the money?” She asked rhetorically.“Same question I wanted to ask the other time we met.” Natalie (Derek's aunt) chimned in.“Well, no I am not in it for the money, I am in it for the passion.” I replied.“So what about your father's business, do you
River's POV:We were done with the appetizer in no time, we moved to the main course which we had Beef Wellington and Lobster Tail. Then for the side dish we had Truffle Mashed Potatoes and a White Rice Pilaf. Finally for dessert we had Tiramisu (an Italian dessert) and Chocolates Fondant.We were currently seated at the dining table sipping champagne from a fancy new glass.When Michelle decided to break the silence. “So River, I heard that you studied History, is that true?”‘Oh boy here we go again. What is it with these people and my choice of study.’“Well yes I did. In Fact, I work as a manager of one of the greatest Museums in England.” I added to lessen her criticisms but it seemed to only fuel it the more.“So you are in it for the money?” She asked rhetorically.“Same question I wanted to ask the other time we met.” Natalie (Derek's aunt) chimned in.“Well, no I am not in it for the money, I am in it for the passion.” I replied.“So what about your father's business, do you
River's POV:The black dress my dad bought for me to wear to the dinner was strapless, above the knee, and a bit too tight. I could barely breathe in it, and I had no idea what material it's made of, but it felt almost as strong as plastic. It really cinched my waist and accentuated my curves perfectly.I paired it up with ankle strap heels, a pearl necklace, earrings and bangles. I made sure I put on light makeup. I didn't want to come out as desperate.After glancing at myself at the mirror for a third time I took a deep breath, picked up my phone and made my way downstairs.The dining table was already set, my dad was seated on the head of the table as usual, my mom was nowhere to be seen. I looked around and realized that the Milton's were yet to arrive.I glanced at the time on the top of my phone screen and I saw that it was forty minutes past nine. The agreed time for the dinner was nine so they were forty minutes late.Suddenly, Lola ran into the dining hall, “The Milton's are
River's POV:The next three days I had the same routine: wake up, have an awkward breakfast with my mom and dad, plan my outfit for a date with Derek, go on a date with Derek, come back from my date with Derek, give the full details to August over the phone and fall asleep during our conversation.Today was the long awaited day, Derek's parents, himself and his sister would be arriving for dinner. The whole house has been busy from installing new house decorations to brewing crazy recipes in the kitchen. Mom and Lola have been in the kitchen all day supervising the chefs. I can't believe they paid chefs to prepare dinner for The Milton's.Dad has been on the phone placing calls to different wine brands to get the latest and most expensive wine.Then there is me, the trophy of the event. Sitted on the couch staring back and forth at the people pacing up and down, working relentlessly on making this dinner a success. This whole scene kept on adding to my already exiting nerves, and if
In a rusty apartment in a less glamorous part of town. Li Ping stood before an apartment’s door and knocked on it impatiently. He didn't care about the noise he made or the possibility of the door falling apart, he just kept on knocking.Until the door was pushed open revealing George standing not too far from him.“Are you insane, were you trying to break down my door?” George asked rhetorically.“Are you not going to invite me to Georgie?” Li Ping asked not caring about the angry look on George's face.George took a deep breath in an attempt to control his anger. “Did Aiden send you here?”“Let me in and I will tell you who sent me.” Li Ping said with a sheepish smile.George stared daggers at him then moved aside, gesturing for Li Ping to Walk in.George's apartment was filled with high-tech gadgets, maps, and surveillance equipment.Li Ping stared around for a while before sitting down on the couch.“Do you really live here?” Li Ping asked while staring at a pile of take outs at t
"Hey." River said as she made her way to Derek.Derek turned to face her with a weird look in his eyes."Is there a problem? You look annoyed." River asked."Well, that's because I am annoyed." Derek answered."What got you annoyed, is the arcade not to your liking? Should we go somewhere else?" River inquired."You know I don't understand what your problem is, you're the one who wanted us to come here when we got here you were acting all weird and suddenly you're all happy." Derek said."Is your problem the fact that I'm happy or is there something else?""My problem is that you ran off to meet some dude all upset and annoyed, and now you are all happy. If you had a man in your life, why insist on making things work.""I only said that he looked like someone I knew. I don't recall mentioning that he was once a man in my life. Tell me what's your problem exactly?""My problem is that the young man walked up to me saying that you had denied ever knowing me." Derek answered.River: “...
Aiden sat in front of the television in his modest apartment, where a female newscaster reported the latest business news."On business news tonight, AD Innovations has acquired yet another enterprise," the newscaster announced. "Yesterday, it was reported that Twilight Incorporated had suddenly gone bankrupt. A few hours ago, it was confirmed that AD Innovations successfully negotiated the purchase of Twilight Incorporated. The company will soon proceed with rebranding."Aiden smirked mischievously as he switched off the TV. He dialed a private number on his cell phone, which surprisingly went through. "Good work," he said before ending the call.Putting on his jacket and grabbing his helmet, he made his way to the Arcade for its grand opening.River stood in front of Aiden's bustling arcade, a sign proclaiming "Grand Opening" greeted visitors at the entrance. Customers bustled about, attendants diligently catered to their needs.Suddenly, the roar of an approaching motorbike caught
"Oh, trust me, it is," August countered."So what are we talking about here, millions or billions?" She continued"He hails from a wealthy family and is affluent himself, perhaps boasting billions. Trust me, I couldn't care less," River replied"So, is this gamer guy some kind of legendary gamer or does he own a gaming company?""He owns an arcade downtown," River replied."Seriously?" August sounded incredulous. "Your problem is choosing a scooter over a Bentley. Honey, you need relationship therapy ASAP.""I don't know why I thought you could be useful. Goodnight," River said, ending the call abruptly and switching off her phone to avoid any further disruptions. She lay back, staring at the ceiling for a moment before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.It was past 11:00 in the morning, and River was just getting up. She quickly brushed her teeth and took a shower before slipping into a pair of shorts and a white top. Rushing downstairs on her way to the kitchen, she noticed
River nodded, feeling awkward. "Yeah, it was urgent, that's why.""I've noticed this before, it's like you always have something urgent going on. On our first date, you were on a call when I approached you and you couldn't stop looking at your phone all through the little time we spent together. It was as though you were expecting a call or something. And today at the cinema, you seemed lost in your thoughts. It's like you have a lot of calculations going on in your head," Derek observed.River felt a surge of frustration. "Goodnight, Derek. I would have invited you in, but it's too late now. My parents must be asleep. Goodbye," she said abruptly, opening the car door and stepping out, already feeling upset.River quietly ascended the stairs on her way to her room. As she passed her parents' room, the door suddenly swung open, revealing her father's curious expression as he emerged."How was the movie date with Derek?" he inquired, still holding onto the door handle."It went really w