Mr. Hyde stopped himself.The uncanny silence enveloped the spacious gym eagerly at the void Mr. Hyde left behind. Everyone else had left; there were only the two of them.There was no trace of emotion on Zayn’s face. His eyelids shut quietly, his body motionless. He was as unmoving as a man fallen asleep; Mr. Hyde was standing right before him, and still he could not detect any kind of emotional turbulence from Zayn.Time stretched between them. Seconds turned to minutes, and yet Zayn remained in his odd suspension of motions. Had it not been his breathing, Mr. Hyde would have wondered if the man was already asleep.It was only when two faint trails of tears trickled from the corner of his eyes when the older man realized he had been awake. Opening his eyes, Zayn asked, “How… How is she doing now?”Mr. Hyde nodded. “She’s stripped off her freedom, I suppose, but she’s fine otherwise.”There was another drawn-out pause between them before Zayn spoke again. “Is she happy?”Mr. Hy
Prior to this sky-shattering revelation, Zayn would have never thought the truth would be something like this.Sicut In Caelum…Zayn could not help but to roll the name of his tongue once more. Right now, there was nothing he wanted more than to find this organization!He did exactly that, calling all information brokers he currently knew to ask about the organization. To his dismay though, nothing came up. No one knew a single thing about it—no inkling, nothing.It was as he had predicted, though. Lil Hyde would not have been so forthcoming in his answers if his search would be this easy. Besides, Zayn had a hunch that he was going to face this organization very soon in the future—if they managed to locate his mother, then they must already know about him.In fact, Sicut In Caelum might have already begun watching his every move and action. Everything might already be in their line of sight!And if he was being honest—God, the feeling of being watched was pissing him off.At th
“The chairman’s here. Perk up, all of you! If you manage to sweet-talk him, you’ll have it made for the rest of your years. You’d be the talk of the town with your name on everyone’s lips. You could be living the high life, do you understand?!” Peter spurred them on.The starlets’ eyes sparkled and their hearts raced with excitement. They were eager to throw themselves at Zayn and pull out all the tricks they had to win him over.Annabelle was one of them as well. Anxious and excited, she recalled Zayn’s face. She was one of the golden girls in show business who was not involved in any scandals. It did not mean she was uninterested in men or that she did not want someone to depend on. She had worked in the industry for years and knew how complicated it was. If not for her talent, she would have faced the casting couch countless times!Annabelle was well aware that this did not mean she could protect herself forever. When her popularity declined, there would be people waiting to take
Meanwhile, Peter and the rest were dumbstruck as they watched Zayn arrive in a cab. They could not, for the life of them, figure out why someone of his status would take a cab!Adam was stunned, completely befuddled by this, while Annabelle’s eyes glittered as her interest in Zayn had only grown.Glancing at the celebrities as he walked over, Zayn chuckled. “Mr. Kavinsky, was this many celebrities necessary for a meal? You aren’t trying to intimidate me, are you?”Peter seemed appalled by the suggestion, quickly shaking his head and saying, “I would never. Sir, you overestimate me. Would I dare try to intimidate you? I’m more concerned with being neglectful, so I gathered some artists here to keep you company.”He emphasized the word “company” with a knowing look, like his intentions were obvious.Zayn was a man. He knew that Peter was trying to curry favor with him. Once he thought about it, he chuckled. Such was society. Once he was deemed influential and prestigious, people wou
Peter had gone all-out for the evening. He had spent days preparing for the night’s dinner. He had chosen the best hotel with impeccable seats. The dishes also used exquisite ingredients ordered in advance with a famous chef hired to cook them. All of it was just in the hopes of leaving a good impression on Zayn.Since Peter suspected Zayn was possibly one of the Larsons, he was determined to get his support.Zayn was well aware of Peter’s plan and merely smiled, unfazed by it. He was actually quite happy to see so many celebrities. There were two renowned female performers that he had known of for a while. He had watched the movies they starred in and the songs they sang a few years ago.When he was living with the Carters, such people seemed unreachable to him, yet here they were fawning over him and dying to cling to him. It felt rather strange.“Here, sir, let me propose a toast to you!” Peter stood up with a wine glass.The ladies stood up to toast Zayn as well. He accepted i
The other female celebrities there, Annabelle included, got riled up, mentally cursing her for being a shameless b*tch.Wordlessly, Zayn responded with another faint smile. Seeing that, Amelia fidgeted, not knowing what his reaction meant.Right away, another starlet seized the chance. She picked up her glass and plopped herself on the seat next to Zayn, beaming at him. “Sir, here’s to health, success, and endless beautiful women around you. Cheers!”The starlet was a statuesque singer with the remarkable ability to belt out high notes. She was rather famous in the nation as well, having made some popular appearances on numerous talk shows recently. She was a little younger than Amelia and had a chaste look. She usually portrayed an innocent and guileless character on screen.Nonetheless, she was behaving quite aggressively and suggestively towards Zayn.As she walked over, Zayn had instantly picked up the scent of her fragrance. It tickled his heart when she was so close to him.
Annabelle was a proud woman. Her smooth sailing in the entertainment industry over the years had subconsciously shaped her stand-offish and conceited attitude. It was not until she met Zayn that she realized how average she was, not worthy of even a mention in front of true talent.The stark disparity was too much for her to take in so quickly.She knew that she must not wear an aggrieved expression under such circumstances, but she could not control her emotions and her eyes turned red in an instant. Unable to mask her feelings, she realized she would only embarrass herself if she stuck around.Annabelle stood up again, saying, “Excuse me, I need to use the washroom. Please go on without me.”Without waiting for Zayn to reply, she left straightaway. Her departure felt awkward to Peter, so he rushed to explain, “Sir, Annabelle’s a shy girl. Please, don’t mind her.”Zayn was a little surprised. He did not expect Annabelle to simply leave, and looking at her just now, she seemed aff
Zayn smiled without further explanation.More than ten minutes went by, but Annabelle had yet to return. One of the starlets noticed her absence and asked, “Hey, why’s Annabelle taking so long in the washroom? Is she alright?”Once she spoke up, the other ladies gave her accusatory glares for not minding her own business. They hoped Annabelle would never come back so they would not have another competitor to fight with!Aware of the situation, Zayn became suspicious and told Peter, “Mr. Kavinsky, do you want to call Miss Laking?”Peter nodded and did as he was told only for the line to keep ringing without an answer.“That’s odd. Why isn’t Annabelle picking up? She wouldn’t have passed out in the washroom, would she?” Peter muttered in confusion.Not long after, his phone rang. Annabelle had called back. When Peter answered it, he could hear her sobbing, frantic and helpless. “Sir, save me…”Peter was stunned. By the time he could bring himself to reply, the line was already cut