Kevin's voice was gruff and laced with amusement. He yanked Thompson back from the swirling memories. He forced a smile, and there was the familiar mask slipping into place. "Just passing through, old friend. Looking for a bit of excitement, you know how it is."Kevin's sharp eyes narrowed, and some anxiety was etched on his weathered face. "Excitement, or escape?" His words hit a raw nerve, exposing the hollowness beneath Thompson's bravado. He looked away, his shame warring with defiance."I don't need your psychoanalysis, Kevin," he muttered, clenching his jaw. "I'm just trying to have a good time."Silence stretched between them, and it seemed thick with unspoken truths. Kevin leaned against the grimy bar counter, his gaze distant. "Good times. It seems like a long time ago for both of us, doesn't it?"Thompson felt a pang of guilt. He knew Kevin was right. Their shared past, a moment woven with reckless abandon and desperate choices, had left them both frayed and scarred. His gaz
It was like the shadows were after him. His eyes caught sight of the entrance, and without checking up on Kevin, he slowly walked down to the entrance so he could escape, but got caught up by Kevin.“Oh jeez…” Thompson yelled with so much fright in his voice."Hey, it's me! Never mind what just happened; it was an electricity outage. It will be taken care of." Kevin said.“Oh! It freaked me out. Anyway, I'd better leave now; I have somewhere else to be.” Thompson said as he gave Kevin a goodbye hug and left.******* Hours quickly flew by, and it was already time for the company to close, and Stacy was standing at her desk waiting for Aella to finish packing up so she could say goodbye to her, “Hey Aella.” Stacy interrupted her as she was packing up. “Uhm.” Aella hummed as she swiped her attention from what she was doing to Stacy, who was about to bid her goodbye."Good, hey, huh, oh! By the way, I actually noticed that you both weren't talking to each other today. I mean, not even a
Aella walked out on Damien as he was asking her questions, which displeased her. Aella went back to her room to relieve herself of the stress she was going through mentally and emotionally.Meanwhile, Damien is sitting on the dining chairs, lost in his thoughts and wondering how she could be such a person. He couldn't shake the feeling off his mind but somehow grabbed onto himself and went back to his room after he ate.Aella laid down on her bed after she entered the room and began to whisper and throw numerous questions at herself. “Does it have to be me? Why? Why? Why?” she asked. “Others get what they always wish and want, but me! I ended up getting married—that too a contract marriage with the CEO of the Damien fashion world company. What a world! Who does that? And now he is even questioning me as though I have not enough trouble to deal with.” She muttered endlessly, and as she was deep in it, her phone began to ring. “It's Collins!” she whispered as she picked up the call.“A
Chapter 40The morning sun sliced through the opulent drapes of Damien's bedroom, highlighting the dust motes dancing in the air. He stirred, the remnants of last night's restless sleep clinging to him like cobwebs. His mind still grappled with the missing watch, a constant ache he couldn't seem to soothe. A quick glance at the clock jolted him upright. He was running late. "Damn!" He muttered. He reached for the notebook beside him and stood up. Quickly he cleared his eyes and went into the kitchen without knowing what he needed there. He went out from there and tried focusing his thought.As he rushed down the stairs impeccably dressed in his Vanquish Li bespoke suit, he found Aella already seated at the dining table, picking at her breakfast. The air crackled with unspoken tension, thicker than the freshly brewed coffee steaming in the centre. He thought about something but couldn't say it out."Morning," he mumbled, forcing a smile that tasted metallic in his mouth.Aella met his
Staring intently at the judge, Aella sat there, anxiety written all over her face as she awaited the verdict of the judge concerning her brother's case.Her brother, Collins, was accused of a crime he never committed: rape.Her gaze went up to her brother as he shook his head, indicating that he was innocent and knew nothing about what he had been accused of.Hurt and betrayal were clearly written on his face as he averted his gaze from the judge to the family that had framed him. The family that housed the real culprit.They were the people he worked for as a cleaner in their mansion, along with the victim, who happened to be his girlfriend.She was raped by the son of his boss, but in an effort to manipulate the situation, they bribed the girl's family to coerce her into accusing Collins instead of their own son."After hearing from both parties," the judge's voice resounded in the court, and this brought Aella out of her thoughts as she focused on the judge to hear the judgment tha
Tears welled up in Aella's eyes as she stared at her grandmother, who lay motionless on the hospital bed."She's not dead, and she's not in a coma... She's just...somewhere in-between," she recalled the doctor's words from earlier when she came in.Sitting there and just watching the older woman, the soft hum of machines and the distant chatter of hospital staff provided the backdrop for this uncertain moment.It felt like time had stopped.Aella's heart ached with a mixture of hope, fear, and uncertainty, not knowing what would happen next with her grandmother's life hanging in the balance, like a paused scene in life's movie. Her stillness was unsettling, and she couldn't help but wonder what it meant to be 'in-between'.She reached out and gently held her grandmother's frail hand, hoping to get some kind of response or at least anything, even though it was little to prove a sign of life.The room felt heavy with pent-up emotions as she whispered, "Grandma, it's me, Aella. I'm here
Aella, dressed in a visibly wrinkled short-sleeved beige shirt and slightly faded sage green pants, stared at herself in front of the half-broken mirror.Her hands were clasped in front of her as her gaze anxiously shifted from her face to her heels and back again.She tugged at her blouse, trying to smooth out a very visible wrinkle, and gave her hair another check—probably for the millionth time.A thousand worries raced through her mind as she thought about the impending interview. Her stomach churned with nerves, and her heart raced in her chest."Aella… calm down… It's just an interview; no one is going to bite you," she whispered to herself, taking a deep breath in an attempt to soothe her frayed nerves.Time was running out; she needed to find some way to get the money for her grandmother's transplant surgery, but after several unsuccessful attempts to get a job as a waitress or even a cleaner at a prestigious restaurant, she decided to put up her skills as a dressmaker.Over t
***FLASHBACK***"Good morning, sir. These are the lists of potential interviewees and their designs," Damien's secretary said as she presented the designs to him that fateful day.The heels of his shoes clinked on the tiled floor as he made his way around the dresses hung elegantly on display.His gaze shifted from one design to another, each one telling a unique story through its intricate details and choice of fabrics.But none seemed to capture his utmost attention except for one, which hung on the left row of the display.It was a dress made of shimmering, iridescent fabric that seemed to shift colors as it moved.The fabric caught the light and glittered like a rainbow, making the dress appear to glow.The silhouette of the dress was classic and elegant, accentuating the figure of the mannequin it was placed on without revealing too much.The color of the dress was a deep, rich purple, reminiscent of the last rays of the setting sun.This particular dress stood out like a radiant