Blessing011의 작품

THE PRICE OF SILENCEAaron had always thought silence was some sort of control.Silence in boardrooms was something that made people jittery. It made the other party divulge excessively in negotiations. He had earlier believed that silence was protection and in doing so, he wanted to protect Raina in his marriage not to turn her into the kind of politics that she did not want to be in. He knew how mistaken he was now he sat alone in his office long after night had swallowed the city.Silence was no defense to anything.It only delayed damage.He was at the window looking down the lights below but faintly reflected in the glass. The office which was a kind of continuation of his power was now a cage. All the decisions he had postponed, all meetings that he had evaded were repeated in his mind with savage clarity.He recalled Raina that appeared before him some weeks ago, her head also firm yet hurt, and accusing him of when she ceased to be his partner. He had not answered her then. He

THE FALL BEGINSThe boardroom was colder than usual.Aaron had realised it as soon as he got inside, how the conversation had dropped and the eye contact had changed,gawkingly away. His reflection in the long glass table--tailored suit, controlled expression, composed posture--was nevertheless going on below, and something was wrong. His authority had been so used to him over the years that it no longer rested on his shoulders.Lucas already sat at the head of the table, his fingers crossed, quiet and ready. Evelyn sat on his right, graceful as ever, her pose careless, her features indescribable. The other board members sat down around them with their eyes averted towards Aaron.OK, let's start, said Lucas.Aaron took his seat. Before going into the actual, I want to discuss the rumours that have been going around the house. My leadership is not related to my personal issues.Some members gave a glance at each other.Evelyn threw her head back. Respect, Aaron, this is reality at this

A WOMAN REBUILTThe office was tiny, compared to the glass towers Raina would be strolling up and down on, with her head held high and cameras flashing on her face. The floor was not marble, the elevator was not personal, and the assistants were not standing outside the door. Nothing more than a hired room on the fourth floor of an ageing building, bare desks, a noisy air conditioner, and a sun peeking through semi-open curtains.And yet when Raina was in the centre of it, and she was holding her phone in one hand and a notebook in another, she experienced something which she had not experienced in a long time.Ownership.Now this is ours, she said to herself.Her aide, Lila, her faithful companion even after all had gone wrong, smiled as she put a pile of files in place on the desk. It might not be so much, but it is... sincere.Raina nodded. "Honesty is more than enough."She put aside her bag and got her notebook open. Plans that were in her own handwriting were filling the pages.

DISTANCEThe place was very silent, which Raina was not accustomed to.Not the silence of the Kingston mansion, with its heavy, guarded silence, and its ears to every corner, and its eyes upon every movement, but a more gentle quiet. One that was unconfident, unrecognized and excruciatingly real.Her standing in the little living room with her baby in her arms, and she turned slowly around the room.This was it.White walls. A modest sofa. An upright dining table banged against the wall. The kitchen was hardly larger than a wardrobe, and the door of the bedroom was so thin that one could hear easily.No guards outside. No employees are awaiting orders to be given. None of the cameras is behind rich ornamentation.Just her.And her child.Raina sighed and sank onto the sofa, falling into it as though the strength had at last exhausted her. The infant moved, his small nose scowling, and then he lay down again, cosy and affectionate.Oh yes, we are, she said to herself.Her phone buzzed

WALKING AWAYThe house was still asleep.That was what Raina needed.She slipped slowly through the mansion barefoot on the cold marble. The walls, which seemed big before, were heavy now, as though they were keeping an eye upon her. Each move was a flashback — jokes, midnight conversations, dark promises.She did not cry.Not yet.Raina tapped on the bedroom door. Aaron was lying on the bed, with one side of his back toward her. He had gone to sleep many hours later than their fight, fatigue tugging him down, and her intellect remaining as alert as ever.She stared at him for some time.This did not necessarily have to be so, she said to herself, but knew that he could hear none.She turned away.It was a suitcase that she drew out in the walk-in closet. Just one. She didn't want attention. She didn't want drama. She put clothes in the laundry painfully, taking only what was necessary--easy dresses, infantalia, papers which she had covertly been collecting during the last few days.S

BETRAYAL WITHOUT INFIDELITYIt was not a confrontation initiated by shouting.It began with silence.It was late, past midnight, and Raina was waiting in the living room, and the lights were dimmed, and the house was unusually quiet. The baby was already asleep, her kiss on his forehead was longer than usual, and the promises she had made, she was no longer quite certain that she should keep. With every tick of the clock, something squeezed in her breast.The front door eventually opened, and Aaron walked into the house without much ado, loosening his tie like he was coming back to any normal day. He paused, and there she sat."You're still awake," he said."Yes," Raina replied. Her voice was calm, too calm. "We need to talk."Aaron exhaled slowly. "Can this wait until morning?""No," she said. "It has waited long enough."He dropped his jacket and approached and felt the tension. "What's wrong?"Raina stood up. "I spoke to Margaret today."Aaron froze.That was all it took.His shoul

"I just can't believe this is really happening."Ayla stood before the grand hall, her breath caught in her throat. For the air was filled with the sound of laughter and music, chatter of people joyful in celebration, for it was a cause for merrymaking-a fulfillment of a well-waited-for moment, for after months passed by trials and battles which brought heartaches, it had finally come:Her wedding.Her real wedding.She now turned to Ethan; her heart soaring with so much love, the intensity in his eyes keeping hers with force-the many somersaults happened within her, strong and hot oozing out in every direction. And mostly, he stood tall, an Alpha. The gaze that hit her-as if he were none other than only hers-took out all that effect."You are beautiful," he whispered.Ayla smiled, soft eyes to his. "You are perfect," she said, her tone husky low.Her hand found his, and he squeezed, offering a reassuring smile. All the betrayal, the loss, the danger-everything isn't a factor as they

"Please…spare me."Trembling in fear, words stuttered through the lips of Sophie as she knelt down in front of the council with her once proud posture now shredded. Her hands so tender and well manicured shook on the ice-cold stone floor. The grand hall of the White Fang Pack closed in around her, its high, vaulted ceiling little barrier for the oppressive weight of a hundred accusing eyes. Every murmured whisper, every hiss of disapproval was a blow.Once, she had stood at the pinnacle, the Luna of Moon Shadow Pack. Her beauty, her guile, and a keen mind had placed her there. She had ruled with a rod of iron; her will was absolute. She was feared, respected. Now, though, she was nothing.The air hung heavy with judgment, thick. She was degraded from being once respected to no more than a desperate beggar on her knees in front of people who at one time bowed to her. But fate had sealed from that particular moment when the truth made her stand exposed as a betrayer, while from then on,

Ethan chuckled darkly, his gaze sweeping over the soldiers surrounding Silas and Liam. “Outnumbered? No, Silas. I'm just better prepared.”Before Silas could reply, Ethan raised his hand in a sharp motion, and his men surged forward.“Attack!” Ethan's voice boomed across the battlefield.There came the resounding clang of steel to steel as Ethan's men hit Silas and Liam's lot. Blades shimmered in the moonlight, and snarls from wolves that had taken their transformed form were raised high in the air.Silas charged, swinging his sword into one of the soldiers of Ethan. "You fools think you can take me down?" he roared, the blows powerful but wild.Ethan watched above, his keen eyes judging the action. "Silas, you have always been good at giving orders," he said in a low tone, "but strategy-just where you always fall short."On the other side, Liam kept back, his eyes darting on the happenings on the field. His mind worked hard. This wasn't how this should go. How did Ethan know?”"Liam!

A dull, throbbing ache was the first sensation to greet Ayla as she regained consciousness. its focus in her abdomen, threatening to engulf her whole body. The effort of trying to turn sent a sharp sting coursing through her ribs.A small whimper tore from her lips.The room was dark, heavy with the scent of herbs and antiseptic. She became conscious of the warmth of the blankets tangled around her, the wooden ceiling of her bedroom in the pack house.She was in her bedroom and still alive.It came piece by piece, that knowledge, but before any other awareness could surface, a low husky voice sliced through the quiet."Ayla…"Her heart spasmed.Ethan.She forced her heavy eyelids open, blinking against the soft glow of the bedside lamp.There he was, sitting beside her, his face pale, his jaw tight with emotion. His dark eyes, always so fierce and commanding, now held something else. Fear and Guilt.Ayla swallowed, trying to find her voice. "Ethan…?"His hand immediately covered hers.

The execution ground was dead silent.Countless couples watched in a scene with bated breath as Liam was dragged to the front with hands and legs in heavy irons, his shoulder squared despite such a weight weighing down on him with his prospective death. Yet, his face displayed not a smidgen of emotion, tranquil as it was.Arms bound, the warriors standing around him gripped his arms in firm holds of flexed muscle, eyes flickering to and from each other in silent consensus. Nobody was trusting Liam, even chained.Ethan stood at the head; a gold stud that shone bright and flashed with fury almost stirred. At his sides, fists were bunched, barely repressing the wolf inside his skin.This was it, the moment he had been waiting for.The moment when it all came to an end. The moment when Liam's betrayal was finally going to be answered in blood.The elder of the council stepped forward and cleared his throat."Liam Hayes, you have been found guilty of treason against the White Fang Pack. Yo

The heavy iron door groaned while it swung open, its creaking echoing and breaking the suffocative silence of the dimly lit corridor. The scraping of boots on stone resounded through the space, rattling chains along. The air was thick with damp earth, rusted metal, and impending death.The guards dragged Liam from his cell, and Liam was not a man to show resistance. He said nothing, struggled not, gave no flinch to Cold Iron, biting into his skin with the shackles. He just walked forward, straight, expressionless, his gait even.But inside, his mind was far from still.He knew it, the instant Silas fell; just like that, it was over. No bargaining, no appeal. It was sealed; he had chosen his path, and now he would walk it to its bitter conclusion.But even knowing that-even knowing his life would be over before the sun set-there was only one thing on his mind.Ayla.She was out there, beyond these cold, unyielding walls. And soon he would see her one last time.The thought should have