111 Bad news.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leilani.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Work that morning was extremely busy, and after several fruitless negotiations with the Landry group, they finally decided to invest in CUSP\u2019s sister project, TINN.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My hands trembled slightly as we all rose to our feet, a satisfied smile playing on our lips as we shook hands formally.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned to Alpha Richard Landry and mouthed to him; \u201cThank you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He smiled-like genuinely smiled, then loud enough that everyone could hear, he drawled; \u201cYou\u2019re always welcome, Leilani. And if one day you still want to take up my offer, know that it\u2019s always open.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A small frown creased my face at his words. I stared up at his weird shade of eyes and calmly asked; \u201cWhat offer?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat other offer have I ever made to you besides wanting you to come work with me?\u201d He joked, causing a few others to turn to us with a smile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I smiled back too, but because now I was feeling quite uncomfortable, I gently let go of his hand and took a step back, my eyes widening when Jarek materialized beside me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you for your kind offer\u2026\u201d he whispered coldly. \u201cBut I don\u2019t think Frostclaw is ready\u2026 or will ever be ready to let go of a bright beautiful genius like her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My face colored a bright shade of red at his words, especially when the snickers around us grew louder. Richard smiled politely at Jarek but I knew for sure that he was fuming.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And then he left.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo they\u2019re indeed getting married?\u201d Jarek\u2019s voice slipped into my ears, snapping me out of my reverie. I turned fast to face him and nodded, my lashes lowering when I realized that he was talking about Chalice and the triplets.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I mused; \u201cYes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut what about the mate bond?\u201d He asked softly, and in his eyes, I could see the question he wasn\u2019t asking.\u00a0<\/p>\n
13:12\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/5\u00a0<\/p>\n
Why have they refused to reject you even now that they\u2019re getting married to your\u00a0<\/p>\n
sister?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Why won\u2019t they let you go?\u00a0<\/p>\n
And frankly, I didn\u2019t know. I had no idea and it was frustrating to think about it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The thought of the triplets getting married to Chalice\u2026 of them exchanging vows and saying the words; \u201cI do,\u201d filled me with a weird sense of jealousy. And I call it weird because I never thought I could feel that. I never imagined that I would one day be bothered about them despite my burning hatred for them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And I never imagined that I would one day be so flustered whenever I remembered the kiss I shared with Kael.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And Zevran.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And oh my goddess, never Caelum\u2026 can never be Caelum! (2)\u00a0<\/p>\n
While briefing Jarek about everything, I told him about all that happened last night, about how Kael had come to me to ask me to help him out of his marriage. I\u2019d told him about his drunken state and the weird things he said\u2026 But I could never bring myself\u00a0<\/p>\n
to tell him about the kiss.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Again, I lowered my head and sighed. \u201cI\u2019ll try rejecting them one more time. I\u2019ll promise them to be good since that\u2019s what they want from me so much. Hell, I may even agree to work with them now, on the condition that they let me go. I know they want the money\u2026 the deal\u2026 so they\u2019ll do it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
An emotion akin to disbelief flashed in Jay\u2019s eyes before he looked away and rose to his feet. \u201cI doubt they\u2019ll do it since they\u2019re so head bent on punishing you. But you can try.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
But I didn\u2019t pay attention to his words. My eyes were on his face instead, and I couldn\u2019t help wondering why he looked so\u2026 angry, so cold. So frustrated.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Was he beginning to feel exactly what I feel whenever I remember that he\u2019s still linked\u00a0<\/p>\n
to Keisha?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Does he now understand my pain whenever her name is mentioned?\u00a0<\/p>\n
He looked downcast. Sad. And that made me guilty. I drawled; \u201c\u2026Jay?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHuh?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Deciding to lighten his mood, I leaned forward and smiled; \u201cI think I now know what\u00a0<\/p>\n
13:12\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/5\u00a0<\/p>\n
perfect gift I should get them for their wedding,\u201d I said softly, finally catching his\u00a0<\/p>\n
attention.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He turned to me, his eyes curious and scrutinizing, as he asked; \u201cAnd what might that be? A car? A house? Some motherfucking drama?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSome evidence.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He froze. \u201cLeilani\u2026?\u201d Then shaking his head as if to dispel some of the thoughts in his head, he added; \u201cWhat evil do you have up your sleeves right now?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cA ton of evil,\u201d I answered frankly. \u201cBut it\u2019s nothing worse than the things they\u2019ve done to me in the past.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you\u2019re repaying evil with greater evil\u2026\u201d he drawled with a smile. \u201cI\u2019m not judging you\u2026 I love that actually. Now, tell me, what do you intend to do?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
For the first time that day, I felt an excited flutter in my chest at the thought of the things I had planned. Hell, I could already imagine Chalice\u2019s mortified face when she sees \u2018my gift. I leaned forward, smiling widely as my eyes met his. And then I told him everything.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I told him about my plan to release all the evidence we\u2019ve been stockpiling on Chalice; starting with the feigned pregnancy, to the things she\u2019d said at the sauna, and to every other thing she\u2019d said to me in the past.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I told him about what I\u2019ve been having Agnes do at my father\u2019s house for the past few days and how I intended to use the evidence to my advantage.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His smile was wider than a million stars when I finished talking. He leaned against his chair, his eyes gleaming with malicious delight as he muttered; \u201cThat\u2019s dramatic as fuck\u2026 but you know me, I may not look like it, but I love drama.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I chuckled then, finally feeling some of the weight that\u2019s been pressing down on me ever since the beginning of the day, dissipate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I sighed and leaned away from him to start arranging the files on my desk when suddenly, his voice came again. He asked; \u201cYou never mentioned telling them about her infidelity\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I spun around, my eyes meeting his as I answered coldly. \u201cBecause that\u2019s none of my business. I know that the triplets would never forgive infidelity\u2026 and call me a witch but I want them all to be together. That\u2019s their punishment, their ruin for choosing\u00a0<\/p>\n
13:12\u00a0<\/p>\n
3\/5\u00a0<\/p>\n
her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He smiled wide and nodded, his voice barely above a whisper as he drawled; \u201cThank goodness you\u2019re not the moon goddess,\u201d he drawled softly whilst chuckling, \u201c\u2026our race. would\u2019ve lived in absolute fear as you\u2019re very brutal and unforgiving\u2026 but hear me out, it\u2019s so sexy on you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I smiled at his \u2018compliment\u2019 and returned back to my work. Jay slipped out of my office too to attend to some things. More than an hour slipped past before he returned, and as soon as I saw his face, I instantly knew that something was wrong.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Something definitely felt different.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My heart raced as I swiftly rose to my feet, half- thinking that his wolf was acting up again. But the sadness- not madness- in his eyes told a different tale. He drawled; \u201cThere\u2019s bad news, Leilani.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
And at that, my brows furrowed. I do not know why but for some reason, my chest suddenly felt heavy. It felt as though there was something pressing against my lungs, making it difficult to breathe.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I walked over to Jarek who seemed like he couldn\u2019t look me in the eyes anymore and drawled; \u201cWhat is it?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s Kael\u2026\u201d he answered coldly, making my heart plummet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My hands were starting to shake so badly now. Even my knees trembled, and it felt like such work to hold my weight upright.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Goddess, please do not let anything happen to Kael. He\u2019d slept over at my house\u2026 I was the last person to see him. If anything happens to him, I\u2019ll be the first suspect\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
My voice came out as a hoarse whisper as I managed to force words out of my mouth. I rasped; \u201cAnd?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was in an accident.\u201d He drawled quietly, \u201c\u2026and it was bad, Leilani. Very bad.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Those words were the last things I heard before a strange ringing began to echo in my ears. It was the last thing my brain processed before I began to hyperventilate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My breath caught in my chest and sweat broke out on my skin. And I know I couldn\u2019t feel like this\u2026 I knew that I wasn\u2019t supposed to be this affected by such news. But I couldn\u2019t help it. My heart felt ripped, my chest hurt\u2026 and in this moment, my mind did something despicable;\u00a0<\/p>\n
33:12\u00a0<\/p>\n
4\/5\u00a0<\/p>\n
It reminded me of that kiss.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And it replayed it over and over again as tears streamed down my face.<\/p>\n
Healing Slowly But Surely By R. Joseph 111 111 Bad news.\u00a0 Leilani.\u00a0 Work that morning was extremely busy, and after […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23314","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-chosen-by-none-feared-by-all"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23314","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23314"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23314\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23314"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23314"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23314"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}