'Another pathetic, nonsensical and dragging screwed-up meeting.'

Alessio was an epitome of a concentrated upbringing, the manner and way he carried himself spoke nothing less. Not even those who met him the first time would be taken with an astonished impression far from derogatory. He was handsome, quite refined and dauntless. If Alyssa was the blizzard, Alessio was the blanket of snow aftermath of that blizzard.

Only because everyone surrounding him—with a few exceptions—were one dimensional, driven by one force they acknowledged without questioning its morals.

"We gathered all potential manuscripts from the joiners of last month's Call For Submission." stated one of the men who worked for Ramon and Alessio had no interest in. The forgettable man placed a thick folder on the table in the conference room where they sat. "As your order, sire" He glanced to Ramon, giving a curt nod then gestured a hand to the folder, "We notified the writers a rejection letter in disguise so they would be under the impression that their manuscripts did not pass. We sent total of 10 rejections to the owners of these excellent manuscripts."

With fingers crossed to each other and placed under his stubble chin, Ramon nodded with eyes gleaming in satisfactory. "Perfection, those manuscripts will be send to Midori for her to use at whatever ways pleasing for her. If anyone of the ten writers have a negative reaction that will start a commotion..." He gave a sideway knowing look to some towering intimidating figures in black in the corner of the conference room. "You gents will make them the end of their stories."

To those unfamiliar, his words might have been puzzling but Alessio didn't share those brain cells and the long duration he had been forced to work at Pandora's Box Publishing and Group Of Companies not just numb him but also opened him to all the rubbish stuff they do—much to his chagrin. Making them the end of their story only meant one thing: torture then death. Or worse, a lifelong torture in that special basement dungeon where he and his twin sister been at recently.

Alessio curled his hand tightly around the fountain pen he was holding under the table, his unique-colored eyes stared intense at the man he must refer to as father. 'I really commend you for acting so normal this morning like you didn't beat your own children last night.' His thumb would be pressing hard on the tip of the fountain pen, the flow of murderous thoughts continuous.

"It won't be long until you dominate Marchen completely, sire. Even those smaller provinces who refused to bend their traditions are not going to escape. The Laceheart Family will become the center, the sun of this country." One of the kiss ass employees declared, exaggeratedly waving his arms like he was in a declamation.

There was a 30-minute break after the meeting and before resuming work hours, Alessio didn't spare anyone else another glance, quickly leaving the conference room always reeked with the ass kissers' botching and contrivances. No oxygen inside, nope. Only nitrogen or probably sulfur, that would be what these guys be inhaling.

"Hey, Less, do you mind?" It was Gino and he was pointing to the door that Alessio was exiting to.

Alessio nodded, "Come on"

The two men were basked in a comfortable silence when they went down to the coffee shop associated with the building the family owned, this whole imposing new block of multiple floors was bought by Ramon and the publication's main office.

Gino ordered black coffee for both of them, placing the tray down on the table and he took a seat across the white-haired male. "How is your bruises? The wounds? Okay, let me rephrase, how are you in general?"

It wasn't patent because Alessio garbed himself in a long-sleeved exquisite and expensive suit today that obscure the evidence of last night's beating. He wore it because Alyssa got it for him. "I'm fine, it's not the first time you know that" He took the cup of black coffee and reveled in its pure bitterness at one sip. "Some things and people are far more painful. These physical blows mean little to me now" He set the cup down, its brewed content already halfway. "I'm curious to know about your lingering thoughts so far about this rubbish of a family, Kingsley." The gaze Alessio gave Gino was sharp, almost predatorial and the latter's reply would define his fate after.

This was not unnoticed by the copper-haired man, narrowing his own dark blue eyes and meeting Alessio's black-blue heterohromatic eyes without a waver. Gino brought the mug near him close to his lips, unfazed by its hotness, he gulped the sugarless brewed coffee in one go. "What are you on, Less?"

"What are you on?" The question was throw back at Gino with more menacing emphasis.

The fancy coffee shop was beginning to be more congested as morning approached noon, lines at the cashier longer and most tables occupied. Everyone's hushing was no longer a hush and what with them discussing their mundane trivialities, Gino had a dubious storm in his chest. "I needed money, your father's company pays nicely and yes it comes with strings but money is my main priority"

"Okay" was the curt reply from the other half of the twins. "Money it is then"

Lies and pretenses. Gino knew Alessio didn't buy his excuse. The noise from the bustling coffee shop filled in the rigid silence, Gino looked around but not really focusing on anyone particular. With an abdicating sigh, he spoke again. "Marchen is a country built on a beautiful, old roots of storytelling, it weaves more than just fiction. Meant to stand the changes in time. Time has nothing to do with these changes, no." He took an object out of his pocket hidden from Alessio's view—a coppery red pocket watch, old and worn but still ticking. "Time is also...just waiting for the right time"

--

Air, she needed it to flow back in her lungs. Alyssa gasped loudly dropping the shovel and it cluttered on the concrete ground near Naldo's remains, her shaky hands came to wrap around her neck then down to her chest, the gasping for air became hyperventilation. The rush brought in her veins by her emotions faded out, opening the dam of shock to the outcome of being overwhelmed.

Staggered backwards she did, shaking her head next. "No..." She whispered but a taunting small voice in her mind said yes. "No--" yes "...No!" yes! Was it hers? Was it her inner voice?! It kept on taunting, a foreboding smile in those unseen mocking lips proud with the result laying motionless on the concrete.

Naldo's head could barely be called one, more akin to a squashed pumpkin and the coppery, tangy smell mixed in the air with leafy, floral smell from the bed of flowers and trees in the spacious garden nearby.

Alyssa broke down, crying in frustration and falling on her legs sobbing. She tried taking her phone to call Alessio but she was too jittery to focus. The gadget fell from her hold and just as Alyssa was reaching out for it, a nasty greenish purple glob came to her line of sight. Looking up, she was met with the most disgusting and abnormally huge mutated caterpillar with a face and smoking.

It inhaled and blew the smoke on Alyssa's face, rendering her unconscious.