A single drop of tear slides down my cheek as I close my eyes, unwilling to look any longer into those cold, hard, unflinching eyes which scream 'traitor'.

He did not believe me.

I failed.

The metal feels cold on my forehead as I ignore the dull, throbbing pain in my skull and wrists.

There is a small click and a loud bang resonates in the room.

I feel numb for a second, before everything explodes in searing pain for a few inhuman seconds.

Then there is nothing.

Gotcha.
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I jerked up in my bed, cold yet sweating and topple off onto the hard floor with a thud, the blanket weirdly entangled all around me. Normally I would have simply cursed and picked myself up from the floor, but the strangely vivid nightmare I had makes me want to curl up in my blanket and have a good cry.

Shut up, Lilly. You know he believes you. No need to have nightmares about it. Don't be silly now-

I looked up at the noise of the door opening and Mr. Ambrose stepped in, his eyes on me and I had to look away because they reminded me of my nightmare.

Stop crying!

I'm not! That...that's just sweat..okay? Yeah.

I quickly started disentangling the blanket from around me, ignoring the throbbing of my head and slight dizziness when I felt his strong presence, kneeling down near me, his sharp gaze on me. Subtly wiping away the sweat with the sleeves of his shirt, I fixed a small smile on my face and turned to him.

"Good morning, Mr. Ambrose." I cleared my throat, trying to swallow the lump stubbornly lazing around in my throat. "Nice day, isn't it?"

There was absolute silence for another minute as I kept my eyes on his eleven-year-old-still-in-mint condition tailcoat, looking unusually crumpled and I nearly jumped when he spoke suddenly.

"No." His cold voice sounded unusually...not so cold. "Look at me."

His long fingers firmly tilted my chin till I was looking straight into his sea coloured eyes, burning with a cold fire.

Don't think about it, don't...

Another drop of warm liquid slipped out of my eye as I hurried to wipe it away with my sleeve. Stupid eye, stupid me, stupid nightmare, stupid everything! Bloody hell, stop crying!

"Are-Are you...crying?" His voice sounded low and...panicked as he hesitantly pulled me close to him, wiping another stray drop from my face with his hand. I leaned on him, my head resting on his shoulder, and for once, my inner feminist didn't object to how I was behaving like a bloody damsel in distress, mostly because I didn't want to let it. Just this one time.

"No." I sniffed, ignoring the absolute contradiction right there as I wriggled out of his tight grip, refusing to look at him anymore. "It is just sweat. I'll change my clothes and get to work, Mr. Ambrose."

I nearly stumbled right back on him when he pulled me back there, this time with a death grip, the dizziness returning to some extent and I closed my eyes.

"No. You're not 'getting to work' until you give me an adequate reply. Why are you crying?"

"I'm not crying now, okay, Mr. Ambrose? Now can I go?" I opened my eyes to look...extremely closely into his sea green and blue eyes, a dangerous storm of undecipherable emotions brewing in there.

"No. Stop wasting time and answer my question now." That statement came out a lot less colder and much more softer than intended and I had to bite on my lip hard to keep the oncoming sob inside.

Get a grip, Lilly!

Okay, take a deep breath, calm down.

Well, the deep breath did help more than I had thought. His clean scent of cheap soap and too much money did help to push away the nightmare into the deepest corner of my mind, but it kept on playing in a loop in my mind like a broken and stuck piano key.

"I..I had this silly dream." Don't push it. Just don't. I tried to get out of his grip, but he held me down firmly, hardly letting me move.

"About what?" His hand fisted at my back as he pulled me even closer with the other hand and I snuggled into the crook of his neck, muffling my voice.

"You." My voice came out only a whisper.

'He didn't believe me.'

He does, okay?! He does believe me! So shut up you bloody good for nothing voice from my blasted nightmare!

"Elaborate yourself."

"Nothing." I cleared my throat, squashing down the stubborn lump along with the doubts and fear the stupid nightmare had arisen. He did believe me, and I was not going to let some silly insecurities get to me.

Yeah, go Lilly!

"Absolutely nothing." And nor let a maggot headed blond bastard disturb me in my dreams. Time to settle some score with h-

"Did I hurt you, Lillian?" Something dangerous and forbidden in the cold, secluded world of Rikkard Ambrose threatened to leak into his voice, and it felt like a bucket of freezing water had been emptied on me, along with the ice cubes still in it. I froze in my position, pun not intended, my hands still around him and my face snuggled into his neck.

Eventually after a few moments had passed in silence, I gave a short laugh, which sounded absolutely fake to even my own ears, disentangling myself from him, successfully this time and stood up, a weak smile on my face. "No Sir. Why would you think like that?"

I didn't even have to look at his face to know that he didn't believe me. Even a debtor might have been more successful in convincing Rikkard Ambrose to waive off his debt than me lying about this, that I was totally sure of.

One moment I was standing there, avoiding all possible eye contact with my employer and the next moment his lips had covered mine the softest and gentlest kiss ever, his lips trembling ever so slightly and my eyes closed of their own accord. His lips spoke silently to me, his unsaid words quite clear for me and all I wanted to do was listen. Our lips moved in slow, perfect sync, my heart relishing the moment, but it wasn't until I tasted something salty on my lips that I broke the kiss.

I took a step back, his hands fisted tightly at my back and looked at him standing very still, his eyes still closed. I simply took in his crumpled, tear stained tailcoat and shirt, his ruffled hair and dark circles beginning to show beneath his eyes, as if he had not been sleeping properly recently, worry beginning to grow in the pit of my stomach. I refused to think of the stupid nightmare again. It was going to always remain just that, a bad dream.

"I'd never do that to you." He opened his eyes, a determined and furious look in them overshadowing everything else and he closed the gap between us until our chests were nearly touching. "I'd never do anything to ever hurt you, you understand that, Miss Linton?"

His eyes pressed into mine, almost as if searching for something, and I nodded absentmindedly. "Yes." My voice came out more like a whisper so low, I could hardly hear it. I cleared my throat and spoke this time loudly. "Yes."

He gave an imperceptible nod, his fists loosening at my back and allowing me to get out of their tight grip. "Adequate-"

"Achooooo!"

"Ouch!"

"Ow!"

"Miss Linto-"

"Bloody hell!"

  I got up gingerly, picking up myself with one hand and holding my head with the other, my glare fixed on the granite statue in front of me, who was currently rubbing his chin amd glaring at me.

  How spiffing! He was glaring at me as if I had hit my head on his chin deliberately!

  Lilly, you did...

  It wasn't deliberate! I just sneezed! He had to bloody come in the way!

  "Miss Linton, what. Was. That?"

  "A sneeze. In case you haven't heard
before, it is also known as the bodily expulsion of unwanted particles in the mouth or the nose with great force-Achoooo!" I blew my nose, fishing out my, oops, your majesty's handkerchief from the pocket before continuing,"-like this."

  "You just wasted," he pulled out his pocketwatch to look at the time,"approximately thirty seven seconds, informing me about this bodily function I already have knowledge about."

  "And you, Mr. Rikkard Ambrose, just wasted," Making sure to perfectly imitate him, I walked over to the drawer on which my belongings currently rested and picked up and opened my pocketwatch, "approximately fifteen seconds to tell me that I wasted your time telling you about something you already knew about yet you asked me about it, and so the question arises now, why exactly did you ask me such a question that you already knew the answer to?"

   "Mr. Linton?" He nearly, almost, just about sighed in exasperation and I smirked at him,"Yes, sir?"

"Be silent. And get to work!" He gave me his usual cold glare and my smirk widened.

"Yessir! Immediately sir! As you say sir!"

----------------------------------------------------------------

"What do you mean 'No'?"

"A negative response or opinion, or the declining of a proposition. In this case, denial of permission to go home, Mr. Linton. Get me fil-"

I shot another glare at the door, which was goddamned locked, hoping to burn a hole through it atleast.

"I know what 'no' means! And I wasn't asking for your 'permission'! I'm telling you, I have to go home today; I'll already be in trouble for not returning home yesterday night!"

Not that I enjoyed the oh-so-friendly-and-warm-meals with my dearest Aunt and sisters and being dragged to yet another ball, but ever since I had managed to get rid of three suitors in a single ball, my proudest record there, she had threatened to get Ella married to the first 'suitor' she could find, read as 'any person with male genitals between age sixteen and sixty' if I did not attend every single ball she ordered me to, I had to comply, no matter how unwillingly.

And especially after Captain Carter had, um, shown interest in me, I was sure I was going to lose an ear for not attending some or the other ball yesterday and spending time with him.

I swear, if she hadn't threatened my shy, quiet and caring sister and not to forget, very much in love with our neighbour, with the dangers of unwilling matrimony, to my horror, I would have probably disappeared at any mention of the useless waste of time that balls were. She probably knew that, which was why she was holding it as leverage on me. That conniving, conspiring, greedy...

She's your aunt, Lilly...

More's the pity!

"I believe I already told you 'no' once, do I need to repeat myself?" I scowled at the door, reminding myself to calm down and not subject my fists to anymore torture. They were already throbbing the amount of useless banging and punching I had did in a bid to get him open the door.

"No need to repeat yourself, sir, and waste your precious time and energy. After all, as someone told me, knowledge is power is time is money. So I'll just inform you that I'm leaving." I spoke in the firmest voice I could muster. Think of poor Ella. You have to do this! "Good night, sir."

His voice remained cool and collected as always as I nearly bit my tongue to keep in the choicest of curses when he spoke the next sentence. "Get me file 853VI741."

"Are you even listening to me? Work. Hours. Are. Over. I've already worked off my behind for today. I have to go home. You can't control what I do after hours, Mr. Ambrose!" I shouted loudly, unable to take it any longer. That controlling, manipulating bastard!

"You're wrong. You have worked for only seven hours and twelve minutes today, and already wasted eight minutes and twenty one seconds in fruitless argument with me. The time wasted will be deducted from your wages. Get to work, Mr. Linton."

"You...you...Mr. Ambrose, I haven't even-"

"Now. Or you can forget your paycheck altogether." His voice held a tone of finalty and I had to work hard to not stomp my leg in frustation. This was not fair! That bloody miserly git! Who did he think he was to order me around?!

Um...your employer?

Gah!

Marching over to my office, I pulled out the file from the cabinet, hardly registering whether it was the one he wanted and stomped over to the door, shoving the file with so much force from under the door, that i think he would not have to even get up to pick up the file.

I could just imagine the cold glare he must be giving me for potentially damaging his 'important documents'! To hell with his glares! That grumpy, snappy, closed mouthed bastard!

His Majesty Annoying and Insufferable Granite here had hardly spoken a word to me since morning except to ask for a file or order me about, and what was getting in my nerves was not that he was ignoring me! No!

What was getting on my nerves was that I didn't have any idea of what was getting on his nerves! He was behaving all...odd and...distracted, if I might say, and no matter however much I interrogated him or annoyed him, he still managed to ignore me! The bloody cheek of the man!

And you know what else was getting on my nerves? That I was...somehow...worrying about him! That was preposterous! Why would I worry about him? He could be all odd and distracted all the time and waste his own time and I wouldn't give a damn. Now only if I could get this stupid worrying feeling out of me and think about getting out of here!

' "This is not file 43VI872, Mr. Linton. Concentrate on you work properly." He handed me back the file, his eyes still on the previous one as I frowned and examined the number on it.

"But Mr. Ambrose..." As far as I remembered, this was the right file...File 43VI872...? I narrowed my eyes as I remembered where exactly the file was.

"Mr. Ambrose?"

"Don't stand here and waste time. Get me the file, Mr. Linton."

I crossed my arms as I spoke in my fake sweet voice. "Of course, Mr. Ambrose. And which file are you reading now, that too the same page since the last two minutes?"

Silence. Absolute bloody silence as I picked the file out of his hands, leaning over the desk, and closed it.

"Now what do we have here? File 43VI872. I wonder where it was until now, Mr. Ambrose, right?" I ignored the tugging sensation in my stomach as I spoke, sarcasm dripping from my voice.

His face remained as stoic and expressionless as ever, but his sea coloured eyes held a storm, a storm more dangerous than the one in which the Urania sank, and I gulped. Something, the same thing from last night was bothering him, distracting him very much and I was going to know it and get rid of the problem immediately.

"Mr. Ambrose, what is the problem? Dalgliesh? Did that bastard poke his nose in your business again, because I have got some spiffing ways to-"

"Stop blabbering, Mr. Linton. Get back to your office and stay there till I ask for you."

"But Mr. Ambrose-"

"I said 'Go'. Which means leave, vacate this room."

"No." His eyes narrowed by 0.0037 inches and I promptly returned his glare, crossing my hands over my chest. "What is the problem, Sir?"

"What is my problem is none of your business, Mr. Linton. Get back to work immediately or I'll be deducting half your wages for direct disobedience of my orders."

I simply raised an eyebrow at him. He'd been telling me that since nearly two years and not deducted a single penny till date. "You think I'm going to believe your threat, Sir?", making sure to make 'Sir' sound more like 'Liar.'

He leant forward slightly, putting his hands on the table in front and narrowed his eyes 0.0047 inches furthur. "Do you want me to prove it to you, Mr. Linton?"

I scowled at him. "No, thank you very much, Sir." This time sir definitely sounded more like 'slug'.

"Then kindly proceed to your office and stay there."

I nodded absentmindedly, turning and opening the door, but it wasn't until I had closed the door behind me that I realised what had just happened.

  Spinning around, I tried to pull open the door, but it wouldn't budge. He. Had. Locked. It.

  "MR. AMBROSE! You...you...! You distracted me! Open this door now!"

This time I banged my other fist on the door, the one without the bandage, but there was absolutely not a sound from the other side. 

  This was not fair! He never told me anything! That closed mouthed bastard!

  Plink!

  I stomped over to my desk, pulling out the tiny chit of paper, which had only two words on it, which were very, very effective in riling me up furthur.

  File 96XV7285.

"Mr. Ambrose!"'

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Dear ladies and gentlemen,

  Guilty as charged. Two months. I've not updated for two bloody goddamned months! And my exams also got over nearly twenty days ago! I'm sure you all must be absolutely furious with me....but, but, but....

  Before you take out all your weapons and/or attempt to virtually murder me, I would like to clear one thing.

  I know I am a veeery lazy author who can procrastinate literally everything on earth, but this time, I was unable to write because I had no inspiration. :(

  I know! I have got the plot all planned out! But the latest chapters are turning out to be very...mundane, or atleast...no, not boring...but the book is beginning to lose its power, its...its special thing which compelled me to write down this book in the first place and I feel so fucking guilty about leaving you all hanging for so long! But honestly, I would give just anything for Sir Rob to start writing like he did in his earlier books! 😭😭

  I'm so sorry! And plus my classes and everything had started just three days after my exams and everything had been quite...enough to put me out of my authorish mood:(

  But I hopefully will continue and complete this book to the best of my ability...:/

  Thank you soooooo much to all those who are still reading this *big hugs and lots of love*

Don't forget to vote, comment and enjoy!

Yours truly,
Ifrit5789.

P. S. If anybody is confused about the dream she had, you can read the Part 1 of Cold Silence. (shameless self promo;)