aftermath of war

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I noticed the fear dancing over his shoulders, but he wouldn't let it show in his expression. The impassivity on his face was a remarkable conceal of his actual emotions. Aillard took a seat at the other end of the conference table — directly facing the greatest demon that haunted every single ray of light from his soul. Seeing that I haven't taken my seat, he gestured to the swivel chair beside me and said softly, "Don't mind the scene and take a seat, Ms Ashenherst."

"Wren, isn't it?" Eldrick wore an almost sinister smile on his face. "Clarence should've seen what a beautiful lady you've grown up to become."

"Thank you for the compliment," I dismissed him politely. "Dad's always with me every step of the way."

"How touching," Eldrick laughed. "I have no knowledge that Clarence had adopted you as his child."

"That's because blood doesn't define kinship," I returned his dry humour with a kind smile. "He is my legal adopter, and proper documentation had been done for me to inherit the Ashenherst family name. When alive, Dad fulfilled his paternal duties towards me and treated me with kindness. So, in my will, I acknowledged him as my father."

"Very intentional speech, Wren," Eldrick commented, arching a brow as his gaze turned sharper towards me.

"I'm sure we're gathered here for more important matters, Mr Eldrick Illiades," I mentioned. "Can I ask if Mr Clarke is agreeable to begin the legal proceedings?"

My law school classmate siding at the other end of the table gestured for me to begin the session and I sat straight in my seat. Glancing towards Aillard, I gave him a brief sign that the war had been initiated and there would only be one conclusion to this fight: Victory.

Honestly, I have nothing to worry about Wren at all. It was absolutely naive of me to think that this woman needed any protection from me. I was still tossing and turning in my bed last night, thinking of a plan if everything hadn't turned out in my favour. Yet, Wren stood right beside me, as she confidently countered every move that was made on the other end. I could see the nervousness pinched in between each crease on Wilson Clarke's forehead. Even when they were peers in law school, he wasn't a match for Wren.

It was also obvious that Eldrick was growing antsy with each of our moves closing into a checkmate. All the backup he had was useless against Wren. I had forgotten the powerful forces that stood behind Wren, and she had proven me right on my bet — when I freed the canary, she had metamorphosed herself into a phoenix. In places I had pulled strings, she had also reached out to firm up the relations. Needless to say, this internal war ended in a few hours with a neat victory on our end.

The Suttons were the first to leave the conference hall, followed by the representatives of several big families that took their sides. Eldrick was still in his seat when he suddenly burst out into a peal of laughter as he applauded, "As expected of a child raised by the Illiades. You've done an impeccable job, Wren."

"I appreciate that compliment, but I don't find myself well acquainted with you to be addressed by first name basis, Mr Eldrick Illiades," Wren reminded politely. "If there are no other further legal discussions, we would take our leave now."

"I'm afraid that I have to ask for you to excuse yourself out of the hall first, Ms Ashenherst," Eldrick mentioned.

I lifted my gaze straight towards the devil on the other end of the conference table, wondering what he hid beneath his sleeves. Beside me, Wren was about to say something, but I no longer wanted her involved deeper into the unknown depths that Eldrick was pulling me into. I reached to hold onto her arm as I whispered to her, "Wait for me outside, Wren."

She tried, "Aillard—"

"Go outside, angel," I spoke softly, hoping she would understand why I needed to face the devil myself. "I'll fill you in on everything later."

Without saying anything more, Wren stood from her seat and left the conference hall. When the room was no longer left with anyone else except for two entities from damned, the air suddenly felt exceptionally suffocating. I was the one who broke the silence, "What is it, Eldrick?"

"Doing the same trick that you did to me, son," Eldrick smiled, throwing a document envelope towards me. "Don't ever think you can outsmart me."

I reached for the yellow bag and ripped the seal off. Every single word printed against the plain white paper was shattering every bit of everything that was left of me. Crushing the piece of paper in my hand, I exhaled a laugh, "Well played, fucking well played."

Certificate of Death of Aleksander Illiades.

This way, Eldrick made sure I had no way of reclaiming my own name and identity. I was documented right into the Illiades family registry where the woman who gave birth to me left a name and the moment my doppelganger revived from his endless slumber, I would become a nameless ghoul. Without an identity, I don't hold any legal rights to anything, and I would be reduced to nothing but a haunting shadow.

"You did the same to Selene Findlay," I said, clutching my hands so tightly into fists that my knuckles paled. "Whoever you cannot tame, you destroy them."

"That's the way power is held," Eldrick reminded. "Illiades didn't stand tall by being kind. I gave you numerous kind warnings, but you refused to heed them."

"What's stopping you from putting a bullet through my head?" I asked coldly.

"I figured that you already knew what happened to your mother," Eldrick replied with nonchalance in his tone. "I do not kill my own blood, no matter how cold-blooded you think I am."

"Selene Findlay is not my mother. She's simply a woman who birthed me," I accented. "You handed me my death certificate and claim that you did no murder."

"You may live the rest of your life enjoying the wealth from the Illiades, Aleksander," Eldrick shrugged. "I only requested for you to hand it all over."

"Go fuck yourself, Eldrick," I incensed, slamming on the table as I stormed out of the conference hall. A heavyweight rested against my chest, and I found it almost difficult to breathe through the burning taste of bile at the back of my throat.

Wren was right outside, waiting for me to walk out the gates of hell. Yet, I didn't have the courage to hold her. I pushed my way past her and went to the nearest washroom, heaving everything out — everything but the wretchedness of my being. When I fell back to lean against the wall behind me, I was panting without actual air going into my lungs. My hands fumbled to find the inhaler in my pocket, and it was utterly pathetic how reliant I was on having this thing to keep me alive.

When I finally felt calmer, I pushed against the wall to stand and walked out of the washroom. Wren was still waiting for me outside, I could see the disappointment that shone in her pale blue eyes when she asked quietly, "Are you okay?"

I'm not.

Nodding slightly at her, I apologised, "I'm sorry, I just had to deal with this."

"I know," she mumbled softly, lowering her gaze as she sighed.

The ache in my chest rose again, but it was for a whole different reason this time. I gathered the remains of all the courage left in me as I reached towards her and held onto her hand. I smiled and called her name tenderly, "Wren."

I guess she kept up with her front for too long that at the sound of her name, she could no longer hold it in anymore. Wren crashed into me and sobbed, she complained, "It's all your fault!"

"Yes, it is," I chuckled, patting the back of her head. It's funny how my heart felt full and shattered at the same time as I wrapped my arm around her slender body and comforted her, "I'm sorry, angel. Don't cry anymore."

I grew up not knowing what empathy and compassion meant, but looking at the woman in my embrace, I felt comforted that someone knew of the pain that I felt. Although it broke my heart to see tears falling from such a beautiful pair of eyes, I was grateful that she understood my helplessness. The people who were supposed to be closest to me had never handed me any warmth or kindness.

Prying Wren's arm away from my waist, I cupped my palm against her slightly reddened cheeks and kissed the tears away from the corner of her eyes. I teased, "Don't cry anymore, my little songbird. Look, you're such a mess."

Her temper rose quickly as she swung her fist out to punch me in my chest. She grumbled, "Whose fault is it?"

"Mine," I laughed. "The fault's on me, alright?"

"I'm starving, Aillard," she mumbled.

I flinched a little at the sound of the name but I tried not to let my own emotions show as I cooed, "I'll bring you somewhere nice. Thank you for today, angel."

Aillard sat opposite of me, cutting up the steak into bite-size cubes before he placed his utensils down and served the plate towards me. Then, he requested for his to be served as he gestured for me to begin the meal. I picked up the fork and took a bite of the delicious steak, scanning around the quiet restaurant and realised that there wasn't anyone else except for us. I asked, "You had this place reserved?"

"Didn't fancy the quietness?" Aillard asked. "I thought it would be nicer to just dine in a place with just us."

"No," I replied. "Just thought that it felt rather lonely if you had been dining as such when I was away."

"Back then, you refused to dine with me too," Aillard said. "You'd rather just stand at a discreet corner to watch me eat, creepily."

I rolled my eyes, and reminded, "I was your employee, not your friend."

"You're also my employee now, angel," Aillard laughed.

"A different kind of social standing from then," I explained. "A special assistant had heavier responsibilities."

"Understandable," Aillard responded quietly. "Though, you should know that I had never treated you as anyone inferior to me."

"I know," I smiled. "Thank you for that."

"You never had to thank me for anything, angel."

"Nice doing business with you, Mr Illiades," I laughed cheekily, raising my wine glass towards him.

"Definitely a pleasure to have you, Ms Ashenherst," Aillard returned the small humour, clinking our glass together for a toast.

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a/n.

hey there reader,

this is unrelated to the story itself. but i would appreciate it if you stopped by to listen to my little rant. i had been on a hiatus for a while prior to the previous few updates. this was because i was suffering, mentally. i had gone through a hard time on my own and i'm still struggling every day to get well and be well.

i didn't mean to let you carry this burden for me, but i really wanted to tell this to someone. writing had been helping me, and i will try my hardest to complete this story or continue to write stories. i hope you enjoy all these small updates along the way. and i wish you all the happiness for taking your precious time to read this small author note. 

here's all my love to you.