❝ अंत अस्ति प्रारंभ ❞
________________
❝The End is the Beginning ❞
THIRD PERSON
[Bitter love by Pia Mia playing]
Her long black silk dress brushed the ground as she held roses in her hand. Her hair, long and wavy like before, was turned white because of the Vitrioxen that filled inside her to save her life.
The weather was nothing like California today; it was dark and rainy. The wind blew the end of her dress and hair. She wore bloody red lipstick with long eyeliner, and her black pencil heels clicked as she started walking towards the graveyard.
Within a distance, she reached the field bloomed with red roses. "It's been a year," she whispered, making her way to his cemetery in between. She bent down, settling herself on the green grass.
"Since you are so kind as to think of me, be so kind as to bring me a rose, for as none grow hereabouts, they are a kind of rarity," she smiled, reading the epitaph carved on his gravestone. A tear dropped down her cheek. "It's been a year, Ash," she whispered, removing the dried leaves from his grave.
Her white hair fell across her shoulder. "A year to love everything in. Things are still complicated and-" she placed the red roses on the cemetery "Cade, I can't even remember when we last talked. I don't even know where he is. How can someone be this ill-fated, Ash?"
"I'm sorry. Sorry because if I just had listened to your apology before, maybe, maybe you would have been here with me." Athalia hugged her knees, letting out her sorrow. "What was my fault? Why all of this happened?" Her cheeks turned red as she sobbed hard.
"But," she wiped her cheeks with her palm, "He'd forgive me one day, right?" Something inside of her ached badly, as if her heart was about to burst from heaviness. "Or...? He moved on with someone else?"
A cardinal landed on his stone and started plucking the petals of the rose she brought for him. "You got your salvation, Ash, but my salvation will be on the day these flames would actually burn me, and I would be left in just ashes."
"You, my love, are going to be always remembered in my dreams, because no matter what our souls are made of, yours and mine are the same," she smiled, remembering he used to read her this line from Wuthering Heights whenever she felt down.
"À la folie, je t'aime," she whispered as she kissed his grave and got up, the rain pouring heavily. "Ma'am," her P.A. opened the umbrella for her, guiding her to the car. She sat in the backseat, closed her eyes, and listened to the music playing on the radio.
[Tired of California by Nessa Barrett playing]
❝And everyone seems fine
Am I losing my mind?
I'm so tired of California, I'm so tired of L.A
Where the real thing comes as often, as the California rain
I got all these legal toxins in my blood and in my brain
I keep saying that I'm leaving but it doesn't work that way ❞
"Ms. Nova?" Linda's voice broke through her reverie. Athalia hummed in response.
"Mr. Hanniel asked you to be at the party," Linda informed her.
"Tell him I'm busy," Athalia replied, opening the window to feel the raindrops on her face.
"He said he wanted to discuss something personal with you and not to ignore this," Linda added.
Her eyes snapped open. Of course, she couldn't ignore his orders; after all, she was his puppet tied with the strings of a contract. "Drive me there, then," she instructed, her tone resigned.
The car pull off to the lavishly building, every eyes landed on her, Athalia stoped appearing to the parties like this after the incident her presence for other was a surprise to other.
Her heels clicked against the marble floor as she made her way to the VIP area where Lewis was standing with other businessmen.
Dressed in a simple dark suit, with his cane, Lewis's left leg, which was shot, never healed properly, and he refused any kind of surgery.
"Excuse me, I need to have a word with Ms. Nova," Lewis excused himself and walked toward Zaria, who was sitting peacefully, enjoying her own company. Athalia followed him to the table. "Good evening, Mrs. Hanniel," she smiled, taking a seat in front of them.
Ever since her second miscarriage happened and Cade left her, it was only Zaria's emotional support she got. Zaria treated her like her own daughter, for a woman understands the pain of another woman.
"We're stuck," said Lewis, "and in trouble," he added, taking a sip from his drink. "You are too in trouble, Athalia."
"What happened?" she asked. "The Boards played with me, and now I have to step down," Lewis explained. "They made me sign a contract to remove my son from the authority of Guard, and whoever takes over would have control over you too. As per our contract, you have to follow their orders."
"But Guard is passed down to your family members," a voice cut her off, and her eyes showed a glint of life upon seeing him after a long time. He smiled back. "That's why we need your help, Athalia," said Kabir, taking a seat beside her.
"I can't handle something that was meant for Cade, Athalia," Kabir passed her a sad smile. "How can I help in something like this?"
"You are still second in command," reminded Lewis. "I haven't mentioned 'Cade Hanniel' in the contract. If you both just," he smacked his lips and looked at Zaria, "If you got married to him, you'll become our legitimate family member, and your vote will have more weight than the Boards, Athalia."
"He would never marry me. Have you looked at the face he made while leaving me? It was as if he wanted to kill me too!" she retorted, placing back the contract on the table.
"He would, Athalia. At that time, he was blinded by wrath, but I'm sure he must be calm by now. You just have to persuade him with love." Zaria spoke up
"It's about your and our future, Athalia. You have been the joker in this gamble of lives, my dear, and now is the time to use our Ace."
NOTE
Finally the Epilogue!!!!! I don't know but I'm having an unfamiliar feeling after finishing this book. But this is not the end. Every End is the start to a new beginning.
Be prepared for "Joker of Hearts" after we hit 50 k on Ace of World 🙃.
And for the meantime I'm on a long break, thanks all of you for the support through out this story, to the readers who voted and commented on chapter I'm really greatful of you all.
Thank you so much, hope you enjoyed the story. 🥰