The Essence Of The Darkness
EOTL eps 9: Falling In Traps

Episode 5/6 of the 6-episode schedule this week

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"Good night."

Sera stepped into the room without the slightest guilt. The woman stood near the entrance of the private room that had been closed by Xavier's men from outside, then nodded her head in a formal manner towards the man. "Thank you for inviting me to dinner together to celebrate, I really appreciate it."

Xavier thinned his lips, holding back the anger that began to flare within his soul as his eyes retraced Sera's appearance from head to toe intently.

This brash woman not only refused to wear the dresses and jewelry presented by her, but instead challenged Xavier by choosing to wear clothes that might be the ugliest clothes that could be taken from her closet.

If Sera does not want to wear her gown, Sera should know the name of the restaurant chosen by Xavier as their dinner place. Sera must have known that this was a famous restaurant that had an unwritten rule, which was that the guests were about to have dinner here, required to wear formal polite clothes to adjust to the class of this restaurant which is intended for the upper class.

Female guests who get a chance to book at this restaurant will surely come by wearing their best clothes and competing to dress up to be the most beautiful and most expensive looking. So did the men who came to accompany his woman, like Xavier now who wears an elegant suit that makes him look so handsome tonight, almost all men wear formal suits to show their class.

Xavier knows, from Sera's previous track record of work at several well-paid international companies, Sera is more than able to afford her own beautiful dresses and jewelry. But she insisted on providing the dress and jewelry, to show her intimidation and power. By wearing her gown, furnishing her with the jewelry she chose, and coming without being able to argue to the dinner she ordered at the location she specified, Xavier wants to show that he has power over Sera and can move Sera like a wayward puppet that has no will.

But instead of following the unwritten rules of the restaurant and following Xavier's instruction, the woman came wearing trousers. Yes, ugly red cloth pants are striking a little bit of a froth berbugkus the lower part of his body, coupled with a black top with a tacky model that seems sewn for women who come from the sixties.

Luckily, they are now in a private dining room. Otherwise, Xavier knew for sure that everyone would focus their attention on Sera tonight with scornful and wondering gazes, how can a woman with such uncivilized clothes get a reservation at this restaurant.

Xavier may not care about people's views, but he doesn't like it when someone else scoffs at and belittles his dinnermate, whoever it is.

"Why don't you wear the gift I gave you?" Xavier said calmly, trying to keep his voice under control. Every time he stared at Sera's ugly clothes, aggravation instantly spread in his mind, blowing flames of fury growing bigger and bigger there.

Xavier gritted his teeth. Somehow this time it took a little longer for him to master himself. Anger seemed to spread slowly in his veins, burning himself little by little and if he was caught off guard, Xavier could have burst into rage and been defeated by the woman.

Being used to being obeyed by people who were afraid of him, the experience of facing someone who was defiant and blatant against him, made Xavier difficult to master himself. He picked up the wine glass he had not touched, then took a sip to calm himself down. After that, he stared at Sera who was still standing there and seemed hesitant with the questioning view.

“So? Why didn't you answer my question, Miss Sera?” ask Xavier again.

Xavier's arrogant attitude made Sera look up her chin haughtily, as if her instinct to fight back was awakened again.

“Aren't you going to let me sit down first?” Sera asked sweetly, even though there was a sharp knife tucked behind the sugar baluran in her tone.

Again, the woman defied.

Xavier thinned his lips, then forced a friendly smile that usually managed to become a mask to cover what he felt.

“Ah, sorry. I was so fascinated by the uniqueness of your appearance that I forgot about manners. Please sit down, Miss Sera, the waiter will be here soon to bring you the appetizer menu. While waiting, we can have a conversation here while drinking wine,” Xavier's eyes watched Sera who immediately took a seat in front of him after being invited.

The man then raised his chin towards the empty glass available in front of Sera.

“You want me to pour wine for you? This wine is the best wine that is very suitable to use to wash the tongue before enjoying delicious dishes in this restaurant.. once you drink it you will feel the sensation.”.

“No, thank you, Mr. Xavier. I don't drink alcohol, let alone on an empty stomach.” Sera interrupted in a stern voice, making whatever Xavier was about to say instantly evaporate in the air. “You could say I had a bad experience with alcohol so traumatized to drink it. My resistance to alcohol is very low, so if a single drop of alcohol enters and is absorbed into my bloodstream, I can get drunk instantly.”

Xavier's sharp eyes instantly met Sera's. Within a second, there was tension flowing from the two of them, but in an instant, both managed to close and get rid of him.

The woman immediately put on her innocent cheerful smile, then spoke with a quick sentence that consumed her breath.

“You asked why I didn't wear the dress you gave me? That's because before I got here, I was at my friend's house. She is a mother of three small children, and her house is always boisterous low by active children, moves a lot and sheds everything cheerfully. That's why I think this outfit is more suitable for use in situations like this,” Sera looked at Xavier and raised her eyebrows. “Then, because I was too busy chatting, I forgot the time and almost came to an appointment with you too late. So I didn't get to change clothes. Thank you for the beautiful dresses and jewelry that you have given me to wear, unfortunately it is the feeling for the moment that makes me unable to wear it as you wish. But, I guess, it doesn't matter, does it? I know that if you understand that I don't mean to make you feel unappreciated, after all we came here to eat, not for fashion shows.” Sera added her sentence sharply, as if forcing Xavier to understand the intent behind her words.

And Xavier understands. Sera clearly said that this appointment with Xavier was not something important. The woman clearly said that Xavier was the second choice after the appointment with her many children.

“I see,” Xavier replied calmly even though his blood started to boil by a burst of offence. Even so, Xavier still gave his sweetest smile when he sharpened his gaze towards Sera. “Because you will be my personal assistant which means that you will spend a lot of time with me, so I insist that it is better that we take off the formal attitude and not use the words ‘You’ and ‘I’ again. I'm more comfortable if we use ‘aku’ and ‘kamu’, as said by a friend.”

Sera's head lifted and her lips opened, about to refute for a moment. Unfortunately, Xavier who saw this gelagat immediately raised his hand, signalling that Sera did not make any resistance.

“If you don't want to accept this as a friend's request, then just assume this is your boss's order. I insist,” Xavier said in a cold tone full of threats.

A tense frozen nuance immediately spread throughout the room, making Sera suddenly start to be attacked by fear.

It seemed, his deliberate defiance of Xavier had pushed the man to the limit of his patience. Sera had been playing around with the fire and she knew that she would burn if not careful. Wisely, Sera chose to retreat and secure herself.

“Alright, Mr. Xavier,” said quickly and when he saw Xavier's eyes glittering dislike, Sera immediately corrected his speech, throwing away the frills of the ‘Tuan” designation to mention the man's name. “Xavier, I mean Xavier,” he said slowly.

A satisfied smile this time was on Xavier's lips without being able to hide. Interacting with Sera, although it had made her have to grit her teeth in spite of the annoyance, it turned out to be pleasant. They both seemed to be competing to seize the top position, alternately competing to be in the strongest position and control the others.

Right now, since Xavier quite liked the complexity of Sera's unique personality, he voluntarily held himself back and was a little down, deliberately letting Sera have the upper hand. But of course, Xavier would not let Sera linger on top. If he had confirmed that this woman was the kind of traitor who had infiltrated to stab her in the back, he vowed to make her bow at his feet and not rise again, by any means.

The door was knocked and when Xavier gave his permission, a servant entered the room carrying a food dish that was directly placed in front of the two of them.

After the maid left, Sera lowered her head curiously to stare at the source of the delicious fragrance on the table, and her eyes widened to see the beauty of the sumptuous dishes neatly arranged on the tiny plate.

The arrangement of the appetizer is quite pleasing to the eye, with a dark red color at the base, stacked with beautiful pink bursts, and, then added a contrasting white color on it combined with the fresh green color of vegetables that are arranged very elegantly.

Sera only knew that the dish looked beautiful, but she could not even guess what food was in front of her.

Although his past work required him to attend official dinners in first-class venues. However, Sera was never interested in French dishes because he thought it was too complicated, a little portion and not filling.

To eat at an ordinary French restaurant he had to think first, especially to eat at a Michelin-starred French restaurant that he would definitely avoid.

He glanced at Xavier curiously, and his cheeks flushed red when he realized that Xavier was observing the change in his facial expression with a keen gaze of judgment.

Sera again put on a bright smile of her cherry.

“I'm just guessing what this dish is. French cuisine... uh is usually quite extreme..” When Xavier says nothing, Sera widens her smile awkwardly. “I mean, this is not some kind of extreme food like snails or frog legs, right?”

Xavier's expression softened and the man seemed to be refraining from laughing at Sera.

“It's not a strange food. It was a lobster cooked ala sous vide soaked in beetroot juice and served alongside fresh vegetables. Tweet it, you will definitely love the savory blend of fresh sweet lobster that melts in your mouth.”

Xavier picked up his cutlery and was about to feed the appetizer into his mouth, but at the same time, his phone suddenly rang, making the man put his cutlery back down and frown.

He has turned off his phone call ringing and closed all calls that could possibly interfere with his dinner.

Only an emergency and important call could reach him….

Curiously, Xavier took his phone out of his suit pocket, and glanced at his caller's name clearly on his phone screen.

Dimitris.

Why would the man call at a time like this, and much faster than the time he gave him?

Xavier lifted his head from his phone, then looked towards Sera who was still waiting and threw an apologetic look at her eyes.

“It's an emergency business affair. Sorry, I have to accept it.” Xavier moved from his sitting position. “No need to wait for me, please enjoy your meal first.”

While nodding and throwing an apologetic smile, Xavier stepped out of the private dining room and closed the door behind him, leaving Sera alone there.

“It is better this is important.”

Xavier uttered harshly when he received Dimitri's phone call in another VIP room that had been sterilized and was also closely guarded by his men so as to rule out the possibility that someone else could steal the hearing the conversation.

“This is important. This is information about Serafina Moon that you want,” said Dimitri with a stiff voice across there.

Xavier couldn't help but grin even though he knew that Dimitri wouldn't be able to see him.

“So excited are you doing what I tell you? Has the effect of the poison begun to be felt and you are afraid that you will die when you fail and I refuse to give the antidote?”

Dimitri fell silent and Xavier could guess that the man was gritting his teeth across the street.

“I'm fine and the effects of the poison haven't been felt, until another month. You will definitely keep your promise to give me the antidote if you hear what I get. So, you want to hear no?” dimitri asked in a harsh tone.

“Say.” Xavier's voice spoke seriously, slipping an arrogant commanding tone there.

“That girl, Serafina Moon has a more complex past than you can imagine. As you may have guessed, she does have a close relationship with the Dawn family, the family whose daughter you ruthlessly murdered.”

Dimitri added his last sentence with a denouncing tone, as if he wanted to poke Xavier's conscience.Unfortunately, Dimitri's efforts certainly did not meet results, he said, because Xavier himself was not sure if he still had a conscience or not.

“Continue. Is it as I suspected, she is the hidden sister of Anastasia who came seeking revenge to avenge me?” ask Xavier quickly.

Dimitri laughed, his voice as though scornful Xavier.

“You think the story will be that simple? The story of a sister who demanded revenge for her brother's death? Maybe I should let you down, Xavier, because your guess was wrong. Well, there are some that are right, but the rest of you are wrong and you wouldn't expect it. Sera is indeed related to the Dawn family and she came to destroy you. However, his motivation makes you his enemy, much different from what you imagined.”

The dishes were empty, and any dishes that had been served there had been unceremonious toilets.

The dish was delicious as expected, its flavor was artistically styled and so careful that it was able to stimulate the tongue in an extraordinary way that Sera had never felt before.

However, a dish like this that is enjoyed alone in a quiet closed room with a curious heart mixed with fear, making Sera unable to enjoy it to the fullest.

Even so, Sera still finished her food until the toilet. This dish is definitely very expensive, and will lose if Sera leaves it.

Where's Xavier?

For so long the man came out to call but until Sera finished the appetizer, Xavier did not return.

Don't you think the man had a precarious affair that came all of a sudden, then left him alone here?

But, if that was the case, one of the boys that Sera had seen was standing guard at the door, would have gone inside to tell her, right?

The confusion somehow suddenly made Sera feel a little dizzy. He blinked his eyes many times as he felt his gaze blurry and spinning.

Sera raised her hand to massage her throbbing temple in pain, but it could not relieve her dizziness.

What the hell's going on?

His logical mind still had time to wonder, examining the oddities that ruled his body and almost snatched away his consciousness.

Feels like…. Like when he was drunk and intoxicated.

Sera's head lowered and her eyes stared at the empty plate in front of her.

He obviously didn't drink alcohol at all. But this taste is known for sure exactly the same when Sera alcohol poisoning….

Is...is there alcohol in these foods?

Sera's question hung in the air, unlucky to be able to meet with her answer, because suddenly, darkness immediately rushed in and oppressed her consciousness, making her wander with her eyes closed, helpless on her chair.

It was at that moment that Xavier entered the room. His expression looked cruel. His eyes glanced at the empty dish, then his eyes were fixed on Sera's slow body losing consciousness on top of her chair.

Slowly Xavier bent his body, then scooped Sera into his sling.

When Sera says she has a low resistance to alcohol, Xavier almost informs her that their appetizer, not a lobster soaked in regular beetroot juice, is not, but the lobster is soaked in beet juice mixed with pure red wine with a strong enough alcohol content. However, Xavier finally abandoned his intention to tell Sera, because he wanted to see firsthand whether the woman was really alcohol resistant, or did he just lie and use it as an excuse to refuse Xavier's offer to pour wine into his glass.

Sera did not lie.

The woman actually had such low resistance to alcohol that she instantly fainted even just from ingesting a very small dose.

Xavier's lips outlined a cruel smile when he saw Sera's helpless face inside her sling.

This woman hides many secrets. The little traitor who dared to try to enter and wanted to stab him from behind, but instead foolishly declared his weakness before his dangerous enemy.

It may be time for Xavier to show Sera that he is feared by many people, not without reason. That way, Sera would be aware, how terrifying the enemy she was currently facing was.

Essence Of The Light (EOTL) is Season Two of Essence Of The Darkness which is specifically about Xavier Light.

May you all be happy to accompany the author and Xavier to live his life story to the end of the road.

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And most importantly, the sincere support of the spirit from all of you is the main one.

Because there is already a group chat feature in Noveltoon (in Mangatoon there is no ) then the Author will make an announcement of uploading the script, update the schedule up and all novel-related stuff in the group chat author. Please join there.

If you like fantasy romance stories, also read the new author novel titled INEVITABLE WAR which is now published in Mangatoon, yes. To visit, please find the title "INEVITABLE WAR" in the search field, or click author --> profile select "KARYA' --> Scroll to the bottom ---> In the Contribution section, there are titles of Novel by the author in Mangatoon, and please click the cover of the novel INEVITABLE WAR

Thank You's. By AY