The Essence Of The Darkness
EOTL eps 67: Burning Fire
“I didn't expect that you also invited my wife.”
For the sake of politeness, Xavier stood up from his seat and pulled the chair he had been sitting on for Sera. His voice sounded delicate, but as he spoke, his gaze pierced towards Akram who was following his wife into the room with an innocent expression.
Akram raised his eyebrows. Of course the man was clearly aware of the accusatory gaze that Xavier had thrown at him. He shrugged his shoulders without any burden.
“Elana invited Sera to come here. You know, these two pregnant women have long wanted to meet and spend time chatting and sharing pregnancy experiences with each other.” Akram hugged Elana tightly, as if to show protection for his wife. “It has nothing to do with you,” he continued later in a voice that was no less piercing.
Xavier immediately turned his gaze towards Elana. However, the woman looked at him with a sparkling smile, as if Elana was a sinless angel who did not hide any plans behind her back.
Finally Xavier took a deep breath. If facing Akram, maybe he is ready to confront, but if facing Elana, Xavier knows that he will melt down and choose to give up.
Redirected his gaze towards Sera who had already stepped near him. His eyes studied Sera's flat expression and did not imply any emotion other than a stiff formal smile on her lips that was lulled just for show sake alone. Xavier finally commented on the smile, he then turned his body back and gave way to Sera to sit on the chair she had danced, before then the man took a seat next to her.
Xavier then spoke to Elana, trying to explain why she was so surprised to see Sera present at this dinner.
“I'm sorry for my exaggerated reaction. I'm just worried about Sera being pregnant. His condition is still vulnerable and I think the safest thing for Sera is to stay home and take as much rest as possible.
“I'm fine, Xavier.” Sera interrupted with a sharp cold voice. “You can see it for yourself, right?” he continued to ask.
Xavier immediately stopped his sentence when interrupted, the man then turned his head towards Sera, watching with a deliberate look, scanning the whole of Sera to make the woman careless, before then a grin full of irony appeared adorning his lips.
“Yes. Thank goodness, you look healthy and fine.” Xavier's eyes stared intently before then adding his sentence intentionally, “and also very beautiful,”.
A red hue immediately adorned Sera, but the woman tried to refrain from showing her emotions.
“Thank you,” the answer is short, again speaking only for the sake of politeness.
The awkward nuances of the couple seemed to spread throughout the room, making Elana throw a meaningful look at Akram who immediately signaled to his wife not to interfere.
“Halo.”
A soft, masculine voice suddenly sounded from next to Sera. At that moment, Sera realized that there was someone else sitting next to her. Sera turned her head and eyes instantly widened when her eyes found an elegant handsome figure in a black suit neatly attached to her body.
The man looked so perfect, as if every inch of his appearance had been carefully calculated to dazzle others. In fact, not a single strand of hair was separated from the elegant arrangement behind it. All that perfection, still coupled with a strong face with thick aristocratic lines arranged beautifully and certainly make the heart of anyone, including Sera, rustle because of it. But the murmur felt by Sera, of course, had no more meaning. It was just the usual swish of a woman who saw the beauty of the appearance of the opposite sex that was worthy of appreciation and admiration.
Sera's eyes widened as she finally recognized the figure beside her. Credence Evening's. Sera found out about the man while she was learning about Xavier. Credence Evening was one of Xavier's supporters and could be called his best friend. Most definitely, although his appearance seemed so polite and elegant, Credence's appearance was as deceptive as Xavier Light's smiley charm. Sera knew that Credence was as dangerous as Xavier, which was why she realized that she had to be very careful in front of this man.
Credence's sharp eyes instantly knew the meaning of the introduction that was evident in Sera's eyes. The man then extended his hand confidently towards Sera.
“It looks like you already know who I am. However, it would be nice if I acted in accordance with the norm by introducing myself first. I am Credence Evening, you could say I was a friend of Akram and Xavier since young. I'm sorry I didn't attend your wedding with Xavier. Had it been Xavier telling me that time, I would have emptied my schedule and made sure to come. Unfortunately, Xavier had apparently forgotten my existence so he did not bother to convey this happy news to me.” Credence smiled calculatingly, while his eyes glanced towards Xavier who was staring intently from next to Sera.
His grin grew wider when Sera's tiny hand reached out without a second thought. Eagerly, Sera clasped her hand and shook it slightly.
“It's nice to meet you, Serafina Moon, I hope we can be good friends.”
Sera raised an eyebrow when she realized that Credence had deliberately pointed out that the man already knew about her by mentioning her full name clearly. But, he chose not to react to anything, and simply nodded his head in response.
For some reason Sera felt discomfort from Xavier's stiffened body beside her, even with Xavier's eyes blatantly piercing sharply toward the tightening of her hand with Credence.
Unfortunately, as if to challenge Xavier, Credence instead brought Sera's hand to her lips, then dyed her in a polite elegant manner but implied intimacy, before then letting go.
Sera's cheeks flushed red feeling the unexpected heat of Credence's lip kiss on the back of her hand. Unknowingly, Sera clasped her own hand and rubbed it awkwardly. It certainly did not escape the gaze of Xavier who was watching closely, making a fire of anger burning in Xavier's eyes.
At that instant, Xavier threw a warning-filled eye toward Credence who only smiled calmly as if unconcerned.
An uncomfortable awkward atmosphere again filled the air throughout the room, making the nuance stifle and lock the throat to make all the words spoken so stuck in each neck.
Lucky at the same time, the waiters came to bring in dishes in silver trays that gave off a fragrant aroma tempting the sense of smell, their attention was diverted, too, fade the awkward nuance that had once filled the dining room.
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After the dinner, the men chose to continue drinking in the bar in the sitting room, while across the room, the, Sera was sitting alone with Elana on the big sofa attached to the wall. Elana opens up Zac's childhood photo album and shows it to Sera who looks at her with interest.
Xavier himself took a sip of his brenda, then slammed his crystal glass on the bar table while staring intently at Akram and Credence.
“Why Xavier? You look moody.” Without guilt, Credence shook the ice cubes in his crystal glass with a smile.
Xavier frowned towards Credence, and his eyes instantly narrowed sharply.
“Why are you suddenly in this country and have time for dinner here? Didn't you say that you're so busy with your work that you don't have much time to spare?”
“I don't have much free time.” Credence shrugged his shoulders. “I'm here on business. As per my schedule, I have to take care of some branches of the company here. Besides, I was very surprised to hear about your wedding news from Akram. Why don't you bother telling me, Xavier? Even until your wife is pregnant, you didn't tell me.”
“What did I tell you?” Xavier answered coldly. “You're not that close to me. Even if I die, you don't get into the priorities of people who need to be told.”
“Of course I need to know.” Credence kept putting on his calm smile, the man did not seem to be offended by Xavier's stern answer. “Did you forget that I have shares in some of your companies?”
“If I die, I will make sure that my company does not die.” Xavier grumbled, his eyes still glancing towards Akram who was silent while sipping his drink. “What exactly are your plans tonight, Akram? You deliberately brought me to Sera at this dinner, didn't you?”
Akram shook his head slightly, his eyes narrowed. “I told you that it was Elan who invited Sera. Nothing to do with me,” he replied flatly. “Again, why should you be unhappy? Shouldn't you be happy to see your wife's situation firsthand and make sure the pregnancy is healthy?”
Xavier thinned his lips. “I don't need to see him directly to monitor his condition,” he said coldly.
“So you've been secretly installing cameras to watch your wife? Or do you have your entire staff spy on your own wife?” Credence interfered in the conversation, interrupting Xavier's sentence with interest. When Xavier chose to ignore his question, the man did not give up. “Why do I feel that your marriage is not an ordinary one, Xavier? How can a husband separate himself from his wife who is pregnant with his child instead of accompanying?”
“My marriage is none of your business. Don't you have anything more important for you to take care of?” Xavier raised an eyebrow when he saw Credence's unusual attraction. “After all, this marriage of mine is indeed not an ordinary marriage, it is just a marriage based on mutual agreement. I give my help to Sera and in return, Sera is ready to give birth to a child for me.”
“So, if this marriage is only a technical marriage, then your wife's pregnancy is also obtained by technical means? I mean, if it's based on a cooperation agreement, then you're doing some kind of artificial insemination or maybe even a baby tube, right?” Credence frowned, seemingly thinking hard. “Then, it is true that it is said that the possibility of your wife carrying twins is very large. The type of fertilization with the intervention of medical measures can indeed be regulated regarding the number of embryos to be grown in the womb.”
Xavier cleared his throat, seemingly out of words as he listened to Credence's question.
“No. There was no medical intervention. The fertilization is natural,” he replied then in a reluctant tone of voice.
Credence raised an eyebrow. “So, you guys have sex to produce that pregnancy? And you're saying it's just a marriage by agreement?”
“I told you my wedding was just a deal.” Xavier never let himself get drunk, he had a pretty strong resistance to alcohol before, but tonight, he drank more than usual, making him a little out of control. His eyes narrowed, staring at Credence with a blatant probing attitude. “After all, why do you care so much about my married life, Credence? Usually you only think about business and do not care about personal problems. What makes you turn into some kind of gossipy woman who really likes to interfere in other people's lives?”
Credence shrugged his shoulders. Since then he looked relaxed, but when he said this time, the man returned Xavier's gaze with the same sharp gaze, his eyes as if challenging, measuring up to where Xavier's patience limits to his words.
“Because.. It seems, Serafina Moon entered into the criteria of my dream woman. I was wondering if I was going to come closer to him or not. If indeed your married life is indeed just a deal on paper, then it doesn't matter to you if I approach Sera, right?”
Xavier's eyes bought, this time, anger seemed to instantly burn him, making his entire body stiffen and his hands clenched.
“Are you crazy? Serafina Moon is pregnant with my child! Which immoral man approaches a woman who is pregnant with another boy?” he screamed in a growl.
Credence grinned. “You have known me for a long time, you must know that morality is not my main consideration,” he replied with a stubborn tone.
Instantly, Xavier immediately turned his head towards Akram, his accusing gaze aimed sharply at his half-brother.
“This must be your plan, right? I'm not a fool, and I can guess all these scenarios clearly from the start. You're the one who told Credence to get close to Sera, right? Do you still want to deny?”
“I don't deny.” Akram replied calmly, his eyes glancing slightly towards Sera and Elana who looked engrossed in commenting on every photo Elana showed from her beloved Zac photo album. The two creatures did not seem to hear their conversation and were engrossed themselves across the street. “I did ask Credence to approach Sera. What is my fault? If Credence is willing and Sera welcomes, won't that be an advantage to you? You've prepared yourself to welcome your death, haven't you? Wouldn't you be happy because I helped you find the right guard for Sera and her children later if you really had left them and there was nothing in the world to keep them in the future later? If Credence and Sera find a match, I think that's the best thing for all of you.”
Akram is deliberately cruel, throwing Xavier's intentions into his own face so that the man thinks about it. And his ruthless attitude pierced Xavier all the way to his deepest trough of heart, leaving him stunned to the point of being speechless.
Silence instantly crawled as the men chose to sip each other's drinks, as if the three were busy with their own thoughts. It was Akram who finally decided to leave the rigid silence by crossing the room and stepping towards his wife.
“Women are pregnant, it's night, isn't it time for you to sleep?” she said in a soft tone towards Elana. The day had indeed gone up at night, it was almost ten o'clock more, plus, the rain terrace seemed to be poured out of the sky and soaked the earth out there, he said, still coupled with strong winds with the sound of a storm that competes with the loudness of the sound of lightning striking. Most likely, the storm will strengthen by midnight, according to the weather forecast announced earlier.
Elana looked up her head, looking at her husband lovingly. Her baby was already sound in her crib after her breastfed earlier, and now she also felt a little sleepy. But, of course he would not forget Sera just like that. This dinner meeting is the plan, Elana will not stop before she can achieve her goal, which is to unite Xavier and Sera.
“I think it's time we all went home before the storm hit. I'm going home now before the storm comes," Xavier glanced at Sera who instantly turned moody as she approached. “You also need to rest, Elana,” he continued later in a soft tone.
“I should also go home, it's late at night.” Sera softly glanced at the clock on the wall and assessed the swiftness of the rain reflected from the window.
Spending time with Elana was very pleasant, she was waiting for Elana to breastfeed Zac to sleep and after seeing funny photos of Zac while listening to the story of Elana's first pregnancy experience.
All of that comforted his heart so much that it had not been several hours since they had finished their dinner. Now, Sera is calculating the time of her return. His house was located in the suburbs and was in the most distant location compared to all of them. It took me a few hours to reach my home. Sera only wished she could reach home before a huge storm came hitting.
“Is Credence going to stay here tonight?” Elana suddenly asked in an innocent tone, staring with her big eyes towards Akram. “Xavier's house is pretty close, so Xavier can go home safely before the storm comes. But what about Sera? It looks like the rainstorm will get worse as the weather forecast says, I'm worried about Sera on the way later because her house is quite far from here. Can I prepare a guest room so that Sera can stay tonight?” Without waiting for Akram's reply, Elana turned to Sera and clasped her hand. “Stay here, Sera. I'm not happy spending time with you. Tomorrow we can spend some time together, with Zac as well. Maybe we can take a walk to find baby gear, like we planned?”
“I'm willing to drop you off if you want to take a walk.” Credence suddenly acknowledged at the right time. “Akram must be busy working tomorrow, as well as Xavier. However, I took my time off tomorrow to take a break from the piling up work. I don't mind being the driver and bodyguard of two pregnant women who are equally charming.” With a friendly voice, Credence offered himself.
Elana smiled broadly.
“If it is not a hassle, we will be very happy,” the reply agreed towards Credence with full gratitude. The woman turned her head again towards Sera. “So? Stay tonight huh, Sera?” tanyakanya.
Sera had just opened her mouth to answer, but Xavier suddenly stepped forward. The man bent down and grabbed Sera's arm before gently pulling Sera to stand in his arms.
“No. Sera will be coming home with me.” Xavier decided in an indisputably cold tone, staring intently at everyone who was in the room –especially towards Credence-with a stern demeanor. “I'm not busy tomorrow. To buy our baby gear both\, I can deliver Sera myself." Xavier's words sound meaningful. The man glanced at his watch\, then reconnected his words. “I think we should hurry away before the storm hits. We say goodbye first\, good night.”
Without giving his interlocutor a chance to refute, Xavier immediately nodded his head politely, then sighed Sera whose arm he still held to follow in his footsteps leaving the room, get out of the house and head straight to his waiting car.
“Xavier.” When they got out of the house and crossed the lobby to head towards the car with the driver waiting, Sera finally ventured to call the man's name. Inexplicably Xavier's expression looked so ghastly dark, as if the man was harboring embers within his soul that could explode at any moment. “Xavier,” Sera calls again when Sera doesn't care about her calls. His hand moved trying to release Xavier's grip on his arm, but the man instead strengthened his grasp, making Sera grimace a little in pain. Sera thrashed, shaking her arm in despair. “Xavier, release. You hurt me,” he exclaimed later.
“Diam.” Xavier's voice sounded cold and resolute, piercing through the sound of heavy rain that was sympathetic to the wind and lightning. The man opened the car door, then pushed Sera into the passenger cabin of the car before she followed behind him, trapping Sera in the car that drove straight at his command.
When Xavier advanced the body towards the intercom and gave the driver their destination order, Sera immediately gasped and threw a protesting glance towards Xavier.
“You sent the driver to the hotel? Why don't you take me home?” tanyanya's worried.
Xavier shook his thin head. His molars seemed to tighten.
“We will be trapped in the storm if we force ourselves to continue the journey. Leaving for the hotel for tonight is the best decision.” The man suddenly turned his head and looked towards Sera with meaningful eyes. “Again, you haven't seen your husband in a long time. Don't you want to let go of longing with me?”
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The hello.
The author thanks for the likes of each part, comments, favorites, five-star rate and also VOTE RANKING given by the reader so that the author novel always goes to the rank.
Ebook Essence Of The Darkness/EOTD is available and can be purchased in the G00gle play book.
EOTD / Essence of The Darkness --> Story of Akram and ELana
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Yours Sincerely
AY
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