William sighed.
My quiet and alone time with my takeout…
Cassandra ate elegantly.
They were no longer at the apartment, but were in a rather nice restaurant.
“What are you doing here, Mother?” William asked, not eating the meal in front of him.
“I can’t come to see my child when I miss them.” She asked, a small frown on her face.
William’s expression hardened slightly.
“That isn’t what I meant,” he said.
“Your arrival here is a bit impromptu.”
Cassandra swirled her glass of wine, looking at it.
“Well, you haven’t been picking up my calls…”
“I’ve been busy,” he replied.
“Yes, yes… It’s simply that I’ve been worried, given your cousin, who recently awakened, is the key to my sister’s return—”
“Are you in Saesburg because you wish to see my cousin?”
Cassandra dropped the glass.
“Partly,” she admitted.
“But I did come to see you…”
“You know something,” William asked.
“Nothing that isn’t common knowledge,” she responds.
“I’m certain you are aware of the rising tensions… Gerald is planning an attack on your cousin to force him to awaken despite the dangers it could cause…”
“Okay,” William said, uninterested.
Cassandra blinked a few times, her expression slowly shifting to a deep frown.
“Did I say something wrong?” William asked, unbothered.
“You seem unworried…”
William tapped against the desk.
Slow.
Calculating.
“Whatever Gerald’s plans are is none of my concern,” he said in a controlled tone.
“I’ve always known he preferred your sister to me as leader…
Unfortunately, I can’t find the time to worry…”
Cassandra’s eyebrows raised slightly.
“Is that so?
May I ask why?”
“It’s only a matter of time before Dominic fully awakens… It’s only a matter of time, I can’t delay it if I tried…” William said.
She sighed.
“It’s unfortunate… The rest of the family disregarded the years of work you put into them—”
William stared at her coldly.
Cassandra didn’t react, holding eye contact with.
He looked away.
“I’ll have a hotel booked for you.”
William gripped the wheel of his car, the air conditioner barely doing to cool him off.
A headache that had been building up all evening finally settled behind his eyes.
He had barely eaten anything during dinner with his mother.
How could he?
When the conversation forced him to think of his position.
He hadn’t lied when he told her he didn’t have time to think of his position as head of the Hellbourne family about to be compromised.
Even when Adrian came to his office with his not-so-subtle threat, he just wanted to finish his work.
“I suppose I should do something about Gerald…” he muttered.
His phone began to ring loudly, snapping him out of his thoughts.
“Hello?”
“William!”
He nearly drops his phone in surprise.
“R-Roxanne?” he said in confusion.
“Thank goodness…”
She sounds like she’s been crying.
“What’s going on?
How are you calling—”
“I don’t have time to explain… You have to help me… We came across some strange blights on our way to my hotel from the airport…”
“Did you use your resonance?”
There was a short pause on the other side of the line.
“Roxanne!”
“Yes… But I didn’t want the blights to suffer, they were ordinary people, William…”
William frowned.
“What do you mean—Where are you?
I’m coming to get you.”
Roxanne sat in the bed, Dominic on her lap, lying unconscious.
Vine-like patterns passed through her arms and disappeared beneath his hairline.
Every few seconds, she winced in pain as if she shared his pain.
Blood spilling from her nose, and she wiped her nose quickly
Olive stood silently by the door.
How did they end up in this situation?
Well, after Dominic had gone unconscious, Roxanne had begun panicking, calling everyone whose numbers she’d stored in her brain.
Olive had suggested that they’d go to a hospital or to B.O.G.S.
But Roxanne firmly refused.
Refusing the hospital because how would they explain to the medical professionals, also B.O.G.S would find out.
Refusing B.O.G.S because it would mean that she’s been targeted, meaning that she’s in danger, and they can’t have someone as important as she to be in danger.
And she’d be protected always until she’s forced to return home.
How did they manage to get Dom in the hotel?
Well, Roxanne has a special ability of being able to transport herself through plant life.
Olive checked in first, and Roxanne transported herself and Dominic to the room, then returned to the hotel lobby to check in to avoid suspicion.
“You know what you’re doing isn’t helping,” Olive commented after moments of silence.
“I know, but I can reduce his pain,” Roxanne replied.
“By taking a part of his pain?” Olive said, her arms crossed.
“It’s the best I can do,” Roxanne said firmly.
Olive rolled her eyes.
Whatever…
A knock on the door.
Roxanne gasped.
“That must be William,” she said.
“Open the door,” she said, waving to Olive in a hurry.
“Thank you, Olive,” he said politely as he looked around calmly before seeing Roxanne with Dominic.
Him…?
“What happened?” He asked.
Roxanne gave him a quick brief of what happened.
“And you didn’t think to take him to a hospital or B.O.G.S.?” he said, brushing his hair back.
“You know my situation… I can’t do that, I would be more restricted than I am,” Roxanne said.
“What do you expect me to do?” he exclaimed.
“I don’t know, don’t you Hellbournes have a way of healing each other…?”
“Why do you think—Never mind…” William brushed it off, bending down to observe Dominic closely.
So this is him… He is far more unstable than I thought…
“Am I the only one you called?”
“No…” Roxanne replied.
“I called Adrian, but he didn’t respond; the line kept saying the number was nonexistent…”
William looked surprised.
“You don’t have his new number?”
“He changed his number?”
Roxanne looked heartbroken by this knowledge.
“He never told me…”
William didn’t speak for a while.
Why am I not surprised she contacted him first, after all these years?
“I’m surprised he’s not here.”
“Rude…”
Everyone gasped in surprise, looking around in search of Adrian, only to find him sitting at the windowsill.
“I’ve been here a while, waiting to be noticed.”
He jumped from the sill, softly landing on the ground.
William held back the urge to roll his eyes.
I’m too tired for this…
Adrian walked to Roxanne, stopping right in front of her.
“Hello, darling…
miss—”
Roxanne jumped off the bed, punching him across the room onto the wall.
Adrian’s glasses were knocked away, and his head hit the wall hard.
Blood spilling from the back of Adrian’s head.
His eyes closed from the pain.
Roxanne stood before him.
“You changed your number…”
“Valid reaction,” Adrian said, smiling.
He stood up, touching the back of his head, feeling the wet blood on his fingers.
“I’m certain I’m up for some one-sided beating, I need to help him before he crosses over the spirit world… If you don’t mind.”
“Roxanne,” William got close enough and touched her shoulder.
Roxanne inhaled and exhaled heavily.
Holding back her emotions.
“You have some explaining to do later…”
“Great…” Adrian said.
“William, come… I would require some assistance from you.”