Sophia turned and eyed him for a long, steady moment. “You didn’t bring your work.”Sophia inquired coolly. Ansel glanced at his empty hands as if to confirm their emptiness before answering, “That’s right.” work could wait was an observation not a promise, not even a particularly meaningful offer. Sophia nodded, the slight uncertainty in the gesture slipping past her meticulously constructed composure, just before her name was called.Her gaze lifted to the nurse who beckoned her, the abrupt shift between him and the clinic worker as seamless as the closing of a door. The examination room again exuded soft, calming light, designed to allay anxiety as well as facilitate examination. Ansel followed her in, lingering near the door for just a moment while he shifted between this entirely different reality of contracts and balance sheets and that of impending fatherhood. The nurse directed him towards a chair at the side of the examination bed. “You can sit there, sir.”Ansel complie

The official announcement came before most people in the office had even cleared the slumber from their eyes. Lara saw it on the screen of her tablet while reviewing the daily schedule for each branch. "King's Corporation Annual Charity Gala at the Headquarters Event Announcement," the bulletin proclaimed in bold, glaring text, that had an undercurrent of unnecessary authority, even before you reached the actual details of the announcement. She blinked, processed, then blinked again. Her mind still stubbornly clinging to a slightly tilted view of reality. The gala. It wasn't just an event; not an announcement, really. It was the one event of the year where all the disparate segments of King's Corporation would meet. Where all hierarchies dissolved into the gleam of chandeliers and the well-practiced resonance of pronouncements from the pulpit. King's Corporation senior management would attend. And that meant Lara would go to the headquarters. The sentence rested like an unformed

The music played for quite a long time after the dance concluded. A murmur of polite, light conversation buzzed through the enormous and opulent ballroom, ebbed and flowed, rose and fell in waves of pleasantness. Crystal chandeliers cascaded golden light throughout the space, as servers glided from table to table in near-silence bearing platters of hors d'oeuvres and delicate desserts. Laughter bounced from every corner, and the annual King's Corporation social was the primary point of business – and gossip – for business tycoons, investors, and their companions. To outsiders, the evening couldn’t have been a more tremendous success. Big wigs and CEOs shook hands to seal their next big deal; Board Members held brilliant discussions with major investors; the press interviewed Senior Executives about their latest philanthropic exploits; the evening seemed like a perfect symphony of success. The problem was… below the dazzling surface… there was an undercurrent of silent disharmony w

Lara stared at the glittering lights outside the building and let them run into the smeared colours that ran from her tear-drenched eyes, although there was a stinging clarity which now bloom inside of her. Everything that you forget becomes even more tangible whenever someone is able to speak them aloud and give them shape. “Now I remember it all.”Ansel let out a dry chuckle. “Ain’t that ironic? I was blind whilst it all went on, and now…” he gestured towards the double doors to the ballroom, “…now I see it all.” Lara did not move. The meeting that they had been attending all these months ago; she had already replayed the events countless times over and over again. She had imagined yelling at him, screaming and throwing things. Having to deal with the agony until she had been unable to breathe; until she had been forced to demand answers. Yet, somehow Lara felt an unfamiliar calm. She had the feeling that she had already gone through the excruciating pains of all of the hurt.

Just hearing the name alone made a pang of pain shot through me. The woman carried on, oblivious to what she was thinking. "They look so close together don't they?" She gave a forced smile, "They sure do make a good team." "Yes!"The woman chuckled, " I honestly thought they've been together since they got here." Sophia didn't say anything else. As the woman walked away she remained standing at my quiet spot in the corridor, pondering over everything. Everyone had seen Daniel and Lara and everyone thought they were becoming close. They never thought about the obvious that Daniel and Lara only become close because they needed to and had no choice. The obvious reason was so obvious to everyone that they hadn't realised it. If they did, they'll understand. The only thing is that, it wasn't Daniel that she feared; he was only the first stepping stone to get to the one she truly feared. ...Ansel stood at one of the many tall windows that looked out to the sprawling city lights.