I dreaded waking up. The last month with everyone had felt like a stay of execution. Even if it all ended poorly, even if I endured horrific pain… I still think fondly of that month. Sad that a month of defending a fort could be considered a break, but that’s just how it is…

  Work was more or less the same. The rumors were still running rampant and really, it was only a matter of time until something happens. I would like to say I had a plan, some means of turning this around… I really didn’t.

  More money wouldn’t solve the issue. Attempting to rally the employees wouldn’t work. I wasn’t Terada, I didn’t have his authority, nor did they respect me as much as him. Not that it mattered, we couldn’t survive another month of hard labor, not like this.

  When I came into the office, nobody looked me in the eye. Though, the mood told me all I needed to know. Nobody was going to work to the death again. Even Terada was avoiding me.

  With nothing better to do, I looked around. Liche and Joan had arrived and were standing at our station. On approach, the pair looked at me unsure.

  “So, you got a plan boss?” Liche asked, a coffee cup in hand.

  “No… not one bit.” I said with a sigh… “How was your night?” I asked them both. It felt weird asking that, since I had been gone a month, or so it felt like, but in reality, it had only been a few days.

  “Not much.” Liche answered. “We decided after that crazy ride that we didn’t want to risk our lives for minimal gain. What about you? You sleep in?”

  I couldn’t blame her for that. And…

  “You could call it that.” I went ahead and explained the event. I didn’t think the mascots would care at this point.

  “Oh… that sounds scary.” Joan muttered. Liche was focused on the bit of advice I could give.

  “Huh… sounds tough. you lost in the end then?”

  “Yup. I’m not sure how different it’ll be with you, but you should aim for the gold coin if possible.”

  “Mm, we’ll put some extra effort into prepping then. Won’t we?” Liche asks Joan, who nodded enthusiastically.

  As we wound down our talk, the time for us to officially get to work started. I didn’t hurry to the office. The door was unlocked and inside was much the same. With another long, drawn-out sigh, I settled into the office chair.

  The phone was blinking. There were messages, voicemails. I pushed the button, and I felt the energy leaving my body. New work, but… Just listening to the requirements and what they wanted, plus the timeframe… Just one look at it and I knew it wasn’t going to happen.

  Once the last message rolled through, I rolled back and spun the chair around.

  It was an odd moment. Much like with the event. I had done all I could. I made the best decisions I could have made at the time and yet… this is the end result. Standing, I move towards the window. I look outside, towards the city. I never looked out the window much. The walls of the office were frosted glass, which prevented people from looking in and from me looking out, which only added to the isolation, even as I looked out over the city.

  With my hands behind my back, I just stared out…

  A strange calm settled over me. If this was to be it… so, be it. Even if I lose residency, I’m sure I could find a home in the lower district. I could work my way back up.

  As I stared out, the minutes passing by… A knock caught my attention. I turned to face the door, wondering who it was.

  “Enter.” I stated and the door opened… As the door swung open I saw a face I hadn’t expected to see ever again. It was Leo, sans the sunglasses. His hair swept back, a little bit of stubble on his face. He looked tired, but there was a grin on his face. A quick look over showed he was slightly messy, even his tie wasn’t set right. But really, that was normal for him.

  Behind him though, standing just outside the office was a woman. She wore a mask, and a sweater that clung tightly to her frame. She was looking around, clearly overwhelmed and unsure.

  “Heya Prima, how ya doin?” He asked, more like a thug. The door shut behind him, closing us in.

  “About the same.” I mentioned, brushing a hair out of my face and behind my ear. “You look like a mess.” I muttered and he just laughed.

  “I imagine I do. What do you think I’ve been doing this past month?”

  “Drinking.” I answered firmly, he just laughed.

  “I did a lot of that, yeah, but also… I was doing some thinking. You said a lot of things a month ago, but you weren’t entirely out of line.”

  He paused. His jovial smiling fading.

  “I shouldn’t have sat back and let you do that. I’m the manager here not you, you shouldn’t have to take the blame for me not doing my job. You were right on that. I was acting stupid, spoiled, but…”

  He focused on me, his steel grey eyes glinted.

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  “I’m here to show you what I can do.”

  “Really now?” I let out a laugh. Not quite believing he could even do what he said. “Not like it matters anyway, I mean, we’re completely and totally fucked as it is.”

  “Didn’t take you for someone that swears often. Too prim and proper for that.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I say it how I see it. So, what do you have? Does it involve your girlfriend back there? She looks like your type, breasts and all.”

  “She’s not my girlfriend, she’s the client.” He answers back, taking me for a spin.

  “Client?” I asked. Not quite sure I had heard that right.

  “Yup, client.” He then proceeds to slap down a folder. I glance at him warily before sitting down and rifling through it. The first few pages have me stumped.

  “You can’t be serious…” I muttered.

  “Deadly.” He answers back, not a note of mirth in his voice, though, his eyes were twinkling.

  With another sigh, I continued to read. Page after page. It was a bit strange, but…

  “It’s good.”

  “Really? I’m actually surprised you read it.”

  “If we’re working on it, I have to read it.” I brought a hand up to pinch my brow. “Now, can you tell me how this involves her?”

  “She is the creator, an independent artist. She has quite the following and due to that, she has plenty of money.”

  “I can see that… enough money to not only breeze past our quota, but make up the shortfall, all on her own… Just…”

  “Are you uncomfortable?”

  Was I? “A bit…” I admitted. “Really, I’m just imagining Terada’s face when he sees what our next project is.”

  That was when Leo gave me a wide grin. “It’s going to be incredible.”

  I couldn’t help but agree. “The only issue is, we’ll need to do all the storyboarding and working with agencies to get it moving forward. Normally, our clients handle that part.”

  “I already have it lined up.” He then pulled out even more documents. After reading through them, the contracts, doing some quick math…

  “Who are you and what have you done with Leo?” I asked, partially joking and partially serious.

  “Nothing, just finally decided to move and all…” He says and makes his way to his cabinet. “Now, how about a drink?”

  Eagerly, I accept it. The scorching liquid burning down my throat.

  I took a moment, to regard him, the sudden shift.

  “Leo, I…”

  “Don’t.” He replied back, mirroring what I had said to him. “Don’t say anything.” The joviality, the easy tone gone just like that, then…

  Like putting a mask on, he gave me an easy smile.

  “Now, how about bringing the new client in so I can start the process of bringing them in?”

  I took a moment to assess him, his mannerisms, in the end, I decided to return the same energy. “Sure thing, boss.” And I stood up, made my way out to invite her in, while he started up the process.

  I let him talk, though, I just knew I was going to be doing the actual paperwork later. Still, watching him actually take charge, was strange. Seeing that he even found a client was stranger still…

  In the end, it went about as expected. Terada had a conniption, but in the end agreed. Everyone in the division seemed both amused and appalled, up until we showed them their potential pay after adjustments. It was nowhere enough to make up the deficit, but it meant that we weren’t going to be adding to it.

  When work settled out for the day, I clocked out and headed for my warehouse. It had been over a month since I had last been here. A bit of dust had built up and inside the cold storage I found a familiar face.

  “Cobalt, how have you been?” I asked, and Cobalt sent over everything he had done. Trained, practicing his sword swings and meditating, to gather energy to improve himself. It sounded dull, but he was living his life to the fullest.

  Strangely, he even sent back his own inquiring ping. Wondering what it is I had done. So, I talked. I explained what had happened in the last month or so. Including the month of compressed time during the event.

  He got angry over those that disgraced me, he mourned at the loss of a potential brother, relief at my survival. The words of Diva made me think again, as I looked over Cobalt. Would he be considered a child of mine?

  Was I just being sensitive? Was I just lonely? Maybe in time, I would find more people to connect with, but… I liked keeping a comfortable distance between people. I didn’t want to become too attached to anyone, especially when a part of me knew, at some point, I would need to abandon them.

  Maybe I was a hypocrite. Or just a terrible person, but… Looking at Cobalt, recalling everything that happened. I couldn’t quite wait. Sensing my anticipation, Cobalt pinged back an inquiry.

  “Oh, wondering why I’m so happy?” I asked. Leo had been rather busy with his own success, so much so that he hadn’t noticed my change in mood. Sure, I was conflicted, but also…

  “Well, if you have to know it’s that…” I pause a moment. “Someone once said, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned and I’m anticipating the moment when I can prove that true. All those companies, all those people that spit at me and stepped all over me…”

  My words filled the space. The temperature seemed to drop, even Cobalt seemed to shiver.

  “I will destroy them. Piece by piece. Then, I will use those pieces to build myself a bridge, nay, a tower that I can use to reach the very heavens. Just imagining that day fills me with…”

  With? A shudder ran through me.

  “Warmth.” I muttered, feeling it. The feeling of finally getting one over someone else. Finally getting what I deserve.

  I almost couldn’t wait, but… Revenge was a dish best served cold. And I was nothing but ice.

  “Now, Cobalt…” I stated, changing the subject. “I need your help with something, if you don’t mind. A bit of training.”

  Eagerly, Cobalt agreed, only to be confused when I had him stand before me. Our hands intertwined. He was made of ice, his body cold to the touch, yet, it didn’t bother me.

  “Now, follow my lead, one… two… three…” I slow, his feet stamping on my own. I sense his worry, his frustration, but I just keep going. I send back soothing notes as we slowly move through the steps…

  “And… spin.” A single twirl, a very soft one, like he was treating me like a crystal figurine. With that, the first step was done. We just needed to practice, then up the tempo.

  “Again.”

  And again, we went. It was nostalgic. Going through my old dance lessons, repeating them for Cobalt. As a child, I had taken etiquette classes, dance classes, and even musical classes. That being the violin, not that I was great at it, nor did I have any interest in picking it back up. But with every motion, I felt a new surge of familiarity.

  I had grown up in a family of wealth. A family that ostracized me, that didn’t want me due to the gender I was born with. The family was matriarchal, with inheritors being woman, and being who I had been, a man, I had no chance of ever inheriting.

  For the longest time, I gave my all, in the hopes they would look my way, that they would notice the effort I put into everything. Even when they kicked me out. I never stopped trying.

  For the longest time, I had thought I was fighting for their recognition. That if I climbed to the top, that maybe they would look my way and realize that I wasn’t an unwanted child.

  During that time, I abandoned someone I loved and who loved me, Alex. I got a treasured mentor killed. Even doomed my master, by bringing him right back into the path of martial arts, when he could have, should have abandoned it and sought forgiveness from his family.

  It wasn’t until I met that man that it all changed. Was it for the better or worse? And now I was seeing shadows of him in Leo.

  It felt like, in an odd way, that everything was slowly, but surely coming full circle.

  And that… that worried me.

  End of Book 2...