Heya!
First off, I would like to dedicate this chapter to Cristy17 because she made the amazing cover above, which was the original cover of the story. She also writes poems and stories which are really good. You can always ask her to make you a cover too. So go check her out!
Anyways, hope ya enjoy the story and comment, vote and follow if ya like it!
~ Zana
Chapter One ~ Death From Failure
A ripple expanded into nothing as a rapid wave engulfed it with its speed. The ripple was the creation of a five year old boy, providing entertainment for Eva and himself, as he dipped his toes in the water several times. Eva observed from a distance. Her glance turned to the choppy sea before eyeing the sky. The clouds had their cries and floated away to reveal the bright sun. Eva smiled, releasing a longing sigh.
She felt captive in her own building; an eight story high building which she took over almost seven years ago. She hadn't left the building since the very first step she took into it and, of course, she was aware of the danger in stepping out. She wished to be out just once.
A gentle touch to her shoulder brought her out of her trance.
"What is it?" She demanded, irritated by the interruption. Nonetheless, she closed her eyes to enjoy the light presses of a massage.
"I knocked three times but you didn't respond, my love." Jett leaned forward and whispered into her ear, admiring her from the reflection on the window. "I guess you were too busy looking out the window." He used one hand to push her golden brown hair to one side, exposing her bare left shoulder.
"Mm," she confirmed, relaxing under his touch as his lips replaced his hand on her shoulder.
"Why are you always gazing out of the window?" He asked, his lips behind her ear now, sending hot stings down her spine.
Eva's eyes snapped open, her own connecting with his hazel coloured ones through the window reflection; a feature of his she's always adored. Their stare was so intense it lasted longer than ten seconds.
"Can you not see it, the beauty of nature? Just look at it, Jett." She pointed out of the window, down towards the beach minutes away from the building they were in. "The sun, sea and sand; such beauty I have never seen in humans." Her voice raised a notch with each word as she spoke passionately.
"The only beauty I see is right in front of me. You are my beauty." Jett admired her profile from the golden brown hair and the curves of her body, down to her tiny feet. Her eyes are a chocolate colour and although her least favourite feature, Jett loved them. Eva raised a hand and ran it through his Jet black hair (the reason for his name since both his parents have brown hair).
"What did you want again?" Eva reminded him.
He cleared his throat. "You look very stunning in that dress, baby." And, indeed, she did. The red velvet dress flattered her figure completely with off the shoulder, long sleeves, a fitting bodice and a flowing skirt down to her ankles. The whole dress was dotted with large, black roses.
"Is this a poor attempt to distract me? What's the real reason?" There was a hint of amusement in her voice.
Jett bit his lip. "Rex is back," he replied sheepishly.
"And..?" She raised a thin, brown eyebrow.
"He failed." His voice was barely audible.
Eva swivelled in her chair and Jett moved out the way in time for her to slam both hands down on the desk. It was warm from when he was seated on it moments earlier.
"What?" She screamed in anger. "Bring him in here now!"
Shaking, he stumbled over to the door. He wouldn't dare argue, though he paused before placing a hand on the doorknob.
"I said NOW, Jett! You can't save him and you know that, right?"
Without another word and a defeated look, Jett yanked the door open and called out.
"In here now, Rex!"
Eva was surprised, yet impressed, at how quickly he composed himself. A tall, bald man tripped into the room with his hands behind his back. His gaze was fixed on the floor. For a built man, he sure looked vulnerable in his stance at that very moment.
"Rex, Rex, Rex, my dear Rex," she chanted. Jett closed the door once Rex was a few steps in. The click of the door shutting brought Rex to a halt. He briefly glanced at Eva before averting his eyes to the orange sofa to the left of the desk, then at the window behind Eva which took up the whole wall before finally settling on the desk. (The room was kept the way it was seven years ago, only with the addition of the orange chair). "Welcome to my office."
"Y-yes, ma'am?" He stuttered while Jett took up the position of behind Eva, placing both hands on the head of the chair.
Eva smirked, fully enjoying the sight of the fidgeting man before her. Rex wasn't a man who feared easily; with a build like his and the skills he had, most were afraid of him so she took advantage of this rare situation. Rex was good at his job so he had nothing to fear in the past.
"I hear you didn't retrieve the files, is that true?" It wasn't the matter that she didn't believe Jett when he said Rex failed, but she merely enjoyed the shaking in his voice. She liked the feeling of being in control.
"Yeah, b-but let me e-explain." Once again their eyes met.
"Did I not make it clear how important it is to get them back?"
"Just l-let me explain."
"Go ahead. Not that it'll do you any good." She mumbled the latter under her breath, already reaching for the top draw of her desk.
"If I hadn't run, they would've c-captured me," Rex spoke more confidently, believing he found a way out. By this time, Eva had taken out a tiny, cylinder object that was glowing silver out of the draw. She rested both elbows on the desk and chucked the object, which was smaller than the palm of her hand, from one hand to another.
Upon the sight of this, Rex took a step back until he was rested against the door. Jett gripped onto the chair harder.
"Put him over there, Jett." Eva pointed to a spot in front of her not too far from the desk. She adjusted her dress, smoothing out the creases with one hand while holding up the object in the other.
"You don't have to do this," Jett whispered, in hope his fear was hidden from Rex.
"Just do it, I don't like repeating myself!"
With struggle, Jett brought Rex forward. Jett was much thinner than Rex, and a little shorter.
"Now, Rex, do you know what this is?" Eva questioned, holding up the glowing, silver object with her thumb and forefinger.
"The C-crest."
"Good. And do you know what it does?"
"You- you're going to k-kill me?" Rex dropped down to his knees, only to stand up a few seconds later. He hated the feeling of weakness.
"Now, you're getting ahead of yourself. That's the answer to my next question." Eva let out a short cackle.
She pointed the Crest towards him.
"No, wait! I have two chil--" It was too late to reason with her. She had already pressed the switch on the Crest. Within seconds several coloured lights erupted out of her chest, travelled down her right arm (the hand that held the object), covered the object and shot straight for him. Eva smiled as it enveloped him, while he fought the urge to scream. It was painful, extremely painful.
Eva cackled again; typical of Rex to hold back any signs of weakness.
"Eva, stop it!" Jett shouted, frozen behind her. He knew better than to attempt to grab it off her.
She turned to face him, although kept her finger on the switch.
"I have the silvery touch, why wouldn't I do this?" Although Jett was confused about this statement, he knew she referred to The Crest.
"You don't have to do this, Eva. This is madness! Just stop this one for me? He's the la --" He was interrupted by a heavy thud. Even before she could reconsider, the coloured light had travelled back to the glowing object, up her arm and into her chest. It was too late. Rex was dead.
A heavy sigh by the sofa caught her attention. Jett was seated on it, his face buried in his hands. She hadn't noticed him walk away from behind her. She turned back to her desk, looking at the telephone with faded numbers from frequent use over time. She pushed down on the number 3 key, instantly connecting her to her secretary.
"Yes, ma'am?" A high-pitch voice answered.
"There's a dead body in my office, send someone to dispose of it immediately."
"Right away." And with that the phone cut off.
Eva watched as Jett picked up a cushion and threw it across the room, missing her by an inch, in frustration. She trotted towards him, her heels clicking against the floor boarded floor and sat beside him. She took his right hand in her free one as the Crest was tightly gripped in her other hand, forcing him to face her.
"You promised not to do that again, Eva, so why?"
"I'm sorry, I lied."
In that very moment, a knock came at the door and after she responded, two men in black entered the room. Without a word or glance her way they lifted the body and left the room.
"But I promise you, that was the last." she continued as if there was no interruption. He stared into her eyes as if searching for the truth.
"Really?"
She placed the Crest on her lap and cupped his face. "I said I promise, didn't I?" she replied in the most genuine way. Jett could nothing but believe her. He raised a hand to stroke her face. He loved the soft and smooth feeling of it. Slowly, he leaned forward and placed his lips on hers. She responded almost instantly, her heart rate increasing. He, gently, leaned back against the sofa, pulling her down with him. As she turned so she was on top, the clink of the Crest hitting the floor stopped them. They listened as it rolled away. Eva jumped up, going after the glowing object and picked it up before it rolled under the desk. She stood up straight and smoothed out the wrinkles in her dress.
"You know, I still have to send someone to get those files back." She collapsed onto her chair, dropping the Crest into the top draw before closing it. "We don't want anyone finding out who works for me."
"And where will you find someone? That's what I was saying earlier, he was your last chance. You killed them all." He gritted his teeth.
"What about one of the two men that came in to take Rex's body away?"
"They do not have the skills." He ran his hand through his hair. "I'm the only one who has the skills to do it but you're no --"
"That's a great idea, why didn't I think of it earlier? If anyone could do it, it would be you," she interrupted, her voice high with excitement.
"What?" He couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Yeah, I mean, think about it. You are and always have been the best option."
"And what if I get caught?" He stood up and made his way towards her, anger building up.
"I'll send my best men to get you back." She sent him her most innocent smile.
"For the hundredth time, they're all gone! No one has the skills or the experience for that sort of job," He shouted, slamming his hand on the desk.
"Then I'll hire some men and send them after you."
He pushed her chair back, a little bit away from the desk, to allow him space to stand in front. He leaned down and rested his forehead on hers and cupped her face. "Will you not come rescue me yourself?"
Eva felt uneasy, gulping hard before she averted her gaze. She reached around him and picked up a piece of paper from the desk. "Here's all the information you need for the job."
He was stunned, he just couldn't believe it. He snatched the piece of paper from her, tearing the left corner and stormed towards the door after he mumbled, "You are heartless. You don't even care about me, do you?"
It was more of a rhetorical question because he yanked the door open and slammed it behind him even before she could answer.
"Be careful, my love. I love you." she whispered into the air.