BURNING LOVE

33

The  orange color of the sky was so wonderful to look at above the most breathtaking garden that frame it like a dreamy view, it gave that feeling of peace that one certainly get in paradise for sure, but far from it, after uncovering it there were more hideous things that repeal to linger around.

Peace, wasn't the first feeling that was felt around, look really were deceiving in a place surrounded by greed, hate, fear all those feelings in one, terror personified.

The calm nature under the sky displayed by the way the flowers moved against the soft wind pushed them in the same direction in a sync like some ballet orchestrated by the greatest maestro.

It was so normal it gave Arthur Zurow a furious need to destroy it just like that, for the sake of his own sanity. He knew it was fake, all of it! From the seed to the thing getting out of the Earth. He could almost see his wife grimace in his mind. All the scenery was her doing. An illusion of paradise  just like herself.

Wandering his gaze over all the surface of the garden, he couldn't hold himself to feel a sens of pride though.

He was a narcissist assuming it in front of whomever would call him that. The only fact that people were always gawking at it made him think otherwise.

Containing his anger, he breathed out moving slowly his front to look at the people seating behind him, he settled his gaze to his first son before meeting his wife gaze, ending on Alfred.
   
The three blank face made him cringed, as always it felt terrible to have them in front of him. The two boys may have took his features but the intelligence was all their mother, which was good but also infuriating at some point.

Sitting on the edge of his huge glass desk office he looked at them hands opened wide in front of him accompanying his pointed gaze.

"If I'm hearing it good, the artefacts delivery is being rescheduled! Why?! Because it was supposed to be done in what?? Two months... Why. The. hurry?" Pushing his lower lip out  he asked looking straight at his wife whose face muscles didn't made the smallest move. The woman was an inanimate human being.

"You know it's all written in the fax you threw on you office after reading the first line." Adamant she retorted not moving her gaze out of his. He was sure mocking him nicely, in her own way.

"But, since you asked so, nicely.
It has to be done, first because of Mrs Blake condition, she will take a long period vacation in two weeks 'the' same week her children will be released from the hospital. She wanted to take care of them. Now, yes it will request a lot of adjustments, we already have to work overtime to ensure it is the case... All the commodities are being taken care of you have nothing to worry about. Before you say it you already know my position on this... I refuse to work with someone else that is."

Pensive Arthur looked at her trying to wrap his mind around it not liking the rush.

"I mean, why will she required Alicia to go there? Miss Kamali, I understand, she is this genius you made your shadow... I d..."

Refraining to tighten her jaws, Katiandra rolled her eyes internally.

"I can see that you have no idea of the amount of work it requires to do all of that. Why Alicia? First she is my daughter... I will not be there physically, yes you are right, miss Kamali is my right hand but she still is new at this. But the results talked by themselves, there is a lot of efficiency when they work together. I saw it, Blake did too. Giving the fact that neither me nor Blake will be there... The only way to make sure the work will be done as we want it is to have them working together. All the workers respect and work obediently with them, which is for me the most important."

Leaning back in her seat like the Queen she was, the woman shook her head amused by the face her so called husband harbored, his perplexed gaze studying her, most like scrutinizing her.

"Arthur, I want us to be clear here. This was just... An information. I AM in charge of it, I know what is the best to be done. I would have done it but I have others prerogatives here to attempts. Before you say it... Alicia can take the summer courses to complete her units there is no way I'm giving this chance to someone else, or I don't know where is her benefits to be my daughter."

Biting the inside of his cheek pensively, he scratched the left side of his face with his right hand finger making her internally jumped knowing it was a habit of his when defeated.

"Mom is right though, the other day we found Alicia working there she was so different. A good different. It would profit her to participate to that expedition." His eyes diverted on his son Arthur listened to him cautiously optimist that he was always in the reason side mostly like his mother.

Finally settling his gaze on his other son, he waited for him to conclude on his sister participating in her mother work.

"We all know Mom will never leave Alicia go somewhere if she wasn't persuade it will be beneficial for her. Plus I know Lorelei, I'm sure she mostly is treating her like her little sister by now. She always tend to do that. You certainly saw that Mom. Right?"

Nodding at her son words Katiandra crossed her hands on her laps that she have crossed a while ago.

"If you are all okay with her going... I am okay with it. You know what you are doing. For the other matter I wasn't trying to take away your prerogatives, anyone could understand Blake need to take care of her family. When are they going to move things?"

Doing her best to not jump out of happiness, Katiandra straightened her posture in her seat thinking a moment before asking like she tried to remember the planing.

"Normally it would be done Sunday, like that Blake could help as much as she could with the time she has there to have them settle to start preparing the exposition that will be hold for the opening of the new museum there."

Doing the maths Arthur who wasn't that stupid sighed knowing there were no way his wife would changed her mind.

"That will make two months and Alicia will... Okay, okay, I get it!"
Giving up the king held his hand up shaking his head.

Before he could addressed Kayley matter the Queen rose out of her seat.

"I will go ahead then. The work is so intense there is no resting anymore."

"We are not finished yet."

"I know dear, but for now I don't want anything else to stress me, so we will talk about it another time." Collecting her item she was about to turn when his voice stopped her again.

"Your daughter vanished out of the surface of the Earth..."

Frustration was visible not only on his face but also in his voice at the fact that his people couldn't find where she was gone. Shrugging at his words she marched toward the door looking at him for a brief moment.

"She did not vanished. She decides she wanted to work with Dr Killian, she is there with her..." Nonchalantly throwing it out like it wasn't something to fret about, she face him with a bored gaze.

"Wh, what!? And you're telling it to me ju..." Jumping on his feet Arthur almost yell his eyes hardening nothing she was afraid of.

"OMG! That's the reason why I did not wanted to talk about it. I can't afford to have a headache now. It's Kayley life! She had made it clear. She can do whatever she wants to do with it. For now on it is not something I want to concern myself with. Just so you know Norman is with her... I can sleep at peace like that so I'm done."

Feeling her heart shattered at how she down talked about her own child, Katiandra face reflect a sadness, Arthur interpreted as her being done with their hardheaded child, leaving her be. He back away resuming his previous position on his desk.

Kissing her two sons foreheads she walked out under the king dismayed stare.

"You knew this!?"  Hard cold  voice slapped the air almost accuse while its owner stared at them pointedly.

Both also surprised the Zurow heirs shook theirs heads at the same time knowing that was Kayley pattern of acting.

"I mean at least mom send Norman with her, with him she is safe for sure." Still astonished by their mother information, Lincoln the always practical one, voiced  trying to show his father the good in that.