The Un-Royal Affair|(18+)

Chapter 6 - The Past's Insistent Echo

"In the distance, echoes of my past resound,

Running from memories, they find their way around."

Zehra's POV

My mornings have been as clouded as the weather these days.

In the beginning, serene and promising sunrise, the sky was painted in hues of pink and gold. By mid-morning, dark, ominous clouds had gathered on the horizon, casting a foreboding shadow over the landscape. The air grew heavy with humidity, and thick, swirling clouds now obscured the once-clear sky. Raindrops began to fall in sporadic bursts, alternating between a light drizzle and sudden, heavy downpours.

Summoning every ounce of willpower, I had reluctantly extricated myself from the cozy embrace of my bed after falling asleep at two in the morning as me and Ivana were binge-watching the episodes of The Vampire Diaries where Stefan was coerced back into his Ripper phase by Klaus.

Both make a good team, tho.

However, the primary issue was not sleep deprivation; the valid concern lay in the stupid email arriving in my inbox at 6:37 A.M.

After I thought I had finally secured my job, Dick-tator CEO infused other plans to sabotage me and treated me worse than his personal assistant these last 5 days with different tasks, out of which many were unrelated to my work. He keeps me running on my legs without any rest.

When I talked to the team about 10 more designs, they were confused as hell, and no one wanted to act upon this so-called idea, so I began on my own with no enthusiasm.

I know he's making me do it just to reject them, too, as if I have a choice.

The second thing on the list for me was not to engage in conversation with anyone, but that's not hard because I ain't got no fucking time to do so with anyone rather than forcing my brain not to shut down every time I overload it with work.

And he didn't cease his monstrous ways here...

His indirect instructions added me to two more projects I'm working on and finalizing the previous ones. Elijah and Justin are busy with their own things, so for the time being, it's us taking the instructions from them and making sure everything is going right for this seasonal runway show on the theme Metamorphosis, which includes exploring transformation and evolution through fashion, featuring avant-garde and experimental designs, before our grand fall/winter collection launch which is dated after 2 months.

But my mantra goes that I'm gonna thrash his tactics of eliminating me and knock his balls and brain out of this game. It's just a small price to pay after fucking with the CEO knowingly.

Figuratively. Not that I ever want to in real.

As I sat amid this idyllic glass-walled office behind my desk, my eyes skimming over the latest catalogs of other brands and more emails, the air hummed with the quiet hum of computers and the muffled voices of co-workers engaged in their tasks. I suddenly felt uneasy in a way that had no connection with my recent situation. The vivid memories came rushing back, uninvited and unwelcome, like ghosts from the past clawing at my consciousness.

I aversely pored over spreadsheets and charts; a glimmering reflection on my computer screen briefly transported me back to that moment, that suffocating evening in the grand hall of the palace. The memory emerged like a storm cloud on a clear day, burdening and overpowering.