Self-Seeker

47

The dancing was brought to an abrupt end when the lights lining the ceiling of the hallway flickered briefly before shutting off completely. Screams could be heard from a distance. A silhouette sprinted around the corner of the hallway, Genesis and Damon immediately broke away from each other, taking a defensive stance against the unknown person. As he came closer, they realised that it wasn't an intruder, but their very frantic friend.

"Ty, what's going on?" Damon asked, the worry was clear in his voice.

"You guys have to come. Now. I think something bad is happening." Tyler spoke rapidly with panic in his tone. Without a second thought, Genesis rushed past Tyler - heading towards the main hall with the two men somewhere behind.

The murmuring grew louder as they grew closer to the room. Genesis held her dress up and ran into what she assumed was the middle, squinting as she turned in circles. She couldn't detect a thing. The only sound she could make out was heavy booted footsteps gradually decreasing in volume, but with the amount of people in the room and the echoes bouncing off each wall, it was near to impossible to tell what direction they came from.

A loud churning sound filled Genesis' ears, followed by the lights slowly coming back on. Finally able to see, various faces looked perplexedly around the hall - nobody had a clue what had just happened. Genesis' group of friends ran up towards her, everyone watching expectantly as they waited for her to explain to them what was going on. Little did they know, she was just as lost as they were. As she scanned their concerned faces, Genesis realised one thing.

"Dominic, you seem to be missing your date." Genesis stated, feeling her body heat up as she struggled to control her anger. She was getting a serious case of déjà-vu. Someone had taken Emily, and she had a good idea of who it was.

A dramatic gasp left Melissa's lips as her eyes focused on something beyond Genesis' head.

"Genesis, look." Dimitri said, pointing in the same direction Melissa was staring. Genesis turned on her heel to find the words 'Your Move' written in a bloodied font across the backdrop of the stage. Someone had spray painted across the projector screen when the lights went out. They were playing with her. There were new players in Genesis' sole game of chess, and Emily was simply a pawn. But she was done with the childish charades. It was Genesis' turn to make the next move - that move would be her last, her checkmate.

Without saying a word, Genesis made a bee-line towards the main exit of the building. She was stopped when Damon cut in front of her, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Damon, I need to g--"

"I know what you're going to say. You need to go and rescue Emily because it's your fault that she has been kidnapped. But this is your event, you can't simply abandon all these people with no explanation. Emily would want you to protect the future of Harmonie's Garments. Leaving so suddenly will give your boutique awful ratings, not to mention it will reflect negatively on your name."

"It is my fault Damon. If I had taken care of my parents and Jazmine that night you came to my apartment, Emily would be safe right now. And if you think I care more about this business than my best friend, then maybe you don't know me at all." Genesis said. She tried to get past him, but he stepped in front of her once again, preventing her from leaving. The last thing she wanted to do to Damon was hurt him - again - but if he continued to halt her from her duties than she saw no choice but to temporarily put him down.

"I'm aware that you care about Emily, believe me. I'm practically in competition with her for your affection. But that doesn't change the fact that you are hosting this show and need to take care of your business as a CEO would. If you go up there and make an announcement, I promise I will take you wherever you need to go in order to help Emily, okay? She's a strong girl, she can handle a few hours by herself." Damon attempted to reason with her. Genesis looked up at him with her lips pursed and fire in her eyes. She huffed in defeat and pushed his hands off of her shoulders.