Kingdoms of Alcensen

Chapter 9

Sophie Nora Avici

"How..." Sophie started as she clasped hands with Amana." How...does that man standing over there ..look like, Amana?" She wishpered so only Amana could hear as she pointed towards the dancing area.

Her eyes were still glued on the redheaded man  and the burning sensation made her cheeks flush. Amana on the other hand tries to look at the pointed direction.

"Do you mean Johnson Stuart's younger brother Dwayne Stuart?" Amana inquires and waits for a response as she fixated her gaze at the blackhaired man with a clean shaved chin wearing a vastian silk thobe. Amana is quite impressed since the thobe had been exctly the one her customer, Lucas had bought a week ago. She figured it must have been a coincedence since altough he seemed to have been well sheltered, The Stuarts were amongst the richest of the city. They possible couldn't have a connection she thought.

When Sophie hadn't responded, Amana averted her gaze from Dwayne Stuart to a pale and completely horrified Sophie.

"Are you sure? Amana I need you to be completely certain t-that is infact Uncle Dwayne.."Sophie said and pressed Amana's hand." And not someone with redhair?"

Amana looked back at the darkhaired, famous oil owner Dwayne Stuart and then back at Sophie. "I'm positive milady....his hair is black as a raven.."

oh dear God.

Sophie was about to break down. She could feel her hand shaking and her breathe shorten.

"Are you...okay milady?" Amana asked worriedly but Sophie didn't hear her. No matter how much she tried, she was seeing the same man she had met at Isaac's silk boutique. Which to her complete horror was also the same man Amana now reffered to as her fathers closets friend, Uncle Dwayne.

But no matter how many times Sophie blinks, she still saw the striking redhair color, the same intimidating golden eyes and when he turned towards her, he smiled the same taunting smile.

"Milady?" Amana tries again but Sophie's gaze is fixated on Dwayne Stuart, as if she has been under a spell.

The ill feeling began again. Sophie wanted to vomit. What was going on with her? Was she going mad? Everything began feeling surreal as if she disconnected with reality itself. Had she really lost her mind? No, she couldn't have had! Impossible, she believed what she saw and it was all real. Then why couldn't Amana see that? And more importantly, why wouldn't her father talk in a more refined way? just as she knew he does when he speaks to strangers..

Was he prehaps also seeing Uncle Dwayne? Sophie looked around herself frightened, then does that mean that everyone is seeing Uncle Dwayne?

It was not getting better, her stomach started to act bad and she felt like fleeing the courtroom. She couldn't though. She promised herslef to never run away from him again. That day when she had hurriedly fled the markets, Sophie had hated herself and died out of embarrassment for fleeing like a scared pig. She promised herself that if she had met him one more time, she would muster up her gut and find out what he was really doing to her. She would confront him and never  let him get to her.

So she stands up, lifts her gown and decided to take a step closer to her source of fear.

"Ladies, please excuse me for awhile, i'll go and greet my father."

She ignored Amana's worried gaze and instead returned the encouraging smiles of the rest of the girls. "Ofcourse! We will be missing you." they said as Sophie made her way towards her father with a new force and determination. To comfort herself, she remembered what her mother had told her.