Farheen's hands held tight to the edges of the pedestal sink as she stared herself down in the small mirror of her apartment quarters.
She ran a feather-light touch along the right side of her jawline, letting her hand curl into itself and drop back to the cool marble. Her heart was pounding, and for the first time in her life, she didn't know what she wanted.
The only child of cold but accomplished parents, Farheen had never waited for anything in her life. She had inherited her parents' intelligence and drive, and was compatible with their inclination to allow her to raise herself. She had developed, she had always thought, into a strong woman with control over herself and her world.
And then she had met Rose.
Her hand was back to her jaw before she had realized it, and Farheen watched as the flash of irritation she felt flickered across her reflected face. She clicked her tongue and pushed away from the sink, moving through her small bedroom to the makeshift desk she had set up inside her private quarters.
She pulled out her chair to sit, but thought better of it. Instead she turned back to the bathroom, but changed her mind halfway there. Before she knew it she was pacing the small room, trapped in a loop of indecision ten steps wide.
Rose's sudden attention was unexpected.
Not unwelcome, perhaps. But not part of the plan.
After all, Farheen had never wanted to be the object of Rose's attention. Unlike Gabriel, who followed his stepsister around like an unweaned pup - just thinking of his obvious and overbearing need for Rose's affection made Farheen's upper lip curl with distaste.
No, in the moment that she had initially realized her own attraction to Rose, Farheen had decided that she would never be as undignified as Gabriel. Rather, she resolved to be useful to Rose, to be the person supporting her at her side, never too far away, but never in danger of being thrown away.
A position from which, she had thought, she could learn to control the woman by controlling the thing that she desired.
Which, for nearly this last decade, had been Pearl.
But then that idiot Victor had to go and ruin everything. Farheen's jaw clenched -- if only he had simply died on the operating table like so many others before him.
But no, he had survived. Had merged with Pearl. And worse, seemed to be the link Rose needed to understanding Pearl.
Farheen stopped her pacing, fists clenched tight to her sides.
And then, just when Farheen had begun to fear that Victor had truly wrested control over Pearl out of her hands – Rose had turned her attention to her.
Farheen shuddered at a sudden chill, pulling her arms close to her chest.
It was a small thing, the kiss. A simple thing. Little different than what some friends do to greet each other.
But it had show Farheen what it meant to be the object of Rose's attention, the thrill of having this woman's eyes on her, for once.
Simply being at her side was no longer enough.
Farheen stilled, slowly letting her arms fall to her sides and straightening to her normal precise posture.
It was decided, then. She now understood what she wanted. And she knew exactly who to go to next to help get it.
She grabbed her lab coat from the hanger by the door and left her room, heading straight for the elevator to take her to the second floor.
~Part II~
YOU ARE READING
Pearl
Mystery / Thriller[Wattpad Picks: Editor's Choice] A research team dedicated to advanced medical care is in the process of creating a bandage that seals and heals all injuries almost instantaneously. The catch? The bandage itself is a living organism that burrows ins...
