Moral Justifications

Chapter Eighteen

A few days later, Mike and Maryse were meeting with the other counsel members in the office at Salem Castle.

"Not one person in this village is going to support you as head of the counsel." Daniel Bryan told Mike.

"Maybe a few followers of The Administration but other than that it's hopeless." Natalya Neidheart added.

Mike looked to Maryse with frustration.

"Okay then why don't you all tell me what I've gotta do to get this village on my side." Mike said to the room as the council doors creaked open in the back.

"Your marriage." Alexa said as she walked into the room.

Everyone turned and looked at her in confusion as silence filled the room. Mike's eyes lit up at the sight of Alexa as Maryse let out a slight smile.

"Right now everyone in this village sees you as another one of The Administration's lap dogs. They don't see you as a person. So use your marriage to show them who you are. Win them over." Alexa told Mike.

Natalya and Bryan seemed to like Alexa's idea.

"And who are you, exactly?" Buddy Murphy asked Alexa as he stood up.

"Everyone, this is Alexa Bliss. Our new advisor." Maryse announced as she smiled over at Alexa ever wider.

That day at Salem Castle, Seth was looking out over his balcony at Finn as he had lunch with Roman.

"Do you love him?" Sophia asked as she stood by her son's side.

Seth looked over at his mother in confusion as she tried to find the courage to say what she had to say.

"I saw the two of you together the other day. You looked happy." Sophia told him

Seth looked back out at Finn.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Seth assured her.

Sophia took a deep breath, hating herself for what she was about to do.

"Son.. You do understand that you don't get the same privileges as everyone else right? You don't get to fall in love with just anyone. And I'd think from what happened with Ms. Banks, you'd have learned your lesson." Sophia tried to tell him.

Seth's eyes filled with tears as he watched Finn laugh with his friends.

"As much as I want you to be happy.. I think you and I both know what you have to do." Sophia said.

 Seth tried to fight the aching in his heart as his mother walked away. All he could think of was the pain that he had caused Sasha and the danger he had put her in. He knew he couldn't do the same to Finn.

As Sophia left Seth's room she leaned against the hallway wall and took a deep breath as a tear fell down her cheek. In that moment she new she would never forgive herself for the life she had chosen for her son.

After lunch, Bayley had followed Sami back to his chambers.

"I'm telling you that there is something out there. Look at this." Sami said as he handed Bayley a piece of paper.

"Sami.. What is this?" Bayley asked.

"That's a list of people that have gone missing and who are presumed dead but their bodies were never found. Where are all these people disappearing to?" Sami asked.