The Painful Kiss of Augustus
Chapter 9
Days had passed without even noticing it. Sion tried to call or approach me every time but I held him at the bay. I didn't know but I felt somewhat peaceful without him— or it was just a temporary escape from the nightmare of my past. He was my friend and it wasn't good to keep our friendship at the side of this matter because— as a matter of fact— it was the center of all this. Had he so desired to have a coverup, I would have put everything aside alongside with my personal agendas just to give the backup he needed. So was he. We were both each other's shield. Never did I regret helping him out, nor did I feel any qualm to do so. But leaving anyone inside that demolished car, it tingled the sense of my conscience.
For years of being muted of what happened years ago, I tried to think of the bright side of the picture to ease my worries and growing conscience. One of the best commodity a man would have was a friendship. It did not require any reasons, nor did it require any penny. A simple loyalty and trust, it will build up a strong foundation that anyone can never wreck havoc.
But sometimes that commodity was like a garotte trying to throttle you to death. It weighed your loyalty to each other. It will placed you to a dilemma— a situation that tests your loyalty to your friendship.
For years, I had tried to neglect my growling conscience. It wasn't easy for me. A few days after the accident, I couldn't sleep. I started taking doxepine to get myself asleep without interruption. Weeks after that accident, I lost weight as I lost my appetite to take food. I was totally imbued by the enigmatic darkness. Conscience partly consumed my system as Sion tried to help me cope with that traumatic experience. It wasn't easy. My mother was worried about my health as it palpable through my wilting body. It took me years to finally dispatched that traumatic montage that had been glued on my head for so long.
And now, it was coming back again. I didn't want that and the only thing I wanted was to stay away from Sion for a moment. He was the walking reminder of my pusillanimity. Shaking my head, I tried to read some business proposals my mother had given me to review. I tried to focus on the things I needed to do years ahead. My mother was slowly, step by step, exposing me to the world of business. My mother listened to my comment about the proposals from other possible clients and business partners and she also was giving some advices how the corporate world works. She was Almira Cordova, the goddess of the jewelry world.
"I did some cash flow forecast for my jewelry designs," I heaved a sigh. She insisted me to do that, I didn't like much designing jewelries but I liked to run the company so I needed to be aware of the things about this business before venturing into it, "Our targets are the teenagers. Since they settle for simple yet detailed ones, we needed to create what they desired. Not too much ornaments. These are my line sheets for my sample designs."
My mother beamed at me and took the line sheets I handed. She scanned that line sheet and the smile on her face did not falter. She knew that I was right, the young customers would flock for the simple designs since it was the trend right now. Though, I got some designs for wedding rings which most likely solitaires. As I'd said, I preferred simple designs rather thant those ornamental ones. Though I knew that I had to make one especially for weddings and engagements because couples likely spent their money buying for their loved ones.
"This ring, what stone would be placed?" She pointed to the on that has a simple shank and a shoulder.
"Cubic zirconia?"
"I preferred diamond,"
I shrugged, "It's up to you. That ring is not for engagements. It is for fashion,"
