Emperor of Mayhem

seventy - nine

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A NEW DAWN
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honestly, not sure how this chapter is. my head's all over the place, couldn't proofread it properly. If you find anything weird and funny, just ignore it. I hope you'll have a good read no matter how boring and confusing this is. I'm exhausted tbh.

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I stirred awake to the sudden, static sounds surrounding me. Struggling to cross or stay behind the lines between dream and reality, clanking sounds reach my ears in scattered droplets. The sounds were similar to the ones made when birds were feeding off debris on the rooftop.

Just when the said sound slowed to a pause, I heard another. This time, it came like repetitive, desperate knocks on a door. 

I stirred again, flipping on my side when a sudden scraping of some against the floor rang in my ears, riding off every little sleep left in me. But I didn't open my eyes. I was too tired to even do anything. Even simply thinking was exhausting.

The sounds of footfall against the tiles as someone traveled across the room, made me more aware of my surroundings. I listened to the click of locks, the whine made when the door was pulled open.

"What is it?" Mikhail's peculiar cold voice bounced back only to wrap around me like a warm blanket. 

"I needed to tell you something, boss." I knew that voice too well. It belonged to the brother I didn't ask for, yet he was all up in my face and business.

It was definitely Riccardo.

"What happened to using your goddammed cell to call instead of banging on my fucking door?"

"I called." Riccardo tried hard to hide the flatness in his tone, "Many times. But I couldn't get hold of you. They were all going straight to voicemails."

There was a pause and I supposed Mikhail was patting around his pockets for his cell phone. "Well, what the hell is the problem?" 

"We have gotten everything sorted out, for now. The temporary jet just arrived. We are getting the new one by Monday." Riccardo informed him.

I wondered what happened to the Varkov private jets. What could have happened to the two all at once that they needed to buy another?

"Is the pilot ready to fly?" Mikhail asked the next question and my eyes flew open.

"Yes, boss." Riccardo replied, "They're waiting for you."

"I will be down in five minutes." Said Mikhail and the frown on my face deepened when I confirmed that indeed, he was going somewhere.

"Okay, boss." I heard the retreating footsteps of Riccardo and the sound of the door shutting.

"Where are you going?" I confronted him immediately, my head still resting on the pillow but from the corner of my eye, I saw him pause midway, angling his body toward my direction. 

Was he going to just grab his jacket and leave? Without speaking to me? So if I was asleep, this was how I would wake up in the morning and find him gone again?

"Hey," His voice came as a whisper as if trying to coo me back to sleep, "Did I wake you up? I'm sorry."

Lifting my body off the bed, I sat with my back against the headboard, pulling the cover to my chest.