TILL MY SECOND LIFE

CHAPTER:5

Kingsley entered the building Makai was standing at the entrance. He looked at King with a playful gaze and cleared his throat louder than necessary. He bowed dramatically before leading the way to the office. He opened the door and bowed deeply showing him in.
"Welcome Mr. King"Kingsley did not bother to look at the cartoon of a secretary he had, he was used to his crazy acts
."This are too many" Kingsley said as soon as he entered the office, a tower of files awaited him. No, four towers.
"From the finance department, sales and marketing, management and security and international trading agencies"
"Were they all submitting today?"
"You said they had to get this submitted before Tuesday morning and so they did" Makai answered.
"Have you revised them?"
"Unlike you, am quite a punctual and industrious man Mr. King"
"You don't have to brag when answering a question."
"You do that often Mr. King, Don't you?"
"Fine, get me a cup of americano, you can leave and get some rest. I brought a young man with me, he is down at the entrance having a feast, take him to my condo. Sara will take care of him when am not around"
"It is unlike you to take anyone to your condo, Mr. King" Makai teased stepping back, King had the tendency of hurling files at him whenever he teased him.
"You want a beating, right?"
"Not at all Mr. King, I should get going, right?" he walked up to the door and paused then walked back to the desk "Mr. King, I thought you wouldn't take the offer of being a male role in that story"
"That was the plan until I saw Avalyn in person"
"Did you fall for her?" Makai's face brightened, if this dull and cold boss of his fell for someone, it would be a relieve for him. He was a pain in the ass. King stopped looking through the file, rolled it and banged Makai's head.
"Thinking out loud so I can hear you? And who told you I fell for her? You are a crazy fan I must say"
"It is your fault, your abilities are naughty enough to scoop into my mind and start digging out what am thinking" he rubbed his head, this would make him lose hair early "What then if you don't like her?"
"She looks like her, she resembles my beauty... she has her eyes, and her smile. But she is not timid as she was, she is confident and fierce, it is beautiful."
"Beautiful? That sounds foreign, for the past centuries you have called all the women who resemble her even the tiniest bit ugly, she is the first woman I would say you are calling beautiful"
"I call her so because she is. Stop feeding yourself crazy ideas."
"What if it is her, will you fall in love with her again, what will you do?"
"I will not get her involved, I will protect her and watch her from a distance. There must be another way to accomplish my mission. A bride is not necessary"
"You know there is none"King went silent for a long time then sighed deeply flipping the pages of the files. He wouldn't want to hurt her if she was the one, wait 'if' so it means it might not be her."Don't make me think too much, she is not the one. I didn't see the mark"
"Don't tell me you harassed her and pulled down her shoulders so you can check it" Makai threw his hands to his mouth his eyes popping out, waiting for something shocking. King hurled a pen at him but Makai dodged.
"Do you think am that desperate?"
"Centuries of loneliness are too many you know"
"Who told you am lonely? Am just alone, not lonely. You should take English lessons, your English seems to be expiring"
"Hey, prince of the underworld, don't you dare insult me"
"You can't threaten someone who knows the pain of hells flames" he smirked fiercely
"Should I take you there for a visit? The previous time you came at free will you know... you were foolish I must say. My brothers are not kind people
... no not people..."
"I know and I don't want to go there" Makai inhaled deeply "I should get going before you make my night horrible talking about that pathetic place"
"Run baby...
"Wait, don't you think being the center of attention is bad? The companies you are working for at the moment are very rich, famous and that means their productions are eagerly being waited for" he pulled a chair and sat "I read online, the first three episodes will be released in Wednesday, so you will be on screen all over the place... if you suddenly disappear people will raise brows"King lifted his eyes from the file and stared at Makai, he was worried? He was terrible, why would he worry that much?
"Listen Makai, it is not like I have found my bride, so stop worrying and take my son home. He is tired of waiting all that time"
"Now he is your son" Makai narrowed his eyes "So when did you give up on her ladyship and married and had a son already?"
"I will hit your head harder this time round, you will end up bald" Makai shot to his feet and bowed quickly
"See you tomorrow, Mr. King" then he ran out of the office. Mr. King watched him run off, he snapped his finger and the door knocked Makai's butt. He yelled cursing at King loudly.
"I know that was you, there is no way a door will smack my butt that hard" King smiled at his silliness and went back to the files, Makai was cartoon-ish, he was never serious even when talking about death. He found a joke somewhere there and he would lighten the whole situation. King liked having him around, he was always there. When he was berserk, normal, sad or even violent, Makai never left his side. It is hard to find such a person in a world full of hypocrites not that he wasn't one anyway.King sat back, he glanced at the small book on the table.
THE LITTLE SALVINA DASYA, AVALYN SALVADORA!
What did she know about that little girl who lost her parents when she was so young, Osbert was the only refuge for her. If he had refused to take her as wife, she would have died of loneliness and despair? That was unlike her, she was strong willed and determined, she earned the position as queen, the youngest queen ... at sixteen, she was already the queen of Valiant Kingdom. She was a happy soul and was determined to make her husband happy. King perused the book and read
......have you ever dreamt of castles dangling in the sky? Or dining in the same room as the king. She had thought it do be pretty, she had heard king Osbert was a very charming man, he was warm and kind. It was nice to have such a king, as from the old tales she had read, the kings were depicted as cruel, materialistic animals that oppressed the poor and ruled over the people as if they were ants and he was the bull passing by. She was happy she had such a king. She picked flowers and arranged them in the basket. They were beautiful, she lifted the skirt of her gown and walked into her mother's house.
"Mother, I brought you flowers" she smiled brilliantly at her kind mother. Rose stroked her daughter's hair with a warm smile.
"Put them on the rack, I will sort them out once am done knitting"
"Yes, mother" she placed the flowers on the rack and sat on the mat in front of her mother "Mother, why do people get married?"
"So they can keep each other company and be happy together"
"What if married people are sad?"
"Then they should find the cause of sadness and eliminate it, because marriage is beautiful. Married people should be happy" Salvina gave it a thought and then asked again.
"Mother, if people get married to keep each other company ... then why do they have children?"
"Children are a symbol of their union, children make married people happier. Just like you make me happy"
"So, I should have children when the time comes for me to get married?" she asked brightly.
"You should"
"Then she will call you grandmother...mom, when I get a child, I will call her Rose, so she can be as beautiful as my mother" Rose, felt a little overwhelmed by her child's compliment. She patted her head sweetly and smiled.
"What if it is a son"
"I will call him Osbert"
"Why?"
"So he can be as good looking as king Osbert and as wise and kind as he is. Is it not every mother's desire to have a handsome and wise son?"
"Sure it is" Her face shined when an idea suddenly popped in her mind.
"Mother... wat if you have a son? Then we will send him to the palace to work as the King's guard. That means he will learn from the king and become as wise as he is, right?" Rose laughed at her child's wild ideas.
"What if I send you there? What would you be?"She gave the question some thought for a while before she answered
."I would be his wife"
"The queen?"
"No, just the king's wife?"
"Why?"
"I read in an old tale about a king who had seven wives. People thought he was the happiest man in the world, he wasn't. his wives were busy with state matters and no one took time to notice that he was lonely, sad, depressed and wished at least one of his wives would notice that he was in need of company and just be a wife to him even for a minute, he eventually died out of the overwhelming state affairs and loneliness. He had no one to talk to even when he had twelve sons and seven wives. It is sad, right?"
"Sure it is"
"Then I can be king Osbert's wife, and not the queen. He is a good king, no one is hungry in the state anymore. He should live healthy for a long time so the Valiant kingdom can always bloom and people continue being happy and prosperous" Rose, paused from the knitting to watch her child speak, it was wise of her beloved husband to let their daughter study. Most of the other families only allowed the sons to study and let the girls stay indoors. Her daughter was now smart, and she spoke with much depth ...it was beautiful.
"It is a wise thought, but you are young, you cannot be the king's wife naughty kid...
"There is nothing wrong with dreaming even when you know your dreams lack validity. It is better than being aimless"
"Is that your dream?"
"If I were older, it would be. But now I want to read a lot and become a scholar or a philosopher. So, I can advise the king's sons when he steps down from power. I would love to be an iconic figure in Valiant kingdom"
"You will be" Rose assured her
"You will be a legend for sure"
"I should check on the sheep, mother. I will be back"
"Don't forget to carry some water with you, the sun is high today"
"Yes, mother" she called back running out of the house. She picked the water skin tied it around her waist and ran out of the homestead, past the flower gardens, the fields and the orange trees. Her dark hair waved in the wind magnificently... she was beautiful and bright. She was like the star that refuses to hide in the clouds when the sky is meant to be dark. She was irresistible and magnificent...
King shut the book, he sat back his hand under his chin
....be a scholar, and advice the king's sons...was that your dream?... be the king's wife, not the queen...
was that what you wanted? Just be the wife and not the queen? You should have said it, the queen mother wouldn't have forced you! But Osbert, wouldn't marry another woman to play queen you know... he just wanted you to be his everything! Was he greedy? Or was he asking too much from you?...I would love to be an iconic figure in Valiant kingdom...you were, you still are. They write about you till date; they sympathize with you till date. You are the most beautiful to this day... you are the most iconic woman...King signed the files quickly, he glanced at the book on the table. He thought of Avalyn, she resembled her... why? She hated when people tried to look like her... it pissed him off. Did Avalyn piss him off too? He would try to figure it out tomorrow. He was done signing; it was a half an hour then the clock would strike midnight. He picked his jacket and suitcase and headed to the door; he was about to step out when he suddenly stopped. He didn't think he would be having a client to attend to this late at night.
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The nurses rushed into the ICU, the man had a seizure. He was reported into the hospital six days ago, his wife had struck him with a blunt object at the back of his head. She was defending herself, the man had always abused and hit her day in day out. He didn't love her, he hated her... she was the woman he thought he wouldn't marry even if there was no dowry to be paid. But on that day when he was standing at the alter waiting for his bride, he was surprised to see her walk down the aisle with a blunt smile on her face. His father did not give him time to think or ask questions. The vows were said quickly and they were sent on a honey moon. He wondered why he had to marry a woman he didn't love. He hated that it was because of business, his father needed support from the in laws and to do so the two businesses had to merge and be family business. To do so their children had to marry each other. He wanted a divorce, but he wouldn't get approved no matter what he did, he ended up turning his anger to his innocent wife, who was also a victim. She was fragile she did not know how to fight back until a week ago when she couldn't talk it anymore and hit him hard with a hockey stick. She herself, was surprised by her strength... she dared hit the beast that had always been haunting her. He was rushed to the hospital and the woman was detained at the police station.
"He is not breathing, bring the defibrillators"
"Right away!"Patel, watched the nurses rush around to save his life, he could see death at the door smiling at him brilliantly his arms wide open ready to embrace him
'Come, home Patel' it beckoned him
'Not, yet... I need to know why my father hates me like this. He did not even come to see me'
'what difference would have it made, Patel? You hit her daily, you knew she wasn't the problem either'
'She played wife ... I hated that, it is as if she was happy!'
"One, two ... charge!" the doctors yelled.
'you didn't want her to be happy? She was only trying to make her life less miserable; she wasn't happy. She was trying to be but you made her even more miserable. Does that give you a reason to live?'
'Am human...'No, you are less than a human, if you were a human you would have used that brain, be kind to her ... if loving her was not an option'
'Please let me live'
'When she begged you ... your rage only increased'
'Please...
'That is the exact word she called more than a thousand times, but you didn't let her say the next word'
'I will change'
'But your time is up, Patel'
'You know me...
'It doesn't count... time of death 11:59:59pm... I wouldn't let you see the next day'
The silhouette was gone; it was only visible to Patel. He closed his eyes, in regrets ...
Margaret, am sorry!
It was too, late his time was up.
Beep! beep!
"He didn't make it" the doctor pulled down the mask and sighed. The nurse passed him the clipboard. Time of death, 11:59:59pm.
The doctor shut the clipboard, and let the nursed cover his body and wheel him to the morgue. There was no one to mourn his death, if he was kind to his wife... she would have mourned his death. If his father was not a step dad, he would have mourned his death. If he had married the woman he loved, she would have mourned his death. That is just how fate is, merciless and inevitable unless, you make an effort to dodge it
.-------
A knock at the door dragged King out of his bed, he walked to the door and pulled it open his house help was standing there humbly.
"What is it, Sara?"
"What should we call your son?" she asked sheepishly
"That is not the main agenda, what should I feed him"
"Get the credit card and buy him some dog food. Take him to the vet afterwards, if necessary"
"Yes, Mr. King" she turned around then stopped
"What should I prepare for breakfast?"
"Coffee" she looked at him expectantly, he sighed.
"Just coffee madam Sara"
"Right away" she walked off slowly and King shut the door. Sara glanced at the shut door and sighed. What a headache, he has looks and money yet he wouldn't bother marrying. He would drink coffee day in day out and eat vanilla ice cream as if it was created for him. The food in the freezers and the refrigerators were all free to her use, someone would think she is on vacation or something. She did the cleaning but the house was barely in use, so less cleaning. She ate fine foods as if she was the boss of the house, and she got paid a whooping one hundred dollars as if she was working in some company. She tried to get him to eat but he was a hard nut to crack, what a stubborn man. Even her ex- husband was not that obstinate. King was dressed by the time Sara finished making coffee, he gulped the whole cup down and left the house. He took his black Mercedes and headed to his villa. A Subaru sped past his car, he was fascinated by the speed it was moving at, who was so fearless? Humans were no longer afraid of death, were they?He arrived to find the Subaru parked crookedly at the drive way. He sighed and stepped out of the car; he walked around the Subaru. The driver was definitely the most careless. The car had several scratches and the tires were worn out. He scanned the surrounding, no one was around. He reached for the bonnet and shifted the car back to where it is supposed to be, he went back to his car and parked it beside the Subaru. once he was done, he entered the villa. It was crowded by the crew members; he sat on the sofa silently. Mr. Flint spotted him and walked over.
"How are you?"
"Am alright" he answered nonchalantly.
"Go ahead and get your make- up done, we are finishing your scenes early so the young Salvina can shoot the other parts"
"Right, away"
he walked into the other room where make- up was being done. Avalyn was standing before the mirror trying to zip her dress. She wouldn't reach for the zip, she was dramatic. The other members were busy helping each other do the make - up. King waled over.
"Do you need help with that?"
"Please do" she said without thinking"He pulled up the zipper smoothly, she sighed trying to adjust with the dress. It was not her size at all, or was her chest bigger than it should be? She exhaled and the sound or ripping fabric brought all attention to her. The bodice of dress was torn vertically, being an off- shoulder dress, her entire upper body would be exposed. King panicked and instinctively pulled her into his arms shielding her with his body. Avalyn breathed shakily, her heart beating fiercely. King pulled a towed and draped it around her shoulders. She did not move, she held onto him her face buried in his chest. The others watched in terror; it would have been such a scandal if the King had not shielded her. She would be very ashamed and wouldn't even look at the others in the face.
"Are you okay?"...are you okay... She shook her head slowly unable to face him
."Give me a moment please" she whispered and he let her be. Mr. Flint barged into the room.
"What happened?"
"The dress is torn, nothing big" King answered.
"Oh, is she okay?"
"She will be" King answered without even looking at him.
"Who prepared the dress? Which size was it?"
There was silence in the room."I found it" Mose barged in holding a gown in his hands, everyone gave him a 'like seriously' gaze.
"Where was it?"
"They were mixed up, I mistakenly brought the one that was prepared for Brenda, she has a smaller bosom than...Flint cleared his throat to stop him from talking, he was the silly one, he said anything out loud.
"Give it to her, she needs to change"
"Why are they hugging? Don't tell me they already fell for each other!"
"WHAT!?"Everyone yelled the question shifting gazes from Mose to the two who were holding each other. King ignored the gazes and escorted Avalyn into the changing cubicle and passed her the dress. He entered his own cubicle to change, everyone stared and the doors still waiting for an answer that was never going to come.