Chapter 106: OUT OF THE CHAOS
Charles’s POV
“You look like you didn't sleep at all last night,” I said, sitting across from Xender and observing him.
He looked visibly distressed and distracted, even though his focus seemed rigidly fixed on his laptop and the stack of files piled high on his desk.
“Well, forgive me for being the only one desperate to put Seth right where he belongs,” he said without looking up, his fingers clicking furiously against the keyboard.
“You know we all want that man to pay for what he did to Alda, but I really can't support you letting it cost you your health.”
That finally caught his attention. He paused, peering up at me over the rim of his reading glasses.
“Which is exactly why I said you don't—or won't—understand how desperate I am. But if you really want to help, you should start by getting yourself ready for the modeling shoot this evening,” he said, instantly returning to his typing.
“Fine. But seriously, I don't understand why you decided to replace Alda as the lead model. Having her here would have helped take her mind off things, and you could have kept an eye on her,” I pressed.
Instead of answering, Xender casually tossed a folder across the desk. I barely caught it before it slid onto the floor.
“What's this?” I asked, shooting him a bewildered look before flipping the folder open. It was a script for our shoot this evening.
“Why are you giving me your script?” I asked, thoroughly confused.
“Because you are going to replace me as Peach Porsche's partner. Congratulations,” he said sarcastically, as if I were supposed to be thrilled about it.
“You're kidding, right?” I asked, praying it was a joke. But the forced, flat smile he flashed me before immediately diving back into his work told me he was dead serious.
“I don't get it. If you decided to change your mind about doing the shoot because Alda dropped out, why didn't you let me know so we could hire a male model alongside Peach?” I complained, utterly baffled by his thought process.
“Because you, my friend, used to be a very good model. We both modeled our own designs until we reached a point where we could hire bigger names. And having Elara here means she needs a familiar face. You happen to be her father, so—boom. What a wonderful idea, don't you think?”
The sheer volume of sarcasm in his voice warned me that something was terribly wrong. Whenever Xender started acting overly annoyed by the smallest things, it meant he was harboring a much deeper anger.
“Xender, what's wrong? What aren't you telling me? Because it feels like we're slipping back into you keeping secrets, and you know how much I hate that,” I said. When he continued to ignore me, I reached across the desk and pulled his laptop shut, forcing his attention onto me.
“Because I want all of this to be over so I can finally start planning my wedding, Charles!” he snapped, a rare, volatile anger echoing in his voice. “I want Seth to finally get the punishment he deserves! Now give me back my laptop!”
I hadn't heard that level of raw fury from him in a long time. Something was definitely off.
“Okay, fine. Let's assume you wanted both me and Elara to do this. Why on earth did you have to hire Peach, knowing full well the history between her and Emily?” I asked, still trying to make sense of the situation.
“Because I need her clout to make this project a massive success—so Seth will finally blow up for getting ditched.”
I let out a heavy sigh, surrendering to my fate. Great. I was going to be modeling alongside my high school crush—the one who broke my heart—who also just happened to be sworn enemies with Emily.
“Wonderful. Thanks a lot, Xender, for such an irresistible offer. I'll go study my script.”
I pushed his laptop back to him and made my way out of his office, already sensing that this pairing was going to go horribly wrong.
Elba’s POV
With both Siofra and Alda back in one body, alongside Siofra’s grandmother and Siofra’s original physical form, it was finally time to get the hell out of here.
“So how do we escape this place?” Alda asked, looking around the unstable space.
“Since we know this portal sucks things in and spits them back out, maybe if we wait, it'll throw us out too,” I replied, hating that I didn't have a better answer for her.
“Well, we don't have enough time to wait around. We don't even know what is left of Álfheimr! And I thought finally finding my body meant my spirit would go right back into it!” Siofra said, pulling out of Alda’s body, her voice sounding all desperate and frustrated.
“Siofra, get back into Alda's body! You both need to stay together until we find a way to get ourselves out of here. We can't afford to leave anyone behind again,” I barked at her, though I understood why she was being so stubborn.
But instead of moving, she frowned, her chin set high in a stubborn manner as she locked eyes with me.
“Siofra, do as Elba said! You have already found the spirit goddesses bonded to your gemstones, so there's no way they won't know how to bring you back to your body once we're out. This is not the time for you to start arguing with Elba,” Alda said, not hiding the clear frustration in her voice.
“Fine!” Siofra snapped angrily.
She reluctantly receded back into Alda's body. Almost immediately, the entire portal began to convulse violently. A sudden, crushing force pressed down from above as the realm below gave way, sucking up everything in its path.
I knew it.
“I'll take care of the elderly elf while you two handle her body!” I called out to Alda.
Flicking my wrists, I summoned my magic. I snatched a thick root from one of the nearby ancient trees, infusing it with a radiant glow to extend its reach. I easily lifted Siofra's physical body, binding her securely to Alda with the glowing root, before quickly doing the same for Siofra's grandmother.
Just as the magic locked them tight, the current hit us with terrifying force. We were violently yanked upward into the air, the ferocious gale swirling around us once more.
“Elba?!” Alda screamed, terrified out of her mind as she clutched Siofra’s physical body with all her strength.
“Hold on to her and don't let go!” I yelled back over the deafening roar of the gale.
Before the words could even leave my lips, a massive energy wave blasted through the portal, tearing through our tethers and sending each of us flying in different directions into the chaos.