Another unfruitful week had passed. Delia had been desperately trying to figure out who the betrayer was, especially since her company was now accused of plagiarism on top of everything. Another brand had released a design that looked exactly like the one she had developed and released just days after. Someone was definitely leaking confidential data without her consent.
Since James was just as clueless as she was about the situation, she had decided to hire a private investigator. Now the only thing left for her was to wait and hope he would find out something soon, all the while working with her lawyer on ways to stall the ongoing lawsuits. The press was also proving to be of great help, given she worded her sentences correctly, as she was able to connect with the public and gain their favor.
She buried her face in her palms as all the thoughts were beginning to consume her. "Just what should I do?" She sighed to herself. When she removed her hands, she took a short glance at the documents laying before her and decided to put them away. She stood from the wooden table and collected the papers before walking over to a shelf to sort them.
Order meant everything to her. She would never be able to rest even if the documents were neatly stacked until they were sorted perfectly by date and alphabet. However, she kept an extra folder for the most urgent ones. Even though it slightly irked her to separate them from all other documents, they were easier to find that way.
Turning away from the shelf she scanned the room for more clutter. Seeing as everything was clean and tidy, she smiled to herself, now able to enjoy the sight she was taking in. Her study was very old-fashioned compared to the rest of her house. Most of the furniture and decorations of her home she had designed herself except for the study. When she first set it up, she had made sure to furnish it to look exactly like her grandfather's study when she was little. She had even given up on electricity in this room, relying on the warm light the candles provided.
Her gaze landed on a small wooden chest on an end table on the other side of the room, which seemingly pulled her to it. She followed her urge and approached, picking it up carefully.
A symmetrical pattern was carved into the wood, shimmering slightly golden in the candle light. In the midst of it sat an emerald gemstone which glinted as she turned the box in her hands. Placing it back onto the table she opened it slowly as if even the slightest touch would break it.
One could see by how carefully she handled the chest that she cherished it very much. After all, it was a family heirloom passed on through generations since the eighteenth century.
She relieved the chest of its contents one by one, starting with a weathered black cloth. According to her grandfather, it was a piece of a pirate flag belonging to a famous pirate from the golden age. Though she was never really sure how much of his stories were true.
Setting the cloth aside, she pulled out a piece of parchment. As she unfolded it, she was met by bold letters reading "Wanted," underneath of which was a badly drawn sketch of a bearded man with his hair's length barely reaching down to his jaw and a grim expression set on his face. If her grandfather was to be believed, this was their ancestor.
His name was Charles Vane.
Delia chuckled to herself. In no way would that be true. Out of all the seven billion people on this earth, how could her family ever be related in any way to the famous pirate? She sighed to herself, shaking her head as she folded the poster and set it beside the cloth. There was one more item left, having been hidden well buried beneath the cloth. A silver pocket watch.
The delicate chain attached to it rattled as she took it into her hands. She found the sound quite pleasant. However, she became aware of another sound since picking it up. It was like the subtle ticking of a clock.
This can't be, Delia thought to herself. How could it still be intact? She pushed a small button on its side to open it and indeed, it was still working! The slimmest of the three pointers was moving by the second, accompanied by faint clicking. The woman stared at it in awe and disbelief, her mouth agape. The longer she watched it, the more it seemed to entrance her. Minutes passed by and she began to lose her track of time, despite the watch ticking before her eyes.
Her vision began to blur around it and a slight dizziness crept upon her, yet she was still unable to avert her gaze. Small black dots were beginning to appear, each one growing bigger than the other, until her vision was engulfed by darkness.