Ch. 25
"You must be jesting," John stuttered in disbelief. With a slightly amused expression on his face mingled with his own confusion, he looked at war within himself. "You could not possibly be serious!"
Erik watched the proud man with squinted eyes and a loathing stare, hoping that his towering figure would intimidate him as he slowly rose to his feet. While the desk still separated the two men, John could feel the hatred radiating off of the violent and angry man before him, and he could not help but to cower in his chair.
"Have I been known as a man who jests?" Erik seethed. He inched his way closer, until he hovered above the surface of the desk and was only few feet away from Mr. Abraham.
John had never seen such a wild look in his eyes before, and even the way in which Erik's nostrils had flared could cause him to flinch, for he had not encountered his partner's temper in all of their years together. Not even so much as a smirk could be found on Erik's hardened features, and as John noticed this, he swallowed the lump of fear in his throat. He knew, without a doubt, that this was a serious matter.
"But-But we have been in partnership for years, and you wish to leave now? Will you not reconsider?" he begged.
He could not imagine business without the valuable knowledge and skills that he could not possess on his own, and he already knew that it would be nearly impossible to find a replacement. Mr. Destler had made him a very wealthy man over the years, but now he saw it all-his success, his fortune-flash before his very eyes.
"No sooner would you suffer a fate worse than I reconsider my decision to walk away," Erik stated darkly. "Perhaps you should have reconsidered this!"
He shoved a handful of papers into John's face and watched the shocked reaction sweep over his features once he had noticed its contents. With widened eyes, John stood, but Erik pulled away before they could be taken from him.
"I must warn you that you are making a most unwise decision," John said as he walked around the desk and drew closer. "For I will not allow you to follow through with this!"
He had spared the lies and excuses, much to Erik's surprise, only to have the audacity to contain an arrogant air to his demeanor, as if he had obtained enough power in the world to forbid anyone from going against his wishes. Erik, however, was not fooled.
"If you so wish to amuse yourself with the notion that you could prevent me from doing so, then by all means; entertain your corrupt mind a bit longer, but you are as clay that crumbles beneath one's feet when it comes to crossing me!" Erik spat.
He was so repulsed by John's behavior and had nothing left to say to him, and so he decided it best to exit before he allowed his emotions to slip between the cracks of his struggling composure. He turned on his heel and prepared to leave.
"You will go nowhere!" John hissed.
Erik felt the hand grasp his left shoulder harshly and though he knew that John did not possess the strength to hinder him from leaving, he found himself infuriated by the contact nonetheless. Before he could think twice about his conduct, he spun around quickly and reached for John's throat with his right hand. Not even a few seconds later, he had pinned him to the wall, as John clawed at the leather wrapped around his neck in an effort to escape, with a terrified look in his eyes. Though Erik's grip was not tight enough to suffocate him, it was certainly treading the thin line between discomfort and pain.
"You are unacquainted with what I am capable of, but I doubt that you will wish to know it!" Erik growled into his ear.
He dug his fingers into the skin but was careful not to do it long enough to leave much of a mark. He could feel John trembling with fear, and he even smirked with enjoyment at watching the coward writhe and struggle under his grasp. It would be child's play to cut off his air supply so that he would never breathe again, and he had to remind himself of what his wife's reaction would be if he had committed murder in order to prevent himself from letting his strength get out of control.
No, he would not end the man's life, if only because of Estella. He wanted to scoff at the irony that the niece whom John despised was keeping him alive, but it also made him sick to think about.
"If you ever come near us again, then I will make certain that it is the last time!" he threatened.
He released his grip and left the room, knowing that his threat had succeeded when John did not follow him.
Ding!
Erik quickly glanced over his cream-colored shirt that hung open to expose his chest and straightened his long black waistcoat with trembling hands.
Ding!
His eyes roved over his black vest and the matching cape that hung upon his right shoulder and nearly touched the floor.
Ding!
With shaking fingers he adjusted the black leather mask upon his face.
Ding!
He tied the sword in its sheath securely to his left hip and prayed that his nerves would calm.
Ding!
Inspecting himself in the mirror, his mind was flooded by the memories that he had wished to long repress.
Ding!
The clock struck six times and his heart leaped in his chest, wishing to escape. He knew that it was time to meet Estella downstairs. He put on his leather gloves and attempted to dispel his nervousness, but to no avail. As he left his room, he hoped that the night would not transpire as his experience could recollect.
He had put great thought into his attire for that evening, yet had not been successful enough to his own satisfaction. While he had once dressed as Red Death at the only Masquerade that he had ever attended, he knew that such a costume might frighten Estella, and so he had stayed far away from anything that resembled the nightmare that he truly was underneath of the mask.
While he did resemble the night in which he had played Don Juan, he had made a few alterations in material, design, and even the addition of his sword, but he was grateful that she had not seen that opera, nonetheless, for he would rather cease to exist than repeat the course of that terrible night.
This Masquerade had been an event that he had both dreaded and anticipated with excitement. Of what consequence was it what he dressed as? He would either find misery or elation, and which one was all that mattered to him.
As he approached the very top stair he began to contemplate not attending the ball. What if it would prove to be a great regret? Though he knew that the situation was far different than the last time in which he had been to this sort of event, he could not help but to worry about it, anyway.
He ignored his protesting thoughts and descended the staircase in haste, for he did not wish to make Estella wait for him. Once he had reached the bottom, however; he did not see her, and his heart sank a little. In the very deep recesses of his mind he feared that she would not appear, but his legs were already walking in the direction of the other staircase without hesitation. He found that he was much too anxious to stand in one place-a fact that perplexed him, for he had not even felt it to this extent on his own wedding day. He attributed this unsettling emotion to a rejection that would be far more intense than before, for now he had bonded with her over time and could not simply walk away unscathed. Whatever the reason, he remained at the base of the staircase and hoped that she would arrive.
Within moments, he saw her. As she slowly walked down each step, her appearance seemed to cloud his judgement and he could hardly ponder the things that had plagued him for weeks. He could only take in her beauty and gaze at her in awe as she came closer.
Scarlet satin hugged her frame and cascaded in a large skirt around her. The bodice was covered in black beads and sequins and the thin sleeves rested just below the curve of her shoulders, exposing her collarbone and the black glistening necklace that rested on it. Her long brown curls were pinned to one side, exposing the right side of her neck and cascading down the left. A black half-mask with lace edging covered the majority of her face and glittered with every movement. Her lips were painted crimson as they turned upward in a smile. It was as if Aphrodite, herself, had descended from heaven to grace him with her presence as she slowly walked down each step until the two of them were face-to-face.
He was speechless, and though Estella was nearly bursting with excitement at the prospect of not being excluded for once in her life, her smile began to fade and she spoke what she had feared before she could think about it.
"Do you think it foolish for me to go? Will they not stare at the color of my skin and humiliate you for being seen with me?"
While she had dreamed of a night such as this nearly her entire life, she could not pretend to hide who she really was. She had even contemplated using paint to lighten her skin, but she feared that it would have looked rather odd and unnatural.
Erik was shocked that she should worry about him being seen with her, instead thinking the complete opposite of her fears. If only she knew what was beneath his mask, then she most certainly would not be fearing such a preposterous idea!
"If anyone should stare, then it will be because of your unearthly beauty," he murmured gently.
Estella was surprised by his softened expression and the warmness in his voice, and she felt the flutter in her chest that matched the returning smile from his compliment. She did not care what others would think of her, for it only mattered that he would not be embarrassed to be seen with her.
"We make a fine pair, tonight," she said cheerfully as she noticed how their costumes had matched nearly perfectly. "Only I am envious of the fact that you have a sword and I don't, though I suppose that it would be most unladylike if it were otherwise," she laughed.
Erik, too, chuckled, and his heart felt lighter. Perhaps this Masquerade would not be so terrible, after all. Perhaps he could live his dream, even if for only a night.
The next chapter will be very long and maybe the chapter after that will still be about the Masquerade, as well. We are either a little over half-way or nearly 3/4 finished with the story, but I hope that it doesn't seem like it's dragging out too long. There is just a lot to be done, yet. I hope that you will enjoy it.