#brckenways

revenge had lit his blood on fire. for days, adem had been sulking in the burning sensation, allowing it stoke his anger, to fuel him. he'd train harder. he'd pay closer attention. he'd fall in line behind his brother. he'd prepare, as to never allow himself or the people he cared so deeply about to be blindsided ever again.

after a meeting, he'd taken a long walk just to cool himself off, pulse still thumping in his ears. with each passing block, he escaped further into the night of los angeles, still admittedly unfamiliar to him despite having lived there now for nearly six months. in this time, he had grown fond of it. the city was made up of patterns, of both dark and light, just as he was. tonight, his temperament matched that of the former.

this would present a problem for the blonde three blocks in front of him, shiny hair illuminated by the streetlights in a shade of gold as if in homage to the stunning metallic decorum she'd been draped in at the museum. how could he not notice mia barone when she was placed in front of him like a piece of bait ? like a cruel reminder of the dagger-eyes she'd shot him from across the auction room ?

he was a shark, she'd soon come to find out.

against better judgment and his brother's voice in his head urging him not to, adem pursued her. there was less tact in the way he approached her than there should have been — a quick reroute down an adjoining alleyway, and he appeared in front of her, wide stature almost laughably larger than her own.

without so much as a greeting, he used his weight to shove her back into the obscurity of the alley. his hand plastered over her pretty mouth, slamming her head back against the brick of the building with an audible crack.

Nothing if not calculating. Always planning, trying to remain two steps ahead whenever possible. Perhaps another gateway for the blonde to give in to her desires to know things and put her foot in the door of almost all things, within reason. Her entire life had been built on it. That, among a healthy dose of respect for certain powers at play.

"You look great!" Hande was more than happy to hand out compliments, given the special occasion and the truth within those words. Ayla was stunning. The entire event was and her brother and his fiancee at the center of it all. "Are congratulations in order for the sister of the groom? Groom to be?"

guilt was a suit that'd never quite fit adem correctly. it was baggy, always falling off his shoulders. as young man, he'd learned that avoidance was much more flattering — fault was only worth acknowledging when it could be paid for in violence. sitting across from his oldest sibling, adem could hardly recognize that that was the uncomfortable sensation brewing in his throat.