William Robathan, MP.

“Have I missed something? When did the second-hand St. Clair and Rutherford baby daddy become an item?” 

Better yet, why would either want to be in the presence of the other?

The comment wasn’t directed at anyone in particular. Viktoriya was enough out of earshot of the press to allow such comments to bubble up and for her own distaste of the lot of them to be on full display. She rather missed this side of her. With her many nominations, including Biggest Villian and Biggest Sass Queen, it seemed appropriate to live up to the names.

“I’m going to need to start drinking if I’m to see any more public displays of absurdity.”

.

“I have no idea who either of those people are. Easy to slip into irrelevance in a place like London,” William mused.

To be honest, he also had no idea who the tall blonde stood in front of him was, but he did find her snark amusing, regardless to whom it was directed towards. Upon closer inspection, he may have seen her on some of the nominations. 

“Well, I hope you’re ready for a rather violent hangover tomorrow, then. Since the influx of new residents, London’s social scene has took a tragic tumble towards unsavoury and stupid.”

@mobscene-starters​

It wasn’t unusual for her to be here at this time of night. The training for other fighters ran long, and she found out she liked watching them. Not because of the way their forms moved, or how the sweat dripped from their muscular bodies, but because she was able to assess them as fighters. Who was holding out, who gave it their all and who were the ones who needed to get something out of their systems. 

A strategy that would work for her favour once the next fight would begin. 

Adriana walked out of the training room outside, leaving the door open as she leaned against the wall next to it. “You in or you out?” 

.

“The new role suits you, you know.”

It wasn’t like him to have a smoke - he didn’t want to wrinkle his perfect skin, thank you very much - but once in a while bumming a cigarette wouldn’t be the end of the world, he figured. William’s fighting days were in the past, he was a man of suits and ties now, but damn, if he didn’t miss the action. Instead, he’d come to watch two of his favourites train - Jax and Seung-hyun. Both of them were mean bloody beasts and he’d always enjoyed seeing them in the ring.

He also enjoyed Adriana’s presence...

“Can I have one?” he pointed at the pack, “for the company, until my driver arrives.”

Lara: Or maybe you've just faded into irrelevance.

Lara: I might've got an unfair share of the bad nominations, but I also take the crown for the most of them ever. Silver linings; it is what it is. I'll win them all, and both be, and look better than all of those cretins, in every conceivable way whilst I do so.

Lara: Thought you died.

William: You're more charming than usual. I see Porto sunshine is doing wonders for your mood.

William: What kind of riffraff was voting for these awards?

William: Everything's upside down - Gideon got favourable nominations and you mostly opposite.

OPEN STARTER.  LOCATION: MELISSA’S OFFICE. 

@mobscene-starters​

She watched with hawk-like eyes, papers scattering her desk as brows furrowed together in frustration. This couldn’t be right? She thought, picking up another piece of paper, grunting low under her breath. Fuck. How had her team missed this? There were times she wished she’d chosen a different life path, although they were very few and far between. 

Melissa Lin was stressed.

It seemed every day things were piling up on top of her, like she was carrying the world on her shoulders and there was no way out. No way of discerning between what she needed to take on, and what she did to keep her ex-husband’s image as clean as she could.

Although, that seemed like a losing game. That’s when she heard the knock at her door.

‘‘It better be important.’‘ She called. 

.

“It is. And I think you’ll enjoy hearing what I have to say, miss Lin.”

William closed the door behind him, and approached the woman with a content grin. Usually, he prefered to deal with Andrew directly, but in his absence, Melissa Lin was the person to speak. She was impressive - even William had to admit that. It was no surprise the Rutherford Organisation stood strong still, with people like her at the helm. 

“That French-allied MP we’ve discussed back in December - “ William refrained from using the name, just in case, “not as clean and family oriented as he claims. May or may not have been frequenting one of Yusuf Khan’s clubs and may or may not have been leaving with a girl who doesn’t quite look like his wife, and awful lot like his daughter’s best friend.” Normally, this wouldn’t have been a big deal - London was full of cheaters - but this man had built his entire campaign on family values.

“I’m sure the London Advocate would love to do a piece about this.”

William: Guess I called the apocalypse wrong.

Fuck: Aviv

Marry: Anatoly

Fuck: Vika

Marry: Mila

Fuck: leyla

Marry: adri

Anatoly Veselov Vs William Robathan

@william-robathan

The crowd was going off, there were screams everywhere, people shouting for the brits, people shouting for the Russians. But Anatoly didn’t hear any of that. His eyes were focused on the little rug rat in front of him and nothing else. He smiled, that wicked, devilish smile that reached his eyes, perhaps for the first time since he’s been there. But there was little human left in him at this point. His eyes were dark, consumed of the rage that he was beginning to feel in his bones. 

Oh, the rat was going to suffer.

As they stepped closer, he touched his fist to his own jaw, punching it a few times. As if to encourage the man. Yeah, he wanted him to hit first. To taste blood before he even lifted his hand. Give him a chance, make it look as if he felt pain. 

“давай, принцесса“ He smirked, as he lifted his fists to his face. 

He was never supposed to end up inside of the ring. 

Frankly, it was degrading, in a way, to be a part of the entertainment, and not just the spectator enjoying the show from the overly comfortable VIP section, like he had many times before, even during his visit to Porto Velho. 

But as much as William would deny it, there was a part of him, frustrated by the complete lack of balls and action displayed by his fellow members of the parliament, that craved taking the matter into his own hands, literally.

Lara’s fight club guaranteed more than enough privacy and secrecy for him to risk his carefully cultivated public image for just one fight, just one opportunity to beat the living hell out of a Russian without having to worry about a permission or the backlash from the international press.

From the looks of it, Lara did not go easy on him. The Russian stood in front of him resembled a caged animal, and William could tell he was thirsty for blood.

It had taken him longer than he was willing to admit, to shake off the uneasiness accompanied with the night, and to slip back to his usual mask. Still, by the night was over, he did.

When William found Leyla, she had been passionately talking about a charity, and it wasn’t her kindness that made him soften up to her, but it was the fact that it had reminded him of Harrison. 

A better man would’ve apologised sincirely, but William was not a better man. Instead, he apologised, and he didn’t mean it. However, the intention to win her over again was genuine, at least.

“You had them completely onboard. Maybe I should ask you to join my campaign team,” he offered a usual smile. “I’m sorry about earlier. Not my finest moment. Hope it didn’t ruin your night.”

-

She had sensed it. From the moment that William picked her up until the very same one they were in now. There was something that had been bothering, though before, most of the time he simply stayed quiet. Leyla wasn’t above those to pry mindlessly, she knew when a person needed their time and their space.

However, from the moment they had entered the place, her date’s mood seemed to have gotten worse with each second. It was as if some sort of mask had been slipping away or over - she had no idea which one it was. The words that he offered to her, the first ones all evening, were cold and sent shivers down her spine. Suddenly, the surgeon didn’t feel so confident, suddenly she felt a weird feeling in her stomach. 

Every few people they passed, Leyla heard the same name being repeated over and over again, Harrison. Party sure none of them were talking about Ford, the actor. “Is it something to do with Harrison?” She asked, after his cold agreement, in a small, whispered tone. 

But it was his dismissal that really struck her. Never had Leyla been ordered around, in this case dismissed like she was some subject, someone who had, no matter, like a damn dog. Stopping, her eyes glanced at him as he continued to walk away from her. “I am certain I can do what I like, William.” No matter how much she may have liked him, she wasn’t going to be spoken to like a subordinate. “Thank you for brining me here.” 

.

.

The artistic voyeur of other people’s emotions was experiencing one of his own, and it wasn’t something he wanted to have a witness to. William continued to walk down the hallway with an unnerving sense of coldness, he may have been one of these marbled walls when it come to listening to Leyla’s concerns in this moment.

He took a deep breath, subtle, eyes still not finding their eye to the woman walking next to him. “Was the music too loud, Leyla? I believe I said, you can find Nora if you like, do whatever you want, I don’t care. I just need a moment alone. It’s not too much to ask, no?” 

The question which she posed, the only question really, that could invoke a surge of emotions in William was met with utter dismissal. He pretended it hadn’t even been voiced into existence - no one, including the people who’ve also lost Harrison, had the right to talk to William about him. No, who he was with Harrison was in too much contrast to who he was now. The two Williams couldn’t exist in the same universe. It was better to dismiss it, avoid, like some sort of glitch in the matrix.

“I’ll come find you later.”

He hissed through the gritted teeth.

@william-robathan​

There wasn’t exact time that Leyla could have pinpointed to when her life had changed. In the past year, she’d been to more fancy events than she ever counted. Or even imagined. The feeling of being an outsider never really left her. It was like the air on her skin, reminding her that this was not the place that she grew up in. 

But at the same time, she couldn’t say she did not enjoy it. The rented dress fit her curves perfectly. She felt almost like an angel fallen from the skies. Out of place, an outcast, yet somehow belonging with the people that surrounded her.

With her fingers intertwined with William’s she glanced up at him. Most of the evening he felt off. Somehow, he felt colder, more distant than he usually was. “Hey, you okay?” She asked, smiling, hoping that he would tell what it was that was bothering him.  

.

Every rule had its exception.

Even when it came to William Robathan.

Faking a smile and pretending to care about one cause or another came to him with a disturbing ease, but not tonight. The constant reminders of what had happened to one person he actually gave a damn about, was not something William appreciated and the entire evening had been a never-ending mentions of Harrison and the tragedy. He had avoided Cassie, Spencer and Jasper all night, but despite that, Harrison’s name followed him everywhere tonight, it seemed.

He paid little attention to his date, not in the mood to play the prince charming. Whatever upset he could’ve caused tonight, he had no doubt he’d talk his way out of tomorrow. William was a charming snake, no questioning that.

“Yeah,” the MP offered a cold confirmation. He wandered off to the end of the marbeled hallway, looking for something to distract himself with. Maybe Dawar had some interesting pieces of art hanging on these walls. “Nora’s around, isn’t she? You can join her if you like.” He addressed his date, eyes scanning the surroundings, instead of the beautiful woman next to him.

-

Leyla tapped her index finger on her lips in thought. “Well, maybe not the bullied part. I was bullied in school and I’m pretty sure I turned out okay.” Though it wasn’t without the help of her sister and Jai. 

This summer was going to mark two years without them. Two years since they were gone. The surgeon bit her lower lip, closing her eyes for a split second, as if wishing the thoughts away. It wasn’t the time or the place. That event was a big part in her life, but there was no need to put all of that on William. 

The woman smiled again, opening her eyes and rolling her shoulder in a shrug. “You know what? She can do whatever the hell she wants.” A nod came along with her words and Leyla pushed away her finished cup. She leaned over, putting her hand over where his was. “How about you come visit my place and I’ll make you a nice lunch?” She grinned suggestively.

.

“You were bullied? Nonsense. For what? Being too pretty?” William scoffed. His surprise wasn’t genuine. Her being picked made sense - she was nice, gentle, a little bit of a wallflower, maybe - an easy target for bullies. Hell, had they gone to the same school, William could’ve possibly been one of her bullies, even. 

William took a deep breath, contemplating her suggestion for a few seconds. Sure, he could go to her place, eat lunch and probably have a very special desert in a form of a pretty brunette, but he’d been craving Sushi all day, and not a cheap take-out one. “How about, you let me treat you to a delicious Shrimp Tempura. You’ve had a long day at work, and you shouldn’t have to cook. I won’t stand by it. Let’s enjoy the sushi and maybe a little detour to the Empire...”