Lionel finally spotted a familiar door , so he walked over and opened it . He stepped inside only to freeze in place . This was not the restroom !
He entered some sort of a rest area , and he was looking directly at a young woman who was resting.
When she heard the door open , the lady raised her head. She sat facing the door , behind her a large floor to ceiling glass window.
When she raised her head , Lionel inhaled sharply. The universe truly worked in unique ways , the sight in front of him was just otherworldly .
The lady was wearing a sapphire gown , her black hair pinned up using some unique ornaments Lionel hadn't seen before. Her skin was golden brown , far different from the paleness other ladies preferred . Her lips had a unique purple-red tone similar to the colour of a black cherry sherbet. A pair of long dangling teardrop earrings adorned her ears , each earring was finished off with a large sapphire , and a matching necklace wrapped around her neck. The moon was like an accessory , completing her look , it was positioned directly behind her head , giving her this divine halo .The woman was looking directly at him , her eyes narrowed , analysing him. He should've felt uncomfortable like he always did , but something about her gaze , her eyes deep and dark , mysterious like her , but Lionel didn't feel bothered , he wanted her to look , he wanted her gaze to stay fixed on him. Something flashed across her eyes, and her gaze softened .
The lady's eyes finally stopped on the soiled area of his suit , " Oh dear , looks like you've had an accident, " her voice was pleasant but regal with a hint of warmth.
Lionel nodded back , afraid he wouldn't be able to speak properly , he didn't want to seem like an idiot in front of her.
" If you're looking for the restroom , I'm afraid it's certainly not here , this is a resting area. It's the 4th door to the left down the corridor." she continued, a hint of a smile apparent in her voice.
Lionel inhaled deeply trying to calm his racing heart down , then with a steady voice that surprised him , he answered , " Thank you My Lady , and I apologise for intruding on your rest time."
" Please do not fret , it was but a simple misunderstanding , and I must say it is quite easy to get lost in this mansion."
Lionel let out a deep chuckle at that, the Nathaniel mansion was nothing short of a maze , he had always found it annoying whenever he visited.
Lionel was about to speak again when they were interrupted by the door opening .
A tall handsome young man wearing a black suit with grey stripes , his blond hair slicked back contrasting beautifully with his icy blue eyes entered the room. He looked surprised to see Lionel there . But regaining his composure the man nodded at him briefly before turning to the woman.
" You ready ? I'm done here."
The woman nodded and stood up , she smoothed her skirt before walking over. Now that she was standing , Lionel realised that she was quite tall too , he himself stood at 189cm , and the woman was only a few centimeters shorter than him. Her figure also stood out , she was curvier than the women you would see here , her wide shoulders and hips paired with her thinner waist gave her an hourglass figure , but it wasn't over the top , it wasn't too defined , it was natural. Lionel had seen women try so hard ,restricting their food intake and even resorting to corsets to gain that over-defined hourglass shape , but he personally found that unattractive.
When she approached them , a very unique scent followed her , she smelled like a combination of roses , lilacs , violets and vanilla .
The lady smiled at him softly , " I shall take my leave now , I hope you have a wonderful day."
The young man headed out first and he held the door open for the lady.
Just as she was about to step outside , Lionel panicked.
She was leaving ! No , he wanted her to stay.
Lionel reached out and stopped her , " My lady , can I at least know your name ? " , his voice was filled with great determination
The lady flashed him a soft smile , " If fate allows us to meet again my dear Sir , I shall tell you my name."
The lady stepped outside. Lionel's view of her was obstructed by the door closing behind her.
Lionel was left alone in the room , the remaining scent was the only indicator of the magnificent being who stood here just seconds ago.
Lionel walked over to the couch she was sitting on. He slowly sat down directly on the spot she sat , allowing his head to fall back against the soft cushion. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply , taking in her scent. Now that he smelled it again , there was a hint of cinnamon in there too .
He continued to stay like that , inhaling the scent she left behind , he didn't want anyone else to smell her. When the scent was gone , he reluctantly opened his eyes. He sat up straight , looking at the door , hoping the lady would come in again.
But that never happened , so he could only reluctantly head out , he didn't even bother to go to the restroom anymore.
He walked back to the waiting room in a daze ,the smell still lingered in his nose , like a ghost following him everywhere .
Jamie saw the dazed Lionel coming , so he rushed over , " Mr. Dravenhurst ! I was shocked to see that you were gone ! "
Lionel just waved his hand , " Just went to the restroom , " he replied .
Jamie sighed and opened the door for him and Lionel walked inside.
When he stepped inside , he saw Alec and Matteo looking at him worried .
" Lionel where were you ? "
" I just went to the restroom , " Lionel replied, dazed.
Matteo and Alec exchanged glances , " What's wrong with you ? You're so dazed. You look like you've seen a ghost."
" Maybe I did , " Lionel whispered to himself , but the scent that was lingering in his nose proved otherwise.
Matteo stood up and walked over , he grabbed Lionel's hand and helped him sit down , " You saw a ghost ? " .
Lionel nodded , " She was unreal , " he answered , his dazed eyes were sparkling now.
" You met a female ghost ?! Where ?! " Alec bounced up.
Alec's yelp brought Lionel back to earth , he shook his head to get his head clear . He had to find out who that was !
Lionel lunged and grabbed Matteo's arm hard , " Who was that ? " he demanded.
Matteo and Alec exchanged bewildered glances , " Who do you mean , there's like 200 people in here , " Matteo replied.
" What did they look like ? " Alec added, trying to be helpful.
" She had curly black hair , she was wearing this sapphire gown with some sapphire jewellery. She was tall too ! " Lionel started to describe the lady's appearance , remembering even the smallest details about her.
Hearing his friend Matteo smirked , it started out small growing bigger with each sentence coming out of his friend's mouth.
" My my ! I must say you have such a sharp memory , you even remember which direction her hair curled in. "
Meanwhile Alec was fighting hard to hold his laughter back.
Lionel just nodded before continuing his description .
Matteo shot Alec an amused glance.
" Lionel Bernard Dravenhurst, don't tell me you've fallen in love ! " Matteo teased.
That shut Lionel up , his face got redder and redder by the minute.
Matteo was waiting for him to say no , but he almost fell down when he heard Lionel's response.
" Yes," Lionel answered quietly , he looked past Matteo and Alec staring out the window. " She's the one I want, " he continued , redirecting his gaze back to his friends.
Alec and Matteo were startled by the intensity of his gaze.
" Lionel I couldn't not be happier for you , but you don't even know who she is , isn't it a bit too early to decide she's your soulmate ? " .
Lionel shook his head , " The seconds I spent in that room with her was more than enough for me to realize that I wanted her by my side. I don't know what the future might hold , but I know my feelings won't change much."
Matteo sighed , seeing his friend like this was quite surprising . Lionel was a robot , inhumane and mechanical in all his actions , never acting based on his emotions. But here he was acting so different from his norm.
Matteo finally nodded softly , " I'm glad you found someone you like , I really thought you'd remain single forever. But I'm really curious , how are you going to find her ? " .
Alec nodded too , it would be like looking for a needle through a haystack. Not impossible , but hard.
" She told me she'll tell me her name if fate allows us to meet again. I write my own fate , and I will make sure we meet again ," Lionel replied , his eyes glinting with something deep. " I have my ways , Alec they only allowed the people with invitations right? ".
" Yes ,you could bring a plus one , but you had to inform us beforehand."
" Great. Can you get me the guest list ? ".
Alec nodded , " Anything for you Lionel , but it'll take me a day or two."
Lionel nodded , " Thank you Alec."
Matteo walked over and slung his arm over Lionel's shoulder. "Don't thank us yet, Lionel. We plan to help you write your fate with that mystery lady of yours. After all, it's not every day that I get to enjoy and take part in such a fun activity."
Lionel rolled his eyes , his friend was clearly enjoying this. Just as he was about to shoot back with a snide remark ,his phone began to ring. It was Arthur.
Lionel answered the call to a very tense and worried sounding Arthur , " Bro , it's mom , " he stuttered.
Lionel jumped up and inhaled sharply , " What happened ? ".
" We were about to have some dinner when mom said it was hard for her to breathe , we brought her to the hospital , the doctor's are examining her now. We're at St.Hopes."
Lionel didn't even bother to hang up , he whipped around to a worried looking Alec and Matteo , " Mom's sick , I need to go now. Alec please tell Mr. Nathaniel what happened , I don't want him to misunderstand."
Alec nodded while Matteo stood up , " What happened ? Is she okay ? " .
Lionel shook his head , " I don't know , they are examining her now. I'll update you later."
Matteo nodded , " Jamie ,call Lionel's car over, he needs to head back urgently, " he said walking over to the door so Jamie could hear.
Lionel grabbed his things and he walked out of the door , Jamie quilt led him back to the entrance where hos ca was already waiting . '
Lionel thanked Jamie before getting in.
" Take me to St. Hope's hospital ," he ordered the driver.
Lionel stared out the side window again as the car sped toward the hospital. The sky, which had cleared up when he arrived at the gala, was now pouring once more; this time, the raindrops were bigger, hitting the car hard. The constant thumps seemed louder inside the silent vehicle. Lionel closed his eyes and breathed deeply, trying to calm himself down. He really hoped his mother was okay.
—------------------------- >.
Lilith stepped outside and closed the door behind her , leaving the man inside , she looked up at Anton who was looking at her worried.
The two of them began to walk down the hallway , Anton's gaze didn't leave her. Unable to take it any longer , she sighed and stopped walking , " Anton , I'm really fine. Nothing happened, besides it's not like I'm allergic to people. He just got lost and thought it was the restroom."
Anton's worry softened and he nodded back , " I must say Lilith , he looks familiar , have we met him somewhere else before ? ".
Lilith shot him a sweet smile , " Maybe we know him , maybe we don't , " she replied sweetly before walking off.
They had reached the back entrance , and they headed outside. Seeing that it was about to rain again, they rushed over to their vehicle. Lilith settled down on the passenger seat and adjusted it a bit to make herself comfortable , while Antron climbed into the driver's seat , he started the car and slowly backed out from his parking spot.
The car revved, driving off towards the city. Anton made a right turn onto Jardin street heading out of the city , quickly the urban landscape turned into a more rural area , with the occasional estate dotting the untouched landscape.
Lilith watched with delight as Anton tapped his thumb on the steering wheel continuously , a clear sign he was thinking about something.
" You sure love acting mysterious Lilith , come on tell me , do we know him ? " Anton finally asked.
" We do know him , but we've never been introduced before , doesn't he look an awful lot like Arthur ? " Lilith finally answered Anton's question.
" You mean he's…" Anton drifted off.
Lilith nodded , " I am 90% sure that was Lionel Dravenhurst , Arthur's older brother."
Anton clicked his tongue a few times , " Now that I think about it , he does look so much like Arthur , I must've been blind to not see that."
Lilith just giggled back , and they fell into a comfortable silence . While many people find silence awkward , Lilith and Anton's whole friendship was based on the fact that they provide each other with a comfortable silence , which they both found extremely gratifying after a long busy day.
They drove for a while longer and the originally rural landscape with the occasional house only got more isolated , soon they were traveling through a dense thicket of trees with the occasional creek running through. The road was well paved ,so the ride was smooth despite the more untamed surroundings.
Up front , the road split into two , one led further out , while the other led to the Bellevant estate, Lilith's home.
Anton turned right and pulled up to the guard house , when the guard saw who it was , he immediately greeted Lilith , " Welcome home Lady Lilith , Mr. Wulfhart ! , " he quickly walked up and opened the wrought iron gates , the gates were simple yet magnificent with the spires curving on the top to form the Bellevant family's coat of arms ; a regal lion and an elegant swan facing each other , each holding a rose.
Anton drove inside , the road led upwards ; they were climbing a small mountain . The sides of the road were planted with gardenia bushes , and currently they were in bloom , giving the air a sweet scent . Anton rolled the windows down , he enjoyed the scent a lot , so whenever he was over he liked to drive down this winding road with his window open.
The road soon became flat again , and a grand house appeared at the end of the path. The house had a Baroque architecture style , its walls this perfect ivory colour, while the roof was this greyish blue tone , contrasting beautifully with the walls.
Welcome to Bellevant Manor .