Fang War

15 ☽

Lila stood out on the balcony that overlooked the city, spellbound by the full moon. The city lights no longer entranced her. That moon, however, never failed her approval.

After weeks straight of endless parties and meeting hundreds of important figures in the city, Lila's exhausted. She pressed her hand to her temple, which throbbed to the point she thought her head might explode.

Zachary asked her to make the best impression she could among his constant, important guests, and Lila found a great disconnect in the polished form she stood in. Her hair is up in an exquisite bun, showing off the yellow diamonds Zachary had given her. As well as, the matching yellow precious stones in her ears that she received when they came to the busy condo.

The sea-green gown she wore in satin flowed behind her as she turned to take a seat. Her shoes are tossed to the side for her brief moments of relaxation among the creatures that needed little sleep.

"You're missing the party."

Lila looked to see Zachary approaching. A smile in his eyes, he crossed the threshold of the room without her even noticing. She had gotten used to that.

"I'm sorry, I'm just exhausted. I'm not naturally a very social person. I'm trying though, I really am, Zachary." She assured him, nodding before awkwardly looking out into Seattle's lights. The space needle, far closer to this condo than the other where Zachary gave her the diamond necklace.

"I know. I'm impressed, Lila. It must be hard to listen to our business discussions and personal jokes without having a clue as to what they're about." He nodded, looking out with her as he continued, "Tomorrow night we'll be going somewhere that is a Vasile secret, Lila. These past weeks will seem like nothing compared to tomorrow, but I think you will have more fun. It's a bit more exciting."

Smirking, he faces her.

"Why? Where are we going?" She asked with her brow tightly furrowed and searches his perfect face for an answer. She knew this was the coveted main business of the Vasile's, for she had only learned of Darius' art collections and trades which only skimmed the surface of their lives.

Each Vasile seemed to have their own niche in their fortune, yet she had not figured out Zachary's job in their finances. Amelie had her own fortunes with Julien in travel and fashion. Even Charlotte had her own trade as an investor in nightclubs. But Zachary? His role in the Vasile family had yet to be discovered.

He says, "It's a little unorthodox, but it's what we pride our family's origins on. It's a tradition that goes back for generations." He smiled, taking her hand in his and brought her to face him. "I promise, after tomorrow we will relax, maybe we'll take a vacation. I would just like to ask one more thing of you tonight."

His smile went from ear to ear as he went down on one knee.

Lila felt her heart would collapse under its own racing and though she shouldn't feel it, the dread nearly brought her to her knees.

"Miss Lila Marcetti, I promise to protect you, to love you, for the rest of our days on this Earth..."

Lila looked to her right to see everyone watching from beyond the sliding glass door, their smiles matching Zachary's as he began to propose to her on the balcony. She was sure her own face looked horrified and she felt dizzy from the stress.

"Will you marry me?" He asked, his smile fading as he surely noticed the horror emanating off of her.

The red box he presented, opens into a three-stoned-princess-cut. The diamonds reflected the light of the moon. In the reflection of the large center diamond, she saw stars.