Broken and Scarred

. . .

Zeirenne shook her head while smiling. "Just kidding ahahaha. I'll only stay here for a while. There's still a lot of campers in front of Ponticelli Penthouse. Hopefully, they will all be gone by midnight."

Dylan smiled and tapped Zeirenne's arm. "Okay, let's head inside."

The inside of the mansion showed enough personality to let people know what kind of person owned the place.

From the first step, a living room with thousands of books resting on floor-to-ceiling wooden bookshelves would greet any visitor—if there would ever be. The Victorian chandeliers hanged above emitted yellow lights that were adjusted to dim—giving the entire place a very cozy atmosphere.

What Zeirenne loved the most about this place, was the fireplace that illuminated the entire room with its fervent glow which also accentuated the surrounding furnitures. The couches were designed with wood carvings. Their bodies were bent in a nice curve. With a blood red cushion, it could fit Dracula's entire furniture collection.

Zeirenne marched her way towards the fireplace and extended her arms to feel the heat and closed her eyes to listen. She'd always loved hearing the sublte crackles of fire. It brings her comfort.

As Zeirenne sat by the fire, Dylan made his way to the kitchen. He brought out some beverages from the fridge and took out some ice as well. From his countertops were all sorts of fruits hanged or neatly bountied in a huge glass bowl stained green.

He marched back to the living room and found Zeirenne cradling her legs as they tapped on the floor. She seemed to be deep in thought.

Dylan took a deep breath and forced a smile on his lips before approaching her. He had to smile, or the atmosphere would be gloomier than it already was. He had to smile for her.

"Wanna go for a drink?" He asked Zeirenne as he was sitting down by her side, "I'll join you today."

Zeirenne brought her gaze up and took the tray from his hands to help. Dylan also made himself comfortable in front of the fire. When both of them had finally settled down on the carpeted floor, Zeirenne laid their feast in between them.

"Are you sure about that? Mister Wang?" She said with a smirk, "Don't get drunk after a few seeps, okay?" She raised the wine he'd brought. "Chateau Blanc 1956? You've got some fine displays here."

Dylan scratched the back of his head while Zeirenne snickered.

He poured her a drink on a fancy wine glass, before pouring for himself. They both raised for a toast while focusing their gazes on the fire. Their thoughts however, flew high above the clouds. They watched the fire in silence, hoping to watch their woes go up in embers as well. Especially Dylan, who wished nothing but Zeirenne's peace of mind.

A few minutes of silence passed as he let her alone with her thoughts. With all the noise and mess she'd suffered from today, he wanted to provide peace and silence. She needed it. Just like how they've always been.

He knew Zeirenne more than she knew herself. She'd always been outgoing, basically in-charge of brightening up the room. But behind all her smiles, he knew there was something else. She always kept all the burdens to herself. And he'd always been there to offer his company, waiting for her to open up if she ever decided to.

This night, he was sure silence was all he could offer, but when she turned her head to face him, he realized that was not the case.

"Dylan..."

"Hmm?" He answered. Trying not to show how eager he was to know her thoughts. Or everything that was clouding up her mind.

"Have you ever felt betrayed before? By someone you trusted?" She asked him.

"Well... I don't know. What I know is, I've never been betrayed by someone I didn't trust."

Zeirenne scrunched her nose.

"You see. If you trust that someone, you'll ask yourself questions. Where it all went wrong, what could be their reason? There will be lots of questions. But that's just normal. Because you trust them, and surely, you won't let go of that trust until the last moment," Dylan looked at Zeirenne. She was fiddling her nails with her head bobbed a little bit low.

"But during those moments, won't you have set backs? Like... there's a fifty-fifty chance you'll get an acceptable explanation. You'll build more guard towards the unwanted side. And that scars your faith on someone. Doesn't it?"

Dylan shrugged his shoulders with his hands linked around his knees. "Sure it could be scarred for some time, but once you get to the bottom of the story, that's when the final verdict happens."

"What if you get the worst reason?" She asked.

"There's no such thing as best and worst reason for betrayals," Dylan looked at her, "It's not their reason that matters. It's how you felt even after hearing their side. If you feel unconvinced, that means you've already lost faith in them. But if it's the other way... then you're ready to trust them again."

Zeirenne licked her lips. She downed the contents of her wine glass in one gulp. It surprised Dylan.

"Wha—"

He sighed. "I hope Chateau Blanc works its wonder."

"Yes... it sure did." She smiled.

Watching her smile lifted his spirits. With a gentle smile on his face, he placed a subtle pat on hear head.

"Don't worry about your employees," he said," "They're not fickle enough to turn their backs on you. I'm sure everyone's having questions now. But they'll believe you till the end."

Zeirenne nodded her head. "I know. My employees are so much more than that," she said while pouring wine for herself, "I'm worried about myself."

Her statement surprised him. He flung his head aggressively towards her direction.

"I'm worried that if it's me who's getting betrayed... I won't be that forgiving," She met his gaze, her eyes deep with meaningful words, "You know I trust you right?"

He looked away, unable to look Zeirenne in the eye. His hands were shaking as sweat started beading up his forehead.

She watched him in silence. Waiting for an explanation.

"I-I..."

. . .