Valerya had a lot to think about. She knew she had two choices: quit her job and move far away from the president and his fiancé, or stay close to him because she loved him, even though it meant tolerating him with the child. It was a few weeks after that darned day in level two, and Valerya stuck to carrying out her duties while avoiding Davys at the same time. It was no easy feat, as he kept coincidentally running into her at almost every single moment.
She remembered coming back to level one in tears, her heart broken, but nothing could have prepared her for the engagement which took place two days later. It was a grand event, with food distributed to all the levels. Her heart couldn't bear it, and she called in sick that day, crying her eyes out in her new apartment, which was about four times bigger than her previous one.
Her sister, much more mature now, sensing something was wrong, came from the presidential palace to hold her while she cried. She said nothing, sensing what Valerya needed was a little warmth. The older D'ajnes was grateful for her sister's company. They had grown closer since Davys took her under his wing. Now even though they had a bigger house, they were rarely there.
Now with three weeks to the royal wedding, she was in a dilemma. But one thing she was sure of, was that she would carry out her duties to the very end. The empire still came before everything.
As she walked down the hallway lost in thought, she collided with a solid figure which made her step back a few paces. She looked up and saw Sebastian looking at her.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Uh, I should be asking you. You're in my section," he clarified. She looked round and indeed, it was true. This was a part of the palace she had barely been in. Exquisite enough to be suitable for royalty, but too secluded to hold any actual guests.
"The previous president is still hanging on?" she asked.
"He's persistent, I'll give him that. Want to see? He rarely gets any visitors."
Valerya followed him inside a room. It was a giant-sized and beautifully decorated space, filled with tubes and vacuums. The president was lying on the bed, looking diminished. He was breathing with the aid of a machine, and no movement could be seen by her. He looked very different from the vibrant, robust, charismatic man at the Meneer conference.
"Why is Davys still keeping him? he can just pull the plug and put his father out of his misery."
"I believe the president wants his father to go naturally. They never got along, but it would take a great deal of coldness to pull the plug when he still has all the resources available to support him till he gives up on his own," he replied.
They stood in silence till he said, "Do you believe the celebrity did it? Vivien?" he asked. Valerya turned to look at him, but he was determinately looking at the ex-president's form.
"Not for one second. But it's easier to, because if it does turn out that she's innocent, then who did it?" she asked.
"Who had the most to gain?" Sebastian asked. Then, he met her eyes and it seemed like they had the same uncomfortable thought. Ill at ease, she shook her head. She was sure the culprit was in plain sight.
"I've given this a lot of thought. The shooting was too precise, too accurate, to have been human. But at the same time, if it was a hologram, how would he have snuck out without being seen? Not even an ant could have gotten out. It makes no sense," Sebastian said.
A thought crossed Valerya's mind, but it was so bizarre she pushed it to the back of her mind. If what she suspected was true, she would need to return to the grand square hall. She looked at the dead man on the bed and knew that if Viviene was innocent, they were dealing with a very intelligent manipulator.
"I heard about the royal wedding. Congratulations, your boyfriend is getting married," he remarked. She rolled her eyes but he continued, "If you want to drown your sorrow afterwards, you know where to find me," he said sheepishly as he awkwardly plucked at the hair on his nape.
She looked at him critically. He was slightly paler due to staying indoors most of the time, but he was as handsome as ever. Valerya wondered why they had never gone out. The competition was out of the way, and he had always been interesting. She decided to take a shot.
"I'll find you," she replied and they smiled at each other.
"So immediately after the wedding?" Sebastian clarified.
"Heck no," Davys said from the doorway, as he strode into the room like he had no care in the world. He stood beside Valerya and she wanted nothing more than to extricate herself from the awkward situation.
"Well I appreciate your input, Mr. President, but I wasn't talking to you," Sebastian said.
"What I do know is that I made the long trip to see my father, and I'm confronted with my worker asking my woman out."
"Well she won't be your woman in a short while as you would be a married man," Sebastian retorted.
"She is not going, and that's final. She'll be busy. She has a lot of work to do that day," Davys said calmly. The two men sized each other up, and the tension in the room could be cut with a knife.
"I can speak for myself, Davys. Thank you. But I won't be busy for long after that day. I would be quitting a week after your wedding since I can't do so now because of the one-month notice rule the empire has. First thing in the morning that day, my resignation letter would be on your desk. Consider this my notice. And Sebastian, I would love to go out for drinks with you to celebrate my resignation," Valerya said as she walked out.