Chapter 29
Nuri escaped to his apartment, half expecting Silver to follow. He didn’t even bother locking the door for that very reason, though it’d been months now since the Emperor had figured out his door code.
Was it his own fault for not putting his foot down sooner?
For always turning the other cheek whenever Silver overstepped an obvious boundary?
He didn’t make it further than his living room. Plopping down on the couch, completely drained and feeling like reality was slipping away from him. While it was true this was what he’d always wanted—sort of—finally being free of his position wasn’t as satisfying or relieving as he’d envisioned.
Nuri didn’t feel happy.
He felt…
Lost.
Empty.
Alone.
Curling his legs, he wrapped his arms tightly around them and buried his face against his knees.
The tears had started a while ago, around when he’d quickly dressed and rushed from the mansion to hail a cab.
No one had stopped him on the way out, not even Falc, and the guards at the gate had bowed at him like they usually did and that was all.
Meaning Silver hadn’t ordered them to confine him.
Was he actually going to listen this time? Did he intend to respect Nuri’s wishes now that he’d been caught in such a heinous lie?
Yeah, right.
He wasn’t going to fall for that.
This was another trick.
Silver was smartly giving him space for the time being, but as soon as he felt like enough time had passed, he’d appear like he always did, demanding Nuri return home.
Was that why he didn’t feel the satisfaction he’d anticipated when he got to quit?
Because he didn’t truly believe it? That would make sense.
After all of the terrible tactics he’d just found out the Emperor had used on him, it was no wonder he didn’t buy that he’d finally been given his freedom from the crown.
No, Silver would show up. Eventually. When he was tired of waiting for Nuri to calm down on his own.
Would Nuri calm down?
Was it even possible to calm down from something like this?
From knowing his boss had jeopardized everything the two of them had worked for, had built together over the years, all so he could exploit Nuri?
Time passed in a blur as he replayed all of the events from the past couple of months in excruciating detail, picking them apart for signs of deception.
For the longest time, he couldn’t comprehend why he was so hurt by it all, since he’d suspected from the start Silver had something up his sleeve.
Maybe it was because he was now forced to question the past, and all the other games they’d played.
But he couldn’t have rigged them all, because there’d been occasions where Nuri had won.
Enough times that he’d never questioned Silver’s fairness, at least not when it came to that.
A big part of the reason he always agreed to play was because it provided rare opportunities where the two of them felt like they were on equal footing.
When it was just the two of them playing cards or a board game, when the results were mostly left to chance, Nuri had been able to pretend they were more than mere subject and regent. In those moments, they’d been friends.
And some of those memories might not even be real.
They were forever distorted by this newfound knowledge that Silver could cheat to get his way. He’d always played dirty with others, but this one thing had felt sacred somehow…and he’d ruined it. The same way he ruined everything.
The same way he’d ruined Nuri.
He passed out on the couch sometime in the night, and woke to the sound of birds chirping loudly outside his window.
It took him a while to process where he was, the grief and pain from the day before slamming over him like a tsunami, causing the breath to catch in his throat and a pathetic whine to slip past his lips.
The clock read ten in the morning, which meant he was late for work.
Since it’d been the weekend the day before, he wasn’t expected at the office, but if he didn’t go in now, he’d no doubt incite Silver’s impatience.
Since he wasn’t ready to deal with the Emperor, the best course of action would be to go.
Nuri would deliver his official resignation letter once more, and put in his two weeks’ notice.
He shouldn’t. He didn’t owe Silver anything, but the thought of leaving the rest of his team high and dry like that, especially knowing the Emperor would be in a shit mood and easier to infuriate, felt wrong.
It should be safe enough for Nuri at the office, in any case. It wasn’t like Silver could kidnap him and keep him there. So long as he avoided the parking garage and parked in front of the building instead, there’d be no chance for him to—
Who was he kidding.
If Silver hadn’t cared about his reputation before, he certainly wasn’t going to now.
If he wanted to force him into his car or his office he would, no matter who may be around to see.
Maybe this was a bad idea and Nuri should call Marta and tell her he was taking sick leave. The packet he’d put together for the handover before his trip to Vitality was still valid, though certain schedules and tasks needed updating. He could do that from here, on his personal computer…
No.
Why should he be the one constantly running and hiding? He’d done nothing wrong. If Silver tried anything, Nuri would fight him tooth and nail. Publicly, if he had to.
If the Emperor wasn’t afraid of being caught by the media, then neither was he.
Hell, maybe that would even end up working in his favor. If the rest of the planet saw how he was treated, it would make it that much more difficult for Silver to control him.
* * *
Nuri nodded in greeting to employees he passed in the halls as he entered Rein Inc. HQ. No one expected him to stop and exchange pleasantries, since he never did, so he was able to coast by, making it up to the top floor in the same ten or so minutes it always took him.
The only real difference was finding the door to Silver’s office left wide open, the room within empty.
Just as he’d paused, brow furrowing slightly, Marta appeared in the hallway, wringing her hands.
“Forgive me, Royal Secretary Narek,” she began, “but was there an update to CEO Rein’s schedule the rest of the secretarial staff weren’t made aware of?”
“What do you mean?” Nuri didn’t have his briefcase on him since he’d left it at the mansion, and with nothing to do with his hands, he ended up shoving them in his pockets to hide the fact he was nervous. “Where is he?”
“That’s the thing, sir. We don’t know. He hasn’t come in. We were waiting until you arrived to ask.”
Silver wasn’t the tardy sort.
“Try calling him.” Nuri sure as hell wasn’t going to be the one to do it. “If you can’t reach him, try the estate number.”
“Right away, sir.” She bowed and disappeared, heading down the hall toward the room where the rest of their offices were kept. She helmed a team of five, all under Nuri’s direct command.
Since he was in charge of every department in the company, serving as the bridge between them and the CEO, he often delegated tasks between them. They weren’t privy to his entire schedule, but if he was due to arrive late or leave early for a meeting, they typically knew about it.
Refusing to be deterred from his plans, Nuri slipped the freshly printed copy of his resignation from his breast pocket and entered Silver’s office. He set the folded document on the center of his desk, right in front of his chair where it would be impossible to miss, and then took a look around.
Much of the interior design had been done by him.
Silver had tasked him with decorating, claiming it was too frivolous a job for him to waste time on himself.
The color palette, bright whites, creamy tans, and sharp blacks, paired with a mix of silver and gold features, were a stark contrast to the dark browns and crimsons of the Emperor’s room back home.
Nuri had wanted to try something different to help separate the two spaces, since prior to the completion of the building, the two of them had been forced to operate mostly from the mansion.
His choice had inadvertently sparked a wave of new outfits, Silver suddenly matching his style to the room.
It’d given him a colder, more sophisticated and untouchable vibe that Nuri had secretly been fond of.
He pinched the bridge of his nose and forced himself to turn away.
Fifteen minutes later, Marta returned. “Sir, it seems no one can locate CEO Rein.”
Was he throwing a tantrum? Trying to make Nuri feel bad for yesterday?
“You spoke with Falc?” he asked.
“Yes,” she confirmed. “He requested that you call him immediately.”
A headache was starting to form, and Nuri waved her off. “All right. Thank you, Marta.”
Nuri sat at his desk and stared at the blank wall across from him.
He wasn’t going to call Falc.
Whatever new game the Emperor was playing, he wanted no part in it.
Instead, he’d use this time to his advantage.
After taking a moment to calm his anxiety, Nuri switched his computer on and started compiling a mass email about his impending resignation and two-week notice. He’d sent it now, while Silver was away and unable to stop him, and deal with the fallout later.
Since he’d had this in mind for over a year now, the words flowed quickly, just a couple concise paragraphs informing every one of his departure and thanking them for all of their hard work over the years.
It came so easily, that when it came time to hit send, his hesitation caught him unawares.
His finger hovered over the button. One tiny press, and this could all be over.
That’s all it would take. Sure, Silver could try to block it, could deny it or refuse, but this way everyone at the company would know Nuri wanted to quit.
It’d make it that much harder for Silver, if nothing else.
So why couldn’t he do it?
It wasn’t like he had nowhere else to go.
Yes, change was scary, but it was necessary.
If Nuri wanted a set of different circumstances for himself, he had to do this.
He had to let go of the past and the things holding him back.
As much as he’d poured his soul into Rein Inc.
, that didn’t change the fact that he couldn’t stay.
“Don’t be so emotional,” he murmured to himself. This was hardly his only obstacle. His name was still on the No Fly list, and he’d need to deal with that. Then there was retrieving all of his important documents from Rein estate—he’d even left without his license and driven this morning anyway.
This fear was unnecessary.
“You just need time.” That was all. There was a difference between fantasy and reality. He may have dreamed of this day, but that didn’t make it any less difficult to actually live through it. To give up on the company he’d help visualize.
For years now, his very life had been this. Work. The office. The people he interacted with within these walls.
It made sense that he was vacillating. Uncertainty was a potent emotion.
The shrill sound of the gold multi-slate on his wrist interrupted him, and he pulled away from his computer as though burned.
Falc’s name flashed across the screen, and Nuri gave himself a moment to collect himself before answering.
“Yes, Falc?” he kept his tone even, unconcerned.
“Master Narek,” the butler was not putting on the same front, and there was a twinge of alarm in his voice, “is the Emperor with you, perhaps?”
“No. Why?”
“When the staff and I arrived this morning, he was gone,” Falc explained. “His car is in the garage, but I assumed the two of you traveled to work together by other means.”
“He hasn’t come into the office.”
“I’ve been made aware, which is why I decided to check his room and that’s when I discovered he’d left his multi-slate behind.”
Nuri crossed his arms. He wasn’t falling for this, but since Silver had gone through the trouble of roping Falc into their mess, he’d act the part for the butler’s sake. “You’re saying he’s disappeared and doesn’t have any means of communicating on his person?”
“It appears that way, Master Narek.”
Sure.
He sighed. “I wouldn’t worry just yet. He’s the emperor. Everyone on planet knows his face. Even without his multi-slate, no cabbie would drive by him if he tried hailing one.”
“This is very unusual,” Falc insisted. “When he dismissed us yesterday morning, he was in a good mood. Forgive me for overstepping, but did something perhaps happen between the two of you?”
Nuri grit his teeth. Was Silver really making Falc do this?
All he was doing was making everyone uncomfortable, and to what gain?
It wasn’t like Falc was going to be able to convince Nuri to forgive him.
The two of them weren’t exactly close and had kept a strictly professional relationship, despite the fact the older gentleman had practically watched him grow up.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t know where his majesty is, and I’m rather busy with work at the moment, Falc.”
There was a considerable pause and then, “I suppose if you aren’t concerned, neither should I be. I’ll see you tonight for dinner. The Emperor instructed the chef to make beef wellington.”
Nuri’s favorite.
Was he seriously trying to win him over with food?
It was on the tip of his tongue to tell Falc he wouldn’t be returning to the mansion, but then he thought better of it. He needed to collect his things, after all. May as well be sooner rather than later.
“I’ll see you this evening,” he told the older man, then promptly ended the call.
There was a very real chance this was a trap to lure him back so Silver could lock him up again. The cuff still attached to Nuri’s ankle was a clear reminder of the chain that had been used on him before.
The chain still bolted to the floor and coiled beneath the bed they slept in.
Whatever.
If Silver wanted to try and confine him like some pet, he could do so.
It would only help strengthen Nuri’s resolve in the end.