Astrid's scream jolted everyone out of their momentary daydreaming, and they all got up from their seats, as if to receive him. The girl who made an attempt to hug the man stopped in her tracks after his unsettling gaze warned her to stay away. He didn't need words. Astrid awkwardly let out a soft laughter, looking around her to make sure people didn't think she had embarrassed herself.
''You haven't changed one bit brother,'' she made sure her voice was loud for everyone to hear her, insinuating at how good their relationship had always been. Her brothers, Orion and Ares, both names emerging from Greek mythology, stood up as well to greet their cousin. They nodded at him from where they were standing, not bothering to approach him as they knew he wouldn't treat them any better and they saw his head tilt slightly, just slightly in acknowledgement.
Soren Elijah Orwell. This man's name preceded him. He had achieved all sorts of great feats at a very young age and was still taking the business world by storm. He was an enigma, a puzzle even, difficult to understand and yet he made sure whenever he wanted to get things done, he sent his word across. He strode into the room like the king he was and they cleared the path for him. Whisperings had once again started to erupt, with the topic shifting from Alanna to the powerful man who now sat cross legged on the couch. The young women in particular couldn't stop gushing over his looks, screaming amongst themselves.
He was gorgeous.
''We thought you couldn't make it brother,'' Orion spoke, confusion marring his face. Soren arched his brow, regarding the person in front of him as if he was alternating between giving him a reply or not bothering with him at all. He chose the latter, although with reluctance because he really didn't feel like saying anything. ''Finished with my work early. Had enough time and decided to catch the rest of it.'' By the 'rest of it' he meant whatever was left of the funeral and it had Orion clenching his hands. Soren had always been arrogant. Always disregarding people and things around him like they were beneath him. It was what made their father like him, always going on and on about how nice it would have been if Soren was his son. Growing up, it wasn't his siblings that he had to compete with for their father's affection but a cousin, a boy from another set of parents. Yes he was family but that was not how it worked.
It took about a minute for everyone to go back to what they were doing but it didn't take long for everyone's attention to span back to him because he suddenly got up. He turned to the corner Alanna and Sienna were sitting and walked towards them. Everybody anticipated what was going to happen because they all knew how close Soren was with his uncle. They were basically attached at the hip and to think the person that had been suspected of his murder was right in front of him.
''Please don't come here, please don't...'' Alanna kept praying it wasn't their direction he was coming. She already had enough on her plate, and she couldn't deal with this man at the moment. She knew Soren, of course. His reputation was daunting, and she didn't in any way want to be entangled with him. When he neared her, she stumbled to her feet, fidgeting with her hands as she stood under his scrutinizing gaze. It felt unnerving. She gulped. Compared to him, she was so much short, and she tried to not look him in the eye.
Soren stared down at the girl in front of him in slight amusement. He could tell she was having an internal strife at him being before her.
''Alanna, right?''
Gasps followed.
Alanna stared up at him in surprise. He knew her name. Well, she had almost become sort of like his sister-in-law so yes it wasn't unbelievable, but this was Soren Elijah Orwell, a man who didn't bother about insignificant people. Not that she thought herself insignificant but as compared to other important things in his life she was at the bottom or not even considered. She nodded faintly at him, craning her neck to meet his gaze. Being this close to him unsettled her and she tried to remain calm. She didn't know what he wanted.
''Did you or did you not kill the old man?'' He asked casually, not a single emotion ruffling his stance, as if even if she did it he couldn't care less. Everybody else was now focused on the both of them, as if their favorite show was on and she could tell how eager they were to hear her answer although she knew they knew how she would answer anyways. Alanna clenched and unclenched her hands. His question had thrown her off-guard, but she could tell he didn't mean it in an ill way unlike the others who had no evidence and still pinned it on her.
''No.''
Simple yet carried so much weight. Her voice echoed across the room and beyond as if the wind was taking her answer to the rest of the world in hopes of clearing her name. The room remained quiet, and Soren's eyes turned intense. It felt like he could see right through her, and even though she knew she wasn't guilty, for a second, she wavered but caught herself just in time. He hummed as if considering her answer and then stepped away from her, just a bit. ''I believe you.'' He didn't bat an eyelid as the words tumbled out of his mouth and for the second or maybe third time in the day, the man had shocked her beyond measure.
Those who couldn't handle it had started speculating but Alanna cared less about them at the moment. He wasn't joking, she knew that and even if it was just a little bit, for a while, she wanted to revel in the fact that someone other than her best friend was ready to be on her side. Maybe not physically from then on, but his words were enough. Tears welled in her eyes and she blinked them away so quickly.
''Brother! You can't be serious,'' Astrid butted in, ruining the magical moment. She walked up to them, looking from her cousin to Alanna and back and forth simultaneously. She tried to wrap her head around the charm she had used on her brother in just the few minutes he had been close to her. ''You know she killed father,'' she screamed, pointing fingers to get her point across as she tried to rein in her anger.
''I don't know that.'' He turned to her, tilting his head to the side in regard to the girl who looked ready to burst. ''Why are you defending her?'' ''I'm not defending her. If you cannot blame your own father for wanting to marry someone the same age as his own daughter and him dying of old age on his own karma, then you don't have the right to point fingers at others.'' He sounded like he was so bored and couldn't quite understand how a simple thing wasn't so simple to everyone else.
Alanna looked at the man in awe. Tears shimmered in her eyes and she felt Sienna's hand on hers. She saw her best friend's teary eyes too and she smiled at her, squeezing her hands. ''If you had a problem with father marrying her you could have said so. Why are you disgracing our family after his death,'' Ares spoke for the first time. He had been silently observing everything, and Soren's words were the last straw.
He wouldn't have him disrespect their father who was already in his grave. ''As if that man was ever in his right senses to take advice,'' he said under his breath. ''What?'' Ares hadn't heard exactly what he said but he knew he had said something. ''Why don't you go ask your father.'' He smiled.
''You...
''Enough! An elder finally spoke interrupting Ares. ''Why are you taking the girl's side Soren,'' the older woman asked with concern laced in her voice, watching as the same girl kept bringing chaos in their family. Soren internally rolled his eyes. ''Never said I was defending her.'' He shrugged.
''People like you however were in the family when this marriage was announced, and nobody did anything. Pathetic.
''Soren.'' It came as a warning.
''Can't handle the bitter pill when it's your turn to swallow?'' He scoffed. Soren wasn't even picking sides. Any sensible person could see the girl was forced into the arrangement. ''You forget that the girl herself agreed,'' the old woman countered. ''Oh? As if she had a choice,'' his eyes panned to Alanna's family, and they shrunk under his gaze.
He had really planned to not say anything and mind his fucking business but then he saw the girl sitting all alone as if she had caught the plague and needed to be avoided. He clenched and unclenched his hands. His face returned to its nonchalance and without bothering about goodbyes, walked out of the door the same way he came, leaving the rest of the people in the room with mixed feelings.