Luke had tried to keep a low profile, and so far, it seemed to have been working. His hair was tied into a top knot, and he wore sunglasses, having allowed his facial hair grow a little over the past week so that he wasn't so obviously spotted in public by any of the men that worked for his father, because he fucking knew that the moment they caught him without protection outside of the Hemmings dwelling, he would be in deep trouble. Snitches. Rolling his eyes with the thought, Luke ducked into a coffee shop that had an inviting entrance, happy to be making his own decisions of where and when he could take a break. Taking off his sunglasses as he crossed the threshold, his heart fell as he noticed that there wasn't any tables empty for him to sit at, but that couldn't stop him - not now. Moving to order an iced coffee, Luke paid, leaving a kind tip with a smile to the barista before studying the establishment, his eyes falling on a beauty who seemed to be lost in her own world. "Excuse me?" Luke offered a sweet smile then, completely oblivious to how his heart raced and how he found himself wanting to know this girl, the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. "Is anyone sitting here, ma'am?"
Lucille walked up the steps to the Clifford home as her bodyguard, Tom, trailed behind her with her suitcase. Karen Clifford had apparently gotten her father out of many messes he'd made for himself, and she would take equally as good care of Lucille - hopefully. Looking over her shoulder to ensure that Tom was still there, Lucille took a deep breath before lifting her hand to gently knock the door, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear as Tom carelessly placed her suitcase beside her petite frame. "Thank you, Tom." Lucille nodded. "That will be all for your services. Try not to enjoy your paycheck too much, you definitely didn't earn it." She frowned, eyeing the man with disgust before facing the modest front door once more, anxiously shifting foot to foot. Her father had been missing for a month now, and somewhere deep down within, Lucille knew he wouldn't resurface alive; it was common sense. The man had many enemies. Lifting her gaze as she heard footsteps approaching the other side of the door, she perked up, having a persona to keep up with - it came with being a Clark.
Ashton kept his distance but stayed as close to Vianne as he could without seeming invasive, but his eyes didn't leave Vianne once - he'd been silently protecting her throughout the funeral, because within this sort of business, you didn't know who was a friend, or who was a foe. The service had been fitting, a beautiful tribute for a wonderful woman, and Ashton could feel himself wanting to comfort Vianne, because all of this just couldn't of been easy to deal with. Carefully approaching the gravestone, Ashton gently placed his hand on top of the polished marble. "I promise I'll take care of her, Alice." Ashton murmured softly. "I'll never let anything hurt her." And he intended to keep that promise, whether he had to sacrifice his own life or not. Following Vianne, Ashton broke into a light jog to catch up with the beauty, clearing his throat to make her aware of his presence. "Vianne," Ashton greeted gently. "Do you want to go to the wake, or would you rather go home?" Ashton knew that Vianne's father would have to go to the wake, but Ashton was happy to drive Vianne home and spend some time with her - he'd always harboured a bit of a crush towards Vianne, but as an employer of her father, he couldn't bring himself to act on it. Besides, he was uncertain Vianne felt the same way. Offering Vianne his arm, Ashton offered her a sweet smile.
Laurel walked away from her mother's headstone after pressing a kiss to the top of the polished marble, and she knew that she had to keep strong, for herself, for her father, and for the business. At least she knew that she was in safe hands, because Calum Hood, one of her father's most trusted men, had been assigned to to protect her. Laurel was torn about the decision that everyone had seemed to make behind her back: on one hand, she was safe, but on the other, she had very little privacy to do what she wanted. Approaching Calum as she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, Laurel cleared her throat. "Can we go home, please, Calum?" And studying the handsome boy, Laurel tried not to let her thoughts drift too easily. The boy was stunning, but Laurel knew nothing could ever come between them, because she was a little younger than Calum, and he was always so professional - it was frustrating, at times, he always seemed so stiff.
Jensen straightened out his tie as he listened to his father tell him that he was to marry Rohesia Gladwyn, a family that the Ackles' had rivalled against for as long as Jensen could remember. Neatening out the rolled up sleeves of his crisp white shirt, Jensen subtly rolled his eyes and bit the inside of his cheek. He could see the good intentions of forming an alliance, but from the things he'd heard of Rohesia from the others, she'd seems insufferable, and Jensen had to marry that? As the Rolls Royce came to a stop outside the Gladwyn Manor, Jensen nodded stiffly at his butler, following his father out of the beautiful car - one he wished he could steal and run away with. Knocking, and hearing dogs barking inside, Jensen straightened out his tie once more, wanting to, at least, seem presentable. "Is she pretty, at least?" He asked with an arched eyebrow. At least the house was pretty, with a large fountain outside to greet any newcomers, far more impressive than his father's free roaming peacocks.
Leigh lifted her gaze as there was a light knock to their front door. "I'll get it, Daddy." She hummed happily, standing to her feet quickly. She knew that had been a new recruit, someone her father had called potentially valuable to any future exchanges - she couldn't help but be curious. Besides, it would be far easier for her to go to the door, seeing as her father's wheelchair was a slow mode of transportation. Grinning with the thought, Leigh headed to the front door, pulling open the heavy oak and leaning against the door frame, studying the handsome man. "Name, please? Identification, if you can provide any. We run a tight ship here."
Harry had been quite nervous to be starting college, but now that he was on the campus, in his dorm room, he felt like he could let go of that anxiety and try his hardest to begin to enjoy the experience - party a little, meet new people, maybe find someone to love. Smiling with the thought, Harry decided that the first step would be exploring the campus a little. Shrugging off his jacket to swap for a cardigan, Harry locked the door behind him as he headed out into the sunshine, trying not to get too disheartened when he saw that there were already people who pooled so easily together. He hoped the clique thing was left in high school. Looking at his phone as he rounded a corner, Harry let out a noise of surprise as he lifted his gaze. "Oh, my goodness, I'm so sorry." He stuttered, pausing as he came face to face with a beauty. Maybe luck was on his side after all. "Are you alright?" Harry rested a hand on her arm carefully. "I'm Harry..."
Kiera hitched her bag further up her shoulder as she looked around, confused. The campus was a lot bigger than what she was expecting, having lead a sheltered life so far, but damn it, she was never turning back to that. Maybe she could ask for help, there was no shame in asking... Nodding to herself, Kiera studied the area for the next stranger she saw, who happened to be wearing a grey hoodie and wearing a confident expression on his face. Him. He would do nicely. He was cute too. "Excuse me!" Kiera walked quickly to him, before she lost him. "I'm so sorry to disturb you... I'm completely new, I have no idea where I'm going... do you know where this dorm is?" She handed him the letter of the details she needed for her freshman year.
Nell laughed as she heard Mynte's car horn from outside. Her best friend had always been so impatient that she found it almost hilarious. "Dad!" She called. "I'm going out with Mynte, I'll text you later!" And before waiting for a response, Nell ensured that her pistol was in her handbag before slipping out of the front door quietly, not wanting to be interrogated. She deserved some time with Mynte, some time away from her family, and that's just what she'd have. Waving at Mynte as Nell approached the beautiful vintage car, Nell climbed into the passenger seat. "Hi, gorgeous!" She beamed.
Nathaniel watched as his father lay his head in his hands, cigarette hanging from his mouth and a glass of whiskey at the ready. He felt awful, that there was nothing he could do to alleviate the pain his parents felt at his sister's kidnapping. He'd tried to find her, tried to follow any leads, but they all lead to nothing but empty space. "I'm meeting with Cillian today, alright?" Nathaniel asked. "I'll be back later." He was unsure if the Buzolic partiarch heard him, but it caused no harm in trying. Heading out, Nathaniel climbed into his car, shooting Cillian a quick text that he would be at the Irish bar that Cillian's Uncle owned, not far from the manor the Buzolic's lived in.
May 18th, 2020 at 11:02pm