Master of Fine Jewelry

You keep running, trying on borrowed faces.

      Watching the man seated across from her with quiet attention, the woman looked at him from beneath lowered brows through the dark lenses of her sunglasses. Her head rested against the back of her hand, her elbow propped on the armrest. Reclining diagonally in the chair, she carried herself with effortless composure, her legs crossed neatly - almost aristocratically.       Everything about the woman sitting opposite Gabriel displayed elegance and restraint, yet at the same time, a clear disdain toward him. Such treatment was not something the man was willing to tolerate, but he did not dare utter a single word. This unexpected person was not someone to be taken lightly. Give her an inch, and she would take a mile. So they said in one of the foreign countries. Strangely enough, those words described the person sitting across from him perfectly.       - Are we playing a staring game? - the silence that had lasted for several minutes was finally broken, though the woman remained motionless, only glancing toward the wristwatch.       - No. I’m trying to understand the reason behind your… arrival. - there was a slight pause, yet Gabriel continued to look at the woman. She did not appear to be her actual age; in fact, it seemed she already had two children. During all this time, she had only been to Paris a couple of times before their arrival.       Valerie’s brows curved into an arch, her eyes focusing on the face of the stately man before her. A faint tremor ran through his body, yet he did not let it show. Not now. Not in front of her. She did not hide her emotions, nor did she try to appear as someone else. She behaved exactly as he remembered her. Free-spirited, self-assured, with an inner strength that could not be easily shaken. Ready to go to great lengths to achieve her goal.       - Have you lost your tongue? - the corners of her lips lifted into a barely noticeable, mocking smirk. Yet even if she had not done so, her posture, her tone, her gaze - all of it spoke of the way she regarded him. It had always been like this, ever since childhood.       - Ah, pride won’t allow it. - first, she snapped her fingers as if suddenly remembering something important, and then the words followed once more - carefully chosen to strike where it hurt most. More than ten years had passed, and a trick like that would no longer work on him. Only memories remained of what once was memories that still managed to throw him off balance from time to time. Like now. Valerie had been Emily’s closest friend and sister-in-law.       - You haven’t changed at all, - the man sighed, rising from the sofa and looking down at the blonde woman.       - Since you refuse to name the reason for your presence here, be so kind as to leave, - he remarked dryly, folding his hands behind his back and stepping away from the sofa.The guest herself did not move at all, only allowing a faint smile to appear on her lips.       At the sound of it, the man’s jaw tightened, a muscle in his cheek twitching. His hand moved slightly, and he hurriedly turned back. The dark pupils of his light blue eyes widened as he looked upon the disdainful expression on her face.       It was that very expression she wore on that day, the one that had warned him. Damn you!       Gabriel wanted to shout, but everything before his eyes began to blur, sinking into complete darkness. An inexplicable, oppressive atmosphere surrounded him, as if an invisible noose had tightened around his throat, preventing him from taking a breath. Desperately, he tried to pull it away, to take that precious, life-saving gulp of air.       But it all ended very quickly when the bright light of the first rays of the sun struck his eyes. A blurred, slender, slightly angular female silhouette could be seen on the left side.       Gradually, his eyes adjusted to the bright light, and the designer began to realize what was happening. It was a dream. A premonition of something unpleasant. His sister, Valerie, never appeared in his dreams without a reason. She had become his personal companion within them. It was she who had once been the ideal figure in his childhood - the one who worried about him, protected him from troubles, and stood up for him before their parents. Yet, at the same time, she had also become one of his worst nightmares.       Performing a light exercise for his lungs, trying to bring his breathing back to normal despite his rapid heartbeat, Gabriel raised his left hand, touching his face. With each passing day, he felt the exhaustion growing stronger, yet along with it, a longing for his beloved person continued to consume him from within. Every time it seemed that the talismans were finally within his grasp - everything collapsed. Nothing remained. The heroes found a way out, figuring out how to deal with and neutralize the one who had been transformed. - What schedule today? - in the quiet room, designed in a minimalist style, a soft, slightly hoarse, sleepy voice of a man could be heard. He could not afford to rest for too long. Today, there was a rather large amount of work ahead.