Prologue
The copyrights of this story belong to TaraBelle2214, and it's only published on Inkitt.
TWO YEARS AGO
Alana
He was engaged to a witch.
No, I was not being unnecessarily mean to another woman.
She was an actual, spell-casting witch.
Hazel Blackwood as a tall red-headed woman, with hazel eyes and freckles scattered across her cheeks. She was beautiful, and she loved him.
I was twenty-two, just an intern at Spellbinding Entertainment, a production and publishing company. My aim was to build a career in screenwriting, and an internship here was a dream for me.
Hazel was the news anchor, the pride of the company.
Ryan Harrington was the Head of Entertainment.
It was Halloween night, and the company had held a party for all the employees and stars.
I had dressed up as a fairy, with a strapless lime green shimmering dress that ended at the knees, and white sheer glittering wings, along with golden strappy high heel sandals.
I raised my arms and swayed along to the music as my best friend, Hannah, dressed as Morticia Addams danced beside me.
"Okay..." I stopped a few minutes later. "I need a drink. I'll be right back." As she nodded, I walked away towards the bar.
"A mineral water bottle, please." I ordered. The pounding music was starting to give me a headache, so I figured that I'd take some paracetamol, a box of which I had in my purse.
When the bartender handed me the water bottle, I thanked him and walked out, the song Monster Mash playing now. People dressed as mythological and historical figures, or cartoon or film characters, danced away in the dim light of the warehouse where the party was being held.
I stepped out into the cool night air and swallowed a couple of tablets along with the water.
"...our dating doesn't guarantee anything, Hazel!" An annoyed voice made me turn my head. I couldn't see the owner of the voice. It seemed to be coming from around the corner.
"You are the Head of Entertainment, and my fiancé! I'm sure that you can pull some strings!" Hazel sounded equally frustrated.
"Let me correct myself, Hazel. I won't pull any strings! I believe in integrity and honesty. I won't use my position to give you a starring role in the company's next production."
"Ryan..."
"Why don't you just cast a spell, since you clearly believe in cutting corners?" He spoke sarcastically.
"Magic has rules. I can't just go around getting my way. It doesn't work like that."
"Then audition, like everyone else."
There was a brief pause before she spoke. "I'm afraid that you'll have to make this choice, Ryan. If you can't do this much for me, I'd think you don't value me enough, and I'd have to end things."
There was another pause. "Hazel, are you giving me an ultimatum? If I don't pull some strings to give you a starring role, we're over?"
"A marriage is about love. Love is about willingness to do anything for someone. If you can't do that..."
"Love is about willingness to do anything moral and ethical for someone, Hazel. It's not about expecting someone to break all boundaries and limits." Ryan spoke quietly. "We're over, Hazel. I will not remain in a relationship like this."
It wasn't that I had meant to eavesdrop. There were other people smoking just a few feet away.
However, as an angry Hazel stormed around the corner, she almost slammed into me. She was sniffling, and a tear was running down her cheek. "What the f**k are you looking at?" She snapped at me, before heading inside.
My cheeks burned and I turned away.
'The witches have laws to abide, but don't mess with them. Just keep your distance." My grandmother and parents had always advised me.
Witches and warlocks resided amongst the mortals in harmony, and everyone was aware of their existence. Most of them followed the laws set by their own elders, as well as the national laws related to witchcraft. However, like with mortals, there were also bad witches, those who strayed to the dark side. Like any human could become a criminal with one wrong action, any witch/warlock could easily become evil by breaking the laws set by their kind. I had never met an evil witch/warlock till this day, however there were parts of the city, of the country, which were avoided by the mortals because of rumours of dark magic. Any witch or warlock who strayed off the moral path ended up visiting those areas.
I decided to call it a night and go home. Heading back inside, I told Hannah that I was leaving, and I left.
As I walked towards the car parking, I was surprised to see Ryan Harrington, who was technically my boss, sitting on the steps, taking a swig directly from a bottle of some fancy alcohol. He wore black jeans, and a black shirt which had its top two buttons unbuttoned. Clearly, the boss didn't feel the night to wear a costume.
"Would you like a ride home?" I asked, approaching him.
He looked up at me, frowning slightly as if he was struggling to recognise me.
"I'm Alana Charles. I'm an intern."
"I'm fine, thanks." He muttered, before taking another swig.
I looked up at the sky. "It's going to rain soon, it seems. You want to stay out here?"
He didn't reply.
I sat down beside him, and we sat in silence for a while. I had no obligation towards him, so I had no idea why I chose to stay. Maybe, I was sympathetic because I'd just overhead his breakup with his fiancée. I figured that he would be hurting, and I just wanted to be a silent support out of humanity.
"I have a driver who can drive me home." He broke the silence. "You can go home."
I bit my lower lip. "Are you okay?"
He turned to me, a lock of his hair falling into his dark eyes. With each swig of the drink, he was becoming less and less sober by the moment. "You know what? I'll take you up on the offer. You can drive me home. I need to get out of this place." He stood up, shakily.
I got up and steadied him, wrapping my arm around his waist. "Careful."
"I'm a f**king mess, I'm sorry." He leaned against me, almost causing my knees to give way underneath me. "Sorry."
"It's fine." I groaned slightly, struggling to walk with his six-foot-something weight leaning on me for support.
I had no idea how I managed to get him into the back seat of my car, but finally he was in there. I took the bottle from him and closed the car door, before walking over to a nearby bin to toss it in there.
I knew where Ryan Harrington lived. Everyone knew where Ryan Harrington lived. His family owned Harrington's, the massive chain of department stores. They lived in the most expensive luxurious apartment building, close to the Spellbinding Entertainment headquarters. From what I'd heard, he didn't live in a penthouse, but he had an entire floor to himself.
I pulled up at the front entrance, and got out of the car, before waving towards the doorman.
He rushed over, his eyes widening as he saw Ryan.
"He's drunk, and he might need assistance in getting upstairs." I told the doorman.
"Yes, ma'am. Thank you for getting him here." The doorman radioed someone, and soon a few guards were coming out of the building to help out Ryan.
"Get sobered up, Mr Harrington." I told him, softly.
He glanced towards me, grinning. "A fairy rescued me."
My cheeks burned, and I got back into the car without another word.
Turning the ignition on, I drove away.
On Monday morning, I stood at the coffee machine in the staff break room, making coffee for a senior screenwriter.
Suddenly, Hannah appeared at my side, her blue eyes wide. Her short pixie-cut blonde hair was a little messy. "Why is Ryan Harrington asking about you?"
"What?" My eyes widened this time.
"He's asking where he can find you."
"Why?" I swallowed hard. What does he want from me?
I only found out a little later in the day, when Ryan Harrington himself appeared in the Screenwriting Department, and asked my seniors if he could speak to me.
Needless to say, I received a lot of curious looks as I got up and headed out.
Mr Harrington was pacing the hallway, his hands in the pockets of his trousers.
"Yes?" I asked, quietly.
He turned and a small smile appeared on his face. "Alana, right?"
"Yes."
"You... you looked a little different that night. I almost didn't recognise you." He cleared his throat.
I raised an eyebrow expectantly, but I didn't say anything.
"I just wanted to thank you." He seemed almost sheepish as he spoke. "You didn't have to, but you still helped me back."
"You don't have to thank me. You had a driver anyway, so it wasn't like I bailed you out of a completely hopeless situation." I pointed out, not unkindly.
"I know, but I'm thank you because you showed humanity."
"I... I accidentally overheard your conversation with Ms Blackwood, so I felt that... I just thought that when someone goes through someone painful, it's nice to have someone who watches out for you, even as a silent support."
He nodded. "Well, I appreciate it, thank you."
I smiled politely at him. "No worries. I hope you're feeling better."
"I'll survive." He smiled back.
Over time, Ryan Harrington and I developed a friendship. He joked that I could be his designated driver when he was drunk, as I didn't drink at all. I replied, also as a joke, that I'd do that as long as he always paid for my coffee.
He spiralled a little immediately after the breakup with Hazel. Almost every other night he spent with a different woman. The nights when he didn't spend with a woman, he drank... a lot.
I was there for him, because it was me who he messaged to talk to about things. It was me who he vented to. It was me, who by choice, became his designated driver when he was drunk.
Somewhere along that time, we began to spend time together as well. Sometimes, it was just a film night at his home, while watching popcorn. Sometimes, we went for coffee together and chatted about everything and anything.
We weren't dating at that point. We were just two friends, hanging out together. At least, that's what we told ourselves.
"That was crazy." Ryan laughed as he entered my flat behind me.
We'd gotten caught in the rain as we'd walked home from a stroll in the park, after having coffee together.
I also laughed, taking off my denim jacket. "I normally check the weather forecast. Today, of all days, I didn't, and this happens." I reached up to run my fingers through my damp hair. "Coffee?"
"Sure." He wore black jeans and a black button-down shirt which was practically plastered to his torso.
Before I turned to head to the kitchen, I saw his gaze move up my body, almost in a discreet manner. I wore black jean and a light-blue cropped t-shirt that exposed my midriff a fair amount. When his gaze finally locked with mine, butterflies fluttered in my stomach, and my cheeks warmed up. His look wasn't lusty. It was almost as if something had surprised him, and now he was... in awe? Am I imagining things?
"C-Coffee." I turned to head towards the kitchen.
"You've been amazing, Alana." He spoke quietly, stopping me in my tracks. "You've been a good friend to me. I really appreciate that."
I smiled shyly. "You've been a good friend as well, Ryan."
He walked over to me, pausing right in front of me. His gaze dropped down to my lips, and I found my own eyes freezing on his lips. Slowly, he leaned down, and slowly our lips met. The kiss was deep, sweet, but almost cautious. Neither of us wanted to hurt each other, nor did we want the dynamics between us to change for the negative.
We only kissed that evening, however that one kiss changed everything between us. We gradually transformed from friends, to two people who were dating each other. It was all slow, but very natural.
PRESENT
Third Person POV
"A lock of her hair... and that's it." The person spoke softly, gazing down at the items on the table. "Are you sure that this is what you want?"
"Yes... let all memories of him be erased from her mind, including the fact that he's her husband."
The lock of hair was dropped into the tiny cauldron full of liquid that smelled like herbs and spices. The only sound in the room now was the sound of the bubbling liquid as it boiled. "It will be done, don't worry."
One of the laws of witchcraft was that it was forbidden to use magic on or against a mortal. It was considered one of the most forbidden offences if a witch or a warlock did so.
But there were witches and warlocks who were willing to go to any lengths to get what they wanted... even if it meant to break the most important law in their world.
