Silver Lining

  Silver Lining

  Silver Lining

  © Copyright 2021 Viola Tempest

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Names, characters, and places are products of the author’s imagination.

  Cover Design by Ryn Katryn Digital Art

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  The Creation of Silver Lining

  Chapter Two

  Dixon Reid

  Chapter Three

  Bethany Rose

  Chapter Four

  Date with Destiny

  Chapter Five

  Zoe Bryn

  Chapter Six

  Blinded by Love

  Chapter Seven

  Thea

  Chapter Eight

  The Unexpected Truth

  Chapter Nine

  I Will Never Leave You

  Chapter Ten

  The Downfall of Society

  Chapter Eleven

  Marissa Sinclair

  Chapter One

  The Creation of Silver Lining

  A treacherous gust of wind bent the branches of the old oak tree, just in view of the office window, and sent the pouring rain beating rhythmically against the office window. It created a tune that only Mother Nature could master.

  Marissa Sinclair stared silently out the foggy window, wrapping her fox stole tighter against her shoulders, before sitting at the artfully arranged mahogany desk before her.

  “One of these days, they really need to fix that air conditioner. I don’t think I can take another day of this frigid cold,” she whispered to herself, hugging her body closer.

  All her belongings had a place—her pencils, her stack of papers, her folders, her stapler, everything.

  Everything had a home, where it belonged. If anything was to shift out of place, she would know, even if she didn’t see it right away. Her mind would continue to bite at her, unable to focus on anything else, until she figured out what was wrong.

  Her OCD was always her biggest pet peeve. Only after everything got resorted back into their rightful places, could she actually focus on the bigger problems in her life.

  Books, old and new, rested along the edge of her desk, stacked high to the ceiling, followed by piles upon piles of faxes and reports from her offices around the world. She leaned back against her rolling chair and stared at the two silver laptops in front of her.

  The one on her left was opened to her stocks and finances while the one on her right was opened to her emails, currently fully organized. Thousands of emails, and not a single one left unread, even the ones that had trickled into her spam folder. Behind her laptops, hid her personal items.

  Marissa always tried to keep her home life away from her work life, but spending so much time at the office often made her lonely, so she brought in some small reminders that she still had a life...sort of.

  At work, she was ambitious, a somebody who had changed the world. It, at first, brought her awed looks.

  Now, they were looks filled with fear and apprehension. There weren’t all that many people left in her company, not the main offices anyway. Everyone used to be so eager to be a member of the company.

  Now, no one would even step foot inside the building.

  At home, her neighbors knew her as “the woman who never slept,” always staring out her window as if she was waiting for an expected someone. They snuck silently around the hallways like they were thieves, avoiding her as much as possible, though she knew the glances they gave her when they thought she couldn’t see them.

  The lone recluse, only in a modern penthouse with all the best amenities instead of a broken-down hole. The one who made the world a worse place to be in, though why, no one knew. She was pretty sure she didn’t know why either.

  Her family hadn’t spoken to her in years, and even if they did reach out, she had no idea what she would even say to them. What they would say back to her. She had isolated them all, chasing this dream for so long, that the only person she could rely on now was herself.

  Worst of all, she felt no remorse or guilt.

  She reached over and picked up a framed picture of her and her ex-fiancé, Levi Quinn. His arm thrown around her shoulders, smile firmly in place. She looked so comfortable in the hug, her eyes sparkling, though she’d never seen her own obvious happiness until she didn’t have it anymore.

  If she knew then the tragedy she knew now, she would have never gotten herself into that mess.

  One of these days, she’ll finally get her house. The house, the dog, everything. One of these days. But she doubted she’d ever get him back. It just seemed like a lost cause now.

  Taped to the back of the frame was the note she had burned into her brain.

  Babe, I love you, but I don’t want you anymore.

  Her eyes flew over the letters once again, remembering the way he twisted the tail of his y’s. This was the eighth time she looked at it today since her morning had started.

  She didn’t know why she kept the picture, the note. She knew that holding onto the memory would only cause her more pain, leaving her incapacitated. But she couldn’t find the strength to let go. She didn’t want to let go.

  What if? she thought. What if?

  It hadn’t been the most perfect relationship, but perfection didn’t matter, not anymore anyway. Over the years, she realized it hadn’t been all his fault.

  He’d operated on the assumption that their relationship was only casual, and she assumed she’d be able to change him into something he wasn’t and could never be. That he would finally stop looking at other women on his own, and that she would be enough for him, just as she was. That he would eventually love her if she’d kept waiting…and waiting…and waiting.

  She’d played the role she knew would win him over, shifting herself into an opposing personality from who she really was, spontaneous, low maintenance, and a general go-with-the-flow type of girl, and then became angry that he took it at face value.

  And when, finally, he found someone he wanted to make it work with, it wasn’t her, after all she had done for him.

  This was enough to send her over the patience threshold she had held in for so long. Because of this, she’d spent her time stalking him, staring at the photo of his wedding as her stomach churned. His new wife had that same happy smile Marissa used to have, but she was looser and more confident.

  Marissa spent weeks comparing every little difference between them, trying to find what that woman had that she didn’t, what she was that she wasn’t. But, in the end, Marissa knew that was just a distraction from what she really wanted, a lover who understood her and loved her, just as she was.

  Slowly rising from her chair, Marissa walked over to the display case opposite her desk and looked through the transparent glass at the tiny contact lens that was held delicately in place by numerous thin wires coming from the thrones under it.

  The first prototype.

  She creaked open the glass panel, picked it up by sticking it to her pointer finger, and looked at the inscription engraved on the thrones that held the lens in place.

  Even in the darkest of times, a Silver Lining can always be found.

  The tiny lens sitting on its throne stared up at her as she smiled back down at it, proud of her accomplishment. If she had known that ever
ything in her life would change after she drew up the first draft, she would have put in a little more effort from the beginning. Done more tests, maybe. Something that wouldn’t put her in the position she was in now.

  Silver Lining was advertised as every lonely person’s dream come true when it came to love, a lifesaver for anyone who had ever been dumped, cheated on, or crushed.

  Silver Lining changed the world around her instantaneously, bringing happiness to the sad, and life back into the dead.

  Marissa Sinclair was even known as the “Modern Matchmaker.”

  Those who were fitted with these lenses were promised a lifetime of true, loyal love and companionship, finally pulling them out of their screwed-up lives of heartbreak and meaningless sex.

  No longer would people need to struggle to find a partner and love. No longer would people need to spend endless hours scrolling through dating apps in hopes of finding their soulmates. No longer would people endure heartbreak from their once-lovers leaving them for their best friends. No longer will rejection be a thing.

  No, everything would finally be slotted in place.

  Perfect.

  Finally, people would be able to live happily ever after.

  At least, that’s what their marketing team promised. At the core of it, Silver Lining was just another piece of technology, and every technology came with its own share of inevitable flaws and mistakes. All they did was wrap it in some fancy words and gimmicks, and slapped a bow on top. But it worked. All too well.

  Marissa walked back over to her desk and glanced at her laptop, smiling at the number. She was waiting for that number to finally reach a billion sales. She only had about a dozen left to go. And she did it. When she’d sold her millionth Silver Lining lens, her office was filled with happy and loyal colleagues as she popped open the champagne, the crowd bursting into cheer.

  Her vice president at the time, Ian Cooper, had gotten her a giant flower arrangement and presented it to her amid cheers. She had been his hero at the time, looking up to her amicably as the successful person he strived to be.

  That was before she sold control of the company to a random businessman, before she completely disregarded all she believed in and what she stood for. The other colleagues had all chipped in for a cake.

  She could still remember the inscription, “To finding love.” She wondered what they’d think of this now.

  She thought she’d never stop laughing, never stop smiling, as everything had finally fallen into place. But that was just an ego boost, a temporary fix to her never-ending miserable life.

  Back to reality.

  Cooper left the position shortly after having his own lens installed and meeting his wife. She hadn’t bothered to check up on him, but a piece of the flower arrangement stayed in between the pages of a book for years. She had no idea when she had forgotten the book’s title; now, she couldn’t find it even if she tried.

  Now, she’d be lucky if she got a single congrats, or even a stare towards her that didn’t have eyes filled with daggers. She slowly sat back down in her chair and leaned back, her right hand reaching over to refresh the page. A light smile grazed over her face as the numbers all evened out, and she finally reached her milestone.

  A billion sales.

  Who would have ever guessed that she would go from being broke to one of the most powerful entrepreneurs in the world?

  She couldn’t even count how many people hated her now. She started off so well, so loved by all her investors and customers, an icon. Now, all that remained was her legacy of screwing others over to get to the top.

  She looked around her office, her bare and empty office with nothing but a dusty bookcase and a chandelier, held up her finger, and swirled it around in a circle. The office remained silent.

  “Congratulations,” she murmured into the empty room, then chuckled to herself.

  Her wandering eyes soon landed on the lens again as she rolled her chair closer to her desk. She propped her head up on one hand and felt the smooth glass trace beneath the nail of her finger. It was the smaller model, like the lens in her own left eye, now turned off.

  She had no idea if she would ever turn it on again. Maybe she should, just to torture herself as much as the lens’ next victims. Why should she be free?

  Her chest tightened as she studied it, remembering the years before and after Silver Lining had started…

  ***

  The night was never-ending, and the flashing lights and thumping music made her far dizzier than the cocktail in her hand. The drinks were watered down, and the cover charge was high enough to make anyone wince.

  Marissa leaned back against the wall and adjusted the bracelet on her arm. Red, signifying that she was a woman looking for a man, straight.

  Champagne was the newest in a slew of sleek clubs catering to hookup culture, and definitely the swankiest. It was where the people went if they didn’t want to leave alone at night.

  The safety aspect appealed to people, while the exclusivity made them feel like they were above the regular masses, and soothed the egos that had been bruised from rejection.

  If someone was here, there was a lower chance they would turn down going home with a complete stranger.

  And sex, however meaningless, was better than nothing.

  Before entering, Marissa picked a bracelet that indicated her sexual orientation, red, signifying that she swung with the opposite sex, and found out that there was a drink limit, but only on certain nights, probably the only reason she still had a brain intact. It was safe for when she needed an outlet, and the organization appealed to her senses.

  Plus, she didn’t have to spend the night staring at her projects or switching the channels on the television.

  The inside of Champagne was like any other nightclub. A dancefloor took up most of the space, the interior was dark, and the lights were flashing enough to give her a seizure, a swath of beams in different neon colors washing over everyone in fast waves.

  It was packed, like almost every night, but it was late enough in the night for the first wave of partners to have left.

  Her eyes scanned the crowd, avoiding the men nervously shuffling in the corners, clearly their first time. The eyes of the eager ones would circle around like vultures, waiting for someone to make accidental eye contact to spark up a conversation, and the ones already out on the dance floor grinded up against crowds of young women without taking no for an answer. They weren’t what she wanted.

  Her gaze suddenly stopped at a tall man standing by the edge of the dance floor. His head was thrown back in laughter, and he seemed to be talking to everyone in the small crowd around him. He was definitely one of the more popular ones.

  Marissa headed his way slowly at first, until she got close enough to see the red band around his wrist. That gave her courage, and she walked up to him with a smile.

  “Hi, I’m Marissa.”

  She extended a hand. The thumping music meant she had to stand close to him if she wanted him to hear her. She could smell his delicious cologne despite the crowd of sweating bodies around him, but it didn’t make her choke. He was handsome and sexy, but more than that, he was put together without looking out of place in the crowd.

  “Name’s Levi.”

  He caught her hand for a second. When he didn’t pull her directly into him, or do anything borderline creepy in the first minute or so, the smile on her face became more genuine.

  A drunk college student stumbled into him, laughing as she spilled her beer, so he gestured towards the nearest wall. Marissa nodded, and they moved away from the crowd.

  Always a good sign.

  “You have a nice smile.”

  Flirting to her was like going through a checklist. Smile, check. Twirl her finger into her hair, check. Look for signs of interest. The way his eyes panned down her body was one, the smirk that showed he was playing along, another.

  Since the club didn’t hide the reason
why they were both there, they skipped over the awkward small talk she would normally engage in out in the public world. It really sped things up. She liked the efficiency.

  It didn’t mean she didn’t find anything out about him though. She made a point to, just to be extra careful.

  “So, you work in advertising? I’m assuming from the watch on your wrist, you have your own secretary.”

  “That’s some good eye you have there. Smart, I like it. What about you?” Levi asked.

  “Getting my Master’s in computer science. It’s been hell all week. I decided I needed to relax tonight, unwind, and just let go of all my stress,” Marissa said.

  “Maybe I can help with that.” Levi winked and drew closer.

  “I’m sure you can. My place, or yours?” Marissa bit her lip.

  “Yours, definitely.” Levi smirked.

  The rest of the night was honestly a blur of sensation, a passionate affair she was so used to having.

  It wasn’t until the next morning, when she groggily raised her head from the pillow, to see him shrugging on his clothes and talking about the fact that he needed to go and pick up his girlfriend from the airport, that she realized this would probably never happen again.

  Another one-night stand, just like them all. She had a vague recollection of him mentioning the girlfriend when they climbed up the stairs to her apartment.

  “I’m assuming she knows about what, and who, you do at night?”

  The shrug of his shoulders told her everything, but she didn’t push. If she wanted to do this right, she needed to show him she was fine with it. That she would be a better choice, the one who would never push him into anything he wasn’t comfortable with.

  “You think you want to do this again sometimes?”

  He turned around at that. “I already have one relationship. I don’t think I can maintain another.”

  “Your relationship needs maintaining? Ouch. And no, I was thinking more about skipping the overpriced drinks and the cover charge by sending you a text next time I need to relax.” She stretched out her naked body while she spoke, affecting nonchalance with all her being.