Winter Swan

Kail was a frightening sight and everyone looked at him in shock.

Yet, Kail looked calm and confident as if he belonged here.

"…"

Everyone stared at him, but when Kail looked around with his cold green eyes, people flinched and looked away.

Kail opened his mouth slowly.

"Were you about to toast? Excellent. May I get a glass as well?"

When Rolf and Ingrid stared at him rigidly, Kail gave them a nasty grin.

"I realize my attire doesn't fit this fancy party, but I'm sure you can be generous enough to allow me to drink. After all, I am an unexpected but important guest and so please forgive my appearance. I had to escape the hospital by climbing down the wall and hitchhiking here."

His calm voice and story made everyone gasp and Ingrid threw her glass at him.

Crash!

It hit the wall and shattered into a million pieces.

"Kail!"

When his stepmother glared at him, Kail smiled slowly.

"Thank you, my lovely stepmother."

He looked deadly as he mocked Ingrid, and Rolf finally stepped in.

"Stop it, Kail!"

But Kail continued to smile coldly as he got himself a glass of champagne. He emptied it in one gulp and held up the glass high.

As everyone watched in shock, he squeezed it and the glass broke.

While his hand bled profusely, Kail picked up another glass from the nearby table. He slowly limped to Ingrid, who turned deathly pale, and handed the glass to her.

"Have a drink. I offer it to you with my love."

It was a clear threat.

A declaration of war.

Kail was back.

"I hope you are all ready for me. I finally escaped hell, so I am now available to entertain the both of you."

His voice was smooth and seductive, but his expression chilled Rolf and Ingrid. When he was done with his little speech, Kail limped away, still bleeding.

No one stopped him. All anyone could do was stare in shock and fear.

"Bring me all the recent reports on the Bruntland shipbuilding project and the oil and gas exploration project."

Kail ordered his people to get back to business. He worked day and night as if to make up the lost time.

"Don't you think you should take it easy? You just got… discharged from the hospital."

When his assistant carefully used the word "discharge", Kail laughed.

Kail's right hand man used to be Felicien who always wore a pair of large glasses and a bow tie. Felicien rarely showed any emotions on his face and he worked like a shadow, quietly following Kail's orders.

It was easy to have Felicien take care of things, but Felicien could be erratic and rough, thus making the outcomes unpredictable. Kail wanted someone who was colder and could deliver results without any mistakes. He needed someone he could control better, and one day, he found him.

It was Hans Rergen, and he used to work as a banker.

"You don't have to be polite in front of me. You and I both know I wasn't discharged. I escaped. I climbed down the wall in the middle of the night. In my ridiculous hospital gown, I limped and hitchhiked on an old truck."

Hans asked cautiously, "So how did you escape? The last time I saw you, you weren't doing well. How did you regain your mind suddenly?"

"How? Well, it wasn't that I got hit by lightning… I think it might have been a song."

"Pardon? A song? Which one?"

"…Solveig's song."

Kail replied quietly, "Solveig's song was playing in the hospital. At first I thought she was calling for me."

Hans remained quiet as Kail turned away. After a brief silence, he ordered, "Bring me every report I missed while I was gone. And make a detailed brief about Ingrid's personal funds and charity foundation."

"So you really are going to go ahead with this?"

At Hans' question, Kail answered coldly.

"An eye for an eye. You know me. I will never change."

He smiled sweetly as he walked away.

***

Dreamy music played under a dim light.

It was a song from the movie, "Girl with a Pearl Earring". As the sad music became louder and the orchestra reached the climax, the white curtain slowly opened and revealed the stage.

The audience exclaimed excitedly, "Wow!"

"Amazing!"

People whistled as they watched the incredible stage with a theme of forties. On it were beautiful models standing with blank faces. As another music started, the motionless models started to move one by one. They looked like beautiful dolls as they started the show.

A loud applause followed.

The first model was supermodel Saskia de Brauw. With her white-blond hair and pale skin, she looked like a Russian royalty.

Next was Sinna Agren with her classic beauty. The audience continued to clap as the Belgian twins walked out comfortably with their retro tweed outfits.

Another model followed mimicking the style of Hedy Lamarr, an actress from the forties. The model looked amazing, and the crowd went wild.

And finally…

The only Asian model in this show, Silje, appeared. In her beret and practical yet beautiful blue-pearl trench coat, Silje walked confidently. Her long black hair was down and her face looked blank. People gasped as they enjoyed her exotic and mystic look.

The stage suddenly became even brighter and the models started to walk out in hats with small veils. They all wore colorful fur coats and synthetic snow started to fall on the stage.

It looked like a scene from a winter fairy tale.

"This is unbelievable. Christian Lozetti is a genius!"

"I love him!"

The cameras flashed everywhere constantly, and faster music started to play. The excitement in the place was palpable as the models now appeared in a faster pace all carrying handbags with the Sherian logo on them.

This was Christian Lozetti's signature move during all his fashion shows. He had the models show off his bags, which was a genius business move. His bags were very popular, and everyone could tell that this season was going to be no exception.

"Look at those bags!"

"So beautiful."

Even the reporters looked impressed. The outfits were designed with a theme of the forties, yet they looked modern and sensitive.

"So this is Christian Lozetti's version of the forties!"

"It is a huge success! Last season, he made the Russian look popular, and now this! I am so curious to see what he will come up with next season."

"I can see that pumps are going to be all the rage this season. Pastel colors too."

As the audience chatted among themselves, the show was finally reaching its finale.

As the most famous model in the world walked out, people cheered hungrily.

Lara Stone.

She was the last model to walk. Wearing a gorgeous crown, she looked like Queen Christina. Her walk was charismatic and her face expressive.

Lara Stone, the top model on models.com.

With her voluptuous body and attractive diastema, she reminded the audience of actress Brigitte Bardot. People applauded generously as she walked by like a medieval European royalty.

She was the queen of the show.

"Lara!"

"Lara Stone!"

And with that, the curtain closed and the stage darkened.