Songs for the Chapter: Love Is The Song by VeggieTales, Somebody's Praying For Me by Don Moen, and some last three at the end

(Please, please, please, try your best to listen to the songs, especially the first one and the last ones which have been kept from the list—please don't go looking for them now. 😄🥰)

••••••••••••••••••••••••••

They say you are hard to love
That you are unworthy of
Kindness and sympathy
But GOD sees it differently

I'm not afraid to show
The Love I've been given, so
I will be strong, I'll sing my song
With hope, I'll move on

I wish I were staying
But still, I am praying
Down in my heart, I'll find
I can show love
To anyone at any time

If life is a play,
And we are the players
Then Faith is the lyric
And Hope is the music
And Love is the song

Faith is the lyric
Hope is the music
GOD'S Love is the song

~ "Love Is The Song" by VeggieTales

•••••••••••••••••••••••••

•••••••••••••••••••••••••

"So, it is that little wench again, Lamia?" Giuseppe spat out distastefully.

"Yes, master," Lamia, who had adopted the name Adara rose from her kneeling position and looked directly into his eyes.

"So, I had you underrated, didn't I?"

"She is a sort of shield around him. But... I have a plan."

"Oh, you do?"

His tone was condescending and Lamia heard a hint of sarcasm in it as well. But she was nonplussed as she went forth to explain in detail all she had worked so hard to put into place.

~~

Violet did not understand the reaction of her husband—Vincenzo.

Yes, she had returned to him. And she had glimpsed a hint of joy in his countenance at her reappearance.

She was glad for the counsel Grace had given her. And much more so for following it.

~

Flashback

"Are you alright, dear?" Grace, Alex's mother asked in a quiet, gentle tone.

She had had an inkling that something had been wrong with Violet all through the dinner that night.

And both of them volunteering to wash all the dishes had given the opportunity Grace had been hoping for.

Violet felt her whole body freeze even as the water continued to run down her hands onto the dishes.

It was not what Grace had said, but how she said it.

Trying hard to gulp down the tears, she failed to hide her emotions—once again.

The torrents went loose. She could no longer hold back anymore.

"You, poor child," Grace immediately stopped her tasks and cleaned her hands on the napkin resting on her shoulder before approaching Violet.

The latter had fully opened up everything that had been going on in her life. Even things she had not dared tell Isabella or anyone else.

"And you did not say anything all this while?" Grace asked softly throwing her arms around her.

For a moment, Violet allowed herself to walk down memory lane—it felt just like how her mother had often hugged her, and later Tal.

The thought of that caused her silent sobs to turn into a weeping so great she felt her entire body convulse.

"Child," Violet could hear the love dripping through every tone of Grace. "You need to go back to him."

"How can I?" Violet, a head taller than the older woman withdrew from the embrace and looked at her with a perplexed look. Like a little child who did not understand why she had to face a challenge.

"We are not fully joined together according to the Royal Law."

Grace knew the words she had spoken were hard on Violet, but, they were also hard on her very self.

For she had envisioned Violet as a prospect for her son, Alex. Though she had assumed it would take some time as they were both young.

But, it seemed GOD had other plans. And she could not let her disappointment ruin the life of the lovely girl before her.

"Do you know why it hurts so much, cara bambina(dear child)?"

Violet simply shook her head in confusion and what seemed like a reluctant resignation.

"It is because GOD has placed him so close to your heart."

"Close to my heart?" She could barely make her voice rise above a whisper.

"It was way easier to forgive... what's his name?"

"Alessandro?" Violet's brows were now furrowed in confusion.

"Alessandro, yes!" Grace's tone picked up at the recollection. "Now don't get me wrong. That took Grace to forgive for sure, I am not saying it was a simple thing."

Violet chuckled through the tears that had dried up as the conversation went on causing Grace to raise an eyebrow.

"Sorry," she quickly tried to recollect and explain herself. "It's just... your name is Grace."

And with that, they both burst into laughter. But it went beyond that. She saw a ray of LIGHT and Hope spring up where she had not realised darkness had pervaded.

No matter how many times she felt herself in despair and apart from her SAVIOUR, HE always found a way to draw her back to HIMSELF with even just a little unintended pun as this.

"Anyway, Violet," Grace continued after their moment of mirth. "It is sometimes harder to forgive one you are closer to. And that seems to tell me GOD wants you to return to him."

FATHER, I love YOU, but does it always have to be this way?

But despite her question, she felt—no, rather knew—that she had no other option than to simply Trust and Obey.

End of Flashback

~

Yet on returning to him, Violet could not help but feel conflicted feelings emanating from Vincenzo.

One moment, he would seem loving and glad to see her. And in those times, she caught a glimpse of the new man he had become, with THE LIGHT sparking a bit through his eyes.

But the next, it seemed as though he barely knew who she was and he could not even remember her name. And he treated her as he used to during such moments—like a complete stranger.

Worst of all? She did not know how to feel about it all.

And, the frequent rebuff was not aiding one bit. She had tried hard to show him love and respect as a wife should since her return despite the ache.

Her shattered heart had still felt a bit tentative and withdrawn from him despite her resolve to follow her LORD'S Command.

But still, she willed it to go on obeying regardless of the agony.

Another part of a beloved Psalm came to her lips unbound as the cool wind blew softly and ruffled her dark mane. It was from the first part of Psalm 57:7...

"My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed..."

Yes, she agreed with the Psalmist. Her heart was fixed to follow her LORD, ache or not.

But something drove her to speak to her HEAVENLY FATHER even further.

Something is not right, LORD, she prayed silently and walked through the vast expanse of the quiet woods by the secluded Villa. She could feel it.

Please, help me to Love him as YOU have shown YOUR love to me in past times and continue to do so even now—no matter what, help me, FATHER... even when I am rejected.

She sat on a rock around the trees, BIBLE in hand. Vincenzo's bipolar attitude was not the only thing that lay strongly on her heart.

As she looked up at the sky above, she could sense it. Something was brewing—and her soul felt it vividly.

FATHER, please touch HIM and deliver him from any spell of the evil one before it is too late.

Her eyes felt finally clear as she came to realise the pervading shadow around Vincenzo.

And she suddenly felt an urgent need to go on her knees for the man who, yes, had allowed her to be abused.

And as she felt the need to pray in tongues only, not knowing exactly what to pinpoint, she felt the bitterness and anger fade away even further.

Thus, she warred in prayer and tears not even caring when the wind got chillier.

Her soul was on fire. And yes, the urgency of what was to come was ignited more fiercely.

And sometime during that was when she heard the rumble and felt the quickening.

Something was indeed brewing, and no, it was not coffee.

~~~

Ginevra felt mellow as she quietly walked towards the main family quarters.

She had no one to talk to—to open her heart out to regarding the truth about all she had learnt in the past weeks.

Seeing a guard pass by, she questioned him.

"Has Princess Violet returned yet?"

He immediately bowed and meekly answered her when he realised she was the one—regarding her status.

But her status and whatever "esteem" that came with it were far from her mind at that moment and seemed at the very least, trivialities.

"No, Princess...," he replied with the strict tone the guards often used around her and her family. "She has not yet returned."

Giving a sigh of frustration, Ginevra stormed out of his presence without bothering to thank him.

She could feel that she needed to talk to someone. Violet had been the only candidate she had in mind—though she knew and felt the need to have to confess all she had become aware of.

Why did she have to leave at that crucial moment?

She felt irritated till she glimpsed her younger brother in the triclinium. He seemed to be hooked on whatever he was reading.

And what he was reading seemed like the BIBLE he carried about almost always these days.

"Hmm..." she noticed.

If there was any chance of getting an answer, this new character of a brother might have something to say, she wagered.

Hope sprung in her despondency. For she could tell this new version of him radiated a peace she could only ever dream of.

~~~

"Che cosa?!(What?!)," Vincenzo asked—more than discombobulated.

"The move to one currency for the entire globe has been accepted, Principe," Eliseo sounded more agitated than Vincenzo—if that was possible.

"What was Aquilina doing? I know she would be against such a move and could have sought a restraint." Vincenzo asked as his stomach went into knots and he gulped dreading the response.

Because he knew of all people knew all too well what it meant—and the answer to his own question.

Aquilina had enough power, but without one extra candidate on her side, she could barely get a word in.

"Princess Aquilina could have prevented it if Prince Tal or Sal had been around..." There was a slight pause and his voice lowered a notch. "And you as well, Principe."

Vincenzo did not know what to think about the sudden news. For some reason, he felt trapped and as if he had failed in some way.

"I will talk to you later," he said just before ending the call on Eliseo in his frustration.

But that was not the only thing troubling him. A war bubbled within his soul.

He often thought it was his wife who was beside him whenever he faced her. Yet, her image seemed uncannily blurry at certain times.

He would think he was speaking to his wife for one moment. Then, her image would contort to that of Adara the next, which repulsed him.

"Mio DIO," he whispered.

And with just that whisper, he began to remember certain things... It felt like a revelation.

For certain things he had not realised had been declining in his spiritual life since he travelled to the secluded Villa with the two guards and the newly hired maid suddenly became clear. It sent a chill down his spine.

Adara had shown an exceptional interest in his BIBLE Studies and he had found that surprising at first. Later, he had gotten used to her being around him almost constantly.

But, as the scales fell off, he realised how little he had grown closer to GOD. He had thought things were going alright.

With the scales falling off even more, his soul recognised that in actual sense, his BIBLE and Prayer Life had grown cold, very cold—almost icy—with her seemingly innocent "interest".

The truth was so vividly clear that he felt repulsed by himself and he realised his awful treatment of indifference toward Violet.

For he had not fully registered that it was his wife that had returned to his side after all.

"Mio PADRE, aiutami! (My FATHER, save me!)"

He suddenly felt the urgent need to seek her out immediately and apologise.

But somewhere deep down, he feared it might be too late.

~~~

"So, what?" Ginevra leaned against the wall in the triclinium and folded her arms.

She could testify her former vagabond of a brother had undergone a tremendous transformation—no doubt there.

Yet, she could not come to terms with his thoughts about GOD, and JESUS, along with HIS life and "soon return".

It seemed to ring true somewhere deep down. But her logical analytic self could not bring herself to fully comprehend it. They all seemed too bizarre to her.

She was a person bent on proving every theory to the core before even considering giving it a try.

If only I had done the same about Giuseppe.

Had she said those words out loud, she would have probably spat on the floor at the sound of his distasteful name on her lips.

All of a sudden, a gentle breeze blew over her till she felt the compelling need to ask more about THE LIGHT she saw and yes, even envied in her brother.

But just then, her "so-called" husband walked in, quelling her chance to question further. 

~~~

"So, what do we do now?" Skylar Jaye, twin brother to Aquilina, questioned.

The latter was one of the Elite substitutes amongst the King Makers, holding a great load of responsibility on her shoulders as she still stood in for her brother, Prince Sal.

But the Jaye twins were not the only ones in the room.

Aquilina's husband, Prince Regent Xavier, and their longtime friends and acquaintances, Princes Tarquin, Francesco, Lu Xia and Lu Feng Mian—the other famed Royal twins—were all gathered together.

And of course, wherever Francesco went, Rosa Vega, his soon-to-be-named fiancée, and her minions were present.

It was funny how Rosa and her friends had warmed to Aquilina when they discovered her true identity as a Princess—and one holding power even amongst the Elite King Makers—though she had been in the same school, Velvet Regent, as they because of dire circumstances.

She had been an outcast and at a point, a suspected terrorist to them until her identity had been unveiled.

Yet, she held nothing against them.

Skylar, Aquilina's twin, who had also once been a highly celebrated and famous artist before he had accepted THE LIGHT OF CHRIST, had heard the news of the new motion to be set in process almost immediately. And so had the others.

"I don't think it is that bad," Rosa, Francesco's to-be said nonchalantly, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

Aquilina turned and levelled a piercing gaze at Rosa—one she often reserved for insubordinate members of the WACO (World Anti-Criminal Organisation).

It was an Organisation she had once been a fully fledged member of. And her work in the WACO was what had landed her into Velvet Regent in the first place.

"It seems to be no big deal," Aquilina replied willing softness into her voice as she first glanced at her husband, Xavier, then at the others.

She knew she had to tread carefully with this gang—especially those other than her husband and brother. She took in a breath before trying to formulate the right words.

~~~

After explaining what she had accomplished through every single moment Lamia had spent beside Vincenzo, Giuseppe had been pleased, though he tried not to show it to keep her in check.

He had later returned to his so-called home to find his excuse of a wife having an extremely unsavoury conversation.

The glow of his triumph had been dimmed at the sight. Without much hesitation, he turned on his charm to a hundred degrees Celsius and did his best to lure her away from her newly "enlightened brother".

He sat at his desk in the darkened study of their apartment and pondered the things Lamia had achieved.

Only a study lamp lit the room as he ruminated on her strategy and achievements whilst playing with a Rubik's Cube in his hands.

She had utilised every single item or person—including the image of his obnoxious wife—that had come across Vincenzo's path during his seclusion to their advantage.

Sure enough, Giuseppe had held a fear he mentioned to no one—not even to himself—when he had heard about the Elite King Maker's little "trip".

He had feared Vincenzo growing closer to that LIGHT even more. But Lamia had been a winning card. Even down to the meals that she had prepared for Vincenzo, she had managed to sway him off the track.

That made his heart a wee bit lighter after the unpleasant encounter with his wife. He had trained Lamia well.

But, that did not mean all was done or he had the time to bask in that triumph.

It seemed he had to keep a closer watch on Ginevra before she also became a thorn in his flesh. He was so close to his goal and would not allow anyone to stand in the way of that—wife or not.

But suddenly, something akin to a red glow lit up in his fiendish countenance.

No, he thought to himself, an impish grin taking over his countenance. The long wait was over.

~~~

Running a hand along her neck, Aquilina sighed and went on to explain, examining her words carefully.

"It is not an ordinary move, but marks the apex of a plan which goes beyond what anyone could..."

But before she could go on any further, What was brewing had finally caught up.

Or rather, caught some of them in the room up.

Their clothes fell into a neat pile as the said characters disappeared themselves.

And the pandemonium that broke out had no end nor explanation to give the confused and screaming group left behind in the room.

The Rapture had indeed "caught up" with them.

But, who were those left behind?

~~~

END OF PART 2

~~~

"A little while, we are in eternity; before we find ourselves there, let us do much for Christ."

~ Ann Hasseltine Judson

••••••••••••••••••••••••••

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

~~~

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

~~~

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

••••••••••••••••••••••••••

DISCLAIMER: ‼️‼️‼️
This book is only a work of fiction, trying to be based on facts from THE HOLY WORD OF GOD.

Things might happen differently, but it is to only give us a picture of the last days, hoping to remind us of how soon our LORD's Coming is.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••

No many comments at the moment from this side for today. I hope we are all well by GOD'S Grace.

GOD bless us all richly.

Love In CHRIST,
Phela 🙏🏻🤍🕊️✨