 |
| The twins are found |
In the pit under The Goode family’s basement, the smell of mud lingered in the air. It was wet and cold, as if a giant grave had been left open. Verity had made it Mary’s makeshift buried bedroom that had suddenly become her own prison.
It was after the fall. And Mary began to stir. Her sister's powerful jolt of energy had knocked her unconscious. Her head aching, her body weaker and weaker from whatever illness she was suffering from. Weeks of malnutrition, stress and the damn air had taken it's toll but she was one of the strongest women in Welshport. Nothing would deter her from getting away from her twisted sister Verity and getting back to her family.
Mary quietly got up. Slowly made her way to the side of the pit that already had her footholds from her first attempt at climbing up. She tried again, one foot in then pull up. Next foot slightly higher, then pull up.
She did not get far. Verity awoke and pulled at the clothes on Mary's back. Mary fell backwards on top of her sister he rolled her off.
"You won't get out." Verity said, wiping the mud from her face.
"I promise you, you will never get away with this Verity. Eventually it'll all come out and what will happen then? You'll not only lose the family you thought you could take but you'll lose it all. Everything."
Verity said nothing. Only stared into the face that was hers.
"But you can change that and get us both out of here and we can work something out." Mary added, kindly.
"And what? Live happily as sisters?" Verity asked sarcastically.
"YES! Why not?" Mary exclaimed.
“Oh Mary, please!” Verity replied sarcastically as she achingly rolled to her side. “I think we’ve gone too far for that.”
"We don't have to be enemies, Verity. We never had to be. This could be the beginning of something for the two of us. We're sisters. The last of the Spencer family."
Verity began to pace. Her head was still swimming from the blast she sent that knocked both women out. She circled and circled thinking about what it could mean for them to be actually friends and live together in the same world without having to fight over the same life. It seemed so simple, so easy. But could it actually work?
"What about Filipe?" Verity asked. "What about the time I've already spent with him?"
Recalling this made Mary sick, even sicker than she already was. Imagining the man she loved sleeping with her twin under such circumstances broke her heart but she had to keep Verity in the mindset that they could get through it.
"I -- we -- we'll make it work." Mary said, choking back the anger she truly had. "Filipe will understand." She lied.
As the two sisters talked, Filipe, Johnathon and Jaqueline quietly entered the Goode Family cabin. Jacqueline put her finger to her lips and hushed them both.
"Down there." She whispered, pointing to the basement door.
The three began to make their way to the basement. Filipe began having flashes in his mind of another basement where he was once trapped: his mother Fatima's when he was locked there for his own protection during his time afflicted with lycanthropy. In his mind quick blinding reminders. The pain he suffered. The changing of his body. The chains. The horrible thoughts of killing and the taste of blood. He stopped suddenly just feet from the door.
Johnathon pulled on his shoulder. "You alright?" he asked in a whisper.
Filipe nodded then realized Jacqueline wasn't with them. Filipe mouthed her name to Johnathon who turned to search for his wife.
Then they saw her in the open front room opening a drawer that had been locked. She took something out of it and walked back over to the men who were impatiently waiting for her and handing Filipe what she removed from the drawer.
A gun. Filipe looked at Jacqueline like she had two heads.
"What is this for?" He asked.
"My powers”, she began almost embarrassed “they’re not like they used to be. I can’t protect you. You'll need this." She whispered.
"Protect me? From what?" He asked.
"Verity is very powerful. She has the backing of the council of sorcery." Jacqueline replied.
"Just hold on to it." Johnaton said. "You may not need it."
Filipe’s eyes widened as he took the gun, it was loaded. He slowly opened the basement door, unsure of what he would find, and the three began to make their way down into the dark basement. They too could smell the mud from the giant mouth of the pit Verity had magically created in the basement that went deep into the earth.
Filipe gasped in shock. He could not believe what he was seeing. The entire basement floor had been destroyed and in it's place a giant hole. There was a space to walk but very little. Johnathon too could not believe his eyes but held on to Jacqueline who, for the first time, felt her nerves on edge.
The three made their way -- closer and closer to the salted edge of the pit where Jacqueline had to stop.
Back in the pit, Verity felt the presence of the others. Mary too.
The ill and weak Mary didn't know to do, she began to finally see her freedom coming but needed Verity to stay calm. Both women were indistinguishable. Covered in soil and exhausted from their physical fight. Verity walked over to Mary and pulled her back, Mary fell to the ground
“Quiet.” Verity told her twin.
Finally, Filipe peeked over the edge.
"My god!" he said. "Its TRUE! Two Marys!"
“No, its not two Marys. You have to destroy Verity.” Jacqueline replied, “She’s dangerous and we cannot trust her!”
Filipe turned from Jacqueline and with hesitation lifted the gun down to both women identical to each other. Verity froze in place.
"FILIPE! Mary shouted.
"THANK GOD YOU'RE HERE!" Verity shouted back almost in the exact cadence of Mary's voice to confuse him.
Mary got up from the muddy ground and pushed Verity aside. "She's been hiding me here and pretending to be me, please help me up from here, please!"
"Don't listen to her, she's lying! I’m the one that’s been trapped. HELP ME UP!" Verity said, feeling like a trapped rat, trying to cover for her crimes.
"NO! No she's lying!!" Mary exclaimed.
"SHE'S LYING!!!" Verity screamed back adding to the confusion.
Filipe and now Johnathon, could not tell them apart. They both looked as if they'd been down in the pit for weeks. Their clothes damp & covered in dirt and mud from their fight, their hair equally matted, caked even with the pit’s mud.
“What do I do?” Filipe asked.
"Everyone stay calm!" Johnathon said.
"Shoot Verity!!" Jacqueline said from behind. "She has all the powers behind her, we cannot let her continue to move about us in our world."
Verity heard this and seethed with venom for Jacqueline. But she could do nothing. She was trapped in her own deceptive web of lies and now looked down the long thin barrel of a gun.
"Which one is Verity?!" Filipe shouted.
The twins stood next to each other. Looking identical with no deciphering clue as to which was which. It was as if a mirror was between them reflecting the same face back. For her part, Verity knew she could not use her powers because that would give herself away and the salt border would not affect her. Mary's powers had been blocked by the salt, she knew she had to find a way to prove who she was as Filipe kept the gun pointed down.
"Filipe listen to me, I am Mary, I promise you I am. Do not shoot me.”
"Don’t listen to her Filipe, I am Mary! SHOOT HER before she kills us all! Her powers are untold!" Verity revealed.
"No, no, Filipe, that’s a lie. She's lyiing --- " Mary began before Verity interrupted-- thinking quickly.
"If you have to shoot one of us, shoot me. Then you'll see I'm the real Mary." Verity replied quickly trying to play the innocent route to discredit Mary and hoping to throw Filipe off.
Filipe pointed the gun at Mary then Verity then back at Mary then back at Verity. “I don’t know what to do.”
From her vantage point behind them, Jacqueline was growing frustrated. She knew this could not last and that Mary's health was failing.
The weak Mary became confused then panicked when Filipe turned the gun finally back on her and squeezed the trigger as if he had finally chosen the imposter.
Mary too weak now to say anything else only mouthed “I love you” then closed her eyes and braced for the shot that could probably take her life.
As if everything around him fell into slow motion, Filipe watched as May's eyes closed and she turned away with her hands up. Then in a split second he changed his mind, Mary opened her eyes as the awaiting gunshot never came.
Then he pulled the trigger — at Verity.
In yet another split second occurrence, Mary suddenly remembered the woman posing as her was the embodiment of the twin sister her mother Eliza had lost. She was her blood, no matter what. Mary’s natural reflect of nurturing and protecting nature came through. With her last ounce of energy, Mary jumped in front of Verity.
Finally proving which woman was which.
The bullet had left the gun in a fireball and entered into one of twin’s bodies.
They both fell to the ground — unresponsive.
Jacqueline gasped.
Filipe dropped the gun, his hands shaking.
The silence of the unknown was deafening which twin had been shot?
****
 |
| The Board meets with the embattled Lord brothers |
Meanwhile, in the center of Welshport Village, a group of Lord Publishing board members gathered in a brightly lit wood-paneled boardroom that sparkled with orbs of light that were sprayed around the room from the ornate chandelier centered above the oak 12-seat table while Albert Lord watched from the confines of his golden framed painting on the wall.
There were six members of the board of the company, each one visiting Welshport from New York city. All older men dressed in dark suits and white hair. Their dapper clothes and regal body language chocked the room of any relaxing oxygen.
As two secretaries hurried around the room with pitchers of water and brady, Jacob entered like a Roman emperor reclaiming his throne at the end of the oak table flanked by Lear and one of the Publishing House's secretary.
After a few pleasantries the room became silent as Christopher Wesley entered, the board clearly recognizing him as the lost son David Lord.
"What the devil are you doing here?" Jacob growled as his brother made his way to the other end of the table.
"This is my father's company too. I think I should have a say in what the board hears today." Chris answered.
One of the board members sipped from his glass of brandy bypassing the water and wiped his lips with the white linen cloth provided and huffed. "What's the meaning of this?" He asked Jacob.
"Sir, my name is Christopher Wesley, but I was born David Lord. I know that there was much said about my disappearance but I can assure you, assure you all, that I've returned home and want to have my say in what happened to the company now that my mother has gone away." Chris said.
Them men began whispering and taking notes, none of them happy or impressed by Christopher's reappearance at the Publishing House.
"And how did you expect to fall back into line with the family cause?" Another member asked.
"By attempting to discredit everything I have ever done." Jacob shot out.
"We think you have done a good job at doing that yourself." A third member replied to Jacob's shock.
"Gentlemen, please we should all keep to the idea that we all want what is best for the Publishing House, and personal insults should be kept out." Lear interjected.
"I can assure you all that this man is not to be taking seriously. Why should he be involved in anything that I have worked for all these years. My work is plane as the nose on my face and the checks in your bank accounts." Jacob replied.
"But money can come and money can go. Jacon cannot be trusted. He never could be. He assures you I cannot be taken seriously to take this company and move it forward with him, but I tell you I am ready for that." Chris said.
"With him?" The first member of the board asked.
"Yes sir. I don't ask for full control, just my own part that was deeded to me in my father's will."
"That you abandoned." Jacob replied. "Show them." He said to Lear.
Lear sighed, feeling sorry for Chris, then removed a folder from his briefcase and presented to the group. "It's David Lord's death certificate. Legally, this man here is Christopher Wesley, not David Lord. Christopher has no rights at all to anything connect to the Lord family: their business ventures, their property holdings in this country and over seas, etc. etc."
The men passed around the papers and all agreed it was indeed true. Chris had no say, no matter the truth of his identity. Legally, David was dead.
"Even if you are who you say you are your shares and stake in your family's estate have been passed down to your grandson Gabriel, being that your own son Sebastian is no longer of this earth." A member of the board said as Lear, Jacob and Chris, all shot each other looks when Sebastian's name came up.
"But certainly, then, I can speak for my grandson." Chris said.
"He's David's grandson. Not yours." Jacob reminded him then looked at the members of the board and confirmed it again "Legally speaking."
"Then what? What of Gabriel's rights?" Chris asked.
"Good, then we're at that point when we can discuss what the board as decided." The first old man said.
"The board has decided?" Lear asked. "How? We only just met today."
"No." The man replied. "The board has met on several occasions in the last few days in emergency secret meets Mr. Lockheart. Unlike this family, we have not been preoccupied with internal dramas that cloud one’s judgment. This company may not be ours by blood but the six of us have given it decades of loyalty because it's been in our own life's work too -- not to mention how we have always tried to preserve Albert Lord's true vision for the future of publishing. He was a visionary who wanted to publish only the best ideas, the most creative of writers and authors are the ones who he couldn’t get enough of. Those ideas were ones that pushed the envelope and raised the bar in novels, journalism, and writing at every rank. Despite all of the external battles his family has presented to the business' bottom line - day in and day out, we have continued his vision. Proudly."
Jacob sat back in the chair at the head of the table and interlocked his fingers. His brow arched, Lear had already warned him the board was looking into new avenues to push power out of Jacob's hand and into various distant Lord Family members. He almost felt a twinge of glee feeling like he knew more than they knew. "Then what? What of these Secret meetings, that I, Albert’s only rightful heir, was left out of."
“Mr. Lord, don’t act so shocked. We already felt the hot breath of your spies, but the matter of protecting this company's possible decline into scandal was more important than allowing you to bull your way into our debate."
"I’ve been the bull to fight for this company — in plain sight never in secret." Jacob replied hoping to shame the board in their betrayal.
"Oh please!" Chris shouted. "Spare us this Saint Jacob the martyr talk. You've lied your way to the top and schemed in secret far more than anyone in this room. No one in this family has ever been safe with your sick greed growing like virus."
"We agree." The main board member said surprising the Lord Brothers. "We've taken that into consideration. Jacob, your hands -- we all know -- are not clean."
"So, yes, we met in secret." A 6th man finally said.
"It was for your own good." the fourth board member added sternly.
"Jacob, with your mother now -- gone away-- and her divorce null due to Caspian's death, we've had to take measures to ensure this company remains out of the papers and profitable. Public perception of a family owned business with a dynasty like this one that has constantly battled issues with itself takes hard work to maintain. We've maintained it ourselves and realize the future must be preserved now. That's why we've taken the extraordinary task to vote on the change in power. And it was unanimous."
The word unanimous burned Jacob like a cattle brand. It seared his skin scarring him in ways he had no idea would sting.
"What did you vote on?" Lear asked. "The family members overseas?"
"The family members overseas are already represented here by some at this table. Mr. Blake Jones represents the shares of the son of your uncle Calgary Lord II: Calgary Lord III, your cousin. And Mr. Lorn Charles, represents the shares of your Aunt Alixandra and her daughter Athena should Alix's shares move to her on her death."
"Cal and Alix? Is that legal?" Jacob replied softly. Lear nodded confirming.
"Its in their right as the majority to do something like this without you knowing. Even for those we are overseas." Lear answered.
"That's correct." The board member replied, then continued. "Now, Rebecca was removed quite easily due to her legal troubles & the nullification of her marriage as to the clause in Albert’s will. No one here, I safely assume, would have a problem with having her removed in that case. And as we mentioned just moments ago, the late David Lord's share of the power was hereby granted to his son Sebastian on Sebastian's 25th birthday, four years ago. Due to the circumstances of his death those shares eventually went to his wife Evangeline Jordan-Lord until her son Gabriel was born, now they lay in Gabriel’s trust. As for Johnthon DeViana, his rights to the company are void, since he has no proof, legally, to being the son of Albert Lord and of course his involuntary detention at Churchill Green does muddy the waters."
"Which leaves just me." Jacob said. "As usual. Or are you going to give the ghost of me dead sister VeeVee voting rights?”
"No.” The main board member Mr. Harding replied clearly irritated. “It leaves your shares of the company, not you. We've voted on those too."
Jacob braced himself “I don’t understand.”
"For the good of Lord Publishing, your shares of the company has been moved too. Per your father's last will, they've been moved to your first born child -- if no male heir available it would go to Charlotte Lord, but this has been bypassed due to the birth of Fabian. A minor."
"Are you saying that the representation of the Lord family on this board is now 2 children? Gabriel and Fabian?" Chris asked connecting the dots.
"To their trustees." Lear answered for the board, whom all nodded.
"Who has been appointed trustee?" Chris asked, as Jacob stewed in his anger watching his legacy slowly slip away.
The men looked around the room waiting to see which of them would reveal who would be the children's trustee, the door opened to the boardroom.
"Me." The voice said. Everyone turned to see Celeste DeViana-Lord.
Jacob stood up, stared daggers at his wife and realized she had kneecapped him in the name and protection of their son Fabian's future.
****
 |
| Justin delivers Rebecca’s hidden note |
Across the island, at Evie's Bellmore Beach house, Aurora was setting the table for a late lunch for herself, Nik and their guests Eden and Danielle. The group of four had been through a very difficult few days and Aurora felt she needed bring them together in hopes for a better future.
It was also a way to say thank you to Eden for helping them all in a dangerous situation with Caspian.
The table was set with long white candles and a pristine white tablecloth. Danielle helped place shining white plates with a sliver of gold trim in the four top-table in the parlor that Aurora had chosen to use instead of the more formal dining room.
"Everything looks wonderful." Eden said, seated on a parlor sofa with Nik.
"We hope that this little meal shines a light on how thankful we are that you were here to help my mother." Nik said as he stood at a near by bar pouring Eden a small drink of brandy.
"Well, anyone would have done the same." Eden added.
Nik smiled and sipped his own brand when a knock came at the front door.
"Who could that be?" Nik wondered.
Nik went to the door and opened it to find Constable Justin Ryan standing there with Rebecca's note in his hand. He was reading it again to himself when the door opened almost as if to be sure he truly saw the words written as they were.
"Constable! What can I do for you?" Nik asked.
"Doctor Jordan, good to see you. I -- I hope I'm not interrupting." Justin said, noticing Eden now standing in the parlor.
"We were just about to have some a late lunch. Is everything ok?" Nik asked as Aurora and Danielle walked in together from the kitchen.
"Actually, no. Well, yes. If I could come in I could explain. I won't be long." Justin said.
Nik quickly stood aside to let the Constable in "Of course! Of course, come in. We're just in here." He added leading him into the parlor.
"To what do we owe this visit?" Aurora asked as she placed some of the dishes she had prepared down on the table.
"We found something in Rebecca's cell that was a bit alarming and before I went to confirmed what we found I thought that I needed to come here and let you in on it." Justin explained.
"What is it?" Nik asked.
"It's a personal note Rebecca wrote and left inside a book in her cell. One of our deputies who was fixing it up and gathering some of her things to send to Augusta found the note clearly sticking out of the book and it was obvious she wanted someone to find it."
"Why would you need to talk to us about it?" Aurora asked.
Eden listened carefully, his legal mind trying to figure out any issues of legality that would cause a problem for anyone in the room.
"She recounts a conversation with Dr. Hoffman before -- way before -- the incident that eventually took her life." Justin said, just before turning to Aurora to look her in the eye. "Aurora, Asha confessed to her what she did to the child you gave birth to and that she delivered."
He handed the note to Aurora who was frozen. Unable to take the note. Nik stepped over and took the note and read it himself. His eyes were wide with shock. A shiver ran up his spine when the truth was revealed to him that the little boy Mary and Filipe adopted, a boy named Caleb, was actually the child Aurora and Caspian conceived.
Nik's half-brother, a small young 2-year-old, was living 5 minutes away in a house in the village with friends of theirs.
"I can't believe this." Nik said as he turned to his mother. "He's alive mum. He's alive and he's -- he's Caleb."
Aurora, who feared that the child had somehow died or was somewhere far beyond their reach gasped when the name Caleb came out of Nik's mouth. She had met the baby, several times. She had seen him face to face, looked him in the eye and saw how special and beautiful he was. A memory flooded her mind, like a giant picture flashing in front of her of how much he looked like Nik when he was a child and how she had thought that when she saw Caleb but of course pushed that idea aside. Never imagining her instincts were telling her something, that the boy she met a hand full of times by chance was actually her own flesh and blood.
"Did Rebecca say why Filipe and Mary hid this from everyone?" Danielle asked.
"I don't think they know." Justin replied.
"This will break Mary's heart." Danielle realized.
Aurora agreed. "She's been through so much too, I -- I don't know how we'll be able to tell her." She added.
"Thank you Justin. Thank you for bringing this to us." Nik said.
"May I?" Eden asked, reaching for the note.
"I'll leave you to your lunch. I'll show myself out." Justin replied as he made his way out the door.
Aurora sat down on the sofa in the parlor. She looked out onto the beach just beyond the front gate of the house The blue waves crashed hard on the sand but Aurora's thoughts on what she had just learned were so loud, not even the crashing of the wild waves could break it.
"Are you alright?" Nik asked sitting next to his mother.
"What do we do now?" She asked him.
"Legally, the adoption was illegal. They don't have rights to the baby." Eden added.
"I don't know I can even stomach the idea of going at this under the law." Aurora admitted. "Mary's been his mother, his only mother, since he was born. I don't doubt she's been a good mother to Caleb."
"But you're his real mother." Danielle said. "A mother he wasn't give the chance of knowing. Because of what Gregory a Asha did, that was taken away from him."
"She's right." Nik said. "Evie and I are so lucky to have you as our mum. He deserves to know you and be raised by you just as we were."
Aurora began to cry. Deep inside of her she knew they were right. The baby was literally stolen at his birth from her arms. But she couldn't help but think of the idea of taking him from the only family he's ever known and bringing him to live with her under a whole stake of legal circumstances that were valid, and true, and right. Was her quest to find her own stolen flesh and blood more important that the baby's happiness with his adopted mother and father?
That question lingered in her mind, and as a mother -- she could not think of a worse thing to do to a little boy.
"Well!" Aurora began. "I have a lot to think about and -- I can't do it on an empty stomach." She added wiping away her tears. "Lets eat."
"But mum..." Nik began
"Nikolas, I am not ready to decide what I want to do with this letter. Rebecca was sick, she -- she was angry. We don't even know if this is true."
"So you don't believe it?" Eden questioned.
Aurora didn't answer.
"She does." Danielle noted. "But she's a mother and Mary is a mother and -- she's weighing that."
Aurora smiled hearing Danielle’s defense of her.
"Weighing it?" Nik asked as Aurora shot Danielle a thankful look.
"He’s only a child. Caleb's happiness over her own. Whose happiness matters more?" Danielle added.
The clock in the parlor then struck half past one. Lunch time.
"I said let's eat!" Aurora smiled, her eyes still puffy from tears.
Nik hugged her tight and kissed her cheek. The mystery of where her child had gone finally solved and yet now it felt much more difficult to end it knowing where he was. It was something Aurora was still too numb to answer for anyone, much less herself.
This lunch would not end with a decision, if anything, it would only push it forward to a time when Aurora could truly let it all sink in.
 |
| Julian meets with Celeste |
Julian had sent someone from the hospital to Tirymor while Celeste was at the board meeting requesting to see her that evening to talk about Johnathon's wife coming and discharging him. It was a plan Celeste and Jacqueline had come up with to pull Johnathon out of getting trapped in Julian's hypnosis and learning Lord family secrets, secrets no one could ever know.
Celeste paced the Persian rugged floor, following a path on the rug around it's edges like a maze, zigzagging around furniture. She was upset over Jacobs behavior at the meeting but also worried about Julian's push for more time with Johnathon.
"Show him in Jane, thank you."
He moved over to her and kissed her on both cheeks, his mustache tickling her earlobe.
"Thank you for coming Dr. Pascal, please sit down."
"I appreciate you coming here than having me go to you." She said.
"It's more comfortable, I understand." he said his legs slightly parting -- opening to her like a welcoming urge for her to look.
Celeste cleared her throat "Your messenger said that you were concerned about Johnathon. Can you tell me more?" She asked, pretending not to know about Jacqueline.
He smirked at the beautiful Celeste hiding his knowledge of her deception. Celeste, deeply honest at her core had only just started to learn the way of the Lords -- their secrets and dark natured world where one of them was a part of a shadowy world.
"We're both interested in Johnathon's well-being and if I don't have all the information, I can't truly do my job." Julian said, not really caring about Johnathon but the information he could provide.
Celeste sat up straight. She calmly cupped her hands in her lap.
"I love my brother. I would do anything for him. There is nothing on this planet that would stop me from making sure that his well-being came first to even my own." Celeste replied in more truth than Julian could ever know.
"Jacqueline did that, did she?" Celeste asked, knowing full well it was part of the plan. "Well, we cannot stop a wife from being with her husband."
"Are they here?"
"No." Celeste answered quickly.
"I see. Well if they do return here, I would hope you would consider convincing, not only Mrs. DeViana, but Johnathon himself, that going back to Churchill Green would be in his best interest."
"What he said in his session with you, doctor, you can't truly believe any of that." Celeste said. "This family can be excentric, this is true, but people coming back from the grave and shadowy things of magic and sorcery, those are all just fantastical things of a man who at one point maybe believed that."
"Do you believe that?" Julian asked now moving over to sit next to her.
Celeste paused. She didn't believe it, It was a lie. Everything Johnathon had said during hypnosis was true. There were dark forces all around them at Tirymor. Someone did come back from the dead, several times. There was life mixing with magic, there were all these things -- many of those incidences had happened in the very room they were sitting in.
"I believe it, I believe that Johnathon expressed something -- unreal -- made up."
Julian, wondered if he could trust her words. She intrigued him in every way possible. She was beautiful and alluring but he knew that beauty held lies.
He wanted the truth, and he wanted Celeste.
For Celeste this was something she had been missing from her tainted relationship with Jacob. For Julian, it was a way to get her to warm to him, top open up her heart and hopefully give him more of what he truly wanted: the truth. It was only a special perk that Celeste was indeed a beautiful woman he chose to manipulate.
Jacob's coldness and pure craven nature, however, was no match for what Julian truly was. And the secrets he too was hiding.
 |
| Father and Daughter |
Charlotte had come to visit her little brother Fabian and had played with him that afternoon until the evening when he was ready for her. The elder sister had a different motive for coming to Tirymor that day, however. She came to see her father Jacob.
"Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in. To what do we, the lowly Lords, owe a this? A visit of Princess Charlotte of Tirymor?" He joked, Charlotte arched a brow at his sarcasm.
"I came to spend time with my brother." She said softly.
Jacob smiled, that truly warmed his cold heart. "I'm sorry I wasn't here when you got here. In fact I didn't even know you were still here. Did you have dinner?" he asked, she nodded.
"Daddy, its getting late and I was about to leave now that Fabian is getting ready for bed, but I also wanted to talk to you about something." Charlotte said.
Jacob folded the paper and gave his eldest child all his attention, something she had never had in her whole life. "Go on then."
Jacob furrowed his brow "Ease up? What do you mean?"
"Young lady, none of what happened between your uncle and myself has anything to do with you." Jacob said, the recalled how Charlotte was one time living with Sabrina's ghost haunting Charlotte for years. If anyone else besides Sebastian was affected by Jacob and Christopher's war, it was Charlotte.
"But the war between the two of you has more implications than just the two of you. And I'm hoping that, for once, you'll at least listen to me and try." She said.
"Alright, my darling young lady, I'll bite. Why, oh why, shall I listen to you this time. Go on, give it to me, give your old father the speech I know you've planned for hours in that tiny bedroom of yours at Filipe and Mary's house. I'm listening." Jacob said, crossing his legs but not before one dig at Charlotte Mother Mary's more humble standings.
"Uncle Christopher is soon going to be Morgan's stepfather and there's been word that if things get better around here for him and Geneveive they plan to leave all together, taking Morgan. Morgan is my best friend, Daddy. I would be so broken hearted if he left. I just would hope you could give it a chance and let things go."
But Jacob only got up and came over to her and hugged her. "You're growing up faster than I realized you would." he said. "Go on, get back to that cottage you call home now and I'll think on this. Your father has a lot to think about these days. I'll just add it to the pile."
Charlotte felt his strong arms around her, a hug from her father that felt sincere had been a long, long time coming. "Please, do think about it." She said, hugging him again.
What he did know, was that he wanted to see Celeste. His wife. The woman who he was indeed in love with but had suddenly and decisively betrayed him without a single hint. She'd come in like a stealth shark and taken something form him that he'd cherished and built in his own image. A company that was so much made up of his own DNA, not only in name, but in truly all aspects.
On his walk through the storied halls of his childhood home, a mansion made of stones that were ancient and foreign to Maine itself. He thought about the crimes he'd committed there. Those against his brother David, or Christopher as they all called him now. Against Sabrina and Sebastian. The death and the torture he put them through. And Mary, poor Mary. The woman he had loved but used, the woman he created Charlotte with and in the child's infancy took from Mary and for years poisoned her against her own mother with lies. He thought of the challenges with his Rebecca and her insecurities and how he tried so hard to make her love him unconditionally—to no avail.
Then he thought of his Celeste. Their relationship was born of a quid pro quo. They'd both realized the challenges of having a mutual half-brother Johnathon due to her mother's affair with his father. Their marriage locked so much into place for him: He'd get a beautiful consort by his side and in return Jacob would never touch a hair on their half brother’s head.
As he reached the drawing room his mind circled Celeste's name. She'd taken their deal of a marriage of convince and stomped on it. She'd gone and taken his company and taken his very power from him and he would never forgive her. As he got closer to the drawing room, to glasses of brandy in his hand he saw the fire glowing from the hall.
As Julian left, he went through the front door. Celeste ran passed the back entrance that was near a back staircase and as she did saw the back door open that led to where Aaron had the family cars.
She went down the hall to their bedroom. It was empty.
"What?" Celeste asked, her voice frightened.
PRESNT DAY - BELLEMORE BEACH HOUSE
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| The Jordans reunite |
"I -- I'm so happy you're safe, all of you, I'm so happy all of you are safe." She said, reaching for Nik's hand, he pulled her hand and they fell into the tightest hug. "I missed you so much." She said, he squeezed her tighter.
"There's still a lot we have to figure out." Nik replied.
"With Caleb?" Matthew asked.
Nik nodded, Aurora said nothing but the worry in her eyes spoke volumes on how consumed she was about the next step in getting her child back.
"So, I take it since Sebastian isn't here with you, that things didn't work out." Nik added, missing Evie and Matthew's explanation.
Evie took a breath "You missed my introduction, little brother." She chuckled. "I'll fill you in tomorrow, it's getting late and we've had a really long journey back."
"Your room is as you left it." Aurora smiled.
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| Evie and Matthew make love |
"I suppose." Evie replied uncomfortable with that notion and still sounding conflicted after how Celeste treated their friendship when it fell apart.
"You know, if you think about it your situations are almost exactly the same except Jacob didn’t kidnap Celeste too. For her it might be a bit more worse not knowing where Fabian is. At least you knew you could get to Gabriel in that castle." Matthew said, as he shifted in bed to look at Evie as she looked back through the mirror at him.
Evie, who was sitting at her vanity brushing her long honey brown hair turned around with a smile on her face. She got up on the bed where Matthew was already laying on. She crawled up like a kitten stalking its pray and jumped on Matthew kissing his face.
Matthew rolled his eyes, and then rolled on top of her as her legs flung around his body cradling him. He kissed her lips then moved to her neck.
He lifted his head and stared in her eyes. They were the color of the sea, blue and green, specks of yellow in the center. She ran her hand through his thick black and smiled.
"There are other things -- " Matthew began before she interrupted.
"We're together now. We're free of everything and anyone who wants to hurt us. We're going to be together forever, and no one, not anyone, can ever try to separate us ever again." She said.
He kissed her again and back in their own bed, in their own home, the engaged couple made love with the bedroom windows open listening to the crashing waves of the sea outside. She felt so connected to him, connected like hadn’t been with anyone in all her life.
"I didn't mean to wake you." He asked.
"No, it wasn't you. I haven't slept well in a very long time. So I can relate." She told him. "So, tell me, is this about being so close to your father?"
"You should go to him but be gentle. He's been through a lot." She said.
"Do you think he'll want to -- have a relationship with me?" Roman asked, almost sounding like a little boy.
BERLIN, GERMANY
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| The new Lords |
At the age of 66, she had become a widow prematurely ten years prior, left alone with her daughter Athena who'd grown into a beautiful young woman.
"Danka, Bruna." The widow said, Bruna curtsied.
Alixandria sifted through the mail. Letters from friends in Paris, Madrid, Lisbon. One from America caught her eye. She slid a sharp shiny letter opener with her monogram carved in it's ivory handle through the envelope flap and yanked out the letter. Handwritten. Addressed to Aunt Alix.
"This board of trustees is filled with treacherous greed and the money that you, my dear aunt, are receiving in payments from the family trust is being handled by men who only have their own self-interests at hand. I implore you to come to Welshport yourself and remove them OR... you can sign that power over to me: your nephew and I would gladly take your interest in our family's legacy to heart. Along with reinstating myself as head of a company my father -- and your brother-- built with his own blood, sweat and tears.
In full discloser, I have also written to my cousin and your nephew Calgary III with the same suggestions. With your chairs I can regain power of the company I have built and when I have full control I shall sell them back to you both. Enclosed are forms, you can sign each and this I will do."
"What are you thinking of doing?" Athena asked, knowing Cal and her mother had always wondered what it would be like to see Welshport and Tirymor House up-close and personal.
Athena narrowed her eyes at her mother. She could see the wheels turning. "Using Grandfather Johan’s name — that’s new. Do you want to salvage the business itself in his name or are you standing on the family linage for the sake of it?" She asked.
"Can't it be both?" Cal replied, as Athena rolled her eyes.
"Athena! Really! My brothers and I grew up in that mansion, it's part of my heritage, YOUR heritage too. So, I expect you to take this seriously.” Alix replied.
Athena scoffed and got up from her chair and stormed out. She wanted nothing to do with this. But as with many things in her life, she saw that she was out-voted. Her mother and her cousin/fiancé knew what they wanted.
