A Broken Fate (The Beautiful Fate Series book 2)

by Mann, Cat

  Rory and Julia came out of their room and sat with us. Up in the office, Ari’s meeting started and he put the conversation on speakerphone. The business at hand was so loud out in the living room that we had little choice but to listen to it. Even with the office door closed, we couldn’t help but hear the bickering back and forth between Ari and the rest of Margaux’s staff. I got up and left Max with August and cracked open the door to the study.

  Ari looked like he was going to pull his hair out; I sat across from him at the desk and he looked up and gave me a smile. He put the call on mute.

  “Ava, are you ok? Is there something you need?”

  I shook my head no and sat there listening a little bit longer. The arguments focused on the spring line and industry costs. I had heard Perry have this conversation a dozen times. I sat and listened for a bit, then I grew bored. Ari was wrapping the call up so I stood up to leave. I reached the door, then paused and heard Margaux’s voice through the speaker.

  “I’ll take a look at these figures in my office, Ari. Enjoy the rest of your day. Be sure to send my love to Ava, and I’ll see you both on New Year’s.”

  Ari quickly ended the call.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, turning around to face him.

  “Ha, um, it means I have the rest of the day off, so what do you want to do?”

  “Don’t get cute with me, Ari. What did Margaux mean by ‘I’ll see you both on New Year’s’?”

  He rubbed at the stubble on his cheeks and blew out a breath.

  “She’s having a cocktail party. We’re invited and she’s insisting that you come. I told her you would be there, but I am actually planning on showing up by myself for a bit and making an excuse for your absence.”

  I sighed.

  “You mean your plan is to go to Margaux’s party on New Year’s Eve and leave me here by myself? Ari, that’s absurd.”

  “I know, Ava, and I am sorry. Margaux is being a complete lunatic about this. She asks me every day if you are planning on coming and I don’t have the heart to tell her no.”

  “Ari! She is trying to get me there to kill me!” I shouted. “Don’t you see that? I mean come on! We already know she wants me dead...why do you keep playing her games?”

  “They don’t seem like games to me, Ava. Margaux seems desperate or something. When I got up to leave yesterday, she practically begged me to bring you and Max to the office with me.”

  “Ari, get a grip. She isn’t nice, she isn’t trying to be nice; she has ulterior motives and always will. For Christ sake, she broke into our house and tried to kill us last night. This isn’t about a family reunion, it’s about No. 7 planning his next move. I swear, Ari, for as brilliant as you are, you can be incredibly obtuse.”

  Ari ran his fingers through his hair.

  “Perhaps you’re the obtuse one, Ava. Look, I already told you that you don’t have to go. I’m just going for an hour. It’s not as though she’s going to kill you, or me for that matter, at her party, in front of her guests. The entire office will be there. And besides, you don’t know that Margaux was in our house last night. You don’t even know if anybody was really in our house last night.”

  “Oh great,” I said sarcastically, “the entire office! Well, I hope you have a great New Year’s Eve hanging out with your little office buddies instead of being with me, where you belong.”

  “Come on, Ava, don’t be like this.” Ari dragged his hands down his face in exasperation.

  “No, Ari, you don’t get it. That isn’t Margaux – that person is trying to kill me and you keep indulging her.”

  “Ava,” he sighed, “I don’t think No. 7 is Margaux. I’m sorry I just don’t.”

  I couldn’t listen to one more word. I turned around and slammed the door in his face.

  I walked back into the living room and all eyes were on me. I ignored their stares and grabbed Max’s shoes.

  “Come on, Max, let’s go to the playground.”

  Max’s little eyes lit up and he jumped up off the floor. I put his shoes on and we left without saying goodbye.

  We didn’t even make it out of the back yard before my phone started to ring. It was Ari. I wanted to stay mad at him; I wanted to go for a week without talking. I wanted to prove a point, throw a fit and act like a child. I wanted to kick, scream, and throw punches. I declined his call and kept walking.

  Max and I walked up the beach towards the park. I took a seat on a bench while Max played. I thought about my situation. Ari didn’t believe me when I said Margaux was No. 7. He had lost faith in me. I couldn’t blame him; I was losing faith in myself. I had spent the last five months moping about, crying and being completely useless in trying to make a stand against No. 7. I had decided long ago that I would just surrender and let him kill me. I had lost faith and I despised myself for it. I knew then that I had no choice but to fight. I had to stand up to The Kakos even if it meant doing it alone.

  An hour went by and I saw a pod of gray whales making its way across the horizon. I nudged Max, who was now sitting by me in the sand, and pointed at the whales. A beautiful baby tooth grin spread across his face. I scooped him up, put him on my shoulders, and walked right down to where the water met the sand. I pointed out to the whales and Max’s little hands flew up to his mouth in excitement. Max and I stood there in the wet sand with his mouth hanging open until the whales had long since passed.

  We walked back home for lunch and afterwards I put Max down for a nap in our bed. I turned around and saw Ari leaning in the doorway.

  “Are you talking to me?” Ari asked with a sad smile.

  “I don’t know yet,” I said as I got up and walked out of the room.

  “Ava, I just… I just don’t see Margaux the way that you do…I’m sorry but…”

  “Stop. I cannot talk about this with you anymore… Just, can you do me a favor?”

  “Sure…”

  I asked Ari if he would go next door to check on his mom and grab the journal. I told him exactly where I had left it. He agreed and left. I still wasn’t ready to make up with him, but I needed that journal and since I couldn’t just walk over and get it myself, Ari was my only option.

  I went downstairs and found August playing video games. I almost turned back around but he hit “pause” and stopped me.

  “What was that all about this morning?” he asked.

  “I dunno, Ari said something that I didn’t like and my temper got the better of the situation.”

  He rolled his eyes at me.

  “I wasn’t referring to your little lovers’ quarrel, you stupid girl. I’m talking about Max and his devil comment; that was messed up, Ava.”

  I playfully punched August’s shoulder for the “stupid girl” comment and took a seat.

  “I have no idea where that came from. I’ve never heard Max talk like that before. Some confusion shouldn’t be surprising. The Kakos killed his parents, his grandmother died, he was brought all the way to America by a person he had only met once before, he lived with an unfriendly Aggie and now is here with us trying to make sense of the whole deal. He probably has a thousand little questions.”

  “True, but he sure started off with a strange one.”

  I bit at my thumbnail for a minute and thought back to this morning. Max’s comment definitely had been strange. I changed the subject.

  “So what’s going on, August? We never talk anymore.”

  “Nothing, really,” he said, moving his bangs out of his eyes.

  “How are things with Collin?”

  “Great,” he said looking at me from the corner of his eye. “If you’re trying to get my conversation with Ari out of me, it isn’t going to happen.”

  “What, no, jeez, August. Can’t I just be a friend and ask how things are?”

  “OK, things are fine, super actually,” he said and smiled.

  “Good,” I said. “I think you too are perfect for one another.”

  “Yeah, I think so, too. Don�
�t get mad, but I think we’re going to get our own place.”

  “I’m not mad; that’s great. I don’t think Collin likes living here anyway.”

  “It’s not that he doesn’t like it here -- he really likes you now by the way – it’s just, we both want something of our own.”

  “Is this urge to move the result of last night?” I asked.

  “No, no, Ava, we went and looked at a condo up the beach a few weeks ago. I think we’re going back to look at it again after the New Year.”

  “Oh, okay…that’s great, August. Let me know how it works out.”

  “Okay. Well, actually, Ava, we’re pretty sure we want to get it.”

  “That’s great, August. I’m happy for you.”

  “Oh. Okay. Well. Then, actually, Ava, we already put a down payment on the place and we’re moving in next week.”

  “What the hell, August?” I yelled and nudged his shoulder again. “I don’t give a damn where you live. Why are you playing this little game with me? When were you going to tell me, on moving day?”

  “So sorry, Ava. I swear I didn’t mean for our move to happen like this. The sale went through really fast and I thought we should wait until all this drama blew over to tell you.”

  “August, look at my life. The drama will never just blow over. I am glad that you and Collin are happy. I think it’s great that you guys are getting your own place. You’ll be safer that way. You know I would never be mad about something like that.”

  “Yeah, that’s what Ari said.”

  “Ari knew before I did? You are such a jerk, August! I thought we were friends!” I pouted.

  “Collin told him, yesterday. They are like best friends now or something,” he said, rolling his eyes as if Collin and Ari being friends was a bad thing.

  August picked up the video game controller and resumed his game, dismissing me in his own cranky way. I got up and started upstairs again. I checked on Max, who was still peacefully asleep, thankfully. Then it came to me that Ari wasn’t back from his mom and dad’s house yet. He’d been gone more than an hour and I figured Aggie probably had him changing every light bulb in the house just to keep him near her.

  I chewed on my bottom lip unsure of what to do. I couldn’t work with my journal missing, Max was asleep, and Ari the traitor was gone. My best friend had chosen a video game over me and God only knew where Julia and Rory were or what they were up to.

  I picked up my phone and toyed with it for a minute. I dialed.

  “Thank you for calling baio. You have reached Margaux Baio’s office. This is Delia. How may I assist you today?”

  “Err, umm, Delia, Hi, this is Ava. May I please speak with Margaux?”

  “Absolutely, Mrs. Alexander; I will put you right through.”

  “Ava,” Margaux said on the other line. “Ava?”

  “Hello, Margaux,” I said, not sure why I called.

  “Ava, I am glad you called; I need to talk to you.”

  “Go ahead, Margaux, you keep saying we need to talk, but you don’t ever tell me what you want to talk about.”

  “Did you get my message?”

  I looked up and saw Ari walking up the deck steps.

  “Listen, I’m sorry I bothered you, Margaux. I have to go,” I said and hung up the line. I really wished I had not called her.

  Ari came home from his mom’s house empty handed.

  “Did you forget the journal?” I asked with an irritated sigh.

  “Sorry, Ava, I couldn’t find it.”

  “What the heck? It’s right in front of the chair in the living room.”

  “No, it’s not and I asked my mom if she’d seen it and she didn’t know where it could be.”

  “Ari, this is bad. That journal is all I have. Maybe your mom forgot and moved it somewhere? Like to the study or something?”

  “I looked in the study. I looked in every room in the house. I’m sorry.”

  I put my head in my hands. I couldn’t accept no for an answer. That journal had been left in plain sight and everyone was somehow overlooking it. If I hadn’t been banned from Aggie’s precious house, I could probably find it in thirty seconds.

  “So, how is she?” I asked, attempting to move on from our argument.

  “I don’t really know. She seemed fine, I guess. She is upset that we have Max. She misses him.”

  “That’s too bad; maybe we can have her over for dinner or do something else that might make her feel better.”

  “Well, actually, Ava, she is going to come over here on New Year’s Eve for a little bit. I hope that’s okay. My dad is going to Margaux’s party and so are Thais and Gianna. Rory and Julia will be out of town and my mom is too sick to go. She doesn’t want to be alone.”

  “Why is everyone going to Margaux’s stupid party?”

  “Because it isn’t going to be a stupid party; it’s going to be the most talked-about party of the night.”

  “And being at the most talked-about party of the night has been important to you since...when?”

  “It’s not. I’m going because she is my boss and being at that party might just as well be mandatory.”

  I crossed my arms over my chest and pouted a little bit.

  “I am going to be there for an hour tops,” he said, trying to unfold my arms.

  “Ari, it takes way over an hour just to get there and another hour to get home. I will be stuck here for more than three hours, basically the whole evening, with your mom yelling at me the whole time because I served her tap water or something.”

  “Well, you should at least use the filter, Ava,” he said attempting to make light of the situation.

  I buried my face in his chest and tried not to laugh at his dumb joke.

  “I miss you.”

  “Ava, Baby, I am right here.”

  He wrapped his arms around the small of my back.

  “I know, but I still miss you.”

  He pulled my chin up and kissed me on the lips.

  “Don’t worry, we’ll get Max set up in the spare room down the hall in a few days and then maybe our lives will be more normal.”

  “Yeah. Oh...and when were you going to tell me that August and Collin are moving out?”

  “I assumed you already knew. I thought you were best friends with the guy.”

  “I am, but apparently you and Collin are closer than the two of us.”

  “Well, Ava, what can I say; I give great love advice.”

  “Am I ever going to know what that conversation was about?”

  Ari shook his head no really fast and made a grimace.

  “Well, I am still mad at you – just so you know,” I said.

  I pulled myself out of his arms and left him standing alone in the kitchen.

  Chapter 28

  The Host

  I sat on our bedroom chair with my arms folded across my chest. My feet were bouncing up and down so frantically they were making the chair shake. My eyes danced across the room as I watched Ari get ready for the evening.

  “Are you sure you have to go?”

  “I am not having this discussion with you again. Period.” He snapped.

  I squinted at him in a cold stare and he rolled his eyes at me. I got up, said nothing more, and slammed the door behind me. Ari had given up following me out of the room during a fight days ago. He had found he had better luck to let me stew alone; fewer items flung at him in fury and broken that way. I walked to the study and slammed that door, too. The glass case holding my scissor collection rattled with the force of the door. I was probably going to wake Max up from his nap but I was too ticked off to be rational.

  I did not want Ari to go to Margaux’s stupid cocktail party. More importantly, I did not want to be stuck entertaining Aggie all night by myself. I might have been okay if someone else had offered to stay with me, but it seemed everyone was going to Margaux’s party. I felt betrayed by my family and friends. Margaux, I was convinced, was determined to kill me and all the people who supposedl
y loved me were running off to some black-tie event she was hosting.

  The study door opened and I looked up from my desk expecting to find a very crabby Max. Instead, Ari strolled in wearing a black dinner suit and tie. He looked absolutely perfect and I got even angrier.

  “Don’t look at me like that, Ava. I love you. Please stop being mad at me. I thought we were over this.”

  “What do you want, Ari?”

  He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

  “I am going now. I wanted to tell you bye.”

  I gave a very fake, too sweet smile.

  “Bye!”

  He clenched his jaw. Good. I was getting under his skin, just as he had gotten under mine.

  “I promise I’ll be back in time to kiss your soft, pink lips at midnight.”

  “Okay,” I said. “But just let me make sure I have this right. You made plans to go out though I begged you to stay home. You made plans for me to stay here. You are dressed in black tie clothes and look perfect. The whole baio office and the whole family will be out with you except for your mother, who, even though she has actually banned me from her house, will be here with me. Oh and with Max, my other New Year’s Eve date. Well, let me just tell you, if you walk out that door, don’t worry about coming home at all, let alone about kissing my soft, pink lips!”

  Ari turned and slammed the door behind him. Hard. So hard, in fact that the glass case slid violently down the wall and crashed to the floor. It should have shattered, it hit the floor so hard, but the case door, unharmed, swung open, hitting the wall behind it. The scissors tumbled out and formed a giant pile on the floor.

  I ignored the mess and left the study after I heard Ari’s car pull out of the garage. I padded down the hall to check on Max. I had kept him busy all day long and he was off schedule. I had been avoiding Ari all day… all week actually. Max hadn’t gone down for his nap until late in the afternoon and if he didn’t wake soon, he would definitely not go back to sleep at bedtime.

  I walked softly in to our bedroom.

  “Come on, Max, it’s time to wake up. Aggie’ll be here soon and she’ll have my head if you’re still sleeping.”