Our laughter echoes through the pool room as we drift around, kiss, talk about plans.
“Well, I guess New York is out of the question,” Vic says somberly.
“Only until all of this is over. I promise we will be back in New York in record time,” I say.
“Evan,” Vic shakes her head.
“I promise,” I say.
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep Stone,” Vic says.
“I promise we’ll have a life together in New York, or London, or wherever you want to,” I tell her seriously.
“Wherever you want to go, we’ll go,” I whisper.
“Okay,” Vic nods.
She bites her lip and then I must kiss her again and wrap my arms around her.
We spend most of the day lazy around the pool until the afternoon bleeds into dinner time.
Then we shower the salt water off our bodies together, dry off, and meet the others for dinner.
33
Victoire
February 10, 2017
The morning we get the phone call that Ava Darlington is about to pass away is the same morning I decide I need to tell Evan the truth.
The real truth.
He deserves to know, and I know that he loves me enough to forgive me.
Noah would.
At least I believe he would.
However, Ava Senior’s sudden turn for the worst puts my admission on the back burner as Evan, and I drive out to Darlington House, where the mood is somber.
Ava has been here the last three days, and I take no offense when Evan rushes in to see his grandmother.
Corban sits in one of the various elegant rooms, and I take a seat with him.
“Didn’t want to go in?” I ask.
“I can’t handle it when Ava is so sad. I’d rather let her father comfort her, because he knows what to say when I don’t,” Corban admits.
“It’s true, Noah always knows what to say,” I tell Corban.
We nod in agreement, and a short silence falls over us.
“Corban, can I ask you something?” I say.
“What?” he asks.
“When you worked with Elizabeth, and Ava forgave you because you made it up to her-” I start.
“You worked with Elizabeth, too,” Corban interrupts.
I nod.
“Is there more to the story?” he guesses.
I swallow so hard that he knows there is.
“If you haven’t told him yet, tell him, before someone else does. Especially Elizabeth. Ava and I spent months apart because I didn’t have a chance to explain,” Corban says.
“I only did what I did to save my father,” I tell Corban tearfully.
“She uses what she can against people, Vic, that’s her game,” Corban comforts me.
“I wasn’t supposed to fall in love with Evan,” I tell him.
“Isn’t that usually how it works? The one you want most is the one you shouldn’t want?” Corban laughs.
“Always, I doubt he’ll forgive me after this one,” I say.
I wipe a tear away from my eye.
“Vic, whatever it was, unless you physically killed someone, he will forgive you, he loves you, you’re getting married,” Corban reminds me.
I look down at the diamond ring on my finger.
In all its beauty it represents everything Evan, and I have been through together, and that he knew me well enough that no ordinary ring would do.
Would I eventually marry him?
Even after I tell him the truth?
“What is it, Vic? What’s so bad?” Corban asks.
He shuffles over on the settee to sit closer to me.
I know I can tell Corban because he’s been here before.
“It wasn’t an accident that I was in LA; she wanted me to get that job with NLS and feed her information. I was so angry with Noah for winning the island from my father, only after I met him and worked there, I knew my anger was displaced,” I admit.
Corban only nods.
“It was little things here and there, little things that would cause huge problems, I didn’t even know what I was doing, really,” I admit.
“Just like me, she wanted me to make Ava fall in love with me, and break her for a reason. I blindly agreed to what I was doing because she didn’t give me a choice,” Corban says.
“That’s her game, and they know it’s her game,” he says.
“Evan and Noah will forgive you,” Corban says.
“But I think you should tell Noah first, Evan tends to fly off the handle,” Corban points out.
You’re right.
Then, right on cue, Noah appears in the doorway.
“Would anyone like a drink?” Noah asks.
He pours a whiskey for the three of us, but I refuse mine.
“Noah, I have to tell you something, Corban can you stay?” I plead with Corban.
Noah sits across from us and nods, Corban doesn’t move.
“What is it Victoire?” Noah asks seriously.
“When I came to work for you, it wasn’t an accident. I was working with Elizabeth. She forced me to feed her information so I could clear my father’s debts to her,” I tell him slowly.
Noah mulls over this information.
So, I continue.
“I’m sorry, I was so mad at you for winning that poker hand that I thought you were the one I needed to bring to justice! I didn’t realize that Elizabeth had twisted things around until I got to know you, know you all,” I insist.
“And now?” Noah asks.
“I’ve refused all her advances, I refuse to do anything more for that woman,” I tell him.
“Noah, besides the past, I am here, I am on your side. I would never do anything else to hurt your family, after all, I’ve done,” I begin to cry.
Noah just shakes his head.
“Victoire, she used you, just like used all of us,” he growls.
“Are you angry with me?” I weep.
“No,” Noah sighs.
He sits on the other side of me and wraps an arm around me.
“I might be slightly disappointed; but, the person I am angry with is Elizabeth. I can see past what you’ve done, and I see who the true evil is here,” says Noah with care.
“Are you sure?” I ask through a blanket of tears.
“I wouldn’t say it otherwise,” he laughs.
“Cheer up, there could be worse things in the world. Though I can’t imagine Evan is going to take this well, you know how he feels about Elizabeth,” Noah points out.
“He’s going to hate me,” I sob.
“In time, he’ll forgive you,” Noah whispers.
I lean against Noah and let him hold me as I start to sob uncontrollably.
“She used you Victoire, there’s no way around that, just like she’s used a lot of people,” Corban says soothingly.
They both make several attempts to comfort me, but nothing can shirk the fear that I am about to lose Evan, the only man I’ll ever love as much as I do now.
I would do anything for that man, and I’m not even sure he knows it.
“How can you forgive me?” I ask Noah.
“Because whatever things you’ve done, are inconsequential now. There’s no point in harping on what Elizabeth has done in the past, though she’s certainly racking it up in that department,” Noah replies.
“What changed you?” I ask.
I know a different Noah.
“I have a family to think about, my concern is protecting that family, including you, not bringing Elizabeth to justice. We’re doing all we can to figure out what’s going on. We’ve got to live our lives aside from whatever the witches have planned for us,” Noah says wisely.
It’s as though I’ve been living in a lie.
I’m torn in all directions, always about to plan my next step, with absolute refusals to live in the moment.
That’s why I needed Evan so desperately.
I needed someone to have complete control.
I needed to relinquish that to someone in order to feel free.
Evan has made me a different person.
Now I’m about to lose him; once he discovers the truth.
“I still trust you, Vic,” Noah assures me.
“You’ve proven yourself over and over again. I can’t hold Elizabeth’s manipulation and games against you; that would be wrong in my eyes. I said the same to Corban - you were used,” Noah says.
I can only nod and hope that Evan sees it the same way.
When Evan and I finally return to the room, I can’t handle it any longer, he needs to learn the truth.
“Evan, I have to tell you something,” I say.
He’s perched on the edge of the bed and only raises an eyebrow at me.
“I- When I started my job at NLS, I did it under the direction of your mother,” I say it quickly.
Rip off the band-aid.
Evan laughs.
“You’re kidding, right?” he says.
I shake my head slowly.
“You consciously worked with that vicious bitch?” he says, his anger rising as he realizes what I am saying.
His tone is a warning.
“I didn’t know what I was doing! I didn’t know you, or your father,” I plead with him.
“Does my father know about this?” he shouts.
His attempt to keep his voice steady fails.
“I told him, Evan. He said he understood that I was-” I start to explain.
“What?” Evan roars.
“What did he understand?” he screams.
“She used me, Evan! She used me! I didn’t comprehend it, because I was so blinded by anger! For your father, for my father, for everything that’s happened to me! I had no choice, don’t you see, Evan!” I scream back.
“No choice!” he rages on.
“Of course, you had a choice, you could’ve said no!” he fires back.
“But, my father!” I scream at the top of my lungs.
“So, all of this, all of this was just a game?” Evan accuses.
He’s gesturing wildly with his arms, and shatters a vase, accidentally.
“No!” I scream.
“It was never a game to me!” I can only plead with him.
“Right,” Evan scoffs.
“I don’t know how you tricked my father into forgiving you, but that’s certainly not going to happen with me,” he spits out.
“Consider us over,” he says coldly.
“Evan no! Please! Listen to me! I need you!” I beg him.
I block the door before he can leave.
“Why did you use me then!” he growls.
“I didn’t! I promise, I didn’t!” I cry.
“Wrong answer,” he spits out.
“Evan, please, just listen to me!” I implore him.
Evan just shakes his head.
He sits back down on the bed, as I’ve got my back to the door.
“You worked for my mother, the woman who made my life hell. Do you know what that means? It means I can never trust you again,” he says slowly.
“You knew I worked for her!” I remind him, through my tears.
“Yes, but there’s working for her, then doing her goddamn dirty work to tear apart my family! Which, by some miracle, you’re somehow now a part of,” he sneers.
“Evan!” I cry.
I just fall to the floor beside the door in a pile of smeared mascara and pieces of a shattered heart.
Evan storms out the door.
“Evan, what’s wrong?” Ava asks in the hallway.
“Ask the traitor in there!” he screams at his sister.
Ava comes into the room, bewildered.
“What just happened?” she asked.
Then, her face falls.
“You told him,” she says.
“Your father told you,” I manage to babble.
“Of course, he did, it’s always better coming from him. My father has a way with words, Vic, you know that. Please, Vic, just give Evan some time to cool down,” she suggests.
I just cry on the floor, a mixture of sadness and hormones.
Ava holds me.
“I’m so sorry,” I tell her.
Then I hiccup.
“Victoire, we’ve been through too much, we’ve seen what grudges do to people, I won’t be like my mother, I refuse to, and Evan isn’t about to go down that road either,” Ava says carefully.
“He will see the light,” Ava says.
“What if he doesn’t?” I ask.
“Evan will, or else I will grind him to a pulp, or have Lucius do it for me. Lucius isn’t above kicking my pretentious, pampered, brother’s ass, occasionally,” Ava laughs.
This makes me laugh a little.
She’s right, Lucius would do that for me.
I don’t want anyone to hurt Evan.
I just want him to love me again.
“Come on, we’re going to clean you up, get you dressed, and go for a nice dinner, just the two of us,” Ava says.
I let her pick me up off the floor and dry my eyes.
I wash off all the make-up, and dress in a pair of dark jeans and a black sweater with a low V-neck in the front.
I pull my hair into my signature high ponytail and let my hair fall all the way down my back.
“You look gorgeous,” Ava tells me.
“I’m not wearing any make-up,” I remind her.
“You look better without the cat-eye anyway,” Ava winks.
Corban agrees to watch the twins, then Ava calls for a car.
Ava picks a little no-name Italian place, with trellises up against the walls, fake ivy, and cheap white-and-red checkered tablecloths.
“The food is amazing here, and cheap, too!” Ava says.
There are little red candles on all the tables, and the place is packed.
For the first time since I’ve been part of the Stone Family, we wait for a table.
“And what are we drinking tonight, ladies?” the waitress asks.
“Just water,” Ava and I reply in unison.
Ava and I both settle on mushroom ravioli.
Me, because meat turns my stomach, and Ava, because she swears it’s the best dish in the whole restaurant.
I agree she’s right, as I take a bite.
“This is insane, how do they pack so much flavor into a tiny little package?” I ask.
“It’s the cream sauce,” Ava says around a mouthful.
“Hey, do you remember that time we were in Torino, with the investment banker?” Ava asks.
I laugh in remembrance.
An investment banker took us to Torino for the weekend, and there was a lot of skiing and sex.
That’s all he wanted.
“Would that make Torino weird if you’re going to be my sister in law?” Ava asks.
“It would, but that investment banker couldn’t get it up all weekend,” I remind her.
“Then, he found the Viagra!” Ava reminds me with a giggle.
“Oh, right,” I remember.
“I was so drunk off those stupid marshmallow martinis that I didn’t know left from right by the time we got back to the room. Worst threesome ever,” I laugh at her.
“I don’t even think that counts,” Ava snickers.
“What about that Swiss guy, from the embassy, do you remember him?” I ask.
“Wasn’t he the guy that wanted to be peed on?” Ava asks.
“That’s all he wanted. Nothing else,” I snort.
“It’s sort of hard to imagine how much fun we had! Sometimes, I do sort of miss the fun,” Ava admits.
“Not that I would change my life for anything, but being able to be anyone, even for a day, was always a blast,” she says.
“Wasn’t it? I could forget my poor little rich girl sob story, and just, relax,” I admit.
As bad as working for Isa ended up, the beginning was sweet.
We were rolling in money and traveling the world on expense accounts so subst
antial nothing was off limits.
“It was anything but simple, but we did have a lot of fun,” Ava says.
“Anything to forget our former lives,” I say.
Ava has always known about my dad’s gambling problem.
She knows most of the story.
“How is your sister?” Ava asks.
“Devastated that she married a man who used her to get to Evan,” I admit.
“Grace?” Ava is shocked.
“No way,” she says.
“That’s how we got involved with Ventretti,” I say.
“Who my mother admitted to murdering,” Ava says as though this is a casual conversation.
“She told me. Ava, she told me she made it look like a heart attack,” I say.
“I think somewhere along the lines, someone told me you spoke with her, but there’s so much going on I don’t remember if that actually happened,” Ava takes a deep breath.
“What does she look like?” Ava asks.
“The same,” I sigh.
“Without her stupid Isa wig, she’s obviously had some work done, if you know what I mean,” I say.
“I wouldn’t know, I’m all natural,” Ava takes a jab at me.
“I only had a nose job,” I roll my eyes at her.
“Besides, the investment banker I went to Scotland with paid for it. He said because I had to endure his family wedding, I could have anything I wanted. I chose a nose job,” I smirk at Ava.
“You know, in some respect, I no longer think it’s weird that men have offered to buy me breast implants, in the past,” Ava laughs.
It feels good.
Just to discuss the old days, like nothing has changed.
“So, Lauren and your mother are twins, right?” I ask.
“No, Lauren is younger by less than a year. Lauren was adopted, but my mother was born into the Darlington family,” Ava explains.
“They look eerily similar,” I say.
“I always found that strange too, considering no one’s ever mentioned who Lauren was adopted from,” Ava says.
“She’s probably just the illegitimate child of one of the brothers,” Ava suggests.
“You think?”
“Illegitimate children were very frowned upon, but it wasn’t uncommon to put them up for adoption. To real homes, ones where they wouldn’t face the scrutiny. It’s not as big a deal now, but I can see why my dad and Elizabeth would’ve been pushed to get married, even back then,” Ava says.
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