by Natalie Ann
My Own Opinion
“What?” she asked. “Why is everyone keeping so much from me? I’m a full-grown adult that doesn’t need to be shielded like this and I’m sick of it.”
Eli ran his hand up and down her arm. He had a feeling she was going to react this way and knew if he were in her shoes he’d probably be pissed off too.
“I’m doing what is asked of me,” Eli said.
“Oh, stop that bullshit,” she said. “You sound like a broken record.”
He lifted his eyebrow over her outburst, then saw Griffin and Oliver grinning. “Excuse me.”
“You’re all controlling everything I do. Every single man in this room. Not one of you has considered my feelings in this. Not one of you thought to fill me in on anything. If you knew Vernon was close by then you should have told me. You’re just as bad as my uncle.”
Not what he wanted to hear or be accused of. “I’d hardly say that,” he argued. “I was going in blind just like you.”
“You weren’t blind. You and Griffin have been watching my family in Savannah without telling me. You looked into them before I did.”
“And we didn’t find anything you didn’t. Hailey did,” he said.
“Who’s Hailey?” her uncle asked.
“Oh, so you don’t know everything. That’s something at least.”
Eli smirked. Bella not only had come out of her shell but was also finding a backbone to stand up to all of them. “My cousin,” Eli said. “She is the family attorney. She had a sorority sister that lives in Savannah where Bella’s family is from and was able to get some information. I’m sure you are aware Bella and I flew there and met with Bella’s aunt and cousins.”
“No,” Oliver said. “I’m not.”
“You mean we got something past you?” Bella asked. “Color me amazed.”
Griffin laughed where he was still standing by the door. “Glad to know I did something right.”
Griffin had set all the travel plans and routes, the hotel room they had. Nothing was in their name other than for their appointment with Susanna, but he’d never told Bella that. The fact they weren’t gone that long helped in their favor too, which was why Eli had wanted to get back as fast as they had.
He’d known in his gut that Oliver was having Bella watched but being gone less than twenty-four hours wouldn’t alert anyone to anything. Eli was seen that morning in the casino, then again the next day and night. Him not being on the floor one night didn’t mean much when he’d take time to be with Bella in his penthouse too.
“So will you tell me what Gretchen had to say about your father and mother?” Oliver asked Bella.
“I want you to tell me everything from your side first. I’m not giving you a chance to argue with anything she said. I’ll form my own opinion,” Bella said, lifting her chin.
Oliver smiled. “You sure are getting feisty like your mother used to be.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment. Now talk,” she said.
“And demanding too,” Oliver said. “Fine. The shortened version is your father and my sister met when she was vacationing in France. Adrienne had always been a bit of a wild child. You knew that.”
“I did. She changed when she met my father. They dated for six months and married. I came along later on and wondered if I was even planned.”
“I don’t know if you were or not. What I can tell you,” Oliver said, “was that Ben’s family wasn’t happy with the union.”
“Since my father was estranged from his family, this isn’t a shock.”
“Vernon Kingston is not an easy man to be around. He had expectations of his children and your father didn’t conform.”
“That doesn’t mean he was or is a threat to Bella,” Eli said.
“No. But he made it very clear that Ben would be cut out of the will and family trust if he married my sister. She wasn’t good for his reputation.”
Bella shook her head. “Obviously my father didn’t care.”
“He didn’t,” Oliver said. “And my parents weren’t happy because then they started to wonder if your father was just after our money. We have substantially more than the Kingstons.”
“I can’t believe this is all about money,” she said.
Eli wanted to jump in but knew enough to let them work it out. His family had seen some of this over the generations too. Not to this extent and not in his lifetime. He’d like to think everyone was more civilized and understanding now, but knew that wasn’t the case.
It had more to do with the fact that his family was caring and supportive more than anything.
“Money, name, and prestige. My parents weren’t happy with Adrienne marrying an American. They worried she’d move out of the country.”
“And Ben’s parents worried that Ben would never return to America to fulfill their dreams of his life in politics?” Eli asked.
“Ben never wanted the life in politics his father had planned for him,” Oliver said. “Both families weren’t happy with the marriage, but there was no stopping them. Ben’s parents and my parents had a few arguments at the wedding and the day before. Looking back, it was wrong of them, but parents are protective by nature. I learned that with Bella. You do what you can to keep them safe.”
“Or to control them,” Bella said. “It seems it was more about what everyone else wanted their children to be or do than what my parents wanted for themselves.”
“You’re probably right,” Oliver said. “I hope you keep that in mind when you have children someday.”
Oliver was looking at both of them. Bella’s face flushed. “I keep telling Bella we are taking it day by day. She doesn’t need any pressure on her shoulders,” Eli said, hoping to win some points. He knew Bella’s anger was directed at him as much as at her uncle.
“No. She’s had enough. So fast-forward years. My sister could be difficult to get along with when she doesn’t get her way or someone didn’t approve of her. After Bella was born there were more fights with Ben’s family. They never tried to get to know Bella or even visit.”
“Maybe my father’s family thought my father and mother should have attempted to go to them,” Bella said.
“Is that what you were told?” Oliver said. “Because if that is the case then maybe no one informed you that Vernon said they weren’t welcome at his home.”
He saw Bella’s face pale. “Who told you that? My mother that you just admitted could cause fights?”
“I know what was told to me and that is it. Your grandmother got sick with cancer and Ben flew home to see her. I didn’t hear the whole story of what happened but when he returned they were adamant to finalize a will and make me the guardian and have it lock solid. There was no way you were going to America and they weren’t getting custody or even visitations. Ben feared if you went there you wouldn’t be able to return.”
“I talked with my aunt and cousins. None of them look like they are being held hostage,” she said.
“Because they conformed to what Vernon wanted in life,” Oliver said. “Ben didn’t. Ben was a disappointment to his father and your father refused to have you anywhere near the man. Those were his words, Bella. I don’t make promises lightly, but when I do, I hold onto them. Those were his wishes and I was going to adhere to them. Despite how your father’s family felt about my sister, I loved and respected my sister’s husband.”
Eli couldn’t fault Oliver for honoring those wishes when what he’d found out about Vernon and was told by Gretchen seemed to match a lot. A man would do anything for his children, he knew. He only wished he could have met Bella’s father.
“I can understand that to a point,” she said. “But once I was an adult, why not tell me more what was going on? Why not let me make those decisions on my own?”
“I tried to encourage you to travel. It felt like a betrayal to your father to come out and say you should reach out to Ben’s family. I’ve keep tabs on them over the years.”
Bella closed her eyes and let out a sigh. “Why
didn’t they come to the funeral? My aunt told me it was days before she knew her brother died. And then she couldn’t get any information on services. She alluded to the fact that she might be retained if she came.”
“I wouldn’t have retained her there,” Oliver said. “But I wouldn’t have let them anywhere near you.”
“Considering how we met when I was put in the basement,” Eli said. “You can understand her concern. It’s a little cold that Ben’s family wasn’t allowed to say goodbye.”
“I have regrets, but it wasn’t all my call. My parents were running more of the show for that. I wasn’t around. We were all grieving and our grief overruled our judgment.”
“My aunt was and still is devastated. She kept in communication with my father in secret for years.”
“I’m not surprised,” Oliver said. “I’d heard comments over the years that Adrienne suspected it and it would cause fights.”
“I don’t understand why my mother wouldn’t or couldn’t accept that my father wanted to have a relationship with his sister. She had nothing to do with the rift between my grandparents and parents.”
“No,” Oliver said. “But Adrienne could be selfish and hold a grudge. I believe she didn’t want Ben to have anything to do with his family at all. It was probably wrong of her, but I stayed out of her marriage as best as I could.”
“So where do we go from here?” Eli asked. “It seems to me that what Gretchen said to Bella is the truth.”
“Since I don’t know what was said, I can’t say that for sure,” Oliver said.
“She acknowledged the rift and my grandfather disowning my father for his career and spousal choice. She said my grandmother was devastated but would never go against my grandfather. She also said my father flew home when my grandmother got sick and that was the last time. I’m going to assume things only got worse then, since you said he returned and finalized their will.”
“I don’t have those details,” Oliver said. “They weren’t shared with me. I’m a busy man and sometimes...my sister could be childish.”
“So you’re saying you might not have believed everything she said?” he asked.
“I believed her, but might have thought she could overreact at times. Since it was Ben’s family and he was requesting this also, there had to be truth to it. That he was still in contact with his sister meant he was trying, but my sister might have been making it difficult.”
“That sounds like the understatement of the year,” Eli said.
“In summary,” Bella said. “My grandfather sounds like a real asshole that makes threats and cuts his family off when they don’t do what he wants. Though my aunt and cousins work for him and don’t seem too scarred over it.”
Eli found himself grinning. “Those thoughts had popped into my head,” Oliver said. “Which is why in the past few years I was hoping you’d explore on your own. You never seemed to want to and I wonder why?”
“Because it was built into my head that my father’s family was horrible. If I knew more I might have,” she argued.
“Which is my fault and I’ll take responsibility for that. I was hoping sending you here now would right that wrong.”
“It doesn’t right a wrong with the way you went about this,” she argued. “You kept everything so secretive. If you told me why you were sending me here I wouldn’t have been so worried.”
“If you knew the real reasons I was sending you here, you wouldn’t have come,” Oliver said. “You would have wanted to stay by my side to make sure I was safe. I know that. I am your last remaining family on your mother’s side. You’d be afraid to lose me. Fear of the unknown is better than knowing that you are being watched and threatened by Russian oligarchs.”
“Your uncle has a point,” Griffin said.
“I’m not sure I want to agree but have to,” Eli said. “If I knew what the threat was I might have locked you in my penthouse the entire time and never let you off the top floor.”
“I would have hated you for that,” she said.
“Which I also knew,” Oliver said. “Think of it as killing two birds with one stone. I’d like to think it was the only way to help you move forward when you weren’t doing it on your own at the same time protecting you. If something happened to me, you needed to know you still had family out there.”
“You can accuse your uncle of being controlling,” Eli said. “You can accuse me too. I don’t think either of us will argue that point. But I’m not going to fault him for his actions or motives when it brought you back into my life. And I’m going to do everything in my power to keep you in it. If that means playing referee with your parents’ family then that is what I’ll do.”
“I don’t need you to play referee,” she said, pointing her finger at him. “I’m fully capable of figuring things out on my own. I’d like to think I’m a good judge of character. I believed what my aunt and cousins said to me. And the fact they weren’t forcing themselves on me and giving me time tells me they are willing to not push and control the situation like so many others in my life have been doing.”
“Well said,” Griffin said.
Eli looked over at his best friend, saw the smirk, then shook his head. “Fine. I don’t have to play referee. But I can support you and be there for you. You can talk to me and not worry I’m going to tell you what to do.”
“Can I trust you do that though?” she asked. “It seems to me I’m still being told what to do a lot this morning. Or things have been kept from me.”
“Now, Bella,” Oliver said. “Eli is doing what was asked of him. I wouldn’t have sent you to anyone I didn’t trust. I could have locked you away back home too. Tony suggested it. Cut Eli some slack.”
“I don’t need you sticking up for Eli either.”
Eli sighed, knowing he was losing control of this situation and didn’t know how to make it right. “Then what do you need?”
“I need you all to back the hell up and let me deal with my grandfather on my own. If he’s on this island, then let’s see if he is man enough to confront me. Let me hear what he has to say. Let me decide what I want to do, if anything. You handled your problem on your own, Uncle Oliver. Trust that you raised me well the last few years and that I’m strong enough to deal with this.”
Eli looked at Griffin and then Oliver. “Bella is right. She needs to do this on her own.”
Oliver opened his mouth, but Griffin cut him off. “We’ll keep her in a secure location. Nothing will happen to her.”
“If he comes here and wants to talk to me, then we can do it in Eli’s penthouse. No one can get up there without security,” she said.
He looked at Griffin. They could be in his place next door watching it all, but he wouldn’t say that. Not even to Bella. She had no idea there were cameras in a lot of the penthouse, but they were deactivated unless there was a reason to turn them on. “You shouldn’t be alone though. You should have someone with you for moral support at the very least.”
“Fine. I want your mother with me.”
36
Emotional Reaction
“This is so exciting,” Janet said to Bella the next day in Eli’s penthouse. It hadn’t taken long for Vernon Kingston to show up on Amore Island and ask to meet with Eli Bond.
Maybe she was annoyed her grandfather did that. That he couldn’t even ask to meet with her knowing she was here. Like the men had to bang their fists on their chests before the little ladies could come into the room. Not a good way to start this meeting in her mind.
She’d wanted to argue with Eli when he told her this too. The only thing that stopped her was the fact that he’d told her right away that her grandfather was in the lobby. And he left it to her to tell her uncle.
Eli had gone down to the lobby to meet with Vernon Kingston, they’d had a brief five-minute conversation in which Eli said if Bella wanted to meet with him, that was her choice and he’d make it happen and get back to her grandfather.
The meeting was taking
place today with Eli bringing her grandfather to the penthouse. She knew Eli and Griffin would be in Griffin’s place next door. She also knew that her uncle had no way to get up here. It was best that way in her mind. She didn’t need the two men arguing and bringing up old news that had nothing to do with her.
“I’m glad you were available to do it,” she told Eli’s mother.
“I’m honored you asked. I can understand not wanting my son here. He can get a little possessive of you. Not a bad trait to have for the woman you love, but there is a time and place for it. Eli hasn’t mastered that yet, has he?”
Bella smiled. “He’s getting there. I thought he’d balk over you being here, but he didn’t.”
“Of course he wouldn’t,” Janet said. “I can handle myself. Especially with some stuffy old man. Eli’s father was a little like that. Charlie Bond—Hunter’s father—he’s on the prim and proper side too. Not mean with it. But there are a lot of Bond men I’ve come in contact with over the years and know a thing or two about controlling men that think the little ladies can’t handle themselves. That’s why I raised my boys better.”
“You did a good job with Eli.”
“I did a good job with them all. Now let’s find out what bug has crawled up your grandfather’s butt.”
Bella grinned and sent a text to Eli to say they were ready whenever her grandfather arrived.
Which was twenty minutes later when they heard the elevator door open and she saw a much older version of her father walk in. She’d seen pictures of her grandfather online but didn’t realize she’d have this much of an emotional reaction.
“Are you all set?” Eli asked. “I can stay if you want.”
“Go, Eli,” Janet said. “We will be fine.”
She saw his shoulders drop, but he went back into the elevator, which she knew was going to take him to another floor to get on the one that would bring him to the hallway where he could enter Griffin’s. No use going out the door that she knew would lead to Griffin’s and give it away.