Maid To The Billionaire
Forever His
By Holly Rayner
Copyright 2015 by Holly Rayner
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in
whole or in part by any means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying
and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the explicit
written permission of the author.
All characters depicted in this fictional work are consenting adults, of at least eighteen years of age.
Any resemblance to persons living or deceased, particular businesses, events, or exact locations are
entirely coincidental.
Also by the author:
The Billionaire’s First Christmas -
The Billionaire’s Obsession – An Heir At Any Price Book One -
Table Of Contents:
CHAPTER ONE
ALEXANDER
It was about one a.m. in Kentucky. I had been asleep for a few hours when I heard my phone beep. It
was the sound of a voicemail. I was hesitant to get up and look at it. The day had been horrendous and
all I wanted was to sleep for a few hours and forget about it all but I couldn’t ignore it, what if it was
Vicki? I got out of bed and went over to the dresser where I left it. I picked it up and saw that I had
two missed calls from her. I suddenly felt panic grasping at my throat. What if something happened to
Michael? I listened to the first voicemail. It was a sweet message, telling me good night. My heartrate
began to settle down and my breathing was just about to return to normal when I listened to the second
one.
“Hi Alex, it’s me again. I’m really sorry to bother you… I had an issue tonight and I’m not exactly
sure what to do about it. What I would like to do is change the locks on the doors and the alarm
code. I think it needs to be done in order to keep our son safe but I’m not sure it’s a decision I
should make without consulting you first. Cassandra was in the house tonight. She was in our
son’s room. She seems unstable to me, Alex and I’m afraid to go to sleep now. I have the nursery
door blocked with the dresser and I’m sleeping with Michael. But something needs to be done.
Again, I’m sorry to disturb you when you have so much on your plate. All I need is your blessing
and I will take care of the details. I hope you’re having a good night. I will talk to you in the
morning.”
I felt the sting of rage as it hissed through my body like a deadly poison. I was glad that Cassandra
was thousands of miles away. If she wasn’t, the fury that was sweeping over me like a tsunami would
be too easily unleashed and I wasn’t sure where my wrath may have taken me once it was released.
How dare she let herself into my home? How dare she let herself into my son’s nursery? Knowing
Cassie the way I did, I was sure that there was a lot more to the encounter that Vicki hadn’t shared
with me on the phone. She was going to be very sorry. I was willing to settle with her… I’d already
told Noel to give her most of what she wanted just to get her out of our lives. She’d blown that
completely now. She was going to be very sorry that she went there.
I called Vicki back, hoping that I didn’t wake her or the baby. I could tell when she answered that she
was still awake. The poor thing was probably scared silly all alone in that damned big mausoleum of
a house.
“Alex?”
“Hi baby, are you okay?”
“I’m okay and Michael is okay. I was just furious.”
“As you should be. So am I. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry, it’s not your fault. But I do think that she’s not right in the head I’m sorry to say.”
“No, don’t be sorry about that. You’re right, baby. No one in their right mind would sneak into a
baby’s room in the middle of the night. It’s unconscionable. I’m going to call a security company and
they will come and patrol the grounds tonight. If she’s spotted I’m going to tell them to have her
arrested for trespassing. In the morning I’ll send out the locksmith and the alarm company.”
“I don’t mind doing it if you just tell me who to call. I know that you’re busy… overwhelmingly so.”
“My family will always come first. I don’t get the feeling you understand that, Vicki. You’re my
family, you and Michael. I feel horrible for what happened to my employees and the loss their
families have suffered, but even that doesn’t trump the safety and well-being of my own family.”
“Thank you.”
I laughed. “You’re welcome. I hope someday soon you will really believe how much I care about
you.” I wanted to say “love” but I was so afraid that she wasn’t ready to hear that. I so badly don’t
want to scare her away. “What did Cassandra have to say for herself when you caught her?”
“She said the same old things. She said you wouldn’t end up going through with the divorce. She said
that you are too attached to your business and your money and that she would end up with half of
everything and you would end up taking Michael away from me.”
I was so angry that I couldn’t speak. I think Victoria took my silence as me thinking about any of that
nonsense my soon to be ex was spewing. I finally swallowed the rage that was blocking my throat and
I said, “You’re right, she’s unstable. If she comes anywhere near you or Michael again, I want you to
call the police.”
“I thought about it tonight, but I worried about the bad press…”
“Don’t worry about anything baby. Next time, call the police. In the meantime we’ll make sure it
never happens again. I wish I could fly home right now…”
“No. You have important business to do there. Thank you, Alex. I feel better already.”
“Good. Don’t worry about a thing, okay? I’ll take care of it all, I promise.”
“Okay. Thank you again. Good night, Alex.”
“Good night baby, sweet dreams.”
I was still fuming after we hung up. I took a few deep breaths and then I called the private security
company I used for my business. I got it set up for them to go and patrol the grounds. I gave them a
description of Cassie and told them to have her arrested if she showed up. After I hung up with them, I
called Cassandra. She picked up on the first ring.
“Alex darling, I’m so glad you called.”
“This is not a social call, Cassandra.”
She laughed. She’s crazy. “Your maid must have called you then, am I right?”
“She’s not my maid, Cassandra. She’s my girlfriend and the mother of my child. That house you were
in tonight is hers, not yours. If you set foot on my property again you will be arrested.”
“You wouldn’t dare. I have more right to be there than that mealy mouthed little tramp.”
“You should be careful how you talk about the woman I love. I can leave you penniless, Cassandra,
and I will if you come anywhere near my family again. Don’t push your luck.”
“You’re the one pushing your luck, Alex. After that article came out in Vanity, I got a call from
People magazine, asking me for an interview. I know all of your dirty little secrets and I can ruin
you.”
“Give it your best shot, Cassandra but if you value your health and your freedom you will stay away
from Vicki and my son.” I hung up then before I said something she could use against me. I was so
angry, I was shaking. I looked at the clock again. It was one-thirty here. It would be eleven-thirty on
the west coast. I didn’t care if I woke him up, I called Noel.
“Alex? What’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry Noel, did I wake you?”
“Um…no…it’s okay. What’s wrong?”
“Victoria found Cassandra in my house tonight. She found her in my son’s nursery.”
“Doing what?”
“Looking at him, threatening Vicki…”
“With harm?”
“No. She was telling her that I’d never go through with the divorce and some other B.S. But Noel, she
was in the house. She has no right to be there and she’s acting very unstable. I want a restraining
order against her that includes Vicki and my son and then I want you to change the offer.”
“Change it to what?”
“Offer her fifty million, her car and the apartment in Orange County. That’s it.”
“She’ll turn it down.”
“That’s fine. We’ll keep her in court until she’s either broke or old and gray. She’ll take it eventually.
My main order of business is protecting Vicki and Michael.”
“Okay, restraining orders are easy. I’ll get them drawn up in the morning.”
“First thing.”
“Yes, first thing.”
“Thank you, Noel.”
“Mm hmm… Alex?”
“Yes.”
“Is Vicki worth all of the trouble Cassandra is going to give you over her?”
“That and a hundred times more.”
“Okay then, I’ll have the papers drawn up.”
“Thank you, Noel.”
CHAPTER TWO
VICTORIA
When I went down for breakfast the morning after I’d found Cassandra in my son’s room, Cook’s first
words were, “What happened last night?”
“Good morning, Gregory.”
He raised an eyebrow and said, “Good morning Miss Victoria. What happened last night?”
“What makes you think something happened?”
“Um… the new security all over the grounds… the locksmith at the front door.”
“The locksmith is here already? Wow that was fast.”
“Victoria!”
“I’m sorry. I was about to go to sleep last night when I heard a noise. When I got up to investigate, I
found Cassandra in my son’s room.”
“Oh no! What happened? Is the baby okay?”
“He’s fine. She was just acting really strangely at first… then she got angry which was at least easier
for me to recognize. She was just rattling on about how Alex was going to take her back and take the
baby from me. I threw her out and then I called Alex. He got busy on sending over security and getting
the locks changed right away. He’s amazing.”
He smiled at that and then he furrowed his brows and said, “I always thought that something wasn’t
right with that woman. That’s just… frightening.”
“Yeah, tell me about it. Can I eat now?”
“Oh jeez! I’m sorry. I was so caught up in your story.” He had put the lid back on my breakfast when
he was trying to get me to tell him what happened last night. He pulled it off now and I saw that it was
a ham and cheese quiche, it was my favorite thing for breakfast.
“Mm! Thank you so much!”
He laughed, “You’re welcome. Here you go.”
“Are you going to join me?”
“I thought you’d never ask,” he said, pulling out a chair. He sat down with a piece of the quiche and
poured himself a cup of coffee from the carafe.
“Hey Cook, can I ask you a personal question?”
“Shoot!”
“Why aren’t you married?”
He chuckled and said, “I’ve been there, when I was young. I married a beautiful girl who was also
smart and talented… she was a painter. I was in awe of her. It lasted two years and we both had to
admit that we were more in love with the idea of each other than the reality. I haven’t felt much like
going down that path again… yet. I never say never though.”
“So you date?”
“What’s this all about? You’re not trying to set me up with Cassandra to get rid of her are you?
Because there aren’t many women I’ve ever felt like throttling… but that one…”
I laughed. “You’ll have to beat me to it,” I said. “No… it’s just that I have this friend….”
He pulled his brows together and I could really tell that he was trying not to make a face as he said,
“Is it your mother? She’s a very attractive lady but…”
“Oh no, definitely not. I like you. I’d never do that to you!”
He laughed at that. “Okay… so now I’m listening. Who is this friend?”
“Her name is Liz and she’s just an amazing person. She’s pretty and she’s funny and smart and she
works hard… she attracts idiots like flies though.”
“What makes you think I’m any better than those idiots she attracts?”
“I’ve known you for a while now. I think if you were an idiot, I would have sensed it by now.”
Smiling he said, “Well, thank you for that. I might be willing to meet this friend of yours. Maybe we
could start small and we could all have coffee one day.”
“That would be great! Thanks!”
“Sure. How does your friend feel about the homeless?”
“I’m not sure if she has an opinion about them or not. She hasn’t really shared that part of herself with
me.”
“Okay… I’ll ask her when I meet her. You know, my homeless shelter is important to me. I’ve dated a
few women who had a problem with it. It seems women don’t approve of me putting my own money
into the place.”
“Oh well, Liz isn’t like that. She doesn’t care about money. She’s very self-sufficient and she’s
definitely no gold digger.”
“Good then, we’ll set up a coffee date.”
CHAPTER THREE
VICTORIA
The next few days passed uneventfully. I began looking online at classes and thinking about returning
to school in the fall. I hope things work out for Alex; I pray for it as a matter of fact. I love him with
my whole heart. But I had to look at the future differently now that I was a mother. First, if things
didn’t work out, I didn’t intend to live off of my son’s child support because his father happens to be
rich, and second, if we did work out, I didn’t intend to be another Cassie who completely depended
on my husband for support. I had dreams before I met Alex and before I had Michael… I still have
dreams and I still intended to pursue them.
I found a program for Physician’s Assistants
in Santa Barbara. That wasn’t too far away; it was a
drivable distance for two days a week, which would be the only times I’d have to go. I printed out the
application for it and I was filling it out when Alex surprised me and walked into the room. I had no
idea he was coming back today.
“Alex!” I jumped up from the desk and threw my arms around him. He caught me around the waist and
hugged me into him. “I didn’t know you’d be home today.”
He pulled back and grinned at me. “I wanted to surprise you. I’m so happy to be home. I missed you.”
I hugged him again. “I missed you like crazy!”
He brought his lips to mine and kissed me. I felt that tickle deep in my core that was reserved just for
him. When he pulled back he said, “I missed the little man like crazy too.”
“He missed you too,” I said.
He laughed. “How do you know? Did he tell you?”
“Of course he did. He talks to me with his eyes.”
He laughed again. “Where is he, in his crib?”
“No, you will actually be proud of me, I hope. I asked Karen to take him out for a walk. She’s taking
him for a walk in his stroller through the gardens while I do some research on the Physician’s
Assistant programs around here.”
“Good for you, you’re taking time for yourself. You’re thinking of going back to school?” Alex and I
sat down on the couch and I poured him a cup of tea from the pot the housekeeper had just brought in.
“I am,” I said. “It was always my plan. I just had to take care of the more important things first.”
Meaning Michael of course.
“So did you find a program that you’d like to apply to?”
“I did, UC Santa Barbara has a great one.”
He made a face. “Santa Barbara is quite a drive if you’re planning on doing it every day. I think that
would be too much, don’t you?”
“I do, if it was every day. This program is designed for people with busy lives. It’s only two days a
week… it just takes a bit longer to complete than the other one.”
“Oh… okay…” He didn’t look happy.
“Is this a problem, Alex?”
“No, of course not. I think I told you that first day we were together that I didn’t expect you to be a
maid your whole life, I also don’t expect you to be my paid mistress. You are too smart for either of
those roles, Vicki. I want you to have a life that’s fulfilling and I intend to do whatever I can to make
sure of that. It will just be tough on you with the baby. We definitely need to get busy hiring that
nanny. Did Karen mention if she had any interviews set up yet?”
I nodded, I’d given in to the idea but I still only wanted one part time. “She has three coming in this
afternoon. It’s another reason I’m so glad you’re home. I think this is something we should both
definitely be a part of.”
“Good, okay… one more thing?”
“What?”
“Would you think me too controlling if I hired a second driver to take you to and from Santa Barbara
when school begins?”
I laughed and said, “I would think you terribly controlling.” He made a face and I leaned up and
kissed him and said, “But I always have and I’ve come to accept it as one of your charms.”
He laughed too. “Thanks. I just can’t stand the thought of anything happening to you. Since you seem to
be a little more comfortable leaving Michael for a few hours at a time, maybe you and I could go out
to dinner tonight and have a real date?”
“I’d like that. I don’t know about Karen staying so late to watch him though… maybe I should ask
Liz?”
“If you’re comfortable with that?”
“I am. Liz loves him like an aunt. I’ll call her now and see if she’s available.”
Alex went upstairs to change while I called Liz. When she answered I said, “I have news…”
She laughed. “What did you do?”
“Nothing, I just told Cook that I have this really pretty, really smart, really nice friend that I think he
would like a lot…”
“Oh my goodness, I feel like I’m in high school, being set up by the bestie.”
“He was really receptive to it. It seems that he has trouble finding women who don’t just want to use
him for his money.”
“He has money?”
“Shut up!”
She laughed. “You know that I don’t care about that. I can take care of myself. Thank you… I think…
maybe I should meet him before I thank you.”
“He told me to talk to you and set up a coffee date. In the meantime is there any possibility you’re free
tonight for a few hours?”
“For the coffee?”
“No… to babysit Michael so Alex and I can have a real date.”
“Oh absolutely. For Sir Michael I am always available!”
“Aw, thanks Liz. You’re a great friend.”
“Hey, you hook me up with your cook, I babysit your kid, it all works out in the end.”
I giggled. “We have interviews for a nanny this afternoon… just a part-time one. I’m looking to go
back to school soon.”
“Good for you! I’m so proud of you, Vicki. Have I told you that lately?”
“You have, but I like hearing it. Thanks, Liz.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll see you tonight.”
***
The first woman showed up at three for the nanny interview. I’d just fed Michael and he didn’t want
to sleep yet so he got to sit in. It was nice for him to be there and see how the woman was with him.
She was about forty and she looked like a Mom was supposed to look to me… far different from my
own mother. She said that she raised four children of her own and then went back to school to get an
early childhood development. She’d never had a nanny job before, so she didn’t have any job
references, but her character references were stellar. She held Michael for a while and said all of the
things a new parent wants to hear.
“He’s beautiful, what pretty hazel eyes,” and, “Look at those eyelashes,” and, “He’s really strong for
a newborn, especially a preemie.”
I liked her, but I could tell that Alex wasn’t happy that she had no real job experience taking care of
children though. After she left he said, “I’d prefer someone with job references.”
“I agree,” Karen said.
Alex looked at me and said, “What did you think?”
“I liked her, but as far as hiring employees goes, you and Karen have me there, so I will defer to you
both there.”
He smiled and squeezed my hand before Karen led the next woman in. This one looked like a college
student. She was cute, but a little over-bubbly, I thought. She did have references from two families
she’d worked for. With one of them she had just gone on vacation with them and their newborn, but it
was an extended holiday in Europe for three months. They recommended her highly. The second
family was one that Alex knew well. He’d gone to college with the man and he’d even attended their
wedding. They gave her a high recommendation as well; they had only terminated her services
because at three years old their child got into a very progressive preschool. It was one that Alex had
already mentioned to me that he really wanted Michael to get into. It was another area where we
slightly disagreed. I hated the thought of treating pre-school and grade school the same as the struggle
for a college admission. It seemed like a lot of unwarranted stress on everyone involved. When all
was said and done with that one, I didn’t care for her on a personal level, but Alex and Karen were
leaning heavily towards hiring her before we even met the last woman.
The last one’s name was Becky and she was a pretty, young twenty-something who came from one of
the most influential families in Orange County, even I had heard of her family. Her father was a Bio-
technical engineer as well and he had designed one of the L.A. areas most prestigious theme parks.
When Alex saw her name he said that he knew her family. I was confused right off the bat.
“I’m sorry if this sounds like a rude question… I don’t mean for it to in anyway… I’m confused as to
why you would want to be a nanny? It’s not something most girls of your… social standing would be
interested in.”
She smiled and said, “That’s a perfectly legitimate question. I’m a trust fund baby, that’s for sure. But,
my father was raised up to believe that the one person and the one thing we will always have to
depend on in this life is ourselves and our own brains. My little brother works on a fishing boat in
Alaska right now. My father is willing to pay our room and board, utilities and education, things like
that until we’re thirty, but nothing else. So if we want a car or nice clothes, anything like that, we’re
to get a job and pay for it ourselves.”
“So you don’t have any experience?”
“Not yet,” she said. “I have a degree in early childhood development.” She looked at Alex then and
said, “I used to be a counselor at that summer camp every year, you remember that, right? You
worked with me one year.”
He smiled and his eyes looked like he was remembering as he said, “That’s right, I remember! I was
already nineteen my last year and you were just a kid still…”
“I was fifteen, and very insulted then that you thought of me as a kid,” she said, in a flirtatious way.
Alex didn’t seem to be fazed by her flirting. Sometimes, I think he gets so used to being flirted with
that sometimes he doesn’t even notice.
“Oh well, sorry about that,” he said, laughing. “It must have been the fact that I was such a worldly
nineteen… everyone seemed young to me.”
“And everyone either wanted to be you, or with you,” she said, with another laugh. I looked her over
as she flirted with my boyfriend and took in the Jimmy Choo shoes and the Prada pantsuit and the
Michael Kors bag. I had to wonder if “Daddy” didn’t pay for those things and she’d been in school,
how did she afford them? After she left, Alex again asked me what I thought.
“I don’t like her.”
He looked at me with a shocked expression. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you just flat out say you
didn’t like someone.”
“You asked me what I thought.”
“True… but, I do like her and her family is above reproach. Karen, what did you think?”
“She seems like a nice, responsible young lady to me.”
“I don’t like her,” I said again. Alex laughed.
“Yes love, we’ve established that. What is it that you don’t like?”
“The way she blatantly flirts with you for one thing… right in front of me.”
He laughed again. “I don’t think she was flirting. I think it’s just the way she talks to people.”
“She didn’t bat her eyelashes once when she was talking to me,” I said.
Karen was trying not to smile as she said, “May I make a suggestion?”
“Sure,” Alex and I both said at the same time.
“I need to hire someone to help while Marco is out for his surgery. How about if we hire her
temporarily for his position. That way, if the nanny we decide on doesn’t work out, we’ll have her as
a back-up.”
“That sounds like a great idea,” Alex said. “What do you think, Vicki?”
I knew that I still didn’t like her. I didn’t want to be overly difficult though so I said, “Okay, but can
we hire Mrs. Yost then?” Mrs. Yost was the forty-something woman I’d taken such a liking to.
Alex laughed again and said, “Okay, Mrs. Yost it is. Karen, go ahead and offer Tracy Marco’s
position while he’s gone. Make sure she knows that it’s temporary, but let her know if she does well,
we’ll keep her in mind for any other openings that might come up.”
I had a bad feeling about that girl even being in the house for some reason but I had nothing to back
that up with other than petty jealousy, so I kept my mouth shut… for now.
CHAPTER FOUR
VICTORIA
I was excited about dinner out with Alex. It had been quite a while since I’d been out and an evening
alone with Alex is always a bonus. I was a little worried about what I would wear since I hadn’t
bought any new clothes since before I found out I was pregnant. None of the clothes I did have before
the pregnancy were really appropriate for the kind of restaurant I assumed Alex would pick either.
With a bit of my excitement ebbing, I went up to start getting ready while Alex was on a business call.
When I got to the master suite I was shocked to see a gorgeous black and white Vera Wang dress
laying out on the bed. Next to it was a beautiful pair of black Manola Blahnik pumps and next to that
sat two dozen long stemmed roses in a box. There was a note.
I picked up the note and read it: “To the most beautiful woman in the world. I didn’t get you a gift
for doing such an amazing job of giving me an heir… so please accept these. P.S. Your friend Liz
helped me with the sizes so hopefully they’re right. Love, Alexander.”
I had tears in my eyes. I read the note again, this time pausing longer on the part that said, “Love.” Did
he love me? He hadn’t said it yet… but then neither have I and I loved him with my heart and soul. I
picked up the dress and held it up to me. I looked at it in the full-length mirror on the closet door. I
was going to feel like a princess in it. I turned back around to put the dress back on the bed and that’s
when I saw the white velvet box. It was a long, thin box. With trembling hands I reached down and
picked it up. When I opened it, my breath caught in my throat.
It was a necklace with a delicate white gold chain and a stunning black onyx pendant with white
bands running through it dangling from the center of it. There were two small diamonds on either side
of the onyx and I knew at a glance that it must have cost a fortune. I felt one of the tears in my eyes
spill over onto my cheek and I turned around to go find Alex. I didn’t have to look far; he was
standing in the doorway behind me, smiling.
“Alex! It’s all so beautiful, but it’s too much, really.”
He came over to me and took the necklace from my hands. He took it out of the box and held it up to
my neck and said, “I saw it and I couldn’t stop thinking about how pretty it would look on your
gorgeous neck.” He stepped sideways so that I could see the mirror as he held it against my skin and
said, “Look, I was right. Please accept it, Vicki. I would never buy you anything that I didn’t want you
to have or that I didn’t think you deserved.”
I was speechless. I felt like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. I threw my arms around his neck and
hugged him tightly. When I finally let him go, I voiced that thought aloud. I saw him furrow his brow
and for a second I wondered if maybe he’d never seen the movie, but then he took my chin in his hand
and tipped my face up towards him and said, “Do you know what the big difference is?”
“I’m not Julia Roberts?” I asked, kidding… sort of.
“No, you’re not,” he said. “You are ten times as beautiful, first of all. Second of all, she played a call
girl in that movie. You’re much, much more than that. You’re my son’s mother and you’re my… I hate
the term girlfriend, it seems so juvenile, and I just don’t like it. But you mean so much to me, Vicki. I
look into your eyes and I just feel it… it’s like… Damn!”
“What? What is it?”
“I don’t want to scare you.”
“Scare me? You’re scaring me by not saying it.”
“When I look into your eyes Vicki, I feel like I’ve found my soulmate. I love you… I’m in love with
you.” The lone tear on my face was joined by about a hundred more. After a few seconds it was a
torrent and I could hardly see his beautiful face through them. “Please don’t cry… I’m sorry.”
I had to sniff and like a six year old, I used the back of my hand to wipe my tears away as I said, “Oh
no! Please don’t be sorry. They’re happy tears. I’m so happy! I love you too, Alex. I just wasn’t sure
how you felt about me.”
He grinned. I melted. “I love you. I want you. I need you, and when Cassandra is out of our lives I
want to put a ring on your finger. I’m not going to do it yet because I don’t want anything to take away
from that moment.”
I felt like I couldn’t breathe. Did he just say he wants to marry me? I threw my arms around him and
he held me until I was able to get my tears under control. Most of them ended up all over his shirt, his
shoulder was soaked. He lifted my head with a touch and pressed his soft lips to mine. He kissed me
deeply and passionately and for the first time in my entire life I finally knew just exactly where I
belonged.
***
He took me to Santa Monica for dinner to a place called Mélisse. It’s a French/American restaurant,
and probably the nicest place I had ever been inside of. The outside looked like a picture of a French
Bistro. It was wood and glass and had a big, green and white striped arbor over the entryway. There
were potted plants on either side of the door and as soon as we entered we were greeted by a chic-
looking hostess dressed all in black.
The walls of the restaurant were a deep purple color and there were beautiful gold lights all around
the top of them that pointed towards the ceiling. They let off enough light to eat comfortably but still
allowed for a romantic ambiance. The tables were all covered with white linen table cloths and set
with fine silver and linen napkins. A hand-blown blue glass candle holder sat in the center of each
one and a votive candle cast a glow across each of the patron’s faces. Fine artwork adorned the walls
and a silver bowl sat in the center on a fine wood table filled with ice and chilling champagne.
“It’s so pretty in here!”
Alex smiled, “Yes, it is. The food is fantastic too.”
The hostess led us to a quiet corner of the restaurant to a small table near one of the windows that
opened up to the man-made pond outside that had what looked like a handcrafted wooden bridge
going across it and real ducks swimming and white lily pads floating. It was amazing. Alex didn’t
take the seat across from me, instead he took the one next to me and angled it so that we were facing
each other and close enough to touch knees.
Alex took my hand in his and brought it to his lips and said, “That dress looks beautiful on you.”
I smiled. “Thank you. I love it.”
He winked at me and said, “Thank you for agreeing to come out.”
“I needed this,” I told him. The waiter brought us a wine menu. I’d pumped enough milk for Michael
for the night so that I could have wine tonight; Alex knew exactly which one to order.
The waiter brought the wine back and poured us each a glass after Alex tasted and approved it. After
he’d gone away again Alex said, “Have you been to a restaurant with a tasting menu?”
“No…”
He smiled gently and said, “Basically we just order for two and they bring the food out in courses.
It’s a lot of food so if there’s something you don’t like, you’ll likely be able to find something in the
next course.”
“Oh, that sounds like fun.” He smiled. It was an affectionate smile and I didn’t feel like he was
judging me at all for not knowing what a “tasting menu” was. It was one of the things I’d loved about
him back when I was just his employee as well; he never seemed to judge people based on their
background or social status.
Alex wasn’t kidding when he said there was a lot of food. Most of it, I had to ask Alex what it was,
but he patiently told me what each thing was and after a while I wasn’t even embarrassed to ask him.
For our first course we were served sweet pea soup, sun-choke chips and a whipped black truffle.
There was also egg caviar which I’d never tasted and a soft poached egg with lemon-chive crème
fraiche and American olestra caviar. There were turnips, young tatsoi, truffle-lime vinaigrette and
Maine diver scallops. There were leeks, cardoons, beech mushrooms, Buddha’s Hand, crème de
brandade, seared foie gras, red butter lettuce salad radish, grilled scallion vinaigrette, wagyu beef
tartare smoked tomato emulsion, capers and puffed rice. My personal favorite was the white
asparagus “Cocotte” and the morel mushrooms with yellow wine sauce. The second course was as
ridiculously long. It was all yummy, but it was so much food. The whole time I worried about how
much we were wasting and I thought about Cook and his soup kitchen. I wondered if people like Alex
who had grown up with excesses realized how much food was wasted at a place like this on a daily
basis, and how many hungry people were in the city. I didn’t mention it to him now. It wasn’t the time
or the place, but it was something to think about for the future. I am so lucky and so is my son… I’d
love to be able to give back the way that Cook does.
We ate until I was so full that I thought I would have to be rolled away and while we ate, we talked
about anything and everything. Alex asked me if I could go anywhere in the world, where would I like
to go. I didn’t have to think about it, I said, “Ireland.”
“Really? Why Ireland?”
“When I was about twelve I read a book about Ireland and a little girl who lived in a castle. I used to
pretend I was that little girl and instead of Glendale with my pole dance mother, we lived in Ireland
and my mother was the lady of the castle and I was the princess.” I suddenly realized that was the first
time I’d ever told anyone about that. I felt my face go hot and Alex reached over under the table and
rested his hand on my leg.
“Why are you blushing?”
“I was babbling about a fantasy I had when I was twelve. It was kind of embarrassing.”
“You don’t have to be embarrassed to tell me anything. I thought it was cute. I would love to take you
to Ireland. We can even stay in a castle if you’d like to.”
“Really?”
He laughed. “Really.”
“Can Michael come too?”
“Michael always gets an invitation.”
We finished our huge meal and then Alex tried to talk me into dessert. I quite literally could not eat
another bite. When we stepped outside, my breath was taken away by the sky. The moonlight was like
a diffuse ocean above us. The colors of it lessened the inky blackness of the night, but it was still
subdued enough not to dull the magnificent stars that glittered across the dark expanse.
“Oh Alex! Look at it. It’s incredible!”
He wasn’t looking at the sky, he was looking at me. “You’re incredible. I see things so differently
when I’m with you. Do you have any idea how long it’s been since I’ve even looked at the sky other
than to check the weather?”
“I don’t, but it’s sad. I’m amazed by the sky… it’s just an endless palate of glorious colors.”
He cut my words off with his lips. After another breathtaking kiss he said, “I’m amazed by you.”
CHAPTER FIVE
ALEXANDER
For a few blessed weeks, Victoria, Michael and I enjoyed our lives together as a family without any
lurid news stories, ex-wives or vindictive ex-boyfriends showing up to shatter the peace. Just when I
thought things had settled into a comfortable, normal state however, life once again came along to
prove to me that it was in charge.
Vicki had been more than right about the nanny. Mrs. Yost was wonderful with Michael. I’d installed
a nanny cam in the nursery, not for her specifically, but the thought of my son being abused or
mistreated was almost more than I could bear. I’d watched it after each time the nanny had come to
stay with Michael and I’d seen her be nothing but sweet and gentle and kind to the baby which did
both mine and Vicki’s hearts good.
She had also been right about the other girl Tracy, which was what was bothering me today. I had
gone into work in the morning after having breakfast on the terrace with Vicki. After I left for work,
she and the baby went to do some shopping and have lunch with Liz. My morning meeting was
cancelled so I didn’t have to stay in the city as long as I’d expected. When I got home, Tracy was in
the office with Karen. I said hello to them both and then I headed down to the basement. I was just
planning on maybe shooting a little pool or playing a video game or two. It wasn’t often that I had a
free afternoon all to myself. I bent over the pool table and I was about halfway through my first solo
game when I heard, “Nice view.”
I turned and Tracy was standing in the doorway. “Oh, hi Tracy. I’m sorry, were you not finished
cleaning down here?”
She walked over close to me and smiled. “I’m finished. I finished this morning. I just came down to
say hello.”
“Oh… um, okay. Hi.”
She giggled and said, “Why don’t we have a drink?”
I looked over at the clock above the bar. It was eleven-fifteen. “Aren’t you working?”
She stepped even closer, so close that if the pool table hadn’t been right behind me, I would have
taken a step back. As it were, she had me semi-trapped. “I’ve pretty much got everything done…
besides, you can’t get fired for having a drink with the boss.”
That triggered a memory and suddenly she had my attention. “Where did you hear that?”
She put her fingers on my chest, in between two buttons that were undone near my neck and said, “Just
a little recording that Cassie let me listen to.” Damn it! I stepped sideways and when she reached out
for me again, I caught her wrist in my hand.
“Don’t touch me.”
She raised an eyebrow and smiled. “It’s okay, Cassie picked up the tapes last time she was here…
she didn’t leave a blank one. Nobody has to know.”
“What are you doing, Tracy? What is this about?”
“I want you, Alex. I’d be willing to walk into a court of law and tell the judge that Cassandra paid
me… a lot, to get inside this house… and close to that baby.”
I was suddenly nauseated. I’d hired someone who was interested in bringing my family harm. Vicki
had a feeling about her and I’d just blown it off and hired her anyways. “Why does she want you
close to my baby?”
She reached up with her free hand and let her fingernails lightly scrape down the side of my face.
“Huh uh, lover. First you and me try out that bed over there, then I’ll tell you everything I know. By
that time I don’t know how interested you’ll be. You’ll want seconds, I promise.”
“You’re insane. You need to get out of my house before I call security and have you removed.” I let
go of her wrist.
She smiled even broader and shrugged, “If that’s the way you want this to play out, but it’s definitely
your loss.” Before I could say anything else she literally jumped on me. She threw her arms around
my neck and pulled herself up and pressed her lips to mine. Just before I saw Vicki’s face in the
doorway behind us I thought, this is what I get for bragging about how good life was going. Damn
it!
Vicki turned around and left. I unhooked Tracy’s arms from around my neck and pushed her back a
little too hard. Her back hit the wall on the other side of the room. “You’re fired,” I said. “You have
exactly two minutes to get off my property before I call security and the police.” I followed Vicki
then. She was fast. By the time I got up the basement stairs she was gone. I ran into Karen on the
ground floor and said, “Did you see Vicki?”
“Yeah, I was holding Michael and she took him from me and went out the front door.”
Damn! I took off through the front door after them just in time to see Vicki climbing in the driver’s
seat of the SUV I’d bought for her. “Vicki stop!” She ignored me and closed the door. As she turned
the ignition I made it to the window, I could see Michael in the back in his car seat, sleeping
peacefully. “Turn the car off.”
“No Alex, get out of my way.”
“Vicki! Turn it off!”
“No!”
I reached in through the window and turned it off and took the keys. She looked scared and like she
was about to cry. It wasn’t my intention to scare her but she needed to hear me out before she took off
half-cocked with our baby. “Listen to me, okay?”
“What is there to say, Alex? I’m so stupid. This is why you pushed to hire her… Oh God! That’s
where you take them all, isn’t it? There was nothing special about me, just another eager staff girl that
you can take down to the basement and…”
“Don’t say it! That never happened with Tracy and it was never going to. She threw herself on me.”
She rolled her eyes. “Vicki, listen to me! Have I given you any reason not to trust me up to this
point?” I could see the wheels turning in her head. “I promise you, baby. I love you. You are the only
woman that I want to be with. I didn’t plan anything that happened between us but I wouldn’t change it
either. I didn’t invite that girl to the basement… you were right about her and I should have listened
but nothing happened!”
“I just… when I saw her kissing you…”
“Vicki, think about it again, okay? Picture it in your head… was I touching her? Were my arms around
her? Was I even really facing her? The answer is no! She trapped me against the pool table and I took
a step to get away from her… that’s why I was standing sideways when you walked in.”
She started crying harder then and suddenly said, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions!
Now I feel like an idiot!”
I opened the door and pulled her out into my arms. Petting her pretty blonde hair I said, “Shh! Don’t
ever feel like an idiot, baby. You're so far from that. You were right; she was bad news. I’m the idiot
for not listening to you. She’s working for Cassandra, she says Cassie has a tape of us that day in the
basement.”
She pulled her head up and looked at me. The poor thing… her eyes were all swollen and red. “A
video?”
“No, at least I don’t think so. She just said “tape” and she quoted something I said, so I think it’s
true.”
“What’s she going to do with it? I mean, Michael is already proof that we were together.”
“I don’t know. Tracy said something about Cassie wanting her to be here… to be close to Michael.”
“Michael! What does she want with Michael?”
“Shh baby, it’s okay. She’s gone and Michael is safe.”
“For now! Obviously she has plans for him. Would she kidnap him, Alex? Oh my God! I never even
thought about the ramifications of having a baby that’s worth billions. I feel sick.”
“No baby, please don’t make yourself sick. Cassandra’s a nasty human being, but she’s not a
kidnapper. She’s not poor or broke, even without my money. There would be no way that she would
be that desperate.”
“You don’t know that for sure though. Did you suspect her of taping your basement? Even a chance
that she would consider it would be too much. Do you want to know what I think about that? She put a
recorder… video or otherwise in your basement. That wasn’t about you and me at all, that was about
you being down there every day having parties and being with different women…” She suddenly
realized what she was saying and said, “I’m not trying to say anything to hurt you, baby. I’m sorry. I
know you were hurting and going through a rough time.”
I smiled at her. “It’s okay. The fact is that I lost it for a while. I did a lot of things during that time that
I’m ashamed of. You’re probably right; Cassie probably plans on using the tapes to blackmail me and
some of the others on the tape. But baby, please don’t worry about her trying to take Michael. He’s
never out of our sight or Mrs. Yost’s. I’ll have security around the house increased even more.”
She looked into the car at Michael. I could see on her face that she was trying to believe me.
Changing the subject a bit she said, “How would she know who the voices belong to, are you sure she
doesn’t have video footage?”
“I don’t know, she might. I’m sorry baby, I’m not sure of anything at this point.”
CHAPTER SIX
VICTORIA
After a couple of weeks of peace of mind, Alex was back on the phone with his lawyers once again.
“I really want to call Cassie,” he said. “I want to give her a piece of my mind. She’s obviously lost
hers.”
“Do you think that would make things worse?”
“Yeah, I do actually. I’m not going to call her. I’ll call Noel instead and maybe we can waylay her
before she gets to use those tapes for whatever she planned on using them for.”
While he was on the phone, I sat on the sun porch with Michael. We’d gone shopping with Liz this
morning, but he had an upset tummy so instead of having lunch, I’d brought him home. I’m not sure if it
was better that I’d come in and walked in on Tracy kissing Alex or not. I believed him when he said
she kissed him and he was trying to pull away, but I couldn’t erase the image from my mind,
nonetheless.
I looked out across the beautiful property we lived on and tried to finally let reality set in. Yes, I
loved this man beyond reason and I wanted his son to be raised with two parents and given every
advantage, but did I want to raise a child that was constantly being threatened. How would it affect
him when he got older to be followed around by security constantly, to have to always be careful
where he went and who he spoke to, to not even be safe and secure in his own home? My head was
spinning. I hadn’t thought any of this through obviously, until now when it was too late and he was
already being threatened.
“Hey!” I looked up and Alex was there.
“Hi, what did Noel say?” He held out his arms and I gave Michael to him. I could suddenly see by the
look in his eyes that he was having the same sorts of thoughts that I was.
“He was going to get in touch with her attorney and try and scare them. If she was taping me in my
home after she already moved out, it’s illegal and she won’t be able to use the tapes in court.” He
sighed heavily and said, “But he doesn’t think that she’s planning on using them in court.”
“Blackmail?”
“It’s a possibility. He’s leaning more towards her getting money from the tabloid shows on television
for them.”
“Wow, this woman needs a hobby.”
He laughed, sadly. “Yes, she does. It seems that lately her hobby is making us miserable. I’m not
going to let her keep doing this to us. I’m going to find a way to stop her.”
“Who is it you’re going to stop from doing what?” I looked up and there was a middle-aged man
standing in the doorway. His hair was full and platinum, his face was tanned and he had Alex and my
son’s hazel eyes. My assumption was that I was looking at my son’s grandfather, which Alex soon
confirmed.
“Dad, what are you doing here?”
His father raised an eyebrow and said, “Is that any way to greet your father? Is that my grandson?”
“I’m sorry Dad, I wasn’t expecting you. Yes, this is Michael.” He held our son out and his father
looked him over. Then he looked at me and I stood up. “This is Victoria, Dad.”
“Hello Mr. Reigns.”
“Victoria, it’s nice to finally meet you.” He looked back at the baby then and said, “And Michael, it’s
a pleasure.”
Alex’s lips twitched as he said, “Would you like to hold him?”
His dad looked up at him and smiled. “I’d love to hold him. Let me sit down though, it’s been a
while, I don’t want to drop him.”
Alex looked at me and smiled. Mr. Reigns sat down and Alex handed Michael to him. Michael must
have sensed that his father was no longer holding him. He blinked open his little eyes and looked at
his grandfather.
“Well hello there, little Prince.” Michael stared up at his grandfather and the older man stared back
down into the baby’s eyes. It was a precious moment and if I’d known him better, I would have taken
a photo of them.
Alex let him soak in his grandson for a few minutes and then he asked again, “What are you doing
here, Dad? Is Mom here too?”
He looked up from the baby reluctantly and said, “I had business in town. Your mother will be joining
me on Saturday. She is anxious to meet this little man too.” He beamed down at Michael again with
pride in his eyes. Alex looked both amused and surprised by the effect our son was having on his
father.
“Oh, that’s… great Dad. Where are you staying?”
“They should stay here,” I said. Alex gave me an incredulous look but his father looked up at me and
smiled.
“We would love that Victoria, thank you. I don’t know if Alex told you but our home here is
undergoing some major renovations.”
He hadn’t told me, but asking them to stay seemed like the right thing to do at the time. I could tell by
the look on Alex’s face that he didn’t agree. But, with a forced smile he said, “Of course you can stay
here, I just wasn’t sure if you’d already made other plans.”
“Nope, no plans.” The older man was staring at the baby again. I knew Alex didn’t have the best
relationship with his father, but it was so cute to watch him with the baby. He rocked back and forth
gently in the chair and made faces at Michael as he did.
“Lunch is ready sir,” Karen said, suddenly appearing in the doorway.
“Thank you, Karen. Dad, have you had lunch?”
“No, and I’m famished,” the older Reigns said.
“Here, I’ll take Michael and put him in his crib,” Alex told him.
Mr. Reigns reluctantly relinquished him. Alex looked at me and said, “If you don’t mind taking my
father in for dinner, I’ll join you in a few minutes.”
“Of course. Mr. Reigns, shall we?”
“Please Victoria, call me James.”
I didn’t think I could do that. I just smiled and he and I went out to the dining room together. The
maids were serving the soup and we both took our places at the table. After Esther, one of the kitchen
girls that Karen had recently hired, served our Lobster Bisque soup and left, Alex’s father said, “I’m
sorry we didn’t make it home sooner to see the baby, Victoria. You’ll come to realize one day that
this job of being a parent is a hard one… one of the hardest you will ever have to do. There is no real
instruction, and unfortunately you’re going to mess a lot of it up along the way.”
“I can only imagine, sir.”
He smiled and said, “Alex seems so at peace with the baby in his arms, but I could tell when I came
in that there was an issue he was worried about.”
I wasn’t sure how much, if anything Alex wanted me to tell him. “It’s his soon to be ex-wife,” is what
I finally said, “She’s causing as much trouble as she possibly can for us.”
He drew his brows together and said, “What kind of trouble?”
“Um… I think maybe I should let Alex fill you in on all of that.” I wasn’t about to be the one to tell his
father that his ex-daughter-in-law had tapes, possibly video that could be very harmful to his son’s
and possibly even his entire family’s reputation.
“What is it you’re trying to get out of her, Dad?”
“I was just asking her what kind of trouble Cassandra was up to.” Alex looked at me and his father
went on to say, “Don’t be angry with her, I could tell you were upset when I came in and I asked
about it. All she would say is that Cassie is causing trouble. What is she up to? I can talk to Bill.”
Alex rolled his eyes and said, “Dad, I appreciate that you want to help, but this isn’t grade school.
Talking to her father will undoubtedly not make things better in this case.”
“What is it that she’s done?”
While we ate, Alex told his father about Cassie refusing the settlements that his attorneys have offered
her, coming into the house and being found in Michael’s room and lastly, installing a recorder in the
basement and hiring Tracy to spy on us somehow. James Reigns listened quietly until Alex was
finished. I could see his face going through a gamut of emotions, especially when he mentioned that
she was in the baby’s room. When Alex finished his father almost looked sick.
“You have to have security around him… constantly!”
The way he said it gave me chills. It was as if he believed Michael was imminently threatened. “Dad,
like I told Vicki, I don’t believe even Cassandra would stoop to the level of kidnapping a baby.”
“You don’t think so… but do you know so?” His father raised his voice and pushed back from the
table. I could see the pulse throbbing in his neck. This was quite the reaction… one that surprised me
and looked like it was shocking Alex.
“No Dad, I guess I don’t know… I’ve already increased security. Are you okay?”
James ran a hand across his face and said, “I just can’t believe it’s happening again.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
ALEXANDER
My father was acting so far out of character that I almost didn’t recognize him. First of all, showing
up here was strange in and of itself. I had only seen my parents once in the past three years and that
was at a friend’s wedding that we all just happened to be attending. My entire life, my parents had
been a “force” to me. I was completely intimidated by them both. My father was so well-respected by
everyone. I watched people practically bow at his feet my entire life and that left me awed by him.
Most of the time though as I was growing up, he seemed distant and almost completely disinterested
in me. Every Friday night I would have dinner at the big table with my parents. My mother would sit
across from me, cold and distant as always and my father would say, “Talk to us about your week
son.”
I remember when I was little, I would get excited about telling them everything I’d done and learned
throughout the week. But as I got older and I realized that they only asked me about my week because
they felt obligated to… it stopped being fun or exciting to me. After that, up until the time I was taken
and left at a boarding school in Switzerland, we ate our Friday meals in silence.
Dad’s interest in Michael was bizarre to me, especially since during my obligatory phone call when
Michael was born, I hadn’t heard from either him or my mother. Now he stood here, looking like he
was about to have a heart attack over threats to my son that have never even been made directly. He
was frightening Victoria and making me suspicious of his motives.
I stood up and went over to my father who was pale as a ghost and suddenly looked his age. “Dad,
have a seat…”
“No, we need to call the police.”
“Dad, there’s nothing to report right now. My attorney has already gotten a restraining order against
Cassie… that’s why she hired Tracy to come in here, I’m sure. Michael is safe. You saw that for
yourself. You must have also seen all of the security on the grounds when you got here… I’m worried
about you. Please sit down before you fall down, okay?”
He nodded slowly and allowed me to help him into his chair. After I made sure he was in and all the
way back, I scooted his chair up as if he were a child. This whole scene was bizarre. I sat back down
and reached over and squeezed Vicki’s hand. Her eyes were as wide as saucers and I know my
father’s babbling had to have terrified her. I looked back over at him. He had his elbows on the table
and his hands in his hair.
He pulled his head up slowly and looked at me and then he looked at Vicki. His eyes suddenly looked
vacant and for a fraction of a second I wondered if he was taking some kind of drug. He finally said,
“Your mother and I never told you because you were so young when it happened and we didn’t want
to frighten you.” He stopped there and several seconds passed before he said, “You had a brother.”
I stared at him, in shock. There was definitely something wrong with him. Maybe he already had a
stroke and it affected his mind. “I had a brother, Dad? When? What happened to him?” I didn’t really
expect a rational answer to any of it. They weren’t rational questions because none of this made
sense.
“When you were about three, your mother and I had another child. His name was Christopher James
Reigns. He was a beautiful boy… just like you always were. The old house was happy and full of
people in and out all the time. We had a nanny for both of you, but back then your mother only used
the nannies if we were going somewhere that you wouldn’t be allowed or comfortable. She was a
good mother, she was a happy person, we were happy.”
“So what happened to Christopher? Did he die?”
“We don’t know. I think that’s the worst part… the not knowing. I’m sure it was the worst part for
your mother. She didn’t want to leave the house in case they called. Cell phones were still only car
phones back then.”
“Dad, I’m sorry, but you’re not making any sense.”
He looked up at me and Vicki again as if he’d forgotten we were in the room. Then he wrinkled his
brow. God, he looked so old all of a sudden.
“Let me start at the beginning. You were going to turn four and we were getting ready for your
birthday party. Your mother always went over the top, she was so crazy about her boys, you know?
We had people in and out, strangers, workers, there was going to be a carousel and a bounce house
and a petting zoo. Normally the staff would do the shopping but your mother was so excited about the
party and she wanted to take you with her and let you pick out your theme. So anyways, that day
Christopher was left here with the nanny. I was at work and you and your mother had gone shopping. I
remember it was exactly 3:02 p.m. when I got the call…” He was shaking and sweat was beginning to
form on his brow. Vicki got up and went over to him. She crouched down on one knee so that she
could see his face.
“You don’t have to do this now. You probably had a very long trip. You should go try and rest…”
Dad smiled and put his hands on either side of Vicki’s face.
“You’re beautiful. I don’t ever want you to have to go through what Alex’s mother did. No woman
should ever have her babies taken away… it’s not natural. My wife was taken from me the day that
Christopher was.”
I could see that both he and Vicki had tears in their eyes. I suddenly got a chill. Whatever he is talking
about really happened. Oh my God. “Dad, Vicki’s right, if this is too hard we don’t have to do this
now, but I do want to know what happened, eventually.”
He shook his head. “I’ve put it off for over twenty-five years because it was too hard. I need to do
this now.” He smiled at Vicki and patted the side of her face and then he said, “That phone call came
from the police. Christopher was reported missing from his crib by the nanny at 2 p.m. They waited
over an hour before they called me. That day there were twelve workers there that weren’t regular
staff according to the security logs. Those people were all questioned and cleared. The nanny was
questioned and cleared, all of the regular staff and even security were questioned and cleared.”
“Did you get a demand for ransom?” I asked him.
He nodded. “It was almost two whole days later when they called. The person that called used one of
those machines that scrambles and changes your voice. They said they wanted two million dollars in
cash. I wasn’t the kind of wealthy that you are son. Much of my wealth in those days was in assets…
stocks, real estate, and business ventures. I told them I would get the money but I would have to have
a day or two to get it together. They told me I had twenty-four hours or they were going to bury
Christopher alive and we would never see him again. Your mother and I began scrambling to sell
anything and everything we had that we could sell, the cars, boats… we pulled out every extended
line of credit that we could, all of our savings, your savings… everything. By the twenty-second hour
with help from some very good friends, we were able to make the two-million. We sat by the phone
and waited. Twenty-four hours went by and nothing happened, and then forty-eight and seventy-two.
They never called back and we never saw our son again.”
“Oh my God!” Vicki had her hand over her mouth like she was going to be sick. She was no doubt
thinking about our son. I was trying to wrap my head around something that happened to alter the
course of my entire life and I didn’t know anything about it. It was surreal, but it explained so much.
“Did you look for him?”
“Of course. We never stopped. I’ve had a staff of private investigators doing nothing but looking for
him. Every male child’s remains around the age that he was are DNA tested and my investigators
make sure that Christopher’s DNA is on file with every state agency…. we’ve never found a trace of
him, anywhere.”
We all sat silently for the longest time. What was there to say? I had a brother and then I didn’t. My
parents had two sons and then they didn’t. People or a person thought that they could put a price on a
child’s life and the end result was the destruction of a family.
Vicki finally broke the silence by saying, “If you’ll both excuse me, I’m going to check on Michael.”
“Are you okay?” I hated the thought of her having this in her head now, worrying about our son every
minute of every day.
She came over and bent down next to me. She kissed my cheek and pressed her mouth to my ear and
said, “I’m okay. We’re all going to be okay. Take care of your father.” I nodded, but when she was
gone I had no idea what to say to the broken man in front of me. I suddenly felt like I didn’t know him.
Before, I was frightened of him, but I at least knew how to feel. Now I am at a complete loss.
“Do you want to go into the study and have a drink, Dad?”
He shook his head slowly. Finally he looked up at me and he said, “Your mother and I know that we
were wrong. We know that we cheated you… we just didn’t know how else to deal with it. It was a
protective mechanism, I suppose. I threw myself into work and your mother withdrew and you were
left out there to flutter in the wind all alone. We were terrible parents and nothing I can say now can
make that better.”
I got up and went over to the chair next to him. I sat down and said, “We can’t change the past, you’re
right, but now that I know about Christopher I can at least understand what happened. I feel so bad for
you and Mom. I’m sorry, Dad.”
My father did something then that I can’t ever remember him doing before. He reached out and hugged
me. He pulled me in so tightly that he cut off my air, but that was okay, for the first time in my life I
felt safe and loved in my father’s arms.
VICTORIA
When I left the dining room, I really thought that I was going to be sick. I couldn’t even imagine going
through what Alex’s parents have been through and surviving it. I went up to Michael’s room and
even though I had the monitor in my pocket and I could hear his even, unlabored breaths, I was still in
panic mode until I saw him. He looked so peaceful and perfect and I was tempted to pick him up and
hold him. I wanted to feel him in my arms, make sure that he’s real. I knew that was me being selfish,
so I pet his soft little head and sat down next to the crib instead. I sat there and watched him sleep and
I wondered what my life would be like if he was taken away from me now. I shivered and realized
that was the only thing that could ever possibly convince me to take my own life. I sat there for close
to an hour with those depressing thoughts running through my head and by the time Alex found me
there, the sun had gone down around us and the room was dark.
He did the same thing I had done first; he put his hand gently on Michael’s back to feel the rise and
fall of his chest and then he pet his soft hair. He knelt down next to me and laid his head in my lap. I
stroked his hair gently wondering what he must feel like to find all of this out after so long.
“Are you okay?” he asked me after a while.
“I’m good baby. How about you?”
“I’m okay. It’s hard to mourn someone that you never knew. I feel so bad for my parents, and really
guilty for all of the things I thought about them in the interim.”
“But like you said, you didn’t know. So, their behavior rightly felt strange to you, and wrong. But I
keep looking at our little angel and trying to imagine their pain and I can’t even come close.”
“You’ll never have to feel that kind of pain… I’m going to make sure of it.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
VICTORIA
When I woke up the next morning, Alex was gone and there was a note on his pillow. It said, “I have
to work for a few hours and then meetings with lawyers. Call me if you need ANYTHING and take
one of the security men with you if you go anywhere. I love you!”
“I love you too,” I said aloud to the room. I missed him already. I got up and picked up the baby
monitor. There was no noise coming from Michael’s room at all. I grabbed my robe and when I
pulled open the bedroom door, Karen was there talking to the new upstairs maid.
“Good morning, Victoria.”
“Good morning,” I said quickly, turning towards Michael’s room.
“He’s not in there.”
“What? Oh my God! Where is he?” That quickly I could feel my blood pressure go up and my heart
race.
Karen’s face fell and she said, “Oh dear, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you. Mr. Reigns has him
down in the sunroom.”
“Alex?”
“No, James.” I had to take several deep breaths to get my heart rate down. Karen watched me with
wide eyes and then she said, “I’m so very sorry.”
I managed a smile and said, “Don’t be, Karen. I overreacted. Thank you for letting me know.” I
smiled at them both and went down the stairs. James and Michael were indeed in the sunroom. James
had his back to me but I could see Michael’s little face looking up at his grandfather as he held him
out in front and sang to him. He was singing, “You are my Sunshine” and Michael looked enthralled.
I waited until he finished and then I said, “Good morning.”
James turned towards me and looking abashed he said, “Oh, you caught me. Good morning.”
“It was a beautiful rendition, wasn’t it Michael?” My baby was craning his neck and his beautiful
eyes were trying to track my voice. It’s the little things like that when you’re a parent that makes your
whole day. James noticed too. He smiled at the baby.
“You hear your mama, don’t you handsome boy. Here you go, there’s your mama.” He handed him to
me and said, “Thank you for him.”
I laughed. “You’re welcome. I’m glad you like him because there’s a definitive no return policy.”
He looked sad and I realized that probably wasn’t the smartest statement in lieu of what he’d told us
the night before. “I’m sorry, that was insensitive of me.”
He shook his head. “Please don’t apologize; I know that you didn’t mean anything. You know
something Victoria?”
“What sir?”
“First of all, stop calling me sir. It’s James. Anyways, I absolutely cannot stand Cassandra. I never
could. I didn’t care that she was from the same social class as Alex, she was just rotten to the core
and I knew it the first time I met her. I don’t know if Alex told you or not, but I’m a pretty good judge
of people.”
“He did tell me and I agree with you about Cassie, I’ve always thought the same thing.”
“Well what I wanted to tell you is that I think my son did about one hundred percent better this time. I
read all the crap the tabloids printed and I could care less about any of it. Anyone with half a brain
knows they don’t print the actual truth in those rags. If Alex loses a customer or two because of it,
that’s their loss. I honestly don’t think anybody in this day and age is going to care anyways. My point
is I hope you’re not letting any of it bother you. I know that all of this unwanted attention is probably
new to you.”
“It definitely is… and I was really worried about it at first. I wasn’t worried about how it made me
look; I honestly could care less about that. I was worried about Alex’s business and I am worried
about my son reading it someday. You know with the internet now, nothing ever goes away.”
He nodded and then looked at the baby who had snuggled against my chest and went back to sleep.
“He’s a Reigns, so he will have to be taught about the press and the paparazzi at a young age
unfortunately, but I don’t think they’ll be able to tell him anything that’ll make him think poorly of his
Mama.”
“Thank you.”
He nodded. “I’m going to see what Cook has cooking in there. I’ll let you two get on with your
morning routine.”
He left and I sat in the rocking chair next to the window. The sun was streaming in and I leaned back
and closed my eyes. After a minute Michael started fussing and when he did, I opened my eyes just in
time to catch the flash of a shadow at the window. I screamed causing the baby to cry. I didn’t realize
there was security inside the house, but a huge bald guy came running in.
“What is it Miss?”
“There was someone at the window.” He called on his radio for back-up as he ran out. I took Michael
and went out of the glass-enclosed room. I was suddenly afraid to stand next to a window; what was
happening?
“Victoria, are you okay?” James and Cook ran out from the kitchen.
“Yeah, there was someone at the window. Security went after him.” Cook put his arm around me.
James looked torn as if he was thinking about going after them himself. Before he decided to do that,
the big guy came back in. He was talking on his radio and carrying Jason by the scruff of his neck. I
lost it as soon as I saw him. I pushed my poor baby into a shocked James's arms and while the
security officer still held him, I slapped him hard across the face. “You son of a bitch!”
The security officer’s lips twitched. Cook was laughing outright and poor James still looked shocked.
“You know this guy?” Mr. Security asked me.
“Yes, unfortunately. This is Jason Bowers, my ex-boyfriend.”
The security officer whose name badge I can see now says “Joe,” tossed Jason into a chair. I could
see then that his hands were cuffed together at the back with a pair of plastic cuffs. “Don’t move,” he
said, threateningly. He got back on the radio and gave his superiors Jason’s name. They told him the
police were on their way.
“What were you doing here, Jason? How did you even get on the property?” I wanted to slug him
again. The coward wouldn’t even look up at me.
“He’s not talking to me either,” Joe said. “Of course as soon as I got ahold of him I shoved his face
into the pavement and cuffed him. I guess he’s not fond of foreplay.” Jason was still looking at the
floor.
I looked at Joe and asked, “Did someone call Mr. Reigns or should I do that?”
“He’s been called,” Joe said.
“Good, thank you.” I took the baby from James’s arms and told him, “I’m going to feed him and then
shower. Will you let me know if they need me before that? I can’t stand here and look at him or my
kick-boxing classes are going to start kicking back in.”
James smiled and said, “You pack a mean punch there. You go on ahead and I will definitely call you
if they need you.”
Still shaking from either fright or fury or both, I headed up the stairs. I sat in the nursery, far from the
window even though it was upstairs, and fed Michael. He ate like a little glutton, finally passing out
like a drunk on New Year’s Eve. I put him down gently in his crib and taking the baby monitor, I
headed for the shower. I showered quickly and dressed. When I came back out, there was another
security officer at the door of Michael’s nursery. He saw my curious look and took out his I.D. and
held it out to me. I went over and looked at it and then I handed it back and peeked in at the baby.
“Thank you.” He gave me a nod and I went back downstairs to see what was happening down there. I
found them all still on the sunporch, only now there were two more security officers and two police
officers and one man that looked like a detective in the room as well.
“Vicki!” I turned around and Alex was there. He opened his arms and I folded into them. “Are you
and Michael okay?” I nodded and pulled back just a little so that I could see his face.
“We’re fine. I’m sorry you have to keep rushing home. You’re never going to get any work done.”
He laughed. “I don’t care, as long as you two are okay. I hear I shouldn’t make you too mad either.
Dad says you fight like Ali.”
I laughed too. “Not quite… but yes, not making me angry is a good thing.”
“Did this idiot say what he was doing here?”
“Before he went upstairs he didn’t say anything.”
“His mouth probably hurt,” he told me with a wink. I looked in at Jason. He looked so pathetic. Just a
year ago he was on top of the world. He had a great job and a big circle of friends. I have no idea
how he fell so hard so fast. He was still looking at the floor and refusing to speak.
The man in the suit came over to me and said, “Mrs. Reigns?”
“Victoria,” I said. I wanted to say, “Not yet,” but I wasn’t sure that was appropriate in this situation.
“Victoria did you see Mr. Bowers outside the window?”
I nodded, “But, I only caught a flash. I don’t know if he was actually looking in or just running by.”
“It doesn’t matter. This is private property either way. I’d like to know how he got in here. I had
trouble at the gate.”
“Who was there when you came through?” Alex asked.
The detective looked at his notepad and said, “Elliot.”
Alex shook his head like he didn’t know him but I had a sudden thought. “What’s his last name?” The
detective looked down again and said, “Hanson.”
“Oh my God!”
“What?” Alex and the Detective were both looking at me.
“Elliot Hanson is Jason’s best friend. They’ve been friends since they were kids.”
“Damn it!” Alex’s face was bright red and his fists were clenched. He took out his phone and called
the front gates. “Is Elliot Hanson still here?”
“No. He left about a half an hour ago.”
“Okay, I need his home address.”
“I’ll get it for you sir and call you right back.”
“Just text it, thanks.”
He disconnected the call and looked at me again. “What does he look like?”
“I haven’t seen him in a while, but last time I did he had short dark hair and a mustache and goatee.
He’s about six foot and he’s broad shouldered, usually.”
I heard the sound of a text tone in his hand. He glanced at it and said, “Okay baby, thanks. I’m going to
go with them.” James was standing behind me.
“I’m going too,” he said. Alex looked at his father like he was going to protest but something in
James’ face changed his mind.
“Alex… what if it’s not safe?” I had a really bad feeling about this. I didn’t want him to go. I was
suddenly afraid for his life.
“I’ll stay out of their way and let them do their job, but when they have this creep in custody, I want to
be there to hear what he has to say for himself.”
I nodded slowly. I was worried and I felt sick, but I wasn’t going to be able to stop him. If I thought I
could get away with going, I would go too. “Be safe.”
“I will.” He kissed me softly and said, “I love you.”
“I love you too.” I watched him go, surrounded by his security staff. The two officers that the
detective left behind were getting Jason to his feet. He looked like an old man trying to stand up,
Joe’s tackle must have done a number on him.
I walked up to him and he flinched. Good, I want him to feel afraid and humiliated. The sight of him
alone disgusted me. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to waste my time hitting you again. I just want you to
know how disgusting I think you are. The only place I ever want to see you again is in court.”
“You don’t understand,” he whispered.
“What Jason? What is it that I don’t understand?”
“They’re going to kill me.”
“Who?”
“The people I owe a quarter of a million dollars too.”
“How the hell do you owe so much money, Jason?” He didn’t say anything. “Gambling? You’ve been
losing at the track again and borrowing money?” He still didn’t answer. I knew his fondness for the
track; that had to be it. “You know what, I really don’t care. You thought that you could get money to
pay your gambling debts by hurting my family?” Still nothing. The officers on either side of him were
looking at me. “Just take him please. I can’t stand to look at him.”
When Jason was gone I went up and sat in Michael’s room. The security officer was at the door and
Michael was still asleep but after finding out that one of them was working with Jason, I didn’t trust
anyone anymore.
CHAPTER NINE
ALEXANDER
Dad and I followed the police and security in my SUV. Neither of us spoke. I couldn’t believe how
close we had just come to losing Michael. I could see Dad out of the corner of my eye. He looked
worn down and I wondered how much of that was PTSD from re-living the worst part of his life.
Elliot Hanson lived in a nice neighborhood in Redondo Beach. It was a high rent district and when
we pulled up into the circular driveway Dad said, “He must have been winning on those ponies at
some point.”
“Maybe or maybe this isn’t the first kidnapping attempt he’s been involved in.”
The detective came over to my window and said, “I need you guys to park it on the street and wait
there.”
“Can my security man go in with you?”
“Yeah, Joe can come in.”
“Okay, thanks.”
It was hard, but Dad and I did as he asked. I parked along the street and turned off the car and then we
watched. We were parked out of the line of fire if it came to that, but we could see the detective and
two officers that had joined him here and Joe, at the front door. They knocked and a few seconds later
the door was pulled open by a busty blonde in a bikini. She had a surprised look on her face and I
could see her shaking her head. The detective must have asked to be let inside because she stepped
back and let them pass. She did something before she closed the door that Dad and I both noticed; she
looked over towards the garage. I turned the ignition of the SUV back on and waited. Maybe three
minutes passed when we saw him. At least we had good reason to assume it was him. A twenty-
something year old guy in a muscle t-shirt and jeans with tattoos covering his arms was pushing a
street bike out the side door of the garage. We waited and when Elliot hit the street, he took off fast. I
took off after him and handed Dad my phone. “Call Joe, he’s in the house with the detective. Tell him
what’s going on.”
Dad pushed the call button and seconds later I heard him say, “Joe, this is James Reigns. Alex and I
are chasing Elliot. He’s on a Honda CRV street bike. It’s green and he’s heading north on PCH
towards Carnelian. Okay. No, tell him we’re following at a safe distance and so far I don’t think he
even knows that we’re here. Okay.” Dad hung up and said, “The detective says for us to stay back,
he’s putting out an APB so if we see law enforcement we need to stop and get out of the way.”
“Yeah, okay.” Right. I’m not stopping until Elliot does. I want this to be over. I want to enjoy my
beautiful family for a change without all of this drama.
We followed him up to Carnelian and he made a right on Ardmore. I looked at Dad and he said, “I’m
on it.” I saw him send a text to Joe and then he said, “He’s headed to Manhattan Beach.”
I nodded. I still didn’t see any cops. Where the hell are they? Elliot gave no indication that he knew
we were behind him. I kept following him as he made a left on Manhattan Beach Blvd. He was
heading straight down towards the beach. He pulled into the lot near the pier and got off the bike. I
parked the SUV and saw Dad sending a text as I got out. I’d taken about two steps when Elliot looked
over and saw me. I might not recognize him, but he sure as hell knows who I am. As soon as he saw
me, he took off running. I took off after him and heard Dad getting out of the car behind me. Elliot was
running towards the sand instead of away from it which I thought was strange. There was no Marina
here, so he couldn’t have a boat. He ran into a men’s restroom and I went in after him. That was my
first mistake.
“Hello Mr. Reigns.” Elliot had a gun pointed at my face.
“Hello… Elliot, is it?”
The bastard smiled. “Lock that door behind you.” I did as I was told and then he said, “Nice to know
you finally know my name. You drive by me every day and cut me a check once a month and I’ll bet
when they figured out it was me that let Jason on the property you had no idea who I was. You’re way
too important to worry about the little guy who protects your precious estate and your illegitimate
family.” He was goading me. He wanted me to make a move. I wanted to, so badly. I wanted to feel
my fist connect with his face and I haven’t been in a fist-fight since high school. I wasn’t going to give
him the satisfaction, however. If he wanted to shoot me, he’d have to do it from where I stood. I heard
my father begin banging on the steel door. The little building is brick and the door is about two inches
of steel. It’s made to withstand the high tide. It was also a fortress. Elliot knew what he was doing
when he came in here.
“What do you want, Elliot?”
“Money, of course. I’m sick of watching you stinking rich people flaunt your wealth while the rest of
us have nothing.”
I cocked an eyebrow and said, “That house in Redondo Beach is pretty nice.”
“It belongs to my girlfriend and she’s about to kick me out. The IRS and child support take most of my
check. I’m barely left with enough to pay rent much less pay for anything else. I borrowed a lot of
money from a guy who is demanding payment. I’m not going to let him take it out of my hide while I
watch you pigs live like royalty.”
“So you thought you’d just… steal a baby and solve all of your problems?”
“That was stupid Jason’s idea. I was going to snatch the maid who is suddenly the hoity toity lady of
the manor.”
“So what now, Elliot? They’re not just going to let you walk out of here. If you kill me, you’ll be up
for murder, so far, you haven’t really done anything. You might be better off calling this whole thing
off now.”
“I’m not going to jail and I’m not going to get killed by some damned loan shark. What I am going to
do is live out the rest of my life on a comfortable island somewhere at your expense.”
I felt my blood pressure rising. The thought of this man with his hands on Vicki… or Jason’s with his
hands on Michael… I felt like my head would explode. I forced myself not to react. I could still hear
Dad pounding. He sounded desperate. I opened my mouth… I wasn’t sure what I was going to say, but
I was interrupted by the sound of a man’s voice over a megaphone.
“Elliot Hanson, this is Detective Salas of the L.A.P.D. My phone number is 555-6718. I need you to
call me Elliot. Let’s work this out without anyone getting hurt, okay?” Elliot looked like he was
thinking about it. He finally reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. Before he could even
dial, it was ringing. He pushed accept and put it on speaker. The detective waited a beat and then he
said, “Elliot? Are you there?”
“I’m here.”
“Is Mr. Reigns with you?”
I didn’t say anything; I looked at the sweaty man with the gun and waited for my cue. He finally said,
“Yeah, he’s here. He’s here to help me.”
“Okay, can I talk to him, Elliot? Can I hear him say he’s okay?”
Elliot gave me a chin nod and I said, “This is Alexander Reigns. So far, I’m fine.”
“Good! Good! Thank you, Elliot. Now we need to work on getting you two out of there and
somewhere safe, okay?”
“No. We’re not coming out until I hear a helicopter land out there.” He was staring at me, gauging my
reaction as he said, “Mr. Reigns is going to arrange for a helicopter for me and some spending money.
Once that’s here we’ll be on our way.” He was going to use me as a shield. That wasn’t my biggest
worry though. I was worried that he really was going to get away.
“Elliot, that’s not the best idea. You’re still in misdemeanor territory here…”
“Shut up!” Elliot hung up the phone and then looked at me and said, “Give me the number.”
“What number is that, Elliot?”
“The one that gets me a helicopter.”
I gave him the number of my private hangar. When the phone was answered he motioned at me with
the gun and I said, “Hi Becky, this is Alex Reigns.”
“Hello Mr. Reigns. How are you today?”
“I’m in a bit of a pickle here, Becky. I need to speak with Doug now.” She must have heard the
urgency in my voice because I heard her yelling for Doug right away.
When Doug got on the phone he said, “Boss, what’s going on? I just heard a news brief about you
being taken hostage.”
“I need you to listen carefully Doug. I need you to bring the chopper out to the south end of Manhattan
Beach and land it on the sand near the bathrooms.”
“What? Sir I’ve never…”
“I know, Doug. I’m sorry to ask. I wouldn’t if I had any other choice.”
He hesitated and then he said, “Is this cleared with law enforcement?”
“It will be.”
“Okay sir, I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Thank you, Doug.” I hung up and told Elliot. “You need to let them know he’s coming.”
Elliot curled his lip and said, “You do it and then call whoever can get your money out of the bank. I
want two million in cash.”
“Do you know how long it will take to get that much cash together?”
“They have an hour before I start shooting you in your limbs.”
I called my PA next. “Amanda, it’s Alex.”
“Alex? Oh my God are you okay? I just saw on the news…”
“Amanda, I need you to listen to me, okay? First of all I need you to call and make sure Vicki and
Michael are okay. I don’t know if she’s seen or heard any of this. Call the house and tell them to make
sure the television and radio are all off.”
“Okay…”
“Good. Next, I need you to call Brent and Harlan at the bank. I need two million in cash ASAP. Tell
them to get it from wherever they need to take it. I need it quickly…”
“And unmarked,” Elliot said.
“And unmarked,” I told her.
“Okay boss. Are you okay?”
“I will be. Hurry now Amanda, please.”
CHAPTER TEN
VICTORIA
I was still sitting in Michael’s room, watching him sleep when I heard Liz’s voice in the hallway. “Is
she sleeping?” I got up and stuck my head out the door. She looked at me with a mixture of relief and
sadness. I wondered how she knew anything was going on. Cook must have called her.
“Come on in, Liz.” She came towards me and threw her arms around me. She hugged me so tightly
that I could barely breathe. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m okay. It’s been a strange morning.”
“Oh my God, you don’t know…” The security officer stepped in then. He was on the phone.
I was looking from him to Liz and I chose her first and said, “I don’t know what?”
“Miss Victoria this is a Detective Salas from the LAPD. He wants to speak with you.”
“Oh my God! Alex!” I grabbed the phone. “This is Vicki. Is Alex okay?”
“This is Detective Salas. I’m a hostage negotiator…”
“Hostage? Alex is a hostage? Oh my God!”
“I know it’s hard Miss but if you calm down for just a second, I’ll fill you in.”
“Okay.” I listened quietly as the police officer told me the man I loved with every fiber in my body
was trapped inside of a stone room on the beach with a maniac with a gun. I could feel the bile rising
in the back of my throat and my hands were shaking so hard that I dropped the phone. I dropped down
into the chair and bent forward with my head in my hands. I was going to throw up.
Liz picked up the phone and said, “Vicki’s not feeling well. Is there anything else you needed to tell
her?” She put him on speaker.
“No ma’am. Just let her know we’re doing everything we can and we’ll let her know as soon as we
have a resolution.”
Liz hung up and handed the phone back to the security officer. “He said, when we have a resolution,
not, when he’s out safe.”
“Oh honey, they have to say that… I’m sure they’re doing everything they can to keep him safe.”
“He’s alone in a stone box basically with a desperate man who has a gun. What can they do?”
“I don’t know,” she said. She looked like she was going to cry. “But I do know that Alex is smart.
You tell me that all the time. He loves you and Michael and he’s going to do whatever it takes to get
back to both of you in one piece… right?”
I nodded. Suddenly my stomach rolled and I had to run into the bathroom and vomit. When I emptied
my stomach I sat on the floor sweating and shaking for a really long time. What would I do if I lost
him? I can’t lose him. Please God, let him come home safe.
When the shaking subsided enough for me to stand, I pushed myself up and washed my face and rinsed
my mouth. Then I went into the bedroom. Liz was waiting there for me with Michael in her arms. She
got that I didn’t want him alone without me even having to say a word. I love her.
I walked over and opened the oak cabinet where the television was. When I picked up the remote, Liz
said, “Are you sure you want to do that, honey?”
I nodded. “I need to know what’s going on.” She didn’t say anything. She knew arguing with me
would do no good. When the television came on I flipped through the stations. There was a “Special
Report” about the hostage situation on every local station. I settled on one and sat down on the bed
next to Liz to watch the drama unfold on live TV. The anchor was standing in the parking lot at
Manhattan Beach. I could see the pier and the water in the background as well as the bathrooms.
There were police everywhere and a SWAT van.
“We’re in Manhattan Beach where a real-life drama is unfolding. Alexander Reigns, the CEO of
Reigns Biotechnical is reportedly inside the restroom building behind me being held at gunpoint
by a man named Elliot Hanson. Hanson is reportedly an employee of Mr. Reigns. There is some
talk of an attempted kidnapping and another man in custody; we’ll bring you more on that as it
comes in. For now, this is Maggie Brown for KTLA….” I changed the station. The reports were
almost identical on every station.
“Miss?” I looked up and Cook was in the doorway. He was holding my phone. I’d left it downstairs
in the sunroom earlier.
“Yes?”
“It’s Amanda, Mr. Reigns’ PA.” I jumped up and grabbed the phone from him.
“Amanda, do you know anything?”
“Nothing more than you probably know. I can hear it in your voice, you’ve heard right?”
“Yes.”
“I did talk to him, Victoria. He sounded okay.”
“You talked to him? How?”
“He called me on the kidnapper’s phone. He needed me to take care of getting some money together.”
“I need that number.”
“Um… it was blocked.”
“You’re a terrible liar Amanda. I need the number, now.” She gave it to me, reluctantly.
As soon as I disconnected with her, I blocked my number and called it. It rang for times and I finally
heard, “What?”
With a tremor in my voice I said, “Is this Elliot?”
“Yes. Who is this?”
“Victoria.”
“Well, well, little Vicki. Thanks for calling. It’s been a long time. So long that you never even
recognized me at the gate yesterday…”
“Elliot, please don’t do this.”
“Why Vicki? Because you say so? Because you’re suddenly so important that we should all bow at
your feet? You didn’t recognize me because you didn’t even look at me. You used to be one of us, but
how quickly they forget when they screw the billionaire.”
“Why, Elliot? Why would you and Jason do this?”
“Jason’s a pathetic idiot. He needs cash and he wants you. He wanted to take the baby and then lure
you there after him.”
“Where? Where was he going to go?”
“Huh uh, I’m not an idiot. I have to go, Vicki. I’m a little bit busy here.”
“Wait! Elliot, please let me talk to Alex.”
There was a pause and then suddenly I heard the most beautiful sound in the world, Alex’s voice.
“Vicki?”
“Oh Alex! Baby are you okay? Did he hurt you?”
“No baby. I’m not hurt. I’m fine. I love you.”
“I love you too. Oh baby, I need you to come home safe. Please give him whatever he wants.”
“I will. I’m coming home to you baby. I love you.”
“I love you.”
“Aw, isn’t that sweet… Not! I think I’m going to be sick.” Elliot disconnected the call. I was still
holding the phone, shaking like a leaf again. Karen was there, standing next to Gregory.
“Miss Victoria, I’m going to call the doctor.”
“No, don’t.”
“You need something for your nerves.”
“My nerves will be fine as soon as Alex comes home safely and nothing else is going to help. I won’t
be sedated and sleep through this.”
Gregory and Karen left and the security officer posted himself outside the master suite. I walked over
and sat down next to Liz and looked at my sleeping baby. I held out my arms and she handed him to
me. I hugged him to my chest and rocked him back and forth. “Daddy will be okay baby. He’ll be
home soon. Daddy loves us.” The tears I’d been holding back all morning finally started to flow. Liz
put her arm around my shoulders and we sat there for what seemed like forever. Suddenly I heard the
anchor on the television.
“Mr. Reigns' private helicopter has just landed on the beach. A few minutes before that happened,
we saw the police let a man who I am told is an employee of Chase financial bank go past holding
a briefcase. He’s putting it on the helicopter now.”
“Oh God, what if he takes Alex with him?”
“Don’t get yourself worked up again honey. He has what he wanted now. Maybe he’ll let him go…”
I closed my eyes and said a prayer just as I heard the anchor say, “The police have been ordered to
lower their weapons and stand down. We expect Mr. Reigns and his captor to emerge any minute
from the bathroom…” I held my breath. It seemed like hours passed before they showed the
bathroom door open slowly. Alex stepped out with his hands in the air, God please keep him safe.
“We can see Mr. Reigns behind us here and there is his captor behind him. I can’t see but it looks
like he has the gun to Mr. Reigns back…” Oh my poor Alex… God help him please. I love him so
much. “They’re walking towards the helicopter. It looks like he’s taking Mr. Reigns with him.” Oh
God! Oh no! There was a sudden, deafening sound of a shot. I saw Alex fall sideways and suddenly
the camera was pushed to the side and the anchor was saying, “There was a shot fired! A shot has
been fired!” Everything went dark.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
VICTORIA
When I came to I was told that the helicopter left without Alex. Alex had been shot and taken to
Cedars Sinai Hospital. My room was full of people, some of them I didn’t even know. Liz was still
there with the baby, thank God. “I have to go.” Liz nodded.
“I’ve got Michael. You go take care of his daddy.”
I looked at the security officer and said, “Can someone take me to him?”
“I will, Vicki.” Alex’s father was standing in the doorway.
“James! Is he okay?”
He looked so broken that I almost didn’t want him to answer. “I don’t know honey. They took him in
an ambulance and I came straight here to get you.”
“Okay, let’s go.” I kissed Michael and James and I were taken out by security and loaded into the
back of one of their black SUV’s. We sat there quietly, both of us lost in our own thoughts for the forty
minutes it took us to get to the hospital. When we got there, we were ushered to a waiting room on the
second floor and told that Alex was in surgery. The doctor would be out to talk to us when he had
news. We sat there quietly too for a while.
James finally asked, “Can I get you some coffee or water Vicki?”
“No… thank you.”
He got up and came over to sit by me. I was afraid he was going to talk and tell me that everything
was going to be okay. I didn’t want to hear that right now…he didn’t know what things would or
would not be. But I’d been wrong. He just took my hand and held it tightly, continuing to sit silently
with me as we waited… and waited. When the doctor finally came in, it took my brain a few seconds
to process it. I looked up and saw a gray haired man with a stone face. His movements were all sharp
and he was staring at a chart in his hands. James and I both got to our feet and once again, we waited.
When he finally looked up at us with gray eyes framed by gun metal gray lenses he said, “You’re Mr.
Reigns' family?”
“Yes,” James said. “I’m his father James and this is his fiancée, Victoria.”
The doctor nodded and said, “The shot was close range but luckily it hit the spleen and exited out the
other side. It didn’t strike his spine or any other vital organs. We removed his spleen and repaired an
artery in his abdomen. He’s going to be sore but in a day or two barring infection or any other
unforeseen events, he’ll be just fine.”
I felt like I’d been holding my breath for a day and a half. I let it out and then James and I embraced. I
could feel him shaking… or maybe it was me. I let go of James and looked back at the doctor and
asked, “When can we see him?”
“He’s in recovery now. As soon as he comes out, we’ll let you know. Only fifteen minutes and one
visitor at a time until he comes out of ICU.”
James and I nodded and thanked him. When he was gone, James embraced me again and said, “Thank
God.”
I was thinking the same thing and thanking him myself in my head. This could have gone so much
worse. James’ phone rang and he took a step towards the door as he answered it. At first, he didn’t
seem to know who it was. After several minutes I heard him say, “That’s great news. Thank you for
letting me know.” He hung up and looked at me with a smile. “They have Elliot in custody.”
“Oh thank goodness. Did he hurt anyone else?”
“No, but apparently Alex’s pilot took one of his security officers with him in the helicopter. Elliot
didn’t know he was there. When they landed, he was taken into custody and no one else was hurt.”
I breathed a sigh of relief and dropped down into the chair. It was over, finally.
James and I waited another hour before a nurse finally came out and said, “Mr. Reigns is awake.”
We looked at each other and James said, “You go.” I smiled and all but ran after the nurse. I wanted
to believe he was okay, but my heart wouldn’t fully accept it until I saw him.
I followed the nurse to a set of double doors. She swiped her name badge and the doors swung
silently open and with ease. A sharp puff of air hit my face and I smelled bleach. The walls in the ICU
were painted a soft cream color and the white linoleum floor was so clean that it was almost
blinding. There were glass cubicles along each side of the hallway and I followed her to the last one.
This one had the curtain drawn all the way around it. She pulled it back and I sucked in a breath. My
beautiful Alex lay in the bed. His eyes were closed and his long eyelashes fanned out over his high
cheekbones. Wires came from his chest and ended at a heart monitor high up on the wall. He had an
IV in one hand with three different bags of fluids running into his body. I went over close to the bed
and just stood there for a few seconds watching the gentle rise and fall of his chest. I could see the
vein in his neck pulsing and I finally breathed a sigh of relief.
I leaned over the bed and gave him a soft kiss on the lips. I felt him twitch and then I felt the flutter of
his eyelashes against my face. I lifted my head slightly and watched as he pulled open his eyes. When
he saw me, he smiled. “Hi beautiful,” he croaked out. The poor thing sounded like a frog.
“Hi yourself. How are you feeling?”
“Like I got shot,” he said, with a weak grin.
“Oh baby! I’m so sorry!”
“Shh, I’m okay. The doctor told me I’m okay. Didn’t he tell you that?”
“Yes, but I didn’t believe him. I needed to hear it from you.”
He smiled again. “Consider yourself informed,” he said. “I’m fine.” I felt a tear roll down my cheek
and I wiped it with the back of my hand. “Why are you crying? I’m going to be okay.”
“Happy tears,” I told him. “I love you so much. When you get better, you’re going to be in so much
trouble for doing this to me.”
He laughed and then winced. “Don’t make a guy who just had surgery laugh. I love you too.”
I kissed him again and then just sat there with him until the nurse told me my time was up. I squeezed
his hand and said, “I’ll be back.”
He was almost asleep. “Okay baby. I love you.”
***
Alex was in the hospital for four days. On the third day of his hospitalization I decided that I wanted
him to come home to a house with no drama… finally. Jason was in jail on charges of conspiracy to
commit a kidnapping, violation of a restraining order and trespassing. Elliot was in jail on charges of
conspiracy to commit a kidnapping, false imprisonment and attempted murder. The only issue left to
be dealt with was Cassandra and I had an idea that I wanted to try out.
James had Alex’s phone when he was taken hostage. He left it with me when he flew back to Tuscany
to fly back out with Alex’s mother the following day. I turned it on, found Cassandra’s number and
wrote out a text.
“This is Victoria. I need to see you.” Several seconds passed and I got one back.
“Is Alex okay?”
“He’s fine. I need to see you.”
“About what?”
“You and I have some things that need to be settled. For one thing, I’m afraid that you were right.
Alex was asking for you at the hospital. I need to know what it will take for you to stay away.”
It was longer that time before she sent back, “Venice tea room. One o’clock.”
“I’ll be there.” Now, I just need to figure out how to get there without alerting anyone who might try
to stop me. I fed my beautiful boy and then I handed him over to the nanny, Mrs. Yost. I went
downstairs then and found Liz in the kitchen with Gregory.
“Hey, how are you feeling today?” she asked.
“I’m good, much better. We’re one day closer to Alex coming home. I can’t wait.”
Liz and Gregory smiled. “Us too,” she said.
“I need a favor though.”
“Name it,” she said.
“I need a ride to Venice Beach. I don’t want to take security and if I try and take my own car, they’ll
insist. We’re just going to tell them you’re taking me to the hospital to see Alex.”
“Okay…” Liz and Gregory were both looking at me curiously.
I sat down at the table and said, “It’s time for a much overdue conversation between Cassandra and I.
I’m meeting her at the Venice Tea Room at one o’clock.”
Gregory cleared his throat and said, “I’ll get your breakfast.” He jumped up and went over to the
stove.
Liz looked at me long and hard and then she said, “Are you sure this is a good idea?”
“It’s the best one I have,” I said, trying to lighten things up with a smile.
“I’m not leaving you there alone.”
“Fine, but Cassie can’t know we’re together.”
“Okay, I don’t like it but I know if I say no that you’re stubborn enough to go anyways without me.”
“Yes, I am.” She rolled her eyes. I hugged her. “Thank you.”
She looked over at Gregory with love in her eyes and then back at me. “I owe you,” she said.
CHAPTER TWELVE
VICTORIA
Liz and I got to the tearoom just before one. She went in first and then I did. When I got inside I saw
there were very few patrons. Liz was at a table by the window. I couldn’t see Cassandra yet.
“For one?” the hostess asked me.
“Um… I’m meeting someone here.”
“I’m right here,” Cassandra’s voice came from behind me, she’d just stepped in.
The hostess led us back to a table. I could see Liz craning her head to watch. I gave her a hard look
and she rolled her eyes again and turned away. Cassie and I sat down and after the hostess left she
said, “So why all of a sudden am I supposed to believe that Alex wants me back?”
I shrugged. “I don’t care if you believe it, but you have to ask yourself why I would tell you this if it
wasn’t true. I’m devastated. I stood by him… through all of this… and when he woke up in the
hospital, he asked for you. I thought it was the medication talking but he’s been cold to me and I heard
him asking one of the security men to get his phone and call you. I’ve had the phone. I hid it.”
She was looking at me through narrowed eyes. After a few seconds she said, “So why are you here
telling me?”
“I want to know what it will take to get you to give up on Alex and go away. I think in time, he can
learn to be happy with me…” She laughed haughtily. I wanted to slap her… but I refrained.
“Why would I want to take some paltry settlement when I could have it all?”
“Because you don’t love him, Cassie. I do.”
“And what makes you think that I don’t love him?”
“I can see it on your face. You could have money to do whatever you wanted if you accepted my
offer. You could have a different man every night if you wanted until you find one that you really love.
I’ve found mine and I don’t want to lose him.”
“I’ve already turned down Alex’s pitiful offer. How can you do any better?”
“James is in town, did you know that?”
“Alex’s father?”
“Yes, and you are apparently not his favorite person.”
She laughed. “That goes both ways.”
“He likes me and he is more than willing to help me make you go away.”
“No, I don’t think so,” she said. “I think I like being Mrs. Reigns. I always knew that Alex would
want me back.”
I tried to look sad, or mad. “Wouldn’t you rather be free to see whoever you’d like? Obviously Alex
can’t be trusted to be faithful…”
“He’s an idiot. All he had to do was wear a condom and I would have never known that he screwed
the maid… no one would have. I’ve never been stupid enough to turn up pregnant. Of course for you,
that was a smart move. He’s always been too trusting.”
“I love him. I didn’t get pregnant on purpose.”
“It’s ironic that all of that time, Alex was trying to get me pregnant and I was smart enough to take my
pills. All he wanted from you was an afternoon tryst and now he’s saddled with a kid.”
“Ironic,” I said sarcastically. Then I changed my tone to a pleading one and I said, “Please
Cassandra… don’t take him away from me.”
“Don’t you see that you never had him? Like marries like. He should have learned how to have an
affair on the down low like the rest of us do. It’s perfectly fine to screw the servants… it’s just not
okay to have a relationship with them.”
I tried to look confused as I said, “So you and Alex knew that each other were having sex with other
people?”
“Of course not. I mean, it’s assumed, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to tell my billionaire husband
with the original copy of the pre-nup that I’ve had sex with the gardener if you get my drift.”
“Armando?” That was a genuine shock. Armando can’t be over eighteen or nineteen years old.
She smiled lustfully and said, “You should have tried him out while you had the chance. He was the
best lover I ever had. Much better than Alex.”
“Please don’t take him,” I forced a tear. She smiled again. Bitch. “I need to use the restroom. I think
I’m going to be sick.” I got up and quickly walked to the bathroom at the back of the little tearoom. I
ducked inside and locked the door. I opened my purse and pushed rewind on the Dictaphone. I only
rewound it for a second and then I pushed play. Cassandra’s voice floated out. She clearly stated that
she’d slept with the teenaged gardener and that he was “the best” she’d ever had. I smiled. That
should do the trick. I splashed some water up on my face and went back out. Cassandra was gone.
Liz came over and said, “She ran out of here like her ass was on fire.”
I laughed. “She thinks she’s going to see Alex.” I took out my phone and called the hospital. I spoke to
the charge nurse and told her Cassandra was likely going to be coming by and trying to see Alex. I
told her there was a restraining order in place. She assured me that she would not be let in and
security would be called. I hung up with a smile. “Can you take me one more place?” I asked Liz.
“Of course. Where to?”
“Wilshire Boulevard.” I had Liz drive me to Alex’s attorney’s office. I asked to see Noel and when
the receptionist let me in, I sat the Dictaphone down on his desk and pressed “play.” His face went
from confused to ecstatic when he heard Cassandra’s voice and words.
“How did you get this?”
I shrugged. “Her ego couldn’t help itself, I guess. I think she might be in for a rude awakening in a few
minutes though… she’s on her way to the hospital and they’re going to be expecting her.”
He grinned. “You’re amazing.”
I raised an eyebrow and said, “Is that an apology for all the things you said about me when Alex
found out I was pregnant?”
“Um… yeah, sure. You do know that I was just doing my job. I get protective of Alex. He hates the
legal stuff and I’m always afraid he’ll get taken advantage of.”
I smiled. “I know you were just doing your job, protecting him. I wouldn’t have it any other way,
actually. I agree with you that he trusts easily, but it’s part of what makes him so special. He needs
someone like you to keep an eye out for predators. Keep it up, okay? And please, don’t let Cassie
take anything that’s important to him.”
Noel looked at me with his intense blue gaze and said, “I think that Alexander has seriously re-
evaluated his priorities. Nothing much seems to be important to him, other than you and Michael. He
actually called from his hospital bed yesterday and told me to give her whatever she wants and get
her out of your lives.”
“I don’t think that will be necessary. I think that we will be able to at least protect his assets for his
son.”
He stood up and shook my hand. “You can bet I will. Michael is as important to me as Alex is… and
do you want to know what else?”
“Sure.”
“You are too, Victoria. I’m sorry we got off to a rough start.”
“Me too,” I told him with a smile. Alex has good people in his corner. “Thank you.”
He picked up the Dictaphone and held it up. “No, thank you! This is exactly what we needed.”
That was the last stop in what I felt was a productive afternoon. I had nothing but high hopes for the
future from this point on. I feel strongly that we had already experienced the rough patches. From here
on out, it should all be smooth sailing.
Liz took me back home with a big smile on my face. I was happily anticipating Alex’s return from the
hospital in the morning.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The coastline sparkled brilliantly in the morning sun. The small private area of beach was surrounded
by chalky white cliffs that looked like a big ribbon, jagged and folded along the shore line and then
disappearing off into the distance. Beaches of rocks stretched out on one side of the cliffs and on the
other side was an area of nothing but pure white sand. The waves crashed against the rocks and sand,
foaming up and then being sucked back in and underneath the aquamarine expanse of the Pacific
Ocean. Off in the distance standing like a sentry against the blue sky was a tall white lighthouse. The
seagulls squawked and called to each other and besides the waves that was the only sound until the
harp began to softly play. The people in the starch white chairs with pretty pink bows tied on them,
stood up and turned to look at the bride. I stepped out of the temporary tent that had been set up for me
to get ready in and squinted into the sun. After my eyes adjusted, I could see that everyone was
looking at me. I usually don’t like to be the center of this much attention but today, I was reveling in it.
This is my day… mine and the two most beautiful men in the world who were standing at the altar
waiting for me, waiting for our family to finally be joined together as one.
Liz was there as my matron of honor. She was wearing a light pink lace dress and she had been very
excited about not having to wear shoes. And yes, I said matron. She and Gregory had sneaked off to
Las Vegas a few months ago and tied the knot. I’ve never seen her so happy, and now Cook has a
partner as interested in helping out the homeless as he is. Liz was using her talents with people,
teaching classes and giving talks about day to day activities that are difficult for people who live on
the street. She’s another reason why I feel so lucky. I couldn’t have special ordered a better friend.
James was Alex’s best man. He cried when his son asked him. He looked so proud now at his son’s
side and with his grandson in his arms. We’ve all come so far and I like to think we have baby
Michael to thank for most of it.
Alex’s mother was on the right and mine on the left in the first row near the altar. They were so
different and yet here they were, about to become family. Alex didn’t even balk when I said I felt like
I had to invite my mother. I would have felt so incredibly guilty if I hadn’t. I needn’t have worried
about him though.
“Of course you do, she’s family.” I’m so darn lucky. I don’t know what I ever did to deserve him, but
I will never take him for granted. I’m going to do anything and everything for the rest of my life to
make him happy.
I feel so pretty in my wedding dress… another thing mother was disappointed about. She thought I
should have picked out one with a huge train and pearls and lots of lace. What I wanted was simple…
like me. I don’t think that being married to a man with a lot of money changes who I am. This dress is
me and I love it. It’s a cream-colored antique lace gown and as I began my ascent up the aisle, it
fluttered out behind me. I wore a hand-crafted wreath of white flowers in my loose hair and I carried
a bouquet made out of white orchids. I was barefoot and so was Alex. I saw my mother glance down
distastefully at my feet as I passed her. I smiled. She shook her head.
Alex wanted to be casual too. He wore an off-white linen suit, and he wore it well. He was smiling at
me and the look in his eyes told me that he felt the same way about me as I did about him. I looked
then at our little man who just turned one last week. He was chattering in his grandfather’s arms and
reaching out his arms and legs, wanting to go jump in the ocean no doubt. I blew him a kiss and he
squealed. My heart is so full.
I reached the altar that was decorated with precious shells and orchids. A sweet, delicate scent
wafted from them and added to the ambiance of the day. Alex reached out and took my hand. He
squeezed it and I shuddered and thought about how close I’d come to losing him last year and how
quickly he had bounced back. He has nothing but a couple of small scars left from that horrible day…
he tells me they make him look tough. I already thought that he did.
Cassandra had accepted the offer Alex put in front of her out of the blue… right after she got out of an
overnight stint in L.A. County Jail for violating a restraining order. Maybe she had an epiphany in
jail, or maybe it was Armando meeting her the day she got kicked from jail and letting her know that
as insurance for his job he had kept a video of them together and in an attack of conscience he had
decided to turn them over to Mr. Reigns. Last we heard she was living in Hawaii. The tapes are in the
vault along with the Dictaphone for safe keeping. I hope the Hawaiian’s can handle her.
Alex’s mother is still somewhat cold and distant, but at least now he understands that it’s not about
him. He told me that it’s easier to accept now that he understands the reasons behind it. Once things
finally settled down after the court cases and the divorce, Alex hired a security firm to help his
father’s investigators to look for his brother. Perhaps no one will ever know what happened to him,
but I say a prayer for them every night that someday they will find their child and bring him home. She
is starting to warm up to Michael and has shown up with James every day this week and gone on their
walk with them. I even caught her taking a package of Goldfish crackers out of her purse to give to
Michael before they left. When I told Alex he laughed and said that when he was a boy she would
have never considered putting a snack in one of her thousand dollar bags.
“Michael’s charms must be melting the wall around her heart,” I said.
Alex had nodded and said, “She would have had to be the ice queen for them to not.”
James and Alex are closer than they ever were and James even bought a house not too far from us so
that he could see the baby whenever he wants to. He hasn’t been back to Tuscany and Alex’s mother
is beginning to go less frequently. James takes Michael for a walk every day. Michael is growing
attached to him and although he’s only a year old, he seems to know each day that it’s time for his
grandfather to come and get him and he wants to wait by the door. I’m not sure if it’s possible, but I
think that James may have found his fountain of youth. The more time he spends with Michael, the
younger and more energetic he looks.
My mother is the same as she’s always been. I can see her now, searching the audience of our guests,
looking for her next victim. She is who she is… and she is my mother, so I deal with it. The day she
got her invitation to the wedding and saw that it was going to be on the beach, she nearly choked.
“The beach? Seal Beach? Why on earth when you could get married anywhere in the world would
you pick a place that you can’t even wear pretty shoes?”
“It’s our place, Mom. Alex and I both love that place. It’s where we want to start our lives together.”
She sighed heavily. I didn’t care. I was marrying the man of my dreams, the father of my baby and I
was nothing but happy about it.
My mother was just who she was and that would never change. She still doesn’t get me either. The
day that I started school for my Physician’s Assistant Program she asked me, “What is the point in
marrying a billionaire if you’re still going to work?”
I told her the honest truth, “Love. Pure, unadulterated love.” She sighed and rolled her eyes. I just
smiled at her. I’ve come to believe that is how she shows her love. Anyways, I know for a fact that
she’ll be impressed when the helicopter lands to take us to our honeymoon in the Cayman Islands.
Holly Rayner
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