"Listen Cora, you need to calm down!", says Leopold with worried face.
" Don't you tell me to calm down Leo! Did you see what he did!", Cora is currently passing in the trophee hallway.
" Cora, calm down please! We need to keep our calm before the Grammy's next week!"
Cora knows that, indeed she has to calm down, because neither of them can be involved in a scandal, but hell she's mad!
" You're right Leo! But we have to make a move before the ceremony thursday, something big enough to bring attention on him but not big enough to jeopardize us. Call Gold and fix a meeting before Wednesday. Now, I'm going into the spa and I don't want to be disturbed!"
And with that she leaves, her perfectly brushed hair moving gracefully behind her, her expensive Louis Vuitton high heels making noise on the polished parquet.
"So, how did she react Daddy?" asks the young woman to Henry. He doesn't answer, he keeps his mouth closed with a strange expression.
" That bad? Was she mad? Did she yell at you?", asks a second woman, older than the first.
" No."
"Oh….that bad! But…..What that mean exactly? Is she going to come here? What about Leo? Are they coming to get them? God no!" , the older woman is doing her best not to cry.
13 months earlier.
" Leopold where were you? Do you know what time is it? I've called you a hundred of times! You miss dinner!", asks Eva her face red, her eyes swollen from crying, her makeup and her clothes ruined with mascara and lipstick.
" Eva, please not now!", Leo throws his bag on the bed and goes in the bathroom.
" Then when Leopold! We miss you! You miss Snow recital and our wedding anniversary!", Eva has enough of this life, having a gust of wind as husband. This has to stop!
" Cora Listen, I've already apologize for that and send flowers! What more can I do?", Leopold is tired, true is that yes, he's not often home but when he is, he's welcomed by a screaming wife blaming for all the wrong in the world.
" I don't know you could...maybe… be there!", Eva is fed up, her voice keeps going up.
" Listen Cora, I gotta work, I'm a businessman, people counts on me…."
He's still talking but Eva doesn't hear anything else, she can feel her heart beats in her ears, she feels lightheaded but never felt that heavy before, she gasps when she realizes it's the second time in less than a minute that he calls her that…. Could it be...No! But she has to know, know if her husband is unfaithful.
" Leo.", maybe it's the way her voice is so soft, maybe because it's the first time tonight she calls him like this, or maybe because she can stop the tears rolling down her face. No matter what it is, but Leopold actually turns to look at her, he actually listens her. Immediately, he's hit with wave of guilt when he takes in her state. Her usually straight dark hair are wild around her face, her nose, eyes, cheeks are red. Her makeup is all stirred, she shaking slightly and she never looked so petite but her eyes, are swollen yes, but blue a the day he first saw her, blue as the sky when they were happy, when he was there.
He takes the sight in front of him, and he forgot about everything else.
"Eva?", and that is it for her, she didn't think she would have the strength to ask, to admit that she doubt is fidelity, to say out loud what she and everyone had been whispering to her for so long, but now, now she know she must ask.
" Leo, please tell me. We can go on, I can't…. You can't….Are you seeing someone else?"
Her husband didn't except that, he never thought she would actually asks him. Women usually turn around, and are so subtle, that her bluntness surprises him. He can't find a word, to defend, to deny, to play upset that she would doubt him. He's been a lawyer, he knows how to lie. Though, he can't, he just stares at her beautiful blue eyes.
The silence is thick, though outside life is going, children play, scream, cars go by and dogs barked. But, still the silence remains, Leopold know he needs to talk but he can't and he knows she expecting him to say something.
Indeed, Eva expected him to talk, actually to lie. Him, the man, the lawyer, the businessman. He's older than her, he always been so clever, so smart, she had never saw him surprised like everything in life was so predictable to him, like there wasn't a thing he didn't see coming. It had charmed her, she loved it, his assurance, his confidence, his power, she felt protected, at time overprotected but mostly love.
Now, she doesn't know what to do, she expected him to make up a defense speech, a plea, to dissuade her, to persuade her, to move her, to change her thoughts but nothing.
When she thought, she couldn't talk anymore, she talks in a deep voice:
" Do you love her?... More than me?...Do you love her more than our family?", she takes a few steps back until she can sat on a armchair, her eyes still staring at him, she feels tired but she can't closed her eyes, not even blink.
Leopold has the horrible feeling that his life is slipping away from him, now he thinks of all the times, he neglected his wife in anyway. Missing calls, birthdays, anniversaries, family meetings and else, and he wonders why she didn't cheat, or left him already. He's the one always absent, at first he told himself that he was too busy to go, to answer but he made the time to cheat. He knows he's guilty, that's all his fault, if she leaves, if she cheats, if she hates him, but he can't help telling himself that it's not too late. His wife, he's still hear after all, she still lives here with their child. Snow, his beloved and dear daughter, the greatest he ever done. His best accomplishment is his family, so why doesn't it treat them better.
Eva opens her mouth to talk so he act before.
"Eva….no."
She feels relieved even though he didn't answer any question, or did he? But he talks, and she feels a bit less alone when she sees that he seems as lost as her.
" I love you! And Snow, you're the best thing that had ever happened to me!"
She wishes she could be more difficult with him, tells him that she doesn't care, that she hates him, that she doesn't believe him and throw his clothes by the windows but she can't, she won't. Leopold made the first step and kisses her, before she realizes it, she's naked with him, in their bed.
She doesn't know what to think anymore.
Then she doesn't wish anymore to be difficult, why? Everything so easy now, he's here and she's here too. That's all they need, right?
Somewhere in a fancy hotel waits, a woman. She dresses with expensive lingerie and is laid in a way, you see in the celebrity magazine, on cover of Playboy maybe?
She looks at her phone, it's 9: 56 pm and no missing texts or calls, well not from the man she wants. She sights, he must be with his wife that bastard. Men are so weak, you played the housewife card with them and they fall for it. But she thought, he was smarter than that, make her, Cora Mills waits. No, never. She would have call him, or even calls his wife at their home so she couldn't remind him who she was but she won't. Revenge takes time. She wants revenge from him, because he plays too much but mostly from her.
When she was younger, Cora and Eva grew up in the same city, they weren't bestfriend but they didn't openly hate themselves neither. The more they got older, the more they've become competitive, in high school, the tension was noticeable by anyone. Anyway, make a long story shorter, they both wanted to be famous, Cora auditioned for a role in the cinema and nailed it, but because of some reason that will won't tell for now and because Eva was a jealous bitch, she was the one to do the film. Plus, the dark hair woman made sure that Cora had a very bad reputation. Eva became famous, Cora hardly make it to the surface by being notorious for all bad reasons. But that was more than 20 years ago.
But what was her surprise, when a few years ago from now, she bumped into Leo in a coffee shop, where she worked. Well actually, the only reason why she had accept the job there, was because she could meet famous people, like actors, business more importantly managers and rich people.
She had be ashamed at first, for him to see her like that. He didn't know she came from a poor background, he only knew the bombshell who had competed with other actress. He didn't know the two women knew each other that much, hated each other that much.
Cora had laughed at it, she had been his girlfriend, they were almost engaged and then Eva did her things to ruin everything but now life has giving her way to claim vengeance, and she would be a fool, to not taking it.
Back in the hotel room, Cora is no longer waiting for little Leo. It's 21.28pm and she invited a friend, since she didn't have company. At 21.45 pm, the luxurious door open on Mr Gold, a rich and famous person on the showbiz, she grabs him by the tie to the big bed where she pushes him down, opening her deep purple robe.
She isn't with Leo, for sex, actually he's not really good at it, so why even pretend. She doesn't love him and feels no remorse as she undress the man under her.
The next morning, Henry gets home, exhausted but happy. Home, sweet, Home, he thinks as he open the door welcomed by….nothing.
Well, he didn't except a thousand people but still. They had gave the house staff a few time off, to "focus on being a family", at least that what he had think.
He climbs the stairs to his bedroom, the bed is still made, everything his in place the exact way he had left it a week ago. He starts to get worried when he knocks on his daughter room and he hears nothing, he calls her name and still nothing. Henry open the door, hoping to see his girl but there is no one. Oh god!
He looks around, everything is in place, where it supposed to be, he open her dressing room, and see clothes. He can't stay if something is missing, and even if he could why would it mean?
He goes downstair, the alarm security is still on, he looks for her in every room, outside, even call a few people. Maybe he's overreacting but he hasn't be home for more than a week, something tells him that Cora neither! And she was supposed to stay with their little girl.
He tries to reach Cora for the fifth time now, and leave a vocal message.
" Hey, Cora it's Henry, your husband. I'm back from my trip, and face with unpleasant surprise: you're not here and I think you haven't been home for the whole week. Now, I know that I'm only your husband but please, tell me you have Regina. She isn't home! She doesn't have a phone, I can't join her! I don't even know since when she's missing! Cora please, she's only a child! I hope you have her! You have her, right? Anyway, please call me back, to let me know that you guys are safe! Cora seriously, our daughter is missing, she could have been kidn….."
The fortyish man, made a U-turn as soon as he heard the noises at the door. The door open on a very casual Regina. She enters the room and gives her father a smile before putting her bags on the marble counter.
" Hey...Hi Daddy!", she goes and give him a kisses before heading to the kitchen.
Her father follows her, astounded. She opens the fridge and put the food she bought, he guess. She takes her time, to place everything in the right place, humming a tune at the same time. Finally, she looks at him.
" What Daddy? What with the weird face?", she softly laughs at him.
" Well, where you?", Henry is eventually composing himself and remember he didn't even hang out, so he does it, and looks back at his daughter. He thought, she would have stammer, or even blush.
She answer with a disconcerting tone " I was out."
" Well, I noticed but I mean why? with who?"
" I was outside buying food since the only thing left was some carrot and vodka, lot of vodka", Henry mind is running wild. Where did she exactly go, with who? What about the vodka! I mean his daughter is only twelve
" Well….. Did you drink it and with who where you Regina!"
" Daddy of course not, it's mom stuff, you know I never touch her thing! And Graham brings me to the market. We ran out of everything yesterday, when I made a tart for Snow."
"Huh… You know you shouldn't use dangerous thing when there's not adult with you! And you shouldn't stay alone neither! What didn't you call me!"
" I call you, actually but like always you didn't pick up, I call your assistant, Blue and she said she didn't know where you were and to stop disturbing her, I don't like her by the way!"
" Why didn't you call your mother then!"
He tries to not her laugh worried him more, she just laughs and doesn't answer right away.
" Well, I called...and she was…busy!"
Busy? What was that supposed to mean, Henry asks himself.
" Anyway, it was only a week or so, and I had a lot of company!", Regina smiles at the thoughts.
" What do you mean by that! For god sake, you didn't talk with stranger?"
"No, of…"
The phone of the house rings, Henry picks up and hears " Henry I don't have time, so put me on the computer!"; he does it and in a few seconds later on the screen appears Cora, in a perfect look in what seems a hotel room.
" So what's so important, that you call me 5 th time, and call my entourage!", she asks clearly pissed off.
" Regina had disappear…", he's cut by his daughter.
" I didn't disappear Father, you just didn't know where I was!"
" Anyway, she is here Henry! You couldn't wait for her to get back! And Regina don't you cut adult when they're talking! I've told you that a thousand times already! Next time, you won't be allowed to talk. Am I clear?", Cora hates when people do this, so let away Regina!
" Yes, Mother!"
" So, is that it?"
" No, Cora! You leave her by herself, how is that? I thought, we had agreed on this..."
" I was busy ...I told you that... You made like you didn't hear to force me staying home. It doesn't work like that!", Cora answers cutting Henry.
" Nonetheless, Regina stayed by herself! Do you know what could have happen to her!"
" Well, she's here! SHe seems fine!", Cora says with an arrogant smile.
" She didn't have food in the fridge, though it's full with vodka! She had to ask Graham to pick her!"
" Regina fool girl,don't you dare touching my things! And I told you to stop seeing insignificant person like this! Why all your friends are such shamy and dirty! You better not have let that boy do things with you,idiot!"
" She's twelve Cora!"
" Henry,she ain't twelve! She almost eighteen! Stop being so naive! What do you think she's doing alone in the house! What do you think she did with the stabler boy! Thank god I,was there to stop him fucking our daughter on the floor like some whore…"
"Mother stop! Oh my god, Daniel isn't like this!", Regina is mortified.
" Oh godness! Daniel, his name? Is that true Regina? Did you two…"
" No! His name's Daniel but god we didn't do anything! I swear! Oh my! He's sixteen! And I am fourteen! Not twelve not eighteen! How come, you don't know you own daughter age! I'mma go now! In my bed room!"
" Regina, I'm bringing you to the doctor when I'm back and you better tell the thruth!"
"Right, YAH YAH!
Regina 15 se retrouve prise au milieu d'un conflit. Une petite troisième guerre mondiale en soit, avec des affrontements terrestres mais aussi aériens. Tous les moyens sont bons pour gagner. Gagner quoi au juste?
Peut importe au prise dans le divorce de ses parents elle ne s'est jamais senti aussi seul.
Cora sa mère ne veut rien donner, rien essayer, et sutout ne rien pardonner, rien.
Son père lui semble juste un pion comme elle. Mais peut être pas aussi innocent.
Sa future belle mère, la fée noire ne veut rien céder, rein admettre et rien concéder.
Entre la volonté de ces deux femmes puissantes, entre les embuscades, la manipulation et l'acharnement se trouve Régina Mills 15 ans et demi.
Sa soeur ne lui est pas d'une grande aide. Elle est grande a déjà 21 ans et sa maison.
A qui peut et te demander conseil ou parler ? De ses peurs? De ses rêves? De se garçon aux fossettes? De ce qu'elle ressent quand il l'a regarde