My Blue Heaven
Author: Cate
Summary: Cassadines/LoLexis. AU. "We swing and we sway as this tiny voice in my head starts to sing, 'You're safe, child, you are safe…'"
Rating: PG-13
Background: The Alcazars are not a mob family, but displaced Spanish aristocrats clinging to a nobility that no longer exists - in other words, the Cassadines of western Europe. They were never as important a family as the Cassadines, but they've built up their power with a few not-entirely-aboveboard dealings and are now something approaching equal. BigKristina never existed, Alexis never had children and certainly never looked twice at either of Saint Adella's evil spawn. Stefan's still alive, Helena's still menacing, and anything else I decide change should become obvious in the fic itself.
Author's Note: I disclaim. Also, there is an mvid that goes along with this fic on YouTube. My username over there is TehCate; it should be easy to find. ;)
"Two sides, twist and then collide…"
Wyndemere. What an odd name. What an odd place. As Lorenzo Alcazar stepped off the launch onto the small island to which he'd been summoned, he couldn't help but marvel at his surroundings. Just moments ago he had been standing in a small, quaint American town; now, he felt as though he'd been transported back to the European countryside. Europe had a much better grasp on how to blend the old with the new; probably because she had a lot more of the former than America did. Here, the change in scenery was jarring.
Lorenzo was led toward the large, palatial building by a pair of tall men in dark suits that looked nearly expensive as his own - an odd luxury for a couple of servants. None of the three men spoke a word as they entered the castle, though Lorenzo looked askance at the large gargoyles that greeted him in the foyer. Thinking nothing of their charge's curiosity, his guides hurried on, and Lorenzo had to quicken his pace to catch up. He followed them down a wide, drafty hallway, past rows and rows of closed doors, to one room that remained partially open. A small, white-haired woman emerged just moments before they reached the door, as if on cue.
"Mr. Alcazar, I presume," she greeted him, and Lorenzo would have laughed at the cliché had she not looked so serious. "Mr. Cassadine is expecting you. Wait one moment please as I let him know you've arrived."
"That won't be necessary, Ma'am," Lorenzo replied, rudely pushing past her to gain entrance into the study. He shut the door quietly behind him and looked around the large room. Bookcases lined three of the four walls, all of them overflowing. There were very few adornments; a small rug in the middle of the floor, a painting hung above the fireplace, a couch, an armchair and a desk were all that occupied the room. At that desk was a man who seemed entirely unaware of another presence.
"Mr. Alcazar," Stefan Cassadine's booming voice told Lorenzo that he had been wrong in his last observation. "Forgive Mrs. Landsbury for not seeing you in. I don't know what could have made her neglected her duties, but I assure you I will speak with her on the subject."
"Mr. Cassadine," Lorenzo replied coolly, "Rest assured that your servants have all behaved as you would expect them to. I insisted on seeing myself in. I don't take kindly to being summoned places 'at once' and then having to wait on petty formalities. I'm sure you understand."
Stefan stood and for the first time turned to face his guest. "Of course," he said curtly, though as a man who lived his life around 'petty formalities' he understood no such thing. "Please, Mr. Alcazar, have a seat."
Lorenzo took the couch, while Stefan perched himself on the armchair. He got straight to the point, guessing correctly that his visitor would appreciate a forthright approach. "Mr. Alcazar, I would like to propose a joint business venture that would be mutually beneficial to both of our families. Have you ever tasted Venezuelan chocolate?"
"Chocolate?" Lorenzo was puzzled.
Stefan smiled. "Chuao. A rare variety of cacao, some say the finest in the world. I would like Cassadine Industries to export it throughout North America and Europe, and I believe that your partnership in this matter could prove favorable to us both."
Lorenzo arched an eyebrow. "I must say I'm intrigued. You need my help simply to export chocolate?"
"Chocolate is hardly the issue here," Stefan replied. "As I'm sure you know, Venezuela, though a beautiful place, has never been a particularly stable nation. It has, of course, become much improved over the past few years, but still… I like to err on the side of caution. Your family boasts is Spanish ancestry, but it has very real ties to Venezuela, much as my family has ties to Greece despite our own Russian heritage. If problems do arise, not that I expect them to, I have no doubt that the ability to claim you as an ally would make things run much more smoothly."
"That's probably true," Lorenzo conceded. "What do I stand to gain from this?"
"Thirty percent of the profit, as well as the prestige of working with one of the most esteemed companies in the world," Stefan answered succinctly.
Lorenzo couldn't help but smile at the other man's arrogance. His face quickly assumed a harder expression as he negotiated, "Forty-five percent of the profit."
"Forty percent of the profit, and I warn you, Mr. Alcazar, that is as generous as I will get. Do we have a deal?" Stefan's expression was unreadable.
"I'll think it over and get back to you," Lorenzo promised, already rising from his seat.
Stefan nodded. "Fair enough. Mrs. Landsbury will show you out."
Lorenzo paused halfway across the room and grinned. "I think I can find my way."
As per his guest's wishes, Stefan refrained from summoning the housekeeper, and Lorenzo stepped back into the hallway alone. He wandered back in the same direction he had come, taking his time to both admire and shudder at the gothic architecture and décor. This time, as he approached the entrance by which he had come, he noticed the door to one of the front rooms hung open. Two female voices floated desperately out of them, and Lorenzo couldn't help but indulge his curiosity by peering in.
He knew the two women immediately by sight, though he'd never met either in person. Helena Cassadine was the family matriarch, a widow who was rumored to be as deadly as she was elegant. Her step-daughter, Alexis Davis -- half-sister of the man he'd just met with -- was a local attorney. He had heard that she was brilliant; no one had mentioned that she was beautiful.
Thusly entranced, Lorenzo impulsively dashed into a coat closet just inside the door, and prepared to eavesdrop on their conversation. What he heard nearly made him question his own ears…