Like a worn leather shoe, Victoria Grayson's past was etched with dirt and cracks resembling moments she could no longer remember. From scandal to wrongful transactions with green paper she wondered where it all went wrong. She speculated when she had completely failed both her son and her daughter, her daughter being the only remaining part of David Clarke that she knew of. She thought about Conrad who was rotting away in prison in a small 6 by 8 foot cell and how lonely they both must have been. She questioned if he was alone as she felt. She could have had millions of people's eyes on her and it still wouldn't be enough. Lately their eyes were on her for all the wrong reasons.
She knew she should have been grateful that she wasn't the one wearing the orange jumpsuit so she took advantage of that fact with her current physical appearance. Her heels scuffed the floors of her palace and her pearls were worn tightly around her neck but the silence in her home was deafening and in public there was always chaos.
Conrad had made a plea when the tidal wave of terror came down upon them, setting Victoria free but she suffered even more here without the company of her family. She didn't know where Charlotte was and part of her was afraid to ask. When Charlotte learned the truth about whom her parents were and what they had done the girl shot off to the moon like a bottle rocket. It didn't help that she had found out who Amanda Clarke really was after all those years.
Daniel was on top of the world, using his father's mistakes as a jumping off point for his speeches and promises of power and change in the world. He promised that things would be different and his vindictive wretch of a mother would not be involved in Grayson Global in any way. He was no longer affiliated with her, and the only thing he used the Grayson's for now were their family name which was soiled. Somehow he made it work for his favor. He played off the poor little rich boy card quite well.
Victoria imagined that Charlotte was somewhere with that Declan Porter boy either being educated or partying but she could not reach out, she had been told by her attorneys that it was a bad idea. So at the end of the day Emily Thorne had won. All these years and all the suspicions had panned out but still Emily landed on all fours like a very malicious cat.
While it seemed Victoria had everything she had nothing at all except the stone under her feet and the structure around her aching bones. She felt older than she was and felt she lacked the experience to do much of anything except pity herself. The woman fell lost in her thoughts but fire also burned behind her dark eyes filling her skull with something fierce and horrid. She wanted the floods to roll in and sweep away the Clarke residence like it never even existed. Part of her wanted to hate David for creating such a brat of a child, but Emily wasn't even a brat at all and Victoria knew that deep down. Emily Thorne was justice in a thin blonde girl with an infinity tattoo branded to her wrist forever. She could only hate David and the real Amanda Clarke for so long, because in the end the only person she truly hated was herself.
It was barely considered the other end of the beach, the strip of land so narrow and thought out like someone had created the area for spying and trysts. The Clarke home lit up the beach as the Grayson manor dwindled in darkness and Emily Thorne and Nolan Ross reveled in the whole experience. In his hand was a glass of red wine and in hers was white. His tongue rimmed the glass and her delicately manicured fingers polished off the bottle straight from the source itself. She had been meaning to drink that wine for a while now and was saving it for a special occasion.
Seeing the after effects of Victoria Grayson in so much misery brought her pleasure that nothing else could compare to. She had gotten her just desserts but had lost so much along the way; Victoria Grayson's demise had to be a grand reward in the scheme of things. He looked over at her and watched how her golden hairs pushed and pulled with the night breeze like the reins of a horse and its master. He watched how her face changed as she looked up at the castle walls which were severely lacking a Queen. She was queen and he was king in this scenario and everything was the way he imagined it would be.
Emily Thorne licked her lips and let the wind cool them. She looked over at her partner in crime and knew she could rest now. She constantly thought about her friends and family she had lost over the years but tonight the only feeling she wanted to wash over her was bliss, pure unadulterated bliss.
"Do you ever wonder what it is she does up there?" she asked as she set the empty bottle down knowing she would regret it later but the buzz was nice.
Nolan let his glass rest on the little side table she had brought out onto the porch before the drinking had begun. "Sulks, broods, counts her money?" he said in a rhetorical fashion.
"Do you think she's plotting against me?" Emily asked knowing there would always be some part of her that needed to make people pay. She was in fact a sociopath, which had been proven at an early age.
"I think she knows it's a lost hope at this point Ems," he said almost feeling sorry for the woman whom he knew David once loved very much. There was a pair of diamond earrings and a young girl out there to prove it.
Emily too felt like a lost hope as she didn't know what to do with her life now that everything was said and done. The Initiative had fallen flat on its feet, no longer on some political pedestal. It had been cut down like a giant ancient tree by Nolan, Aiden, Emily and countless other people who had faith in the cause. Satoshi Takeda was also a huge part in the effort and Emily had thanked her sensei for his wisdom. Emily had finally come clean about her past. She told Jack, Declan, little Carl and Charlotte the truth about her identity. It had taken years to get out her story but she knew it was a long time coming. Most of them still did not forgive her.
Victoria felt a pit in her stomach as she watched the ocean's waves churn like butter. They seemed to be going in no direction at all. She couldn't tell if the tide was coming in or going out or simply lying in wait. Everything was a waiting game for her now and she felt like a chess piece with no one playing to make the moves for her. When she was a young girl everything was decided for her when it came to what she was wearing or eating or doing but when she was thrown out she found freedom. She never let a man tell her what to do nor did she with a woman. She made that very clear to Conrad who was her savior after her time with Dominick Wright which was only leading her down a pathway to prison. Maybe she was just never with the right person or maybe she was cursed.
Letting her night gown sweep over the cherry hardwood floors she made it to her vanity and brushed her hair in front of the large mirror that showed off her best features from far away. The closer she got to it, the more she could see all her physical flaws. Turning away from it quickly she took a breath before peering back at her reflection. Seeing a few greys at her roots she once again thought of Conrad and a certain rage filled her up again starting from her toes to her lips which quivered with a silent anger.
Wanting to scream out to the sea she went back to her balcony, the little veranda looking down upon Emily Thorne's beach house. She could see the lights on, strings of them wrapped around the railings of her own veranda. Victoria remembered spending time with David out there and so did Amanda.
Emily watched Nolan's long torso seem to sway in the wind as he juggled glasses and bottles in his hands. He took long strides into the house from the porch to put away the garbage and she trusted him enough to figure out how to use a dishwasher. Looking up past the hedges she could see the dim form of The Grayson manor where everything went down in a mess of metaphorical flames. She swore she saw a woman's silhouette and part of her dared herself to wave, the smug little bitch that she was. She wanted to throw it in Victoria's face that she had won, that she had everything and she knew exactly how. She knew Nolan would go along with it as well.
He came out and balanced a tray of chocolates with one hand like he was some kind of skilled waiter but he was far from it. His lankiness didn't make him graceful, it made him more gawky and clumsy but she adored it.
"Madame…" he purred as she procured a piece not able to dismiss him or what was in his hands.
Popping the chocolate into her mouth she tasted cocoa and let a happy moan flow from her parted lips.
"The best reward of all…" she told him as she let her feet rest on the little wicker ottoman she had pulled up in front of her earlier.
Nolan placed the tray down after jamming a few pieces into his mouth, the flavor melting on one of his most sensitive appendages.
She watched him lick his fingers even though he had not made a mess and an idea struck her like lightning. She knew she was being watched and she liked it. She liked the power. She liked that there was nothing Victoria Grayson could do to her. When she thought about change she knew it was inevitable.
Winter was coming and at night she could tell by the frost that would sometimes very lightly blanket her windows. There was no chill tonight, just what the water provided since they were so close. Her hair danced wild around her as a smile decorated her face.
"How are you feeling right now?" she asked the man beside her who had finished chewing and swallowing the sugary sweets he provided them both with.
"Like nothing can stop me…" he purred and she was with him there. She knew that feeling. It made her blood feel like it was coming up to the surface just to make her skin tingle.
Standing up she wiped her mouth and pulled her hair back in a ponytail like she was preparing for battle. She filtered her eyes over to the home beside her and planned her attack.
Victoria batted her lashes and squinted down below to see what Emily Thorne was doing at this hour. Usually she wouldn't have cared but it had been made quite clear by her remaining family members that all she had was her memories. All she had were the help who came every day to make sure her manor looked pristine. She didn't care anymore, why did it matter if it was shining and white?
Her home already felt dirty as if it was covered in soot, maybe she should just let it be and save the money. She didn't know if more was ever going to come in again or if it was going to go away at a moment's notice. Sure she could go back to work but who would want her? What would she put on her resume? That she worked at a soup kitchen when she was fifteen? That she sold illegal artwork? That she barely raised two children? Blood thirsty socialite?
Looking down below she made out shadows and made the brash decision to put on her glasses meant for seeing far away. She found herself pathetic as she pulled up a Roman inspired chair and sat down next to the railing, out of mind and out of sight.
Blinking she made out more of the image from next door and watched Emily Thorne straddle the genius billionaire.
When Emily put a finger to Nolan's full pink lips he protested with a little sigh, confused of why she was on top of him in a most sexual manner. Had they not made love before, he would have died of shock. She nestled into him, her slacks pushing up against his, the seat of her panties already wet because she knew they were not alone.
She could exact revenge once more by showing Victoria everything she was missing, happiness, freedom, sex, and fun, but most of all someone who really gave a shit.
Nolan spotted the dim light out of the corner of his eye and instantly knew she was putting on a show for the woman who turned her life upside down. For a fleeting second he felt like he was being used but he knew she cared even if she couldn't say the words just yet. Emily Thorne was still numb after all these years but she was warming up to him.
He felt her warm hand at his crotch and his hips rose to meet her, to connect with her. When he tried to reach out and touch her skin she gripped his wrists and practically tied them down. While Emily had no rope he understood that this was about her taking what she wanted and him giving it to her. He would have to see how long he could hold back.
He kept his gaze on her as he heard his zipper basically rip open. She was being greedy and it made him hard. Her hand when down to his length and she eased him from his pants. He watched her smirk before spitting into her hand just to touch him and make him whine a little louder than before.
He threw his head back and accepted what she was giving him but it was hard to try and fight his hands to keep himself from stroking her hair or gripping her thighs.
From base to head she worked her hand up and down him, just pumping away in the dark of night. She loved the way he looked, illuminated and horny and it made her kiss him passionately, releasing a fabricated moan into his mouth.
He pulled back and gripped her shoulders, his eyebrow raised. "Nuh uh uh, kissing is for lovers…tonight you're just a whore…" he said, knowing she always appreciated dirty talk from him because it wasn't him at all.
Emily loved Nolan for all he was worth, but she loved when he would surprise her and insult her as she often did to him when they first met. She loved when he took the initiative to fuck her against a wall and make her scream.
Tonight was all about who would make who scream first and piercing Victoria Grayson's ears while doing it.