I DO NOT OWN BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
Hey guys! Thank you for reading, for following this story, for putting it up as your fave and the AWESOME REVIEWS! Those reviews mean the world to me!
So, here is chapter 2! I hope you like it. :)
And PLEASE REVIEW! More feedback, means that there surely will be a chapter 3... :)
Vincent sat behind his desk in his office, when he received a message from his employee. The Chandlers had arrived safely in Tinos and had just checked into their hotel rooms. He was very satisfied that everything went just as planned. The weather was working along, so the helicopter was able to fly and land without any delays. Everything went just as scheduled; that's the way he liked it best.
Vincent Keller was a very successful and wealthy man. When it came to business, he was always serious. Their empire was built by his great grandfather, but he was the one who made sure that every year the sales of marble doubled or even tripled. He was a good businessman. Well that's an understatement.
He owned a lot of land, even had a private beach, a huge villa and a cottage near the beach. Being successful was at the moment top priority for him. But there's just something he missed; a companion. While signing the last paper work, he was thinking about his guests. Vincent planned to meet them at his hotel; he just had to take a bath and get dressed. Oh, they are going to love every little piece of his paradise.
Walking out of the office, he heard his cell phone ring. He sighed deeply and closed his eyes for a few seconds. He didn't want to take the call; he really wasn't in the mood to talk to her.
"Hallo." He answered.
"Vincent. I… uhum… I'm gonna need some m…" she began, but he cut her off.
"I know what you want, Alexia." He said. Vincent had enough of her, but he just couldn't say no to her.
" I will call Aftonio immediately to bring you the money." He said politely.
"Oh, Vincent darling. You are a gem. Has anyone ever told you that you have a heart of gold?" she said seductively.
"Good evening, Alexia." He said. He didn't want to hear her slimy words. Words that she really didn't mean. She just acted nicely so she could get money from him. He couldn't believe he once thought that he was in love with her.
"Okay, darling. I never should've let you slip through my fingers. And I am really sorry what happened to…" She said softly.
Vincent was always a patient person, friendly, polite. Even when he made business decisions, he was always the picture of calmness. But Alexia just could always find a way to get under his skin and make him very angry. He didn't understand why she would want to open up old wounds?! Did she hate him that much?! She didn't have the right to bring up the past. What happened to Demetrios was the worst thing that Vincent had ever experienced. His eyes were welling up, while he clenched the phone with his hand. But before he would say anything that he'd regret, he decided to end the conversation.
"Have a nice night, Alexia. Please do not spend all your money at once, okay?" he said and hung up the phone.
He then walked back to the office and grabbed something from his desk drawer. He looked a few seconds at it, while he wiped away the tears that had rolled down his cheeks. Then Vincent gently placed it back and walked out of his office. In the living room, he saw Calinico, his butler. He saw that Vincent had a sad look on his face, so he asked.
"Mr. Vincent. What is the matter, sir?"
Sighing deeply, he responded." Alexia called."
Calinico rolled his eyes and asked."What did the gold digger want?"
"Calinico! Don't call her that! But yeah, what do you think she wanted?" He replied.
"More of your money." His butler responded.
Vincent nodded and walked into his bedroom.
"Mr. Vincent, you do know that shes taking advantage of you, right? If you didn't have money, she would not call you! Let her look for a job. She has never worked in her life!" he shouted.
Vincent's butler was a very nice man, but when it came down to his boss, he was very protective. He hated that the 'gold digger' would not leave Vincent alone.
Vincent listened to Calinico and knew that he was right, but he was tired. So tired of Alexia, but he just couldn't say no if someone needed his help.
"Let her be, Calinico. Is my bath ready?" he said, purposely trying to change the subject.
"You are too good, Mr. Vincent. You are too good for this world. But that's why I am here. To look out for you. But what that woman has done to you, is unforgivable. Poor Demetrios. I… I miss him… every… every single day." Calinico said, while tears pooled in his eyes.
Vincent tapped him on his shoulder and whispered."I am going to take a bath now. My guests should not wait for me."
His butler nodded and wiped his tears frantically from his face.
()
It was 7:45 in the evening, when Vincent arrived at the hotel. Walking towards the restaurant, he decided to have fun and not think about Alexia. When he arrived at his table, he saw that his lawyer was already seated. The two men smiled and hugged each other. He didn't only work for him, they had also become good friends. Vincent then took a seat, while they talked a bit.
"My daughter will be down soon. She's just finishing a call with her sister." Mr. Chandler said with a smile.
"It's okay. We can talk some more then." Vincent answered.
Vincent was seated, so that he was faced towards the door. While talking to his lawyer, he saw a woman walk into the restaurant. A very, very beautiful woman. She was smiling to someone, making her pretty dimples appear. At that very moment, Vincent's heart melted. She had the most beautiful smile. Her shiny, dark hair was up and her lips were painted red. The dress she wore, was a long, dark blue one without straps. She looked breathtaking! His mouth fell slightly open.
"Mr. Keller. Vincent, hallo!" Mr. Chandler said, trying to get his attention.
He looked away from the beauty and said."Huh? Sorry, you were saying?"
Mr. Chandler laughed loudly and said."Nothing." He then saw his daughter walk towards them.
"Aaah, Catherine. Finally! Catherine, I want you to meet my client. Vincent Keller. Vincent this is my daughter, Catherine." He said with a wide smile on his face.
Vincent stood up and shook her hand, while smiling at her. The second her hand was in his and the moment their eyes locked, a flash went through his head. And he knew. He recognized her and almost let go of her hand. But he didn't have the strength to.
Once, his grandmother showed him a book. In it, was a picture of her! And… they had a painting. How is it possible? She looked exactly like the picture in that book. But how? The legend, is it true? The curse, is it true also? Vincent's mind was on overdrive! He never believed in those stories. But right in front of him, was standing a gorgeous woman of flesh and blood, who seemed to fit it all. Was she the one?
When Catherine felt her hand connect with his, she also felt something. It was like she knew him from somewhere? But she has never met him before in her life?! While looking in his eyes, she immediately felt a connection. And in those beautiful, hazel eyes she saw a very good man before her.
She didn't understand it! How can she possibly know what kind of man he was inside? But she just knew. In his eyes, she also saw pain. An unbearable pain that he lived with, so he build a strong wall around him. Not letting anyone in. He tried to hide it, but she saw a good but broken man before her.
"Okay, Mr. Keller. Can I have my hand back now?" she asked softly.
Her father was watching them both and saw something going on between them. 'Oh boy' he thought.
"Oh, sorry. Of course." Vincent replied and placed his hand in his pocket. He was totally knocked out by his 'discovery'.
They both took a seat, while Catherine nervously ran her hand through her hair.
"So, what do you think of Tinos so far, Miss Chandler?" Vincent asked.
"Oh, please. Call me Catherine." She said with a smile on her face.
"Okay, Catherine." He replied.
Catherine's father watched the two and felt like a 5th wheel. He really didn't expect them to click. Sighing deeply, he decided to accept it. There's nothing he could do to prevent what's happening right now. There was no way.
"Well, up until now I love this place! Thank you for inviting us, Mr. Keller." She responded.
"Vincent." he said.
"Oh, yes. Vincent. Thank you." She said.
()
They had a very nice dinner. The food was amazing; Catherine enjoyed Grecian food. After dinner, they talked a bit more, while Mr. Chandler drank a lot of wine. At one point, Vincent and Catherine laughed, cause her father was drunk and almost fell asleep at the table.
Vincent carried him upstairs and laid him on his bed. Catherine thanked him and walked him out.
He gazed into her eyes, when she frowned.
"What is it, Catherine?." He asked.
"Well, this afternoon I walked outside the hotel to take a picture of the church nearby. And I saw an old woman. She was looking at me, like she recognized me and she called me Agathe. It was so weird! I told her that my name was Catherine, but she kept calling me Agathe. She grabbed my hands and squeezed it tightly, saying that I have returned. She kept holding onto me and said a prayer. She was thanking the Gods for bringing me back. Do you… maybe know what that was about?" she asked with a worried tone in her voice.
Vincent sighed deeply and closed his eyes for a few seconds.
"So you do know." Catherine stated.
"Yes, I do. But I have to show you, cause you're not going to believe me if I'd just tell you." He replied.
"Okay, it's not that late. I really wanna know what she was talking about." She said curiously.
"Okay then, lets go." He said and extended his hand to her.
She looked at his hand and without thinking she placed hers in his.
()
Catherine left a note for her dad, in case he'd wake up and would look for her. The drive to the villa was nice. Vincent told her about his island; she was listening to him with undivided attention. When Vincent's home came to view, Catherine's mouth fell open. The gate was wide and shiny. The property was huge, it had a long entrance way. The property was well lit with street lanterns. It was so well lit that she could clearly see the blooming flowers on both sides of the entrance way. Roses on one side and orchids on the other.
"So beautiful!" Catherine exclaimed.
The villa was gorgeous and huge. The garden had a lot of trees and a whole lot of flowers. All kinds of colors, shapes and sizes.
"Gorgeous!" she said.
Vincent smiled and said."Glad you like it."
He watched her reaction and found her so endearing. She looked like a little girl. The wind made the leaves of the trees go from left to right.
They stepped out of the limo, Vincent helping her out. They walked towards the front door and it opened before they could knock. Vincent introduced her to his butler. She immediately liked him.
Vincent showed her the living room; it was huge of course! The interior was classic and beautiful.
"Would you like a drink, Catherine?" Vincent asked.
"Yes, I'd like a coke please." She answered, while staring her eyes out.
The place was very impressive. After the butler brought her the coke, Vincent said.
"Okay, we came here for a reason. Let's go into the library, shall we?" he asked.
Catherine took a sip of her coke and walked behind him, while her heart rammed against her rib cage. Vincent had a expressionless look on his face. She wondered what that was about.
Stepping into the library, a sudden strange feeling came over her. He turned around and faced her. With a 'look' on his face, he said.
"Look up, Catherine."
She did look up… and saw it. She couldn't believe her eyes! She gasped out loud, her mouth fell open and her eyes almost popped out. No, it couldn't be. No, this was… it was IMPOSSIBLE…
So... who is Demetrios? Why does Vincent cry, when he's reminded of him?
And what did Catherine see?
Chapter 3 will get very interesting. More history will be revealed...
Like how Vincent ended up, living in Greece.
Do you wanna know?
Then PLEASE REVIEW!
Ruby.
:)
