**2**
"Victoria, this is my third try to reach you, I don't know where you are even though I am pretty sure you have some fun while I am sitting here and wait for you to call me back! Great. I know you have no desire to help me, but I don't think you really have a choice. You know who I am, so answer the damn call or I swear, you'll regret it!" Conrad put down his phone angrily and frustrated and again, he wondered if his godforsaken ex-wife was just too stupid to call him back or if she actually enjoyed letting him suffer. But in fact it didn't make a difference, Conrad knew how to make her do anything he wanted, and if she still refused to help him he would definitely use his knowledge.
For two whole days he had been sitting in the ruin of the old Grayson Global building. The idea had popped up in his head when he had thought about a place to hide. After the bomb which had destroyed a significant part of the building two years ago, he had used the opportunity to buy a new and bigger one but the ruin was still there and Conrad was sure that no one would search for him in there. On the contrary, it was really cold and uncomfortable, he didn't have anything to eat and the rats which came out at night didn't make it any better. So after this third call Victoria hadn't answered, Conrad decided that it was time to make another phone call...
David Clarke screamed painfully when he fell down. His body laid on the ground, his chest covered in his own blood. Next to him the black silhouette of Conrad who held a knife in his hand and looked down at the dead body to his feet. Victoria watched the situation, silent tears ran over her face. She couldn't do anything; couldn't look away, couldn't move, couldn't even make any noise. She wanted to scream, stabbing the knife into Conrad for what he did to the man she had loved, but it was impossible, she was only able to watch. She felt horrible, and she knew it wasn't over yet. Another man came up to her out of the shadow. Victoria desperately tried to scream his name, but it was hopeless. Conrad fixed the man's eyes and started to speak: "Dominik White. Did you really think you could steal my wife? Not with me, idiot! Victoria belongs to me, she always will and I won't let anyone take her away!" And again, Conrad raised the knife. Victoria tried to look away, she couldn't endure this but like always she was forced to watch Conrad killing another man. Dominik fell down next to David. Victoria's whole world crashed down, she had nothing left, she desperately wanted this to stop, a part of her even whished Conrad would kill her, so that she wouldn't be forced to live with this pain. But then the light turned on. She felt a twinge of hope when a third man walked up to her, smiling. She knew him and she once had loved him a long time ago. To see him now made her feeling safe, she forgot where she was and what had happened just a few seconds ago. The man kneeled down in front of her and was about to open the little box in his hands. The box which's content wasn't just a ring but also the promise of a better life with a man she loved. But all that new hope was gone in one fell swoop when Pascal LeMarchal fell forward, Conrad's knife sticking in his back. This time Victoria was able to scream. The light turned off again and she sunk down next to Pascal's motionless body. "You could have avoided this, Victoria. They didn't need to die, but you didn't left me another option. It's your fault; they all died because of you." Conrad's voice was calm and threatening at the same time and Victoria felt worse than ever before. She heard Conrad turning around and leaving the room; letting her alone in the darkness with all her guilt.
And then she finally woke up.
Hard breathing and sweaty she sat in her bed, and she needed a while to realize that it had been a dream. Victoria felt weak and powerless in the dark room, and the pictures of her nightmare didn't disappear from her inner eye. Silently, she started to cry. This wasn't the first time. She had had this dream very often since Pascal's death and it wasn't only a nightmare. It was reality. Conrad had ruined her life; David died because of him, Dominik was gone and Pascal... this thought hurt the most. It was the freshest wound and also, it had been Emily who had caused Pascal's death even though Conrad had finally killed him. Pascal had wanted to marry Victoria but Emily and Conrad had ruined her opportunity of a wonderful life, and now she sat in a psychiatry, not being able to punish them for what they did to her. At least Conrad was in prison. That gave her a little satisfaction but Emily was still out there, hurting more and more people while implanting her sick plans of taking revenge into action. Who knew what she had done during the last months? Maybe Charlotte and Daniel were already dead, and Victoria just didn't know it. She sobbed at the thought of it and wrapped her blanket tighter around her body. She couldn't stop the tears which ran over her cheeks and she didn't even try to. She had rarely felt so alone... "Victoria?" But she wasn't alone. "Is something wrong?" Louise must have woken up by Victoria's sobs. Carefully, she came over to Victoria's bed and sat next to her. "What is it? Why are you crying?" Victoria whipped away some tears and tried to calm down. "It's nothing. I'm alright, go back to sleep." She just couldn't talk about it. Not now and not with Louise who she didn't even know very well. But Louise resisted. "You are not alright! Come on, you rolled around in your sleep and now you sit here and cry. I'm not stupid. But you can tell me! I told you about my mom, too." That was right. From the very start Louise had been completely honest about her past and Victoria had liked to be there for her. But she hadn't been the crying one then. She had been the one who was strong and comforting, that was something she was proud of. If it came to protect her children, she was able to put their problems over her own ones at any time, and with Louise it had been a similar feeling. She felt responsible for the girl and she liked the thought that she was needed. But now she was the one who cried, she was weak and powerless and that was something she hated. But a part of her actually liked the thought that someone cared about her; she had rarely experienced that and it felt good. So she decided to tell Louise at least a part of her story, even if it made her seeming vulnerable. "I lost everything. Maybe I never showed it in public but my marriage was a whole mess. Conrad toke everything away from me." Victoria swallowed. It was hard to talk about it but she also felt kind of relieved. Louise put an arm around her. "I heard about that thing with David Clarke. You loved him, didn't you?" "I did. Conrad blackmailed me to betray David. I had no choice nevertheless I regretted it ever since. And people have nothing else to do than to blame me for it." Again, Victoria broke out into tears. To talk about her past let all the feelings come up again even more intensive. She tried to continue: "Conrad never stopped hurting me. About twenty years later, I had an affair... Dominik White. We had been a couple years ago, and we found back together- I loved him.", she whispered. Louise gasped. "Did Conrad... Did he kill him?" "No. But when he figured out about us he forced him to leave the country. I don't know what happened to him. I never saw him again." Louise seemed unable to talk. "I... I am so sorry, Victoria." For a while they just sat there. Victoria wondered whether she should tell Louise about Pascal, too. But then she would have to tell about Emily and she couldn't do that. It was a war just between them two and she didn't want Louise to be involved in it. So she decided to skip that part. "Tonight I just had a nightmare. About Conrad and the people I've lost; but I'm okay, really." Louise put her arms around Victoria. It felt good and Victoria was glad for not being alone but Louise was just her roommate and she wished to be with her loved ones. At home. With Pascal and her children. But Pascal was dead and she had no idea what happened to Daniel and Charlotte. She tried not to think about that. They must be safe. But her worries didn't disappear. Victoria had to get out of the psychiatry at any costs!
The art gallery Patrick Osbourne ran was a little one. There weren't many customers but he earned enough money to live with it and he liked his job. Like always when there wasn't anyone in the gallery, Pascal stood in a backroom and worked on his own paintings. Currently, he painted an apple tree in front of a blue sky and some white clouds. It had a calming effect on him and that was something he really needed. Of course he had a job he liked and he had friends who were there for him but that couldn't make him forget the things that happened before he had come here. He hadn't heard from his mother since he had left the Hamptons the year before but he knew from the media that her fiancé Pascal had died a few weeks ago and that Conrad had been sent to prison. It must be hard for her to deal with all of that and although Victoria had her children, Patrick was sure that she must feel alone since her relationship with Charlotte and Daniel hadn't been very good the recent year. Therefore, Patrick had tried to call Victoria but there had just been the mailbox and that really worried him. She would never ignore him. He wondered if something had happened to her or if she just wanted to be alone. Maybe he should go back to the Hamptons to look after her. Especially now when Conrad was gone, it should be safe to come back. So he finally decided to go and take care of his mother. She would need him and he knew she would be glad to see him. He was just about to look for a flight to the Hamptons when the phone in the gallery room rang. He expected a customer who needed some information about the gallery but when he answered the phone call he heard a very familiar voice which let a shiver run down his spine. "Hello Patrick. This is Conrad Grayson - I need your help."