CHAPTER 2

Bianca got an early start to her morning as she was working on her laptop. She had already finished an early morning conference call with Cambias Industries' European division as well as finalizing Fusion's partnership with Centric. With Kendall and Greenlee both on vacation together, Bianca stepped in temporarily to help out with her sister's company. The fact that Kendall was able to snag exclusive fragrance creators for Fusion, Bianca knew that Kendall was helping to put Fusion on the map working with innovators such as Centric.

Centric was actually a two-man team of siblings, Ava and Homer Riley. Ava and Homer are fragrance creators who at the moment have the industry in the palm of their hands. The agreement was to merge Fusion with Centric in order to improve of Fusions line of perfumes. Ava and Homer have created so many well-known fragrances that were world renowned that it only made sense to have partnered up exclusively with them. Bianca agreed to have them design the space that they would like to create however they would like.

Bianca went onto Skype and tried to get a quick Skype session with her youngest daughter, Gabi all to see that she wasn't online.

"Where are you Gab?" She asked herself, "We always Skype around this time."

Miranda suddenly came into the kitchen where her mother was working at the table.

"Hey Mom!" Miranda called.

"Morning Miranda," Bianca called distractedly.

Miranda sensed her mother's unfocused nature, "Something up?"

Bianca crossed her arms, "I'm not sure. During the summer I always Skype on the weekend with Gabi at this time without fail and today…no Gabi."

Miranda remembered that Reese mentioned that she was leaving within hours to Pine Valley when they spoke last night. It was about 9:30am now. A flight from Paris to Pennsylvania would take close to eight hours. Reese and Gabi may very well be on their way now.

"Maybe she's doing something with Reese. And lost track of time," Miranda smoothly suggested.

"Maybe," Bianca closed her computer. "Do you wanna go somewhere?"

Before she could answer, just like clockwork she got a text on her phone from Reese reading.

We're walking 2 the door.

Miranda quickly smiled, "Actually I have plans."

"Plans?" Bianca stood up visibly disappointed, "What kind of plans?"

DING-DONG!

That had to be them. "I should get that," Miranda said referring to the door as she ran out of the kitchen and to the front door.

Bianca sat back down and reopened her computer when she could hear Miranda yell out, "MOM!"

Bianca closed her computer back again, "Geez Miranda," she commented as she made her way the living room. "Must you yell out as if the world is coming to an e…" her words trailed off when she saw Gabi standing in front of her.

"Gabrielle," Bianca whispered in shock.

"Mom!" Her eight year old leapt into her arms.

Gabi looked so much like her mother, but as far as her personality went, she was very much like Zach. Unlike Bianca, Gabi was vey much a tomboy. The way that she would dress, tend to remind one of a young miniature version of Diane Keaton in causal men's suit.

"You weren't supposed to get here for another few days!" Bianca hugged Gabi tightly.

"That's part of the surprise." Reese's voice called out.

Bianca heard her voice answer. THAT voice. She felt her heart skip a bit upon hearing that voice and realizing who it came from. Bianca was so distracted by Gabi's arrival that she didn't notice Reese standing next to Miranda.

'God,' Reese thought 'she still looks so beautiful – even when she's mad." Reese watched Bianca slowly stand to her feet looking completely god smacked to see her.

"What are you doing here?" Bianca asked.

Feeling the tension, Miranda decided to get Gabi and go, "Gabi, why don't we go to Jane's Addiction coffee shop there's this new smoothie that is to die for."

"Ok," Gabi followed her sister out of the house leaving the two former spouses alone.

Reese began the conversation; "I have practiced what I was to going to say to you until I was blue in the face. Now that I'm here…" She trailed off. "I'm going to start off by apologizing to you. For putting you through the stress and worry about custody of Gabi back when we split up."

"Mean apologize for petitioning for sole custody of our daughter then dropping the suit completely when you got a better job?"

"That's not why I dropped it, Bianca."

"Then explain!" Obviously there were still years of pent up anger that hadn't completely resolved.

"I made the job an excuse. But really I just wanted to know that I was still going to be in Gabi's life even if I wasn't in yours. I freaked out. I thought sole custody was the only way to ensure that. I dropped the suit partially because of my job. Mainly, I dropped it because I couldn't do that to our little girl. I didn't want her to see us – see me at my worse fighting over her."

Bianca tried her best to process everything that Reese just said. It still amazed her to see Reese in front of her after all of these years. The last time that she saw her was in Paris when she left for Pine Valley. The last time that she spoke to her was on the phone when Reese said she wasn't going to come back to Pine Valley all to have to lose her again and asked for the divorce.

"So I assume that you're going back to Paris next flight?" Bianca finally spoke.

'Here comes the hard part,' Reese thought to herself.

"Actually I'm going to be here a while."

Bianca tried to keep herself from freaking out, "Define a while."

"A few months. I was hired as lead architect for a new up and coming building. I was hired by Ava and Homer Riley."

Bianca's eyes nearly popped out of her head, "Centric's Ava and Homer? Oh my god they hired you to oversee construction of their facility? How did they hear about you?"

"Zach's casino. They were fans of the architectural designs that I created for it. They reached out and here I am. Look I'm going stay clear out of your way. I have a hotel lined up and unless it's architecturally related I'll make myself scarce."

Unable to stand the awkward silence any longer, Reese turned herself around and left the house. Bianca stood there thinking of all of the things that she wanted to say but was too frozen to even speak it.

Reese Williams was back in her life. Reese was the love of her life. Bianca had many relationships that came and went in her life but Reese was a major one that left her devastated when it ended. If felt so abrupt and cold. They were fine before she left Paris…so she swore.

"Zach's casino," she finally muttered out. Zach had to have given the Reese a recommendation from the Riley's. Bianca grabbed her keys and dashed for the door. It was time to pay Zach a visit.

Zach Slater sat behind his desk on the phone with one of his employees discussing security measures with his head of security. Zach prided himself as a businessman. People tend to call him cold and merciless man when it came to business and life. For those who truly new him the cold and merciless man that he was judged as being was more evident when he conducted business than anywhere else in his personal life. The only time in which the cold, merciless, and unforgiving man came out was if anyone dared to come after him or his family.

"…With the way that things are going so far, I say job well done. Make no mistake; I want eyes everywhere in my casino. I still want you to hire at least three more men," Zach spoke to his Head of Security, Don.

In the middle of his call, Bianca walked into his office. Zach briefly paused then quickly recovered, waving for her to come in as he wrapped up the call.

"Right…I trust whoever you will hire will be top notch but I will give the final interview for each man…Ok…talk to you soon Don," Zach hung up the phone, smiling to Bianca. Quickly he gathered from the way that she looked a bit aggravated that something was up.

"Ok," Zach crossed his arms as he leaned back in his chair, "Something's up and I'm guessing that I'm probably part of the reason somehow."

Zach gestured for her to sit down, but Bianca was too fired up to even consider it. Instead she began to pace.

"Gabi came home today…with Reese - who is back in town," she blurted out. Bianca stopped pacing to gauge the expression on Zach's face, which looked taken aback by the news.

"Really? Now?"

She continued to pace, "Yes now. She's back doing construction for Centric remodeling one of the inventory rooms into a lab that will be next door to Fusion."

Zach breathed out quickly, "I see. So I fit in how?"

"You recommended her to Homer and Ava!"

"Whoa, whoa," he held up his hands, "I didn't recommend Reese. Back when Kendall was trying to convince them to merge with Fusion, she brought them to the casino. Homer and Ava wanted a tour of the place, so I took them for it and showed them everything. They were impressed by how it was built. They asked me who the architect was and I told them an architect in Paris named Reese Williams. I would hardly call that a recommendation, Bianca."

Bianca finally took Zach's offer to sit down, "I can't blame you for her being here. It's not like you could've lied about who built your casino." Bianca picked at her fingertips.

"So Reese personally dropped off Gabi this time around. Sounds nice and awkward. How are you doing?"

Bianca rolled her head back, "I don't know what to feel specifically. I'm mad, and annoyed, I feel ambushed, and…things that I shouldn't be feeling at all."

Zach arched a brow to her last comment, "Like?"

"A little bit happy to see her," She saw how Zach stared at her and could read his mind, "I shouldn't feel happy to see her - I don't want to feel happy to see her."

"Why can't you?" He challenged, "You were once in love with Reese. You both let things end so abruptly, I'd be surprised if there weren't any feelings left at all between the two of you."

"No, stop it. That is not the case in this situation. She gave up on me."

"You let her walk."

Bianca narrowed her eyes angrily to Zach, "You're supposed to be on my side!"

"I am. I'm giving you a little devils advocate to give you a fresh look at things." Zach came around his desk, and sat on the front facing Bianca, "Bianca, I'm the king of holding grudges – it's no secret. When it comes to Kendall, no matter what goes on between us or how much we hurt one another we forgive and we let go."

"And you think that I'm holding onto a grudge with Reese? She's the one that didn't want to follow me to Pine Valley –"

"Oop! Watch yourself. You're sounding like someone who's still pissed off…like maybe you still hold a grudge."

"Don't I have a right to be mad still?!"

"Yeah you do," he quickly agreed, "but so does Reese."

Bianca scoffed in shock, "On what grounds does she have to hold a grudge on me?"

Zach crossed his arms, "When you came back to Pine Valley with the girls and you and Reese rekindled your relationship, you said that you forgave her. Really though, did you? I know that trust is huge for you and you have no tolerance for dishonesty, so when you took Reese back and took everything step by step did you do so still hanging Reese's mistakes over her head? At least maybe a little without realizing it?"

Bianca sat in silence really thinking about what Zach had said. With everything that happened between Reese and Zach and taking her back even after feeling betrayed, admittedly, she didn't completely get over it.

When Reese didn't come back to Pine Valley they fought over it. Reese felt as though coming back was going backwards and Bianca felt abandoned by Reese's decision to stay in Paris, but deep down felt as though Reese didn't want to come back because she would run back into a man's arms. They both gave up really out of fear and immaturity.

Zach smiled looking at Bianca process everything he just said to her, "Hit the nail of the head hard enough for ya?"

Bianca gave him a quick scowling glance, "You may be a little right," she got up from her seat and sat beside Zach on his desk.

"I think that you two have a lot of unfinished business. Come on, you two were madly in love at one point."

"Yeah, and then I fell in love with Marissa. Let's say hypothetically that Reese and I are somehow supposed to be with each other. Then what does that make Marissa relationship and mine mean? Are we supposed to sum up to some sort of fling or rebound? I was madly in love with her Zach!"

"No one doubts that Bianca. Look at it this way: The heart has an uncanny way of taking us on a journey of exhilarating love, then devastatingly tragic loss all to heal you up and show that you can ride that journey back to exhilarating heart pounding, hair pulling love, again. We get lucky to find the love of our lives. We're even luckier if lightening strikes twice."

Bianca pushed her hair behind her ear then massaged the side of her neck, "Kendall was the lightening that struck twice for you after Maria," she stated numbly.

"You could say that."

"You think that Reese is mine?"

Zach shrugged, "Who knows."

"You have a real knack for saying something poignant then going back to being blunt and casual," she gently nudged him playfully.

Zach chuckled, "Don't you have an eight year old who just got home from Paris? What are you doing talking to me? Go spend time with her," Zach got up and sat back down behind his desk.

Bianca chuckled, "Yeah. I hate to have to say this for what feels like the umpteenth time, but you're right. I'll talk to you later," she looked back at Zach before opening the door, "Thanks for being my soundboard."

"Anytime."