By: Ailyse Lucard
Chapter 2: Delusional
Present Day
The grand mansion was dark and bleak, the servants already in bed or at home with their families. A single lamp illuminated the dim study where Darien sat at his immense desk, staring at the odious letter glaring back at him.
"He's dead."
Malachite's voice rang in his ears just as the lawyer continued on to explain how Jadeite had kept a will. That thought had made him laugh. Jadeite, his younger brother who barely passed high school, had been responsible enough to have kept a will . . . as well as a letter.
"Every six months he rewrote this letter. He gave me specific instructions that when and if he died, it would be given to you immediately," Malachite had explained.
Darien swallowed the rest of his brandy, enjoying the feel of the burning liquid run down his throat and settle in to warm his belly. He slammed the glass down on the mahogany table and focused once more on the letter he held in his hand.
Jadeite's penmanship was as crappy as ever. It looked like a 7-year-old had written it . . . and apparently drooled on it from the dried wet spots on the paper. He cursed angrily, crumbled it up and threw it across the room.
He rubbed his face with his hands before running frustrated fingers through his ebony hair. He fought the tears as he got up and made his way to the table by the window that held a nice arrangement of all his favorite alcohol. Not bothering to get another glass, he grabbed a decanter and took a swig of scotch.
He stared out into the moonlit garden as the words from the letter appeared unwillingly into his drunken induced brain.
Darien,
It's been a while since you and I have seen each other or even talked. It must have been a relief to you when you realized I was finally out of your hair and checkbook. I know that you and I have never really gotten along. I guess growing up in the family we had it was inevitable, but I think more than that it all came down to the fact that you and I were too different. But I want you to know that I do love you. You're my brother after all. My Yoda.
Anyway, before I start pouring out all my soul here, the reason why I'm writing this letter to you is to tell you what I've done with my life for the past few years since you last heard from me.
You might or might not have been informed that I finally moved out of the mansion. I finally took that leap. I had always admired your bravery for stepping out from under Father's thumb. I respected your nerve but I knew I couldn't do the same. While you were given the drive, the brains, and all the skills I was left with only the looks (Haha), the charisma, and lack of real talent. I didn't think I could make it on my own, but here I am and I must say it's liberating. I should've done it years ago.
After I left home, I also got married . . . .
4 Years Ago
"My coffee was cold," was the first thing out of his mouth as Serenity walked into his office.
She rolled his eyes and placed a couple of folders on his desk. "You were late coming to work this morning," she reminded him.
Darien looked up at her with cold eyes. "Miss Moon, I am never late," he said in a menacing tone.
Serenity wasn't faced. She had been working for D. Shields Corp. for more than two months now and she knew that the head honcho of the company was mostly all bark and no bite. She learned early on to never give Darien the satisfaction that she was feeling intimidated in any way, so she just brushed off his spiteful taunts and jeers like it was lint. "Work starts at 7," she said, "If I remember correctly, you came in at 7:23."
He went back to work. "You're a delusional airhead."
"You're an arrogant bastard," she glared at him.
"You're a space cadet with a run in her stocking."
"I'm not wearing stockings, genius."
He stared at her legs. "Then you must have missed a spot while shaving."
"I highly doubt that," she sniffed prettily before giving her legs a discreet glance that made Darien smirk. "Oh, here."
He stared at a white and pink, gift wrapped box with a silver ribbon tied neatly around it. "What's this?" he asked dumbfounded.
"A present," she said, watering one of his office plants.
He frowned, picking up the small object and sitting back in his chair, studying it carefully. "That's sweet," he said in a flat and mocking tone, "What's it for?"
She looked at him blankly before giving him a bright smile that short circuited Darien's brain for a moment. "Well, other than the fact that I'm half in love with you . . . what do you think?"
Darien had no reply.
"Oh my God," Serenity laughed, "Don't tell me you actually believed that?"
Darien remained silent, now offended. Why couldn't he assume that she was 'half in love' with him already?
"Your calendar said that it's your second year anniversary with Beryl," Serenity shrugged, "I took it upon myself to get her something for you because I knew for a fact that you would've either forgotten it or miraculously remembered it in the last minute. And look, I was right. You totally forgot which is really lame, by the way. I know for a fact that the poor girl would've raised hell at any half hearted attempt at being sweet and romantic an hour before you're supposed to meet her."
Darien didn't know what to say.
"A simple thank you will suffice," she said, reading his thoughts.
"Thanks?" it came out more as a question than a statement.
She laughed and waltzed out the doors. "I expect to be compensated and possibly be given a raise pretty soon. This upcoming week would be nice," she waved her hand his way before the doors closed behind her.
Darien stared at the gift and shook his head, letting out a short, little laugh. It sounded strange in his ears, a cross between a rumble and a growl.
He sat back in his chair. He couldn't remember the last time he had genuinely laughed. Maybe a few times when he was a child, or the very rare occasions when Jadeite would come to the mansion uninvited with a bottle of good whiskey.
He gazed at the gift and pressed a button on the intercom. "Yes?"
"I highly doubt you need a raise, Moon, I pay you too much already."
"Yes, but would a bonus kill you?" she asked hopefully.
"I'm a hard headed business man. It'll take more than a reminder of my anniversary to entice me you've earned a bonus."
"Very well, but it just proves that you're a cheapskate."
He turned off the intercom and gave out another laugh, this one sounding more normal than before.
"Oh, darling," Beryl gushed, "How did you know?"
She stared up at the bright Rondinelli's restaurant sign as the limo pulled up. "I knew you loved Italian," was Darien's only reply. In all honesty, he hadn't prepared the night ahead whatsoever. It had all been Serenity's doing, from the present to the dinner plans.
"This place just opened too," she smiled and then pouted, "I've been trying to reserve seats here for months but they were always full."
"I work magic," he gritted his teeth, wondering how Serenity had pulled it off.
The limousine doors opened and Darien stepped out, meeting with a large assembly of paparazzi and intense flashes from cameras left to right. He helped Beryl out who turned and bloomed under all the attention.
"What are you wearing!" someone yelled from the crowd.
"Dior!" she replied with her trademark side to side poses that put Paris Hilton to shame.
Darien stood back, trying to disappear in the background but as usual, Beryl pulled him up against her as she basked at the all interest focused on them.
"Look here!"
"Look here!"
Darien wrapped and arm around Beryl and turned with her, looking this way and that. He tried not to show his irritation with all the questions about when the two of them were going to tie the knot and start having babies.
He resisted the urge to glare and smash a camera but knew it would be a mistake. The press was like a sea of preying piranhas that would eat a person alive in a second. They had the power to make or break someone. And though they were infuriating even at their best, the media exposure they brought was good for his financial affairs.
"Smile, Darien," Beryl demanded through a grin.
"I am," he stated flatly, "On the inside."
When she finally had her fill, Beryl gave a little wave and led the way through the doors where they were greeted by their host who sat them in a very private seat in an indoor gazebo.
"Oh, how lovely," Beryl continued on as Darien helped her onto her seat.
They then ordered a bottle of wine and the restaurant's most expensive dishes before a man stepped into the gazebo and softly played his violin.
Beryl looked at him with her bewitching green eyes. "You've outdone yourself tonight, darling," she said, "Are you trying to seduce me?"
"Possibly."
"This definitely makes up for last year's fiasco," she commented dryly.
Darien's face remained stoic as he remembered the last minute plans for their botched trip to Venice during their first year anniversary.
Dinner arrived and Beryl couldn't contain her excitement or her pleasure which made Darien happy. It meant there would be no whining or pouting for at least the rest of the week.
When dinner was over, he took out the perfectly wrapped gift from his pocket and gave it to her.
Beryl's eyes lit up as she took it from his hand. "You shouldn't have," she gushed as she ripped the wrapping open.
Darien leaned forward, just as curious to find out what was inside. He silently prayed that it wasn't some sort of engagement ring. He knew that would definitely give Serenity the last laugh, which strangely enough made him smile a little.
Beryl opened the box and gasped. He watched, transfixed, as she pulled out a white gold bracelet. "Oh, honey, it's beautiful," she said admiringly before shooting him a little glance. "You know, I was a little worried and maybe a bit surprised it wasn't a ring," she hinted.
"Don't you love surprises?"
She stared at him with hooded eyes. "Ready to go?" she asked invitingly.
Darien grinned at her. "Of course."
"Leaving already?" their host asked just at the entrance of the indoor gazebo.
Beryl grinned, "Yes, thank you so much, dinner was lovely."
The host smiled and nodded before looking at Darien. "Sir, the helicopter is waiting for you on top of the building."
"Helicopter?" Beryl looked genuinely perplexed, Darien along with her.
The host nodded enthusiastically. "To take you both to the scheduled air balloon ride."
"Do you think he liked it?"
"Hmm?"
Mina laughed. "Your boss. The gift? The dinner plans? The ride through the stars in a balloon? The surprise fireworks in the midst of it?"
"Well, only if she liked it," Serenity answered, twirling her straw before typing a few more lines on her laptop.
Lita placed a platter of her famous stuffed mushrooms on the table. "Well, I think he liked it. How could he not? First off, the bracelet is a one-of-a-kind Mina design which should make any woman happy."
"Thank you," Mina grinned.
"You're welcome. And second off, I had to pull some serious strings to get those reservations at Rondinelli's. Like . . . serious strings."
They both shot her a doubtful look.
"I had to promise Fred a date."
Serenity shot her a look. "I know for a fact that you're looking forward to that date, Miss Oh-I-Sacrificed-So-Much-Woe-Is-Me."
Mina nodded her head in agreement.
Lita stuck her tongue out and lifted her chin higher. "Anyway, all I'm saying is that you helped him out. He should not only like it but he should be grateful that you saved his ass."
"I highly doubt I saved anything," Serenity chuckled. "I'm sure that he would've whipped something up at the end of the night. It's not like he's a total imbecile or a mentally challenged idiot. Well . . . that last part could be argued. I have caught him mumbling to himself a lot and glare into space like a pasha . . . that or a silver back gorilla that's itching for a banana . . . or something else entirely," she looked at them awkwardly and then shrugged.
"I'll take the pasha. That man is hot," Mina sighed dreamily.
Lita agreed.
Serenity closed her lap top and popped a stuffed mushroom in her mouth. "Well, I'm just hoping he comes to work in a better mood tomorrow," she said before taking a sip of her drink, "You know, give an actual smile. Even a twitch of the lips I can be happy with."
"I'm sure the night went well and he's getting laid right now . . . multiple times," Lita wiggled her eyebrows.
"You know it. Beneath all that seriousness is a man with a healthy sexual appetite," Mina smirked and made some spanking motions with her hands, "He's definitely giving it to her good."
Serenity made a gagging noise. "Ugh, can you guys stop it. I have to face the brute tomorrow. I do not need visuals to help me puke up breakfast on his lap . . . though that would be quite amusing."
Both Lita and Mina looked at each other knowingly then smiled impishly at her.
"What?"
"You have the hots for your boss," Mina sang.
Serenity scoffed at that and took a page from Darien's book, "You're a delusional airhead."
Her two friends shared knowing looks.
"I don't," she insisted, "He's hot. I'll give you that. He looks damn good every day when I see him and if he didn't talk and actually laughed once in a while, I'd jump that. But the guy is an egotistical manic who thinks too highly of himself. He continually glares at anyone who looks at him too long and spits out demands like some raja."
The two remained silent but continued to smile.
"You guys suck," Serenity sighed, popping another mushroom in her mouth. "I gotta go anyway. I have to prepare for His Royal Highness's big meeting tomorrow."
The three friends hugged goodbye before Lita closed down her bistro shop for the night. She and Mina watched Serenity cross the street and disappear into the darkness.
"You know she's got it bad," the tell brunette said.
"You know what's gonna happen right?" Mina asked.
"Hmm?"
"She's gonna bring him outta his shell, fall deeper in love with him and he'll end up falling in love with her in return."
Lita laughed. "You know, normally I would've agreed with Serenity and say that you really are a delusional airhead but," she looked back out of the glass doors, "I must say that I agree. Something's gonna happen between those two. I've never even met him or seen the two of them together but I can feel it in my guts."
Mina nodded. "The only question is will it end up happily ever after?"
Lita looked sadly at the moon.
The offices of D. Shields Corp was very close to Lita's Bistro Shop which made the walk between the two places nice and short.
She waved at Anderson, the doorman, who opened the door with a happy greeting.
Serenity took the elevator to her floor, humming happily along with the music that played through the speakers. The doors opened and she stepped out, colliding with a large chest before a pair of strong arms held her in place.
"You okay?" a gruff voice asked.
Serenity awkwardly pulled away and tried not to look into the deep see blue eyes that she knew would be staring down at her. "Yeah, sorry. You scared me," she rambled and then finally looked at him questioningly, "What are you doing here?"
He lifted a brow, a trademark motion she had gotten used to. "I should be asking what you're doing here. It's almost two o'clock."
"I was just hanging out with a few friends, getting some work done and since it was close by, I decided to come here to get your meeting for tomorrow all prepared. Now, what are you doing here? It's your anniversary."
"I do have to go home."
"To your office?"
"I live in the penthouse of this building."
She stared at him, her mouth wide open. "You are so disturbed. You're obsessed with work like Lindsey Lohan is infatuated with bad tanning."
"I could say the same thing about you as well, Miss Moon, after all, here you are as well," he smirked, shaking her composure a bit. Although the small smile was more of a sneer than anything else, it was still nice to see him in a semi good mood.
"Well, you do work me like a dog and if everything wasn't prepared before tomorrow morning I knew you would've gone ape shit," she said, crossing her arms in front of her in a defensive manner, "Plus, it's your anniversary night. Shouldn't you be with your girlfriend?"
He lifted his brow again, which was starting to grate on her nerves. "I was with her. And since you're so obviously curious, I even went to her place for a little tête-à-tête. Unfortunately, I do have an important meeting in the morning and she has a runway show in Milan tomorrow night."
Serenity blushed. "I wasn't asking for details," she mumbled.
"If I had given you details, Moon, I would've told you about Beryl jumping me in the limo."
She looked absolutely horrified. "Ugh, can you be any more vulgar?"
Darien gave her another awkward grin as her face got redder.
Serenity chuckled. "It would be nice if you did that more often."
He frowned. "What?"
"Smile," she said, "It makes you look . . . ."
"Approachable? Human?"
"No . . . handsome," she said sincerely with her trademark sweet smile.
Darien looked at her, searching for something, he didn't know what, deceit perhaps, maybe an underlying motive. But he saw none and it confused him. Humans lied, they manipulated. Women especially were known for their maliciousness. He learned that firsthand with his mother and Beryl. But Serenity, she was completely different from how he perceived females. She was a mystery.
"Well, I better let you get back to what you were doing," he said awkwardly.
"Right," Serenity shook her head, trying to clear her mind and the mental drool, "Have a good night."
"You too," Darien said before watching her head for her desk. "Serenity?" She turned and looked at him curiously.
"Can I ask you a question?"
"Amm . . . sure."
"Why did you go through so much trouble for my anniversary?" he asked.
She frowned mockingly. "Other than the fact that I knew you'd forget?"
He glared at her.
She chuckled. "I wanted the night to be perfect for her because then she'd be happy. And if she's happy then you'll be happy," she shrugged, a slight blush forming on her cheeks, "Then maybe you'd come to work in a better mood."
He swallowed the lump that formed in his throat. "Why is it so important to you?"
"Because I just want to see a real, genuine smile come out of you," she confessed, looking deeply into his eyes as though she could read his soul, "And more than that, I want to hear you laugh."
Darien nodded dumbly before giving her a slight and shaky smile.
Serenity smiled in return. "That's a start," she said softly.
The ding of elevator made him jump. He looked around, trying to ignore the rapid beating of his heart and the beads of sweat on his forehead. He needed to get a hold of himself and quickly. He hadn't lost control around a female since he was twelve for God's sake. He cleared his throat. "I'll see you in the morning, Miss Moon," he said and disappeared inside the waiting elevator.
Serenity sighed and shook her head. "You're getting way over your head," she mumbled to herself.
Please R&R! Until next time!