"What are you doing here?" Darien demanded as he eyed his uncle suspiciously. Aside from insomnia and grief, anger burned within Darien for his uncle. There was once a time when he saw Matthew as a loving relative who looked and acted so much like his father. Now his beloved father, a man who was thousands of times a better man and father, was dead, and this pathetic excuse of a petty blue-blooded white-collar criminal was alive.
It was undeniable that as much as George taught Darien how to be both a honorable businessman and a kind and compassionate man, Darien also learned much from Matthew. At one point in his early life he looked up to both the men for their different talents. George was always charismatic and charming, two traits his mother always said that passed on to Darien in triple amounts, while Matthew was a pensive and brooding man. And as far as Darien knew, Matthew had been perfectly content with his life until his wife's tragic death.
Everything went to hell for Matthew and Amy after that. As much as George and Elena tried to do to help Matthew out of his depression, nothing seemed to work. It hadn't been easy on Amy either and despite Darien's young age at the time, he felt some sort of compulsion to help the dark-haired toddler. And one day everything stopped. Matthew seemed to have a renewed lease on life as he sank his life into his work. Amy was surpassing all her teacher's expectations and managed to skip two grades in middle school. Her natural shyness and beauty prevented people from picking on her too much although having Darien there at a moment's disposal didn't hurt either. Although Darien often looked in wonder at the wonderful girl and later woman Amy had become under such tragic and unforeseeable circumstances, he's always sensed a presence of intense sorrow and determination in her blue-grey eyes. After moving to the estate when he was around 15, they saw less of each other, and their relationship naturally deteriorated. Amy never mentioned it, but she didn't have many friends.
Things changed for the worse after Elena's sudden and painful death. Like Matthew, his father fell into a mild depression before investing all his time into his hurting son. When Darien returned from the Philips Exeter Academy during the holidays, George would teach him practical ways to apply his knowledge. As he grew older and became involved with the company, Darien watched as his father and other members of the board discovered Matthew's connections with a prominent Russian mob and a long laundry list of other criminal behavior through the company over the past five years. The revelations of his uncle's betrayal coupled with his mother's death hardened Darien and turned him into a completely unrecognizable character when inside the board room. Although there were moments when the warmth would again light in his eyes as he laughed to one of his friends' barbs or as he stargazed with George one clear night before his father remarried, Darien had turned into a different man. After a quarter of a decade's time, Darien lived by the motto that to be impervious to pain and suffering, you must first learn to be indifferent to emotion. Nothing good ever came from emotions… and it was with this in mind that he turned a frosty gaze to a haggard-looking Matthew.
"Is that any way to greet your uncle?" Matthew asked complacently. The years haven't been kind to him, Darien noted, not that the bastard deserved it.
"What I want to know is how you ever managed to get into the building since dad kicked you out for good," Darien retorted with a smirk. Matthew reddened.
"You father did not kick me out. It was good time for me to retire, and I did what I thought was the best during the circumstances. I regret nothing."
"I'm glad you found a way to console yourself since he gave me your old job. Just admit it. You were over the hill, both physically and intellectually. I needed to stop you from doing even more damage to the firm. God knows how long its taken us to restore some of the respect and dignity around here since your tyrannical reign."
"You overstep your bounds, nephew. From what I hear, I haven't been the only one dealing with mafia bosses these days. It seems the mantles been passed onto the next generation. Besides, I didn't come here to talk about that. I'm here to warn you." Matthew's stern jaw ticked. Darien suddenly realized that Matthew was furious, much too angry from his careless barbs. 'He has something up his sleeve…'
"Well, I am most interested, but you'll have to make an appointment like everyone else. Managing these criminal clientele is a full-time job, you know," Darien sneered as he turned back to his paperwork indifferently.
"Boy, I am not going to play around with you. You act as if you have no care in the world about what happens in the world. Don't even pretend to grieve for your father. I've been in his shadow our whole lives yet even I attended his wedding. How do you feel knowing that your father died knowing that you were too selfish to give a shit about his happiness? And this little innocence act is below you, stand up and be a man. I know what you're up to, and if you don't stop before you hurt Rene or her mother, I will ruin you."
Darien paused. Why was Matthew so worried about Rene and Ilene? How did he know of his arrangement with Rene and his secret plan to regain the estate? Why did he even care?
Instead of asking any of these questions, he retorted sharply as he stood up quickly from his seat, "You and what army?"
"Damn it, you may have fooled George, but I'm onto you. We didn't get along all the time, but in his memory I will protect those that he loved even if that means exposing you for the monster you are."
"Matthew, you've been out of practice for too long. My monstrosity has made this company more profitable than you would have ever imagined. As far as my man, you can be well-assured that I am more man than you will ever be. It seems that at least it is still hereditary in at least one side of the family."
"I'm warning you, Darien. Stay away from your step-mother and your step-sister or you'll regret it. Hell, if anything happens to them, I'll go running to the police with the whole truth before you could even wipe your hands off, and even if that doesn't get you indicted on murder, it will screw you for a shit-load of other crimes."
"Duly noted, and now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to have to ask you to remove yourself. Some people still have a job and work to do." Darien watched with hate-filled eyes as his uncle left his office. 'Don't worry, uncle. I have no intention of murdering anyone, especially not my illustrious step-sister. I've learned a long time ago that death is not the ultimate punishment, and you of all people should understand this.'
Ilene paced the study back and forth seemingly for hours. Ever since Matthew's visit, she had failed to sleep, eat, or even talk well. Thoughts flew like hailstones in her head. She moved around the estate like a ghost… people in town spoke of her as being possessed by the late Elena. The talk angered her to no end. Despite George's constant assurance that he loved her for being just herself, Ilene never could get over her jealousy for the former mistress of the manor. Her presence was everywhere. Sometimes she even imagined that she'd come to know Elena Bodet-Brady from the furniture to the landscaping of the estate. She'd always wondered how George and Elena met but had been too embarrassed to ask. Yet Ilene had a secret too. A long time ago, when she hadn't even met George Brady, she had met her predecessor. It was during her most trying time as a woman in a dog-eat-dog world, and Elena had shown her the great compassion and kindness that seemed to shine through her body. No one ever found out this fact or the fulfilled prophecy that came almost two decades later.
Flashback
"She's a beautiful baby, ma'am. What are you going to name her?" The nurse handed the small bundle to Ilene's outstretched and weary arms.
Brushing the damp blonde fuzz from the baby's forehead, Ilene smiled.
"Her name's Serenity Belle Carrington, and she's the most beautiful baby in the world."
"It's a lovely name, ma'am. Now I'll be back with the birth certificate documents in a few moments. Nurse Johaneson will be around to take baby Serenity back to the nursery."
"Thank you, miss," Ilene said softly to the retreating nurse even as she caressed her baby's tender skin.
"So it's just you and me, Rene. When you get older, you might think you're name is a little bit silly, but that's okay, honey. I've had a rough life, but I know now that whenever I see you or call out your name, you'll just be the one thing in my life that won't mess up. I'm sorry that you won't ever get to know your father. I loved him very much. He was a very brave man caught up in bad circumstances, and I'm sure that if he was here, he'd love you just as much as I do. Daddy would be here with us, sweetheart, but instead he's watching over us in heaven and that'll have to be enough. Now Rene, we got some tough times ahead of us, but just don't ever give up hope. If we give up our hope then we'll have nothing left…"
Rene gurgled thoughtfully as her eyes remained shut.
"Those are wise words, miss. I'm sure everything will work out for you and your daughter when she has such a wise mother like you." A soft voice interrupted from the doorway.
Ilene looked up to see a woman a few years older than her standing serenely.
"Hello, please take a seat." Ilene nodded toward the open seat in the room while the other woman hesitantly moved forward.
"I didn't mean to intrude, miss. I was just passing through, and I saw you just sitting there so peacefully with your newborn. I have a son myself who's about five, and I can hardly get him to sit down for more than five minutes than to let me cuddle with him. But you know, how little boys are. He's adorable though. He says the cutest things, and… I'm sorry for rambling. Sometimes I just miss my family so much when I'm away." The woman looked down at her folded hands.
"Not at all…"
"Please call me Elena." The woman smiled shyly.
"Elena, I'm glad to have a visitor. I wasn't expecting anyone," Ilene said softly. Truth was, she didn't ever expect anyone to come see her. There was no one left, except for Rene.
"Well I've been volunteering here regularly for a few years now. It's not far from where I live, and I enjoy meeting the people here. I'm sorry to have eavesdropped on your conversation with your daughter and I know that you've just met me, but if you want to have someone to just listen…"
"Thank you, Elena. It's very kind of you, and it's weird, but I want to talk to you. Maybe it's the whole new mother thing, but I guess I'm just lonely."
Elena nodded solemnly before perking up.
"First, I'd like to know your name and you'll have to introduce me to your lovely daughter."
For the next hour or so even after Nurse Johaneson retrieved Rene from her mother's arms, the two women talked.
Ilene felt lighter as her story just poured out of her while Elena held her hand comfortingly. She talked about being in social services all the time because no foster families were available and how she met Kenneth Carrington, another case, at a young age. They became fast friends and promised each other that they'd always be there for each other. As Kenneth's high school graduation neared, he told Ilene that he was leaving for the Marine Corps. By this point in her life, she discovered that she couldn't see her future without him. A few nights before Ken left, they went out on one last trip to the dock together. Somehow by the end of the night years of pent-up thoughts and desire poured out of her, and she foolishly confessed to loving him. Kenneth had left without saying a word, and Ilene's heart broke. It wasn't until four years later when Kenneth showed up at her job as a supermarket cashier with a jacket heavy with medals and $10,000 dollars in his pocket.
Their life together was never dull or uninteresting. Ken swore to her that the only reason he left her that night without telling her that he felt the same way was that he was ashamed of wanting her love. He had felt undeserving of her and had vowed to make something out of himself before coming back to reclaim her. After a year of contentment, their reality changed as Ken was deployed to a top secret mission in the Middle East. Ilene then already two months pregnant kissed her husband goodbye as he left for Operation Desert Storm. While on her own, she continued to work as manager at the grocery store and taking night classes for a business administration degree. Four months later a man in uniform showed up at their bungalow in Oakley, CA and delivered Ken's personal effects. Her world collapsed.
After Kenneth's untimely death overseas, she was devastated. She never really had a real family other than Ken. No one to hold and to cherish until Rene came along.
"I never wanted to bring a child into the world under such sad circumstances. She doesn't deserve this." Ilene's cheeks were streaked with tears as Elena clutched her hand.
"I'm so blessed that you'd choose to share your pain with me. There's nothing that I can do to make it better, but if you ever need anything, anything at all, please just give me a call," Elena comforted.
"Thank you, Elena. You don't know what this means to me."
The image of Elena sitting by her side at her darkest hour stayed with Ilene even to her wedding night with George.
End Flashback
Her hands shook as she flipped the autopsy report shut. Rene would be home soon, and she would definitely notice that something was up if she didn't get her act together. She's already sensed too much from other day.
'Nothing is going to happen to Rene, not if my life depended on it,' Ilene thought as she exited the library.
Darien entered the mansion a little after 7. Stomach growling and extremely grouchy from a bumpy flight, he wandered into the kitchen in search of some food.
"Afternoon, young master Darien," Kelsey said reverently.
Nodding in acknowledgement, Darien dug around in the fridge hoping to escape Lita. If she found him pawing around in here, she'd probably have a fit. Lauren used to be the same way although she'd always feel guilty about yelling at a young Darien and give him some fresh treats in retribution. 'I really have been away too long…'
Warming up a heaping plate of seafood lasagna, Darien took a seat at the counter and sank his hands in his hair.
'Why can't things go the way they're supposed to? Right when I think the company's future's set, Damon goes and screws a minor and Matthew threatens me if I try to hurt my gold-digger stepfamily. Not to mention I can't get my mind off of my delicious step-sister…'
"What're you doin' in'ere?" Lita's shriek interrupted Darien's musings as she stormed to retrieve the dish from the microwave.
"I'm just feeding myself since somebody wasn't here to take care of me," Darien smirked as Lita reddened.
"I went t'tha market," she said nodding toward a few bags near the pantry, "Rene's bringin' n the rest."
As if on cue, Rene lugged two large paper bags tall enough to obscure her view. She bumped into a couple of walls before heaving them unto the floor. Nothing in her view now the breath heaved out of her lungs at the sight of Darien watching her darkly from his perch.
"You're back…" she said weakly, a thousand emotions behind her words.
Lita watched the awkward silence between the two and her eyebrows jumped in surprise. 'They ain't actin' like they hate each other. I cain't quite put my finga'on't but somethun's goin' on…' However, Darien's next words brought dread and perhaps hope to Lita's chest.
"Lita, in a few days a few friends will be arriving. I just wanted to you get the heads up, in case, you needed to prepare…" Darien's voice trailed as Lita's eyes blinked rapidly. The room was silent even as Rene wanted to reach out and support the woman who looked as if she were about to collapse. The implications of Darien's comment hung heavily in the room.
Shaking, Lita nodded numbly before stumbling towards the groceries.
"Thank ya fo' tha advance warning, Darien. I gotta get to makin' dinner, so if you don't mind, I'ma git to work now."
Rene laid a comforting hand on Lita's shoulder before exiting the room. Silently, Darien followed after her.
"Wait," he commanded from behind her quick footsteps. Although her pace slowed she refused to stop completely. The refuge of her room was only a few steps away…
Darien set the plate of lasagna down before quickly catching up to her in a few long strides. Grabbing her arm firmly he whipped her around to face him just as she neared her doorway.
Too confused to resist his hold, she hung her head limply refusing to look at him.
"What do you want with me?" Her soft and defeated voice caused a twinge of regret within his conscience and his loosened his grip as his thumb ran over her smooth skin caressingly. Surprisingly, she didn't pull away.
"I…" Darien's mind went blank. What did he want from her exactly? At first he had wanted to apologize for ignoring her in the kitchen, but when his hand first touched her and his senses picked up her intoxicating scent, all he wanted to do was to hold her to him.
"Well it seems that the all-powerful Darien Brady isn't…" Rene's mocking voice lowered to a chirp when his thumb and forefinger lightly tilted her chin up. Her eyes clouded when she studied his penetrating ocean gaze and watched those long ebony lashes shift.
"You don't want to finish that sentence," he said smoothly as he suddenly let her go. How close was he to kissing her senseless right in the middle of the hallway! Taking a deep breath and backing up a few feet, he finally trusted himself again.
To Darien, Rene looked positively indignant, furious, and so fucking gorgeous. Eyes flashing, lips opening and shutting as soundless curses escaped, and hands now firmly planted on her slim waist, she groaned in embarrassment before fleeing to her room.
'To think I almost let myself kiss him, that asshole! So he thinks he can just screw around with me whenever he feels like it and ignore me… oh, wait, I guess that was part of the arrangement to begin with… So if we don't really give a shit about each other, why did it hurt so much when he didn't even give me the time of day in the kitchen? I just hope he couldn't tell that he hurt me…'
Darien meanwhile was pacing the length of the hallway. 'Why does everything always blow up in my face when I'm trying so hard to get it right? Get a hold of yourself, man. She's emotional and female…I've dealt with plenty of those before, and stop telling yourself that she's something special. Sure, she's gorgeous, smart, and interesting, but that doesn't make her different… right. Rene Carrington is nothing special, and I need to treat her as such. After all, I am the master of the house, and she won't even be here much longer. Then everything will be perfect… but that doesn't stop me from having some fun with her. It's perfectly okay to be attracted to her just don't make her too special. I got this…'
'Maybe I do care about him. I mean, every time I see him, there's that little reaction in me that just makes me all giddy. It goes completely against my nature, but it doesn't stop me. And how about before he left? That note and that hot kiss… the man can kiss, I'll give him that, it's pretty much illegal! I bet he has a dozen girlfriends anyway… so why do I still want him? Oh right… he is the hottest man on Earth and he keeps on giving me the impression that there's something so beautiful and kind buried deep within him…deep, deep down within him,' Rene flipped herself on her bed. How many times has she thought of his kisses in the past day? He'd been gone for less than 48 hours, and it'd already felt like he's been gone a year.
'But she's so fucking attractive. I'm powerless around her. I had to literally control myself by clenching my fists every time I'm around her just so I don't reach out and touch her or something. Not that she'd complain, judging from previous responses… I bet she's a real firecracker in bed… Stop it, Darien! You're acting like a pimply-faced fifteen year old. Since when have you ever been so unconfident with yourself? I bet she's pining over you in her room, just waiting for you to go in there to ravage her senseless… the sheets tangling those long legs, her hair mussed…'
'But as much as I'm curious as to his feelings and emotions, I can't deny that I want him to kiss me again. Maybe that's why I keep on feeling guilty. Despite everything I tell myself, maybe the underlying truth is that I want him. I mean, who can blame me? Maybe what I really want is for him to be kissing him like that was the only thing that mattered…'
The next thing they knew, Rene had opened her bedroom door in a flourish only to discover Darien with his hand poised to knock. Rene burst into a bright red flush before Darien picked up his jaw from the floor.
"Uh… I was just coming out to check…do you…by chance… have a roll of toilet paper?" Rene asked stupidly before Darien genuinely smiled and pull her to him, capturing her lips in the process. They stumbled back into the room, slamming the door behind them. When they pulled away for air, Rene smiled shyly before replying, "I think this is good too."
In the hallway, Ilene stood with her mouth hanging open in shock with only one thought running through her head.
'Was this what Matthew meant?'
