In the previous chapter, Hayley and Cami comforted each other as Cami found out about her indiscretions with Klaus and Hayley found out about her unexpected pregnancy, not wanting to tell Elijah. The trip was cut short, as Judge Horner ordered both Klaus and Hayley to arrive in court with their clients in order to handle the duplex situation. The judge decided for Klaus and Hayley to spend two days together at the duplex to collect information. As dirt on both Elijah and Cami was revealed, the councilors retired. Finally, Caroline showed up at Klaus' door and they slept together on a whim.
PLOT: Hayley has an early morning confrontation with Caroline at the duplex, while Cami is surprised to see that Elijah arrives with their dog, Sam, at her workplace. Meanwhile, after receiving the proof he needed of some dirt in Caroline's past, Kol enlists Hayley's help in order to get his revenge on the blonde who ruined his relationship with his brother. Things take a twist during another court meeting and Kol makes a proposition to Davina. Katherine Pierce's life changes forever, as Elijah and Klaus finally decide to have a brotherly talk about the current events and about Hayley.
Hayley opened her eyes and stared around her at the place where she was sleeping. It took a long time for her to realize that she was in a place where it was demanded of her to be. The duplex where she and Klaus were supposed to investigate.
It was the place where she knew she had to succeed in getting all the evidence for her case to turn out to be in Cami's favor. It didn't really matter that she had to stay two days in this place with Klaus Mikaelson, her former lover and her current opponent.
She had had many breakdowns in her life and not once had they managed to affect her this much that she couldn't work. She could work and very well. "Klaus." She whispered and then shook her head slightly.
No, this was not something that she wanted to go through today. She didn't care about what he did. All she cared about was herself and her own feelings. Whatever he did with his time around here, it was completely up to him. With that in mind, but not with an easier conscience, she got out of bed.
Ready to start a brand new day with new discoveries, Hayley smiled as she looked at all of her notes. They would be good for her. When she was going to present these notes in court to Judge Horner, he will most likely explain the reasons as to why she and Cami will win the duplex.
The neighbor had told her enough. She just had to find the right strategy now in order to finish the Mikaelson brothers off. Albert, the neighbor had told her. Elijah had paid for a liposuction for Katherine or maybe even some other mistress he may have had over the years while being married to Cami. Did Cami even know about these mistresses?
It was a client's duty to tell her lawyer exactly what she knows which could help said lawyer to win her case. Hayley knew of the possibility that Cami might have been hiding this from her for the sole purpose of protecting her current husband's reputation. Hayley knew she still loved him.
She marked down in her documents everything she had found out from the people close to Elijah and Cami and looked at what she wrote before she heard some sort of noise downstairs which startled her. She looked up and then turned her head in that direction.
Her heart started beating faster and she wondered whether or not she had the courage to face him downstairs. Out of the formalities, they had not said a word to each other and Hayley couldn't deny that t would be hard for any two people who have been sexually involved to be around each other but this was a business matter and they needed to wrap up this case much quicker now than usual.
She knew Klaus wanted, just as much as she did, to get out of interacting with one another again. Being in court and forced to face each other with arguments in favor of their respective clients, they had to communicate and maybe even look each other in the eyes. It was tiring and Hayley groaned even thinking about it.
Afterwards, straightening up, she headed to the bathroom so she could take a shower and clean up before going downstairs. She couldn't help but feel stupid when she realized that she was taking too much time to clean up.
She realized that she had taken her shower and then had spent some time to shave herself in the most intimate parts, including her legs and her armpits and then she had added lotion, perfume and at long last, she had stood in front of the mirror and thought about what sort of clothes would look good on her. She had never done something like that before, but she couldn't help it.
Finally, wishing that this was all over and done with, she picked out a purple dress to wear and brushed her hair. Taking a deep breath, she headed downstairs. There was a lot of noise coming from the kitchen. Hayley thought about whether or not she should disturb him.
Thinking that it wouldn't be a problem to at least greet each other in the morning, she walked over to him.
The door to the fridge closed and the person turned around, with a milkshake. Hayley stopped in her tracks and saw that Klaus was not the person standing in front of her but a woman, the young woman she knew with curly blonde hair and a dismissive attitude much like her mother's.
"Ah, Hayley Marshall! It's a shame to see you here." Caroline smirked at her and then sucked on her milkshake. "I think the better question would be, what are you doing here?" Hayley asked, barely being able to formulate the words out of shock but she didn't need Caroline to answer that question.
It was all in her eyes and the way she was dressed so casually that morning…in her underwear and nothing else but one of his shirts on. Her hair looked disoriented and there was no touch of makeup on her face.
Caroline had slept over…with him. That, Hayley was sure of. She looked down at her feet and started feeling embarrassed and for some reason, completely angry at the situation she was in.
How could he make a fool out f her like this by bringing Caroline? She didn't even understand how he could take her back after he caught her sleeping with his brother. Were they even together again?
She figured they probably were. It had always been expected for him to be in a relationship with Caroline and now that he had escaped her, he was going back to the way it was. Caroline didn't answer her question and just continued smirking as she sipped constantly at her milkshake.
"For your information, this duplex is not your vacation house. I am here on a mission for my client so you better leave." Hayley snapped at her and Caroline giggled, shaking her head.
"I know why you're here, silly and I also knew that Klaus would be here too, which is why I couldn't wait to come here and wait for him to succumb to his desires. He will forgive me for anything because we are who we are and we are meant to be together. I will leave but only if my lover asks me…and I don't think he will."
"Maybe I should call the police and inform them that you are meddling in the business of a professional lawyer who is trying to do her job." Hayley argued and Caroline placed a hand over her heart as if she had been wounded.
"Aw, you would tell on me, to the police? All I would need to do is make one phone call to my daddy and your little officers will leave me alone. But they might press charges against you for calling them for no reason at all."
"Press charges against a lawyer? That would be a wrong move to make. Too bad that you lack the brain cells to put two and two together."
Caroline frowned and she took a step forward and whispered, "If you think you are so smart…" "Caroline!" Klaus called out from upstairs and Caroline immediately stepped back from Hayley with a sweet smile on her face as she waved at him.
Klaus came down the stairs. Hayley looked at him with disgust but his eyes didn't even meet hers. Instead, he went straight to Caroline as if she wasn't even there. He placed a hand on her waist and asked, "Are you alright, love?"
"I would have been better but the little Miss. Goody-Two-Shoes here decided to ruin my morning!" Caroline snapped and then smirked again as Klaus looked up, straight into Hayley's eyes.
She was expecting him to say something foul to the young woman in front of them but he didn't say a word, to her disappointment. Hayley diverted her eyes from his and then she whispered, "I got everything that I needed. If you want to screw around in this place, then be my guest. Only shows how pathetically unprofessional you truly are."
Klaus' mouth parted but she didn't wait for him to say anything. Hayley headed back upstairs and started to pack her bags. Once she was finished, she walked out of the duplex before Klaus and his blonde could see her leave. She placed her bags in the back of her car and once she got into the front and started the engine, her phone started ringing.
Groaning, Hayley saw that Kol's name was flashing on the screen. He was the last person she wanted to hear right now.
Her apartment was not where she wanted to go. Her mother or Cami would probably be there and she really didn't want to face them. Her face was one of a heartbroken woman and she felt like her entire life was falling apart.
The only safe haven she had left was her job, one she surprisingly didn't lose even if Katherine had revealed those photographs. Maybe she didn't succeed on sharing them with her partners at work.
She entered the building, wanting to place her newest information about Elijah's indiscretions in her safe office. She was planning on staying there for a while, maybe even the whole day.
Davina was kind of joyful and Hayley thought that it was probably because her relationship with Kol was going pretty well. An hour passed and Hayley noticed that her phone had started ringing again, as she was interrupted from her thoughts and her papers.
Kol's name flashed across the screen again and Hayley thought that it would be best to answer him so he would leave her alone afterwards.
"Kol, this isn't good time, okay? I am at work. Whatever you need, you have to make this fast." She said as she answered the call. There was a rough chuckle from the other side and he responded, "I can sense from the tone of your voice that your days spent with my brother in that duplex didn't do you much good."
"Congratulations! You should be awarded some sort of prize for sensing the tension in my voice. And yes, you might have guessed that this is because of the fact that I was planning on spending a regular morning when I ran into the woman you screwed in my best friend's kitchen."
Kol stopped laughing immediately and it was Hayley's turn to smirk this time. "Caroline was there?" "Yeah…she had shacked up with your brother for the night." "No…it's not right…I mean… Nik wouldn't do that." "And why wouldn't he? He can do whatever the hell he wants to do. It's his life." Hayley mumbled.
"But you just don't get it. Nik is…he wouldn't sleep with Caroline again unless…" "Unless what?" "Unless he is using her to rid himself of pain." "That's the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard."
"Well, I know my brother, Hayley. He wouldn't be getting serious with someone like her again and besides…not after what I pulled today." "What? Kol…what did you do?" "Why don't you check out Channel 4 right now?" Kol asked and ended the call. Hayley frowned and sighed, calling out for Davina.
She stuck her head inside and asked, "Do you need anything, Hayley?" Hayley looked at her with a bored expression on her face and asked, "Is there any reason as to why your boyfriend wants me to check out Channel 4?"
"I think you will be surprised." Davina responded with a smile and then added, "You check it out and I will get you an ice tea meanwhile." Once Davina left, Hayley decided to take a chance to open the television, something she rarely did while she was working.
What she was seeing on the news was absolutely shocking. There were all sorts of photos of the one Caroline Forbes, being shown on a gossip show. There were photos of her drunk, while being held naked in the hands of three guys in a vacation trip in Bora Bora.
There were also a few more photographs of Caroline yelling at an elderly woman, photos of Caroline stripping in a club and showing off all of her curves and in appropriate places. Finally, there was a video of her dancing at a bar when she was younger and she was once again, naked.
Hayley placed her hand over her mouth in shock, never having expected something like this. This was all Kol's work? He did tell her that he was planning on getting his revenge on the blonde somehow and maybe this was his chance. Davina came back inside with an ice tea and a smile on her face as Hayley watched her.
"You knew about this, didn't you?" Hayley asked as she took a sip of her drink. Davina shrugged and whispered, "I helped him get all the information and the files about Caroline Forbes needed from here."
"Davina, this was a dangerous game you just played. If my partners find out, it can cost you your job." "I am not afraid. The photos and the videos were sent anonymously so I have nothing to worry about. Just be happy. This has ruined her chances of modeling in this city. She will be out of New Orleans soon. You can't tell me that she doesn't deserve it."
Hayley sighed and closed her eyes for a moment as Davina let her be. There was a smirk on her face, so big that it was impossible to miss. The beatings of her heart were not regulated however because when she thought about Caroline…her thoughts raced to Klaus.
The thought of his betrayal made her body weaken so she turned the television off, deciding to get back to focusing on the case. There was nothing else interesting she could do all day, after all.
…
"Anything I need to stress about other than my divorce, Leslie?" Cami asked as she held her papers in her hands and made her way into the office as her secretary was slamming on the keys of her computer rapidly.
She looked up afterwards and smiled at Cami, saying, "No, you can be happy knowing that there is really nothing to stress about. I have all your appointments set for this afternoon so you have the morning off, Mrs…"
Leslie was about to say Mikaelson but then as she remembered the divorce her boss was currently in, she changed her mind and Cami realized this, while holding the door open for herself.
"You don't need to worry about it. You can still call me by Mikaelson since until the divorce is finalized, I still am a Mikaelson, Leslie." She then entered her office and closed the door after her. Had she made the right decision? Should she still be proud to call herself a Mikaelson.
As soon as she sat down on her desk, she dialed Hayley's number and it started ringing.
"Hey! How is your day going?" "Great, I am not really doing anything right now because I don't have any appointments so it's all good. What about you? I know that you don't want us to discuss the case over the phone…"
"It's for the safety of this case, Cami. I am just following the procedures." "Fine. Then just tell me if you found something new that can really help us win." There was some silence after which Hayley asked, "Do you really want to win this case, Cami?"
"Where are you getting at?" "I am just getting some mixed feelings here that maybe you love Elijah and you want to stay with him."
"And ignore everything he has put me through up until now? It's good to see how well you know me, Hayley." "Your feelings are still there, Cami. You can't lie to me about that. How long have we known each other for?"
"Well of course my feelings for him aren't going to vanish overnight. I will have to think this through and get on with my life as soon as the divorce is finalized and we have finished the duplex business. Do you think you can win that place for me?"
"I can but you need to figure out what you really want." "And how do you want me to answer?" There was a pause and Hayley eventually sighed and asked in a whisper, "Did you know that Elijah had mistresses?" Instantly, Cami felt tears starting to well up in her eyes.
"Maybe you're right. Discussing this over the phone is a really bad idea, Hayley."
"Okay…the good news is that with this piece of information and some more which I have added up from your neighbor, Albert, I really think that we can make this happen. I better go now…" "Wait!" Cami bit her lip. "What?"
"What happened with you and Klaus at that duplex? Was it alright or were the two of you forced to keep away from each other?" "We avoided each other as we should. We had a sexual relationship. Nothing more and nothing less, Cami and I regret it. If I had known that it would damage me this much, I would have never agreed to do this."
"Then why did you do it?" "I am not interested in that subject named Klaus Mikaelson anymore. It doesn't mean anything to me. I am your lawyer and I am interested in talking to you only about the case now. Anymore questions?" "No. You can get back to work. Bye." Cami whispered and hung up.
Almost as soon as she did that, the door opened and Leslie pocked her head inside. "I am sorry to interrupt." "No…you can tell me whatever you want." "Mr…Elijah Mikaelson is here to see you and he brought…um…"
Cami looked up in awe when she heard his name. "Should I let him in?" Leslie asked and Cami nodded eventually.
"Yes…you can." Her voice was soft and almost immediately afterwards, she stood up and arranged her shirt and her work pants. She had light make-up on and the fact that she was now worrying about her physical appearance in front of Elijah was making her nauseous.
Barking could have been heard outside the door and Cami frowned. What was going on out there. Elijah then entered with a smile on his face, flowers in his hands and holding Sam, their dog on the leash. Sam jumped on her, barking happily and Cami had to immediately restrain him.
She then looked up into Elijah's eyes and then her hand went directly to her stomach. The baby bump was showing a little and she had to fit on larger clothes so that no one would notice. She knew that she would have to tell him soon but she never thought about when the right moment was.
Elijah stepped over to her and placed the flowers in her hands. The roses smelled wonderful but she was feeling very nervous. "Elijah, what are you doing here…and what is the meaning of all of this? How did you get Sam?"
"I would prefer that we keep this conversation about us, Camille and not about Sam." "About us?" Cami asked, shocked. "Yes. I understand that this might be too sudden but I recall that we had a pretty special conversation the last time we were in court."
"And I told you that I don't really care about that. I need you to leave me alone now. I have work to do and you can take Sam back home."
"No. Maybe I have let far too many things slide during our marriage and perhaps it is time to do the right thing, would you not agree with that, sweetheart?" Cami stared in awe at his words. What exactly was he suggesting?
"Elijah, are you feeling okay?" "I feel just fine and I simply need to know from you if you agree to give this another try." Cami gaped at him, still holding the flowers now and her eyes wandered down to Sam who was starting to bark.
"Okay, so you have a moment of weakness and you're nervous about letting go of the past. I get that but…" She was stopped when his lips were on hers in seconds. She kissed him back out of impulse. She didn't know what to think. She just knew that she wanted to feel something. She needed to feel this from him. When he pulled out, she took deep breaths and their eyes never left one another's.
"What do you want from me, Elijah?" "A lot that I do not believe I deserve. I want your forgiveness and the chance to start over and erase the bad memories of our marriage. Make better ones. Just start over. Please tell me that you accept."
His words were making her heart pound so hard. Everything was coming in like a jolt in her life and she didn't know how to react to that. "What exactly influenced you to make such a…" "Nothing and no one but myself."
"You had mistresses, Elijah. You think that I can just look past that? I deserve better! And I have already made myself the enemy of your family. I can't do this and I won't." she whispered and took a few steps back.
But then she remembered. She remembered that she was carrying a child…and it was his child. If she accepted his proposition, would she do it for her unconditional love for him or for the love of their child?"
Sam was starting to bark again as if he knew exactly what was happening and was waiting for her to make up her mind too. She bit her lip and her mind went to Hayley. If she accepted Elijah's proposition to stop the divorce from happening, what would she think of her? What about the rest of the Mikaelsons? Would they ever look at her like they did before?
Elijah noticed her hesitation and on instinct, he came forth and grabbed her hands in his. "It is difficult and it is sudden and I understand that you may have lost all of your trust in me, Camille but you must understand…it is as difficult for me at the moment."
Cami closed her eyes and whispered, "Before I tell you what decision I am willing to make, I need you to know something. I haven't told you…and I should have, no matter the divorce process." Elijah smiled, kissed her hands and whispered, "Regardless of keeping something from me, I am pleased that you have decided to tell me now. I am all ears."
Cami wiped away a tear which stained her cheek and took his hand to her stomach, pressing it there and waiting to see the confused expression on his face. "Elijah, I am pregnant. And it's your baby."
Elijah met her eyes and looked like he was having trouble breathing as he kept his hand on her stomach. "How far along?" he finally asked softly. "Two months…I think. I am beginning to show, either way."
"I see…" "Elijah, I wanted to tell you…" "I am not upset." "You have to be. This is your child and didn't tell you." "If you accept my proposition and give us another chance, I choose to let this aspect slide. Please, indulge me. I will make everything right. I know what mistakes I have made in my past. I will do anything. I promise you this."
"Everything to what?" "To offer you the marriage you deserve." "What about Katherine? Hayley? Your brother?" "All shall work out…if you accept. That's all I wish to hear, Camille."
"Then maybe I accept but I am also aware of the reason why I accept and I want you to be understanding of that too." Elijah frowned and whispered, "Explain, please."
"There is nothing to explain. I think everything is pretty obvious. I carry a baby in my womb, a responsibility and I can't keep it away from its father. And I won't. He or she isn't even born yet and I feel like I am already denying the right to be with his or her father. So I choose the easy road and I am deciding not to go through with this divorce for the sake of the child, but our marriage won't be what it was once."
They stared at each other until Elijah nodded and whispered, "I understand and I accept that. I shall win you back, Camille. I will not rest until I do. I will do it and for our child."
…
Hayley kept her head up as she entered the courtroom. She was expected to follow the procedure and explain to Judge Horner everything she has encountered while she was part-time living in that duplex. Just thinking about the duplex made her skin crawl. Klaus had been there and he had done something which traumatized her completely.
But her heart was exploding with happiness after learning that Caroline lost her job, because Annabelle could not look past the photo displays all over the network this time. She stopped thinking about Caroline or about Klaus when she saw that Cami was rushing towards her. She looked flushed and for the first time, she didn't choose very formal clothes to present herself in front of the judge.
"Where have you been? Do you have any idea what time it is?" Hayley snapped at her and Cami sighed, shaking her head. "Okay. I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry."
"This is our time to shine in front of Judge Horner. You need to act the way you should. Now come on. The Mikaelsons are already in there." They entered through the doors and Cami's eyes wandered over to Elijah immediately, who was smiling at her.
"Um…Hayley, I think that there is something you should know." Cami started whispering but Hayley shushed her. "The judge is coming. Just let me do all the talking, okay? And if a few moments, you are going to walk out of here as the owner of that duplex. Trust me to do my job."
They all stood up and the great Judge Horner entered the courtroom, sitting down and clearing his throat. Hayley looked towards Klaus. His face looked serious…prepared for the case to be solved once and for all…but not at all pissed over what happened with Caroline.
Was it possible that Kol was right? Was Klaus only using the blonde to get over his own stress? Hayley couldn't blame him. She had a history of using a few men to do just that since she never had a serious relationship before.
"This court is now in session!" The Judge announced and looked over the documents. Hayley remained on her feet, as did Klaus, as the rest sat down. "Your Honor, I would like to…"
Hayley started saying but was cut off by the judge, who said, "Excuse me for interrupting you, Miss. Marshall, but it would seem that we have a turning point in this case. Your client, Mr. Mikaelson has just called me this morning to inform me that he and his current wife have decided to drop the case and not go through with this divorce. Did you know about this?"
Hayley felt her heart dropped and she immediately spun over to Klaus and saw him shocked, as he eyed Elijah.
"No, your Honor. I had no idea." "Well it seems they have made this little arrangement without consulting with their respective attorneys. Seeing as this is their wish, I will claim that the evidence you have found for the true owner of the duplex will no longer be needed. And since Mr. and Mrs. Mikaelson have agreed to give their marriage another chance, I will now declare this case closed!"
The judge hit the hammer and Hayley closed her eyes, taking in deep breaths. She knew that this would be a huge setback for the company where she was working.
She had wasted so much time and made a lot of effort to help her best friend and now she had done something unimaginable and above all, she humiliated her in front of the judge. "Thank you, your Honor." Hayley whispered and sat down. Klaus sat down as well and started hissing something at Elijah.
"I have another exciting news, however! Since the divorce between Mr. and Mrs. Mikaelson shall not be finalized, I have here a young couple who wishes me to marry them. And since you have all been bothered to show up here, they have asked you all to be witnesses to this glorious event."
Hayley's mouth parted and she felt like passing out when she saw Kol and Davina standing up and going towards the judge together. Davina was wearing a white dress and Kol was dressed in a suit.
"Kol!" Klaus snapped and his little brother, turned towards him and flashed him a grin. "Interesting turn of events, huh, Nik?" The ceremony had started and Hayley ran her hand through her hair with a sigh. Cami was looking at her, worried. "I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you before but I…"
"Cami, when I agreed to help you with this divorce process, I was not thinking like a lawyer and that I needed to do my job in order to be paid. I did it because you are my best friend and you needed help. The stunt that you pulled with Elijah today is something I really can't look past. You wasted the time and energy of some very hardworking people including me."
"Hayley…" "I don't want to hear it. Please." She responded in a whisper. They stared at the way Davina and Kol were offering their vows to one another. This wasn't right. She looked towards Klaus and for the first time, saw the frown on his face.
They were all forced to sit through this until the short ceremony was over and Kol and Davina were announced man and wife.
Hayley was packing up her things when Davina came over to her with a smile and whispered, "What do you think? Was this a good idea?" "You are too young for this, Davina. I don't know what kind of madness you got stuck in your head but marriage right now for you is not acceptable."
Davina frowned and whispered, "I am 20 years old, Hayley. I am an adult. I can make decisions on my own and I don't think I am too young to marry Kol. We like each other and we wanted to start our life together early. That can't be a bad thing. Look, I know that you are upset but…"
"Davina, you are not the only person who has let me down today. You should know that." With that, Hayley grabbed her briefcase and headed out of the courtroom. Klaus followed suit. She knew it was him and somehow, she thought that he was following her and for that reason, her heart had started pounding excitedly.
Only, as soon as she turned around, she noticed that he was not paying any attention to her. He just walked right past, without giving her a glance or at least acknowledging that she was there.
Hayley stopped walking at that moment, still holding the briefcase in her hand and wiped away a tear that slid from her eye and onto her cheek. She didn't even know why she was crying. Because Klaus was ignoring her? Because of what he and Caroline did that morning?
Because she felt betrayed by her best friend? She didn't know at all. All she knew was that she had to relieve her stress again. The company wouldn't have someone as an emotional mess as her. She didn't to get a release, like she always did.
…
Klaus walked into Rousseau's that night and ordered himself a bourbon when someone sat next to him and said, "Make that two bourbons!" and then he set down a 50-dollar bill on the counter. Klaus didn't even meet his eyes.
"Any particular reason as to why you have decided to disturb my night out, brother?" "You cannot have a night out alone, Niklaus. I am here to keep you company." Elijah responded. "I did not ask for it."
"Yes, but you need it. I understand that you are upset about what happened today. However, you should see the silver lining from my point of view. The fact that Camille and I are working on our relationship for the sake of the child he is carrying is a wonderful thing to do. We have both decided something maturely and I can't be more proud of it. Our family was pleased too."
"Katherine has left town as well, as I remember correctly." Klaus responded and Elijah nodded.
"It was completely my insistence. She has caused enough trouble between Camille and I in our marriage. And I admit that it was not entirely her fault. I was the one who encouraged her because Camille and I were going through difficult periods in our lives. Because of my busy schedule, I never got to see her as much as I do now. And we were not intimate with each other for a while. You know how a man has his needs, brother. However, I am happy that she has decided to leave town after her sister and we can finally have some peace in this city. Freya and Rebekah have taken care to congratulate me on my decision. They were very pleased."
"As I remember, Father was not pleased. You have shamed the family through this lawsuit, Elijah. You know damn well that no Mikaelson gets divorced in this family and you shouldn't have thought about this in the first place. Aside from making me look like a fool…"
"Father will understand and forgive me. Moreover, he will be proud that I am not divorcing my wife who is pregnant with his grandchild." "Yes, of course. I know how the noble brother always seems to get away with anything wrong he does. That's what this family has shown me."
"Maybe if you had not decided to leave this town, Father would have warmed up to you more than needed, Niklaus." "I refused to be his little puppet in this company. I wanted to be a lawyer and I have achieved my goal."
"It's a family business, Niklaus." "And I see that you are doing your job just fine, sustaining the family with your position of CEO."
"Yes, I am. But the beauty of this company is when you have everyone working in it. And now, you are working…even as a company lawyer. I am proud of you for accepting this job and coming here, brother. You do what you please but at the same time, you're putting in some effort to please Father."
Their bourbons had arrived and they each took their swigs. "I have returned because Caroline had been offered a fabulous job here. And then she had chosen to betray me." "You have betrayed her too, Niklaus…by sleeping with Hayley."
"It happened once…and it was beyond my control. I never loved Caroline the way I knew Father would have wanted me to love her. I slept with Hayley because I felt something with her I had never felt before." "What exactly did you feel?"
"Something which cannot be described. Now, if you don't mind, Elijah, I would prefer to keep Hayley out of this conversation."
"She believes that you are guilty for helping Katherine get a hold of those photos, correct?" "Elijah…" "I simply wish to understand. Help me."
Sighing, Klaus closed his eyes ad whispered, "Yes. She thinks that I was there to help her get a cab home, on purpose. Because we were in competition and because she thinks I wanted to steal her fame from the start. I blunt and pathetic excuse if you ask me."
"Niklaus, she was upset. I am sure that she did not mean at all what she said." "Bollocks." Klaus mumbled and drank some more of his bourbon. Elijah watched him for a few more moments before he said, "You are in love with her, brother."
"I am not. You are mistaking the sexual relationship I had with her, for something else entirely. It was nothing but sex, Elijah."
Elijah rubbed his forehead and then said, "You are my brother and I love you, Niklaus. I don't know how many times during our lives, you have managed to understand that. And Father loves you. We all love you. We are a family…always and forever. That is what our dear Rebekah likes to say. I want nothing more than for you to find happiness and clearly, it was not with Caroline, as we were all lead to believe. You said it yourself…that you felt a connection with Hayley that you never felt with anyone else. Why let this opportunity go? Why not live your life happily? Let yourself go and be happy, Niklaus."
He stopped talking when Klaus stood up from his seat immediately and walked out of the bar.
A/N: So neither Hayley nor Klaus are taking this turn of events very lightly. Everyone is happy except them. Will that change in the next chapter? Mikael's 59th birthday is coming up and Hayley is attending with Annabelle too. Lots of Klayley goodness in the next chapter.
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