The dean watched as Sebastian and Kathryn Valmont walked into his office. He felt a sense of apprehension thinking back to previous meetings he had to have with the two of them regarding their children. It wasn't their mother so much that was responsible for his anxiety as it was their father. Sebastian had made it known that if it were up to him he would no longer be in charge of his childrens' education. He was more or less infamous for his temper.
Sebastian observed the dean closely as he took a seat across from him. If his wife thrived on power, he could not exist without it. He tried not to laugh as he saw just how much control he had over him. If the older man didn't want to aggravate him, he really needed to stop making it so easy.
Soren and his siblings watched the meeting from outside of the office with a sense of anticipation. They already knew that they were not going to be punished. There was no evidence whatsoever that they were responsible for the state the school was in. It could have been anyone. He also knew that his father would not allow them to be blamed for it.
"Why do you always insist on blaming my children every time something goes wrong in your school? Do you honestly believe that any seven-year-old could pull this off? I realize that my children are quite brilliant but even something like this is above their heads," explained Sebastian slowly.
"Sebastian, try not to be upset with him. We are here to get to the bottom of this. If they are guilty we will find out and they will be severely punished. If they aren't we will find out and the dean will issue an apology to them," said Kathryn with fake sincerity.
The dean nodded his head to all the parts except the last one. He had no desire or intention of apologizing to them. He already knew that the three of them were guilty. Everything that went wrong in the school was somehow their fault in some shape or form.
"It's clear that Ms. Stonewall has something against our children. She's always accusing them of doing things they clearly didn't do," Sebastian ranted. "I think I should call my lawyer and save all of us a lot of time."
Kathryn, Christina, Soren, and Terrance had to control their laughter. If they all didn't know Sebastian as well as they did they would have believed him. He could be very convincing when he wanted to. A slow smile played on Christina's face. She already knew how this situation was going to play out. No one ever told her Daddy no.
"Really, Mr. Valmont, that won't be necessary," said the dean.
"Really? How do I know that? I mean, you are suspending my kids with no proof that they were responsible. I really think I would like my lawyer's opinion in this matter," said Sebastian.
"They should go home for the day just like every student here is," reasoned the dean.
Sebastian nodded his head in fake sincerity but he couldn't help the small smile that stretched across his handsome face. What was the point to these meetings? They all ended in the same way. There was nothing that satisfied him quite like winning a battle, no matter how small it was.
"I think so too."
"I will also remove the detention," replied the dean.
The five of them got up and left the office. They walked to the limo. The second they were safely inside, the triplets finally burst. The day had been the best one so far of the entire school year.
"You guys flooded the entire school? I can't believe the three of you," muttered Kathryn.
"Don't be so surprised, Mom. We had to do something. Ms. Stonewall wouldn't shut her trap! She was becoming one annoying bitch," insisted Terrance.
He received a smirk from Christina.
"Gee, you think," she asked sarcastically.
"We did everyone a favor," informed Soren with a larger than life grin on his face.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Kathryn waited in her office for Annette Clifford to arrive. From the moment that Annette had requested a meeting with her she had felt a sense of irritation. Did she not realize that she had a multimillion dollar company to run? The only time Annette requested a meeting with her was to talk about her various charities in which Kathryn had little to no interest in. She was assured that no one could blame her.
She watched as Annette walked in with a big smile on her face. She was dressed in a simple outfit and Kathryn couldn't believe the woman had the gall to wear something so cheap in the midst of a successful fashion designer. She motioned for Annette to sit down and then braced herself. She already knew that it was going to be a long afternoon.
"I'm here to ask for your help. It involves a project ten of my students are participating in," Annette started.
"I'm intrigued. Please continue," invited Kathryn.
"I'm taking my students to Hawaii to help out at a local school for a week. I'd really like your assistance," said Annette.
"I'll do what I can to help."
"I would love it if you came with us," informed Annette.
"As much as I would like to I need to spend as much time with my family as possible," said Kathryn hiding her displeasure.
"I completely understand."
"These are the most precious years of my children's lives. I don't want to miss out on a moment. I'm very sorry, but I'll help you in any other way possible," promised Kathryn.
"Hawaii really would be the perfect family vacation," declared Annette as a smile broke out on her face. "I'm sure that you've been there before."
"We have a house there. My only problem is Sebastian's crazy work schedule," explained Kathryn.
"I think a vacation would be good for your family. Ask him to take that week off," suggested Annette.
Kathryn contemplated her options. The last thing in the world that she really wanted to do was assist some overly privileged teenagers on how they should give back to others. But at the same time this would be really good for her family's image. She really could do with some time off and she knew how much her children loved Hawaii.
"I think it's a great idea. I'm grateful that you're giving my family this opportunity. I believe that all of your students will take something special from this experience."
"Thank you so much, Kathryn."
"How is Ronald these days?" asked Kathryn.
"He's really happy. The students at Manchester just adore him. I'm happy that that misunderstanding with Cecil Reynolds was cleared up," smiled Annette.
"I'm so glad to hear that."
"I should be going now. We'll talk soon about the details," promised Annette as she made her way to the door.
Kathryn rolled her eyes after her office door shut. She took a generous drag from her cigarette as she considered her conversation with Annette. The only obstacle in her way was Sebastian. But when it came to her husband she was known to be quite persuasive.
&&&&&&&&
"Alright, that's enough for one day," declared Sebastian as he put his camera down.
The two models he had been working with that day grabbed their things and left his studio. His assistant gave him a small wave before leaving as well. He couldn't help the smirk the made its way to his face as she escaped. She had learned quickly that if she were to stay for even a minute longer he would find some last minute work for her to do.
He took his time putting away the various equipment that had been used for the shoot that day. He did his best thinking at the end of the day before he went home. It never failed to amaze him how normal his life was in so many aspects.
He owned a successful business, he was married to the only woman he was capable of loving, and had three amazing children. If someone had told him years ago that this would be his life one day he would have thought that that person was insane.
"Knock, knock," Kathryn called out in a sing song voice. Sebastian watched as she walked into the studio, locking the door behind her.
"I thought that you had an important meeting. What are you doing here?"
"You're not happy to see me," pouted Kathryn.
"I'm always happy to see you," smirked Sebastian as he walked over to her.
"My sentiments precisely. I canceled my meeting and decided to surprise you," declared Kathryn as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Just as she was about to kiss him, Sebastian slightly pulled away.
"What are you up to?" he inquired suspiciously.
"I can't just surprise my husband after a long day of work," asked Kathryn with a small smile on her face.
"Let's try this again, Kathryn. What do you want?" asked Sebastian as he wrapped his arms around her.
"It's quite simple, really," explained Kathryn. Her voice dropped to a husky whisper. "I want you. Right here. Right now."
"And I want you too," laughed Sebastian. "But, first, I want to know what you're up to."
Kathryn pulled away from him, putting some distance between the two of them. Sebastian fought to control his laughter at the angry expression on her beautiful face. Didn't she know that after all this time that he was always aware of when she had an ulterior motive?
"I think we need a vacation..."
"I'm completely booked for the rest of the year. But, in a month I'm taking two weeks off," explained Sebastian.
"That's perfect since we're not leaving until the month is over," explained Kathryn.
"What aren't you telling me?" asked Sebastian skeptically.
"Annette came to my office today..."
"I want nothing more to do with Ronald, Annette, Court, or Cecile!"
"This has nothing to do with revenge this time," insisted Kathryn.
"Thank god for small favors," came Sebastian's sarcastic reply.
"Annette is taking a group of her students to Hawaii. They're going to help out less fortunate children at some school out there," informed Kathryn.
"We're not going. That's final," declared Sebastian, preparing himself for the debate he knew would come.
"I've already told her that we would do it. I even took the liberty of speaking with Zelda about our upcoming trip..."
"You did all of that before talking to me about it?" demanded Sebastian ready to explode.
"I'm telling you now, aren't I? Their trip is for a week. All that she's asked is that we do a couple one hour shifts. The kids are excited about this trip," explained Kathryn knowing that Sebastian would now agree to going.
"Is there anyone who didn't know about this excursion before me? What ever happened to our 'open line of communication'?" asked Sebastian, mocking their therapist.
"Calm down. Zelda and Mary have offered to come along to help us with the kids."
"I cannot imagine either of the them offering to go anywhere with us. I'm going to assume you told them that they had to go."
"That's really beside the point. Think of all the fun that we are going to have together," reasoned Kathryn.
"Do I have a choice?" asked Sebastian.
"Not really. So, what were we saying about anytime, anywhere?" asked Kathryn suggestively.
Sebastian pulled Kathryn's body against his own before roughly kissing her. She happily returned his kiss. She loved getting her way almost as much as she loved Sebastian.
&&&&&&&&
"What do you want to do first when we get there?" asked Soren as he sat next to his siblings on his father's private jet.
"I'm going to get a tan," declared Christina.
"We already know that! I wasn't even talking to you! I was talking to Terrence!"
"Fuck you, Soren! I'll tell you exactly what you'll do when you get there! You're going to get eaten by a shark and then I'll never have to see your stupid face again," Christina shot back.
The two of them began yelling at each other back and forth. They didn't seem to notice the way the flight attendant and their nannies were looking at them.
"They always behave like this," Terrence confided to the flight attendant. "It's actually worse at home."
"Would you like a soda?" she asked.
"Yes, please," he replied offering her a charming smile.
Sebastian and Kathryn sat on the other side of the plane, listening to their two children who seemed to constantly be at war with each other. For most of the trip she had been so consumed with work papers that she had chosen to ignore their bickering. After looking over at Sebastian who just rolled his eyes Kathryn decided that she had had enough.
"Be quiet, all of you," said Kathryn sternly.
"Mom, I didn't do anything," insisted Terrence, for once in his life truly being innocent.
"I do not care, Terrence! I don't want to hear one more word until we land!"
"But that's like five hours!" Soren cried.
"Have I made myself clear?"
All three of them were taken aback by her tone. She didn't get angry with them very often. She would yell at them all the time, but she wasn't really mad. This time they understood she meant business.
"Sorry, Mom," they muttered. They were more or less quiet for the rest of the trip, barely even whispering to each other. Every once in awhile they would look over at their mother who had gone back to her work.
