A/N: Sorry for such a long wait. Turns out, I didn't exactly have internet access or the time to write overseas. Anyways, here's the new chapter and I hope you guys enjoy it.

Sorry for any grammar/spelling mistakes--this has NOT yet gone through my Beta. Revisions will come later. I thought you guys might appreciate a sooner update instead of revisions.


Elizabeth sat herself down on a bench, facing the ocean. When Darcy sat down next to her, she uncomfortably scooted a few more inches in the other direction. Elizabeth was relieved when Darcy finally decided to break the heavy silence settling in.

"George and I were once best friends. We were as close as brothers," Darcy began softly, head bowed. "Gia used to worship him, and all three of us used to love being in each other's company. I thought we were simply lucky to have each other. I didn't know the real reason until later."

Elizabeth frowned. Gia certainly did not appear to like George that night when Will's cover had been blown. In fact, she seemed to be most furious at her brother helping George.

"Everything was fine until my freshman year in high school. That fall, George's father suddenly died of heart failure. I found out then that Mrs. Wickham had little reaction to her husband's death. In fact, she seemed relieved—as though an obstacle in front of her had been removed."

Elizabeth winced. She had a feeling of where the story was going, and she was sure it was going to somehow remind her of her own story.

"She began spending more time with my father. More and more, my father was disappearing during weekends and taking business trips that were much too long. My mom, very trusting of my father, never doubted him once where he had gone."

Turning to gaze at the ocean, Elizabeth looked as far as she could into the horizon, trying not to let Will's story affect her own emotions.

"I'd always looked up to my father. Although I knew he never loved my mom like she loved him, I admired him for sticking through everything. But that was before I learned that people couldn't be trusted. Through loopholes that my father left, I eventually found tangible proof that my father was having an affair with Mrs. Wickham. When I traced the facts I had discovered, they led me right back to George. He had known all along."

Will looked away and sighed before continuing again.

"I was hurt and angry at both George's betrayal and my father's infidelity. Frustrated, I dug deeper into the puzzle. The more answers I searched for, the more pieces I found. I soon learned that Mrs. Wickham and my father had a past before he and my mom were married. That past was torn apart when Mrs. Wickham's family forced her to marry George's father. Afterwards, my father was pushed in haste by his family to marry my mom. In the end, my mom fell in love with my father in a way he could not. And that was when I realized that luck had nothing to do with our families being so close. It was unrequited love that drew both of our families together."

Elizabeth leaned towards Will, intrigued by his story.

"When I found out everything I needed to know, I didn't feel like it was right for my mom to live in the shadows. So one day, I took every piece of proof I found, showed them to her, and explained everything. At first, she refused to believe me, but I suspected she was only in denial. Eventually, she gathered up the courage to confront my father. That confrontation was what captured the media's attention. Rumors spread like wildfire, claiming that my father had been harboring two decades worth of marital infidelity."

Frowning, Elizabeth took a deep breath. How she hated it when the media made large headlines of celebrities on their private lives. She sympathized with the Darcys, knowing that their wealth and status made it hard for them to hide from the critical eyes of the world.

"My father, seeing that the problem had been made extremely public, denied all accusations of him being in an affair. He was a traditional man, and to him, the most important things have always been business and the family name. My sister and I have always been taught to keep our family name clean, for business was passed down through it. Our family name equaled our reputation, and neither of those could be tarnished. In an attempt to keep our name reputable, my father cut off all ties from Mrs. Wickham and moved us across the states. Afterwards, Mrs. Wickham suffered from depression and committed suicide two years later."

Elizabeth gasped. She had not thought Darcy's connection with the Wickham family had been this deep.

"Orphaned and without a home, my father took pity on George and moved him into our house, where we gave him the spare room. I was ready to forgive George against the betrayal he once set on me, but I found that he was not ready to forgive me for the truth I had unveiled. He attributed the cause of his mother's death directly to me, since my father wouldn't have done anything had my mom not known. I sensed that George wanted to get even with me, but under the watchful eye of my mom, he didn't dare. After all, we were the only ones willing to put a roof over his head."

Reaching the next part of his story, Will seemed to have lost a bit of his composure. His shoulders slacked and his head was bowed lower. When he spoke, his voice was rougher.

"Things settled for a while, until I got a phone call from college one night that my parents had been in a car accident. I lost both my parents that night. I was twenty-one and Gia was seventeen. Left to care for a teenage sister and a troubled misfit, I was scared and had no idea what to do. I didn't want Gia under the care of my aunt, so I sent her off to boarding school to finish off her last two years of high school. Meanwhile, George in his sophomore year of junior college, was a mess. However, Gia failed to see the person he'd become. She refused to let go of the image she had of him back in our childhood days and was still in love with him. George, seeking revenge, decided to take advantage over that."

Elizabeth felt a surge of anger course through her and angrily blurted out, "He messed with Gia too?"

Will nodded. "It wasn't long before George started putting on acts for Gia, sending her flowers and all sorts of things, making Gia believe that he was in love with her. After he successfully wooed her, he slept with her. And right after that, he left and never came back. Gia, deeply hurt and heartbroken, came to me for help and confessed everything. I was shocked and immediately blamed myself for not keeping a closer watch on my sister. But what did I know of raising a teenager when I was barely out of the teenage years myself? Nothing. And that was where I failed."

Elizabeth looked at Will, suppressing the urge to put a comforting arm around him. Instead, she opted to say something encouraging.

"You didn't fail. If anything, you went beyond what you set out to do. Look at Gia today. She's strong, confident, and bold. How many women out there have a mind and heart like hers?"

Will turned to shoot Elizabeth a sidelong glace. And with a hint of a smile, replied, "Not many."

"You shouldn't hold yourself accountable for what happened. The one responsible for all this mess is George Wickham," said Elizabeth.

"Then you must know why I have no choice but to work as his lawyer."

At this, Elizabeth's gaze on Will hardened. Narrowing her eyes, she opened her mouth and said with a piercing glare, "Blackmail."

"Precisely," Will replied with a nod. "George has pictures from that night with Gia, and he threatened to sell them to the media and create big headlines of scandal if I refused to work on his case. Although it has been many years since the pictures were taken, the media feasts on anything given to them. They will work the past into the present and make something out of nothing. About one of the only things they do well, really."

Elizabeth gave Will a sympathizing smile. That was probably one of the reasons why she never wanted to be famous. Being a celebrity meant giving up one's private life.

Will returned her smile weakly and continued. "I suppose there is only one reason for George doing all of this. He wanted to make my sister suffer through what his mother did. He wanted to make Gia feel what his mother had felt when my father left her and never turned back."

Elizabeth shook her head. She couldn't believe that she was once married to this man, had once slept on the same bed and lived under the same roof as he. She was amazed yet disturbed by how well he had masked his true character under a façade that had her fooled the entire time she had been with him.

"I'm not using Wickham's blackmail as an excuse or justification to my behavior. My intentions were to protect Gia and what my father fought so hard for. My father's fight to keep our name clean led to Mrs. Wickham's unfortunate death. I wasn't about to let one person mess that all up," Will explained.

Elizabeth looked at Will thoughtfully. "I can't help but notice the irony of it all. George is willing to let his mother die in vain alongside his attempts to tarnish your family name. But all this time, he claims to be avenging his mother's death."

"Impressive thinking." Will slowly nodded, looking at Elizabeth before curiously asking, "English major?"

Elizabeth chuckled. "Yes."

"Ah…so you're one of those maniacs who analyze everything they see, hear, and read."

"Good that you know," Elizabeth casually replied, "so bear in mind that nothing ever gets around me."

"I noticed," Will grudgingly acknowledged with a shrug.

"Why so glum, Mr. Darcy? As a lawyer, I'm sure that nothing gets past you either. Especially when it comes around to how certain bank accounts function," Elizabeth ventured, shooting Will a sharp look.

"I'm sorry."

Elizabeth's head snapped up. Was the proud and arrogant Will Darcy apologizing to her? Although she sympathetically sided with his story, she never thought about changing her previous judgments she had made on him. Pride was not something to be so easily put aside without struggle. So why was he apologizing?

"I'm sorry," came the apology again. "When I first took up the case, I thought only about my family. I did not think of the innocent ones involved who I was doing injustice to. Growing up, I was taught to only look after those in my family circle. My determination to keep that principle intact led to another's sorrows," Will explained before turning to look Elizabeth directly in her face.

Meeting her eyes, he said with unmistakable sincerity, "Elizabeth, I truly am very sorry for all of this."

Truth be told, Elizabeth had no idea what to think. Was she going to forgive him for everything he had set against her based on one story? Was she going to put her trust in someone she barely knew? But then again, Will's apology did sound pretty sincere.

"Hah," echoed a voice inside her mind, "Did George Wickham not teach you anything?"

Elizabeth blinked. Who was she to trust?

Seeing Elizabeth's hesitation, Will added, "I'm not asking you to forgive me. I just wanted you to understand everything behind the case. You don't have to forgive me if you don't want to. I understand."

Elizabeth thought it over. She wasn't about to forgive him right away. Since he was her boss, she was sure to run into him pretty often. She decided that she was going to carefully observe his actions and figure out exactly what kind of person he was. His actions would speak for everything. In the meanwhile, she didn't think it would hurt to lay off on him a bit.

"I'll forgive you when I'm ready," she finally answered in a stern voice. "No guarantees though," she added.

"It's okay. I understand. But we can maybe you know—like—," Will stated awkwardly as he scratched his head.

Elizabeth frowned, not exactly sure of what he was saying.

"Well, it'd be nice to not have an employee look like she wants to throw daggers at me every time I walk into the company," Will said, finally getting his words together.

Elizabeth smirked. The guy wants us to start over, but doesn't have to guts to bluntly speak his mind. She laughed to herself. She was going to get it out of him directly.

Pretending not to understand what Will hinted at, she said, "Of course, if you'd rather me gaze upon you with large, adoring eyes filled with love, awe, and admiration, I'll see what I can—"

"Can we start over from the beginning please?" Will interrupted, his face bright red.

Elizabeth smiled, nodded, and stuck out her hand.

"Elizabeth Bennet, classical literature graduate and book nerd at your service."


A/N: It's been a while, so here's a thought for you...I really like reviews. ;)