Wow, for once I'm actually posting a chapter earlier instead of later! I wanted to get this posted and out of the way before I get super busy with work and other personal things over the next week and a half.
I went out on a bit of a limb with these next few G-20 chapters. I wrote these next few chapters later than the other ones in Falling for You (I had already started posting the first few chapters of Falling for You when I wrote this chapter and the next few coming up). I really wanted to explore the G-20 summit more and create more buildup to what happens at the end of All Fall Down but I wasn't sure if that would just stretch things out too much. Hopefully, it was worth the creative risk!
Going to reply to reviews on the previous chapter, thanks so much to everyone who reviewed!
Guest: Glad you enjoyed the chapter! I feel like these next few chapters might also do some crazy things to your emotions so get ready for that.
A New Look: I hope this next chapter finds you well! I agree, it definitely took a while to get that Gralexei ship going but I can't wait for all those Gralexei scenes in See How They Run!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Embassy Row series and all the characters (except for Tanner and Jordan, who are my own creations). They belong to Ally Carter. I am merely using her characters and plotline to create this fanfiction. This fanfiction is purely for entertainment purposes and would not exist without Ally Carter's wonderful works.
Chapter Twenty-Six: Where's Grace?
Another day, another tux, I thought to myself as I tied my gold bow-tie. The G-20 summit in Valancia was off to an excellent start, aside from Grace's little incident last night at the party at the American embassy. Tonight, the palace was hosting a formal dinner and dance for all the visiting world leaders and the ambassadors stationed in Adria. Naturally, I was required to attend with my father and the ambassador. The invitation called for a black-tie dress code, which was why I was decked out in another tuxedo.
I spritzed on a bit of cologne as a finishing touch. After checking that my tie was straight and my hair was sitting the right way, I grabbed my phone and my wallet from my desk before heading out the door. My father, the ambassador, and Mikhail were already waiting by the main doors when I got there. My father gave me the once-over, zeroing in on my gold bow-tie. He raised an eyebrow at me, a look of disapproval in his eyes. I sighed, fully aware that I was breaking the rules of the black-tie dress code by wearing a gold bow-tie instead of a black one.
As much as I hated to admit it, Tanner and Jordan were onto something when they said that I needed to lighten up and wear more colours. That blue tie they forced me into yesterday added a nice pop of colour to my suit. As a result, I got quite a few compliments on it.
Today, I thought I'd switch things up again with the gold bow-tie. I didn't think the colour was too out-there, compared to Tanner's extravagant colour choices, and it seemed appropriate for the event at the palace tonight. However, the look on my father's face begged to differ. He just shook his head as he and the ambassador headed out to the limo. I was about to follow them when a hand on my shoulder stopped me in my tracks.
"Alexei, can I just say you look very handsome tonight," Mikhail said, slowly looking up and down my outfit. "That gold bow-tie really suits you."
"You think so?" I asked.
"Of course. I still find it hard to believe how much you've grown up over the past few years," Mikhail said, tears shining in his eyes. He looked like a father who was proud of his son. I realized with a jolt that I was the son and Mikhail was the father, so to speak.
I had always wanted my father to be proud of me. He never gave me more than a stiff nod or a gruff congratulations for anything I had accomplished in my life. Yet, I suddenly remembered everything Mikhail had told me about his life and how he was able to find happiness again through me. Right then and there, I realized how lucky I was to have Mikhail in my life. He may not have been my biological father but I knew he loved me unconditionally and would die for me if it came down to it.
I looked right into Mikhail's eyes, the love and pride for me so evident. I smiled sincerely at him. Mikhail surprised me by pulling me in for a tight hug. When he pulled away, he briefly gazed at me, a wistful look in his eyes. That look quickly disappeared, replaced by a neutral expression.
"I mean it when I say you look good tonight," Mikhail said. "Would you like me to take a picture for you?"
"Sure, that'd be great. Thanks." I handed Mikhail my phone. I stood by the wall, near the floor-to-ceiling windows that framed the main doors of the embassy. I turned slightly, sticking my hands into my pockets. I stared off into the distance, not looking directly at the camera. After a few seconds, Mikhail handed my phone back to me. I took a look at the picture. My body was more or less facing the camera. My face was captured at an angle, not quite straight on but not a complete profile either. The late afternoon sun streaming in through the windows hit my face in all the right places, highlighting my angular features, my dark hair styled into a tall quiff, and my gold bow-tie.
"Wow," Mikhail breathed, as he looked at the picture. I had to admit, I looked pretty good. Surprising myself, I posted that picture to Instagram. I rarely posted on social media but I felt like that picture was something worth sharing. Almost immediately, I started getting likes and comments.
"We should probably head out before your father and the ambassador wonder what's holding us up," Mikhail said. I nodded in agreement, putting my phone back in my pocket. I walked to the limo with Mikhail, expecting to see my father fuming mad. However, my father and the ambassador seemed very at ease as they talked, their pre-party cigarettes in hand. They didn't seem to mind that Mikhail and I had gotten held up.
Mikhail opened the limo door for us and I climbed in after the ambassador and my father. I settled in for the ride to the palace. Unfortunately, the line of limos heading to the palace was even longer than it had been the night of the credentials ball.
After what felt like forever, we finally rolled into the palace gates. A couple limos ahead of us, I saw Ambassador Vincent, Ms. Chancellor, and the American President and First Lady getting out. I blinked in surprise, sure that I had done a double take. But as I looked again, I only spotted four figures. No Grace. That was strange. Maybe she was riding with Megan and her mother in another limo.
Soon, a palace guard was opening the door of our limo. I took a deep breath as I climbed out, preparing myself to walk down the red carpet. I plastered a smile on my face as I made my way down the receiving line, full of members of the royal family and important palace officials. I made sure to leave a good impression on everyone, by shaking hands and making small talk, just like my father had taught me.
"Your Royal Highness," I said, with a bow, as I approached Princess Ann.
"Alexei, dear, no need for formalities," Princess Ann said, with a laugh. She pulled me in for a quick hug then kissed each cheek of mine, in the European fashion. She stepped back, taking in my outfit. "You look very handsome, Alexei. I'm sure if your mother was here, she would be taken aback."
"Thank you," I replied politely. It was then that I noticed the boy standing next to Princess Ann. He looked like he was my age or a bit younger. He must have been Prince Thomas, the future heir to the throne and the most eligible teenage boy on the market.
"Your Royal Highness," I said to the prince, making sure to bow before him.
"Thanks for coming," Prince Thomas said, looking right at home in the receiving line. I gave him a friendly smile before continuing down the receiving line with my father and the ambassador. Once we made it through the receiving line, I immediately started looking for Tanner and Jordan. However, a stern look from my father stopped me in my tracks.
"We're going to circulate before the dinner starts," my father stated. I wasn't surprised that he wanted to foster more diplomatic relations. I followed him and the ambassador over to the bar, where they grabbed a couple of cocktails. I grabbed a bottle of water to stay hydrated. This looked like it was going to be a long night.
My father dragged me along as he talked to just about every world leader present for the G-20 summit. I did my best to stay out of the way, only speaking when addressed to and making sure to greet everyone properly.
After the cocktail hour finished, we headed over to our assigned dinner table. Russia was assigned to sit with Germany. I politely greeted the Russian president, the German chancellor, and the German ambassador as I sat down. I noticed Rosie sitting to my left and gave her a friendly smile.
"Hi, Rosemarie, how has your evening been?" I asked.
"Bor-ing," Rosie said, stretching out the syllables. "I had to talk to all these boring people." She huffed, emphasizing her point. I couldn't help but smile.
"Same here. At least we get to sit together during dinner."
"I probably would have died of boredom if I was stuck at a table full of adults," Rosie said, sticking out her tongue.
"Then be careful you don't die of boredom from listening to Alexei talk about Grace non-stop." I whipped around in my seat, ready to take out whoever had made that comment.
"Geez, bro, calm down, will you? I'm sure you don't want your salad ending up on the floor," Jordan said, with a laugh. He was holding a tray full of salads, the first course.
"You're lucky you're on waiter duty or I seriously would have punched you," I said, as Jordan put a salad in front of me.
"Besides, Grace is awesome!" Rosie chimed in. "I could never get sick of her. Speaking of Grace, where is she?" During the entire cocktail hour, I hadn't seen Grace once. I was hoping she'd be here but given that she hadn't been in the limo with her grandfather, chances were slim that she'd be here.
"The American ambassador's table is in my section," Jordan said. "I can keep an eye out for her if you'd like."
"Thanks, man," I said, digging into my salad. It was really fresh and delicious, with arugula, cucumber, avocado, and tomato in a garlic herb vinaigrette.
The speeches soon started. I took a moment to look around the ballroom, taking in my surroundings. It seemed like the palace had gone for a Mediterranean-themed party, to highlight the very best of Adria.
The next two courses, a minestrone soup and a hummus and pita platter, were soon brought out. I tried my hardest to pay attention to the speeches. Most of them were pretty run-of-the-mill but a few of them were really entertaining, like the speech made by the American ambassador and the American president. With the ambassador's charisma and the president's sense of humour, they had captivated the whole audience and were met with a standing ovation.
Soon, the waiters came around to clear the soup bowls and bring out the entrées. I noticed Jordan approaching our table, a dismal look on his face.
"I got bad news, bro," Jordan said, setting a plate of grilled salmon and orzo in front of me. "Grace isn't at the American ambassador's table."
"Does that mean Grace isn't here at all tonight?" Rosie asked.
"Most likely," Jordan replied, taking away mine and Rosie's soup bowls.
"That's strange," Rosie said, once Jordan had left. "Everyone else is here." I glanced around the room. Tanner was sitting with the South Korean and Japanese officials. Lila and Noah were sitting together. Megan was sitting with her mother at the American ambassador's table. I glanced over at my father. Luckily, he was engrossed in conversation with the Russian president and German chancellor. Nevertheless, I lowered my voice just in case he was listening.
"Maybe she isn't feeling well," I said.
"She seemed fine yesterday," Rosie protested. I raised an eyebrow at her, reminding her of Grace's little stunt last night.
"Okay, you're right. Grace probably isn't fine," Rosie relented. "I climbed up to her window after the party last night. I wanted to talk to her but she wouldn't let me in. All she did was tell me to be careful out there." There was Grace again with the strange lines.
"Grace has seen a lot, far more than any of us. She's got a lot going on in her head."
"That's an understatement." Rosie rolled her eyes before turning serious again. "I really hope Grace will be okay."
"Me too." I couldn't keep the sadness out of my voice. Grace had not been okay for a very long time. I had hoped that our talk the other night would have helped her but it obviously hadn't, not if she was still pulling crazy stunts. I didn't know what else could possibly help her. Surely, her grandfather and Ms. Chancellor had plans for her but there was no way of knowing how much help they'd be. There were so many people who wanted her to get better; yet, she still kept herself trapped in her walls. At this point, I hoped that saving her wouldn't be a futile effort.
The dessert, a honey, pistachio, and fruit tart, was brought out. I smiled in amusement at how quickly Rosie had gobbled hers down. I noticed her sneakily eyeing the rest of mine.
"Do you want it?" I asked, gesturing to my tart.
"No thanks. I'm so full," Rosie said, shaking her head. The look on her face said otherwise though.
"Here, take it." I pushed my plate towards Rosie. She finally relented and just as quickly gobbled down the rest of my tart.
"Thanks, Alexei." Rosie had a sheepish smile on her face as she dabbed at her mouth with a napkin.
"No problem." I returned her smile. I noticed that various couples were starting to head over to the dance floor. The dance portion of the evening must have started. My father, along with the Russian ambassador and the Russian president, stood up.
"I'm going for a smoke break," my father stated. "Can I trust that you will be on your best behaviour for the rest of the evening?"
"Of course," I replied. Being on my best behaviour tonight wouldn't be an issue, especially since Grace wasn't here.
"Good. You are free to go," my father said, a rare hint of a smile on his face. He walked off towards one of the smoking rooms. I turned towards Rosie.
"So, what do you say, shall we go find the others?" I asked.
"Of course!" Rosie exclaimed, practically bouncing out of her seat. We soon found Tanner, Jordan, Megan, Noah, and Lila sitting at an empty table in the corner.
"Yo, we match," Tanner called out. I was momentarily confused as I took in his burgundy tuxedo. However, I quickly spotted his gold bow-tie and the cloud of gold glitter that coated his hair.
"Wow, hardcore twinning much?" Noah asked, with a smirk, as he looked between me and Tanner.
"I was going to say, you look really good, Alexei," Lila said. For once, she sounded sincere and not flirtatious.
"Thank you," I replied, with a soft smile.
"Can we just talk about that Instagram pic though?" Tanner said. "Like damn, bro. Did you turn into a model overnight or what?" Everyone else nodded in agreement. I blushed in embarrassment.
"It was just a quick picture that Mikhail took," I replied, trying to downplay it.
"Sure," Jordan said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "I wouldn't be surprised if you had a whole photoshoot."
"Come on, Alexei's not like that," Lila argued. I gave her a grateful look. She really did know me well, maybe even better than Tanner and Jordan did.
"See? It was just the one picture," I said, pulling up the camera roll on my phone. I passed my phone around for everyone to see, although it was mostly for Tanner and Jordan's benefit.
"Alright, whatever you say, bro," Jordan said, holding up his hands in defence.
"Yo, is that Secret Ninja Lady and the Scarred Dude on the dancefloor?" Tanner asked. I turned to look at the dancefloor. Sure enough, Ms. Chancellor and Dominic were dancing together. Although their faces held neutral expressions, they seemed to be conversing in hushed, low tones.
"Damn, that is them," Noah said. "I never thought I'd see them dancing together."
"How else could they discuss sketchy plans without sneaking off to a secret room?" Megan said. "I still feel like something's going to go down soon."
"Like what?" Tanner asked incredulously. "Murder? Arson?"
"Actually, yes," Megan replied. "In case you haven't noticed, the Scarred Man is capable of doing some pretty lethal things. I wouldn't be surprised if he hits his target tonight."
"Shouldn't we be doing something about that?" Rosie asked. "I can follow the Scarred Man around again."
"As much as I'm for that idea, it didn't exactly work last night, remember?" Noah pointed out.
"I can try again!" Rosie protested. "I'll be better this time, I promise."
"If needed, Rosie, you can certainly tail Dominic," I said, being the voice of reason. "However, we have no definitive proof that Dominic or Ms. Chancellor will do something tonight."
"I still think we should be prepared, in case something does happen," Megan said.
"You got any plans of attack?" Jordan asked. "Because I think we're running a little short on ideas here." Megan opened her mouth like she was about to say something. Instead, she stared open-mouthed at something behind me. I turned around, wondering what could have stopped Megan short.
"Hello, everyone. I hope you're all having a lovely evening," Ms. Chancellor said. She was standing next to our table, Dominic at her side.
"Yes, we are, Ms. Chancellor," Lila said, in her suck-up voice.
"Everything's been great, especially the food," Noah said, a dreamy look in his eyes. "That tart was something else. I don't think I've ever had anything so good."
"The palace has certainly outdone itself tonight. Don't you think so, Dominic?" Ms. Chancellor said, turning to look expectantly at Dominic. He just nodded in response.
"Then it's certainly a shame that Grace isn't here to enjoy the party," Tanner said, giving me a suggestive look. If there weren't so many people around, I definitely would have punched him. He seriously lacked a filter and always said everything that came to mind. It usually led to awkward situations that were completely avoidable, all because Tanner couldn't keep his mouth shut.
"As you can imagine, Grace hasn't been feeling well," Ms. Chancellor started, as she and Dominic exchanged an uneasy look. "We have someone looking after her at the embassy. We're hoping she can get some rest tonight."
"Do you think Grace will be able to attend the G-20 finale tomorrow?" Rosie asked. "I wouldn't want her to miss the fireworks."
"We'll have to see how she's feeling," Ms. Chancellor said. "After all, it would be a shame if she was unable to attend." Something sounded off about that last sentence. Maybe it was Ms. Chancellor's tone of voice or the way it sounded so foreboding. Either way, it didn't sound good. I started fearing that something bad might happen to Grace, and soon.
"I'm hosting a party tomorrow night at the cliffs to watch the fireworks," Lila said. "And everyone's invited." I was pretty sure Grace was the last person Lila would invite to her party but she was probably sucking up to Ms. Chancellor, as usual.
"I don't see why Grace can't come to Lila's party," Megan chimed in. "We'll all be there. We can keep an eye on her and make sure someone is with her at all times."
"I appreciate your efforts to help but Grace is in good hands," Ms. Chancellor said, effectively shutting us down. "We have a team of well-educated medical personnel at the embassy constantly checking on Grace and evaluating her health. I trust them to make decisions about Grace's well-being. Thus, I can assure you all that Grace is well-cared for and safe at the embassy." Everything that Ms. Chancellor said sounded very wrong to me. I looked over at everyone else, to see if they felt the same way but their faces just held neutral, albeit slightly sad, expressions. I took a deep breath, forcing myself to stay composed. However, it didn't work, not when the thought of Grace getting hurt and me not being there to protect her permeated my mind.
If Ms. Chancellor, or anyone else, thought they could harm Grace in any way, then they would be in for one hell of a fight against me. But if I wasn't there to protect Grace and she got hurt, then I would never hear the end of it from Jamie. I'd probably also get more lectures from my father about caring too much for Grace. I couldn't stop myself from caring about Grace though. Not when she needed someone to be there for her, someone to believe in her and let her know everything would work out. If I hadn't stepped up to be that person, then who knew what would have happened to her, out on the street that night? What if she had jumped off the wall again, or worse, the cliffs? What if she had hurt herself and no one was there for her? I started panicking at that thought. I wouldn't let Grace hurt herself, no matter how hard she tried. Yet, something deep inside told me I couldn't always be there for her and that sooner or later, something bad was going to happen to her.
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Next chapter will be up between June 20 and June 28. I'll be done with work on June 20 so hopefully I'll have more time for fanfiction after that (I really want to get more written for See How They Run in Alexei's POV this summer).
What do you think will happen next? Stay tuned for more G-20 craziness; after all, the G-20 summit has only just started! ;)