Cruel Intentions: The Serial

Chapter 38: The Valentine's Day Massacre, Part 1

Madison wasn't particularly found of Valentine's Day. Cheap sentiment, or sentiment of any kind really, just wasn't her thing. In grade school she didn't care how many Valentine's she received because she knew she would get more than her fair share on Valentine's Day and every other school day for that matter. It was just a day like any other. However, this year would prove to be an exception. Not only did she have someone to celebrate the holiday with, but tonight at her parent's party, the re-launching of her modeling career would begin.

Of course, there was that little matter of the drug test. When her agent and manager had suggested to her parents that they throw a big bash on Valentine's Day to announce her return to the modeling world they had agreed, so long as the test results came back clean. Well, the party was already well underway, with half of Manhattan swarming around her house, drinking and having a fabulous time while Madison was forced to wait on the side lines, or rather her fathers study, waiting for the clinic to fax her parents the results.

Pacing back and forth over the hard wood floor, she ran an anxious hand down her black floor length Oscar de la Renta dress. She knew she looked amazing with the low plunging neck line and her long, dark hair swept up but it wasn't her appearance that was setting her nerves on end. It was that damn test.

Madison had thought about doing as Valmont suggested and switching the test results, with a less contaminated batch of urine but, with planning the party and keeping Kathryn at bay over when her stepbrother would be ruined, she hadn't the time. In the end she decided to wing it. But now, as she waited in the empty room for her parents to come back with the test results, she cursed herself for not making it a priority. If she failed that fucking test her life was over. No modeling, no freedom and worse yet no Kathryn.

Frantic for some way to take the edge off she opened her purse and hurriedly looked for the vile of coke she had stashed in it earlier. Hell, if she was going back to rehab anyway, what could it hurt to get stoned now? "Where is it?" She hissed angrily as she tossed around the contents of her clutch.

"Madison darling, who are you talking to?"

Whipping around at her mothers voice she forced a smile, "um, myself. I can't find my lipstick." Setting her purse down on the desk she asked, "Are those the test results?"

Her father stepped into the room, his face as somber as ever, and closed the heavy door behind him. "Yes they are baby."

"You know," her mother told her in an equally serious tone, "there are a lot of people out there waiting on you, counting on you. It would be a real disappointment if you let them down."

"And us," her father piped in.

"I know" Madison nodded, "but like I've told you both. I haven't used a thing in months. I'm completely clean."

"We hope so. Regina, why don't you do the honors." Anderson handed his wife the results which were in a sealed envelop.

Looking down at the document then back at her only child she nodded gravely. Then she tore the envelop in two, letting the pieces fall to the ground.

Madison looked back at her mother and then to her father who she thought would be furious over this rash action. On the contrary he beamed back at her just as proudly as her mother did. "What's going on?" she asked nervously.

"Darling we don't need any test to tell us what we already know," her mother explained kindly, "you're our daughter and we trust you."

"Mad if you say you're done with the drugs then we believe you," her father added using his childhood nickname for her.

She couldn't have been more surprised if her parents told her they were quitting their jobs and joining the circus. Looking back and forth as them Madison could barely process the fact that she was off the hook. She wouldn't loose anything after all. With an uncharacteristically giddy squeal she jumped into her daddy's arms and yelled "thank you!"

"Oh that's quite all right sweetheart, you earned it," he replied lovingly caressing her back.

Breaking away she pulled her mother into a hug and asked, "Does this mean I can return to modeling?"

"Just so long as you promise us that what happened last year will never happen again," she replied sternly.

"It won't," Madison lied easily, "I promise."

"Well good then," her mother tucked a lose strand of her daughters hair in place, "then you better get going. Julian wants to make the announcement pretty soon and everyone's asking about you."

Madison nodded and then told them, with more genuine emotion than she ever thought possible, "thank you again, for trusting me. I love you guys a lot."

"We love you too baby"

Grinning, that smile that once earned her a multi-million dollar contract from Revlon, she exited the room and headed towards the party. She still couldn't believe it was over, that all her worries and concerns were for nothing. Her parents trusted her. Truth be told Madison did feel just a tiny bit uneasy about that, seeing as she did really love them and she honestly didn't want to disappoint them again. As she entered the large ballroom where most of the guests were gathered she made a mental note to ditch her cocaine habit as soon as possible. There was no need to take any more unnecessary risks.

Just as she knew it would be, the room was packed and not with just her boring schoolmates. Socialites, celebrities and a random politician or two were all sprinkled throughout the room. She spotted her manager on one side of the room chatting up a couple of the kids from The O.C. Mayor Bloomberg was holding court near the stage that would later be used to announce her comeback. Her agent Julian whispered in her ear that Access Hollywood wanted an exclusive about her triumphant return to modeling. As exciting as all this was however, it would have to wait. There was one person she wanted to share her good news with first.

After saying a few quick hellos, Madison exited the room and dashed up to her bedroom where she knew Kathryn was waiting. She had now been staying with her for a couple of weeks and the only other people outside of herself and Simon who knew she was out of rehab was her parents. They had been reluctant at first to let her stay until Madison turned around her request to make it sound like charity. Of course, they had caved.

Kathryn had decided to wait in her room rather than the party just in case the test results didn't go in her favor. It would make for an easier escape route from her parents who undoubtedly would have had questions. It didn't appear that would be a problem any longer.

Striding confidentially down the hall she reached her bedroom and threw open the door. Kathryn was indeed waiting for her but she was not alone. Not by a long shot.

Laid out across her bed wearing a white, chiffon, Alexander McQueen knee-length dress and an off white cashmere cardigan tossed over her shoulders, Kathryn's delicate legs were spread and there was a definite male body hiding under her puffy skirt giving her head. Licking her lips, the petite brunette didn't even seem to notice at first that Madison was even there. "Oooh, yeah, just…like…," tilting her head back she moaned. At last her green eyes opened and her dilated pupils gazed at Madison. With no fear, or shame she smiled and greeted her lazily, "Hi baby, you're early."

So appalled by the site in front of her and that look of utter indifference in her lovers eyes, Madison barely noticed when Sebastian appeared from under his stepsister's skirt, with a wet mouth and a sinister grin. She was so shocked and saddened by this turn of events she honestly didn't know whether to scream over the betrayal or cry. "W-what the hell is going on Kathryn?" she stuttered. "What are you doing, with HIM!"

"Now, now watch your tone," Sebastian mocked as he got up and closed the door, "we don't want to cause a scene."

Never taking her eyes off Kathryn she demanded, "How long has this been going on?"

Pressing a finger to her lips in mock thought she pretended to ponder. "Hmm? How, long would you say brother dear?"

Sebastian sat behind her and Kathryn relaxed casually back in his arms. "Well, let's see…from the very beginning I believe."

"You were very kind to me, helping me get out of New Haven and all. Don't think I didn't appreciate it Madison. You're a lovely girl and you're fantastic at giving head but please understand I only want to be friends," she explained cruelly.

"Friends?" Madison spat like it was a dirty word.

Kathryn nodded sympathetically, "You see Madison, in case the visual didn't tip you off, I'm straight. Plus, as I'm sure you realize now, I was only using you." Her sincere smile fell away suddenly and was replaced by an evil grin. "You were very much in love with me, weren't you? You always have been from our first night together. Unfortunately for you however I am not in the market for a girlfriend and even if I was no way in hell would it ever be you. So clingy and desperate to please, it really is a turn off. Madison darling, you're just a toy," Kathryn leaned back and licked Valmont's jaw, "you could never fully please me."

Watching the heated looks the stepsiblings were giving each other fuelled her rage even more than Kathryn's cruel words. Storming over to the bed Madison sneered, "you evil little bitch I'm going to-

"What?" Kathryn demanded just as angrily. "Sabotage my life? Take away my freedom? Oh wait, you already did that. Well now it's my turn to return the favor. You and that bitch Simon are going to pay for what you've done to us."

Madison took a step back as she eyed her new enemy and tried to put the pieces together. "So you two have been plotting against me this whole time?"

"Well you made it so easy" Kathryn sniped back.

"When did you realize-

"That you were full of shit?" Sebastian finished for her, "on the night you came and bailed me out of jail. You see on the car ride home I got to thinking. It didn't make any sense that Kathryn would betray me in such a diabolical fashion, when she couldn't be around to witness it. See what you don't know about out little Kathryn," he explained caressing his stepsisters hair lovingly, "is that she loves a good kill. If she's going to execute someone, she wants to see the carnage fly. I realized this so I went and paid my sister a visit down in Utah. Surprise, surprise she hadn't a clue about my arrest."

"All I knew was that YOU were the one responsible for sending me to that hell hole clinic to begin with." Kathryn sighed, "My mother told me about the most interesting little talk you two had. You were the one who suggested that she send me to New Haven to protect the 'family' name."

"Yes and you were the one who cried rape and then bailed me out to protect your own ass. As far as I can see it you wanted to turn me and Kathryn against each other. Were you that desperate to get Kathryn all to yourself?"

"No," she revealed, "actually it was all Simon's idea."

Glancing at Kathryn he sighed, "I told you she wasn't smart enough to come up with something like this all on her own."

Narrowing her eyes angrily at him she snapped, "Let me guess, you set me up with that coke the other night so I would fail my drug test and get sent to rehab. Not very original I'll grant you, but what else could I expect from you Valmont?" With a cold smile she revealed, "Well all your secret scheming was in vain. My parents tore up the test results. They trust me so it looks like I win after all."

Kathryn and Sebastian exchanged surprise glances. "They trust you?" the tiny beauty seethed, "I wonder what would happen if someone tipped them off that their precious daughter has been snorting whatever she can get her hands on up her nose all week."

"Someone, like you?" Madison laughed, "Like my parents would believe a bulimic head case like you or a lecherous playboy like Valmont. Face it sweetie, you're fucked and that goes double for you Valmont."

"Meaning?"

She smiled, happy to exact her own little brand of revenge as she explained, "the videotape, remember?"

"Oh, you mean the one I nicked from your bedroom two days ago when you were meeting with your agent?" Kathryn remarked.

Madison didn't back down. "Actually that was a fake. I knew I couldn't trust you so just in case I hid a blank tape knowing you would likely come looking for it when you thought I wasn't around. I take it you haven't looked at it; if you did you would have realized it was I who betrayed you."

"How?"

"Well you see I lied and I let Simon in on our plan. I always knew I could trust him over you and it looks like I was right."

Her pretty face twisted in rage, Kathryn got off the bed and demanded, "you told him I was here!"

"Yep," Madison answered with a triumphant grin, "and not only that but I gave him the only copy of that tape. It should be making the rounds as we speak. It's only a matter of time before Chancellor Arnold gets an eyeful of Valmont screwing the innocence out of his only daughter."

Sebastian rubbed his forehead and sneered, "You fucking bitch."

She nodded in agreement as she continued on, "so you see while you're off serving your time at St. Benedicts Sebastian and your parents ship Kathryn back off to rehab, I'll be living the life I deserve in Milan and Simon will be taking over all your hard earned positions at Manchester Kathryn. Looks like everybody wins."

Kathryn said nothing, she just stared back at her with stony anger that Madison could only assume was defeat. Knowing she had won and there was nothing left to say she exited the room, her smug smile not wavering an inch until the door was closed behind her. As she left the stepsiblings to figure a way out of their predicament her confident exterior melted. She couldn't believe it had all been a lie. Madison had loved Kathryn, or at least it felt like love. As she headed downstairs her heart felt as if it was breaking into a million pieces. So much for Valentine's Day.

However, as horrible as she was feeling she couldn't show it now. Not at this time, in what would likely prove to be her finest hour. No, she would wallow about Kathryn's betrayal later, after everyone had left. For now she wanted to celebrate her victory.

Madison reached the ballroom but before she could go in her maid Beatrice appeared beside her. "Ma'am, your parents wish to speak to you in your father's study."

"Now?" she asked annoyed.

The older woman nodded, "they said it's very important."

Rolling her eyes, the beauty turned back around and walked over to where she last left her parents. For a moment she thought they might have changed their minds about the drug test but then she remembered how happy there were for her and she realized it couldn't be that. Likely, they just wanted to give her a present or a few more words of encouragement. She would just have to grin and bare it.

As she opened the study door however, and spotted her parents standing in the middle of the room looking serious and upset she knew her first instinct might have been correct. "Mum, daddy, Beatrice said you wanted to see me."

"Come in and close the door Madison," her father ordered her coldly.

She did as he said and asked, "What's going on?"

"Madison, you lied to us. We know you're using drugs again."

Trying to keep her surprise over the accusation off of her face she demanded, "What! Who told you that? Whoever it was they're lying." Suddenly something occurred to her, "was it Kathryn because you know-

"No," her father interrupted her rant, "it wasn't Kathryn."

"Who then?"

Entering from the opposite door, Simon stepped into the room. "It was me Madison."

- to be continued (Please Review)

Next Chapter 39: The Valentine's Day Massacre, Part 2