Christian was annoyed. He was almost struggling to believe what he was seeing on the fourth page in the newspaper the following morning. The event he had attended the previous night had been well documented, like most of the events which he took the time to turn up to. That was not the part which annoyed him. The part which annoyed him was his daughter lying to him.

He had asked her whether or not she had seen Dominic Chattel whilst he and Ana attended to private matters. She had said no, but the photograph inside the newspaper suggested otherwise to him. Christian's anger built up the more he stared at it. Ana stood by the side of Victoria as Dominic moved his hand down her cheek, a bright red blush on her cheeks whilst he looked cocky and pleased with himself.

"Morning."

Christian looked up from the paper which he was reading to see Ana moving into the kitchen. She had changed from her pyjamas and slipped into jeans and a sweater, her hair neatly combed down her back as she walked amongst the cabinets and searched for a mug from the dishwasher.

She looked over to Christian, wondering why he had not returned her greeting. It was only when she saw his face when she sighed. She straightened up, a clean mug in her hands and she gripped it tightly, wondering what had gotten into Christian.

"Is everything alright?" she dared to ask, placing the mug back down on the worktop surface. She ran a shaky hand through her hair and arched her brow.

"I don't know," Christian replied lowly. "Do you class lying to me as everything being alright?"

Ana gulped as Christian held the newspaper up, the sight of the back of her green dress enough to cause Ana to sigh. She looked on to see Dominic with his hand on Victoria's cheek and she cursed herself for not noting whoever was taking pictures. Dropping her hands to her hips, Ana moved her hands to the pockets at the back of her jeans.

"Victoria didn't want you to know that she was sat with him." Ana said and Christian shook his head.

He pulled at the blue cashmere jumper he wore, pushing himself from the bar stool he sat on. "So she sat with him willingly?"

"She might not have if we hadn't have snuck off," Ana replied. "She didn't want you to know because she was worried how you would react."

"She has a glass of white wine in her hands," Christian snapped. "She is underage and he is not someone she needs to be associating with. She has a boyfriend, for God's sake."

"And she loves Andrew," Ana promised Christian.

"Is that why she is letting him run his hands all over her?" Christian snarled back and Ana held her hands up in defence, moving to put the kettle on, seemingly more interested in watching it boil than look at Christian's reddening face.

"She is hardly letting him grope her in public," Ana muttered back. "You will need to ask her what was happening. She is your daughter...just...don't be mad at her. She would never do anything to hurt Andrew."

"And me?" Christian wondered back, slamming the paper back on the side.

Ana turned back to look at him, her eyes widening as she did so. She couldn't help but feel something well up inside of her at the sight of Christian pressing his fingers against his chest.

"What about me? She lied to me...she kept this from me..." Christian replied. "Is she really still so scared of me? She can tell me anything."

"And will you promise not to be made with her?" Ana titled her head to the side, waiting for Christian to respond to her. He looked shocked for a moment as Ana poured herself a drink, managing to keep her emotions in check. She tried to look at things with a neutral view. "She was just scared, Christian. I am sure she never meant to hurt you. Just go and talk to her and tell her that she shouldn't be nervous to confide in you. But you don't need to go crazy on her."

Christian remained mute as he heard her speak, her words sinking in and making complete and utter sense to him. He sighed and nodded at her. Ana smiled, moving back to her husband and reaching for her fiancé's shoulders over the breakfast bar.

"She loves you and you love her," Ana spoke softly. "I know that you two have had a tough relationship in the past, but it will get better, especially when Elena is out the way."

"Jesus, I forgot about her for a moment there," Christian complained. "It doesn't matter. Elena is not important."

"No," Ana agreed, "but it will be better when she is locked away and can't get to Victoria or you anymore."

"Hmm," Christian limply agreed with Ana. "I suppose I should go and see Vicky."

"She might be awake," Ana nodded. "Just go and talk to her. I doubt she will ever see Dominic ever again so it doesn't matter about that picture."

Christian bent down to kiss Ana before he grabbed hold of the newspaper, shoving it underneath his arm. Christian wandered off to his daughter's room, his hands by his sides as he did so. He knocked on the door and Victoria yelled for whoever it was to come in. Christian entered the room, looking around his daughter's messy room. Her dress from the previous night was on the floor along with her shoes. There were papers strewn around the room, each of them relating to her course.

"Morning," Victoria greeted her father. "Did you sleep well?"

"Well enough," Christian said, inhaling deep breaths as he did his best not to become angry with Victoria.

She was sat on her bed, dressed in her green three quartered dress as she towel dried her hair. Her legs were folded underneath her and Christian sat down on the edge of her bed, holding the newspaper on his lap.

"What's wrong?" Victoria wondered, her eyes trailing over to the newspaper which he held in his lap. He flipped it to the relevant page and Victoria's eyes settled on it. She kept silent, her eyes on the page as she looked at that image, her blood suddenly chilling and her pulse racing as Dominic's hand swept across her cheek.

"Ah," Victoria mumbled.

"Ah," Christian echoed back to her, taking a moment to turn his gaze to the side to look at her.

She was playing with her hands in her lap, Christian merely sitting still, his eyes set on the page in front of him. He was doing his best not to look angry with her, but he was finding it difficult.

"You and Ana had snuck off-"

"-I don't want the story," Christian cut his daughter off from continuing. She bit down on her bottom lip and Christian closed his eyes. "I want to know why you sat with him and why you didn't tell me. He was giving you alcohol, Victoria."

Victoria continued to chew her lip, her eyes peering up to look at her father as he closed the newspaper and dropped it to the floor on her bedroom. It was already swarming with papers, one more wouldn't hurt.

"You and Ana had left me alone," Victoria replied. "He asked if I would dance and I agreed. He apologised for coming across like an ass and I said it was okay...he just thought that maybe I needed cheering up because of Elena...he was right, in a way...he just went about it the wrong way. I agreed to go for a drink and it was one glass of white wine. I don't think he was trying to get me drunk."

"You don't know that," Christian clipped back quickly, moving to lean back on the bed slightly as Victoria dropped the towel from her hair, quitting in her feeble attempt to towel dry her hair. "I love you, Vic, you know that...but...Dominic...and what about Andrew?"

"What about Andrew?" Victoria responded. "I'm not cheating on him, dad."

"I think that picture tells a different story," Christian promised her.

"He knows me," Victoria said. "I would never do that to him. Look, I'm probably never going to see Dominic again. I don't see why it matters."

Christian's breath hitched in his throat as Victoria stood up and picked up her long black cardigan which sat on the back of her chair at her desk. She shrugged into it and Christian sat up straight again.

"It matters because you didn't tell me," Christian said. "I did tell you to stay away from Dominic."

"I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to overreact," Victoria replied, pulling the cardigan tightly around her body as Christian rolled his eyes. "I knew that you would be angry with me for going off with him, but it is hardly my fault that I did it. I was lonely and bored and he turned out to be pleasant. That's all it was."

"That's the thing, Vic," Christian complained. "I don't want you to feel as though you should hide things from me."

Victoria bent down onto the floor, picking up the newspaper by her father's feet. She remained crouched down as she flicked back to the page with her on it. Christian watched her study it intently and she closed her eyes.

"And I don't want to hide things," Victoria replied. "I just knew that you would be angry if you saw this."

"I was."

"Exactly," Victoria replied. "I've seen you go through a heart attack and enough stress recently. I don't want to make you any angrier than usual."

Christian's upper lip curled for a moment as he narrowed his gaze. "You didn't just want to save your own skin?"

"That too," Victoria muttered and dropped the newspaper onto the floor again before she felt Christian take hold of her hand. She sat down next to him and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, kissing her gently on the top of the head.

"So we blatantly need to try and solve this between us," Christian said to her. "I need you to tell me things I am bound to find out regardless of whether or not you try to hide it from me."

Victoria nodded in agreement. "Fine, but you need to promise not to get mad at everything."

Christian's jaw was set whilst Victoria looked up to him and a smirk formed on her lips whilst her father looked straight ahead.

"Don't look too cocky," Christian demanded Victoria and kissed her swiftly on the forehead before he stood up. "So what are you going to do today?"

"I need to go and pick up some more notebooks," Victoria said and she began to move in an attempt to find her purse. "I wondered if Ana wanted to come with me for a bit."

"Why?" Christian replied cautiously.

"Because she's about to become my stepmother and I was trying to be polite," Victoria said. "I am allowed to be nice, aren't I?"

Christian nodded and left his daughter to get ready in peace, wondering what ran through her mind sometimes.

...

"So, I'm not saying that it isn't nice that you wanted me here, but I was just wondering why you wanted me?" Ana wondered from Victoria as the pair of them wandered around the independent stationery shop. Victoria was looking at notepads with different patterns on them, her leather jacket squelching around her body as she bent down to look.

"I text Andrew four times this morning," Victoria stated, admiring the notebook she was looking at. Her eyes remained set on it before she took a deep breath and stood back up, cradling it in her hands. Ana looked back to her, her eyes wide as she waited for her to continue. "He hasn't text me back once."

Ana shrugged, trying to be nonchalant about the matter. She didn't want Victoria to get upset over something which may be nothing.

"He might just be busy?" Ana said and Victoria shook her head.

"Things...well...they have been different ever since I had dinner with his parents that night. I know that they didn't particularly like me. I mean, why would they?" Victoria mused, moving down the aisle and looking at the pens which were intricately laid out on the glass shelves. "I've put their son through a lot and it only makes sense that they're cautious about me."

"Andrew loves you," Ana promised her.

"Does he?" Victoria replied. "Things have changed between us ever since Elena. I don't know whether it is me being distant or him...well...I don't know, Ana. I just know that whenever we're along the most exciting conversation we have is about the weather."

Victoria looked back to Ana, doing her best not to tear up as the elder woman merely bit down on her bottom lip.

"I've known him for months," Victoria whispered. "I mean, I met him when dad met you and you're both engaged."

"Maybe it is just a rough patch?" Ana responded, her tone hopeful. "Your dad and I have gone through plenty of those. Honestly, Vicky, maybe you just need to talk to him? Maybe that would be for the best? It might be nothing he knows about."

"Do you think so?" Victoria replied and Ana took the notepads and pens from Victoria's hands.

"There's only one way to find out," she urged her. "Now, I'll pay for these and we can go and get some food...something your favour would disapprove of."

Ana smiled, trying to cheer Vicky up as she moved over to the counter and Victoria checked her mobile, pulling it from her pocket to see a new message. Her heart raced as she unlocked the mobile and opened the message, only to feel her eyes widen and her breath hitch.

So we made headlines?

D

...

A/N: Thank you so much to everyone following this and anyone who has read all the way to this point! I do hope you'll leave me a small review!