Darien jumped to an upright position. "Hi, Mr. Copeland." His eyes
shifted nervously. "I guess we must have dozed off watching TV."
Serena sat up and looked Alexander squarely in the eye. "We didn't do anything." Her voice was defensive.
"I think you'd better leave, Darien," Alexander ordered.
"Hey, what's going on?" Lita asked as she entered the room with Heather on her heels.
"Darien and Serena were going at it on the couch," Stephan sneered.
"We were not!" Serena said indignantly. "You're just jealous because you couldn't find anyone to go out with you if you paid her!"
Heather giggled as she nudged Lita. "How much money you got, twerp?" she asked as she stared at Stephan
Irene saw her husband's jaw grow tight, and she knew by the narrowing of his eyes that he was ready to explode. She had to quickly take control of the conversation. "Lita, you are grounded or did you forget?"
Lita looked into her mother's eyes and picked up the clue. She turned to Heather. "You'd better go. I'll see you in school."
Heather gave Alexander a hard look, and then turned to Irene. "Hope your arm heals soon," she said as she grabbed her jacket.
"I'd better be going, too," Darien said, hoping to escape the tension he felt from Alexander.
"Just a minute," Alexander said, laying a heavy hand on Darien's shoulder. "I don't ever want to see you and Serena in that type of situation again. Do I make myself clear?"
"I would never do anything to hurt Serena." He shifted awkwardly from foot to foot. "Serena and I have something very special together."
"I've heard that one before. Just watch yourself in the future." His voice was cold.
Serena grabbed Darien's arm and led him to the door. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
"He'd better never lay a finger on you," Darien warned. "God help him if he does." He kissed her cheek. "See you tomorrow."
Alexander turned on his heel until he faced Irene. "So you bailed them out again." His voice was icy as his cold eyes bore through her.
"What do you mean?" She tried to keep her voice light.
"My son, as usual, has to put up not only with insults from your daughters, but their friends as well."
"You know how kids are, Alexander." She touched his arm. "Besides, he picks on them as much as they do him."
Alexander rolled his eyes. "Sure. Stick up for them as usual." He walked over to his son. "That was a great game, son." He gave him a bear hug. "You'll always find others who are jealous of you." He stared at Irene. "The girls can't stand it because they know how much better you are than them, son."
"Someday they'll be sorry, Dad."
"That's for sure, son. God will punish them for every rotten thing they've ever done."
"Alexander, don't forget all of the things Stephan has done. Remember, if you point a finger, you'll have three pointing back at you," Irene quietly stated.
Alexander laughed. "Remember your words, Irene, the next time you accuse me of things I haven't done."
She shook her head in disgust, as she looked at Stephan "I'm sure the girls were only teasing you. They would treat you the same if you were their biological brother," she said softly.
"Sure. Like Dad says, you always stick up for the girls. You don't care what happens to me." He glared at her with the same cold, dark eyes of his father. "You just try to make everybody think that Dad is a bad guy; you never tell them what you do to him!"
"It's not true. I do care what happens to you, but I'm not going to argue with you about it." Her voice was soft.
Stephan shrugged his shoulders. "As if I would ever believe a word you say." His voice was sarcastic. "Dad and I got along great before he got mixed up with you!"
Irene turned to her husband for support. "Honey, I don't know how I can convince you or Stephan of my feelings."
"Just give it up, Irene. Your actions have proved where your true loyalties lie. My son and I will never mean anything to you. Whenever something goes wrong, you put all the blame on him."
"That's not true, Alexander, but I can see this conversation is going nowhere."
"Why don't you take a shower, son? I've got to give Lita her punishment for getting into trouble at school today." He looked at Irene, challenging her with his eyes to say something, but she kept silent. Instead she followed him down the hall to Lita's room.
Alexander opened the door.
"Hey, don't you believe in knocking?" Lita demanded. She was sprawled across her bed, staring at a fashion magazine.
"I pay the rent, young lady, and whenever I want to enter this room I will, without permission from you or anyone else!"
Lita looked at her mother. "Mom, I deserve some privacy."
Irene grabbed Alexander's arm. "Honey, we shouldn't invade the kids' privacy. We wouldn't want them barging into our room any time they felt like it," she reasoned.
Alexander's eyes flashed as he shrugged his wife's hand from his arm. "There you go again, Irene, always defending them and making me out to be some kind of a monster!" He walked over to Lita. "I will not tolerate any more of your backtalk! After the stunt you pulled in school today you are grounded for a month--no TV, stereo, nothing! Do I make myself clear?"
Lita snickered. "Give me a break! All I did was forget a stupid assignment! I didn't commit murder!"
"Any more of your mouth and I'll double it!"
"Alexander," Irene said, "don't you think you're going overboard?"
"Stay out of it, Irene! I am the head of this house and it's about time you got that through your thick skull!" He angrily pointed a finger at her.
"Please don't point your finger at me, Alexander. I can't stand that."
"Don't you ever tell me what I can or cannot do in my own home!" He pushed her roughly away from himself, causing her cast-laden arm to thud against the wall.
Irene clenched her teeth together to suppress her pain.
"Look what you did to Mom!" Lita yelled.
"It was an accident. I would never hurt your mother! God will punish you for your lies!"
"You are the liar!" Lita shouted back.
"I should break your neck!"
"Alexander!" Irene shouted. "Don't you dare lay one finger on her!"
Alexander turned and looked into his wife's eyes. He could feel the heat of her anger.
Serena sat up and looked Alexander squarely in the eye. "We didn't do anything." Her voice was defensive.
"I think you'd better leave, Darien," Alexander ordered.
"Hey, what's going on?" Lita asked as she entered the room with Heather on her heels.
"Darien and Serena were going at it on the couch," Stephan sneered.
"We were not!" Serena said indignantly. "You're just jealous because you couldn't find anyone to go out with you if you paid her!"
Heather giggled as she nudged Lita. "How much money you got, twerp?" she asked as she stared at Stephan
Irene saw her husband's jaw grow tight, and she knew by the narrowing of his eyes that he was ready to explode. She had to quickly take control of the conversation. "Lita, you are grounded or did you forget?"
Lita looked into her mother's eyes and picked up the clue. She turned to Heather. "You'd better go. I'll see you in school."
Heather gave Alexander a hard look, and then turned to Irene. "Hope your arm heals soon," she said as she grabbed her jacket.
"I'd better be going, too," Darien said, hoping to escape the tension he felt from Alexander.
"Just a minute," Alexander said, laying a heavy hand on Darien's shoulder. "I don't ever want to see you and Serena in that type of situation again. Do I make myself clear?"
"I would never do anything to hurt Serena." He shifted awkwardly from foot to foot. "Serena and I have something very special together."
"I've heard that one before. Just watch yourself in the future." His voice was cold.
Serena grabbed Darien's arm and led him to the door. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
"He'd better never lay a finger on you," Darien warned. "God help him if he does." He kissed her cheek. "See you tomorrow."
Alexander turned on his heel until he faced Irene. "So you bailed them out again." His voice was icy as his cold eyes bore through her.
"What do you mean?" She tried to keep her voice light.
"My son, as usual, has to put up not only with insults from your daughters, but their friends as well."
"You know how kids are, Alexander." She touched his arm. "Besides, he picks on them as much as they do him."
Alexander rolled his eyes. "Sure. Stick up for them as usual." He walked over to his son. "That was a great game, son." He gave him a bear hug. "You'll always find others who are jealous of you." He stared at Irene. "The girls can't stand it because they know how much better you are than them, son."
"Someday they'll be sorry, Dad."
"That's for sure, son. God will punish them for every rotten thing they've ever done."
"Alexander, don't forget all of the things Stephan has done. Remember, if you point a finger, you'll have three pointing back at you," Irene quietly stated.
Alexander laughed. "Remember your words, Irene, the next time you accuse me of things I haven't done."
She shook her head in disgust, as she looked at Stephan "I'm sure the girls were only teasing you. They would treat you the same if you were their biological brother," she said softly.
"Sure. Like Dad says, you always stick up for the girls. You don't care what happens to me." He glared at her with the same cold, dark eyes of his father. "You just try to make everybody think that Dad is a bad guy; you never tell them what you do to him!"
"It's not true. I do care what happens to you, but I'm not going to argue with you about it." Her voice was soft.
Stephan shrugged his shoulders. "As if I would ever believe a word you say." His voice was sarcastic. "Dad and I got along great before he got mixed up with you!"
Irene turned to her husband for support. "Honey, I don't know how I can convince you or Stephan of my feelings."
"Just give it up, Irene. Your actions have proved where your true loyalties lie. My son and I will never mean anything to you. Whenever something goes wrong, you put all the blame on him."
"That's not true, Alexander, but I can see this conversation is going nowhere."
"Why don't you take a shower, son? I've got to give Lita her punishment for getting into trouble at school today." He looked at Irene, challenging her with his eyes to say something, but she kept silent. Instead she followed him down the hall to Lita's room.
Alexander opened the door.
"Hey, don't you believe in knocking?" Lita demanded. She was sprawled across her bed, staring at a fashion magazine.
"I pay the rent, young lady, and whenever I want to enter this room I will, without permission from you or anyone else!"
Lita looked at her mother. "Mom, I deserve some privacy."
Irene grabbed Alexander's arm. "Honey, we shouldn't invade the kids' privacy. We wouldn't want them barging into our room any time they felt like it," she reasoned.
Alexander's eyes flashed as he shrugged his wife's hand from his arm. "There you go again, Irene, always defending them and making me out to be some kind of a monster!" He walked over to Lita. "I will not tolerate any more of your backtalk! After the stunt you pulled in school today you are grounded for a month--no TV, stereo, nothing! Do I make myself clear?"
Lita snickered. "Give me a break! All I did was forget a stupid assignment! I didn't commit murder!"
"Any more of your mouth and I'll double it!"
"Alexander," Irene said, "don't you think you're going overboard?"
"Stay out of it, Irene! I am the head of this house and it's about time you got that through your thick skull!" He angrily pointed a finger at her.
"Please don't point your finger at me, Alexander. I can't stand that."
"Don't you ever tell me what I can or cannot do in my own home!" He pushed her roughly away from himself, causing her cast-laden arm to thud against the wall.
Irene clenched her teeth together to suppress her pain.
"Look what you did to Mom!" Lita yelled.
"It was an accident. I would never hurt your mother! God will punish you for your lies!"
"You are the liar!" Lita shouted back.
"I should break your neck!"
"Alexander!" Irene shouted. "Don't you dare lay one finger on her!"
Alexander turned and looked into his wife's eyes. He could feel the heat of her anger.