"T'as d'beaux yeux, tu sais."
A smile spread across Anna's face as Valentin stood before her. The Port Charles Grill seemed busier than usual, a number of couples seated at the tables. Valentin was hunched over the chair across from her, his hands gripping the material.
"Merci," Anna beamed, "I'm glad you made it."
"There's nowhere else in town I'd rather be," Valentin replied, sitting down, "and no one else in town I'd rather be with."
Anna smiled wider, ducking her head down. Valentin smirked at her composure, feeling his heart skip a beat or two. The couple eyed their menus, a number of topics to discuss weighing on their minds.
"So," Valentin began, closing the menu, "how is your daughter?"
"Robin's doing well," Anna said, "Her and Patrick are enjoying their work in Berkeley, Emma's finishing up her freshman year of university and Noah is chronically online."
"Doing what?"
"According to her, whatever Tik Tok challenge is trending."
"He's the son of two doctors, a brother to a WSB hopeful, and he's choosing to do that?"
"He's young," Anna shrugged, "As long as he's happy and no one's getting hurt, I think it's fine for now."
"If you say so. Charlotte wouldn't be caught dead."
"Well, every eleven-year-old is different," Anna chuckled briefly before her expression turned serious, "Speaking of, how is she?"
"She says she's fine," Valentin sighed, averting his eyes from his date, "She's happy at her boarding school."
"But you'd rather her be here," Anna said softly.
"Always."
The impulse to confess hit Valentin like a truck. The confession hung on his lips, aching to spring free and enter the air between them. He could feel tears in the corners of his eyes, rapidly blinking them away.
"Always," he repeated, "but I sent her there for a reason."
"Which is…?"
The words stayed on his lips, "...She'd be getting a quality education. And I'd rather my daughter be cosmopolitan than not."
"Right," Anna replied, an odd feeling growing inside of her. She could sense a shift in Valentin's composure, and part of her wanted to ask about it, but there wasn't enough for her to dig into quite yet.
"What is it, my dear?"
"Something's off with you."
Valentin felt a chill run down his spine. Anna was nothing if not perceptive, and try as he might, he knew it was a matter of time before she caught onto the burden he carried.
"What do you mean?"
"There's a change in your posture, your expression," Anna leaned closer to her date, "There's something you're not telling me."
"Anna," Valentin whispered gently, feeling his heart crack, "mon amour…"
"...What's wrong, Valentin?"
"I…" his words died upon release, "I can't-"
"You can," Anna grabbed his hand, rubbing circles into the skin with her thumb, "Whatever it is, it stays between us."
"Anna-"
"You know me, Valentin. You know that whatever it is that's bothering you, I won't hesitate to get rid of. And I'll use whatever means necessary to not only fix the problem, but manage who or what is aware of it."
"I know this," Valentin nodded rapidly, tears stinging his eyes, "I know-"
"Then tell me, and we'll handle it together. You have my word."
Valentin gulped, his mind jumping to Charlotte. Victor's blackmail was a crushing weight, his proverbial bones snapping until he became what his father wanted of him. Each completed task brought him closer to his daughter, and even if it meant a supervised visit was all Victor was willing to provide, Valentin would fall in line. In Switzerland, Charlotte was as safe as she was vulnerable, and that newfound fragility of her life frightened him.
Then, in a brief moment, he thought about his nephew, who stood before their family at Wyndemere, a scared child with no protection. He recalled the way his father eyed the young man; a palpable concern coursed through his veins, even if his outward appearance didn't indicate it.
"What's going on?"
There was no turning back now.
"...Victor's put his grandchildren in danger."
"Dexter's been in town the whole time?!"
The Morgan penthouse contained a number of individuals. Robert stood in front of the fireplace, looking down at Dante and Sam huddled together on the couch.
"Certainly seems like it," Sam answered, "My mom saw him at Wyndemere earlier today."
"...Who's Dexter?" Dante asked, the arm closest to Sam behind the couch. His hands briefly appeared above the cushions as he spoke.
"The newest Cassadine spawn," Robert replied.
"And are we to assume he's a threat?" Dante followed with, "Like on a scale from one to ten, how much should we be worried about him?"
"It's not that we should be worried about him," Sam corrected, "we should be worried for him."
"What do you mean?" Robert asked.
"Victor just…outed the poor guy in front of everyone: my mom, Valentin, Nikolas and his family-"
"Poor guy?" Robert scoffed, "He's a Cassadine. Nothing sympathetic about him."
"I'm not sure I can agree with that."
"How so?" Dante questioned.
"I mean, according to my mom, he's completely detached from the family. He had no idea he was a Cassadine through his mother."
"Mother?" Dante swiftly asked, sitting up, "Who?"
"Irina Cassadine," Robert replied, his hands in his pockets, "She was Helena's daughter."
"Helena had a daughter?"
"I was as surprised as you are."
"But Helena isn't biologically a Cassadine, so how would her daughter be one?"
"Because Victor's her father."
Shock colored both Dante and Robert's faces, their eyes on Sam. She looked down at her hands, her fingers toying with one another before she looked back at the men.
"Victor Cassadine had another child with that woman?" Robert asked slowly.
"He did," Sam nodded, "and since Valentin and Irina are his kids, his grandkids are-"
"Dexter and Charlotte."
"Hang on," Dante held out a hand, his palm pointing downward, "we're just going off Victor's word that this guy's a Cassadine. Is there concrete proof?"
"Well, for one, there's a birth certificate," Robert replied, "we got confirmation that it's authentic thanks to Sam."
"That's true," Sam nodded, taking a breath, "Plus, my mom ended up speaking with him privately, and she noticed he had a Cassadine ring on. It's not concrete, it's not nothing, and the assumption is that Irina gave it to him."
"Then how was he so detached from the family?"
"That…was Irina's doing."
"How so?" Robert took the open seat next to Sam.
"They separated when he was five," Sam explained, "He was way too young to remember her or anyone related to her."
"Why did they separate?"
"I don't know."
"Does he know she's dead?"
"Yes. He's known for a while."
"Is there a…'Dad' in all this?" Dante asked, cutting in.
"His father raised him, and the guy was tight-lipped on all things Irina," Sam answered.
"So he played a role in Dexter's cluelessness as well," Robert followed with.
"Who is his father, anyway?" Dante questioned
"Some guy named Wallace Heller," Robert said in response.
"Heller?" Dante raised an eyebrow, gently tapping Sam's shoulder, "We've heard that last name before."
"Yeah, Sonny's new hire," Sam nodded before the realization dawned on her, "Oh…duh."
"What?" Robert asked.
"My dad hired this guy to work in his business," Dante said, "Dex Heller."
"I can't believe I didn't think of him sooner," Sam shook her head, "My mom kept saying that nickname and I just didn't think anything of it. Dex is completely enmeshed with Sonny, so I just never put two and two together."
"Wait, Irina's son works for Sonny?" Robert questioned, an eyebrow raised.
"If our hunch is right, yes."
"So are we supposed to worry for him, or worry about him?"
"At this rate? Probably both," Sam replied, "Working for Sonny means doing some questionable things and having very little scruples about it. But Victor wants to sink his claws into Dex, which puts him in danger."
"So what do we do?" Dante asked.
"There's only so much we can do," Robert said, pulling out his phone. He pressed on a contact and held the device to his ear, "but if there's anyone who can figure out the next step here, it's Anna."
Grandchildren.
The word, simple as it was, gave Anna a dumbstruck pause. Her thoughts were a scattered mess, and while she took in Valentin's defeated appearance, she attempted to piece it all together. She could hear her phone buzz in her purse, but ignored it for the sake of the evening.
"...You're his only child," Anna finally said, still comprehending the news, "Charlotte was his only grandchild. How is she in danger?"
Valentin took a deep breath, willing himself onward, "Charlotte being in Switzerland wasn't by choice."
"But you said-"
"I lied. I was forced to send her away."
"Why?"
"Victor."
"Of course," Anna muttered, looking down at the table. Her hand was still touching Valentin's, their fingers interlocked, "What other reason could there have been?"
"He's using her as a bargaining chip," Valentin said, his voice cracking, "So long as I do what I'm told, she's safe."
"And if you don't?"
Valentin opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Everything Victor could do in retaliation crossed his mind, grief visible on his face.
"...He'd kill her," Anna said slowly, Valentin's tearful silence giving her an affirmation. She leaned back in the chair, defeat present in her posture.
"I don't want anything to happen to my daughter," Valentin said, cutting through his silence, "I couldn't live with myself if she…if she…"
"I won't tell a soul," Anna replied, "It stays between us. And I will do whatever I can to reunite you two. Victor won't be holding this over you."
"Thank you," Valentin smiled sadly.
"Of course," Anna smiled briefly, a silence falling over them.
"...At least Charlotte is somewhat safer in the boarding school."
Anna raised an eyebrow, catching Valentin's mutter, "Hm?"
Valentin sighed gently, his eyes closed. The events at Wyndemere flashed in his mind once more, and when he landed on the scared young man that existed at the center of it all, his heart sank a bit.
"Charlotte's safe for the time being," Valentin began, "I have that going for me."
"But?"
"Dexter isn't."
The name rang an all-too-familiar bell for Anna, and as her phone buzzed for the second time, the documents Sam sent plagued her thoughts. Calling the WSB for help proved to be unsuccessful, it seemed.
"Dexter," Anna repeated.
"Yes," Valentin nodded, "My sister's son."
"Sister?"
"Irina."
The name hung in the air between them. Anna's eyebrows shot up in response, trying to suppress the information she already knew.
"Tell me about Irina."
"Not much to say, really. She was kept away from the family for years, she came to Port Charles about a decade ago to kill Ethan Lovett and failed. She died after our mother put a bullet in her chest."
"And now you know she had a son."
"The whole family knows."
"Is that a problem?"
"With my father's involvement, it is."
"Something else is at play here beyond a family reunion," Anna stated.
"He got what he wanted in finding Dexter. But you and I both know that's not the end of the story."
"And Irina-" Anna began before the third buzz of her phone caught her attention. She grabbed her purse and pulled out the device, the now-third missed call from Robert appearing on her lock screen.
"Something the matter?" Valentin asked.
"Robert's been trying to reach me," Anna sighed, "...I should call him back."
"Of course. I should be going anyway," Valentin stood up, buttoning the front of his blazer, "In different circumstances, our night would've gone better."
"I understand," Anna smiled half-heartedly, "There's a lot on your plate."
"And yours too," Valentin reciprocated the grin, "Hopefully things will get better. Je t'aime, ma chérie."
Anna's warm smile lasted as long as Valentin was in the restaurant. The moment the front doors closed behind him, she pressed down on her phone and held it to her ear.
"Where have you been?!" Robert asked upon answering, "I've been trying to reach you!"
"I was with Valentin," Anna replied.
"Oh my God Anna-"
"You can lecture me later. What's so urgent?"
"There's been a development regarding the newest Cassadine spawn."
"And that is?"
"I can't explain it over the phone," Robert said, "It sucks the fun out of telling you in-person."
"Right," Anna smiled, rolling her eyes, "where are you then?"
"With Dante and Sam. We're at her penthouse. How soon are you able to get here?"
"I'm leaving now," Anna replied, standing up from her seat, "and for what it's worth, you won't have the only development for the night. Things are about to get much more complicated."
A/N: (According to online translations)
"T'as d'beaux yeux, tu sais" - You have beautiful eyes, you know
"Je t'aime, ma chérie" - I love you, my dear