China sat in Rolf's car, as they overlooked the vista point at the Golden Gate Bridge. She was preoccupied with the realization that she could've given herself away by walking out on her father. She never did that, and she had been acting funny around him lately. Although the question in her mind was, "Would he notice?" She asked her self. "Would who notice what?" Rolf asked. "Huh?" She said suddenly shaken out of her trance.
"I asked," He paused to turn around so he faced her completely. "Who would notice what?" China looked away. "I was just wondering if my father would notice the funny way I've been acting. Because he caught me sneaking out tonight and he questioned me about it. He's smarter then he seems Rolf." She explained. Out of the corner of her eye she saw an annoyed and pained expression cross his face. "Look I thought we discussed the matter of your father." He said with an exasperated sigh. He paused to let her answer, when she didn't he continued.
"I told you that you could always come live with me in the Mansion. After a while, Father wouldn't mind having you around." China shook her head quickly. "No Rolf. That the difference between you and me. Your not the sole Heir to his fortune and estate. I am to my father. And I'll be damned if I let his entire fortune be given to Desiree. She doesn't deserve it. She left home when she was sixteen. I had to live with my father all my life. While that bitch got to live her own life and do whatever she wanted. No! I deserve it, I have it coming. She has her photography and her work, friends and her own condo. And meI have nothing to show for my 32 years on this earth." She said a single tear dripping down her cheek.
She knew she needed to do something soon, because she was sitting in a year old Mercedes pouring her heart out to a Princeton prick. But she knew she needed him to help throw her father off his high hoarse. "I wish I could do something to help you Baby." He said soothingly, pulling her tight against him. She cringed as he reminded her of her father. Kissing her head, and him smelling of Old spice and cigars. In that moment she almost hated him. But then let out a content sigh as she faintly remembered a couple of hours ago. When she was laying next to Xander. He was the total opposite of Rolf and her father. He was rough, rugged, rude, arrogant, but the thing that separated him the most from Rolf was his ability to make her drop to her knees just by looking at her, or saying something to her. In the bedroom he dominated her, and punished her when she tried to order him around. And she loved ever minute of it. When they were alone that was. Only then. But in public she had to treat him like something lower then her.
"Are you listening to me?" Rolf asked in an annoyed voice. That of an ignored whiney child. "Huh?" She vacantly asked for the second time that night. Rolf looked at her. "Your sleeping with someone aren't you? And you were thinking about him just now?" He asked suddenly enraged with jealousy. China moved away, they hadn't slept together, it was just wrong to do so. She looked at him furiously. "Rolf I can't believe this. I love you. You know that there's no one else." She said quietly. Then looked away from him. She heard him sigh. "Baby, I'm sorry. It's just I love you too and I don't want to share you with anyone else." He said slowly, reaching for her, and caressing her arm with his fingertips. She looked at him. "Alright apology accepted. Just don't get all touchy about something, that turns out to be nothing when you are told the truth. You know how I get about jealousy. I can't stand it." She said, forcing herself to snuggle back into his arms. "Okay." He breathed into her ear. Ruffling her hair.
"I was just thinking about how you could help me." She said after a long moment. "Really," He said surprised. "How?"
She spent an hour and a half developing the plan.
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The sun was already beginning to shine as she walked up the stone path along the stables. The grass was slick with dew and mist. She yawned as she realized the fact that she hadn't slept at all last night. Sighing she approached the glass doors in which she had exited only hours ago.
She was about to go upstairs when Myrna, the second head staff maid stopped her. "Excuse me Miss Thorn but your father is wishing to see you in his private office, right away." She stated kindly, a perky morning smile on her face, that China always hated. "Alrighttell him I'll come in a little later. I'm going to take a nap." She said sleepily. "Yes Miss." She said walking away, leaving China to climb the seemingly fifty mile long stairs up to her bedroom. She knew very well that she was worthless without her sleep.
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Mean while in her father's office, Thorn was looking over the document Andrew Harlow had sent over just only fifteen minutes ago. This was not the only copy. He had three more copies made just incase she decided to get smart and try to destroy them, unfortunately for her that he didn't have the other three, Andrew did. Four total Wills that stated Desiree was the sole Heir. He had the two copies of the original Will stating that China was the Heir. Now everything was fool proof. So now he had everything laid out.
He looked up at the knock on his door, putting away the Will, "Come in." He said sternly. In the door came Myrna, with out China. "Well where is she?" He asked, looking down at the skinny bird like woman. He saw her lips tighten. "Sir the Miss wanted to take a nap before she came to speak with you. I will gladly go get her if you'd prefer." She said kindly, keeping a respectful tone. Thorn shook his head. "No that'll be all for now Myrna. Except bring me some black coffee and my medication." He ordered. "At once sir." She closed the door behind her, as Thorn sat behind his desk and waited.
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Her eyes opened slowly as China stretched slow and catlike in her four poster bed of red satin sheets, and white lace. Lazily kicking the covers off her lower body she sat up, and got out of bed. She pulled off her clothes from the night before and threw them in the dirty hamper. After last night with Rolf she felt like having them sterilized.
The feeling had crept up on her, but she noticed that more and more often she was finding herself wanting to gag at the sight of him. She quickly presumed it was because he reminded her too much of Father. With his silver spoon up bringing, and his rich right wing ways. He was a country club boy, desperately seeking a bad boy image. A few weeks ago he bought an insanely expensive imported European motorcycle. She was rather impressed when he showed up in a tight black tee shirt and leather pants, but was rapidly distressed when she found out that he had yet to learn how to ride it. Then she noticed he was walking with a quite pronounced limp. When she asked him why he became shamefully embarrassed when he quietly told her he ran over his foot with the back tire when he was pushing the bike into his father's garage.
The ironic thing was that he did have this intense power over the people below him. Sometimes he became this fierce man, that could just utter an order and not only have it followed to the very letter or spoken decibel, but then get fear and undeclared respect in return. When he dealt with business he was tough, concentrated, powerful, very driven, and stubborn. It was just that in private and in her presence that he resumed to his insecure and withering mamas boy persona, that she could absolutely not stand. Leave it to her to pick a man with a multiple personality disorder to help her try and over throw her Father.
She thrust the thoughts of her abundant failures out of her mind as she got into the shower. Her mind then drifted to the current meeting with her father. What was that all about? She wondered. He never usually sent a maid after her to tell her to come and speak with him. Especially in his private office, truthfully she never been in there. She was starting to worry, something was coming she just didn't know what.
About fifteen minutes later she approached the top of the stair case with a renewed sense of security, thinking, he probably just wanted to talk to her about their little, insignificant row last night. She'd probably apologize, and end up lying through her perfectly white teeth, and blame mother nature, saying it was that time of the month. And that she didn't mean to bark at him in that horrid, and disrespectful manner. She snorted knowing that she truthfully did mean to bark at him, she did mean every word she had said, and she had wanted to say more.
Walking down the stair case she took a much needed deep breath. If she was going to flaunt this little Oscar winning performance in front of her father she had to calm down. Enough to clear her mind of all the brutal and unnatural truths and replace them with the extremely innocent and convincing lies. Although the thought of lying to her farther made her the slightest bit uneasy. She swore that man (at sometime in his life) swallowed a lie detector. She almost expected the reading to come off of his balding gray head. She snorted at the thought. But apart of her didn't find this funny, she was starting to wonder if she could pull of this plan of mutiny. She would soon find out, wouldn't she? So, why was she worrying so much?
"Miss?" A maids voice broke into her thoughts, suddenly snapping her out of her colossal trance. She shook her head gingerly. "Miss China? Are you ill?" The maid inquired again. "N..n..no." She stammered out. Delicately touching the side of her face, and moving it down to the slender column of her neck. "I am quite well." She said warily, not looking at the maid in question. The maid simply nodded. "Very good Miss." She walked away, leaving China to her own devices and thoughts at the bottom of the stair. Shaking her head again, she sauntered casually into the living room, careful not to trip.
Unexpectedly she found herself nervous. Relax! She yelled to herself. This is your father, you're his first born, his favorite, you can only do right in his eyes. Swallowing lightly, China walked over to the door behind the fireplace and gave it a light tapping knock. But there was no answer. She knocked again only this time harder. "Come in." Her father's voice boomed from the other side of the door. Giving herself a quick once over, and straightening her clothes, she pushed the thick cherry oak door open, with a long inhale of breath.
Immediately as she entered the room her father's sharp, and prying gaze locked on her. She knew she should look at him, but she couldn't bring herself to do so, in the fear that one look at him and she'd crumple into a little ball, cry, and in between fitful sobs tell him everything. She couldn't do that, not now. Not when she had just last night involved someone else, someone so much more powerful then she. The tension in the room was almost unbearable. She felt it like a strong vice clamped around her body that was tightening and crushing with every passing silent and uncertain moment. She just wanted to know why he had called her into this small and dim office of his.
In this moment she hated to admitbut, she wished she could be like Desiree. She was strong, and had the emotional detachment from this family to be able to look their father in the eye and tell him to go to hell. She had done it more then once, and sometimes she did worse and started to insult him. All the while looking him straight in the eyes, unflinching, and unyielding. But what could she do? She was not her sister.
"Sit China." He said gruffly. "I want to speak to you about a matter that was brought to my attention recently." After that he didn't talk, and just looked at her. His piercing eyes burning holes through her. Okay forget all that shit about me being the first born and the favoriteShe thought frantically, if looks could kill, I'd already be in hell. She was such a baby! She couldn't even get though a beginners round of her father's infamous mind games with out cowering. After a few more minutes passed, he finally spoke.
"Where did you go last night China?" He asked calmly. She looked down at her hands. "Look at me." He ordered. Her eyes immediately snapped to his, she was startled by what she found there. Brute and total chill, mixed with clearly visible rage and disappointment. She was surprised when she found that she steadily held his gaze as she answered, abruptly telling him the truth. "I was with Rolf Tyson." Shit, she really didn't mean to tell him. She saw the tips of his ears redden considerably. Oh that can't be good. She quickly reflected. "So? Do you love him?" He asked calmly. "Yy..yes. Morething" She stammered looking away from her father, knowing that, that was a big mistake.
"Your lying through that filthy mouth of yours." He said harshly. She still didn't look at him. "It's the truth." She said quietly. "Then look me in the eye and tell me." He requested, yet it still came out like an order. She forced herself to meet his burning eyes, that were now glazed over with rage. "I love Rolf Tyson." She said, dead serious. Yeah, just keep telling yourself that. Maybe someday you'll begin to believe it. She snorted to herself.
"You betray your family, risk your life, just to be with that bastard! You have no right to be my daughter. You are a disgrace to this family! You are no longer the Heir to my estate!" He screamed.
Suddenly China was furious with rage. She rose sharply, sending the chair crashing to the floor. Apart of her couldn't believe she was not the Heir anymore. She should have seen this one coming.
"Who's the bastard, you HYPOCRITE?" She shouted, clenching her hands into tight fists.
"Where did Desiree come from? HUH?" China screeched. "Who's the real Betrayer?"
"That was different and none of you concern!" He said fiercely loud. Unfortunately the walls were sound proof, and know one could hear them.
"HOW!" She asked.
"Look don't drag others into this China! You either drop Rolf, or I will disown you and SCRATCH YOU OUT as the sole heir!" He threatened.
She stiffened as a rush of adrenaline and rage ripped through her entire body.
"How DARE you dictate to me about Rolf!"
"I can do what ever I BLOODY well please!"
"NO!"
" I am not having you humiliate and shame this family because you can't choose your men!"
"My mother Clare was not Desiree's mother!" She said pointing to the portrait of her late mother that was hanging on the wall.
She didn't know what to do, the money or the revenge. She knew she couldn't have both.
"Desiree came into the picture because you couldn't keep you DAMN pants on FATHER! Who did you fuck? MYA TYSON!"
"MYA TYSON! Rolf's AUNT!!! His AUNT!"
"That's it! China! You have gone TOO far!" He said walking towards her.
"So have you Father. So have you."
"YOU WILL NOT BE THE HEIR TO MY FORTUNE! Desiree IS."
"OH YES I WILL BE!!!!! I WILL HAVE THE ESTATE FATHER. IT WILL BE MINE!!!!"
"Over my dead body!" He said quietly.
"When I am finally HEIR you will be nothing but COLD FILTHY earth!"
With that she stormed out of the office and headed out the front door of the mansion. Getting into her Corvette she sped off into the California sun light. Her destination the Tyson Manor.