CH. 2- Hello Harmony
Fox looked up at the enormous building, as the limousine pulled into the driveway of the Crane Mansion.
"Home sweet home," he unenthusiastically said to himself.
He may have been happy to live in Harmony, but there was nothing exciting about seeing his family.
The Cranes definitely were not the most liked family in Harmony, and with good reason. They were known for ruining people's lives and bringing destruction to anyone who got in their way. Sometimes Fox was embarrassed to even have the last name.
He got out of the limousine and carried his bags to the front door, turning the knob.
"Hello family, I'm home!" He called closing the door behind him.
"Hello Mr. Crane." One of the maids greeted him as she came down the stairs. "Your father and mother are at a business luncheon, so you won't find them around the house."
"Hmmm. Well no surprise there." Fox mumbled.
"I can take your bags for you." She smiled picking up his luggage from the ground.
"Thanks Phyllis." He grinned kissing her on the cheek. "At least I know someone loves me."
"Mr. Cr—" she began.
"Uh-uh," Fox gave her warning look.
"Fox," she corrected herself. "You're such a sweetheart. If only the rest of the Cranes were as charming as you."
"Sorry to disappoint you Phyllis, but I may be the only one left." He winked at her.
"You just might be right. Anyways, you won't be completely lonely. I think Ethan is upstairs." She called over her shoulder, as she turned the corner. "I'm sure he'll be glad to see you."
"Oh yes Phyllis, because me and Ethan are such good friends." He sarcastically stated, climbing up the stairs.
He turned the corner and peeked into what used to be Ethan's room. Now, except for some old boxes, the room was completely deserted.
"Ethan?" Fox called down the hall. "It's your most favourite person in the world!"
He smiled knowing that wherever Ethan was, he had cringed at that statement.
"Yeah, I'm in here!" Ethan called from behind the door to the library.
Fox poked his head in and saw his half-brother busy typing away at his computer.
Ethan looked up from the screen and smirked at the familiar face at the door.
"Fox, I should have known it was you." He said impassively.
"Whoa Ethan! Not so much love, you may knock me over!" Fox cynically responded.
"Forgive me. It's just that things haven't been the easiest around here with everything that's happened. So I'm not exactly in the best mood." Ethan took a moment to rub his eyes before turning back to the contents on his computer."
"Yeah I can imagine. I bet finding out you weren't really a Crane hit you pretty hard."
Fox leaned back in his chair and stared at Ethan.
"You know, everyone thinks that that was probably the worst part of it all. But what kills me the most is how long it went on for and nobody told me a single thing. Even the one person that I thought I could trust with everything, kept it a secret from me."
"But didn't you tell me that Gwen confessed to helping Rebecca send the email to the tabloid?"
"Yeah, so?" Ethan looked up at Fox.
"Well then how could you still be angry with that Theresa girl you told me about?"
"Fox, don't take this personally but I don't really expect you to understand my motives, since you've never really found that special someone."
Fox tried hard to hide the effect that Ethan's words had on him, as he shifted in his chair.
"But in my opinion, without trust there's no point to a relationship. I admit I care for Theresa a great deal but I just can't see her and I continuing our relationship if I don't trust her."
"Wow, you're an honorable man Ethan. But if you care for this girl as much as you say you do, don't you think you should give her another chance?" Fox asked him.
"Believe me, I would. But Theresa has just done too many things that prove I can't trust her. Like for example, did I tell you want she did recently?"
"No, what?"
"Theresa felt horrible for keeping my paternity a secret, evidently leading to my withdrawal as a Crane child. So she decided to go to Bermuda in attempts to talk to Julian about adopting me back into the family. The thing is, Julian took advantage of Theresa, got her drunk and they slept together." Ethan let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes.
"Ouch," Fox bit his bottom lip. "But Ethan, Julian's the bad guy here. Theresa was just trying to help you out and he took advantage of her."
"I know Fox, and trust me I am furious with him for that. But here's the thing. Why couldn't Theresa just come to me with her concerns? If she had told me about her plan to go to Bermuda, I would have told her not to go because I wouldn't have wanted to be adopted back into the family. Whatever happened happened for a reason and therefore we just have to accept it. But no, Theresa chose to go behind my back and take matters into her own hands, which again proves that I cannot trust her."
"I see your point Ethan. But I don't know, I still think you should give her another chance." Fox suggested.
"Thanks Fox, but I think I'm going to handle this one on my own."
"Suit yourself."
Suddenly there was a knock at the door.
"Come in" Ethan called, as the person walked in.
Fox couldn't see who it was, since his back was turned. But by the expression on Ethan's face, he knew it had to be someone important.
"Ethan?" The soft feminine voice asked. "One of the maids said that you might be up here. Is it alright if I talk to you for a moment?"
Fox turned around and glanced at the door.
There stood the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen. He let his eyes wander up her tanned slender legs. She wore a sleeveless yellow sundress and her hair hung in loose curls off her shoulders.
My God she's gorgeous, Fox thought to himself, an immediate smile appearing on his face.
Harmony just got a lot more interesting, he grinned not taking his eyes off the beautiful woman that stood before him.
Fox looked up at the enormous building, as the limousine pulled into the driveway of the Crane Mansion.
"Home sweet home," he unenthusiastically said to himself.
He may have been happy to live in Harmony, but there was nothing exciting about seeing his family.
The Cranes definitely were not the most liked family in Harmony, and with good reason. They were known for ruining people's lives and bringing destruction to anyone who got in their way. Sometimes Fox was embarrassed to even have the last name.
He got out of the limousine and carried his bags to the front door, turning the knob.
"Hello family, I'm home!" He called closing the door behind him.
"Hello Mr. Crane." One of the maids greeted him as she came down the stairs. "Your father and mother are at a business luncheon, so you won't find them around the house."
"Hmmm. Well no surprise there." Fox mumbled.
"I can take your bags for you." She smiled picking up his luggage from the ground.
"Thanks Phyllis." He grinned kissing her on the cheek. "At least I know someone loves me."
"Mr. Cr—" she began.
"Uh-uh," Fox gave her warning look.
"Fox," she corrected herself. "You're such a sweetheart. If only the rest of the Cranes were as charming as you."
"Sorry to disappoint you Phyllis, but I may be the only one left." He winked at her.
"You just might be right. Anyways, you won't be completely lonely. I think Ethan is upstairs." She called over her shoulder, as she turned the corner. "I'm sure he'll be glad to see you."
"Oh yes Phyllis, because me and Ethan are such good friends." He sarcastically stated, climbing up the stairs.
He turned the corner and peeked into what used to be Ethan's room. Now, except for some old boxes, the room was completely deserted.
"Ethan?" Fox called down the hall. "It's your most favourite person in the world!"
He smiled knowing that wherever Ethan was, he had cringed at that statement.
"Yeah, I'm in here!" Ethan called from behind the door to the library.
Fox poked his head in and saw his half-brother busy typing away at his computer.
Ethan looked up from the screen and smirked at the familiar face at the door.
"Fox, I should have known it was you." He said impassively.
"Whoa Ethan! Not so much love, you may knock me over!" Fox cynically responded.
"Forgive me. It's just that things haven't been the easiest around here with everything that's happened. So I'm not exactly in the best mood." Ethan took a moment to rub his eyes before turning back to the contents on his computer."
"Yeah I can imagine. I bet finding out you weren't really a Crane hit you pretty hard."
Fox leaned back in his chair and stared at Ethan.
"You know, everyone thinks that that was probably the worst part of it all. But what kills me the most is how long it went on for and nobody told me a single thing. Even the one person that I thought I could trust with everything, kept it a secret from me."
"But didn't you tell me that Gwen confessed to helping Rebecca send the email to the tabloid?"
"Yeah, so?" Ethan looked up at Fox.
"Well then how could you still be angry with that Theresa girl you told me about?"
"Fox, don't take this personally but I don't really expect you to understand my motives, since you've never really found that special someone."
Fox tried hard to hide the effect that Ethan's words had on him, as he shifted in his chair.
"But in my opinion, without trust there's no point to a relationship. I admit I care for Theresa a great deal but I just can't see her and I continuing our relationship if I don't trust her."
"Wow, you're an honorable man Ethan. But if you care for this girl as much as you say you do, don't you think you should give her another chance?" Fox asked him.
"Believe me, I would. But Theresa has just done too many things that prove I can't trust her. Like for example, did I tell you want she did recently?"
"No, what?"
"Theresa felt horrible for keeping my paternity a secret, evidently leading to my withdrawal as a Crane child. So she decided to go to Bermuda in attempts to talk to Julian about adopting me back into the family. The thing is, Julian took advantage of Theresa, got her drunk and they slept together." Ethan let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes.
"Ouch," Fox bit his bottom lip. "But Ethan, Julian's the bad guy here. Theresa was just trying to help you out and he took advantage of her."
"I know Fox, and trust me I am furious with him for that. But here's the thing. Why couldn't Theresa just come to me with her concerns? If she had told me about her plan to go to Bermuda, I would have told her not to go because I wouldn't have wanted to be adopted back into the family. Whatever happened happened for a reason and therefore we just have to accept it. But no, Theresa chose to go behind my back and take matters into her own hands, which again proves that I cannot trust her."
"I see your point Ethan. But I don't know, I still think you should give her another chance." Fox suggested.
"Thanks Fox, but I think I'm going to handle this one on my own."
"Suit yourself."
Suddenly there was a knock at the door.
"Come in" Ethan called, as the person walked in.
Fox couldn't see who it was, since his back was turned. But by the expression on Ethan's face, he knew it had to be someone important.
"Ethan?" The soft feminine voice asked. "One of the maids said that you might be up here. Is it alright if I talk to you for a moment?"
Fox turned around and glanced at the door.
There stood the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen. He let his eyes wander up her tanned slender legs. She wore a sleeveless yellow sundress and her hair hung in loose curls off her shoulders.
My God she's gorgeous, Fox thought to himself, an immediate smile appearing on his face.
Harmony just got a lot more interesting, he grinned not taking his eyes off the beautiful woman that stood before him.