Hatred, which could destroy so much, never failed to destroy the man who hated and this was an immutable law. -James Baldwin

Chapter 2: Sweet Misery

The sunset met the Gulf dying the emerald water black and painting the cloudless sky in dazzling shades of pink and orange. Golden sand dusted the water stained floorboards of the back porch of a beach house and mounded next to a pair of sandals and two pairs of small flip-flops and a few plastic buckets and shovels. It was a beautiful scene from where Kendall Montgomery was standing.

Unlike her young and always social neighbors, she kept few pieces of furniture outside and made herself comfortable in her white wicker armchair, tucking her barefeet and the hem of her chiffon skirt under her, and resting her martini on the glass table beside her. She didn't usually drink when alone but one watered down glass wasn't going to impair her judgement so assumed it was fine.

She'd left the sliding glass-door open, listening to the faint quirky sounds of cartoons on the television. A strong breeze came off the water and Kendall wrapped her sweater around her tightly, readjusting the small pile of mail in her lap.

The first two were pieces of junk mail, followed by a spring catalogue, but she discarded both onto the small glass end table, however the next envelope caught Kendall's attention. It was a letter from Binx.

It wasn't that Kendall wasn't accustomed to receiving mail from her sister, she got letters and postcards on a regular basis, but she hadn't responded to Bianca's last correspondence so this letter was certainly unexpected.

Kendall had never been much of a writer, even before she had left Pine Valley when her brother Trey was in prison she found it difficult to sit and write her feelings down on paper. But those had been the days before Ethan and those days felt like eons ago. Now writing seemed to be her only safe alternative, she couldn't risk that somehow he'd find out what she'd done or where she had gone. Binx had been worried that she was growing paranoid when she'd insisted on this form of communication above all others.

Delaying no longer, Kendall ripped open the white envelope and unfolded the familiar stationary.

Kendall,

Things have happened at home . . . in Pine Valley. Things that I can't possibly explain in a letter or even in an email. Mom needs us. I know she'd probably never admit it but she does. She needs both of us. I know you own a phone and my number hasn't changed. I love you.

Your Sister,

Bianca

With a shaky hand Kendall set the phone down in a clatter against the glass end-table. Her sister's voice and the news it delivered about the health of their step-father had caused her vision of the night-sky to blur.

How could this have happened? Jackson was a good man. He had been good to their mother. He had done right by his children. How could this have happened?

Kendall squeezed her eyes shut, trying to push thoughts of death and cancer out of her mind. She wanted to forget, to sit on her back porch and listen to the tide roll in and out, to the seagulls and the slow music drifting in from some yacht and forget that her sister had written and that she needed her. But mostly she wanted to cry. She wanted to cry for her mother and her sister and Greenlee and Reggie and Lily. But there was too much that needed to be done and wallowing in tears would be no good to anyone.

Binx was right. She was going home.

At this realization, Kendall closed her eyes once more and took a deep breath. She needed to soak in her life one more time, the sound of the gulf waves crashing along the shoreline, the clean almost salty smell of the air, the feel of the strong wind on her face. It was peaceful. Something she didn't expect to feel for quite a while.

Ethan took a long drag on his cigarette. He'd given up fags after Oxford but four years ago had once again picked up the habit. It had started innocently enough just one when he'd have a drink but as the stress in his life had increased so had his cigarette breaks.

The air was cool on the verge of chilly and crisp on the balcony outside his bedroom and he kept his gaze on the grounds of his estate which looked wonderful this morning. The dawn had bathed them in pink and gold, from the freshly trimmed hedges and rose garden, to the concrete statues and fountain with its cobblestone drive. There were birds chirping somewhere in the distance and for a moment he wondered if they were native or if they belonged to him. Either way they sounded quite appropriate and gave more to the facade that his was a peaceful home.

He needed to go back inside. He needed to shower and dress. He needed to go down to the dining hall and nibble on his breakfast the way he did every morning.

But he wouldn't. He didn't have to. Not since his Father had gotten his claws into Cambias Industries.

Ethan grimaced at the thought. He could still hear the judges voice when he'd split Cambias Industries among its three remaining heirs. One third awarded to Ethan Cambias, one-third awarded to Miranda Montgomery, and one-third awarded to Zach Slater. He found it entirely unfair.

Why should Zach be given back what he'd freely given away the first time? Why should Zach be given authority over what rightfully belonged to his son? The mere thought made Ethan's stomach cramp.

Facing his father was never something he looked forward to, it was physically and emotionally draining and he hated it especially when sitting in a board room across from the smirk that cut through his father's five-o'clock shadow. Zach had bested him in the end. Even after all Ethan's meticulous planning Zach had won, had proved Ethan was a liar without even trying.

Ethan shook as he let out a smoky breath. He would never love his father or respect him, those lines had been drawn long ago, but he could be civil. He would force himself to be civil even if it made him gag.

However, there would be no facing his father or being civil today. He was going to Paris, taking over where Bianca had left off. With Jackson Montgomery's falling ill she was needed here to support her family and would sadly probably be in Pine Valley until the funeral. He'd made a list of the things that needed to be packed. There was no clear time line as to how long he would be in France and he didn't want to forget anything. But even if he did, he could merely send someone back to the States to fetch it, that was at least one comfort.

He was leaving tonight and was going to need to make two assurances, that his maid had packed all his best things and that Jasmine Goodwood, his personal-assistant, was going to be following behind him in a week. She was a beautiful young lady and a good worker which made Ethan happy that he'd hired her strictly from her résumé. When he'd told her that they were going to be going to Paris she had nearly shrieked with delight and so he'd given her the rest of the week off to get her affairs in order. Something he was slightly regretting now as he couldn't remember if he had any important appointments for today.

Ethan took another look at his blossoming grounds and stubbed out the bud of his cigarette. He had things to take care of.

Kendall let her eyes close and took a deep breath through her nose, hoping that the memory that she'd made of the ocean less than twenty-four hours ago would fill her mind, but the peace she had felt was already gone, replaced by rush-hour traffic and the obvious fake pine scent of the taxi she sat in. They'd pulled up and parked outside her mother's apartment. She knew her mother wasn't up there, Erica Kane now spent her hours at the hospital with Jackson, but Binx, her beautiful niece, and Maggie were and that meant she had to go up.

Her fingers were on the small silver doorhandle, but Kendall couldn't pull it. She wanted to go back to Florida, back to the home she'd known for the last four years, the home she had made for herself. But she couldn't. She needed to be here. Besides in all the madness that was gripping her family, Kendall had but one comfort: Ethan would be gone. Binx had told her so, he was going to hand the Paris office for the duration of her stay in Pine Valley and when Binx left Kendall would be leaving too. But even that reassurance couldn't bring Kendall to pull the doorhandle.

Her delay must have prompted the impatient driver because he had come around the taxi and ripped open her door for her. Surprised, Kendall had just stared at him for a moment with a little surprise and resentment.

"C'mon, lady. I don't have all day," he growled out in a voice that was seemed like decades of tobacco use.

Stepping out of the cab, her sharp heels clicking against the concrete, Kendall straightened her shoulders and turned to face the squat little rude man.

"Well, I guess that means someone isn't getting a tip," she said, pulling the luggage he'd carelessly tossed in the road onto the sidewalk.

"Yeah, like I expected it," he growled again, shutting the door of his taxi.

Despite her anger, Kendall paid the surly little man but not a penny over what the ride from the airport had cost her. His wheels screeched as he pulled back into traffic and as she watched the yellow and black taxi drive off an unexpected sadness engulfed her but, the sudden hit of a sharp bone-chilling wind quickly brought her back to the present. They needed to get inside before they were caught out in the rain and one of them caught a cold.

Straightening her shoulders beneath her light jacket Kendall grabbed the handle of her large suitcase and hauled it toward the tall building before her. What was going to happen, was going to happen? There was nothing else she could do but hold her head high and wait.

Stupid effing weather. Ethan thought, watching fresh fat raindrops and old ones chasing each other in wet lines outside his limousine's window. He should have been on his way to Paris right now, but wind and rain had made it too difficult for the captain and so the aeroplane had to be grounded indefinitely, leaving him with no other option than to ride back to Pine Valley and try once again tomorrow morning. Such incidents would leave the board none too pleased.

Ethan looked away from the window, letting his head fall back onto the leather headrest as he massaged his forehead. He was getting a headache. He could feel it worming into his head like snowy television and leaving everything fuzzy in its wake. He couldn't have that. He was going to need some coffee, the caffeine would combat his problem like some kind of magical remedy.

Ethan pushed down on the valet button, watching the tinted divider slide from between him and his driver. The back of a black cap and thin wisps of tawny hair were visible over the plastic divider, evidence that his driver this evening was Mitchell Hassleoff.

"Mitchell, I'm going to need to make a stop in town. Pop into a shop for a moment," Ethan ordered.

"Yes, sir," Mitchell answered. "Do you have any preferences, Mister Cambias?"

"The closest."

Ethan stared at the aisle of coffee. Who knew that they had this many brands? It was really quite ridiculous. Looking at the colorful arrangement, Ethan suddenly felt quite indecisive. Whole-bean? Dark Roast? Flavoured?

He was ready to throw in the towel, close his eyes and buy the first one he touched, when a tug on his coattail sent him spinning around.

Staring up at him was a very familiar pair of dark brown eyes. They were her mother's eyes, kind and gentle, always trusting and almost always forgiving.

"Miranda Montgomery, what are you doing here by yourself?" he asked, squatting down to be face to face with his young cousin.

"I'm not by myself, silly," Miranda answered, flashing him a smile that made her resemblance to her mother uncanny. "I'm with my cousin."

Suddenly Ethan was well aware of the young girl standing next to his cousin. She was quite a stunning child the kind of little girl that they would put in motion pictures and advertisements. Her curly black hair was pinned back with an oversized red bow that matched her sun-dress but some of her thinner locks had fallen out and landed just above a pair of bright green-eyes that oddly seemed familiar to him. Maybe he had seen her in an advertisement.

"And who might I ask is this young lady?"

"Hannah Kane Montgomery," she answered, her bright eyes staring unblinking at him.

"A Kane and a Montgomery? A bit like you and your mother, isn't she Miranda? Which reminds me, where is Bianca or Willy for that matter? I know that neither of them would have let you just wonder off."

The wash of guilt that spread over Miranda's face didn't quite touch her cousin Hannah's.

"Gave them the slip did you," he said looking into the dark eyes of his cousin.

She nodded her head fine black hair falling into her face as she looked down at her the trainers on her feet.

"Now, where are they so I can bring you two back?"

"Mama's picking out toe-mate-oes with Maggie and Auntie-"

Thunder cracked and rumbled, cutting off his young cousin's words but she unlike Hannah Montgomery didn't seem to notice and kept rambling despite the deafening noise. Just when it started to roll off and Ethan thought that the rumbling was over, a sound very similar to it continued and only when it rounded the corner did Ethan find the source.

Standing at the end of the aisle was a massive statue of a man. He was slightly sweaty and winded beneath his blue and yellow striped T-shirt. Every time Ethan had met his cousin's bodyguard all he could think about was the contradiction as his bulk honestly resembled that of the center on an American football team but his face was that of a choirboy.

"I finally found the two of you," he nearly shouted between gasps walking toward them.

"Sorry, Willy," Miranda said, biting hard into her bottom lip.

"Mister Cambias," Willy Thomas said, in way of greeting as he continued down the aisle toward the three of them.

"Good afternoon, Will," Ethan returned. "How are you doing? Well I hope."

"Very good, sir. Thank you," he answered. "But I thought you were going to Paris for Miss Montgomery."

"Oh, I was," Ethan replied, "but it's a long story that I won't bother you with."

"Well, Miss Montgomery is going to be very surprised to see you."

For a moment Ethan was taken aback by the hulking man's offhanded remark.

"As for you two," the bodyguard started addressing the two young girls standing beside them. "Why can't y'all be more like Ramsey here?"

Surprised at the use of his former surname, Ethan was about to address his cousin's protector when it became clear that the Ramsey he'd spoken of was not himself.

Virtually invisible before, stepping out shyly from behind the massive man was a small boy. His face was cast down and the only thing that Ethan could see was the silky black hair that topped his head.

"Ethan, that's my cousin Ramsey," Miranda said in way of an introduction, or as much as a six-year-old can introduce someone.

"He's my brother," Hannah said, grabbing the you boy's hand in her own and dragging him over.

Ethan wished she wouldn't do that. There was something very disconcerting about this meeting and though he wasn't sure what it could be and knew his feelings were irrational intuition told him that this was going to be something he couldn't walk away from. Sure enough, the young boy looked up at him and Ethan felt the air leave his lungs.

It was undeniable that he and his sister shared the same green-eyes, both in shape and colour down to the long dark eyelashes that lined them, and the same colour hair, though hers was curly and his was straight like Miranda's but that is where their resemblances ended. Ethan knew this face, where he couldn't place the young girls the boy's was unmistakable. He'd seen it in every reflection he'd seen since he could remember.

Irrational fear delayed Ethan from reaching out and touching either the brother or sister, but it couldn't stop his curiosity from probing further.

"Your name is Ramsey?" he asked.

"Yessir," the boy answered, staring back at his shoes once again.

"Yep, his name's: Ramsey Hart Montgomery. We're twins," Hannah said, her lips forming into a smile he now recognized, like Miranda's he'd seen it on her mother first.

He continued to stare at them, his eyes torn between which he wished to look at more.

"How old are you?" He asked, confident that he already knew the answer. They were tall for their age, nearly Miranda's height, but their voices and their skills put them a little behind their cousin's age.

"Four and a half," Hannah answered.

The sound of a rolling trolley and the click of heels was loud against the linoleum floor of the shop and Ethan stood up as a group of women rounded the corner. Two he recognized instantly, as he had only seen them this morning, but the third woman with her curly hair and thin frame made his stomach knot.

She was wearing a long jacket over a black-and-white small patterned dress but she left it open and he could see that both fell just along her sun kissed calves. She stopped short and he dragged his eyes up from her shoes to meet hers. Surprise and fear were mixed in her lime-coloured eyes for a moment but it was quickly replaced with a cold detachment. A flurry of emotions hit him at that moment but one stood out above the rest and it felt as if his stomach was in a vice.

"Bianca, Maggie," he greeted, his eyes meeting each with a polite smile. "Kendall."

TBC...