CHAPTER 143
(CHRISTIAN)
"I wonder what's happening in New York?" Ana asks as we sit eating our dinner.
I drain my wine glass and set it down with a sigh, "I'm sure Eva will call you at some point and fill you in, but after that press conference they have now done that should hopefully calm things down significantly" I say as I recall the incessant pinging of news alerts earlier when Gideon, Eva and Jared had made their impromptu press release.
"They are all dealing with so much, right now. I think this afternoon was just a lapse of judgment on Gideon's part. He isn't infallible and he is bound to be struggling with this new role of father and he is finding his feet and having shit thrown at him from every angle isn't going to make that any easier, but that press conference they held and the press release from Cross Industries should calm things down significantly. It has done the trick here as Welch has reported that the press have now gone from outside Grey House and Jason said only a few are still hanging around at the gate here" I add thoughtfully as I voice my conclusions about everything that is going on with my brother in law.
Ana nods, "Yeah, you're right" she says.
I grin at her and give her a wink, "I always am baby" I say.
Ana lets out a small chuckle and rolls her eyes at me.
We continue to eat in a comfortable companionable silence which is suddenly broken by my phone ringing. I place my fork down and fumble in my pocket for my phone. Pulling it out I glance at the screen and am surprised to see it is Jared calling me.
"It's Jared" I say and I quickly answer.
"Hello Jared, how are you?" I ask by way of greeting.
"Hi Uncle Christian" he replies and I feel my heart lurch at his words, that addition to my name the fact he looks upon me as his family means a lot to me.
"What can I do for you?" I ask gently.
"I was… can I… do you…" he stops and I wait patiently for him to get out what he needs to say.
"Can I ask you something?" he says eventually.
"Of course you can" I reply. I glance at Ana who has now abandoned her dinner and is watching me closely.
"When you found out the truth about your mom… your birth mom, did you forgive her immediately?" he asks and I stiffen at his words wondering what on earth has prompted this.
I sigh and rub my eyes with my fingers, I don't like talking about this time of my life and just how wrong I was about Ella.
"It was complicated, it was a gradual process. As I told you when we talked here, I had this view of her which turned out to be completely wrong. The first part of that process was when Ana made me see my mother had her own set of issues, which was the first step towards my forgiving her. The second was when Ana made me realise that I did in fact love her, and that was confirmed for me when I made the trip to Detroit to find her grave. The final part was when I found the rest of my birth family and Arnie told me the full story, and I think that is when I fully came to terms with everything".
I wait a moment before continuing, "What has happened Jared? What makes you ask this?" I say.
There is a long silence, and when I am about to ask if he is still there, he speaks, "Some crazy stuff has come out today" he begins.
"Alright, do you want to tell me about it?" I coax.
There is another silence, "I do" comes the nervous reply.
"Do you want to talk here like this, or do you want to video call me so you can see me face to face?" I ask as I glance at Ana once more.
"Can I video call you?" he asks.
"Of course you can, I'll hang up now if you want to call me" I say.
"Ok" he replies and I end the call.
"What's going on?" Ana asks.
I shake my head, "I don't know but I think I'm about to find out" I reply as the request to Facetime comes in and I quickly answer.
"Hello again" I say as I smile reassuringly at Jared. "Just to let you know, Ana is here with me even though you can't see her so she will be able to hear what you say, is that ok?" I ask.
He smiles back, "Thanks for this Uncle Christian, and yes that's fine… Hi Aunty Ana!" he replies.
"Hello Jared" Ana calls back.
"That is no problem at all Jared, now do you want to tell me what has happened" I ask. I watch his reaction closely and he nods, then he licks his lips before taking a deep breath.
"After what happened today in Central Park, Eva went to see Corrine" he begins and I see Ana smile at that.
"I see" I say.
"She talked to her and it seems there was far more to what happened before I was born than we ever realised".
"Ok" I reply, and I wait for him to elaborate on that.
"Corrine told Eva that our theory was pretty much correct… with a few additions" he says. "She told her that she saw dad pulling away from her. It seems she confided in Elizabeth… dad's mom and that was the worst thing she could've done. You see she told her to sabotage the contraceptives dad was using to try and trap him, now Corrine could've said I'm not doing that, but she didn't… she did it. But she was also messing around with Jean Francois at the same time, so when she found out she was pregnant with me she didn't know who my dad was. Reading between the lines, I think had it been just between dad and that French guy she would've let dad think I was his even if the other guy turned out to be my dad… but things weren't that straightforward as another guy was also in the frame".
My jaw drops at this revelation and I look up to see Ana is also aghast by this.
"What?!" I say.
Jared nods, "Yeah, plot twist or what eh?" he says as he tries to make light of this. But I can see exactly why he is struggling with this and I wonder why Caroline isn't involved to help him. "But it gets worse, Uncle Christian… it really does" he says.
"Go on" I say wondering what on earth he is going to say next.
"Well… the other candidate was Chris… as in dad's step-dad… and he… she didn't… she said he raped her".
"Jesus Christ!" I gasp at that and I also hear Ana gasp loudly.
"Yeah, total mind fuck" he says and then his eyes widen, "Sorry" he whispers but I wave my hand.
"It's ok Jared, go on what else did you discover?" I ask.
"Well, from what Corrine told Eva, it seems that after that she didn't want dad to find out what had happened and as she didn't know who my dad was she decided to put me up for adoption, cut her losses with dad and go off with Jean Francois. Eva said she believes her, and so now… while I feel a sense of closure of the situation and glad I know the truth about what happened back then… I don't know how I feel about Corrine. It's all a bit messed up in my head, I want to forgive her, because of what happened to her… but… she didn't have to listen to Elizabeth, did she? She didn't have to allow herself to be manipulated by her. I don't want anything to do with her, and she doesn't want a relationship with me either… I thought you might be able to help me work this out, because your feelings towards your birth mom were… complicated and to be honest I just don't know how I feel about Corrine now?"
"It is certainly a complete revelation… tell me Jared, did Elizabeth know the truth? About what Chris did to Corrine?" I ask as I try and work things out.
Jared shrugs, "I don't know, Eva didn't say anything so I don't know… and that's another thing, she's dead" he says flatly.
I stare at him unable to comprehend what he is saying.
"Who is dead?" I ask stupidly.
"Elizabeth" he replies.
"Elizabeth is dead?" I repeat not quite believing what I am hearing and my mind is having difficulty catching up.
Jared nods, "Eva's dad Victor told us, he came straight from work here tonight. He volunteered to be the one to tell dad, as it seems Elizabeth was living in the area that was covered by his precinct… we also did a press conference type thing tonight, to try and stop all the media going mad over what happened this afternoon… dad says it has worked here as there aren't millions of reporters outside anymore".
"I know about the press conference you did and we have seen the footage, you were very brave facing the media like that, and thank you for what you said about us" I say.
Jared grins, "Eva wrote down what I should say, but that bit about you and everyone else in the wider family that was all me, I added that bit" he says proudly. "Did it work though? Are the press still hassling you guys?" he asks.
I shake my head, "No, they have pretty much dispersed now here" I say. I see the relief on his face at that.
"Thank goodness!" he replies. Then a grin fills his face, "Also tonight, dad played on my GenTen game with me, he'd never played before so I made sure I had the game on easy for him but he nailed it and he wants to learn how to play my other games" he says.
I smile at that, "Well, in that case when Ana and I come to New York next you will also have to show me how to play. I used to have an Xbox years ago, but Elliot used it more than I did" I say and I watch as Jared's eyes brighten and he nods enthusiastically.
"Definitely" he replies.
"So, if I was to say that you've had an interesting day that wouldn't be a lie" I say.
Jared sniggers and shakes his head, "A bit of an understatement if you ask me" he says. "I also met Eva's friend Cary, her mom and dad and that famous Italian chef – Arnoldo Ricci, it seems he's one of dad's friends. We went to meet Eva for lunch and we went to Arnoldo Ricci's restaurant and they were there as well" he says.
"I see, and how did that go?" I ask diplomatically as I recall Cary's antics when we met him.
Jared shrugs, "Dad made it completely obvious that he thinks that Cary guy is a complete dick. I wasn't sure about him, as he seemed to be a bit odd. Eva's mom asked him if he was ok as she said he wasn't acting his usual self, and he just said Eva had told him to be on his best behaviour… I asked dad about it afterwards when we were on our own and he explained that Cary normally behaves a bit outrageously… he said he had come on to you and Uncle Elliot when he met you".
"He is an interesting character" I say diplomatically as I recall that meeting.
Jared sniggers again, "It was all a bit awkward actually as Eva's mom was acting all… fake, and dad said that things aren't good between them so it wasn't really very nice… a bit uncomfortable really. Arnoldo was nice though, he and dad talked to each other in Italian, which I thought was cool as I didn't know dad could speak other languages. He seemed nice though, he was nice to me".
"Have you had chance to talk about everything that has happened today with Caroline yet?" I ask and Jared shakes his head.
"No, dad offered to call her, but I think I want to sort it out in my own head and leave it till I have my scheduled session with her. Dad has spoken to her a couple of times today though. I kind of wanted to speak to you about it rather than Caroline… as I thought… I thought you'd get it knowing how you felt about your birth mom and… stuff" he says. He looks at me warily and so I quickly move to reassure him.
"You did totally the right thing, if you think I can ever be of help to you don't hesitate to call me" I say.
This produces a relieved smile and he nods.
"Thanks Uncle Christian" he says.
"So, with regard to what you told me… about Corrine I would say just play it by ear. She doesn't want a relationship with you, you don't want one with her and you are quite correct she made a series of bad choices which she could've not made. Our theory as to what happened when you were born was pretty close to what actually happened, she decided to cut her losses as she didn't know who your father was… so I suggest you take your time and come to terms with this information. Speak to Caroline to help you and I think you should work through it in your own time. There is no rush to do anything, as you are not seeking any relationship with her but despite the fact you don't want her in your life I think you should work towards the goal of forgiving her eventually… for your own sake, not hers".
Jared nods, "Thanks Uncle Christian" he says gratefully.
"You are very welcome" I reply.
We chat for a while longer and then eventually we say our goodbyes. I put my phone down and look at Ana.
"Well, that was some serious shit that went down today in New York" I say.
She snorts at me, "Wasn't it just!" she replies.
A few moments later I hear Ana's phone ringing indicating someone wants to Skype with her.
"It's Eva!" she exclaims and quickly answers the call.
"Eva, what the fuck has been happening today? Jared called Christian and told us what you did and what happened?" Ana blurts out. I move to sit next to Ana and I smile at Eva.
"Hello Eva" I say.
"Hi guys, yes it's been revelation central here today. I think the best thing I can do is play the recording of my conversation with Corrine and you can hear for yourself what fucked up shit happened".
We both nod and wait and a moment later the recording starts to play.
"Can you hear it? It's not the best quality" Eva says.
We turn up the volume on Ana's phone and listen carefully, "It's not brilliant but I think we can just about hear it" I say. Eva thinks for a moment and holds up her hand.
"Hold on" she says and I see her tapping her phone, "I'm just going to disappear a moment, stay there as I'm going to do something" she says.
We wait and a moment later an email notification pings on Ana's phone.
Eva reappears, "I've sent you the voice recording so it should be easier to hear that way" she says.
We quickly move to Ana's laptop and I call up the email app and select the email Eva has sent, then I click on the attachment and we listen to the conversation between Eva and Corrine.
"Well shit!" Ana says at the end of it, breaking the stunned silence that had descended upon us.
"Yep" Eva says bitterly and she pops the p to emphasise the disgust she is clearly feeling.
"Well, that accounts for why Chris seemed to be totally under Elizabeth's spell, we said we couldn't understand why he took her side and we questioned what she had on him for him to blindly follow her for years… now we know. He obviously didn't want Gideon finding out he had raped his girlfriend in a drunken stupor and Elizabeth took great pleasure in holding that over him, manipulating him to do as she wanted" Ana says.
"But his sense of self preservation kicked in when it all came out about the heinous atrocities that Elizabeth had partaken in and he probably reasoned what he did didn't register in the big scheme of things to what Gideon was discovering about his own mother" I say.
"It might also account for his behaviour after he witnessed Elizabeth's confrontation at the prison. He saw exactly what she was capable of, but he still didn't come around to Gideon's side because he was afraid of Elizabeth blurting out his own sordid little secret" I add.
Eva's eyes widen at that, "I never considered that possibility, that is a really good point" she says. "Plus, his reaction when Gideon and Jared saw him in Chicago, by that point it was confirmed for him that Gideon was Jared's father so probably in his mind that made him feel it had got him off the hook for what he did… he might even have convinced himself it never happened and that he had been falsely accused" she adds.
I look at Ana, "I think we need to fly out to New York" I say carefully. "I want to be on hand if Jared needs my advice again, and I think we both should be there to help support Gideon as he comes to terms with Elizabeth's death".
Eva looks at us in surprise, "You know about that?" she asks and I nod.
"Jared told us" Ana explains.
Eva snorts, "To be fair, that is the least of his problems, he has dismissed that as totally irelevent. She has been dead to him since she practically admitted she watched him being abused. His reaction to the news of her death was one of complete indifference".
"But he may be called upon to deal with her funeral arrangements, she was separated from her husband so he would be viewed as her next of kin" I say.
Eva's face drops at that, "I didn't think of that… shit, and he will take it on as he won't want Ireland and Christopher to have to deal with it… technically speaking Ryan is the eldest of her children but as she offloaded him and signed away her parental rights it will all fall on Gideon" Eva says.
That makes my mind up for me, "We are coming" I say emphatically.
Eva smiles gratefully at that, "Well, I'm not going to argue with you about it as it will be great to have you guys here again" she says.
oooOOOooo
The Next Day…
"UNCLE CHRISTIAN! AUNTY ANA!"
We look up at the call and smile as Jared comes towards us and launches himself into my arms.
"Thanks for coming" he whispers to me, "Dad needs you" he adds.
I look at him questioningly and he looks behind him warily, checking where Gideon is and as we see Gideon striding towards us, he looks up at me, "I'll tell you later" he whispers.
I nod and as Jared removes himself from me, he steps aside as Gideon joins us with his hand outstretched. Eva also appears and after giving me a little wave she turns towards Ana and the two sisters embrace each other.
"You didn't have to fly out, but thank you for coming" Gideon says.
I wave my hand, "Yes we did" I say simply.
"Shall we" I say gesturing towards the cars waiting for us nearby.
"What are your plans? Are you going to head straight to your apartment or do you want to come over to ours?" Eva asks me.
"Erm…" I pause looking at Ana who shrugs. I glance at Jared, "Is Jared going to school?" I ask.
Gideon shakes his head, "No, he has been given this week to become acclimatised to being here, he starts his new school on Monday, it was meant to be so he could settle in but with everything that has happened the past couple of days and the shit that keeps being shovelled our way not a lot of settling in has happened" he stops and shakes his head. I watch him closely before glancing at Jared who is watching Gideon anxiously.
"Well, I think we'll come over to yours, after all Jared has informed me that you are now officially a gamer" I say to try and lighten the atmosphere that has descended upon us.
Gideon grins and Jared nods enthusiastically, "Dad is a natural, he is really good considering he has never played before".
I hold up my hand, "Well, I can't have that… I might be a bit rusty but back in the day I had an Xbox and played on it from time to time. Admittedly El got a lot more use out of it than I did but I know my way around a console, so I need to see what I'm up against" I say.
"Oh god, something else for you to get totally over competitive about" Ana says sarcastically and she rolls her eyes.
Eva and Gideon both let out a loud bark of laughter at that but Jared just grins, "You have to be competitive when you play games, it's compulsory" he says.
I wave my hand towards the cars, "Well lead the way Jared" I say, and as I say it an idea comes to me, "Why don't you ride with me Jared and you can tell me all about what games you have?" I say as I look at him meaningfully.
Eva nods, "Yeah! Ana you come with us, and Jared can ride with Christian" she says.
Jared nods, I see the understanding on his face and realises what I am getting at. "Definitely" he says then he pauses as though he is thinking about something and working something out in his mind, "Dad why don't you come with me and Uncle Christian as well?" he asks carefully. That surprises me as I thought he didn't want Gideon to know what he wanted to say to me.
Gideon immediately agrees and we make our way to the cars and climb inside, "Thanks Uncle Christian" Jared whispers to me.
"No problem" I reply as I climb into the car, but now I am a little confused wondering what on earth is going to happen.
As soon as we are inside Jared looks at Gideon, a look of total determination on his face, which makes me realise he is really worried and wants to stage something like an intervention. "Dad, you need to talk to uncle Christian you said that you trust him… you need to talk to him, uncle Christian will get it. I know you've been talking to Caroline, but I'm worried about you" he blurts out.
Gideon's eyes widen at that and his jaw drops open but Jared isn't finished and continues to speak. He turns towards me, "Dad won't even acknowledge the fact his mom is dead. He changes the subject… I get she was a complete monster who did so many terrible things in her life, but he just shuts down whenever her name is mentioned and that's not healthy. Caroline said you have to talk about these things… dad won't even acknowledge the fact though. I don't know what to do, because I'm worried but I don't know what to say… dad has been brilliant with everything I have been through losing mom and dad and Uncle Pete and Aunty Suzy and I want to be there for him… but he just won't let me because he won't discuss her" he says and I see the tears starting to fill his eyes.
I glance at Gideon whose mouth is opening and closing and he shakes his head.
"Hang on" I say holding up my hand, "Jared it is totally admirable that you want to help your dad… but there are a number of differences in play here" I say gently.
Jared looks at me questioningly, I take a deep breath and take a shot look at Gideon before I continue. "You loved your mom and dad and you loved your aunt and uncle. You were close to them, they meant everything to you, you were and still are grieving their loss to you… they left a significant hole in your life, am I right?" I say and Jared swallows hard and nods. "Elizabeth was never a mother to Gideon; had she been given the opportunity she would've offloaded him like she did with Ryan. You read on the internet what sort of person she was, you also know how she treated your dad all his life. The denial, the lies, the manipulation and the downright illegal actions. There are also a lot of things you don't know about her - she was twisted Jared. That woman was a monster, and a monster of the worst kind, and so for his own sanity your dad cut her off. He has considered her dead for some time now, so inevitably he isn't going to want to talk about her or discuss her". I pause and look up at Gideon, "Have you been approached about her funeral as her next of kin?" I ask carefully and Gideon nods.
"I have" he says simply.
Jared nods and waves his hand at Gideon, "And since that happened, he has been different. It's like he's shut down and I want to help him like he helped me but he won't let me… it scares me" he says quietly.
Gideon gasps and shakes his head, "Jared I…" he stops.
I wrap my arm around Jared, "Concentrate on you Jared, concentrate on your own grief and let your dad deal with his in his own way" I say gently.
Jared looks up at me and nods, "Ok… I was only trying to help though" he says.
Gideon reaches back towards us and grasps Jared's hand. "I know and thank you but honestly there is really nothing to talk about when it comes to that woman".
He glances at Gideon defiantly and then looks up at me, "Ok I'll leave it… But in case he doesn't tell you, Chris called him and they had a massive row about her… and Corrine. Dad thinks I don't know about it… but I overheard" he says.
"I see" I say. I look at Gideon, "Do you want to talk about that?" I ask.
Gideon shakes his head, "No" he says simply and firmly.
"Alright, but know this isn't over" I say to him, I take a deep breath, "Has anyone informed Ryan of Elizabeth's death?" I ask as that thought suddenly occurs to me.
Gideon's eyes widen at that, "Shit, no! I called Ireland and Christopher, the police had already found them and officially told them and they are of the same opinion as me that it's good riddance to bad rubbish".
"Are you going to go to the prison and tell Ryan?" Jared asks and Gideon nods.
"Yes, I actually have my scheduled visit with him later today so I was going anyway" he replies.
Jared looks carefully at Gideon, "Could… could I come?" he asks, "I mean he was friends with my dad and Uncle Pete so…" he trails off and waits for Gideon's response.
"Of course you can if you want to" Gideon replies.
"I'll come too" I say, "It will be good to see Ryan in person again" I add.
oooOOOooo
(GIDEON)
I am shocked at Jared's forthright comments. I admit I have shut down as he put it whenever Elizabeth is mentioned, but I had no idea my actions had concerned him to the extent that they clearly have. A shot of guilt surges through me, I'm supposed to be helping him come to terms with his loss and yet he is now worrying about me. That fucking woman manages to infect everything!
I think about Jared's admission that he overheard my conversation with Chris last night. It is hardly surprising as it was a full-blown row, and when he said he overheard it wasn't difficult as Chris was on speaker and Eva was with me and also gave him both barrels, my mind goes back to the ugly confrontation last night…
"So Ace, why are you hiding away in here?"
I look up and see Eva standing in the doorway of my study watching me closely.
I wheel my chair back from my desk and pat my knee. She doesn't hesitate and comes to me and as she sits down I pull her towards me and grip her tightly.
"You're brooding… question is, what about?" she asks.
I sigh, "I've just had the mortuary on the phone, I am listed as Elizabeth's next of kin and as such it is my place to deal with her funeral… I've also been talking to Ireland and Christopher" I say.
Eva squeezes me, "So, you have been sitting in here alone brooding, would that be a fair assessment?" she asks.
I can't help but let out a small snort at her tone of voice and I reluctantly nod. "You know me too well Angel" I say wryly.
She wraps her arms around me and presses a kiss to the corner of my mouth. "Ok then, first of all how are Ireland and Christopher dealing with this?" she asks.
I shrug, "Purely going on what was said in the brief call I had with them remarkably well. They are of the same opinion as me, that her death is not something they are going to dwell over too greatly. They also realised quite quickly that I would be called upon to as the next of kin considering that Chris is no longer in the picture… Christopher said a dumpster would be too good for her, but they also assured me they would support me with whatever decisions I made regarding her funeral".
Eva nods, "What about Chris? I don't expect him to contact you and I don't expect you to inform him about Elizabeth's death but has Ireland and Christopher told him about her or heard anything from him?"
I shrug, "I'm fairly sure they will be calling him at some point as I told them… I told them what Corrine said to you. They were understandably shocked, outraged and disgusted and we all know that when Ireland gets shocked, outraged and disgusted she… much like you, likes to make the people concerned in no doubt about her feelings".
Eva snorts, "I would love to be a fly on the wall when Ireland calls Chris" she says.
I shake my head, "It was never my intention to destroy their relationship with their father" I say.
Eva stiffens and glares at me, "Now hang on, you just told the truth. You were not responsible for Chris' actions. You were not responsible for anything – you were just the messenger and anyone in their right mind would be disgusted with the revelations that came out about Chris".
"True" I concede, "Where's Jared?" I ask suddenly.
"He went to bed, I went in a few minutes ago to see if he was ok and he was reading a book" Eva says.
"You should also know, I spoke to Ana… it appears that Jared had already called Christian and obviously they were aware of events that happened today. We talked and I made them aware of what Corrine said… anyway, to cut a long story short they are flying out" she says with a shrug.
I smile, I am secretly pleased that Christian and Ana are coming out to offer their support to us.
"Good" I say simply and I hold Eva to me even tighter.
"This is nice" I mutter in her ear and I nuzzle into her neck, she shifts slightly and I feel myself hardening as she moves against me.
Before we can take this any further my desk phone rings. I stare at it, not many people use the land line as most people prefer to call my cell phone. I look at the caller ID and stiffen, "It's Chris" I say with a sense of foreboding.
Eva sighs, "Put it on speaker Ace, so I can rip him a new one if he starts" she says grimly.
I do as she says, and I hit the speaker button.
"Cross" I bark coldly.
"You bastard!" is the opening response.
"Good evening to you too Chris" I say calmly.
"I never touched that bitch!" he protests.
Eva's hands ball into fists, "What you mean is you were too fucking hammered to remember touching her" she retorts.
There is a long silence but Eva is now on a roll, "Ok Chris let's just say for arguments sake you didn't rape Corrine, that is what you are accused of. You were drunk and you made a pass at her, she tried to push you off and you took it further than it ever should've gone and that no matter how you try and deny it - that is rape… but I'll humour you, let's just say you didn't do that. If that is the case Chris, why did you allow Elizabeth to hold it over you like the sword of fucking Damocles for years eh? Because let's be clear here, these revelations today explain a hell of a fucking lot. Your complete and total blind devotion to Elizabeth for one, I mean I always wondered what she had over you the way you always took her side over everything and made Gideon the scapegoat and these allegations are a pretty strong reason".
There is another long silence, "I don't remember doing anything" he says eventually.
Eva snorts, "Now that is more like it, you don't remember… which you wouldn't because you were blind drunk. But that doesn't mean to say it didn't fucking happen, Corrine remembers everything and although I hate that bitch with a passion for what she did to Gideon I actually felt sorry for her when she told me today about what had happened. It also explains why you knew the truth about Jared and never bothered to inform Gideon, that was because you were too scared that it would come out about what you had done to Corrine. She discovered she was pregnant a few weeks down the line after what you did and it was that which set in motion the chain of events which followed. She couldn't bring herself to tell Gideon she was pregnant, although she had sabotaged his contraception – which was one of Elizabeth's bright ideas, because she couldn't be sure that you weren't the baby's father and she didn't want Gideon to ever discover the fact his step dad had violated her. So, your actions denied Gideon his son for thirteen years and deprived a little boy of his father".
"She admitted she slept with Giroux as well, she fucking cheated on him!" Chris exclaims.
"True, and I'm not condoning her actions she holds as much culpability as you for the morally bankrupt decisions she made. I'm of the opinion that she had disregarded him as the baby's father, and had Giroux been Jared's father she would've allowed Gideon to continue to believe he was his. But even she had a shred of moral decency to realise that the idea of letting Gideon believe a child was his that had actually been conceived by rape was abhorrent" Eva fires back with.
"I suppose your mother has been trying to win her way back into your affections by giving her side of this story as well" Chris says bitterly. I freeze at that remark.
Eva nudges me and I look down at her, "He doesn't know" she mouthes and I nod, I realise I must have shock written all over my face at this latest revelation as I'd assumed Christopher and Ireland would've told him and clearly they didn't, but I quickly pull myself together.
"That would be difficult as I was informed today that Elizabeth is dead" I say so coldly I feel like I want to shiver.
We hear a gasp, "Elizabeth is dead… how?" Chris asks the shock evident.
"She killed herself, it appears she was dead for some time and was only discovered when the smell of her decaying body made its way out of her apartment and into the hallway and people complained" I say totally dispassionately.
"You bastard, were you even going to bother telling me?" Chris exclaims.
My eyebrows rise with incredulity at that remark and before I stop it a loud rude snort escapes me, "Like you bothered to tell me I had a son?" I retort, "Like you bothered to tell me Ryan Landon was actually my brother and that Elizabeth told you she was his mother? I add sharply.
I am on a roll now and continue with my tirade. "You are divorced from Elizabeth, so you are irelevent to me. You never wanted to be my step father so the moment you signed those divorce papers you ceased to be legally linked to me so I had no moral obligation to tell you shit. When you made sure to save your own fucking neck and reputation when we put the truth out there about her, you ran and didn't look back, you abandoned your own children in the process so don't try and lay any guilt trip on me for my actions resulting from your decisions".
Eva is grinning at me a look of complete pride on her face as I tear into Chris.
"Do Ireland and Christopher know?" Chris asks eventually.
"Of course they do you stupid fucking man!" Eva blurts out angrily and very rudely. "Gideon has an amazing relationship now with them, since they discovered the truth and realised he wasn't to blame for anything, so my advice to you is, we all know everything now. Ireland and Christopher know everything now so why don't you go and crawl back under that rock and leave us all the fuck alone to get on with our own lives".
At that the line goes dead, and I let out a long breath. After pressing the button on the phone to end the call from my end I let out a sigh and hold Eva to me tightly…
"Gideon lad, we're here" I look up at Angus' remark and I am brought back to the here and now as I see we are parked up outside the Penthouse.
I remember my remarks about Ryan. I am going to see him this afternoon and Jared's request to join me is understandable. I know that Angus is still scouring all Peter Martin's journals for any information. He had asked Jared if he could look at them to try and find out anything about Corrine but in truth it was more in an attempt to try and discover what the link was between Ryan and Jared's adoptive family. He hasn't got back to me on that yet so I'm taking that to mean he has not found anything and that Welch's investigation was correct that there is nothing to discover.
"Thank you, Angus," I reply and turn towards Christian and Jared behind me in the car.
"Shall we?" I say as I reach for the door handle.