Chapter Eighteen

Rose looked over at Jonathan, her sister's husband, the man that she once had feelings of attraction towards. The she reason she had been so furious at not being able to prevent his marriage and in anger cursed them. A curse that ended with her losing her memories and living happily with her husband, Gabriel. While she basked in her marriage, she noted that her sister's marriage hadn't been as perfect as she thought. The curse that she had enacted the night of their marriage had worked and become the reason why Jonathan and Lily had a strained marriage. The hideous appearance of their daughter had made them unhappy and had served them right. However, said hideous creature was now becoming a problem.

A pest that had been hidden away for years, finally appeared before them the moment her late mother had passed and decided to take pity on her and leave her the shares she owned. Now she was a bulldozer ruining all her plans. She had even discovered the secret affair she was having with Xemnas. Which had first started out as a fling, but soon became something more. Heavens, she wished she could love him, but she still had feelings for her kindhearted husband. A man that had stood boldly at her side without knowing who she really was.

She shifted her gaze towards her daughter and frowned. The girl was a beauty that took after her in appearance and charm but had no back-bone. She was like her father in that respect, too kind and weak, unable to ever run the company alongside her once she took over. 'How long is Ursa going to keep us waiting,' she demanded to begin the meeting without the nuisance present.

'Mother,' Namine tried to calm her impatient mother, 'it's only been a few minutes.

'Ha, she thinks she can just keep us waiting because she's the majority holder.'

'Not true, Auntie,' came the annoying voice from behind her. 'But I am sorry for making you all wait.'

Rose watched as the white rag walked around handing out folders, 'Here you are,' she handed her the black leather folder.

She snatched the folder away, 'This better be good.'

'Of course,' there was a cheerfulness in her voice that rubbed Rose the wrong way, 'if it wasn't I wouldn't keep you waiting.'

Rose's eyes narrowed as she felt her skin crawl and she noticed that Ursa was being too nice to her. She opened the folder and saw copies of accounting records with errors and embezzlement accounts present. That filthy and hideous beast had found all the misappropriation of funds that she had done over the years. She flipped through the pages and her grip tightened when she saw the last couple of pages, it was of her with competitors, and her with Xemnas and Roger. 'How about we start the meeting?'

Rose lifted her head at that annoying voice and glared at the white rag that was looking at her. The witch had figured it all out and had fooled her into believing that she was safe from being discovered. Now she was going to reveal everything to the board, even her scandalous pictures with Xemnas. 'If you'll turn to the next page.'

'Enough,' Rose jumped up in her fury because she knew what was coming next.

Ursa had been leading the meeting and showing her findings about the company embezzlement, 'But don't you want to know who's behind all this and why?'

'You must be really hideous to be here and making such bold claims,' Rose shot. 'I bet this is all made up, because how else can someone just come in here and find something others haven't been able too?'

'The accountants didn't find it because someone made sure they wouldn't.'

'Please,' Rose knew that it was over, but she didn't want to go without a fight.

'You are welcome to have my work checked, but avoiding the truth is not going to help when the company has lost so much money,' Ursa backed away from her advances.

'From the moment the will was read, I didn't like you. I knew you were going to be nothing but trouble.'

'Why, because your plans were ruined?'

'What,' those that hadn't already figured it out exclaimed.

'Xemnas and Roger were both fools that didn't realize that they were pawns in your ploy and that if things ever got messy, they'd be the ones to pay.'

'You,' Rose's anger was boiling over.

'However, with—-'

'You witch,' Rose lung at her. 'How would you like it if people saw your hideous appearance?'

Riku got up to intercept Rose, but she grabbed the end of Ursa's veil and pulled it off. The room fell silent as they all stared at her, 'You….' Rose was at a loss for words.

'It's not always about how ugly you are on the outside, but how vile you are in the inside,' Ursa stated as she looked down at her Aunt, who was being held back by Riku and her brothers.

'This is not over,' Rose broke free and stormed out.

Everyone was in shock as they tried to place all the pieces together. Namine looked at her mother's empty spot and noticed the extra pages in her folder, quickly she grabbed her folder and flipped through the pages and saw the pictures of her mother with Roger, Xemnas and other men. Her mother had not only embezzled money, talked to competitors, but also had been unfaithful to her father. She closed the folder, holding it close to her as if by doing so would prevent the tears that were filling her hues from falling. Ursa had seen what she and her father had denied, she had seen through all of them and revealed nothing but her heart. She looked over at her beautiful cousin and felt like she had a debt to pay.

Ursa felt eyes looking at her and when she turned to where the gaze was coming from and how she was holding the black folder close to her, she knew. 'Namine?'

'Yes,' for a moment she feared that she would incriminate her as well.

'I am sorry,' she said softly and before Namine could stop herself, she began to cry. Ursa walked over to her and grabbed her in a hug, as she turned to look at everyone else, 'I think that this meeting is over.'

'But what—-' the none family members and those that hadn't been informed beforehand wanted to demand answers.

'The authorities have been notarized and are taking Roger and Xemnas in for questioning,' Riku told them.

'My mother,' Namine pulled away.

'That will have to be decided at the next board meeting in a few days.'

'The police will take her in for questioning once Xemnas and Roger confess,' Riku said.

'I have to go and tell my father,' Namine got up, getting ready to leave.

'He already knows,' Ursa told her.

'So,' she looked down at the folder that she was holding, 'I need to go to him.'

'I'll go with you,' Ventus offered.

'Thanks,' she mumbled still clutching the folder close to her, she was sure that the pictures had only been meant for her mother's eyes.

Ursa watched as she brother and cousin walked out of the room, in the pit of her stomach she felt unease and sick. She had gotten her revenge on her Aunt, but at the cost of what? What would happen once Namine got over the shock of what she had done and how she had exposed her mother to everyone. She turned when she felt a hand placed on her shoulder, she looked up to see her father looking down at her in wonder and worry. 'I am sure that she won't hold it against you,' he stated knowing what she was thinking. 'She might look like Rose, but she's sensible like her father and due to the way she looked I am sure that she had nothing to do with this.'

'I know, this was all Rose,' she nodded and then sighed, 'but I could have picked a better way to expose her.'

'We would have had this meeting anyways,' he told her, letting her know that everyone would have found out eventually.

'Right,' she looked down at her work, 'we should call an auditor so that all of this,' she pointed at the folders, 'can be verified. We also need to schedule another shareholders meeting soon so that we can decide what will happen with the company and her shares.'

Terra and his Father knew that she had a point and what had just happened was an unexpected revelation, but more so was the fact that she didn't look the same. They had both seen the woman beneath the veil and it was safe to say that the woman, even thought she had her voice, wasn't her. If it was, then what happened and when did it happen? 'You,' Terra started but never finished.

'Are beautiful,' Riku stated.

Both older males turned their heads to stare daggers at Riku, who's hand had gone to her waist. 'Get away from her,' Terra ordered.

'A little overprotective,' Riku pulled her closer to him.

'Enough,' she told them, 'this isn't the time. We have more important issues to deal with right now.'

Terra continued to glare at Riku and demand with his hues that he remove his hand. 'Ursa's right, this,' he looked at the young couple, 'can be dealt with later.'

'Dad,' Terra didn't want Riku anywhere near his sister, let alone touching her and show his ownership over her.

'Terra,' he cautioned as he pinched the bridge of his nose, 'let's go to my office for now and discuss this. Your mother is not going to be thrilled when she hears the news of your Aunt.'

Riku and Ursa watched them leave, 'I think that I should go with them.'

'Not so fast,' Riku said keeping her at bay.

She looked up at him, 'What is it?'

He searched her whole face for answers of doubt and disappointment, but she was too good and in control of her emotions. 'It's not your fault,' he told her knowing she was probably upset about the reaction that her actions caused, 'what you did was right.'

Ursa nodded and she could feel her mask beginning to crumble, 'I caused Namine so much pain.'

'Her Dad will be there for her and so will the rest of the family. Namine won't be alone, we'll be there for her too.'

'What if she hates me,' she asked as she relaxed into his hold and rested her hands on his chest.

'She'll realize in time that you never meant to jeopardize her or her father.'

'She saw the pictures,' she told him as she remembered how she clutched one of the folders close to her in a death grip.

'It's a good thing that you kept backups, but they were just proof that you didn't falsely accuse her,' Riku told her as he continued to try to ease her.

'I still feel…'

'Shh,' he reached up with both his hands to cup her face and kiss her to keep her from worrying too much and just as he was about to deepen it Terra burst into the room.

'I knew I didn't like you,' he stormed over and grabbed Ursa's wrist and pulled her away from Riku. 'Come on, say goodbye to him.'

'Terra,' she cried as he dragged her out of the conference room.

'We're supposed to be talking strategy, not kissing degenerates.'

'Terra,' she pulled her hand free. 'You may not like Riku, but you will respect him in front of me.'

'But,' Terra glared at Riku, whom was following them.

'He is the person that makes me happy and is always there to support me,' she told him matter of fact, 'and if you can't accept him so be it, but I won't leave him and I won't have you talk down at him.'

'He's just not good for you,' he told her.

'What is good for me,' she questioned.

Terra looked at her and realized that what was good for her was someone that made her happy and protected her. He realized that was what Riku did, but that still didn't mean that he was just going to sit around and let him take her away from them. 'I am your older brother and what I says goes.'

'That,' he lifted her up and threw her over his shoulder before she could protest any further and carried her away.

Riku watched in shock and glee, she really loved him enough to stand up to her brother. 'Yet, Terra was too stubborn to admit that she made the right choice. Heh, wait till she tells them the other news, they'll have a hay day with that one for sure. Because by this time there was no mistaking that she could be pregnant with his child. 'They are going to kill me.'

00000000

Rose threw her cocktail at the television. News had spread like wildfire and now they were broadcasting it. That witch of her sister's had ruined everything for her. She lost her company, name, lover, husband and daughter. Everything that she had worked so hard for had crumbled before her in a matter of minutes. It would have been easier if that thing would have just never been or been left and abandoned by her sister. However, her foolish husband took pity on her and cared for her.

'Ah,' she hurled a book at the shattered T.V. screen that showed her annoying face. 'I thought that the curse had worked, so why is she so…normal?'

In all reality, Ursa surpassed even her own daughter's beauty, but she wasn't going to admit that out loud. She wasn't going to praise such a worthy adversary, instead she was going to crush her. Return the favor and ruin her, 'I am going to make you regret ever showing your face.

000000000000

A/N: So I noticed that I had changed Ursa's father's name in the last few chapters. So I went and changed his name in the first few chapters were it appeared. Should have just changed it in the last few chapters, would have been so much easier. I can be very foolish sometimes, for those that have been with me a while, sorry for the sudden change. Just know that his character has not changed, just the name. Still love Ursa's Papa! Happy to announce that there are only two more chapters left for the end of the year! So I should be able to keep my promise and complete this story, yay!