A Fresh Start
Chapter One Hundred Eighty Six
When James comes into the room a few seconds later, he asks. "How are you feeling?"
"Better."
"If you're still hungry the food is still in the living room."
"I'll be out there in a few moments, let me get dressed."
"Okay." He turns to leave and then he turns back around. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. I'll be out in a moment." He nods and then leaves. Olivia comes out a few moments later, dressed casually in jeans and blouse. Sitting down at the small table, she takes the lid off her dinner and then settles in to eat. 'What papers did you go get?"
"The contracts for the Barcelona deal." James replies, looking over the papers in his hand.
Putting her wine glass down, she looks at him before she says. "I called Ava again."
"Did you speak to her?" He asks, looking up.
"No, she was asleep. I spoke to William."
"William."
"Yes, he answered the call and I spoke to him."
"What did you tell him?"
"That I had decided to let Ava keep Emma." Olivia says, putting her glass of wine down.
"You what, you decided to let her keep Emma, when?"
"While I was in the bath, I only asked that maybe someday I could get her back and that maybe Ava would consider letting me be a part of my grandchild's life."
"What did he say?"
"He said he would give her the message."
"Are you sure about this?"
"Yes, I thought Emma was better off with Ava when I thought I was going to prison, what's changed. I'm still leaving. And maybe she and Jeffrey are right, maybe I need to take this time and find myself again." Olivia says, after swallowing the sip of wine she has just taken.
Putting the papers down, James gets up and goes over to her. He helps her up and then puts his arms around her. "If this is what you want then I will support you."
"Thank you. And now that Emma is settled, I have to focus on what I'm going to tell Cassie tomorrow."
"Is it going to be difficult?"
"No, well I'm sure they will both be shocked but Cassie's loyal and she'll handle the Beacon beautifully."
"I'm not worried about the Beacon. Cassie's my daughter, running a hotel is in her blood. I'm worried about you."
"Why?"
"Because you're going to have to face two people that you trust and care about. You have to admit what you've done again and face their reaction."
"Richard always thought I was better than I allowed myself to be. And he will be disappointed in what I've done. I'm not sure how Cassie's going to react. We're partners now and friends but before the Beacon we were enemies."
"But that's changed."
"Yes, it has. But Cassie and Jeffrey were very close at one time. She's a small part of the reason that Jeffrey broke up with me last spring. Cassie's loyal to a fault. She's going to take Jeffrey's side in this, not that there's any side to take."
"I know what you meant. She's going to feel Jeffrey was wronged and she may blame you for that."
"Jeffrey was wronged. I'm the one responsible for that and she will blame me, so maybe it's a good thing I'm leaving the country." Olivia says, putting her napkin on her plate.
"Are you through?" James asks, as Olivia takes a sip of wine.
"Yes."
"Do you feel like a walk before we turn in tonight? This might be the last one before we leave."
"A walk sounds good, let me get my jacket."
"I'll keep you warm." He says, with a smile.
"Yes, you would but I think I still need a jacket. I'll be right back." Olivia says, getting up from the table. She goes into the bedroom as James removes the tray from the table and puts it out in the hall for room service to pick up. He's closing the door when Olivia comes back. "Are you ready?"
"Yes." He replies, opening the door and they leave.
Richard rolls to his side the next morning, watching Cassie sleep. The boys would be up in about an hour and she would be focused on getting them ready and off to school, but for now it was just them. Reaching over, he brushes a strand of hair back. She sighs softly and he looks up. "Good morning." He says, seeing that she's awake.
"Good morning, what time is it?"
"It's around five." She leans over to kiss him before she pushes the covers back. "Where are you going? We have about an hour until the boys need to be up."
"I'll be right back. I've got to go to bathroom."
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine but you won't if I don't go." She says, getting out of the bed. She returns a few moments later.
When the door opens, he turns to her and stares as she walks out without anything on. "What are you doing?"
"This is what you wanted, wasn't it."
"It was… we don't…."
"You want to make love with me. You know you do, so don't deny it." She says, moving back to the bed.
"I was thinking that for the next hour it's still just us." He says, as she moves over to him.
"We can do a lot in an hour." Cassie says, moving into his arms.
He feels a sweeping wave of desire rush through him when her body touches his. Reaching up, he wraps his arm around her waist and pulls her closer. Swallowing hard, he reaches for the waist of his pajama's, tugging them down, along with his boxers. Lifting his hips, he pulls them down as she reaches to help him. Kicking the boxers and pajamas off, he lean up and kisses her.
She wraps her arms around his neck and he pulls her closer to him, rolling her to her back. Slowly moving his hand up her back, he moves his hand around to her breasts, lightly caressing them, manipulating them until her nipples press against his hand. "Richard." She sighs, her head falling back as she presses her body closer, reaching for him and his caress.
Leaning over, he softly kisses her before his mouth closes around her nipple, slowly stoking the fires burning hot inside them both. Pressing her back against the cushions, he moves to lie beside her. Dividing his time between her breasts he is surprised when she reaches down, her hand closing around him. Groaning softly against her, she arches her back as the vibrations burns through her. After a few more minutes, he breaks away.
Moving down her body, he parts her legs and sitting back his gaze caresses her, his hands following his eyes, until they settle below her waist, watching her, arching her back, she opens herself to him. Leaning over he softly licks her. "Richard." She cries burying her fingers in his hair.
His mouth feels so wonderful, pushing her desire higher with each caress. He is so soft and gentle, and yet he demands more and more from her and each caress makes her want to loose control. He feels the passion building inside her and himself as well. But he doesn't want it to end this way, so with one final kiss and caress he sits back. Opening her eyes, she looks up at him in shock, her body still reaching for him. "What do you want?" He asks, staring at her, never breaking contact with her gaze.
"I want you." She whispers, reaching for him.
"How?"
"I want to feel you deep inside me. I want to feel us connected, together." She whispers, opening her arms to him.
That invitation is all he needs, leaning over her. He settles between her hips. He nearly collapses the moment their bodies connect. Slipping inside her, he holds still for a while until Cassie arches her back, silently begging him to continue. Slowly he thrusts, listening to the change in their breathing as the passion builds in each of them. Leaning up on his forearms, he moves deeper pressing against her body closing around him. "Cassie." He sighs, as he feels her body closing around him, tightly holding on
The heat of her breath, the sound of it blowing across his ear snaps his control. Leaning up, pressing deeper inside her. His tempo increases until he feels her back arch against his driving hips. Her release fills her. He feels her body closing around him, holding him tightly, squeezing him. "Richard." She cries, her nails scratching across back. Reaching for him and holding him against her quaking body. Her release snaps his control and he pours his passion for her deep inside.
"Cassie." He gasps, his fingers clinching the cushions desperately. "I love you."
"I love you too." Cassie whispers, arching her back and taking him deeper and taking all of his love and desire inside her.
After a couple minutes, he collapses into her waiting arms. Their breath feels cool against the others skin. Rolling to his side, their bodies still connected he lightly kisses her forehead as he wraps his arms around her. She begins to move against him. "Cassie." He groans, his hand falling to his hips.
"I want to make you crazy." She whispers, nibbling on his chin, filling the roughness of his five o'clock shadow and feeling a fissure of desire surge through him.
He picks up her tempo, thrusting deep until he feels a rolling wave of desire seize her, grabbing him and pulling him deeper inside her. He continues to thrust, drawing out each surge of her release until she cries out. He quickly kisses her, silencing the cry, he release seizing him, throbbing surges of desire swell inside him, rolling through him and flooding her body with each throbbing wave.
She lays her head on his chest, taking as deep a breath as she can. For about five minutes they lay there, holding each other. He finally pulls away, lightly kissing her hair. "You stay in bed. I'll get the boys ready and off to school."
"What about breakfast?"
"I'll give them money to get something at school."
"They'll get junk food if you do that." Cassie says, sitting up.
"Lay back down, breakfast at school will not hurt them on occasion." Richard says, getting out of the bed.
"Richard, I just got back and we've been gone a week. I think I need to be the one that gets them ready for school."
He turns to her and quickly realizes he's going to have to compromise with her. "Alright, here's what we'll do. I'll get them ready for school while you get them something to eat and then I'll take them up to the bus stop for the bus and you can go back to bed and rest. Will that work?"
"Everything but the go back to bed part, I still have to straighten up the house and I need to check in at the Beacon and see what's going on there."
"That can all wait until you get some more rest." He says, as she looks at him.
"Alright, I'll fix them breakfast, you can take them up to the bus stop and I'll get some more rest." He leans over and kisses her before he goes to the bathroom. He returns a few minutes later. Grabbing his pajama bottoms, he slips them on and t-shirt before he goes to wake the boys. Grabbing her night gown, Cassie slips it on before reaching for her robe, slipping it on as she follows him out of the room. She goes downstairs as Richard goes in to get RJ up. An hour later, with the boys fed and their chores done in the barn, Richard takes them to the bus stop as Cassie goes back upstairs.
Seven am, Olivia wakes up. Looking around, she expects Emma to be at the door waiting to be taken to school. Sighing, she remembers that she's with Ava and would be for a while. Rolling to her side, she finds James beside her. She lays there watching him for a moment before she gets up and goes into the bathroom. Twenty minutes later, she leaves the bathroom, hair wrapped in a towel. James is still asleep. She walks past the bed and into the closet.
Getting dressed, she leaves the closet, pausing for a moment to watch James before she leaves the bedroom. Quickly writing a note to tell him that she had gone to the farm, she leaves the room. Richard is coming downstairs after taking a shower. Cassie hadn't gone upstairs and back to bed when he left with the boys. She was in the kitchen, holding a cup of coffee for him. Taking it, he leans over and softly kisses her. "You were supposed to go back to bed and rest." He says, before taking a sip of coffee.
"I'm fine and we both have a lot of work to do, now that we're back."
"Alright fine, but will you promise me something."
"What?"
"Sometime this afternoon, I would like for you to take some time to rest before the boys get home and we have to go to Will's game after RJ's practice."
"I promise, I'll take some time and rest."
"Thank you." Richard says, as a car pulls up outside. They both turn to see who it is. "It's Olivia."
"I wonder what she's doing here. She knows that we're back, but she has to know that I would be by the office today." Cassie says, as Richard walks over to the door, opening it as Olivia walks onto the porch.
"Olivia." He says, opening the screen door.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I need to speak to both of you. I want you both to hear this from me before you hear it from anyone else, so could I come in to talk?"
"Sure." Richard says, stepping back.
Olivia walks in, nodding to Cassie.
"Is this about the Beacon?" Cassie asks.
"Sort of." Olivia says, as Richard closes the door.
"Let's go into the living room." Richard says, turning away from them.
They follow him into the living room. Cassie and Richard sit down on the couch while Olivia sits down in one of the chairs across from them. "You said this has something to do with the Beacon. Is it the deal…."
"No, the deal with your father is fine. This is about me." She pauses and takes a deep breath. "I don't really know how to say this, so I'll just say it. I'm leaving Springfield, permanently."
"You're leaving Springfield permanently, why? We have the Beacon and the deal with my father. Emma and Will they are best friends, why would you just decide to leave?" Cassie asks.
"I don't have a choice. I've been ordered to leave."
"Ordered by whom?" Richard asks. Olivia looks at them for a moment. "Ordered…."
"The court has ordered me to leave Springfield."
"Why would the court…?" Cassie asks, but Richard interrupts her.
"This has something to do with Jeffrey." He says, looking at Olivia.
She looks at him. "I figured Cassie would be the one to guess that."
"Then this order does have something to do with Jeffrey?"
"Yes."
"Why don't you just explain why you were ordered by the court to leave town and what that has to do with Jeffrey, instead of making us guess or ask twenty questions?"
"I'm not trying to keep something from you. I just don't want to admit to you what I attempted to do, because I count you as friends and I'm afraid that after I tell what I did you won't want to be friends or partners with me again." Olivia says, glancing at Cassie.
"Did you attack him?" Cassie demands.
"No, I didn't attack him. I didn't physically hurt him, but I planned to."
"What do you mean you planned to?" Cassie asks, staring at Olivia.
"Last spring after Jeffrey and I broke up, at first I told myself that I didn't need him and then I told myself that he would decide that he needed me. And then he showed up at the Beacon with Sam."
"The weekend before the fourth, when Sam came to Springfield, what did you do?" Cassie asks.
"I knew a man, the Spauldings sent after me when I left town while I was pregnant with Emma. He had a thing for me and I used that to get information about Sam. At first it was only supposed to be Sam, I wanted to know as much about her so that I could figure out a way to get her away from Jeffrey, but then Jeffrey and I got into a fight about Ava, during the gala for the new wing in Cedars. I told him that I suspected that Ava was pregnant with William's child, but he didn't believe and I overheard him telling Sam that he thought I made the whole thing up to try to get him back. And it infuriated me, so I called Simmons and I ordered him to go after Jeffrey."
"What do you mean you ordered him to go after Jeffrey?" Richard asks.
"When I had asked him to find out any information about Sam, he had hired a man to break in to Sam's apartment?"
"You're the reason her apartment was broken into, why?"
"Like I said, I wanted information about her, but after the gala, I told Simmons to focus on Jeffrey. And we devised a plan over the next few months."
"What kind of plan?" Richard asks.
"It was a plan to kidnap Jeffrey…."
"You were going to have him kidnapped, what the hell were you thinking?" Cassie demands.
"I don't know what I was thinking, or if I was thinking. I just decided to go after him. He… I… after that party at the Embassy and my mother died and then Ava was born and I gave her away, since then I'm not sure I know why I'm doing anything. For a while I could focus myself on my family, and then the palace, and then you Richard. And from there it went from one thing to another, until I saw Ditkins at the rally on Main Street and he told me Jeffrey was the one that raped me that night."
"But Jeffrey wasn't the one that raped you that night, Edmund was."
"I know he was. And now I understand why I couldn't be alone in the same room with him later." Olivia says, looking at Richard. He nods.
"Back to Jeffrey, what does all of that have to do with this? He wasn't responsible for the rape in San Cristobel, according to the tape that was played at Ditkins trial. You slept with him willingly and knowingly."
"I don't know if it was willingly or knowingly. When Jeffrey came back to the room, I was still quite out of it." Olivia says.
"Don't do that Olivia, I saw that tape. My father showed it to me before I was to become Prince." Richard says, as Olivia looks at him. "You kissed Jeffrey first after Edmund left. What happened between you and Jeffrey that night, you started."
"So, you went after Jeffrey because of the night in San Cristobel." Cassie says.
"No… it was part of it. It was also the fact that he walked away from me. No one has every left me. I've always been the one to leave. I left, well Richard left me, but I left Josh…."
"After you cheated on him with Alan, I believe that was a mutual break-up." Cassie says.
"I left Alan for Phillip. I left Phillip and I left Buzz and that was part of the issue with Jeffrey too. I left a very good man for him and he just dropped me." Olivia says, snapping her fingers.
"He didn't just drop you. He tried over and over again to make you understand that he wasn't solely responsible for what happened in San Cristobel. He did everything in his power to earn your forgiveness but you refused to give it to him. You also refused to let him move on. You wanted to tie him to that one moment in your lives and let that one moment define the man you think he should be. Jeffrey's a good and honest man and he couldn't fight you anymore. That is why he walked away from you. It had nothing to do with San Cristobel. It had nothing to do with the fact that you were always the one to leave relationship. And it certainly didn't have anything to do with the fact that you left Buzz for him." Cassie says, looking at Olivia.
"How was the kidnapping supposed to happen? Did you honestly think… how were you going to do this?" Richard asks.
"We were going to drug him and then hold him in the inn going out towards Oakdale, the one that's abandoned. We were going to slip Rohiphenol into his drink at your wedding….
"At our wedding, you were really going to try and kidnap him from our wedding!" Cassie asks.
"No, we were going to take him after he and Sam left."
"Rohiphenol knocks you out. Were you going to give it to both them?" Richard asks.
"No, just Jeffrey and then Simmons associate was going to cause a minor accident."
"Accident, Olivia! Sam's pregnant and minor accident could have caused her to loose their baby. Look what happened to me and Richard after the accident San Cristobel." Cassie says
"Cassie, you need to calm down." Richard says, laying his hand on hers. "But she's right Olivia. That accident could have done more than allow you to take Jeffrey. You could have killed their child, not to mention seriously hurt Sam or Jeffrey. The roads around here can be very dangerous, if you don't pay attention. Giving him a drug that would put him to sleep… you could have killed him, easily."
"I can't believe you did this. You planned all of this because he let you go and he went on with his life." Cassie says, staring at Olivia.
"I know it was wrong."
"Wrong, you could have serious hurt him or Sam and their baby, or all three."
"I want to know why you didn't go through with it." Richard asks.
"What does it matter, she…." Cassie says, but he interrupts her.
"Let her tell us, why you didn't go through with this plan."
"James, he's the reason I didn't go through with it. He made me start to see some of the things you've both said to me today. Jeffrey's not the only one responsible for what happened in San Cristobel. And he did try to get me to understand and forgive him. He also made me understand that I'm not defined by that one moment in my life, nor should Jeffrey be defined by that one moment, we both made mistakes. So, when it got close to your wedding, I decided not to go through with the plan to kidnap him and frame Sam for the kidnapping."
"You were going to frame Sam for the kidnapping!"
"Yes."
"What possible reason would Sam have to arrange for Jeffrey to be kidnapped? She already had him. They are married."
"I wanted her out of the way, so I was going to tell the police that Jeffrey had decided to leave her for me and that was why she kidnapped him."
"So, you could have Jeffrey to yourself."
"No, I didn't want Jeffrey. That's another thing your father made me realize. I didn't want him."
"So, what did you want?"
"I wanted him to live the life I've lived since that night. I wanted him to live with the pain and anger that's been boiling just beneath the surface all these years. He went into the agency. He lived his life. He saw the world. He loved…."
"And he lost the love of his life for years." Cassie says. "Sam was the one woman for him and he lost her for years and he's lived with that pain and that anger."
"And that was on top of the pain and anger of being accused of something he didn't do. He was sold out by my father to keep the scandal of what Edmund had done to you from ever being released to the country. Jeffrey has lived with that everyday since the night in San Cristobel and none of us did anything about it. I never tried to clear Jeffrey. I didn't even think about it until Cassie told me about the trial of that man Ditkins. And yet, he came to San Cristobel, he impersonated me, protecting me and my family. He promised to protect Cassie. He looked after Will, RJ, and Tammy. And if none of us would have come forward this town would still think he was a rapist. Jeffrey has paid the price for something he didn't do and he's not responsible for making your life better because you can't let go of something you had a hand in." Richard says.
"I'm starting to let it go. That's why I didn't finish the plan to kidnap Jeffrey." Olivia says. "I know you both are not going to easily forgive me. But I came to ask you to try and to explain what happened and what will happen to the Beacon."
"I have part ownership in the Beacon. You can't sell…."
"I'm not selling the Beacon. I know we have a fifty/fifty partnership and that I can't do anything with my half of the Beacon without giving you the opportunity of buying my shares, but since I have to be out of Springfield within a month that doesn't allow for us to negotiate a deal. So, I signed my share of the Beacon over to Ava. She has full authority to use the shares as she sees fit. If you want, you can offer to buy them from her. She'll probably take you up on it, because right now I'm the last person she wants to be tied to."
"Do you blame her?" Cassie asks.
"No, I don't. That's why I'm allowing her to keep Emma. I signed over custody of Emma to her before I turned myself in. She has full custody Emma and full control of my shares in the Beacon."
"Where are you going to go? You have to leave Springfield, but do you have to leave the state?"
"The order was to leave State. James and I have decided that I should leave the country as well. That is why I'll be flying to England in a few days."
"You said it is permanent." Richard says.
"I was sentenced to twenty five years. The sentence was suspended provided that I leave the Springfield and the state of Illinois."
"And you're going to let Ava raise Emma?" Cassie asks.
"For now, but I am hoping that she will eventually let me have her again and if not at least see her. I'm taking this time to figure out the last few months and build a life in England. I'll be working with James on the European side of the Beacon deal, supervising the construction and operation of those hotels." Olivia says, standing up. "I think it's time that I go. I've got a lot to do at the Beacon. Cassie, maybe you can hire someone to take over my duties." She only nods as Richard stands up.
"I'll walk you out." He says, following Olivia as she leaves the living room. He returns a few minutes later and sits down beside Cassie. "She's gone."
"I can't believe she planned on kidnapping him and then framing Sam for the kidnapping. You told me to be careful around her." Richard doesn't reply. "You don't have anything to say?"
"What is there for me to say? I'm as shocked as you about this."
"And now I have to deal with Ava. And since Olivia's leaving I'm going to have to spend more time at the Beacon, covering the things that Olivia was supposed to cover before she went crazy and decided to kidnap Jeffrey."
"I'm not going to let you get stressed out over this. The Beacon will take care of its self and I seriously doubt that Ava is going to be involved with it. Right now, I'm sure she's very upset with her mother and she's very loyal to Jeffrey. She's got the job at Lewis as well."
"So, it looks like I'm going back to the Beacon full time."
"No, you're not. We'll have to find someone to fill Olivia's place. But right now, I've got to go upstairs and get ready for the meeting…."
"You've got to go into City Hall."
"Yes, I've been gone two weeks and I'm going to have a lot to get caught up on."
"You'll be home for RJ and Will's games."
"Of course I'll be home for their games. And we'll discuss the Beacon some more tonight when I get home." Richard says, getting up.
"Okay." He goes upstairs while Cassie looks out the front window.