FATED
Disclaimer: I do not own Reign, which means I don't own Francis or Mary.
A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who read this story, to those who left reviews and liked this enough to add to their favorites list. My gratitude also goes out to Kathie, my beta. Here's the new chapter. Enjoy!
Chapter 2
"Are you just getting in?" Henry Valois asked of his son as he opened the newspaper to the business section. He was seated at the head of the dining table and was patiently waiting for breakfast to be made by the family chef.
Francis sighed and ran his fingers through his long blond curls. "Yes, if you must know." He reluctantly went to stand by the table, lingering for the scolding he knew was about to come.
Henry set the paper down on the table and looked at his son, disappointment clearly clouding his strong features. "Francis, you know you have to grow up sooner or later. It's…" He peered at the grandfather clock standing in the corner of the room. "Six o'clock in the morning. And you're not even ashamed to be caught sneaking into the house at this hour."
"I wasn't sneaking in," Francis bravely countered.
"Stop. I don't want to hear where you were, what or who you were doing. You're of age. You should know how to behave like a man. You should be thinking of how your actions reflect on our company. You should be running the business by now." Henry's cup of coffee was brought in by one of their maids, interrupting the conversation between father and son. He waited for the cup to be placed in front of him, and the maid to leave before continuing his barrage.
"I do know how to run it, Father," Francis said as soon as they were alone.
"Without me there to hold your hand?" Henry bantered.
"Yes, but you wouldn't let me. You say I should know, I should be responsible. But you still treat me like a child."
Henry hummed. "I treat you like a child, because you still act like one. You haven't shown me any sign that I can pass on the reins to you. You have to understand, Francis. Every move you make, every decision affects the lives of our employees. One wrong step and you could destroy the lives of thousands. Are you ready to take on that much responsibility?"
Francis pursed his lips, unable to answer his father. He turned and was almost out of the room when Henry addressed him once more.
"Be here for dinner tomorrow. The Stuarts will be coming over to discuss your engagement."
Francis stopped in his tracks upon hearing that. He shook his head in anger, unable to say anything else, before heading toward his room.
As soon as he was inside his sanctuary, he flopped on the bed. What a way to start the day. His anger simmered within him, anger toward his father for not trusting him enough, toward his mother for coming up with the stupid fixed marriage, toward the Stuarts for agreeing, and toward Mary for obviously wanting the whole thing.
Who agrees to a fixed marriage these days? Mary Stuart probably grew up to be unattractive if going through with an arranged marriage is her only hope of getting a husband.
Francis hated the situation he was in. He wished he was like his brother, Bash, able to do anything he pleased. He got to marry for love. And Kenna was hot too, the lucky bastard.
The only consolation he could think of was that hopefully Mary wouldn't be a clingy and nagging wife. He exhaled slowly, letting his ire seep out of him. Then he pulled a pillow over his head to muffle his scream of frustration.
He turned on his side and decided to sleep it all off. Maybe it would all be just a terrible nightmare and he'd soon wake up.
oOoOo
It was the middle of the day when he strode into Valois Ventures. Everyone greeted him, knowing who he was, especially the ladies.
"Good afternoon, Francis," his secretary, Olivia Damencourt, said as he got off the elevator and walked toward his office. Olivia was quick to follow, a notepad and pen in her hand.
Francis walked toward his desk, checked his messages and sat in his black leather executive chair. "What's my schedule today?"
"Your mother said she wants to see you the minute you come in. And you have a meeting at three in the afternoon with Roberto Vincenzo from Naples, Italy," Olivia said.
"What time is it?" Francis said distractedly.
Olivia looked at her watch. "It's one thirty."
Francis smiled and strode forward to her. He drew her close, wrapped his arms around her and kissed the side of her neck. "So we have time."
Olivia seemed uneasy but she wasn't pulling away either. "Francis."
"I've missed you," Francis murmured against her pale skin.
Olivia managed to place her hands on his chest and pushed him slightly. "Where were you last night? I waited for you."
Francis was looking into her blue eyes to show his sincerity, though he was anything but. "I was with Bash and Kenna," he said, when in reality, he was with another woman he met at a party thrown by one of Valois Ventures' suppliers.
Olivia stared back, and relaxed, having believed his lie. "You could have called me."
"I lost track of time. You know how it is when I'm with my brother." Francis placed one hand at the back of her head and began to kiss her again.
The sound of a throat being cleared interrupted their moment and they both pulled apart as if they were burned. They looked toward the direction of the sound and saw Catherine Medici Valois standing at the doorway.
She walked with purpose toward her son and looked at Olivia with disgust. "Leave," she demanded.
Olivia nervously took her pen and pad and scurried back to her desk.
Francis couldn't help but be amused at the sight. "Mother, must you scare her?" He chuckled.
"Yes. I know you've been sleeping with… her, and Lord knows how many other women," Catherine stated with an eye roll. "You need to be on your best behavior starting now, Francis. If the Stuarts find out about your…extra curricular activities, they might back out of our arrangement."
"Really?" Francis looked pleasantly surprised at that information.
"Don't." Catherine pointed at her son. "Don't you dare ruin this, Francis. Years of planning have been spent putting everything in place. And now that both you and Mary are of age, we can proceed with the next phase."
"And what does the next phase entail exactly?" Francis crossed his arms and leaned back against his desk.
"Why, your wedding, of course."
Francis sighed. "Mom, I don't want to marry her."
Catherine felt empathy for her son. She hoped that Francis could marry for love, but it just wasn't possible for someone with his status in life. She placed a hand on her son's cheek. "I wish that you could find love in this arrangement, my boy."
"And if I don't?" Francis countered.
Catherine could only look at him. She dropped her hand and stood taller. "Then… go ahead, bed as many women as you can. BUT, only after you've given me legitimate grandkids, at least one boy and a girl."
"Mom!" Francis pulled away.
"What? Isn't that what you want? I'm giving you permission to sleep around on your wife with just a small stipulation."
"Any kid I sire will still be a Medici-Valois."
"And a Stuart," Catherine added. "Your marriage would ensure both companies in our hands. I don't want there to be any question as to who should inherit what. I've poured my blood, sweat and tears to make Valois Ventures what it is today. And the addition of Stuart Enterprises will make it even bigger," Catherine declared.
"So this is all just about money and power?" Francis asked bitterly.
"No. Even without this arrangement with the Stuarts, I wouldn't want you to be in the same situation as your father. You're far better than him. You have my blood running in your veins, too. The Medici's may not have an organization as big as Valois, but we certainly have more money, some of which has been put into this company. And I will not stand by and watch it go to some bastard son."
Francis put his hands on his mother's shoulders. They were entering a topic that they simply could not agree on, his brother Bash, so he veered her away from it. "Let's not talk about this anymore. It's obviously upsetting you too much."
Catherine breathed deeply. "All right. I've said my piece, and I expect you to heed me, Francis. Best behavior, got it?"
Francis nodded. "Got it." He watched his mother walk out of his office, but instead of calling Olivia back in, he began organizing his documents for his business meeting.
oOoOo
As soon as the work day ended, Francis got in his black Peugeot RCZ R and headed home. Granted, he shouldn't be driving a car that stood out but he overslept and had to show up to work fast. He knew if he arrived even later than he did, he would have received another lecture from his dad.
As soon as he walked through the door, his younger brothers, Charles and Henry, Jr., almost ploughed into him. "Hey, slow down," he called out to them.
Henry ran back toward him and Francis caught his baby brother easily, lifting him off the floor. The little 10-year-old let out a laugh. "Come play with us, Francis."
Francis set Henry back on the floor and ruffled his hair. "I can't. I'm going out to meet Bash."
The two younger kids' eyes lit up at the mention of their eldest sibling. But Francis was quick to quell their excitement.
"You're not going, and you can't tell Mom, okay?" He pointed at the two. "I mean it."
"What do we tell her if she asks us where you are?" This came from Charlie.
"Tell her I went clubbing." Francis said as he walked through the house and toward his room to change. The suit and tie was a little claustrophobic, so he decided to change into more comfortable clothing. Once he was in a white button down shirt and jeans, he grabbed his keys and was back in his car, off to see his brother, for real this time.
"Hey, sis," Francis greeted Kenna as she opened the door for him.
"Francis, you're just in time for dinner," Kenna said, leading her brother-in-law back in the kitchen.
Bash was leaning over a salad bowl, tossing the veggies, when he looked up upon hearing his brother's voice. "Francis, to what do we owe the pleasure of seeing you tonight?"
"What?" Francis looked confused at the way his brother was talking. "What's gotten into you?"
"Nothing. You staying for dinner?" Bash asked as he placed the bowl in the center of their modest dining table.
"Sure. You're not serving just salad, are you?" Francis asked, positioning himself on a chair.
"No, we've got chicken and potatoes as well," Kenna said, holding a platter as she walked out of the kitchen. Bash took the heavy plate from her and landed a chaste kiss on her lips.
The couple sat with Francis and they all started eating.
"So, Francis, not that I'm not pleased you're here, but, why are you here? Does the food in the house suck? I thought Dad got that new chef. Leith?" Bash questioned.
"He did, and he's great. But I just want regular food. Real food, you know? Not some fancy schmancy four-course meal. We live in a house, not a hotel. Besides, I'm about to have that tomorrow, and I just can't do it two nights in a row. Which reminds me, Kenna, that was great," Francis told them.
"I'm glad you liked it." Kenna started clearing the table, knowing that Francis had more to say. Hearing him mention the special dinner tomorrow gave her an inkling as to what the event might be.
"What's happening tomorrow?" Bash voiced out, though he, too, had a clue.
"Didn't you hear? I'm engaged," said Francis with false excitement as he leaned back in his seat.
"Actually, I did," admitted Bash.
Francis quickly sat upright. "Who told you about it? Dad? Your mom?"
Bash and Kenna, who was putting the dirty plates in the dishwasher, shared a look.
"What?" Francis looked at his brother, then at Kenna and back again. "What was that about?"
"It was Mary who told us," Kenna said.
Francis' eyes opened wide. "Mary did? How do you know Mary? She was overjoyed by the idea of marrying me, huh? Was she drooling for me?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.
"Francis!" Bash yelled furiously as Kenna gasped at her brother-in-law's audacity.
"Must you be so crass?" Bash exclaimed. "I thought Mary was a close friend to you."
Francis laughed. "That was ages ago, dear brother. I haven't seen her in years. I wouldn't be able to recognize her even if she appeared before me right now."
"Francis, Mary is one of my best friends. Please don't be rude to her when you meet. Believe it or not, she hates the situation, too," said Kenna.
Francis exhaled loudly. "Yeah, well, at least that's one person on my side."
"I know it's not ideal, but Mary is a good person," Bash added.
"It doesn't matter whether she's good or bad. I don't want to marry someone I barely know simply because we were playmates when we were children," Francis said vehemently. "It's easy for you to say these things, Bash, because you're not in my shoes. You got to choose, while I'm bound to be stuck in a loveless marriage just because we are set to inherit our families' companies. What kind of life am I to have from here on out?"
The wedded couple were speechless. While it was wrong of Francis to talk about Mary in an unkind manner, and he seemed to blame her for this as well, he had every right to feel the way he did. And they felt utterly sorry for their friend and brother's predicament.
"What are you going to do?" Bash asked softly. Despite Catherine's attitude toward him, he loved his siblings, Francis most of all.
Francis just stared at the table, unseeing, and drumming his fingers on the wooden top. He shook his head. "I don't know. I don't think there's anything I could do except go along with their plans."