Chapter 12

Later that day, Emma is seated in the living room of the Mills Manor having tea with Regina. Emma is seated on the couch wearing a modest dress in earth tones while Regina sat on what could only be described as a throne wearing a pink bandage dress.

"Daniel mentioned that you were captain of an equestrian team in Barcelona." Regina states while picking up her tea cup and saucer off of the table.

"Yes, just for a semester." Emma replies.

"Oh, when was that, exactly?" Regina asks her.

"2005. Why do you ask?" She responds.

"I rode steeplechase when I was in boarding school at Montpelier. I'm curious what else we have in common. What are some of your other interests?" She inquires.

"History for one. I'm practically obsessed with it." She responds with a chuckle.

"Funny at my yacht party, you were more concerned with current events it seemed." Regina retorts.

"Art conservation is another one of my passions that's why I joined New York's Landmark Preservation Society. My father always said that our past defines who we are." She replies with grace.

"I would say our choices define us." Regina states while looking over Emma's head.

"Maybe for the lucky," Emma states maintaining eye contact with Regina. "But sometimes in life, we're not always given a choice."

"Emma?" A voice calls out from behind her.

Emma turns to see Neal walking into the room, holding ear buds. He is dressed in black running shorts and a gray tank top. He is covered in a layer of sweat; Emma assumes he just came from a run.

"Hi." Emma replies.

"Hi." Neal says hesitantly. "What's going on?" He asks as he walks closer to his mother."

"Well, you mother invited me over for tea." Emma responds with a smile.

"Neal, for God sake, pull yourself together. You're a sweaty brute." Regina tells her son.

Neal looks down and chuckles. "My apologizes. Had I known my mother had summoned you, I'd have looked at least 50% less brutish."

Emma smiles at him. "No, it's fine." She says while placing her tea cup and saucer on the table. "I should get going, really. I have to work out some issue with my realtor." She grabs her keys and clutch from the table. "Things got a little aggressive today in our bidding war, today."

Emma grabs her cell phone from her clutch as she walks from Neal and checks her message.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Will you be on the hunt for a fallback rental, or are you headed back to the city?" Regina asks her not trying to hide her excitement that she had gotten rid of Emma.

Emma looks up from her phone and turns to face Regina. "Actually, as of this e-mail, I've just become the official new owner of the beach house." She says with a smile and a laugh.

Neal taps Emma on the elbow slightly. "That's great news. Congratulations." He tells her.

Emma tries to hide her amusement as she watches Regina's face fall. She turns back to face Neal.

"Thank you." She tells him with a large smile plastered on her face.

"Now how about I make good on that date and take you out to celebrate?" He asks her.

"That sounds great. How about tomorrow?" She asks him.

"Yeah, tomorrow's perfect. I know just the place. Come on. I'll walk you out." He tells her as he starts to head out of the living room.

"Thank you so much for tea, Mrs. Mills. I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed this." Emma tells her with a fake smile plastered on her face.

Regina's face was priceless; she wish she could have taken a picture of it. And this was just the beginning of Emma had planned.

\*****/

After tea with Regina, Emma went back to the beach house and changed into white pants and a little gray button up. She ended up heading into town to meet with August while walking around the shops and restaurants in the Hamptons.

"Oh man, I wish I could have seen the look on Regina's face. And don't say it was priceless, because that was bought and paid for, baby." August tells her.

"I'll get you your money back." She tells him.

"No, no, no, keep it. We'll write it off as an initiation fee into our little club." He says with a smirk on his face.

"It's not a club, August, and we are not partners do you understand me?" She asks him with an irritated tone of voice.

"Yeah, sure. Call it whatever you want. I'm just happy to be here… coach." He tells her while bumping into her shoulder.

Emma just rolls her eyes at him. In front of them, a black Lamborghini speeds onto a side street and parks. Owen Flynn steps out of the car clad in a navy blazer and brown dress pants.

"Owen Flynn?" August asks her. "What do you need me to do?"

Emma knows her he watching so she turns and hugs August.

"You just did it. Now go." She whispers in his ear.

She lets go and walks away from August. She begins to walk in the direction Owen Flynn walked off to. She follows behind him as they enter a restaurant. Owen gestures for her to lead the way and she sits down at a table. They share pleasantries as the waitress takes their drink order and brings back their drinks.

"I must say it was a pleasant surprise hearing from you again so quickly." Owen tells her.

"What can I say? You made a great case." She responds.

"And you made a great decision. I will personally see to it that your portfolio reflects all the effort and wisdom that went into building my company." He tells her.

"That's what I'm counting on." She replies with a smile. She leans back in her chair and cross her arms.

"Where you money is, my money is. You want to make an adjustment in how you're leveraged, I'll talk you through it. And if, for any special reason, you want to go big on a particular stock, I'll make sure it's worth your while." He tells her leaning forward trying to sell to her that she has made the best decision.

"Actually, now that you mention it, what can you tell me about Allcom cellular?" She asks leaning forward to mimic his posture.

"Chinese smartphone manufacturer. Not really huge in the global market, but I wouldn't count them out down the road. Why?" He asks her.

"I want to get in with them, today." She responds.

"Today." He repeats. "Any particular reason?"

"A little bird may have whispered something." She responds as the waitress comes to their table to bring them their food. She thanks the waitress before turning to look back at Owen. "I'll wire the funds this afternoon and we can deal with the whole portfolio transfer next week."

"Sounds good." He responds with a smile.

Everything is going according to plan and that is just how Emma likes it.

\*****/

At the Stowaway, Killian walks up the stairs and into the apartment. He finds his father at his desk fiddling with various knick knacks on the desk. A bottle of rum sits a few inches from his left hand.

"Hey, pop. You doing all right?" He asks his father.

His father looks up towards Killian. "The bottle was half empty when I started."

"Okay. Well, I'll be sure to make a note of that in the inventory." Killian replies.

They both chuckle. "A young man shouldn't have to give up on his dreams because his old man can't run a business." His father tells him.

"I haven't given up on anything, Dad, and neither should you." Killian reassures him.

"You know, when your mother left, it all went to hell, didn't it?" He asks Killian rhetorically. "You must be so ashamed of me."

"Dad, I'm not…" Killian starts to say as he walks across the room towards his father. "…ashamed of you. I'm proud of you. You've kept this place afloat against all odds. We're gonna make it through this. We're gonna come out on top, like we always have."

"You know what? You're right. Tomorrow will be better." He responds.

"You bet it will." Killian tells his father.