Conrad awoke to the sound of the piano. He smiled to himself as he got ready for the day. It reminded him of simpler times. Of happier times. When he would come home to find her playing Beethoven, Chopin, or whatever classic suited her curent mood. It's a shame none of their children are able to play as beautifully as she does. No one plays as beautifully as she does. He made his way downstairs and stopped at the end of the staircase, waiting for her to finish while at the same time, content with just watching her.
Victoria opened her eyes as moonlight sonata came to a close, one of her all-time favorites. It was one the first pieces she was able to master by heart as a young girl. She loved it as it reminder her of just how simple her dreams used to be: to have a loving family. As she got older, she yearned for so much more: money, status, beautiful earthly possessions, luxury beyond one's wildest imagination, everything that one could possibly want in life. But looking back, she wished that she had worked harder to keep her original dream. To fight for it. Because at the end of the day, there is nothing more important than family. Victoria sighed.
Conrad continued to observe Victoria long after she had stopped playing, trying to gauge what kind of mood she's in. In all their years of marriage, Conrad learned that Victoria was not an easy woman to figure out. Truth be told, she can be very unpredictable. He smiled. It's one of the many things he loves about her. After a few more minutes, he finally cleared his throat to try and make his presence known to her.
Victoria turned around and found Conrad standing by the staircase. She felt her chest tighten as she recalled last night's turn of events. She needs to know. How can she be at peace without knowing if the man she loved more than anyone tried to kill the man who has been by her side for most of her life. She must get him to open up to her. "Was I too loud? Sorry if it woke you up."
Conrad could not believe what he was hearing. Did Victoria really utter the word "sorry"? Sure it was just for the piano and not for every insult or accusation she hurled at him the night before, but still. Like he said, the woman is unpredictable. He racked his brain for a witty response but he was in such a shock that the only answer he was able to give her was a "No".
Victoria looked at Conrad questioningly. He's usually much more articulate. "Are you alright, Conrad? You look like you've seen a ghost." Could his dreams be giving him paranoia? Or perhaps he's just not used to her being nice to him.
Conrad laughed softly. He was just about to ask her the same question. "The question is, are YOU alright? Last night, you were blaming me for all your suffering. Why the sudden 180?" He was really curious.
Oh so it's the latter. Victoria tried her best to hide her smile. "Conrad, you and I are about to live completely separate lives. I will be back in the Hamptons and you'll be wherever you choose to be. It is unlikely that we will ever speak to each other again, let alone see each other. Do you really want to spend what little time we have together, fighting?"
Conrad was stunned. She has a point. A very good one. But it is so unlike her to back down from a good fight especially if her main opponent is him. Truthfully, it's usually him who yields. He wasn't lying last summer when he told Daniel and all their guests that Victoria always wins. His heart sank when she pointed out that this could be the last time they are in each other's company. Even when they divorced, he regularly visited her at the manor and once in a while, she would drop-by at the South Fork to accuse him of petty things. Conrad sighed. He will surely miss their fun banters. "You're right. I hereby declare a ceasefire. For the next few days, I promise to be in my best behavior provided you shall do the same."
Victoria smirked. She got him. All these years and she still has the ability to wrap him around her fingers. Victoria looked at Conrad and gave him one of her signature smiles. She has definitely won this round. "Very well. What do you propose we do today?"
"How about you play something for me? You know, for old time's sake."
"I used to play more often when the children were little remember? I would try to teach them but they keep making excuses until you arrive home. As soon as you walk in, they couldn't wait to tell you about their day: what they did in school, their friends..." Victoria recalled.
"I did try to get them interested in piano. Charlotte loved Beauty and the Beast and there was that farm song that Daniel would dance to."
"I meant to teach them classical music, Conrad. Not fairy tales or nursery rhymes."
"What do you expect, Victoria? They're kids. We have to let them act their age."
"They're no longer kids now. They have lives of their own, careers, friends, and in the future God knows what else." Victoria said already feeling bitter about that last one. Being a mother-in-law is not one of Victoria Grayson's aspirations. Not now, not ever.
Conrad too was feeling bitter. Not because he doesn't want his children to get married but because he will surely miss both of his children's weddings. After all, he is supposed to be dead. He tried his best to suppress his resentment and took a deep breath. "So how about that song?"
"What?" Victoria said, her own thoughts interrupted.
"I asked you if you could play something for me."
"Oh. What do you want to hear?"
"I don't know... Something different, perhaps? Something contemporary. Surprise me."
Victoria doesn't know a lot of contemporary music. She prefers the classics. Always has. There's one in particular though that she likes. She heard it once while drinking alone at the bar after yet another one of her successful charity events in the city. When she went home that night, she tried to play it by ear. Since then, she would play the piece occasionally, whenever she felt like it. "I'm not sure if you're familiar with this but I really like it." Victoria said and began hitting the keys.
As it turns out, Conrad is familiar with the song. How very fitting, he thought. He sat beside Victoria and started singing softly. "Come up to meet you. Tell you I'm sorry. You don't know how lovely you are. I had to find you, tell you I need you. Tell you I'll set you apart..."
Victoria turned to look at Conrad. She used to love it when he sings. Nobody knows that Conrad has a good voice, only her. He would only sing for her. She was surprised, to say the least. She's never known Conrad to be the kind of man who's updated in music. If anything, the only singer he ever liked was Frank Sinatra. "I'm surprised you know the song" Victoria said while still playing.
Conrad simply shrugged his shoulders. "I am full of surprises. You can sing with me if you like." He continued. "I was just guessing at numbers and figures. Pulling your puzzles apart..." Conrad nudged Victoria and pouted like a little kid to try to get her to join in. Victoria shook her head but still kept on playing for him. "Tell me you love me, come back and haunt me. Oh and I rush to the start. Running in circles, chasing our tails" Conrad pretended to hold a microphone and held it in front of Victoria. "Nobody said it was easy..."
Finally Victoria gave in and started singing with him. "Oh it's such a shame for us to part. Nobody said it was easy. No one ever said it would be so hard. I'm going back to the start"
Conrad could not take his eyes away from her. God, she is so beautiful. What he wouldn't give to go back to the start with Victoria. He applauded her as she finished her piece. He was literally clapping his hands and smiling from ear to ear.
Victoria laughed. She thought Conrad looked like a fool, clapping and cheering for her. "Do not get used to this. This is a one-time thing only"
"But why? We're both so good. Pretty soon people will be paying to watch us perform." Conrad sounded so serious it made Victoria laugh again.
"In your dreams, Conrad."
"In my dreams, you are a concert pianist and I am a balladeer." Conrad said, still not able to let it go.
Victoria shook her head. He clearly would not stop. "I'm going upstairs, Conrad. Let me know when you're no longer having delusions of grandeur."
Conrad smirked. He loves getting on her nerves. "See you later, darling."
A/N: So sorry it took forever to update this. School has been keeping me super busy. Thanks to everyone who gave reviews! I promise to finish this story before the season 4 premiere. Anyway, so I wanted to showcase Conrad and Victoria's talents in this chapter. How perfect are these two? He sings, she plays the piano. Too bad this won't happen in the show. Plot-wise, Conrad is of course enthralled by her but the Queen has some sort of trick up her sleeve. Or does she? haha. I will try to update as soon as I can :)