Chapter eight.
Stefan's POV.
I arrive in my apartment around 10 PM. "Hello, Mr Salvatore." Anna, my housekeeper smiles at me.
"Hello Anna, how are you ?" I ask.
"I'm good thank you. How was your trip ?"
"Fine, I guess." I respond.
"Have you eat yet, Sir ?" she asks.
"Not yet but I'm not really angry. Can I have a snack or something with a glass of white wine ?"
"Of course, Sir. I bring you this in 10 minutes."
"Thank you, Anna. I will be in my office." I say and leave the room without another word.
In my office, I see that he was arranged after Katherine's presence. I call her to have some explications. "Stefan, how lovely to hear from you." she says sarcastically.
"Katherine, I'm sure you expect that I call you, right ?" I ask coldly.
"Of course, I was in your apartment Sunday. I wanted to make sure you don't forget me."
"You find that funny to come in my home, and ransack my office to find something against me ?"
"It was my home too, three days ago. Before, you returns near that little Bitch Elena." I feel her smirk on the other side of the phone.
"Don't you dare to talk about her like that, ever again. You don't know her, Katherine."
"I know her, more than you think. She took you from me, from your first love. I love you, Stefan more than anything in my life."
"You are crazy. She didn't take me from you because you have lose me when you cheated me with Elijah. Even if I had forgive you for that in time but I never forget, what you did to me !" I yell at her.
There is a knock at the door. "Come in, Anna." I say, she enters and leave the tray on the dresser. She smiles softly at me and leave the room.
"But it was a mistake Stefan, I already ask you to forgive me ! Why you came to see her at LA this week-end ?"
"Shut the fuck up ! I can't and I don't want to forgive you. Plus, it's not of your business why I was in LA. And how do you know that I was in LA ?" I snap at her.
"Because I have my source and I see picture of you in the press."
"I don't care about the press, Katherine and you know that."
"But I wasn't with you in this picture and the press wonders why." she replies.
"You can contact them, if you want but you know that I'm a powerful man, I can force you to leave the country and never approach me again or my family."
"You can't do that, Stefan. I live here in NY with you for three years now, and-"
"Stop acting like I have counted for you. You threatened me by obliging Elena to leave me when she was my whole life, and pregnant with our unborn child."
"Before her, I was your whole life ! How can you forget that ?!"
"I thought that I loved you but I didn't because there has always been something that was wrong when you were near me. But I always made sure to push that thought away because I needed you for helping me to forget Elena." I hear her breath catch in her throat when I tell her that.
"You want to know something, I never stop fucking Elijah since the first time because I was with you for your money just like that Bitch !" she accuses Elena again.
"You think I didn't know that ! You are really naive, aren't you ? Every Fridays nights when you get home you smelled like his Cologne disgusting ! You really think that I don't follow you ?! And now, you claim that you love me ! You're kidding me, right ?" she suffocates.
"You made me follow ? I'm hurt, Stefan. You don't trust me ?"
"How can I trust you when you fuck Elijah behind my back ? After all, I hate you Katherine ! Don't you dare approach me or my family because you know that I will know it. Don't contact me ever again, I change the codes in the elevator and tomorrow you won't be able to come within thousand feet of my family."
"She really needs you to protect herself ?!" she says harshly.
"Of course not, it's just a protection from you because if you don't know she practices Aikido since she has fifteen. I would not be if you come near our daughter." I say thinking of her fight against Elena and I laugh.
"Do not underestimate me, Stefan."
"Are you trying to threaten me ?" I ask.
"No, of course not." she laughs softly.
"I prefer that. Now, good bye Katherine." I say and hang up before she says anything else.
I eat my snack, a chicken sandwich with a good glass of white wine, perfect. I text to Damon : "Hey, Bro. I'm in NY for two days, see you tomorrow with Bon ?"
I'm in my bed for hours and I still can't sleep even if I'm exhausted by the trip. I think of my daughter, my beautiful daughter. And I smile like an idiot thinking about her, I understand now, when Nik told me that he became dad it was something beautiful. Your whole life turn upside down because the second I knew, she became the center of my world. Everything revolves around her, it's a unconditional love.
Hours later, I'm in my office in Manhattan with the magnificent view of Central Park. "Sir, your brother is here." Sophie my assistant tells me when she opens the door.
"You can come in, Damon." I say. "You can leave Sophie."
"Hey Bro." Damon smiles at me and we shake hands.
"Hi. How are you ?"
"I'm good and you Daddy ?" he asks playfully.
"Don't start with that Damon. I'm fine, I need your help for something." I say.
"What do you want baby Bro ?" he asks seriously.
"I need you to run the company for me during a few days when I will be with Elena."
"What do you want to do with her again, Stefan ?" he asks harshly.
"Don't talk about her like that, Damon." I say annoying by his words.
"She left you with your daughter and I can't talk about her !" he is angry, I can see that because his fists are tighten.
"She left because of Katherine. It wasn't her choice, Damon."
"Why you always defend her after what she did to you ?" he asks angrily.
"Stop that now ! She protects our child against her, Katherine has done everything for Elena to lost the baby !"
"But why she left you if Katherine was against her ?!"
"Because she threatened ME ! And of course my girlfriend prefers to leave me so I was able to keep my company.."
"I don't understand, she leaves you so that you can keep your company, right ?"
"Yes, Elena leaves to protect me because she knew that my company was everything to me, I do everything in my power to success in my business. During years, I built it and it was at its peak and Katherine had something against me or she did believe to Elena that she had something against me."
"So she left to save your business ? Nice move Lena as always. She sacrifices herself for you Little Bro." he smiles.
"You think I don't know that ?! She always do that when the people she loves have problems !" I yell.
"Stefan, why are here anyway ?"
"Because I wanted to talk to Katherine, she ransacks my apartment yesterday. But, at first I didn't want to come because Elena has had an accident three days ago when I was in France. It was necessary to come here because I wanted to see so you can run the company for me."
"She is crazy ! Tu étais en France ?" he asks in French.
"Yeah for business. But Nik call me to told me that Care and Elena have had an accident, I didn't finish my appointment and leave right after for LA. When I see her she was unconscious and so small, she had so much injuries..." I say with tears in my eyes.
"Ok but she is fine, now Stefan ? Tonight come eat with us, Bonnie wants to see you."
"I think so, we spoke a lot yesterday morning but we haven't talk like before, you know."
"Stefan, it's been three years since you talk with her. This is normal, you need to understand why she did this and do not overwhelm her by questions. She had to live hell without you, when she was pregnant. She needed you but she didn't come to you even if she knew that you would have been there for her. She is a remarkable woman." he explains.
"Why she didn't tell me that she was pregnant ?! I would choose her and our baby over my company, why ? I needed and I need her more than anything in my life, she was or is my everything, the love of my life because I can't imagine my life without her ever again."
"Because she knew you would do that and I know that she did this decision with her heart, this decision destroy her, Stefan. You know her better than anyone and she always does everything for others and she forgets herself." he says sadly.
"Sir, your other appointment is here." Sophie tells me when she opens the door.
"Cancel it please, Sophie." I say trying to control my voice who is shaking.
"Of course, Sir." she says and leaves the room.
Bonnie's POV.
I'm at home after finish my day in my little interior designer company. My phone ring and I answer.
"Hey, Baby ! Stefan comes to diner with us, is that Ok with you ?" Damon asks.
"Hey Babe, of course it's Ok. I will cook if you want."
"Super ! Your special pasta ?" he asks seductively because the last time I did it we made love for hours after. "I know you're blushing, baby. You can do what you think after he left."
"Dammit Damon ! Stop do this !" I laugh.
"I know you're wet for me, Baby.."
"Stop Damon. I'm not. Now, I hang up bye Babe, love you."
"Stop lying, I know you're still blushing and I can't wait for tonight. Love you too."
"Hey my favorite brother-in-law, how are you ?" I kiss him on the cheek.
"I'm fine and you ?" I ask smiling.
"Good, I guess."
"Hey Baby, I miss you." Damon tells me and kiss me hungrily.
"I miss you too." I say blushing and turn towards Stefan. "The diner is ready, boys."
"I have to go to the bathroom." Stefan says softly and exit the room.
"How is he ?" I ask Damon when I hear the bathroom's door.
"I don't know, a little shaking. He comes to know that he is a father of a beautiful daughter and Elena left to protect her from his future ex wife." he says and kiss me on the corner on my mouth.
"I hope you helping him this afternoon. He's worrying me, I know that I don't know her but she must have suffured a lot by her decision."
"Yeah, I know but he suffers too and-" he begins.
"Acted as if I was not there, Bon." Stefan tells me when he walks in the room.
"Sorry, Stefan but I'm worried about you.." I say truthfully. I go in the kitchen and carry back the pasta.
"You don't need to, I'm fine." he assures me but I can see pain in his eyes.
"You are not fine, Stefan. Everybody can see that."
"I told you I'm fine Bonnie." he says angrily and I gasp.
"Stefan, don't talk to her like that !" Damon stands and throw a glance at Stefan. "She did nothing wrong here. She just want to be sure that you're Ok because you're important for her."
"I don't need her to worry about me, Damon. I told her I'm fine that's all she needs to know !"
"Slow down, now Stefan." Damon says angrily against Stefan.
"Sorry, Bon. I don't sleep last night and I'm scared." he says sincerely with tears in my eyes.
"It's Ok, I understand come here" I say and take him in my arms.
"It's natural to be scared, Stefan. You will be a wonderful father, and your little girl loves you." I smile and we continue to eat our pasta.
"Can we change the subject ?" he asks after we eat a strawberry cake.
Elena's POV.
I wake up by the sound of the door. I open my eyes and see Caroline and the girls enter in my room. Where is Stefan ? Oh yeah, he returns to NY. Why he would be there anyway ? Dammit Elena stop thinking about him !
"Hi, my favorite daughter !" I smile at her and Caroline. "Come here."
"I'm your only daughter Mama !" she giggles.
"Yeah of course, you're right sweetheart. How was your day ?" I ask looking at her. "So Care, you can leave the hospital ?"
"Dada come ?" Ella ask hopefully. My mouth comes dry and look at Care with tearful eyes. She smiles and squeezes my hand in hers.
"No, baby girl. I'm sorry he is in NY now but he will come back in one day and half."
"I want to see him, Mama." she says.
"I know, me too but-" she cuts me off before I can finish my sentence.
"I want to see him." she repeats with more strength this time.
"Ella listen to your mother, he is not here right now but he will come after that he finished what he had to do in NY." Caroline admonishes Ella.
"Thank you." I mouth to Care with tears rolling down my face.
"Mama ! Why are you crying ?" Ella says when she looks at me and jumps on my bed.
"Nothing, sweetie. I'm Ok, just tired emotionally." I say and wipe my tears with my hands.
"Why are you tired emotionally ?" she asks and I kiss her hair.
"Because I missed your Dada so much, during three years and he is here now." I smile.
"I love you Mama and Dada loves you too." she says sincerely and push herself against me.
"I love you baby girl." I smile and Caroline squeezes my hand once again. "So you're leaving the hospital Care ?"
"Yeah, Nik and Em come to pick us up in fifteen minutes." she smiles. "What about you ?"
"The doctors said that I can leave the hospital in two days, finally. It will do one week since I'm here and I become crazy."
"Mama, I can sleep here with you if you want so you will not be alone." she says seriously.
"Nope, sweetie. Stay with Auntie Care." I laugh.
We talk about Ella's and Emily's day at school during fifteen minutes and she tells me that she drew and she wants to give it to me. I smile when she says that Stefan filed her to school this morning and kiss her on the cheek just like I did when it's me who filed her at school.
"Sweetie, we have to go, Nik and Em wait for us so we can go eating an ice cream, what do you think ?" Care asks smiling
"Yeah ! Can I go, Mama ?" I nod and see her eyes shine with joy.
"Of course. Go, see you tomorrow baby girl." I kiss her hair and she runs towards the door waiting for Care.
"See you tomorrow, honey." Caroline says smiling and kiss my cheek.
"Thank you so much, Care. See you soon." I smile softly.
It's been two days and I can finally leaving the hospital. Ella is waiting for me at Caroline's, she calls me to tell me that she is so happy that I'm leaving the hospital. I'm about to go out of the room when I feel him behind me before I see him.
"Stefan.." I say with multiple emotions in my voice and run in his arms. He closes his arms around me and he holds me tight against him. He smells as before, it's intoxicating. I'm at home for the first time in a long time and close my eyes to savor this magic moment.
A/N : I hope you liked this chapter.
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Until next time !
Bisous A.