CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Twisted Vows

Adele's ears were perched on the door.

What was all that noise? She could swear she heard Julian talking. But to whom?

The high pitched voice downstairs scratched an inch in her brain. Leo?

His breathing was coming in short bursts. He was crying.

Without thinking, Adele swung open her door and sprinted down the hallway barefooted. She slowed at the top of the stairs.

Julian's voice came out stiff and controlled.

“No, I'm not calling your mother. You will speak to me. What on earth were you fighting and ditching school for?”

“Leave me alone!” Leo yelled and kicked his feet.

“I want mommy! Call her now!” He yelled.

Julian flinched inwardly. He wondered if there were ever times Leo screamed for him. If he ever thought of him.

This is not the father Leo would have imagined. Wished for.

But that wasn't an excuse to hurt people. He turned out pretty well so far. Leo will have to learn to control his emotions.

“Leo, sit down. Right now.” Julian pointed a rigid finger at the leather swiveling chair.

“I hate you!”

“You hate me? Funny. I'm the one who's kept pulling you out of every mess you've made.”

Leo scowled.

“Don't give me that look. I know you got expelled for fighting at your last school. Your mother tried to hide it from me but stuff like that gets dug up when looking for a new school to accept you.”

Leo's face crumpled in tears again and he covered his face with his hands.

Adele had seen enough. She glided down the stairs and planted herself in front of Julian.

“That's your son you're talking to, jackass.” She whipped around and cradled Leo in her arms.

He pushed back and stared at her with teary eyes, then sniffed and held on tight.

“Please don't make me go back. I hate that place”

Adele shook her head and ruffled his hair. She wiped his tears with her fingers, and kissed him on the forehead.

She froze. That was not a thought out move.

He's not your brother, Adele. Snap out of it!

She steadied her thoughts and pulled back slightly.

“You're not going back there, Leo. You're safe here”

Julian stiffened and narrowed his eyes at the back of Adele's head. That wasn't her decision to make.

Leo couldn't be seen by anyone. That will be the end of his childhood. But what childhood?

Watching his parents separate must have been a nightmare in itself.

Adele stood up and brushed past Julian, taking Leo by the hand and leading him upstairs.

Julian felt anger and weakness grow inside him. He knew what he had to do, but couldn't bring himself to do it.

Celeste will be back sooner than expected. If he fails to inform her or Leo's presence, she'll have a real case.

He needed a clean slate with Leo.

He paced and poured himself a stiff drink. He gulped it down, feeling the warmth engulf his chest like a hug, and pulled out his phone.

He rang Celeste and held his breath.

“You better have some good news for me” Celeste's icy voice pierced his ears.

“We found him” Julian bristled, frustration rising in his chest.

The line went dead. Julian stared at the phone in his hand, then dropped it in his glass of whiskey. He rubbed his chin and waited.

Fear crawled up his spine. Celeste has been in the picture for far too long.

Getting her out of the way would mean losing Leo.

He wanted to get it right this time, but without Celeste. Unfortunately she came with the package.

Lose one, lose them all. What would it be?

He was halfway up the stairs when the doorbell rang with a chilling finality.

Surely Celeste didn't get here so fast.

The butler opened the door.

The silhouette emerged into the light, the distinct slapping of a cane on the marble floor sending chills down Julian's spine.

The oxygen was sucked out of the room, but it wasn't Celeste.

“Dad?” Julian called, but he knew.

*****

JULIAN'S POV

I braced myself for the questions. For the lies I was about to tell.

I wasn't prepared for that question.

“I hear the old missus ripped out your new ones’ brains. Trouble in paradise again?”

Lord Alistair Hawthorne sipped his drink and regarded me, amused.

I don't want him here. Pressing me, cornering me.

This is my house.

“Is that why you're here, dad?” I twirled my glass in my hand and glanced at the staircase nervously.

His eyes followed mine and he chuckled.

“Oh don't worry. We've met before. She's a spicy one. That girl”

Adele had whispered it to me at our wedding but I didn't think too much about it. Now I want to know everything.

“Yeah. She's great. Why are you here?” I pressed. I couldn't wait for the other shoe to drop.

“You're not even a bit curious as to how I heard of your debacle in the first place?” A faint smile tugged at his lips.

I tried to steel myself, but I was at my wits end.

“People talk. It's not a big deal.”

I was grasping at straws. Of course there's only one reason he's here.

“Your board members held a meeting, of which I was present —”

I wasn't. They did this behind my back.

“—and expressed their fears. Your life is too chaotic right now, and there's a lot of stains on your white garment. They're not sure you are the right captain to steer them into the new phase.”

I saw it coming. I just didn't expect my own father to be delivering the news to me. Even after everything.

“And what did you say to that?” My chest tightened at the possibilities but I just had to know.

“You're not listening, Julian. They're going to reinstate me as CEO while you sort out…whatever this is.”

Of course he did this. The second the door cracked, he lunged.

I felt rage build up inside me, but I couldn't lash out. Not after what happened the last time.

“How noble of you to swoop in, Lord Alistair. But I’m more than capable of steering MY company through these storms.”

He raised an eyebrow at me, but I stood my ground. It's not his company anymore. He can't tell me how to run it.

I clutched my glass tighter.

“I’ll be calling a board meeting,” I said.

I need to kill this agenda before it breathes.

“Is this why you're here, dad? Tell me you want to take my company?”

“You think I’m the only one waiting for you to slip?” he sneered. “There are bigger monsters circling the wreckage.”

“We built this, dad. I dedicated my life to be where I am right now. It's not something anyone can take from me”

He raised his hands in surrender with a shrug of condescension and gulped the rest of his drink.

I waited as he hoisted himself up on his feet and turned to the door.

“Oh and son? You keep playing patsy for these women and they'll take you for everything you have. You need to make them fear you. You'll have less problems then”

The meaty smack of my father's hand meeting mom's face rang out in my head.

“You want them to fear me like mom feared you? I'll pass.” The words escaped my mouth and landed like a sniper's bullet in my father's spine.

He froze and turned around slowly, his fist clutched tightly at his side. His eyes locked in on mine.

The slap of the cane matched my heartbeat as he approached me slowly.

“Say that again. I dare you”

I held my breath and waited, feeling the little boy in me recoil and hide. I hated that he made me feel weak. I hated him.

Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, the door swung open and Celeste charged in, battle ready.

Her red hair glowed in her white suit and blood red heels. She dripped of anger and vengeance.

Oh great!

My father turned around and regarded her sourly.

“Speak of the devil herself”

She cocked her head.

“Alistair. You're aging badly, and you're still alive. Life is indeed throwing me lemons.”

Alistair narrowed his eyes at her and scoffed.

I buried my head in my hand. The hate is growing stale. They have too much in common to be enemies.

I just want to crawl into bed and sleep, but now I have to deal with the two worst people in my world.

“Julian, where's my son? I don't want to deal with any of you today”

My brain fired to life. If she takes Leo, I'll never hear from him again.

“Can we talk about this? In private?” I raised an eyebrow at my father.

He should have been gone by now, but he's sticking around. Waiting. It irked me.

He grabbed the bottle of whiskey and stalked out the front door, chuckling derisively.

Celeste folded her arms across her chest and frowned.

This was my chance, but as I stared at this woman, I knew then and there.

She's not leaving without our son.

“Look, I'm sorry. I wanted to keep him safe and I messed it up.”

Celeste shook her head and threw up her hands.

“I'm not here for this nonsense, Julian! I left my car running.”

Desperation rose inside me. If Leo hears her, he'll run downstairs and I'll lose him again in a heartbeat.

“Why are you doing this again?”

She was growing impatient.

“This is not about you. Not everything is about you! You can't protect him. You don't even want him “

“But I do, Celeste. You know I do. I was just being stupid “

She pressed her palm to her temples and inhaled deeply. Her manicured nails captured the dim lights.

“How can I trust you to not be stupid again?”

What will I say? How can I convince this woman that I've always been a good father?

The sound of footsteps made my heart lurch. I craned my neck towards the staircase. Celeste narrowed her eyes and I felt guilty for sighing in relief.

Adele stood at the top of the stairs. Her eyes darkened the moment she saw Celeste, and she glanced at me hopefully.

My heart sank.

‘Please forgive me, My dear wife’ I prayed in my head and turned to Celeste.

“Stay.”

The word slipped out before I could stop it.

“Move in—just for Leo. Please.”

The silence in the room stretched thin.

Celeste's face was a look of surprise, replaced by immense satisfaction at the thought.

She glanced victoriously up the stairs at Adele.

I couldn't bring myself to look up at her. Her eyes burned into my head.

“You want me to move back in? How shocking”

“It's not a permanent placement.”

I had to make sure the terms were clear, but my ears were roaring. I'd made so many decisions so far and none of them had good results. This was not sounding promising either.

“Anything for my son. You don't mind…do you, Mrs Hawthorne “ she jeered, eyes on Adele.

The sound of Adele's retreating footsteps burned into my memory. I have failed her again.

I'm doing this for Leo. She of all people should understand. Yet, my insides twisted into a painful knob just thinking about how this decision made her feel.

Celeste giggled, but her grip on the key looked a little too tight.

“Make it happen, Mr Hawthorne. My patience is wearing thin.”

Then she was gone–a hurricane, wreckage in her wake.

I sprinted up the stairs, heart in my hand, to Adele's room. I knocked quietly.

No response.

I tried the knob. Locked.

I pressed my ear to the door, straining to hear her above the insistent pounding of my heart.

Her soft sobs filtered through the door, shattering my heart with precise blows.

I closed my eyes and steadied my breathing.

I didn’t see her face. I didn’t have to. I’ve seen that look before — the one that says, “You broke me. Again.”

I backed away from the door and stumbled into my room.

******

Celeste parked her Audi on the corner of the road and pulled out her phone.

She dialed a number. It rang three times before the crispy voice on the other end spoke.

“Talk to me”

She sighed and rubbed her forehead.

“It worked. He asked me to move back in.”

“Good good. You're more of a serpent than you know, sweet pea”

She cringed away from her phone.

“You know what to do now. Keep me updated” The voice said with finality and the line went dead.

Celeste slammed her fists against the steering and screamed in frustration.

Goosebumps spread on her arms. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths, feeling her sanity return slowly.

“You can do this, Celeste. Just breathe. It's almost over”

A tear escaped her eye and she patted it away hurriedly.

She wished she could tell someone. But secrets like hers don’t come with mercy.

If the truth comes out, everyone burns — including the boy she swore she’d protect.

She steeled herself and put her car in gear with a determined look on her face.

If she goes down, she's taking Julian with her.