| Subject: À la Vie! – Chapter 19 |
Author:
Diane
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Date Posted: Friday, October 29, 09:32:17pm
In reply to:
Diane
's message, "À la Vie!" on Tuesday, October 19, 01:16:54am
Michael was in shock—his face alternately ashen and then red with rage. Elena was in tears. “How long has this been going on?” he ground out. Elena cried harder. “Answer me!”
“He--, I--, you need to listen to me, Michael,” she pleaded desperately.
“I’m listening.” Michael’s eyes were the color of slate. His face was a mask of stone. Elena had never seen him look so cold.
“This was the first time! I swear!” she choked out. “Nothing like this has ever happened before.”
“Then the servants should be able to verify that, shouldn’t they?” Michael sent for the doorman. A thin, elderly man soon stood before him, visibly trembling. “How many times has Mr. Jurgen been to the house in my absence?”
The doorman swallowed convulsively. He had been with the Vaceks for years, and felt some allegiance to Elena, but frankly, Michael terrified him. He was compelled to tell the truth. “Two or three times a week, sir,” he answered, almost in a whisper.
“I see,” said Michael, a muscle working in his jaw. “And how long has this been going on?”
“At least four months. Maybe more.” The doorman couldn’t meet Michael’s eyes.
“Thank you. You’re excused.”
The doorman left without a sound.
“He’s lying,” Elena cried brokenly. “Who are you going to believe? A servant, or your wife who loves you?”
Michael looked directly at her with soulless eyes. “I have no wife,” he pronounced calmly.
* * *
“How much does she need to pay off all her debts?” Nikita asked O’Brien wearily. The detective ran his fingers through his already wind-mussed hair.
“She has three bookies. These are the totals.” He pulled a paper from his rumpled suit coat pocket and set it down on the table in front Nikita. They were having an espresso at Fisherman’s Wharf, not far from the café she and Carla favored. Nikita looked at the figure and sighed in dismay. No wonder her mother had sounded desperate on the phone.
“If I give you the money, can you cover these?” she asked.
“Yes,” Marco replied, “but it will have to be today. Interest on these kinds of debts compounds daily.”
Nikita stood up. “I need to go to the bank. I’ll meet you back here in two hours.”
O’Brien looked at his watch and frowned. He broke into a sheepish grin. “Should give me enough time to go buy a new watch.”
Nikita laughed.
* * *
“Of course you will stay here with us,” said Estrella, stroking Elena’s back. “I still cannot believe that Michael kicked you out of your own home. I had thought better of him than that.”
Actually, Michael had moved into a hotel the same day that he had found her with Jurgen, but Elena neglected to mention that to her mother. He had also said that he would send for Adam as soon as a suitable nanny could be found, as Elena had shown him that she put her own needs and desires ahead of those of her son.
“And he threatened to take Adam away from me!” Elena wailed. “My own son!”
“Well, he’ll not take him from here,” pronounced Salla Vacek. “My grandson will be safe, here with his family.”
“Oh, thank you, Daddy,” said Elena, throwing herself into her father’s arms. This was going even better than she had planned.
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