Fighting Destiny

by Annalisa Simon

  Before she left the airport she made sure to comb her hair and to brush her teeth and to apply some light makeup just in case she saw him. She wanted him to know that she was strong and still looking good and she certainly wasn’t pining! She saw Nathan’s eyes narrow at her slight improvement in appearance when she finally emerged, but she pretended that she did not really notice his eyes as they travelled the length of her body.

  “You look beautiful honey, but you didn’t have to do all of that for me,” he said half-jokingly.

  “I just thought I would spruce up a little!” Candasee replied simply.

  “Hmmm!” was Nathan’s only reply as he fought the thought that came to his mind about her trying to look her best for her ex. As the hours passed he’d tried to ignore the few slip-ups she’d made when she referred to Darius as her ‘husband’. He could see she was putting up a good front but inside she was a nervous wreck and that could only mean one thing, she wasn’t over Darius as yet!

  His stomach churned at the idea that all of this could be over for him in a few short days if they got a chance to reconnect and somehow repair the damage to their relationship. He scanned the lobby for any sign that Darius was there waiting for them and thankfully there was no sign of him as yet!

  Every time Candasee saw this hotel, she was simply swept away by the sheer beauty and simplicity of the white marble floors which were always polished to a shine, the thick comfortable white and gold furniture and the accentuating plants and fountains that gave the lobby the feel of a sheikh’s desert kingdom. This wasn’t just an upgrade from the Meridian Hotel but they had moved up two whole stars and more. The fact that Darius agreed to this generous exchange more than piqued her curiosity, after all he made it clear to her he was first a business man and then a human with a heart of stone second, she thought bitterly. But then again, he would still be the one benefiting most wouldn’t he? After she’d calmed down Nathan had gone on to explain the other conditions of the hotel exchange.

  As they walked up to the front desk in the exquisite reception area, she immediately recognized Eloise, one of the hotel’s most trusted employees.

  “Welcome back Mrs. Brogan!” said Eloise purposefully using her married surname, while maintaining a warm, welcoming smile. “I was so glad to see your name on the guest list; we have all missed you around here!”

  Candasee returned the smile and inwardly groaned at hearing her former surname. This was going to be a long week, she sighed inwardly.

  “Oh thanks Eloise, and by the way my name is Candasee Maxwell now!” she said.

  “Oh yes! You are right dear, it’s just force of habit you see! You and Mr. Brogan were always such a wonderful couple,” she explained with her eyes twinkling. “Seeing you just now just brought all of those memories back!”

  “Yes, I’m sure we were,” replied Candasee flatly.”How is your family?” she then asked in an attempt to change the subject. Only two seconds in the hotel and already she was already being reminded of what she was trying to forget.

  “Everyone is well! Both of my sons are now working in Antigua but they come home to look for their mother occasionally,” replied Eloise with a smile.

  Nathan watched the open gleam of joy and admiration in the other woman’s eyes and certainly did not miss her deliberate use of the name Brogan. It was obvious that she still held Candasee in very high esteem and still considered her the mistress of the estate. But, that name was now her past and he would do anything to make sure it stayed that way. So, to fight the sudden irritation he was experiencing at their conversation, he silently rehearsed what her name would sound like as Candasee Maxwell- Carthswright. It was a bit of a mouthful he noted but he would leave the option up to her whether she would hyphenate her name after they were married.

  “And you sir, welcome to the Derrien Island Grande Spa Resort,” said Eloise turning her bespectacled gaze on him.

  Nathan replied to the greeting and quietly laughed to himself about the intensity of the direction of his inner thoughts. He was getting ahead of himself there but he didn’t care. A man needed to be clear on what he wanted if he was going to have any chance at having it.

  Eloise completed the check in process and handed them their room information and pass keys.

  “Okay Mr. Carthswright, here you are, your room is on the fifth floor and is number 510. We managed to house all of your delegates on that floor as well so I hope you find that convenient?” asked Eloise. “You will not be sharing a room because we thought that as Principal that would go against protocol!”

  “Yes, thank you!” he said accepting the key.

  “Oh we are pleased to serve you! You will find a welcome drink and refreshments in your room as a token gift from the hotel to you as well,” replied Eloise politely.

  “Thank you!” Nathan replied again, quietly impressed by the hospitality so far.

  “Okay now Mrs. Brogan, you will be staying on the seventh floor in room 746,” said Eloise, once again ignoring Candasee’s instructions about her surname.

  “Pardon?” spluttered Candasee, “Why am I not staying on the fifth floor with everyone else?”

  “I’m sorry but that floor is now full, unless of course you wish to share a room?” inquired Eloise with an arched brow. “The only available room on the fifth floor is Mr. Carthswright’s and I think you would prefer to have your privacy, wouldn’t you?” she asked in a slightly motherly and disapproving tone!

  “Yes, you are right, I don’t want to share a room,” replied Candasee meaningfully, speaking quickly before Nathan could suggest his earlier solution to her again! Sharing Nathan’s fifth floor room was bound to start tongues wagging about how close their relationship was getting and the favours she was most likely receiving. She didn’t need or want the public scrutiny. She just needed to survive these eight days and then she could finally leave this place and never return.

  “Are you sure that there are no other rooms available on the fifth floor with the delegation?” asked Nathan realizing that Candasee would be all alone on the seventh floor, away from him and also open to Darius should he make a move to contact her. That thought did not leave him with a sense of peace at all.

  “I am certain sir, but I’m sure that you will be able to connect up with each other at anytime, won’t you? It’s only two floors away,” said Eloise innocently.

  “What about the seventh floor are there any other rooms available there?”

  “I’m sorry again Mr. Carthswright but all of the rooms on the seventh floor are either occupied or reserved for other hotel guests arriving during your stay. These summer months are quite a busy time for us here at the hotel.”

  “I see.”

  “Yes, I do hope that you have a wonderful stay,” Eloise said finally.

  After thanking her for her service and after refusing help from the bellboy service, Nathan and Candasee moved toward the bank of elevators around the corner.

  “Just my luck not to get a room with you guys!” said Candasee now feeling a little nervous about being away from the rest of the group. Talk about a series of unexpected events! Could anything else possibly go wrong?

  They got on the elevator and Nathan selected the floors they would each would be staying on.

  “Listen Candee, as I said earlier, I want us to stay together. I can stay with you on the seventh floor and that would give us some more privacy away from the delegates,” he suggested, leaning over to quickly kiss her on the cheek before slipping his arm around her waist and pulling her close to his side, nuzzling her neck gently with his lips.

  He smelled so good, thought Candasee inhaling the scent of his cologne.

  “I want to be with you too but I could never relax with Darius knowing I am here sharing a room with someone else,” replied Candasee.”I’m sorry!”

  Nathan gritted his teeth with the beginnings of impatience. “I don’t think I have to remind you of this, but Candasee you guys are divorced and it’s been two whole years! He has
no say in how you live your life anymore! You are mine now,” replied Nathan forcefully. “For all you know he has moved on with his life already. I doubt he has been thinking twice about asking your permission to bring his lovers here!”

  Nathan knew it was a hard thing to say but, Candasee needed a little shock therapy.

  Candasee fought to digest Nathan’s candour as she pictured Darius spending time here with other lovers. The thought made her so angry and envious inside but she dared not let it show! This was ridiculous! It was two years and a lot could have happened since then.

  “That’s possible, but let me think about it some more,” said Candasee still disguising the fact that she didn’t want to even entertain images of what Nathan had just so callously suggested to her about Darius. “I am really tired now and all I want to do is sleep! We can talk about this again tomorrow.”

  She’d shut him out! Why did he have to say something so over the top just now? But you know what, he wasn’t sorry. This was what she needed, a tall, cold dose of reality. The faster she could let go of the past, the faster they could get on with deepening their relationship.

  “Well this is your floor,” said Candasee.

  “I don’t have to get off here you know. Let me come up and help you get settled.”

  “No, that’s not necessary, I want to go alone. I’m going to take a shower and then I’m going straight to bed. Let’s go jogging in the morning and then we can have breakfast together, okay?” she said pressing a kiss to his lips.

  “You know that I love you right!” Nathan asked against her lips.

  “I love you too Nate, get some rest okay,” Candasee smiled weakly. She felt bone tired and on the verge of a breakdown. Nathan meant well and in a way he was protecting his investment in her. Who wouldn’t if they discovered their new fiancée would be staying alone in her ex-husband’s hotel two floors away far from him and everyone else.

  Nathan stepped off and blew her a kiss as the doors closed. Candasee could be stubborn sometimes but for now he decided not to push it. Tonight she won this round but tomorrow would be a different matter altogether.

  As the elevator continued upward Candasee stifled a yawn as the first waves of sleepiness hung over her body. She’d had enough for one day. If she experienced one more surprise she was sure that she would scream.

  As the elevator opened onto the seventh floor she exited it and pulled her suitcase along the plush, carpeted hallway until she reached room 746. Sliding her passkey through the lock she heard it engage and she entered pulling in the suitcase behind her. The door swung closed with a click.

  The room was simply breathtaking. Now that she remembered it, every floor in this hotel featured rooms with different cultural themes from around the world. The fifth floor where the others were staying had more of a Hawaiian feel to the decor and it was regarded as one of the ‘economy floors’ for person’s booking rooms and packages on the lower budget end.

  The seventh floor had always been her favourite and she wondered how Eloise knew that. Its contemporary Oriental decor was stunning with the red accent wall and the white and black king-sized bed which dominated the centre of the bedroom. Perhaps she just got lucky! She doubted Eloise could have heard it from Darius because from the looks of things he wasn’t even at the hotel. If he didn’t come to meet her in the lobby it must mean that he just didn’t care if she was there or not. Why that even bothered her she didn’t want to analyze. It was just a coincidence right? She would just take a shower and go straight to bed. She was exhausted and they would have a long day tomorrow. She needed all of her strength just to make it through this ordeal.

  Leaving her suitcase next to the hallway closet she was about to check out her bathroom, when her cell phone rang. She answered it and it was her father.

  “Hi Dad, I managed to get in safely. The flight was awful and we were stuck in the airport for about five hours because of flooding so things haven’t been the best so far!”

  “Okay, we were just wondering seeing that you didn’t call this evening!” her father replied.

  “Dad, do remember that I am thirty-three and not seventeen!”

  “You will always be my little girl, even when you are fifty, so stop fighting it!”

  “Ugh!”

  “So is the hotel nice?”

  “Well, about that, we had to change hotels due to the weather damage. I’m actually here at the Derrien Island Grande. This is the new location!”

  “What? You mean Darius’ hotel?” he father almost bellowed into the phone.

  “Yes, unfortunately!”

  “I don’t think I have to tell you to steer clear of him, do I?”

  “Dad I don’t want to talk about this right now. I am really tired and I just want to go to bed and pretend that this is not my life right now!”

  “I just want you to be careful sweetheart. That man has no scruples and I’ve warned you about him many times and only if you’d listened to me, you wouldn’t have had to endure the pain you did!”

  Thomas Maxwell was an opinionated man and sometimes he just didn’t know when to quit, thought Candasee rolling her eyes. She’d heard this speech countless times before.

  “Okay Dad, I will be careful, I promise, now please let me get some rest!”

  “Okay but let us know if you need us okay?

  “I promise Dad, now goodnight!” she said before clicking off the phone call. Talking to her father sometimes felt as though she was running a marathon uphill. He never let her forget what a mistake it was to ignore his advice about marrying Darius. He said she would get hurt and she did.

  Now for that bath, Candasee thought, making her way to the bathroom once again. She was about to close the door when she heard a knock at the door of her room.

  “Ugh! Who could that be now?” groaned Candasee to herself as she shuffled reluctantly towards the door. There was a definite weariness creeping into all her muscles and all she wanted was to sleep off all the stress and tiredness. Between the awful flight, the travel delays, the uncertainty about the intensive, Nathan’s demands, her father’s warnings and being so close to Darius at the hotel, she had exceeded her emotional quotient for the day and then some. Looking through the peephole, she instead saw a man holding a huge bouquet of red roses in a slender crystal vase dressed in the hotel’s front desk uniform.

  She unlocked the door quickly and opened it eagerly. Who sent her these exquisite flowers? She was always sweet on red roses and could not wait to bury her face in their soft velvety fragrance. Nathan was so romantic, but wasn’t this a little over the top to have red roses sent to her room already?

  “Delivery for Candasee Maxwell!” said the man dressed in the uniform for the hotel.

  “Thanks, that is me! Let me get a tip for you!”

  “No tip is required miss!” the man replied quickly handing her the vase.

  “Taking the flowers from him she closed the door and detached the card. After placing the vase on the counter near the entertainment system, she opened the envelope and read it aloud.

  “Welcome Home!” was all it said, but in that bold handwriting she would recognize anywhere. She knew who the flowers were from immediately.

  So, Darius was here and he knew that she was too! But what was the meaning of “Welcome Home”? Her home was where she belonged, back in Barbados not here on Derrien Island. The days for calling this place home were long behind her.

  Despite her irritation at the words on the card the flowers beckoned to her invitingly and she buried her face in the scent of them and sensed some of the tensions from the day begin to ease out of her body. Darius always knew how to calm her down after a fight. Roses always did the trick and before long she was back in his arms again and he was forgiven. She never could stay mad at him for long once he gave her roses. Of course he never gave her roses for the fights they had about her career change and maybe that’s why they divorced. He never apologized, and he was never sorry about any of it!

  T
hat thought caused her to stop in mid-sniff to consider exactly what she was doing. Was he still testing her weakness to him with these silly games? Did he enjoy knowing just how easily he could control her? Sending her flowers to get her all warmed up so that she would be open to any suggestion he would make, and not just that but welcoming her home too?

  Immediately, two years of pent up anger surfaced and boiled over in one minute. The last contact she had with him was signing for the wire transfer of one hundred and twenty million dollars to her personal bank account as her divorce settlement. He had succeeded in making her truly feel worthless and like a woman who had been tricked into giving her heart away. The money meant nothing to her and she knew to him it was only a drop in the bucket of his massive fortune. She’d wanted him, not his cold voice on the phone wanting to know if she’d received her money without difficulties! She wanted him to admit he was wrong and that it had all been a terrible lapse of judgement on his part and that he didn’t really want to hurt her like that! But there was only silence and a cold payout!

  Dropping the card to the floor she felt hot tears spring to her eyes and a stab of pain in her heart that nearly doubled her over. That pain changed to anger and before she knew it she grabbed one of the flowers, her room passkey, and she was striding purposefully toward the elevators. She knew where she was going the moment she left her room and it was confirmed when she pressed the number eleven.

  There were only three suites on the top floor of this hotel; the presidential suite, the penthouse deluxe and Darius’ private office and living quarters. Seeing the door she was looking for at the end of the hall she walked quickly and opened the outer door leading from the secretary’s office to his inner sanctuary. She barely nodded at the security guard who was seated in his cubicle before barging into Darius’ domain. The door was slightly ajar and she and knocked on it loudly. Behind her she could hear the opening and closing of the door to the security office and the sound of rapid footfalls behind her.