by Reddy Rose
Richard prepared the coffee, and Alice and Fiona stood by the island. Alice chuckled to herself, because her mother was standing right where Richard and Alice had intercourse a little while back.
“Richard, your home is beautiful. This is such a beautiful place,” Fiona said genuinely.
“Thank you, Mrs. Rineheart,” Richard said through gritted teeth. He was trying to stay calm. He was uncomfortable. This woman was part of the reason that he could lose his livelihood. If she weren’t Alice’s mother, he wouldn’t have been so kind.
“Here you go,” Richard handed Fiona and Alice their respective coffees.
“Thanks, my love,” Alice said.
They made their way to the dining table to chat.
"So, mother. You're strangely quiet. I know you're here for a reason. Would you spit it out?" Alice said. It came off as aggressive, but she didn't mean it to.
Fiona sighed and rubbed her temples.
“I’m not much of a person to talk about these things, but your father and I had a fight. He blew up entirely,” Fiona said, looking down at her coffee. She was embarrassed to talk about it.
“He… He didn’t hit you again, did he?” Alice said. She felt her face grow red at the thought.
“No. Well, he almost did. Word got out in the papers that we’re building the hotel,” Fiona said.
Richard grunted at the mention of the hotel but didn’t want to butt in the conversation.
“Then what?”
“I didn’t care enough. I was too complacent. He didn’t like that at all. He noticed my uncaring demeanor, and he got angrier, he really wanted to do it, but he stopped himself,” Fiona said, softly, so that Emily wouldn’t hear. A child had no place hearing of matter such as this.
“I'm so sorry, mom,” Alice said, and reached her hand over the table to give her mother’s arm a comforting squeeze.
"No. You shouldn't be, and neither should I. I'm sick of it. I don't care if the hotel’s construction never happens. I really don’t,” Fiona said with a frown on her face, “Besides, I know it was you who started it all. Don’t worry, I didn’t tell your father, and I won’t ever tell him.”
“Thank you, mom. I initially wanted to blurt it out to you guys to ruin your day, but I feared my father would do something brash, like ship me off to a mental asylum or something.”
“What I am trying to say is, I am on your side and I will continue to be on your side until the end. I can’t make that clear to your father, but I will be a helping hand in the shadows, per se,” Fiona said.
“Thank you, mom. Thank you so much,” Alice said.
“Anything for you, my beautiful Alice.”
Richard finally felt it was the right time to chime in.
“So, you’re saying that you’re going to betray your husband… for me?” Richard said.
“Yes. I can see how much Alice loves you and I can’t get between that anymore. Jeremy’s wrath is never-ending, but I am willing to risk it for my daughter. She deserves a better life than to be pawned off to the highest bidder.”
Fiona’s hands were visibly shaking, from either anger or nervousness, she did not know.
“Thank you so much, Mrs. Rineheart. You have no idea how much this means to me."
“Also, we were scheduled to go back home for a while until Alice goes to College, I’ll arrange for us to stay a while longer. I’ll convince him to stay here so that we can sort out this controversial issue at hand. That means you can spend more time together."
"That's really good. I'm not sure if I can go that long without my Alice," Richard said and chuckled.
His tension dissipated as he realized that Fiona really just wanted to help. That she didn't have any bad intentions. From what he heard about her from Alice, she was cold and harsh, but today she showed weakness and compassion.
They engaged in small talk for a while, Fiona enquired about Richard's life and got to know him a little bit better. Richard and Fiona got on quite well and it warmed Alice's heart. At least her mother approved of Richard. She knew Edwin definitely would. Her father, on the other hand, was unlikely to ever budge on the matter. It made her sad, but at least she had her mother on her side.
"Alright, you two love birds. I'll see you again soon. Thank you for the coffee," Fiona said.
"Thank you, Mrs. Rineheart. It was lovely chatting with you," Richard said, and stood up to say goodbye.
"Alice, could I chat with you outside for a second, if you won't mind? I won't keep you long," Fiona said.
"Sure, mother!" Alice said.
They headed out together and sat on the porch.
"So, I just want to say that I am so proud of the woman you have become. I am so happy that you are finally happy and at peace. I hope we can set our differences aside, and we can become friends, not just mother and daughter," Fiona said and brushed a strand of hair out of Alice's eyes.
"I am very open to this, mother. And I agree. We're all grown up now, we shouldn't drift apart," Alice said.
“This entire situation had put a lot into perspective for me, and I realize that I am actually in a terrible marriage. Arranged marriages are not a good idea. I don't want that for you. I don’t want you to feel stuck the same way I am. And it’s true. I am stuck. I am in my forties and I have no real work experience except for being the wife to a rich mogul. I can’t use that on my resume."
They both laughed and hugged and said their goodbyes. Alice felt like she could breathe again. She was expecting something to go awry when her mother showed up, but it was quite the opposite. Her mother finally did a full one-eighty. Her normal, human side now shone brighter than the fake persona she created just to be with Jeremy. Things were finally falling in line.
Alice went to go get the photographs they took to be printed and framed. Once done, she wrapped it with gift paper to give to Richard. Alice carried the camera with her everywhere she went. At some point, she wanted to create an album just for Richard, to showcase the beautiful landscapes she took pictures of.
6
Fiona
A fter Jeremy left, Fiona was expecting him to come back, bearing gifts, like earrings or other jewelry, as well as any other gifts he saw fit.
That was the usual ritual. Fiona and Jeremy would have a fight, he would lose his temper, he would disappear for a day or two or three and come back bearing gifts. It was a toxic cycle, and Fiona, over the decades that they were married, would fall for the over the top affection he would shower her with, and forget they even had the fight in the first place.
Their last big fight, the one where he struck her in the face, resulted in him disappearing for five days, then coming back, driving a brand-new car, just for Fiona. A Rolls Royce, one of the most expensive he could find at the time. He only knew money. He didn’t know how to show true love and affection. At night, when they were in bed, he refused to cuddle her. They would have quick, boring intercourse, and he would fall asleep immediately. Fiona felt used and abused by Jeremy, but she was too blind to realize it, until now.
He arrived early in the morning and knocked on the door, Fiona was still sleepy and not ready for the day, so it would be easier for him to manipulate her into forgiving him in her tired state. He entered before there was an answer from her, using the room’s key card.
He sat down next to her and stroked her cheek. She knew that he did love her. He was just a horribly broken and jaded man that didn’t know how to handle a woman correctly.
“Fiona. My darling, wake up,” Jeremy whispered.
Fiona groaned, and slowly fluttered her eyes open.
“Mmm? You’re back. Hey,” she said.
Her voice was always hoarse and groggy in the mornings. Her eyes were puffy, indicating that she had cried herself to sleep the previous night, but Jeremy was too stupid to pick up on it. He just thought she was tired.
“I brought these for you,” Jeremy said.
He placed the bouquet of flowers on her stomach, and she sat up and smelled the f
ragrant aromas.
“Thank you. They’re beautiful,” Fiona said and smiled.
“Oh, I brought the finest champagne I could get my hands on, we can have that later. The meeting went well, I found a good company to contract for the construction. Materials will be handled by them too,” Jeremy said.
He sounded excited, but Fiona didn’t really care. She knew that the project would never go through. Not on her watch.
“That’s brilliant news,” she said, feigning interest and excitement, “I hope your travels were safe and sound.”
As much as she wanted to rebel and strike back at him with the same wrath as him, she knew the safest option would be to pretend that everything was fine. She would go through the same motions as always. Pretend to be happy with the marriage and accept the gifts as a form of apology.
“Oh, and this too. This one’s special,” Jeremy said, “I know you’ll love it.”
He handed her a small velvet box, and she lifted the lid. They were a part of eighteen-carat white gold stud earrings. Fiona gasped.
“Wow, these are so gorgeous. This is amazing, thank you very much!”
“Try them on.”
Fiona jumped out of bed and made her way to the nearest mirror. Although she had her resentments toward him, a girl couldn’t turn down a pair of diamond earrings. She removed them from the packaging and put them in her ears. Jeremy came up closer to her to inspect.
“They look so good on you, princess,” Jeremy said.
The only time he called her princess was when he bombed her with love to force forgiveness out of her.
“Come here, give me a kiss. My beautiful princess. You deserve to be spoiled rotten,” Jeremy said.
Fiona did as she was told, and pecked him on the lips quickly, then went back to admiring her earrings. She tried to hide the fact that she nearly threw up in her mouth. She was disgusted by him. Her eyes were open now. She would no longer allow herself to be manipulated. She was going to be the one to manipulate him now. A little bit of karmic payback, except it wasn’t just fate bringing him woes, it would be Fiona.
“I love you, princess,” Jeremy said, “We can do whatever you want today. I don’t have much to do work-wise.”
“Love you too,” Fiona said.
She was going to give him a ride for his money this time around. All the most expensive stores and restaurants. Though it wouldn’t break his bank whatsoever, it was at least something to get back at him. She’d get her hair, nails, face, and makeup done, and he would have to tag along the entire time. She had the ability to, so why not exploit his infinite wealth?
The day went on, and he was carrying too many shopping bags for comfort, and they were finally at their last stop, an expensive dinner. She got drunk, and made him get drunk along with her. She waited for the right moment.
“So, my love. Excuse me for bothering you with business on our nice day out. I have been thinking about our little problem. I think we should stay here so we can do damage control as soon as something goes wrong. At least until the hotel is built. It would be too difficult to try and deal with an issue here, while we’re in Las Vegas,” Fiona said.
“You know what, that’s actually a really good idea. I like it here anyway. We’ll stay here for a few more months, or however long this whole situation takes to die down” Jeremy said and took a big sip of his drink.
Fiona cringed at the way he worded that. Actually? As if her feeble woman brain could never come up with any good ideas? She tried to brush it aside. She supposed, now that she understood their dynamic, she would be picking up on a lot more of his disrespect.
“Me too, I’ve missed the ocean so much. It’s so beautiful here. I forgot how good it is for the soul,” Fiona said.
“You’re drunk and feeling nostalgic.”
Jeremy chuckled.
“Yeah! I am drunk! And so are you!”
They both chuckled. She wouldn’t fall into his traps again, but she supposed there was no harm in having a good time with him while it lasted. Though she wouldn't be able to find a job easily, at least she would be able to survive for a few years off of the money she would receive from the divorce. Her mother was persistent in her signing a prenuptial agreement before she got married. Mother was always right, after all. It was her only condition when allowing Jeremy to marry her daughter.
7
Alice
"A lice, my darling. Good morning," Fiona said.
She opened up the curtains in Alice's room and forced her awake with all the sunlight seeping into the room.
"No, mom, the light! It burns!" Alice said and hissed like a vampire.
"Oh, you're so silly!" Fiona said, and sat on the bed next to Alice.
"How's it going? Are you okay? Considering that dad's back and all?" Alice said softly.
"I'm okay, thanks. Don't worry about me, it will all work out soon."
"Are you sure?" Alice asked.
"Yes, my darling. I'm guessing you're not going to be surprised by this, but I'm going to divorce your father when the time is right," Fiona said.
"Really? Are you serious about that? You were just saying that it would be difficult to do that. That you might not be able to survive without the marriage?" Alice said.
"I'll get enough to be comfortable for a few years, but I'll definitely need to figure something out for myself. We'll have to see what the divorce attorney says. I don't know if I should be totally honest, you know, and tell him or her about the abuse."
"I think you should be open and honest. I'm sorry you've had to deal with this all these years. It wasn't my place to say anything about it, you know, being a kid and all."
"I was being manipulated so much that I didn't even realize what was really going on. If you brought it up a few years ago, I would have just called you crazy," Fiona said.
She stroked Alice's soft blonde hair and smiled.
"Well, whatever makes you happy, mum. I'll be here to support you."
"You look so beautiful in the morning," Fiona said.
They had breakfast together, and the silence between Jeremy, Fiona, and Alice was deafening.
***
Alice’s notifications on her phone were blowing up as interest was growing on the “Stop the Rinehearts” movement. It seemed to all be working out. There were small groups of people gathering near the hotel they stayed at - she wasn’t sure how people figured out where they were currently living. Though, in the internet age, people learned how to do some real good detective work. They could figure out nearly everything even if you just gave them a name. This made Alice grow slightly uncomfortable, especially because she was a Rineheart herself, and to the public’s knowledge, she wasn’t the one to leak the information. This could cause a few issues along the way.
Alice made her way out of the hotel and had to get through the crowd standing near the entrance of the hotel. Jeremy had deployed extra security guards to ensure their safety. Alice knew that was mildly unnecessary, the protestors wouldn’t actually hurt anybody.
There was a crowd of about 15 to 20 people gathered around the entrance, all holding up signs that said things like: “The Rhinehearts destroy lives”, “The Rhinehearts: Rich and Evil”, and “Eat the Rich”. People were shouting and screaming at her as she exited the main entrance of the hotel.
A woman with red hair and dark makeup spat at Alice as she walked past. A sweaty reporter shoved a microphone in Alice’s face as she tried to break away from the crowd.
“What do you have to say for yourselves? Why are you putting people's lives at risk?” the reporter said.
He was short and fat, and his clothing was baggy, likely to try and hide the fact that he was so chunky. Alice grew even more uncomfortable, and she stuttered a moment before speaking. Her heart was racing, and her hands were shaking. Alice didn’t like large crowds, especially when she was in the middle of one. She wasn’t necessarily a shy person, but situations like this made her feel anxious and faint.
�
�I… I uh,” Alice said.
Another few reporters came up to her and shoved their cameras and microphones in her face as well.
“Does your family only step on, and exploit the poor so they can get richer? Is there no other way to ethically make money?” a female reporter said. She was tall, taller than Alice, and she was beautiful. She didn’t look like she belonged with the crowd of reporters, who were likely just paparazzi. She had long, black raven hair, and she spoke softly, not in a panicked and aggressive manner.
“I’m sorry, I am only their daughter. I have no power over the business they do, and I had nothing to do with this,” Alice started. Her heart was still beating heavy in her chest, and she felt like her vision was about to go black.
“But do you agree with what they are doing? You’ve gone against their business values on multiple occasions, why is it different now? Why aren’t you trying to help?” the female with black hair said again.
“I… I do not condone what they are doing, and I never will,” Alice said.
Another group of paparazzi came up to the group of protestors, and they pushed through the reporters.
“Hey! It’s that Rineheart slut! Show us some skin!” a short man with greying hair said.
He was one of the typical paparazzi, who were only there to make a spectacle and fake situations so that they could get their next payout. Alice had fallen victim to these kinds before, who made a situation look a lot worse than it was. Alice was 15 when it happened. She was talking to the garden boy that worked on her parent’s property, and they painted it as the “Rineheart Daughter Having Relations with their staff.”
It cost her family hundreds of thousands of dollars to fix that sticky situation and file a defamation case against all that were involved. Alice had never seen her mother so angry before in her life, and she understood why. Alice was still underage at that point, and it was wildly inappropriate for them to do something like that. She got teased at school about it for a long time. That was one of the many reasons she tried to finish high school early, so that she could get away from all the bullying and abuse. They painted her as a slut, and no one, except for her superficial friends, treated her the same since then.
