Passage 43

Bethany had been busying herself with insurance adjusters ,claims offices and figuring out the status of her tenants and where she can place them since the hotel isn't a long term solution. It had been two weeks since the complex burned down and the arson was tricky to maneuver in the insurance claim on the complex.
A few of the tenants went to stay with relatives and the others were placed in another facility and rent paid up one full year as the new building to be reconstructed . Bethany wanted to keep her promise to Norma -jean even if it wasn't the original complex. The building was being leveled since some of the local businesses were worried it would decrease business traffic due to the eye sore and implications it held in reputation.
Axel had been leaving updates on Bethany phone but she has yet to contact him. Sunny grew sat she hadn't seen Axel. He was her friend and she missed their adventures. She really wanted to call him but what would she say to him with her disappearing and being out of contact for the past two weeks. A few days were understandable but two entire weeks was avoidance. She had a blood broken mirror she had to remove from the bathroom to prove she was still sulking on her life as it was now .
" Mommy when are you going to call Axel? " I miss Axel ,and Caden not miss Avery too much ,but I'm sure she will grow on me one day."Asked Sunny eating her bowl of cereal as she watched her mom flip the phone over to dismiss the call.
Bethany rose her eyebrows at her daughter's last comment as she was surprised she had become so opinionated of late." I don't know. I'm still working things out in my head about our last time we were together." She said trying to keep it simple.
" Well. If you ask me it's not Axel's fault miss Avery don't like you. You are ignoring him because of her. It's not fair to him I think.He likes you and I like him. Momma he gave you a ring that must mean something. You didn't give Axel a chance to tell us what made miss Avery mad at us this time." Said Sunny as Bethany hated when she sounded like Axel in her advice. She was too young to be thinking too big. Bethany tried her hardest to give sunny a childhood free of worry and stress but she saw her little grown person doing exactly what she was trying to prevent.
" Perhaps your right. How did you get so smart." She said rustling the girls hair now it was darkening a bit to a less vibrant red. Bethany didn't understand how her little girl became her relationship advisor. She tried to keep a lot of things from Sunny but her perception was spot on." I will call him after lunch square it away." Said Bethany as raised her finger like she had another point to declare .
" on that note since your so wise. We have eight rooms in this lake house and I believe It's time you started to sleep in one of them. Your getting to big to be kicking momma in the head all night." She said as she made herself some coffee." Even my bruises has bruises at this point my little sunshine." She said as Sunny looked at her mother now offended at her last statement.
" That's a fair point. I want an upstairs room anyway. I've been exploring." She confessed. As Bethany rose her eyebrows." What?" Exclaimed sunny." I do get board around her with no one to play with but my shadows." She said as she really missed Caden's company right now.
Bethany nodded and excused herself as she stepped in her room and called Axel. Axel jumped up as he was contiplating the worst about him and Bethany. She been gone two weeks and wouldn't answer his calls or text. When he heard the phone ring he rolled off the sofa he was sleeping on and fell off the floor in a crash.
" Hello! Hello. " He answered desperately.
" Hi. Are you okay. Did you just fall?" Bethany said listening to the struggle as he answered.
" Maybe. Are you okay? I didn't fall. Gravity and I was fighting and it won." He said deflecting she heard him fall .
" Look I'm sorry I checked out on you. I just had a lot to deal with and to take care of. I know it's not excuse to ignore you, but I just. I just well I was taking it out on you when you didn't deserve it I honestly I didn't realize I was doing it until I was talking to Sunny earlier." Bethany paused trying to explain how she came to this conclusion.
" So sunny convinced you to talk to me gee I feel special on the who loves me the most scale. I've been calling you for a couple of weeks and I was worried sick about you. I was worried where you went .I was worried I would never hear from you ever again." He said as he sounded hurt now and it was breaking Bethany's heart she hurt him so bad.
" I'm sorry for doing that to you. It was unintentionally done. I don't even think I knew what I was doing. It's been a lot lately and I am sorry." Said Bethany feeling worse now.
" Can I see you. Is that alright. I need to set eyes on you. Is that alright with you? That is if you want to see me?" He said as he cautiously tested the waters of their relationship.
"I'll tell you what I'll ping you my location. I'll make dinner and explain it all. It's a lot to talk about. Plus too sunny has been asking me all the time for you." She said changing the subject.
" Has she now." He felt some relief she was inviting him over to talk instead of being dismissed out right . He didn't know if he could take being told no he couldn't see her when he was dying to see her now more than ever.
"Okay I'll be there tonight. I'm at Paul's . I didn't want to be in the house with my mom. Or Avery It's complicated We got into a huge fight and all about her seeing her ex that is now her current again apparently according to Caden ." He said vaguely.
" Oh wow okay .I understand. It a bit of a drive from any type of gas station so fill up on gas when you get to town. The GPS gets wonky about ten miles out of town due to low cell service. " She explained.
" Why do you live in an underground bunker?" He teased . As he knew at this point Bethany was a walking mystery at times since he knew her.
" Let's just say I don't have neighbors. It is well pretty seclusive " She said .
" I like this place already. See you in a bit . And hey Bethany." He said .
" Hmmm." She answered.
" It's going to be alright. We will work this out." He said as he moved very cautiously not knowing where there relationship stood at this point.
Axel looked down at the ping and saw it was really seclusive. Even the maps didn't have nothing but woods on the satellite photo. Axel left as he packed a few things in an overnight bag in case he didn't come back tonight. The other reason he couldn't go to the house was he knew Avery and the lawyer were seeing each other again. He saw the tags on the personalized plates.
Only a cocky person went so far to put their names on a tag. Avery lied to him. She has been lying to him. Something was up and she was being her sneaky self. He loved his twin sister but she sometimes had no moral compass when it came to men. That's how she ended up with Caden. Now she was back with him knowing if she repeated her mistake he leaves again.
Thoughts swirled in his head over the current situation he was facing with his mom and Avery and how Caden was stuck in the middle of something he didn't quite understand. He only knows what his mom told him he wasn't there to see what Roger did to Avery after he left her.
Axel had a lot of thinking he muddled through when his GPS began to lose signal the furthest he got out of town. Bethany pinged him screen shot map instructions as in his text knowing at some point the signal would not read well. Axel liked that about Bethany always a few steps ahead of everyone. She was like that in school too.
He admired her foresight in certain things. He pulled up to the lake house and sat in the car a minute as he took in the splender of the glass and wood house he parked in front of the house was like out of a vacation magazine. Things to only saw on television on an episode about woods retreats . He stepped outside and rang the bell as Sunny ran to open the door leaping into Axel's arms.
" Axel!" She squilled happy to see him.
" Sunny how many times have I told you not to open doors. " She said as she stopped seeing Axel. Bethany froze all awkward as she wasn't sure what to do now they were facing each other .
" You are a sight for sore eyes. I missed you." He said as he put Sunny down slowly approaching her with caution. He looked down at her cradling her face as he truly looked at her as he studied her face. The sorrow was still in her eyes and laced with bags from restless sleep. Her eyes were puffy not much as he knew she cried her tears ,and even her mouth once inviting and full of want was still and set in a hard line from her drowning so much. He noticed the subtle differences as he looked at her in silence.
" Did I grow a horn in the middle of my forehead or something the way that your looking at me ." She said trying to pull away now uncomfortable.
" No I'm just looking at you." He replied releaseing her.
" I'm sorry I was in the kitchen cooking as she gotten so fast and quiet when she moves. When I heard the bell she was already there." Explained Bethany.
" Were you spying on me little sunshine. " Axel snuck a look at the small girl.
" A good spy never tells their tricks and trades." She said smiling.
" Heavens help you two. Like two peas in the same pod." Bethany said asperated .
" Come on let me set you up. I doubt you'll be leaving tonight. I have a room for you." She said to Axel as he gawked around the room now as he got further inside. He noticed the wall of movies and books and the kitchen meant to entertain this definitely was a lake house you didn't want to leave.
He look down at his phone. No cell phone service. He thought that could be inconvenient if there was an emergency. But it also meant he get some peace and quiet . He looked up at the high arches ceiling structure and all the modern natural lights in the room. The deck by the lake was magnificent.
" How did you call me if I have no service at all?" He asked confused now how it was possible.
" Satellite phones work around here. I keep one in case of an emergency." She said as he nodded realizing his question was answered.
" How long have you had this? Or is it a really great random find you happen to come by?" Asked Axel curious.
Bethany smiled without actually answering as she took him to the room. Axel took it as a discussion to have later. Bethany moved differently than she did before. The carefree girl was barely noticable from here. There was a harder Bethany. One who finally hardened up from a lifetime of disappointment.
Axel undetood some of it came from losing the complex and being forced to witness what happened at his house,but what else caused this hardening for her to be so distant now? He knew the Bethany from his college days. He knew the Bethany from the recent months. But the gaps in between made him curious about how she got to this point in her life .
He knew all he could offer was patience for her to open up to him completely. He knew she had a past,but how much of a past? There was a lot he had yet to figure out about her . But one thing he knew was he loved her. He had always loved her,but this was the first time he could love her the way he wanted to love her. He wasn't going to mess it up by being someone who prioritized a primal instincts.
He wanted to savor her . To wait till she blossomed and bloomed for him. She wasn't quite there and he wasn't going to push her either. He was going to take his time with her. To cherish her now that he had her in his life. Sure he had other women in his life and he never mistreated them but he never saw a future with them either. He wanted to love her the way she deserved to be loved. To treat her the way she wanted to be treated. He just had to wait and be patient.

​ Axel looked around the cabin like it was a museum . He was very impressed at the space and furniture. He peered by the modern glass swivel doors as the sun began to set with the hue of orange and purple casted across the fall sky. He thought this place is like out of a book .

Bethany sat him up in a room next to hers as he knew he wanted to talk to her alone but Sunny was too excited to have him there she basically ran between his legs. When Sunny finished eating she headed to her new room. The room was foreign to her ,but she did say she wanted an upstairs room. She missed sleeping with her mom already.

Axel stared at Bethany in silence as they ate their meal. He sat back and stopped eating staring at her. " Care to explain how you hid this magnificent hideaway?" He mused now more curious then ever.

" Right. Straight to the point." She said now putting her fork down to address him. She didn't know why she assumed Axel would just accept things as they were but that was Axel for you always pointing out the obvious.

" You remembered when I told you my family held the center territory . Well I was vague about it. My father is Antonio Bruno and my mother was Rana Grigori ." She said giving him time to process the new information.

" Bruno as in criminal defense lawyer,Bruno? " He clarified.

" Yes . " She said shortly .

" And Rana Grigori as in House of Grigori publishing and press guru company." He clarified.

" Yes." She said again.

" Your parents are a legend. You father won every case he touched and your mom was a saint to career writers that were no name geniuses." He gleemed impressed ." I'm at awe from her many philanthropy projects she helped to better community development." He said all estatic like a fan meeting his very favorite celebrity for the first time.

" They were legendary. " Bethany corrected him to put them in past tense . As a sorrow filled her voice as it hurt to still remember her deceased parents.

" Well. I'm their only legitimate daughter. I have a half brother from an affair my dad had. He isn't a big fan of mine since we were raised differently and his mother she was my nanny . She was also my mother's nurse maid when she was sick . Then my father's one moment of weakness." She said not wanting to get into detail about Ryder and how her father became feeble in his choices at the end of her mother's life . Bethany wanted to preserve the food memories of her father without diminishing the man she knew growing up.

" Okay I'm following. You father had a moment of weakness it happened to men of power and You are filthy rich. You have perks." He said slower. Trying to take the edge off of the seriousness of the conversation.

" My mother's company is mine. All the stocks,bonds,and assets. My father wealth and property is also mine well seventy-five percent of it is. with my half brother getting on twenty percent of the net worth of my father's law practice. And five percent is in the company shares . He did this so no one stock holder can over rule his heirs. I'm sure it will piss a lot of people off when they figure it out.The complex is Sunny's . Norma-Jean gave it to her for her birthday. Also the her father is Gregory zehetii. She also inherited all of his estates business and net worth. She will inherit it on her twenty-first birthday ." She said rushing through.

" Whoa whoa whoa . Are you saying you own four companies and have four inheritance in your name today ? Did you say the complex was a birthday present. That unlike any gift I've ever received." Gasped Axel .

" Well technically I own two business and manage two companies until sunny twenty-first birthday. But that sounds about right." She confirmed.

" Gregory zehetii was that guy in college . Zehetii isn't that the family that had a hand in oil stocks and fields overseas?" Asked Axel now enamored with this new information.

" Yes the one and the same. We were in grade school together. Dated all the way into college. He went to run his dad's company and we were engaged to be married well before the Toosley girl came into the picture." She said clearing her throat uncomfortable.

" This house was an asset of mothers. She died when I was ten and my father well a few months before I was to be married. He had an unfortunate accident of circumstances. Wrong place wrong time sort of deal. When he died chaos broke out amongst the three families. And Well you know what happened then no need to explain that part. So my mother left me everything and my dad left me seventy -five percent of his company . He use to run it with Roger my previous lawyer and my father's business partner I don't think he knows I hold that much percentage in that firm." She started to explain.

" Roger?" Panned out Axel .

" Yes. He was my father's partner in his law firm.why?" Question Bethany.

" That is Caden's father. I don't like the man the way he treated my sister after he got her pregnant. Then left her high and dry alone with a baby he didn't want. Avery went through a rough time when Caden was born. It was hard for her to take care of him" Explained Axel .

" That's not nice of him. If I had known she was with Roger in school I could have prevented. No why am I fooling myself. I can't take credit for preventing anything the way my life is going now. The last time I spoke to Roger he was messing around with the Toosley girl and stealing money from my mother's company." Said Bethany.

" So him banging and ditching is a common occurrence with him. Good to know." Said Axel sourly and thinking what a small world we live in that they both know of Roger.

" This house may be temporary . Roger secured this house for me when we were on better terms. I closed all my banks and transferred it to another bank where he didn't have access to the accounts.its been some time since he made a penny off of me.i fired him as my lawyer and got another." She said.

" So if the firm he works for belonged to your father then it belongs to you.why didn't you take it from him?" Wondered Axel.

" I guess I was done dealing with him .its not like I'm hurting for money. I will cross that bridge when it comes but right now isn't the right time to pull that card. Not with Sunny being so young and my half brother mad at me . Then Regina I imagine now when she finds out her husband gave everything to me and Sunny. I have to know how to pick my battles and when. I know I have the power to do it but not all three at the same time that is setting myself up for failure. One alone is a battle but all three that's a suicide mission in due time I'll eventually get them all in control but Sunny comes first ." She said in finality .

" I understand. So what now.?" He asked.

" Now me and you need to visit my lawyer for you to agree to a prenuptial agreement." She said softer . She watched axels express to see if she needed to move on.

Axel sat back feeling a little hurt at this news. Bethany saw the change to his face.

" I'm not saying we won't stay married when we do marry. I'm giving you the business and guardianship of Sunny if something should happen to me. All these things I've told you have put a very heavy target on my back. I need someone to secure everything if something should happen to me. I know it's a lot to ask and rather morbid but it has to be done. And with James murdering Norma -jean and the complex burned down this is bigger than you and me." She explained to him.

" Wow . Okay. Hmmm. I see that is a lot to take in there , atlas." He said in shock. He furrowed his eyebrows in thought .

" I have questions. If your father was a defence lawyer how does he tie into the Toosley and Zehetii war? It seems those three names keep coming up?" Asked Axel not interested.

" That's a good question. The Toosley and Zehetii was his clients. His special big clients to be exact. Their war made him successful .He knew all their deeds. The Toosleys' operated on the black market side of the business and the Zehetii the international side. My father represented both. When Gregory took over the Zehetii family he wanted to clean up his mess with the Zehetii name . They were as you can say mutual frienimies. Friends when needed enemy when necessary. My mother the Grigori publishing was the only piece that didn't fit since she was outside wealth but big enough to be in the fold. The Bruno was given all three territories in the beginning to manage the peace between East and west regions. " She took a deep breath before continuing.

" Both families owed the Brunos ties and money. Because both owed them for the land they built their empire on. Every building, home,or revenue made on those promised lands went into my father's pockets since it was his land originally. And he still held the deeds for them with promissory notes of revanue for borrowed land .When my mother married my father it opened up new variables of fear. She came from money herself . " She said as she try to let him process all the information.

Axel sat back as a range of different faces came and went across his face. Then he looked like he was about to ask more questions than pulled back.

" Then why is your name Bruno Grigori instead of Gregori Bruno ?" He finally asked.

" To keep me safe. Grigori was a new name not in the fold. And since people will be looking up Bruno they would not find me. They will find Grigori. Only my inner circle knew I held both names. My mother wanted me to be able to stake claim to both my father and mothers assets without a problem." She explained.

" I see your mother was a planner just like her daughter." He smiled . " Which means this puts you damn if you do and damn if you don't amongst the families." He said finally.

" Exactly. When I had Sunshine. I didn't want this life for her. I wanted her to carve out her own path away from any of the names that could hurt her in the future. So I gave her a name no one knew. A name that will inherit all of this ending the Toosley, Zehetii, Bruno, and Grigori wars. I gave my daughter a clean slate with old money . I want her safe. I want her secured . I want her prepared for anything. They won't be looking for a Valentine. Because the name don't exist in our inner circle. The fact she was born on Valentine's day was mere coincidence, but the cover I needed to create her a new path. A safer path. I won't have her in this war." Said Bethany now exhausted from talking.

" I see. And any future children between us?" Mused Axel.

" They will inherit from the shares I leave you in all of my companies . I hold a majority of sixty percent shares in all my companies to make sure noone can buy me out in the end. You ,Sunny,and any future children never have to worry about money for generations to come." She said proudly.

" You have many surprises , Bethany Grigori and soon to be Bethany jing . It's a lot to process but I see you already thought of everything. I'm glad you told me before I married you not afterward. I'm not good with surprises . I actually hate them." He admitted.

" It's okay if you want to cancel the wedding I'm a huge risk." Self loathed Bethany.

"Stop that. I don't like it when you do that. I'm not ready to give up on you. This is nothing Avery and my mom trained me well with the complicated families angle .So you don't get to get away that easy." He said narrowing his eyes at her upset she was always doubting his feelings for her.

" I'm giving you a clean out." Bethany offered.

" I'm rejecting your offer and want to resume our original agreement." He countered.

" You are very stubborn." Bethany scoffed.

" As are you. Since your stubborn and I'm stubborn there is only one thing to do. So let's get married. I'm still serious about that after all this information you laid on me." He said in a serious tone.

" And I'm sorry I waited this long to tell you. I was well running for my life and it had only been me and Sunny for the longest time factoring you in well was something I didn't see in the plan. But don't get me wrong I'm glad your in the plan. I wouldn't have it any other way to be honest. I want you to be my first marriage and only marriage." She said smiling at him.

" Till death do us part. I did say that was only way out of this for you." He replied with a teasing smile.

" And your heartbeat would be the last I ever would hear. Which sounded threatening at the time but now it sounds like more of a promise ." She poked him playfully.

" I love you Bethany Grigori." He said.

" And I love you Axel Jing ." Replied Bethany . As they ended the night in a sweet kiss.