Post by codeapathy on May 18, 2020 16:02:16 GMT -5
We'll never get free
Lamb to the slaughter
What you gon' do
When there's blood in the water?
Grandfather - Blood//Water
++When you are good at something they say you should utilize your talents to the best of your ability. Some women are good at cooking or baking, some are blessed by being a mother to many. My talent though? Playing with fire. My mother used to say I was born rotten to the core and always with a scheme or improper intention on my mind. She was a booze hag that abandoned me to be raised by her sister so she didn’t lose her inheritance. I am a product of those who brought me into this world. My actions are my own but I learned from the best. For years I learned from her cold, calculated maneuvers. I watched her dissect people for her own amusement. I first hand experience her validating her actions and always having a reason why she did the things she did. She could justify anything. Never at fault, always a victim. She could run a con game that made most pyramid schemes look amateur. The stakes were never too high for her to do what she did best. My own stakes were high. Sam Jr. was in love with me. Eoin was great in bed. And then there was still the matter of, retribution. My intuition told me that soon blood would be in the water. The sharks would feast soon. Speaking of sharks, I hated D.C. I hated the diplomatic row. Father was in town on business for France and of course he invited me to join him on the row for a chat. I sat in the parlour of the French Ambassador home in D.C waiting for him. As I poured some lavender syrup into my milk tea, the door opened and he graced me with his presence. Always demure, a little more gray these days. I stood, properly greeting him then sat++
Elizabeth: Papa. You look quite well. Did Lady Keiko make this trip with you?
Alphonse: She did. I expect you to be greeting her as well, yes?
Elizabeth: Of course. I would never slight mother.
Alphonse: Good. Good. I imagine my sweet that you know why I summoned you?
Elizabeth: Sam Laramie Jr. I presume. You always keep eyes on me, for my own protection and for your own information. I figured at some junction we would have this conversation. No doubt you already have his background and a file fully done up. That is your way after all. What do you wish to know Papa?
Alphonse: You know how fond I was of Thomas but, after hearing about the way he conducted himself...I feel as if part of me is responsible for what transpired. I put that burden on his shoulders. Having a child with you. Annika is beautiful, smart, gracious and well spoken but the fact that George’s bloodline is hers, I could not abide. That man treated you as an afterthought the entirety of your affair and relationship. Demanding it be kept hidden and secret. His pride was more important than being public about his dealings with you and to spite me you went along with it. Thomas though...my expectations were too high. What good could come from a marriage forged from rape and stalking? I mean I knew of your dalliances with him, even behind George’s back and I said nothing. It gave me hope to be honest. Hope that you would stop the haphazard nonsense with George and fully devote yourself to Tom and in the end you did but my meddling and selfishness put you in a predicament that was never the intention.
++I stirred my milk tea and pondered a moment. It was almost validating to hear him utter those words. Though he would never admit the full extent of his role played in what happened, it was a start. I took a sip and scoffed to myself++
Elizabeth: Thomas made his own ideas and choices. I merely put up with them to be filial to you. In the end though there is still no closure. You know I don’t believe for one second he was on that plane. The courts were very quick to declare him dead, at your urging I would assume. You have the same suspicions I do. Thomas was very heavy into drugs and I believe he got himself involved with the Russian Underground. Krokidile is still a very profitable addiction over in the Soviet State and at the end, Tom had lost his mind. I will never argue that you had a heavy hand in how he turned out but he also made his own choices. You saw in him the perfect son and the best choice for bringing an heir into the family. But as far as Annika goes...there may be hispanic in her bloodline but she is just like her mother. To be fair, her interracial background comes in handy. She is very fluent in Spanish and their customs. You did say you were looking to expand business into Mexico and South America. I believe she could be very valuable to you in that venture. Don’t you?
Alphonse: Touche, Elizabeth. Your insight is very accurate. I could keep family business just that, family business. No need to outsource when my granddaughter fits the role. That is something I always envied about you my dear, your ability to see the bigger picture. You have the gift of being able to look at a situation from numerous angles and perspectives to use it to your advantage. The truth is I need to just let the situation with George go. Annika herself cut off ties from him. That says a lot. I digress, this Mr. Laramie…
++Beating around the bush was not a pastime of this family. Words were exact and eloquent but always transparent. I could tell by the tone of his voice that he had already found displeasure with Sam. I wasn’t surprised. I figured he had found something in the Laramie family past which made Sam unsuitable. That was the fine line though. If he found something, he wouldn’t tell me. Instead these chats happened and I was just supposed to assume++
Elizabeth: You want to know if I have figured out his intentions? What purpose does my dealings with him serve? It started out as business. His father put the entire family business in peril over a woman with an ungodly amount of charm and wiles. Laramie did an audit of the business finances and while business is good because America loves Jesus, guns and fried chicken, there were areas where money was being hemorrhaged. Ms. Buchannan is not a cheap treat and the old fool was smitten by her. But Blair is greedy and she likes the lavish lifestyle. Her husband denies her nothing and she is already well set off in the same way I am. Men. The issue is that Blair wants the world. Sam’s father was merely a pawn in the bigger game. The issue Sam faced was that everyone is afraid of Johnny and thus makes Blair untouchable. He sought me out. Mr. Stylez and I, our history is sordid and intense. Yet I hold no fear for him. All his money and charm don’t impress me and I am not easily intimidated. I;ve been playing these games for too long now to be easily faltered.
Alphonse: Why decide to assist Mr. Laramie in his plight though? He was a stranger to you. He went out of his way to seek you out. You sensed no suspicion? Pardon my insistence on these questions but I am trying to understand the way you think. You know how our little chats go. Highlight of my day really when we get to speak like this. Go on…
Elizabeth: Nostalgia I guess. His father put his entire family and their business in jeopardy because of a woman. A woman I know very well and fully understand what makes her tick and how she conducts herself. In a perfect world Blair and I would be the best of friends and absolutely unstoppable, but I changed. I found myself losing too much for far too little gain. What good is the world, if you hate the image staring back at you in the mirror? What good are riches and power when you find yourself in a bathroom at the end of the day, naked and ashamed, holding a gun to your head, because you want out. I want something out of life that money and power can’t give me. I also realized I don’t need to chase either of those things as I already have them. Something my mother failed to ever realize. Alimony, investments, side businesses. Not to mention inheritance. I want for nothing and never find my bank account empty. As for power, there is power in a name. The two last names on my birth certificate give me immeasurable power. The grace you give as my Father, gives me power. The boons I received because of my heritage and background, grants me power. I am blessed in ways that people like Johnny Stylez nor Blair Buchannan will ever feel nor understand. I guess seeing the situation Sam was in, made me realize the times I put your reputation and business in jeopardy. And vice versa. He was a desperate man which led him to me. It also presented a perfect opportunity for me. Serving Johnny his just desserts.
Alphonse: Sounds like it was a mutually beneficial arrangement. His desperation segwayed into you being able to exact retribution on Mr. Stylez. Might I ask though how it progressed from business?
Elizabeth: Sam Laramie Jr. is a spoiled son that is used to always getting what he wants. Women rarely say no. His billfold speaks for him. It opens doors, unlocks arrangements and enthralls hungry women. It didn’t work on me. That intrigued him. He thought showering me with lavish gifts would swoon me, it failed. It just wet his appetite more. Finally he asked what it would take to get my attention and affection. He was used to buying what he wanted, but I don’t have a price tag. I told him wining and dining is for women like Blair who feed off of that lifestyle. I wanted intellectualism, something more based and mature. You know how men are when it comes to unchartered waters.
++As I finished my tea I looked over to him and noticed the concerned but suspicious look on his face. I could feel what he was about to say next. The same thought had crossed my mind a few times but I chose not to entertain it. Being my Father, it was his prerogative to entertain such thoughts and concerns++
Alphonse: And what, if I may ask, makes you not think once he tires of you he will do the same to you as he did to Blair?
Elizabeth: Because I know when he isn’t with me, he’s romancing her. I’ve seen the same pictures. Her topless and in a delicate position on his Yacht. I know he’s fucked her. Or at least dreamt of fucking her. He has done what he has to Blair because she has put his livelihood at stake. Is there a guarantee he wouldn’t seek out one of my old close friends to work me over? No. Does he know that it would mean the forfeit of his life and his Chicken Empire? Yes. He’s not used to strong willed women who are very articulate about where they stand, and that is why he’s so attracted. Once you get a taste of a self-reliant woman, it is hard to give it up. And before you ask, yes, I sense he is jealous and bitter towards Eoin. But he is in a position where he cannot say much. He plays his part with Blair on his Yacht and Eoin plays his. He can’t outright fault me or accuse me, when he is guilty of the same crimes. I’m not worried about it. I have a very distinct feeling that there’s going to be blood spilled in the waters soon, and then the feeding frenzy will begin. The plot is too deep to start splitting hairs about what is and is not, now.
Alphonse: Your answer is sufficient. I far more trust your judgement these days than in the past. You’ve grown and it shows. I am sure if something goes amiss you will let me know so it can be dealt with swiftly. I put you in an unenviable situation once and let you down, I will not repeat these failures. I don’t need to look into Mr. O’Rourke. You did that well enough on your own. Considering the game you are playing I am not really concerned about him. You know what he is, what he came from. I also sense that he serves a dual purpose. I suspect Mr. Laramie is not adequate in matters of the bedroom when it comes to a woman such as yourself. I will leave it at that.
++I gave him a sideways look and smirked. Despite our rocky relationship hiding my sexual exploits from him was impossible. They were what caused the rift in the first place. Once Lady Keiko interjected herself to explain to my Father what my situation was and how it affected my decision making and judgement, it seemed to have made sense to him. Keiko was the mother I deserved. Her own past was bittersweet. She understood what it was like to be a woman, like myself. She treated my Father well. Their love and marriage was admirable and enviable. The tone of the mood has shifted to awkward silence until he cleared his throat++
Alphonse: Your opponent this week? Are you fully recovered from your bout of PTSD? Our Agent friend was very concerned when he found you like he did. Are you in a good state of mind for this?
Elizabeth: Matches like these are exhibitions for me. I have no qualms with King Quari. He’s the new hot shot looking to prove himself, carve his name out and make a name for himself. I've no issue with that. I actually prefer these types of matches. Nothing on the line except pride and athletic dominance. Two individuals looking to familiarize with each other and best the other. I guess that is why I was not too concerned with aiming for titles as soon as I returned. I wanted to be able to enjoy my matches. I don’t need to like or even respect the person across from me in matches like this. I just need to focus on the fact that it is a match to showcase our individual talents. Quari has given me no cause to be aggressive. He’s young and he is, as much as others may not like to admit it, one of the torchbearers of the business. When we, the veterans, are done and retired, guys like Quari will be the ones continuing the traditions. Whether he likes me or respects me or not is his cross to carry not mine. Just as it was LeFury’s. My cross to carry is to make sure we both look good in the ring and I give him my utmost best and focus.
Alphonse: That sounds fair. Taking the high road is not characteristic for you but it is a welcomed change to see. You have learned temperance and patience. You’re getting more like your Father everyday. I am appeased that you finally learned that where there is no merit of animosity, you should not create it. You are not responsible for the feelings and actions of others, unless you interject yourself. Your therapist has done an excellent job in helping you understand your affliction and manage it. I know at times, it isn’t easy. Keiko explained to me what cycling is like for you. What it represents and how it happens. King Quari should count himself lucky. Not too many years ago you would have approached him and this match aggressively and with an unstable perception. There was a time when you believed unless you gave everything, put everything on the line and risked it all, it wasn’t enough. Now I see you handle losses and exhibition matches with a more grounded cultivation. Your wellness and physical health are better as well. I know Keiko with her Eastern medicine and Asian arts has been responsible for a bit of your turn around. She dotes on you so fiercely. It is a shame your mother turned out the way she did. The way she treated you was abhorrent. Not the woman I met and fell in love with. She was so innocent and wide eyed when I met her in Paris. I was already her elder but being around her breathed new life into me. I never understood what happened to any of those Devereaux women.
++”Those Devereaux Women”, that hit hard. He wasn’t wrong. My grandmother birthed three girls and one still born son. Her daughters wanted for nothing. The best education, the best of everything. The world was at their fingertips. Yet in the end...all that any of them met with was tragedy and misery. My grandfather doted on them. Both of them devout Catholics. All three girls were treated but there were also rules. I sighed heavily and turned in my chair and look my Father in the face++
Elizabeth: Mom was the youngest. She was charming, intelligent and funny. But she hated the idea of rules and structure, unless she was the one giving out such instruction. She had a child with you to rebel against her mothers wishes. Then she realized after it was too late that she wanted the inheritance money more. The price of a child was exactly 500,000 dollars. That is what I was worth. My Aunt was mentally ill and a narcissist. She married off to a good family, had a loyal and hard working husband but she was the middle child and felt she was shafted. She hated the idea that all she was born for was middle American mediocrity. Her husband knew she had affairs. He knew Jason wasn’t his son. He didn’t know about Orchid being born and given away to a family in West Virginia though. There’s no need to go into right now about what she did to me and how things...ended for her. It wasn’t one of my more shining moments. Having sexual congress with a cult leader while she burned to death. Marguerite was the only one who walked away from the family and the money.
She went to California to be an actress, met an extra on the set of a movie she was also an extra in and by all accounts they had a very happy, loving marriage. I didn’t know her very well. I still felt sad when I heard they were killed by a drunk driver. Such a horrible way to go. I don’t think Devon ever really recovered from their deaths and I understand now that the reason he and I were always at odds was because of my own jealousy. He was the lucky one. To be honest and fair though Papa, the amount of ancestry research I have done tells me that every generation of that family had at least one disappointing child or tragedy. While the family lineage is long and old, it seems they were a very unlucky lot. It makes me wonder if they accrued a curse on their heads for the ancestors that served at court?
Alphonse: “A hex upon the heads of those whose hands are stained in blood.”, it sounds fair. I’m not a religious man but I am a man of observation and superstition. While every culture and people have their superstitions and folk lore, I’ve seen too many French families in a similar position. The Germans are not lacking in bad luck or questionable tragedy either. Perhaps a conversation to have with Keiko when you pay her a visit? Superstition, karma? She has many stories to relay from her own people and culture. She may have some insight into your curiosity. Don’t tell her I told you, but she is preparing a formal tea for you both.
++He leaned in close and grinned++
Alphonse: And she has many many gifts.
Elizabeth: I shouldn’t keep Mother waiting then. She has toiled hard for me so I must honor her labor and pay her a visit. I too have gifts. Family dinner tonight? Formal or informal?
Alphonse: Formal of course. Some fellow diplomats will be joining us. Germany, Netherlands, Japan. The usual lot, oh except we will be joined this time by some friends from Saudi Arabia. One mentioned you by name….
Elizabeth: I worked a show in Saudi Arabia. My first. It was a great milestone for me. Was the mention positive or negative? So I know how to approach.
Alphonse: Very positive. It seems the gentleman was very appreciative of your assimilating into their culture while you were there. You and Annika both actually. I envy you.
Elizabeth: Why on earth would you envy me?
Alphonse: You can make international allies naturally, I have to argue and play chess with them to do it. My job dictates it. You can just show up as an entertainer and suddenly we have new foreign friends.
++I stood up, bowed graciously and smirked, chuckling to myself++
Elizabeth: I guess then you should consider me a very versatile and neutral tool in your arsenal...and at your disposal. I’m off to see Mother. adieu cher père.