20:00
Graystone Manor
Simon waved at the Graystone Ladies standing at the door as he drove off, seemingly eager to leave.
He looked out the window to glimpse Erica's face just once more, then his gaze moved upwards.
For a moment, he thought he saw Adrian watching him leave from the windows on the second floor. He blinked, and there was no one there.
Of everyone he had ever met (and they were a lot), the Lord of Blackwood was infinitely more terrifying.
As he drove a bit faster at the thought of the Graystone patriarch, Adrian stood on the balcony of the third floor, eyes following the Benz as it sped down Graystone Hill.
'Slow down, lest you die and my sister blames me for erasing your treacherous life from existence.'
A soft, pleasant scent entered his nostrils.
"Alyssa." "Adrian. We need to talk."
He moved to the side slightly, and she rested her head on his shoulder.
"It's about Simon."
Adrian replied, "Oh, you noticed it too? There's something off about that chap, I just can't figure out what."
Alyssa laughed softly and replied, "You and your paranoia. He's a good man. Which begs the question about what you were trying to achieve by nearly crushing his shoulder."
She looked up at him, her chocolate colored face bearing a slightly annoyed expression.
He looked away.
"Simon wasn't as drunk as he made himself look. Call me paranoid all you want but I know he was masking it. Why?"
"And how are you so sure?"
"I wasn't inebriated either. I saw the look in his eyes when he saw Aether. He's up to something, and I intend to find out."
"You, my lord, will do no such thing," Alyssa replied, poking Adrian's chest with a finger.
"Everyone is innocent until proven guilty. Promise me you won't interfere in Erica's affairs till you actually find something tangible on her fiance."
Adrian shrugged. "Fine. Against my better judgement, fine."
.......
July 28th
Bob's Café
Erica sat opposite Simon, fiddling with her engagement ring.
"Hey, so I've been wondering, how come I haven't heard anything about Lord Graystone's son? I've asked around and nobody has a clue, they don't even know he has a child," Simon said.
Erica took a bit longer to reply.
"It's complicated. I don't know much either, really."
Simon retorted, "Come on, love, you're his sister! You spend most of your time around the Manor, don't tell me you know nothing."
Erica sat up straight and suddenly became very polite, "Simon, is there a particular reason behind your fervent questioning? You seem quite eager to know about the child, do tell."
And from experience, when Erica reverted to her aristocratic bearing, things would become quite ugly.....fast.
"I was just curious as to why my future nephew in law's existence remains unknown, it's been 4 weeks since he was born and the Lord hasn't announced it," Simon explained.
"Perhaps you could ask my brother yourself, I can call him for you."
Simon shook his head, "No, I'm good."
Erica frowned. Her phone rang.
"Hey, I got to take this call, give me a minute." She got up and walked out.
Simon noticed she'd forgotten the ring, which rested on the table.
Taking it, he ran out to give it back, more than mildly angered.
'I give her a ring and she forgets it!?'
He got outside and looked around.
She was gone.
A notification pinged on his phone.
[ Sorry, something came up, had to hurry. Meet later? My treat. PS: I forgot the ring on the table, so so sorry. ]
Reading it, he calmed down somewhat. Then he replied,
[How about dinner? Bring a few friends, if you want.]
He walked off.
As he turned the corner, a figure stepped out from the café.
Adrian muttered, "Quite the inquisitive fellow," before getting into a Bentley parked on the side of the road.
....
14:33
Graystone Manor
"Alyssa, please, I'm begging you!" Erica pleaded.
"Aether is barely a month old and my motherly instincts are saying it's not safe for a baby to be in a restaurant. No."
Erica retorted, "Then leave him with Heather, simple."
Alyssa denied that. "And risk my son calling her Mama? Not a chance!"
".... You're just as paranoid as David. Okay, how about just you and me? Girls night out?"
"Aether's not a girl." "Girls and baby's night out?"
Alyssa sighed. "No Simon. Adrian will go hysterical if the baby goes anywhere near him."
"No Simon. Promise."
[Sorry, Simon, looks like that dinner's going to have to be another night.]
She looked up at Alyssa. "Let's go!"
Simon read the message, smirked, and made a call.
"Hey, Dan. Can you do me a favor? Yeah, I want you to track a phone's location. Who? Erica Graystone. Yes, the Lady Erica. D... don't worry about it, it's all good. Alright thanks. Call me when you find her."
.....
19:00
Westside Restaurant
Adrian called his sister. "You might want to tell me first before disappearing from the Manor, sister."
"Pipe down, brother, we aren't in mortal peril, unless you call chowing down a steak dangerous."
Adrian asked, "Is Simon there?"
"Nope, I cancelled the date." "Good."
Erica paused for a bit, then said, "David? There's something I need to tell you. About Simon."
"You mean his unwarranted interest in my son? I know about that."
"Okay, so I'm kinda thinking there's something weird about it."
Then Adrian heard Alyssa's voice over the phone, "Do you hear that? Sounds like quite a lot of cars just pulled up. Sounds like nine of them."
Erica said with a very distressed tone, "I think...I think I heard Simon."
Both women winced, expecting Adrian to go hysterical as assumed. He said nothing.
Simon walked in, followed by twenty men.
"Hello, ladies. Hope I'm not interrupting. You see, the thing is, I've got quite the issue against Lord Graystone, and you two have the one thing I need to dominate the negotiation."
There was a sigh on the other end of the phone, and Adrian, voice clearly showing the strain of restraint, said as calmly as he could, "Every once in a while, listen to me when I question your taste in men."
Erica broke out in cold sweat.
Alyssa tensed, and an almost imperceptible growl escaped her lips.
Aether? He had no idea what was going on, but he could feel the tension and slight fear emanating from her body.
"Put me over to Simon," Adrian said, and Erica passed the phone to him.
"Lord Graystone! I was wondering if you could grace us with your presence. Your family could use it, things aren't looking so good for them."
"Give me half an hour."