The Pandora and The Box
1979 Words
Episode 14: The Pandora and The Box
Alec POV:
Following Lexi’s little warning, my excitement at Katelyn’s presence waned. Lexi has always been jealous and possessive, which at times made my extracurricular excursions a bit more difficult. Vincent I could handle, but the last thing I needed in my pursuit of Katelyn was a suspicious and vengeful Lexi. That could make both mine and Katelyn’s life hell, which meant I had to figure out a way to keep the two women separated as much as possible. And I knew just how to make that happen—Moriah.
A plan was already forming in my head as we entered the garden. Lexi was practically pulling me by the time we got to the bottom of the stairs, increasing her pace dramatically as we neared the doors leading into the garden with a confidence and air about her that made me feel even more uneasy. She was without a doubt on a mission. A mission I had to quickly figure out how to divert before this visit ended up pricklier than Moriah’s roses.
“Vincent!” Lexi pleasantly called out as the couple came into our view, “What a pleasant surprise!” There was no hiding her cynicism from my ears. Fortunately, Vincent and Katelyn were not as familiar with my mate.
Vincent and Katelyn both turned to face us with wide smiles as Vincent let go of Katelyn’s hand to walk towards Lexi, “I must apologize for our sudden unannounced visit! I hope we are not taking you away from anything!”
“No apologies are necessary,” Lexi replied sweetly as Vincent reached out to shake my hand, her gaze purposefully shifted towards Katelyn, “You are always welcome, Vincent and I am so pleased you brought your beautiful wife! I have heard so much about you.”
Katelyn smiled graciously as she walked towards my mate. I found myself overwhelmed with her beauty, my eyes taking in every aspect of her face and body as I dropped my grip from Vincent’s hand.
“It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Lexi,” Katelyn greeted kindly, “I was so disappointed when you were unable to attend our gala last night.”
“From what I hear,” Lexi replied, her tone cool, “Your disappointment was short-lived with my sister in law’s arrival. Seems you two have bonded rather quickly.”
Based on her unfazed pleasant expression, Katelyn was either ignoring my wife’s cold words or was completely oblivious to her. Either way, she continued earnestly, “Moriah is such a sweet soul. Vincent and I both look forward to getting to know her better, just as we look forward to getting to know you.”
Lexi paused for a moment, looking deeply into Katelyn’s eyes as if she were trying to decipher Katelyn and her intentions before sarcastically replying with a chuckle, “You will find my soul is not as sweet, I’m afraid.”
The atmosphere was thickening at a rapid pace in awkwardness just as I had feared it would with Vincent and Katelyn’s gazes drawing to each other and appearing to send each other signals of a quick retreat. Damn it, Lexi, I thought to myself, cursing myself for not finding a way to keep my wife away.
Just as I was racking my brain on how to get rid of her, Vincent turned towards Lexi, “As I told Katelyn following our last visit, what I admire most about you, Lexi, is your strength and forthright honesty. A powerful combination in leadership.”
“Thank you, Vincent,” Lexi proudly gushed, her eyes diverting to me, “Not all see those as an asset.”
“Well,” Katelyn kindly stated, “Vincent and I both admire strength which is why I asked him to bring me to introduce us today and bring you a gift to celebrate our alliance.”
As she was always excited to receive presents, Lexi’s interest was peaked, “You brought a gift? How exciting!”
“Yes,” Vincent grinned, motioning Katelyn towards a table in the center of the garden, “We had hoped to give it to you last night but since you were unable to attend, Katelyn asked if we could deliver it to you today. You see, I told her about our discussion regarding your love of amethyst and while picking out her jewelry for last night from our gemologist, she noticed a piece that she thought you would like.”
Katelyn quickly retrieved a small box and returned, extending out her hand that was holding a blue velvet box. Lexi slowly pulled the box from Katelyn’s slender fingers and opened it, her eyes widening as a wide grin crossed her face.
Inside the box was an exquisite amethyst opal cabochon necklace. The oval stone was encased in an intricate brass setting with tiny flowers containing smaller stones cascading around the main setting that contained shimmering gold specks within the dazzling purple gem. It was truly breathtaking, almost as breathtaking as Katelyn. A smile crossed my own face as I had to admire Katelyn and her attempt to diffuse my wife’s cynicism of her with a truly stunning gift.
For once, Lexi was thankfully speechless. I watched as she opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.
“It appears I found the perfect home for this piece,” Katelyn softly said in a delighted tone.
Lexi cleared her throat slightly before nodding appreciatively, “I—I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s—It’s one of the most beautiful pieces of jewelry I have ever seen!”
“Well, perhaps we should have lunch soon and I can introduce you to our gemologist, Frederik,” Katelyn sweetly returned, “I am so happy you like it.”
That a girl, Katelyn, I thought to myself, Keep your enemies closer…This woman was truly amazing.
Before Lexi could reply, Moriah came running into the garden, “Katelyn! Vincent! What a surprise!”
Peering down at her, it was obvious in her expression that for once, Lexi was happy to see Moriah. It gave her a moment to regain her composure and wicked thoughts about Katelyn. The gift appeared to have the impact that Katelyn intended, which I found quite humorous.
“Moriah!” Katelyn exclaimed as they embraced, “So wonderful to see you again!”
“It is good to see both of you,” Moriah gushed, her eyes sparkling with excitement, “And so soon following your gala!”
“They came to bring me a gift,” Lexi boasted, holding up the velvet box in front of Moriah’s face like a jealous child, “It was meant to be given to me last night, but since I was unable to attend they were kind enough to pay me a visit today.”
Moriah’s eyes contained the same exasperation I felt, but gracious as always, she did not give in to Lexi’s actions. Instead, she breathed out in awe, “Oh! How beautiful! And your favorite stone, amethyst.”
“We actually have a gift for you as well,” Vincent told her, causing Lexi’s expression to instantly turn irritated.
Moriah’s eyes went wide in surprise, “A gift? For me?”
“Yes!” Katelyn eagerly replied, taking Moriah’s hand and leading her towards the table where an object sat with a velvet cover on top.
We all followed behind them with Lexi huffing slightly under her breath. As we reached the table, Katelyn pulled the velvet covering off to reveal a beautiful dark brown wooden chest decorated with roses and vines. Moriah’s initial was beautifully scrolled in the center.
“As I know it is a passion of yours, I thought you may like a place to store your seeds for your garden,” Katelyn softly explained, “If you open the top, there are two boxes with dividers to separate your seeds.”
“Oh, Katelyn!” Moriah exclaimed, beaming with excitement as she turned to hug Katelyn tightly, “It’s—It is so…stunning! I love it! Thank you!”
“Well,” Lexi curtly cut in, her tone quickly filling with returned spite, “Seems you are abundant in your gifts today, which makes me quite curious. What gift do you have in store for my husband, Katelyn?”
Parting from their embrace, Katelyn continued to keep her calm and pleasant demeanor despite my wife’s obvious jealousy in her tone, while Moriah and I both looked completely mortified. Even for Lexi, this was so overtly rude that I had a hard time containing my fury at her.
“Actually,” Katelyn grinned, “Marcus has brought a gift for Alec.”
Vincent turned towards me, “Yes, as a matter of fact, I thought I would bring the first delivery of new textiles and fabrics for your inspection to make sure they meet your expectations. Shall we have a look?”
There was no way I was leaving Lexi alone with Katelyn and Moriah, especially given my wife’s question a moment ago, so I quickly inquired, “Were you able to bring the special material for Lexi?”
Vincent grinned widely, “I was indeed!”
I returned with a wide relieved smile of my own, “Wonderful!” Reaching out, I quickly pulled Lexi into my side, forcing a loving smile and tone, “Why don’t we leave Katelyn and Moriah to talk more about gardening while we take a look at what Vincent has brought with him? I know how much you have looked forward to some new dresses, my dear!”
Lexi glared at me with fire in her eyes as she returned a forced grin, “Oh, but I wouldn’t want to appear rude to Katelyn, dear, especially when she and Vincent made a special trip here to visit! We have been together so long, I am sure you know exactly the fabrics I would like! Why don’t you and Vincent have a look and leave us women to chat for a while?”
I pulled her in closer to me—forcing myself to do so gently—as I insisted, “Because we have been together for so long, I know that gardening is not a subject that you enjoy, finding it quite boring and tedious. So, why don’t we take our leave for a few moments and then return to enjoy their company with some tea on the balcony?”
Before Lexi would argue back, I guided her towards the doorway with Vincent walking ahead of us. Turning my head back towards the garden, I met with Katelyn’s gaze and my eyes filled with apologetic regret. My wife was without a doubt going to be a road block in my pursuit, but I had no doubt…Katelyn would be worth it.
Moriah POV:
I was relieved when Alec and Lexi left the garden. It was obvious that Lexi views Katelyn as a threat. Perhaps my instincts were right last night and my brother was infatuated with Katelyn. And if that was the case, Lexi could pose a problem for not only Alec, but me as well. I hoped that wasn’t the case. Losing my potential friendship with Vincent and Katelyn would be devastating to me…
Katelyn must have sensed my worry as she gently placed her hand on my arm, “Is everything alright, Moriah?”
Not wanting to ruin our visit, I pushed aside my worries as I smiled back at her, “Everything is fine. More than fine, actually. I’m so glad you came to visit today!” Turning my attention back to her beautiful gift, I continued in awe as I ran my fingers across my initial on top, “I cannot thank you enough for this stunning box! I will treasure it always!”
I found myself surprised when Katelyn leaned down to whisper in my ear, “There is another secret gift for you within the box that I believe you will treasure even more.”
I turned to find Katelyn gazing at me with a nervous smile, fueling my curiosity, “A secret gift?”
“Yes,” Katelyn quietly replied, “Perhaps we should take the box to your room?”
It was obvious that whatever secret gift was contained within my box, it was something that was meant for only my eyes. What could it be? And why all the secrecy?
Those questions were quickly answered as Katelyn stunned me with her next whispered revelation, “Moriah, the box and the gift…they were made for you…by Marcus.”
My eyes went wide as I looked once more at the intricate box in front of me. Even after I refused him, Marcus made this…for me?
- Writer
