The Blood Heiress

Hints of Potential

Evander

You are a fool, a god damnable fool. I turned again to head back in to my building, to wait out her arrival in my office. To do what I was not certain. As I could not focus on anything earlier, hence the waiting outside the building. I dropped my hand. What a show I must be putting on for my employees at the desk inside. Pull yourself together. Choose something and commit. Resolutely, I leaned against the smooth marble exterior and vowed to wait here until she arrived.

A fresh memory teased the edges of my mind. Trying to block it from resurfacing from where I had banished it, I frowned. The memory evaded my efforts. I knew what it was and I had no desire to relive it.

There they were in the soft glow of the park's lamplight. Her red lips on his, straddling him on the bench. I slammed my fist into the hard stone. It cracked under the force. A smirk quickly formed. His pennance would have to be borne by this building's facade. It would have to hold me over until I could get at the real thing.

I knew better than to tail them myself. I had made arrangements for professionals to do just that. And they had. Bearing the burden from afar seemed to be working. I could focus. Able to participate and be productive. My curiousity satisfied while freeing up time to tick the boxes at work. To pretend that I was invested. While my thoughts were elsewhere.

I slammed my fist back into the same spot and was gratified to see some shards falling to the ground under my feet. I remained steadfast in my decision to keep her at arms length. That is, until I heard she had snuck out and met him at the park. Benetto, that old fool. I had warned him, berated him. He had promised me that she would be kept away from Moretti. With that geriatric face of his, he assured me that he knew exactly how to deter her. I trusted him though I had my doubts. I knew better.

Now it was solely up to me to make sure this whole affair did not go further off the rails. To ensure that it went according to its predestined course. Only me. As usual. Her town car came around the block and I punched the spot one more time before I wiped myself clean. I turned to survey my handy work. The smirk returned and I let it stay. Next time that would be his face.

Benetto pulled the car to the curb avoiding my gaze. Bastard. He knew he had botched it, thrown away his last chance. In any future grey areas of the trust, I had the final say. I schooled my normal stoic neutral onto my face and opened her door.

"You are early," Her punctuality pleased me but also served to highlight how foolish I truly was that I had waited for her a whole hour previously.

"Punctuality is important," came her polite and prefunctory response. Still so stiff and uncomfortable around me. That would have to change.

Her hand perfectly fit into mine. It was warm and soft, I felt the sparks of our bond working their way through me. Calling to my blood. I was loathe to release her, so I did not. She was breathtaking. Her normal attire was a far cry from the dress that hung on her body and emphasized it perfectly. Black as her locks of long hair. Her dark blue eyes sparkling brightly from her beautiful face. I suppose I knew her to be unusually attractive, as had been her mother. Our first encounters though had hardly emphasized her looks. I placed her arm in mine and led the way to the garage.

I had foregone the stereotypical limosine hoping to give us a chance to be around without the pressure of prying eyes. I should have thought it through a little better. Her discomfort skyrocketed the moment she saw my sports car. It went up further still trying to enter it. Had Benetto not taught this girl anything? Where had she been brought up?

"I take it you have never been in a sports car before." I said though I was sure I already new the answer.

"First time for everything." She responded as polite as ever, though I could see her frustration was now mounting dealing with the seat belt. I reached over and buckled it for her. Our close proximity now affording me the pleasantness of her own aroma, lightly floral with an edge of pine. Refreshing.

The least Benetto could have done was raise her for her future. What had he been doing all these years?

"Thanks" Her small, cautious voice threw out the word and it cut through my rising irritation with her butler and caretaker. He had informed me at our last meeting that she had to be kept in the dark about certain clauses within her trust until such a time as she was deemed worthy to be privy to them. Or some such nonsense. When pressed, he told me it came down to the fact that she cannot use the Russo name in public until she proves that she is indeed capable of filling that role and everything that comes with it. She was being kept from large amounts of the truth at the moment. That complicated things greatly for everyone involved. I had wondered what Armand had been thinking until Benetto had informed me that it hadn't been Armand entirely. Many of the new clauses had been put into place after his death by Madeline. I wish I knew what she had been thinking. Keeping Adella in the dark was not my idea of a solid plan, but I hadn't been consulted.

A small gasp of surprise came from her lips at the sight of our destination. Timothy's house was as grand and crowded as always. He had been a good sport when I had requested he put this event together just to flush out Mr. Gaultier. That sniveling coward never could refuse a gathering of potential marks. And this gathering was brimming. Without giving her a chance to struggle and therefore mussing her appearance I unbuckled her seatbelt and assisted her exit from the car.

Her eyes were wide with curiousity drinking it all in. It wasn't right this was her first forray into what should have been her world too. Tiny gasps of shock and delight left her as we walked through the doors. The usuals were spread around chatting, gossiping. About their neighbors, the food, the music. The conversation instantly changed as the noticed us. Typical. Their mostly benign interest in the lady on my arm would soon disapate once they had our affiliation and then their attention would latch on to something else.

We reached our table, our names neatly scrawled on the placecards. A stage had been set up nearby in case we needed to execute plan B. We shouldn't have need for it, but fate favors the prepared. I turned my attention on her. She was still taking in the room. Blue eyes widened, mouth slightly opened. I let her spend time taking in the affair unfiltered for a a little longer. What must that be like? It had been far too long since I had experienced such novelty.

"This is our table. You are welcome to stay here all night if you wish." I had to eventually bring her back to the present. We had a schedule to keep. She untangled her arm and stepped back.

"If that is what you wish." She eyed me weighing her options. "Though I would like to make sure that whatever I do is in line with why I am attending."

Ever the polite professional. "You are here to acquaint yourself with this circle. I recommend you do it at your own pace." I did not want her to feel pressured to join me. She had hardly had the proper upbringing or training. With amusement, I watched her brow slightly furrow as she fought back irritation. It came through in her words regardless.

"I will stick with you then."

I could not stop the small smile that visited my lips. I nodded in agreement "So be it." She would have to keep up. It would be a trial by fire. "I will not cater to you or your pace. If you end up on your own please return to this table and wait." She was too old to be catered to. I watched her to make sure she understood and was pleasantly surprised that she was glaring at me. I held her glare without blinking. This was a heartening development. Perhaps it wasn't too late for her to assume her position. I wondered who would break first. We were interrupted by my secretary before I found out the answer.

I ran through the customary introductions between the two before we were soon joined by the usuals. They were their normal, predictable selves. Loud, boring, talking to hear themselves talk. My attention wandered to Adella and found her floundered with the snake of the group. It was then I decided to make sure that they all knew she was untouchable. Partly for show and partly for myself, I brought her next to me with my arm around her waist. A cold sort of fire emenating from the touch between us. I knew she felt it as well as she shivered under my touch. The placement of my arm, along with some glaring set Finnegan Yardley straight.

But just in case it was not clear enough, I introduced her as well. Naming her my protegé. I noticed the confusion on her face by the changing roles I had been giving her. I would have to explain at a later date. It was necessary, she would have to adjust. Finnegan needed to know her position made her untouchable. He would be trouble otherwise.

I sent him a few warning glances as the conversation eventually petered out and the group broke up. I made sure that Adella was out of his line of sight as well. It may take him awhile longer than others to catch on but even Yardley would understand soon enough. With a short break between meet and greets, Ms Mayville gave me a status update on some of the attendees that we still needed to show our faces to. Still no sign of René though.

Tapping, incessant tapping broke our conversation apart. Adella was swaying to, what I assumed was the music and tapping her foot along with the beat. I watched her feet tap along while she continued unaware of my attention. Maybe this is why Benetto let her grow up without proper training. Such innocence was a novelty in this world. The tapping stopped.

Perhaps my sense of wonder would not have died out so quickly if I had been kept away from all this a bit longer. I shook myself and found her to be studying my face. No, innocence was only a liability here. Tearing my gaze away Jessica and I made our way to the next group across the room. As I predicted the chatter now had moved onto another subject now that the first group had spread the nature of Adella and my affiliation. Predictable.

The next group stood up as we approached. Pleasantries were exchanged small talk began. I introduced Adella when she caught up. The conversation then took on a life of its own and I fed it as needed. Every once in a while I scanned the ballroom. No sign of the short repulsive Gaultier. I grew inevitably impaitient with the small talk and killed the conversation as efficiently as I could.

We moved to another area for a while hoping to locate Timothy. I sent Ms. Mayville to go get some more drinks. She had forgotten Adella's order previously and I wanted to make sure that Adella got one if she desired.

Timothy Fable was a popular man and hard to single out of the crowd. Part of me wished to come back to him later but the other part needed a distraction now. Finally, I locked eyes with him and he made his was over. I wanted to make sure he knew that his efforts were exemplary.

He appraoched wearing his comfortable, friendly smile. He knew how I felt about wantonly smiling at every living thing. He was an adult and well informed. One of the few people I allowed to hug me, he wasted no time in taking advantage of that privelage afforded him. As expected his attention turned quickly to the woman next to me.

Adella beat me to it by introducing herself. It was apparent that she did it to get a reaction from me and I gave her none. A conversation for another time. Her attention quickly turned back to Fable. He was always the more likeable one. She chattered away easily with him and a pang hit me in my gut. I wanted to interject for whatever end that would serve but my secretary's well-timed arrival, interrupted.

Timothy took that moment to corner me about some recent shipments. While a productive use of time my mind kept wandering to what awaited us when my quary finally made his entrance. Fable left as instructed then, we would catch up latter.

This must happen now. It would be delicious. We did not have much longer to wait. Jessica was soon in my ear and I could no longer restrain myself. I felt the thrill of the upcoming retribution flow through me. The adrenaline began coursing.

"René?" Her quiet voice pierced through my excitement.

I did not miss the surprise on her face when I turned to her. I had been careful to keep my true nature from her but my appearance in this aroused state seemed to be more than she has experienced before.

"Yes," I assured her. This was afterall as much for her as for myself. "I think it is high time he paid us a visit."

My plan was executed flawlessly and he entered my trap arrogantly unsuspecting. Seeing him treating her with such disrespect and open lecherousness only added to the list of his sins and made what came next all the sweeter. I held off on springing the trap though when I noticed a shift in her demeanor. She went from a timid mouse to a confident lioness in the blink of an eye, enduring René's threats. She had surprised me again. My goal then shifted from simply trapping him to supporting her. It went beautifully. I saw Armand reflected in her eyes when she caught my gaze. Her fire, burning brightly in her almost purple eyes. I had feared that it had been snuffed out, but here it was burning as brightly as my own.

It took but a few moments to set him up for what was to come for him later. His feeble attempts at placation ignored. I could not be any more pelased with the way our long awaited rendezvous had turned out. The thought of what would befall slimy, spineless swindler back home even more enticing than what had just occured. It crossed my mind to just leave and get straight to it but I knew that I could not.

I resolved to put in the requisite face time to keep up appearances. Seeing no need for her to join me on the tour of talking heads, as she was looking piqued and she had already exceeded my expectations. I left her at the table and made my way around. It didn't stop me from checking in on her every few moments. It was during one of those checks that I noticied with no small frustration that Finnegan needed a stronger deterrant. The glory that was her during Rene's sentencing still fresh in my mind I stayed back and watched from afar. Only disappointment filled me as I saw how little she would do to defend herself. With a deep sigh, I stepped up and took over for her. It was absolutely clear at that point that no matter their past reasoning, her parents, Ben, everyone had failed her miserably.

We left directly after I put Yardley in his place. She was silently obedient. Her compliance further agravated me. This was not what we had planned. She was not as I expected. How was I going to fix this? Damn them all.

"Thank you for dealing with Mr. Yardley." Again her soft voice pierced through my thoughts. She deserved better than she got. How could they just leave her in the dark but let her keep one foot in our world defenseless? Maybe I had it all wrong. Thinking back to the study. Her fire ignited, her confidence radiating off her in strong waves. Maybe she had been angling for me to save her.

"Why didn't you defend yourself?" I felt her glare bore into the side of my skull. "You can stare daggers at me the rest of the ride home. I will not alter my question." I needed her to know that I was not to be trifled with no matter our intended affiliations. "Why didn't you defend yourself."

Her glare retreated and she looked angrily out the window. "Drop me off here, please." The quiet words were barely audible. I slowed the car to make sure I heard them right. She musn't be serious. The challenge in her eyes when she held my gaze was unmistakeable. She was serious.

"Let me out, now" the words tore out of her in a low growl. I pulled over to grant her wish and watched her slightly struggle to release herself from my vehicle. As soon as the door shut I sped out of there leaving her standing on the sidewalk.

It took a few turns around the block before I was calm enough to go back for her. She was nowhere to be seen and if wasn't for the obnoxious neon sign for a certain bar I would have assumed she had Benetto pick her up. I felt the bile rise into my throat as focused on the illuminated red sign. I had berated Benetto for letting her slip under the radar and see him. I had all but delivered her to his door.

Tendrils of unwelcome jealously began to climb threw me. That is what this uncomfortable feeling that had been visiting me was. I sat with it like an old friend as I watched the door for her exit. I guess there was some novelty left in life after all.