Chapter 14

Before I can say anything, he suddenly calls someone, and starts speaking in a foreign language before stepping out onto the balcony to make his call.

“John is a lawyer,” Cata explains gently.

Why do I have a feeling they are pulling favors from vampires all over the world for this?

“There really was nobody else?” Asks Grace. “People you were working with, jealous rivals, some extreme fans?”

“Of course,” I shrug. “I was the rich daughter of a multi-million dollar conglomerate getting into the show business scene. I had dozens of people thinking I had asked my dad for favors to get into this or that movie.”

“Did you?” Asks Bart.Daily Latest update www.noveljar.com “This dear Father of mine wouldn’t even return my calls,” I roll my eyes. “I never just called to say hey Daddy, do you think you could do your daughter a favor for once and use your wallet to get me casted!

…Actually, I hated when people casted me because of my last name, hoping my dad would chip in with the production. Trust me, they were disappointed when they realized he wouldn’t even pay for a coffee…”

“What a cheapskate,” scoffs Cecily.

I couldn’t have said it better.Daily Latest update www.noveljar.com “What else happened to you?” Asks Grace. “Weird things like your phone number getting leaked, prank calls.”

“…I had people following me everywhere I went,” I mutter. “I’m guessing that was norm-”

“No, Hera,” Anna interrupts me. “Darling, if we’re leaning towards the fact that somebody tried to push you over the edge, nothing bad that happened to you can be considered normal, no matter how popular you are. Those people following you, were they fans? Reporters?”Daily Latest update www.noveljar.com “I don’t know, they never approached me directly, they just stayed at a distance, but followed me.

Always two, three, sometimes up to five people.”

“Fans would have tried to talk to her or take pictures,” frowns Cecily. “Same for paparazzos.”

“There might have been more people involved than we thought… What about the public events you attended?” Asks Rebecca. “Anything out of the ordinary?”

“No,” I shake my head. “Nothing unusual I can recall.”Daily Latest update www.noveljar.com “I watched some of her movie premieres,” nods Lancelot, who came back into the room god knows when. “She’s telling the truth, her fans seem to be actually on the more considerate side. That fiancé was always stuck to her though.”

“He’s my fiancé,” I groan. “Who else would accompany me? He actually always made sure he was available to accompany me.”

“How surprising…” Mutters Anna. “The spotlight attracts people like moths to a flame.”

“Let’s move on,” says Grace. “Hera, anything else?”

I sigh. I feel like I’m being scrutinized under a microscope, or more precisely, my life is…

“…My place was broken into. A couple of times.”

“Seriously?” Grunts Bart. “What did they take?”

“Just a few valuables. My laptop both times, some headphones, and a few items I had been given by brands. The first time, the damage was evaluated to about twelve thousand, the second time nine thousand.”

“How did they get in?”

“Faked their way into the building and forced the door.”

“No security system was triggered?”

“Yes, but they were long gone when the police arrived, and there was nothing conclusive on the cameras.”

They all do that general stare around again. I ignore it. I’m getting tired of this. I try to think of anything else that was out of the ordinary, or similar, and one thing does come to mind. I let out a groan, and bury my face in that pillow.Daily Latest update www.noveljar.com “…Baby?” Bart prompts me.

“There was Princess.”

“…Who’s Princess?”

“My cat. Charles had bought her for me for my birthday. Somebody stole her from me, two months ago.”

She was so pretty, a white Persian with blue eyes like mine. She was a bit of a handful, hence how I chose her name…

“Do you think it could have been a stalker, a fan who wanted it… I mean, her for themselves?”

“I don’t think so,” I mutter. “They sent her back a week later… In five different boxes.”

Next to me, Cata gasps, horrified, but I can’t really take another pitiful look at the moment. I just shake my head. I haven’t thought about Princess in a while, and it just hurts. The walls around my heart are getting torn apart and I just hate it. I’ve talked more tonight about my whole life than I have in the twenty-five years of my existence, I think.

“…I have a feeling killing your pet was also a good way to make you depressed,” finally mutters Anna.

“…Are we done yet?” I mutter.

“What about the cute Cop?” Asks Cecily.

I shot her a glare, but she just smirks, not impressed by my baby fangs.

“He seemed to know a lot about you, for someone you haven’t mentioned.”

“Rick is my ex, and he’s got nothing to do with this,” I hiss. “We lost contact years ago.”

“Really? He’s free for me to take, then?” She smiles like a vicious vixen.

I hiss, but Anna reacts first with an elbow bump.Daily Latest update www.noveljar.com “Quit it, Cecily. You should know better than to interfere in someone else’s love affairs.”

“Why not? It’s not like the rule applies to exes. Juliet here is a good example of that, isn’t she?”

The room suddenly drops ten degrees, and everyone goes into silent mode. Vampires are already hella silent, but when they all stop breathing, typing and moving all at the same time, it’s even more obvious.

John comes back at the worst moment, to find everybody standing completely still. Immediately, he fires a glare at Grace, and walks back to Juliet’s side, pretending his partner has not gone even whiter.

I glance at Bart, a bit confused, but he just looks bored, and shrugs.

“…My contact in Berlin just confirmed. The phone numbers were all leaked by a single account, registered with a random email address, but the original signing IP was located at One World Trade Center. …Do you know anybody who works there?”

“…Charles,” I mutter. “His company is on the 73rd floor…”

“Groundbreaking,” scoffs Cecily.

I need to figure out how old that bitch is, just to know how many centuries until I can slap that smirk off her face…

“Great,” sighs Swithin. “I’m going to have to ask the Americans’ help again…”

“Oh come on, you love pissing off Wall Street,” chuckles Grace.

He shrugs, not agreeing nor denying that.

“That’s one more point on the ex-fiancé,” mutters Anna. “Are you sure there’s no reason he would have killed you, darling?”

“None”, I groan, getting tired of this.

“…Did you have an attorney?” Suddenly asks Swithin.

I nod.

“Through Charles’ company. He had a legal department, and one of the attorneys was in charge of handling matters for me.”

“When was the last time you saw that attorney?”

“About… Three months ago.”

“What happened then?”

“We went to the judge. When there was that accident with the paparazzi, the trial kept being postponed. It was a huge mess. I was called to court several times to testify on the events, but I wasn’t doing well, so Charles and my attorney mostly spoke for me…”

To my surprise, Swithin walks up to the couch and me, and puts a knee down, looking at me very seriously while also making sure I can’t see whatever’s on his tablet right now.

“Hera, I need you to recall, it’s important. Did you ever get in front of a Judge to have something called a Power of Attorney notarized?”

I try to recall. To be fair, the accident had shocked me so much, I had started taking more meds right after, and I kept at it as the trials dragged on. I try to recall.

“It does… feel like something like that happened. Charles said it was so he could act as my proxy, handle some legal matters for me so I could stay home and not have to attend everything. It did somehow get… better after I signed those papers.”

“There were witnesses?”Daily Latest update www.noveljar.com “Yeah. My manager at the time, and one of Charles’ assistants. Swithin, I don’t get it, what is this about? Is it bad?”

“Pretty bad,” he groans.

He stands back up, staring at the document he’s found, visibly lost deep in thoughts.

“Swithin, spit it out,” mutters Grace, visibly bored with waiting.

“Power of Attorney gives somebody else the power to make decisions on your behalf,” he explains to me. “Basically, it gives the other party the right to handle financial or legal matters in your stead, or represent you. It’s usually used when you, the principal, cannot handle those matters yourself. In most cases, it’s used for militaries deployed overseas, or people incapacitated in some way.”

“Yes, but they had explained all that. I didn’t want to attend all those trials, I was tired and having anxiety attacks, and Charles agreed not to touch anything of my personal assets, the one I got from my mothers’. So he didn’t do it to get my money, did he?”Daily Latest update www.noveljar.com “No,” Swithin shakes his head. “It wouldn’t have been possible for him to steal your money this way, it’s far too regulated, especially regarding the sums at hand you had from your father’s side. At best, he may have consolidated your fortune, but there was no way for him to touch it, or he would have been found out soon after your death. No, there is something else I think he used it for.”

“Then what?”

Swithin glances at Richard.

“Hera, did you and your fiancé ever travel to different states?” He asks me again. “In Texas, Colorado…?”

“No,” I shake my head.

“Nowhere else you can think of?”

“…Well, we have a house in Montana,” I shrug. “Charles purchased it after we got engaged, as a…

present.”

I see his lip twitch. What the hell is wrong with our house in Montana?

“Did you ever live there?” He sighs.

“Yes, but it wasn’t convenient for my work, so we haven’t been there in a while… The last time was eight or nine months ago, but it’s been getting renovated since then, so I couldn’t go.”

“…Fuck.”

“Fuck what?” I ask, getting increasingly worried.

Swithin passes a hand over his shaved head.

“…Hera, Montana is one of few states that allows marriage by proxy.”

“I… I never got married in Montana,” I protest.

“You didn’t need to be physically there, that’s what I’m explaining to you.”

He finally hands me the tablet, and what he was looking at. It’s a… marriage certificate. My jaw drops, as I discover mine and Charles’ names together.

“…What the actual fuck?” Grunts Bart, voicing my exact thoughts.

“…This has got to be a joke,” I blurt out, my voice raspier than before. “Swithin, this can’t be real.”

“It is. This guy had access to absolutely every single piece of paperwork he needed. All he had to do was prove you were residents of Montana, show something to explain why you didn’t do your ceremony in person, probably your mental health condition and peculiar profile as a celebrity, pay the fee and send the papers. He even had it notarized by the states of New York and California. It’s a lot of money spent on paperwork and attorneys, but legally, you two were officially married.”

“He got her married to him against her will?” Mutters Rebecca, shocked.

“…So much for progress,” grumbles Anna.

“It’s very complicated,” sighs Swithin. “But this guy had the money and the means to do it. The circumstances are peculiar, if he found some greedy attorneys and made a bit of convincing using some green bills, then…”

I don’t care about their opinions right now. I can’t fucking believe it. I was married to Charles for… three months, according to this piece of paper, and I had no idea. I can’t even begin to process. That’s too much.

“My bet is,” Swithin continues. “He’s going to use this to inherit everything. June Starr had no next of kin aside from her Father, no children. This guy just took care of her money until he could get his hands on it.”

“…I did not marry him,” I hiss.

All eyes go back to me, but I turn to Swithin, furious.

“I never intended to marry that bastard,” I continue. “I agreed to get engaged to him, but I did not have any intent to actually marry him. He tried asking me several times and I always said no. I only stayed with him because he was good to me, and the only person I had left. I had no idea he-…”

My voice gets lost in my throat. I just can’t. I should probably get mad, cry or shout, but I’m like an emotional wreck right now, unable to decide which way to go. My heart just stopped, because otherwise, I’m worried it’s going to actually explode. I close my eyes, unable to calm down, and hand the tablet back to Swithin.

“…Alright, stop,” I mutter. “Just stop. I can’t… I’m done for today. If I hear anymore of this, I won’t be able to take it. You all can… investigate all you want, but I don’t want to hear another word of this before I’ve had time to process this nightmare.”

I open my eyes, just to glance at Richard, and he gives me a gentle nod. I want to be relieved, but I’m not. I’ve just won a bit of time before jumping off the bridge. I need to get out of this room, away from their stares.

“Well,” says John. “I did what I could, so now if you’ll excuse us, Juliet and I are going to go home.

Hera, it was nice to meet you Love, but we have-”

“No.”

Richard’s imperious order gets everyone’s attention again, and we all dart our eyes to the patriarch. He sits back, putting his long fingers on the armchair’s leather. Some of them seem confused, but Bart and I exchange another glance, curious to see what’s coming up next. I’m a bit glad the attention finally shifted away from me. John nervously chuckles.

“Richard? What do you mean?”

“You will all be staying here for now.”

Immediately, most exchange confused or surprised looks, while John and Grace exchange a glare that clearly suggests they might butcher each other if that happens. I’m kind of surprised as well. Will the bedrooms all stay busy for a while, after all?

“Richard?” Asks Rebecca, tilting her head. “Why?”

“Hera is going to need your help. All of yours’ help.”

Scratch that not being about me… I get a few glances my way, but nobody’s stupid. I’m just an excuse.

“Richard,” chuckles Lancelot, uneasy. “You can’t just ask everyone to stay here without warning. I was supposed to take a flight back to Amsterdam tomorrow!”

“You can’t order us to just stay here,” Cecily protests too, glancing around the house as if it had suddenly become some pigsty.

“This is ridiculous,” mutters John.

He grabs Juliet’s hand, and prepares to leave the room, but after a couple seconds, he brutally stops.

He’s just steps away from the door, nothing keeping him from crossing the threshold. …Except that Beatrix is standing there, against the doorframe, her dark eyes on him. I had not seen her move there until John tried to walk out. She’s completely still, like a silent shadow, an onyx gargoyle, but that’s plenty enough. I can feel the incredible pressure too, and I’m just peeking from behind the back of the sofa with Bart. I can literally see John’s expression melt down. He hesitates, and very slowly steps back. He’s not walking out that door while Beatrix is standing there.

He turns to Richard, visibly confused and mad.

“Seriously?!”

“We’ve got a life out there,” Cecily groans too.

“And Richard’s our Overlord,” Rebecca coldly retorts. “If he says we stay, we stay.”

The two women exchange glares, but after a few more seconds, I realize Cecily is trying to resist Rebecca’s domination. The stare-off just lasts a few seconds, and the indigo-haired one wins. Cecily has to look away, furious tears of frustration in her eyes.

“…Your rooms are all ready,” gently says Cata, with a smile as if everyone had received the news happily.

“Why do you want us here?” Grace asks Richard.

She was one of the few who didn’t seem bothered to be asked to stay, or perhaps she had already guessed.

“Hera needs answers,” Richard says. “…She’s going to need all of us.”