Chapter Eighteen
"How long before we are in LA?" Melanie asked.
"Not long." Alex said. "We have time to rest and freshen up here, but then we’ll fly directly to LAX."
As soon as they had reached the Drummond family resort hotel on the main island of Tahiti, Melanie had called the nursing home. She was relieved to find out that her mother was still there, but administration was insisting on payment. If she didn’t make good by tomorrow then they would start proceedings to have her mother removed.
"Can we just get going? I can freshen up on the plane."
"Is something wrong?" He asked.
"It’s my mother. I need to get back to LA and make sure they keep her in the nursing home."
"Just give me the number Melanie; I’ll take care of it."
"No!" She said emphatically. "Just make sure I get the money I’m due from the trip. Whatever part of it--"
"Don’t worry Melanie, you’ll get every penny and more. It’s not your fault the plane went down, so you’ll get paid and there will be compensation as well."
"That’s if you are a Drummond employee." Sebastian had appeared out of nowhere.
"Which she is." Alex said.
"Which father will decide."
Alex turned to Melanie, blocking his brother’s view of her. "Don’t worry." He said. "This is all going to work out. I promise you."
She wanted to believe him but Sebastian's smirking face gave her a dark feeling. She needed to get home to LA.
After a very brief stop, they continued on to the airport where a private jet picked them up for the nine-hour flight back to the Los Angeles. Melanie recognized most of the flight crew but only knew one girl really well. The whole situation was so awkward that she spent most of her time in the bedroom in hiding from her colleagues. If this was her new reality, it didn’t look good so far. She would rather have been out in the cabin with the other crew, busy with her work and chatting to her colleagues.
At least Alex and Sebastian were both gentlemanly enough to leave her alone while they reappraised control of the Drummond Empire together with their younger brother, Joshua.
At LAX, there was a throng of reporters waiting to interview the castaways but Joshua had managed to arrange a discreet arrival in order to avoid the waiting pack. When they stepped out of the airport, there were two limos waiting for them.
Melanie was confused.
"Who am I traveling with?" She asked.
"You're uh... traveling alone." Sebastian said. "Alex and I will take this one."
She looked at Alex for an explanation, instinctively trusting him more than Sebastian. As she looked at them now, all powerful, exuding wealth, dressed in their hand-tailored suits, fabulously expensive watches, cufflinks, footwear, manicured again with short executive hair, she could hardly believe these two men had been fighting over her like wild men less than 24 hours ago.
Alex smiled at her reassuringly, as though none of the crazy events on the island had ever happened.
Sebastian opened the door of the first car and gestured for Melanie to get inside.
"Where are we going?" She asked.
"To meet our father." He said coldly.
"Don't worry, sweetheart." Alex said. "Everything is going to be just fine. Sebastian and I have it all worked out. Haven’t we little brother?"
Sebastian gave his brother an icy look. "Have we?" He said.
"Sure. Well, not every little detail, but we can go over things in the limo. It's an hour's drive, so we can talk things through on the way."
"Shouldn't I be with you for that?" Melanie said.
"Just get in the car, Melanie." Sebastian said. "Our father asked for us to travel this way, so that's how it's going to be. You don’t mess with the old man."
She looked to Alex again. He nodded to her with just a glimmer of a smile and finally she got inside. The door clunked shut with dull finality. The car was absolute luxury of course. The driver glanced at her in the rear view mirror.
"If there's anything you need ma’am, just let me know."
She recognized his eyes. He was the one who had discovered Alex and her together in the forest. What in the hell was he doing driving her car now?
"I'm good, thanks." She said. The driver nodded and the darkened partition between them slid upwards. En route, the familiar streets of LA passed beside her. It was a smoggy day with traffic from hell, and it was going to be a long journey. After her month in tortured paradise, this was a helluva way to come back down to reality. Even if she was in a luxury limo with every technological convenience, a full bar and a selection of delicate mouthwatering snacks, the color of life was drained from everything. In under an hour she would be told to pack her bags and go, probably never seeing either of the brothers again.
She tapped on dividing panel and then watched it to slide down.
"Yes ma'am?" The driver said.
"What's going to happen to me today?"
"Excuse me ma'am?"
"What's happening here? I feel like I'm being taken to an execution and all this fancy food here is my last meal. I know you're more than just a driver. You were on the island as well, when..." she hesitated.
"That's right ma'am. I was on the island. I’m Mr. Drummond Senior's personal assistant. I take care of all important matters relating to the family that do not pertain to official Drummond family business or corporate affairs."
Great. Not only had she been caught with Alex but she had been caught by his father's personal snake in the grass to boot.
"So why are you driving this car? What's so important about me?"
He smiled. "With all due respect ma'am, you are the single most important thing affecting the Drummond family at the moment and I believe you already know why."
"No, I don't." Although she had a good idea, she had decided she didn't like this glorified peeping tom and she would like to hear him explain what dirty trick he was involved in.
"Do I need to spell it out for you?" He asked.
"Yes. Word by word, because I am lost here. I've been lost since you guys showed up on the island."
"If you insist. Ma'am, do you remember the circumstances of our first meeting?"
"Do you mean in the forest?"
"Yes I do." He said, without a trace of irony, mocking, or recrimination. "You were involved in an activity with Mr. Alex Drummond, Junior."
"He was kissing me."
"With all due respect ma'am, it was a little more than that."
"Did you enjoy it?" She said angrily.
"Whether I enjoyed or not is irrelevant. What is relevant is that you are a Drummond Corporation employee, and as such, it was my duty to report this to Mr. Drummond, Senior."
"So you’re a high-paid snitch, is that what you’re telling me?"
"Ma'am, we are talking literally billions of dollars here and the lives and jobs of thousands of people. This isn't something to be taken lightly."
"Well maybe you guys should lighten up a little. This is just about people liking each other, it’s not like we’ve committed a damn war crime or something."
"None of this means anything to me ma'am. I'm not judging you."
"Would you stop with the ma'am already? Just call me Melanie."
“Okay Melanie, my name's Larry, okay? Now here's the problem that I believe you must already be aware of, but just in case there is any doubt, I will repeat it to you: Mr. Drummond knows that you and Alex have been together, and that is a problem. Now he loves both his sons very much and he is not interested in disinheriting either of them, but a rule is a rule and Alex has already crossed a line. Our meeting today will determine how far over that line his son has trespassed."
Melanie bit her tongue. She wanted to spill the beans on Sebastian as well, but what good would that do anyone? Then both of the brothers could lose their work, their companies, and the people to which they had dedicated their whole lives.
"So what is this meeting all about exactly? Did Alex have to describe what base he got to with the lowly flight attendant? First base is okay, but second base is trouble and a home run means he becomes a pauper overnight? Is that the protocol?"
"It's really not like that, Melanie. Mr. Drummond is a very reasonable man. What he wants to know is how deep Alex Junior's feelings for you are. If he, uh... if he loves you." He smiled a little as he said the words.
"Oh, and that would be so ridiculous, right? The great Alex Drummond Junior, falling for a flight attendant."
"You don’t understand at all. Mr. Drummond has nothing but the greatest respect for all of his employees. He loves this company but you broke the golden rule. His sons are the most important thing in the world to him, so he wants to give Alex a chance to think this over before he does something he might regret for the rest of his life."
"Like choosing me over his wealth and power?"
"Look, Melanie, I don't mind telling you that you are a very beautiful woman. Any man would be lucky to have you, but let me ask you this: if you really feel for him, would you let him throw away all that money, the business he has dedicated his young life to, and his whole family, just to be with you? Would you do that to him? Could you do that to someone you truly loved?"
Melanie had no answer.
"Either way, you're out of the picture. Your career with Drummond is gone. The question is, do you want to take Alex Drummond down with you or not?"
Larry held her gaze in the rear view mirror until she broke away and looked to the floor. Tears began to well up in her eyes. He was right. She couldn’t do it. Not to Alex, not even to Sebastian, as confused and devious as he was.
"Melanie, look at me." Larry said. "I'm going to ask you a question and I want you to answer for me quickly, without thinking for a second. Can you do that for me?"
Melanie nodded, rubbing the tears out of her eyes. Larry held her gaze.
"Do you love him?" He said.
Tears flowed from her eyes. "God yes, of course I do." She sobbed.
Larry said nothing. He just nodded his head and then passed a linen handkerchief to her. When she took it from him, the black divider slid back up and they rode the rest of the journey in silence.