Lured into Lies by Melanie Martins
Chapter 4
Bermuda, October 24, 2020
Alexander Van Dieren
I’d never told that secret to any woman before. Actually, I hadn’t told it to anyone on my own terms, except for my attorney. Telling Petra what happened twenty years ago was either the most stupid decision of my life or the most courageous one. Probably a bit of both. Either way, my relationship with her depended on it. The threats she threw out at me when I refused to tell her anything about my past were not something I could easily dismiss. As I come to think of it, she’s by far the most stubborn person I have ever met. Heck, she gets so aggressive and violent when she doesn’t get her way. It is actually quite disturbing the more that I think about it. That’s a side of her I didn’t expect. Or maybe I should have, given the fact she already showed me this side of her at my estate in the Netherlands. Jeez, Ms. Van Gatt can be such a mystery sometimes.
“Is everything alright?” Petra asks as she looks up at me from the other side of the table, her big blue eyes peering up at me. “You have been so quiet the whole lunch…”
It’s fascinating how behind her cute, little face and her angelic smile, there’s someone who can become so hot-tempered so quickly. Since there’s no one on the terrace but us, I put down my iPad, take a sip on my coffee, and say, “I was just thinking about yesterday…”
Her gaze instantly glows with curiosity, and she leans forward, whispering, “You mean, about what we did in the cabana?”
Her question makes me laugh, bringing some good memories to mind. I start tingling at the thought alone. That was the best part of our evening, definitely. Yet that’s not what I had been thinking about.
I ponder for a moment whether to tell her the truth or not. Since she’s in a good mood, it should be the best time to do so… right? “Actually, I was thinking how aggressive you get when I don’t do what you want.” Her lips part in astonishment, but I proceed. “You hit my chest several times yesterday out of frustration.”
“Well, you grabbed my wrist when I told you not to,” she replies casually, taking a small bite of her ice cream.
“So, if I don’t do what I’m told, you hit me?” I ask for the sake of taunting her.
Petra draws out a breath, the question irritating her. I try my best not to smile at her annoyance, but getting a reaction from her is too delightful. “You wanted to bring me back home when I told you no.”
“Because it was dark and you could have hurt yourself.”
“I’m not a child, Alex,” she snaps. “You worry way too much about me.”
Her answer leaves me totally speechless, and I’m not sure if I should laugh or frown. “Because you give me plenty of reasons to,” I end up saying.
Before she can reply, though, the butler comes in, interrupting our face-to-face. “Mr. Van Dieren?” As my eyes alight on him, he proceeds, “Your attorney would like to talk to you.”
“Of course, please let him in,” I instruct, curious to know the outcome of his meeting with the court evaluator, which is handling the guardianship case that Tess brought up.
A few instants later, I see Ryan coming in with some files tucked under his arm. At least today he ditched the suit and is now blending in more by wearing a linen shirt and a pair of Bermuda shorts.
After greeting him, he sits beside me, takes a deep breath, and says, “It’s official; the court scheduled a prelim hearing based on the charges Eric filed against you.” That’s definitely not the kind of news I thought he’d start with. Despite my fiancée looking at Ryan with shock in her eyes, I knew sooner or later a judge would side with Eric in order to force us to come back to New York. Damn, between the guardianship case to the kidnapping one, Tess and Roy never cease to amaze me. “I obviously already told the court you pledge not guilty.” He pauses for a beat, and before I can bombard him with questions, he turns to Petra and proceeds, “Regarding your case, you’ll have to do an interview with a psychologist and a physician, both appointed by the court.”
Petra instantly frowns at Ryan with outrage. “What for?”
“It’s not a bad thing,” Ryan replies instead, aiming to calm her down. “Dr. Nel left a pretty bad report on your mental health, including your self-destructive behavior and hunger-strikes. She and her team of physicians tried to portray you as an incapacitated adult so that the court could appoint Tess as your guardian. Fortunately, the judge appointed two outsiders to do another evaluation.”
Of course Dr. Nel would support whatever Tess tells her. And given her credentials in neurology and post-traumatic behavior, I’m glad the judge remained somewhat skeptical of her affiliation with Petra’s parents. “Are those appointed by the judge truly impartial though?” I ask.
“I reviewed them, and they seem so,” Ryan answers. “Don’t worry, I will review the report myself too.”
“Can I do it via Zoom?” Petra urges.
“Yes, you can. After we have a report from them, you’ll have a hearing with the court evaluator which will also be online. I spent an hour talking to him and explaining what kind of mother she is and what she is trying to do to you. Even if the case is as weak as a kitten, the evaluator needs to talk to you before the judge can reject your mom’s petition.”
Despite the good news regarding Petra’s situation, I sense there’s something else troubling him by the way he’s white-knuckling his briefcase, which lies on his lap. Ryan then turns to me and says, “But the judge wants you physically present at the hearing for the kidnapping charges.”
“Fuck…” Now I understand why Ryan didn’t seem to be in a good mood. They really want us back in New York at any cost. “Can we appeal his decision?”
“We can…” Yet something tells me Ryan isn’t inclined to do so. “But that’s not gonna work in our favor.”
“So what do you suggest?” I ask, although I think I already know what he has in mind.
“I think you should both return to New York and go to that hearing.” I try not to mock his unappealing suggestion, so I just flex my jaw and keep quiet, observing him. “If you fail to show up, the judge can issue a warrant and get you arrested. I don’t think we want to go down that road.”
Petra can’t hide her disappointment, knowing we’ll have to return. A slight pout washes across her face. God she’s adorable even when she’s upset.
I draw out a breath, not liking the idea either. “Do we know when the hearing is?”
“Yes, it’s at nine o’clock in the morning, on November 9th.” Ryan pauses for a beat, looking out around the terrace, before saying, “Look, I know this is just a way for them to get you back to New York, but let’s not make it worse. We don’t want the judge to issue an international search warrant and grant Eric more power for when he goes against you.” As he says those words, his dark brown eyes hold nothing but sincerity.
“Thank you, Ryan. I really appreciate it.” I give him a pat on the shoulder for all the hard work he has been putting in since he arrived here.
“If you want me to do an appeal, I can, but again I don’t recommend it,” he points out, before getting up from his seat. “Have a thought about it and let me know what you want me to do.”
Ryan then grabs his briefcase and leaves the terrace, giving me room to discuss with Petra his suggestion. Yet instead, my iPhone interrupts us as it starts ringing non-stop. I turn the phone face up to check who’s calling and, to my greatest surprise, it’s Mike—the COO at Gatt-Dieren.
Curiosity taking the best of me, I decide to pick up the call, motioning to Petra that it will only be a moment. “Hi, Mike,” I greet. “What’s up?”
“Hey, thanks for answering.” Mike can’t hide the nervousness in his tone, which is understandable given the call with the board yesterday. “Um, I’m doing great. Look, um, I don’t know if you already saw my email or not, but I’m hosting a birthday party at home on the first Saturday of November, and I’d love for you and Petra to join.”
Jeez, that’s why he is calling me for? To attend a freaking party? “I appreciate the invite, but you live in Park Avenue.”
“Yeah, but I’m not inviting Roy given your…situation,” he replies immediately. “Look, all of our biggest clients will be there. And Joshua wants to see you…”
Oh, now Joshua wants to see me? That’s interesting. Joshua is our biggest institutional investor, a close friend of Roy, one of the non-exec of the board, and not surprisingly, the only one I didn’t manage to talk to yesterday. “I see…” I mumble, not really convinced.
“Alex, I think it’d be a great opportunity for you to speak to him, and especially for everyone to meet your fiancée.” Why on earth do they want to meet her? “Staying away from New York won’t solve your problems. It will only feed the media and destroy your image.”
Yet as I look at Petra, as she gazes off into the distance, she reminds me of everything we ran away from. “You have no idea what happened, Mike.”
“True, I don’t know what happened between the two of you and what led to this bloody war, but what I do know is that you aren’t gonna keep your allies for much longer if you stay away from them.”I can’t deny it, Mike has got a point. I rub at my chin while he continues, “Roy’s having brunches and dinners with clients and stakeholders every single day, while you are God knows where.”
“Is everything alright?” Petra asks as she remains sitting in front of me while listening only to my side of the conversation.
I turn the phone away and explain to her briefly, “Mike is hosting a party for his birthday next week, and he’s inviting us.” Then, as I see her raise her eyebrows in understanding, I bring the iPhone again to my ear and ask, “Do you think Roy is still trying to vote me out?”
While I can’t see his face or body language, I feel him hesitant in giving me a straight answer. “I do, yeah, which is why I think you should come back.” His voice carries a seriousness I wasn’t expecting.
Afterward, some beats of silence ensue as I consider him. “Thank you, Mike. I’ll let you know if I do.”
Once I hang up, my eyes scan Petra’s face and, knowing exactly why we left Manhattan in the first place, I say, “If you don’t want to return, I understand.”
She has that glitter in her eye, and I wonder why. “Remember what I told you before we left the port?” she asks, her voice unusually warm. “As soon as I’m with you, I can be anywhere.” She then leaves her chair and goes to sit on my lap. Her jasmine scent immediately hits my nose as she wraps her arms around me, her lips at inches from mine. “It doesn’t matter if we are here in Bermuda, or New York, or Singapore… Home is where you are.”
My heart flutters at her words, and I lean into her, claiming her lips. I might have kissed her a million times already, but it will never be enough to tell her how much she means to me. “You won’t have to see your parents or Dr. Nel,” I tell her. “I’ll make sure Ryan takes care of your safety. You can stay in our condo and study from there.”
Despite doing my best to reassure her, Petra seems distant, lost in her own thoughts. “Can I ask you something?” And her question confirms just that. “Since we are staying here only until next week, can we go and visit the island?”
Wow. That’s the last thing I thought she was concerned about. Feeling playful at her question, I can’t help but ask, “Will Ms. Van Gatt hit me again with her little fists if I say no?”
“Oh, c’mon,” she chuckles in amusement, before doing exactly that. “It doesn’t even hurt.”
“How can you be so sure?” I ask, teasing her. “I might have internal bruises.”
She huffs, shaking her head, and my enjoyment only keeps growing. “You love making fun of me, don’t you?” Her soft arms have already brushed back up against my neck, making me stiffen slightly.
I want to taunt her even more, but she shuts me up by pressing her lips on mine in a kiss filled with untamed passion. I forget everything I had in mind as she wastes no time delving her tongue into my mouth to stroke mine. I groan at the connection, my arousal intensifying. I fucking love it when she shows me how much she wants me. My body electrifies, and while her tongue keeps caressing mine so sensually, it takes everything in me not to unfasten my shorts and sit her on my boner. I’m still on my dad’s terrace after all, and the last thing I need is for him or Mona to come in and see this. So I break our kiss, and while her mouth goes down to my neck where she leaves a wet trail, I manage to say, “I can show you a few places, but you're gonna have to give me something first.”
Petra goes up again, and her eyes meet mine with a mix of desire and curiosity. “What’s that?” she coos.
The corners of my mouth lifts at her cute little voice, and after leaning in, I whisper, “You.”