Second Impressions Series

DARIUS

I enjoyed moments like these, encountering Anna while she was reading and not on guard. She looked so peaceful, serene, and beautiful. She even looked younger.

“Mother,” I greeted her as I walked through the spacious modern living room to sit on a leather armchair at her side.

She wasted no time trying to get under my skin.

“Don’t you dare go back to the city just yet, Darius Robert. I am your mother. Preparations are in order. You are to stay in the family estate and—”

“How can I be of service to you, Mother?” I stretched my arms on the armchair and relaxed. I cut her off gently as any polite son would to a loving mother.

“You are to stay,” she repeated.

A statement meant to bring an end to my peace and solitude. It was true I hadn’t left my penthouse or seen my family in what felt like ages, and my plan had been to keep it that way.

Yet here I was. If any other person demanded anything from me, I would have ignored them. Not Anna.

“I’m sure Edmund can handle everything,” I replied, unconcerned.

“Darius, you don’t have the heart to leave me alone, do you? I don’t know if Edmund will stay for this event that he added to ~my~ schedule. He is busier than ever, and I’m afraid he’ll leave again.”

The mask had slipped off, and she was unable to hide the genuine concern in her voice.

Scheduled.

I knew what she meant. When you were a Rothschild, your life was detailed and planned. The only one who got out of duties was my brother. He was carefree and wild—something that I could never be.

Free.

“You have expectations. A family to support,” she went on.

Expectations I didn’t want. A family that equaled drama. I was busy working. Building. Expanding. Not that my father would ever understand my need to create an enterprise of my own.

“Is he here? Will he dine with us tonight?” I asked.

Anna nodded.

“They are both here.”

“Luther too? A happy family reunion.” I smiled.

“More reason for you to stay. The event is happening. Alexander is here, and when was the last time we were all together for Christmas? Can’t you just make your mother happy?”

“I’ll think about it,” I said unemotionally, neither compromising nor hurting her feelings right away. My decision was already made. I was not staying. I was leaving tomorrow morning.

“The board will be here, and you know how…” She showed the card she had been hiding. Smart woman.

“Yes, I know how sensitive they are to Alexander’s presence.” I finished the sentence like I was reading her thoughts. She knew I had a weakness for him and a need to protect him.

The board would be there next to Alexander’s new toy. A disaster.

My eyes fell on the magazine on her lap. I grabbed it expectantly.

This was going to be good.

“‘Playboy Hitched,’” I read out loud. The magazine showed a photo of Alexander kissing a blonde woman on our family’s yacht. “Do you believe this is real?”

“Alexander in love?” she asked coldly. “Maybe.”

I laughed and licked my finger to turn to the next page for more details of my brother’s passionate affair. Anna raised her eyebrows in a controlled expression.

Nothing new. Just one more splotch on my brother’s reputation and our prestigious family name.

“Sarah Summer, theater actress,” I mumbled. This woman had some curves. My brother’s hands were glued to her body in every photograph.

The hottest bachelor with a new fling every week in Monaco, Milan, LA, and every exotic locale he could get to, but never with the same woman. Not twice.

Until Sarah Summer came along. Alexander was playing a dangerous game, bringing her to my mother’s Tuscany Villa and Bordeaux Vineyard. I continued glancing through the pictures of them sipping wine under the sunset.

“I am disappointed,” was all she said.

“Agree,” I added.

We all agreed.

It was the only thing on which I’d ever agreed with Edmund: it was time for Alexander to grow up. He was putting the family name on the line.

As long as our father wasn’t willing to let him lead the company, he was hindering my plans of independence from the family business.

“He said he had an announcement to make,” she added bitterly.

I was intrigued. “Oh? What kind of announcement?”

What are you planning, brother?

“Probably not something smart, I assume.”

“Mother, it sounds like you will get what you always wanted,” I teased. “A daughter. And not just one. This girl invited her sister over. They are both here, getting ready for dinner.”

She inhaled sharply.

“We are just missing the whole farm to enter the house.”

I raised my eyebrows at her comment. Anna Elizabeth Rothschild already had them on the look. Good luck to these girls.

The silent pause that followed confirmed the agreement settling between us. My mother was playing on my side of the court, which put me in a position where I had to do the same. Between the lines that could be crossed, and by any means necessary, Alexander’s infatuation had to end. Soon.

I pressed my index and thumb on my forehead, easing a pulsing headache. I had to know who these Summer sisters were, and fast.

“Guess your Christmas wish has come true, Mother. We will all be together for Christmas this year.”