Chapter 13

March-April, 2039


Alexei woke up the following morning and glanced at the blonde angel sleeping next to him.

Ah, Helene, he thought; I hope the "dance" was everything you expected it to be.

The night before, the talking led to kissing; the kissing led to exploring; before either one of them realized what was happening, Alexei found himself about to take Helene's virginity.

"Are you sure you want this, Helene? We can stop now if there are any doubts," he said.

"I'm ready for this, Alexei," she had said; "...please?"

"It might hurt a little."

"I don't care! I want you, Alexei," Helene had said; "I'm sure about this."

He had entered her gently, watching her face. She grimaced, but otherwise said nothing. Soon, he felt her moving with him.

"My God, Helene!" he said; "Yes, my angel...ahh, you have no idea how much I want you!"

"Alexei..." she said before her orgasm; "yes! Yes! Take me! All of me! I am yours to command my darling...!"

She let go and arched her back as she rode through her orgasm. Alexei wasn't that far behind her.


He watched as she lay there sleeping. So beautiful and so unaware he was watching her as she slept. He knew he wanted a life with her. One that included marriage, children, and a life of love and laughter. He had to wait for these things, he knew. When the time came, he would ask Christian DeWitt for his oldest daughter's hand.

But for now, he was content in watching his angel sleep. There was still plenty of time for them to fulfill their dreams.

===


The message left no doubt as to what the caller wanted.

Rina played back the message for Jaime, and both of them sat there dumbfounded.


"Audrina, you are to come home immediately!" her mother raged on the recording. "I've had quite enough of your little 'experiment' of going to university in America. You have become involved with someone who is not suitable. Your studies will end and you will come back to Rafaello at once!"


Rina only had one thing to say to all that: "Fuck you!"

"Wow, Reen," Jaime said; "Can she do that?"

"No," Rina said; "Part of the requirement of me coming to school here was to be made independent of my mother. In the eyes of the United States government, I am a legal immigrant with the full protection of said government. It also helped that my father was an American, so my mother cannot make that demand of me."

"Apparently she doesn't realize this," said Jaime.

"I know she doesn't," Rina said. "Since I'm no longer on a student visa, I am considered an immigrant. A decision I made in concert with a lawyer and the immigration service. I did not have to consult my mother in making this decision, so she can rant and rave all she wants. My father having been a citizen of the United States has helped me more than even I realized."

"Is that guy still spying on you? The one Helene and I thought was your father when you moved in?" asked Jaime.

"Apparently," Rina said resignedly; "He found out our phone number. The only person I gave it to was Vito. I know Vito didn't tell our mother what it was. He changed his own number when she started bothering him about unsuitable companions."

"We probably should do the same, or we can just block international numbers all together," Jaime suggested; "But let's wait for Helene before we make any kind of decisions."

"In the meantime, I'm going to call my mother's bluff," Rina said, picking up the phone.


===


"I hope the weekend was everything you hoped it would be, Helene," Alexei said as he drove Helene back to Northwestern.

She took his free hand as he drove, saying, "Yes, it was, Alexei. I kinda wish I didn't have to go back right away."

"It will be hard for me to watch you walk into Mathison Hall, knowing that I won't see you again for a while," Alexei said. "We both have work to do before summer comes."

"And we're going to move into our own house," Helene said; "I'm really looking forward to that. Between the three of us, we've saved enough money to easily make expenses. Rina will finally get to work for money now that she has a resident alien visa."

"She must be excited about that," Alexei said; "Making her own money and not having to rely solely on that bitch that birthed her. What is that woman's problem, anyway?"

Helene sighed, then said, "I honestly have no idea, but I get really tired of taking her crap; she treats me and Jaime like we're lucky to have Rina as a suitemate. Then she demands; not asks, demands, that we make Rina call her back. Neither Jaime nor I ever do that. The Contessa d'Alessandro or whatever her stupid title is, is a royal pain in the ass."

"She'll find out soon enough that all her bitching and moaning is for naught," Alexei said.

"I hope you're right, Alexei," Helene said; "But, we can't let that woman run our lives. It's our time now, and if Rina's mother can't see that, then she's a bigger fool than I thought."

"That's exactly what she is, Helene. A fool."

Alexei drove through Northwestern's picturesque campus until he got to Mathison Hall. There he knew that his time with Helene would end for now. But they had agreed on one thing.

That they would be together forever, no matter what.

Alexei walked her to the lobby of the building and kissed her goodbye with a little more passion than he intended. Helene didn't seem to mind.

As he held her he said, "You know I love you, right?"

Helene glanced up at him and replied, "I know. I love you, too, Alexei. Even before last night," she added in a whisper.

He watched as she ran up the stairs, then took his leave.

Alexei decided then and there that he would be calling Christian DeWitt sooner rather than later. He wanted nothing more than for DeWitt's permission to marry his daughter.

As he drove back to Chicago, Alexei decided that he was going to call his parents and invite them to visit him during the summer, if his mother's health allowed it. He wanted to meet in person, at last, the little boy he'd only seen in photographs and talked to on the phone. He wanted to be a real big brother, and not some mythical figure to Ivan.

And, he wanted his family to meet Helene.


===

Caterina would not be satisfied with the message her daughter left her. Rina knew this for a fact. Her message, left in English, left no doubt there were no warm feelings between Rina and her mother:

"Mother, I have absolutely no intention whatsoever in interrupting my education and returning to Rafaello just because you have a problem with me living my own life. It's my life and my business who I see or don't see. Besides, it's not a concern of yours any longer. I have procured the services of a lawyer, both here in Chicago and in Rome, to make sure that I never have any sort of contact with you again. I changed my status here to resident alien, and I fully intend to become an American citizen in my own right.

"You have treated my friends with contempt, you have cast your aspersions upon anything I might do as a reflection on you. You have never been a mother to me and my brother in a real sense, and as he has done, I too will cease contact with you. If you would like to contact me, do it through my lawyer in Rome, Pietro Constanzi. I know you know how to reach him. Do not call me here at home. If you do, you will find that your number has been blocked. When it comes down to it, you're angry at Father for any and all slights, real and imagined. Vito and I are convenient outlets for your anger since Papa is no longer here to be angry at.

"Have a nice life Mother."


"Damn, girl, that's harsh!" Jaime said, a little shocked at her friend's anger, but understood the reasoning behind said anger; "I hope she gets the message and leaves you alone."

"If not, then Signore Constanzi will set her straight," Rina said; "He was my father's lawyer before Papa died. He is not one of my mother's biggest fans."

"And that's why you chose him?" asked Jaime.

"Partly," Rina said; "Vito got me in touch with him. I wish I could be a bug on the wall to watch her squirm."

Jaime rolled her eyes, laughed and said, "A fly, Reen. A fly on the wall..."


===


Stupid little cunt, Caterina said as she listened to her daughter's message. She's whoring it up and doesn't care about my concern for her welfare.

Caterina d'Alessandro lived in her own little world. The only one in that world who mattered was her assistant/lover, Giuseppe Talarico. She was delusional to the point of madness, but no one could tell her that. Everyone around her knew she was mentally ill, except perhaps herself and Giuseppe.

Stupid little whore, she seethed for hours after erasing the message that sent her into a fit of anger. Her and her brother, seeing unsuitable people, tarnishing the d'Alessandro name and bloodline.

Caterina was only a mother on two fronts: one was when she gave birth to her children; the second was when it was convenient for her to appear to be a loving, caring parent.

She concluded that they were both like the bastard who fathered them. She was glad that Charles was dead and no longer able to wield his influence on her children. It was at her insistance that he marry her when she turned up pregnant, then again at her insistance that the child and any subsequent children would carry her name, and not his.

He was young and stupid, just like all Americans, Caterina believed. It had been so easy to manipulate him. Then he got wise and left her. She'd beg for him to return, but after so many instances, he grew tired of the charade his life had become.

Then the bastard died on her and she no longer had her whipping boy. She sent the children to boarding schools and forgot about them until they got their diplomas. Then she would mold them into her image.

They had other plans that didn't include being isolated at the villa that had been in the d'Alessandro family since the eighteenth century.

And that was what was, unbeknownst to her, driving her insane. Near total isolation.

It was a family trait, insanity.

It was one that Audrina and Vittorio did not inherit.

But Caterina didn't know or care about that. All she saw were two insolent children who needed to be reigned in.

In her mind, they were still little children. Charles had stolen them.

Caterina totally and utterly believed that.

===


Helene no sooner walked through the door of her suite before Jaime and Rina peppered her with questions about her weekend with Alexei. Both girls had seen the look on Helene's face to know something significant had happened between her and Alexei.

"All right, Leenie," Jaime said, "tell us all about it, and don't leave anything out."

All Helene could do is smile. She was so incredibly happy she could scream.

"Ah," Rina said; "So a little amore went on, yes?"

"Yes," Helene said in a near whisper; "I'm so happy I could sing, dance, scream, and do cartwheels!"

"And Alexei? How is he feeling?" asked Rina.

"He loves me. I didn't want to come back. I wanted to spend all my time with him."

"How was it?" asked Jaime. "He was gentle, right?"

Helene took one of the pillows from the couch and screamed into it, then said, "He was gentle, yes. He gave me an out in case I had doubts. I told him I was ready. It was the most incredible, beautiful awakening any girl could ever have. He's the one, you guys. I found my soulmate. I'm so happy I could cry."

She then burst into tears. It surprised even her. Jaime and Rina weren't sure what to do, but certainly knew how she felt.

"I've got to call my mom," Helene said suddenly; "I have to talk to her about all this. Mother/daughter stuff."

She then ran off to her room to do just that.

Rina just looked at Jaime and said, "My mother called me a whore. I wish I had a mom like Helene's. One you could tell everything to. I feel cheated."

Jaime took Rina's hand and said, "I know, Reen. I have a mom like Helene's. And my mom could be a surrogate mom for you, too. That's the way she's always been. And Helene's mom is the same way. Your mom is a bitch, and we all know it; You always can go to my mom, since she lives here. I know she would be flattered if you confided in her."

"Thank you, Jaime," Rina said; "I might just take her up on that. I am glad that Helene is happy. She and Alexei are meant to be together. They are really soulmates. I hope that Jeremy is mine."

Jaime grinned and said, "There's only one way to find out, and that's to spend more time with him and get to know him better. Time will tell if you two are meant to be."

"How did you get so wise, James?"

"It's the family I was blessed with," Jaime said; "We all have respect, admiration and love for one another. We're all very close."

"All I have is Vito," Rina said.

"You and Vito will do great things, and make your father proud of you, wherever he is spending eternity," Jaime said. "Your mother, though, is a lost cause."

"You're not singing to the priest, James," Rina said. Then, "I got that wrong, didn't I?"

Jaime laughed, saying, "Don't worry about it, Reen. I've kind of gotten used to your mangling of our idioms."

Rina laughed. Jaime was right, of course.


===


"Don't tell me, Kathryn," Christian said, "let me guess. Helene?"

"You got it," Kathryn said playfully. "But there is something I need to discuss with you."

Christian looked at her and asked, "And that is?"

Kathryn sighed, not knowing how Christian was going to take what she had to tell him.

"It seems that our oldest daughter has taken a very serious step."

"And what that might be?" Christian asked, almost knowing that Kathryn was going to tell him something he had suspected for a while.

"Our little girl lost her virginity last night, and she is absolutely over the moon about it."

"With Alexei, I'm gathering," said Christian.

"Who else?" Kathryn said; "At least it was with someone she cares deeply for, and not the way I lost mine."

"She's not even 17 yet!" Christian said. "But still, if I had to be glad of one thing, it's that it was with Alexei. I like that boy, Kathryn. He's a good man. And he cares for Helene very much."

"I like him, too," said Kathryn; "You think they're soulmates? Like we are?"

"They're still kids," Christian said; "Only time will tell."

"So if he came to you at some point and asked your permission to marry Helene, you'd give it to him?" asked Kathryn.

"Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves," Christian said cautiously; "I'd like to see Helene turn 18 and finish college first before anything like that happens."

"Well, I didn't say it was going to happen tomorrow, Christian," Kathryn laughed; "but I understand your concerns. No 17 year old girls are getting married on my watch, I don't care how in love she is."

Christian kissed Kathryn's cheek, then said, "I wonder which of the three of them will marry first? Helene, Jaime or Rina."

"Rina just started seeing someone over Christmas, so I'd say it's not going to be her," Kathryn said. "I'd put my money on Jaime, personally. And not because her sister just got married, either."

"Okay, okay," Christian laughed; "I just wondered."

"Mommy? Daddy? Where are you?" they heard Eric call from down the hall.

"Daddy's office, son," Christian said. He and Kathryn then heard little footsteps running toward the office, then Eric appeared in the doorway.

"I want breakfast," he said.

"Really?" asked his mother; "And how do we ask for breakfast?"

Eric had a thoughtful look on his face before saying, "Mommy, may I have breakfast, please?"

"That's better," Kathryn said; "Now come with me to the kitchen and help me pick out what you would like, okay?"

"Okay!" he said and ran out of the office towards the kitchen.

"What about you, Christian? Breakfast?"

"In a bit," he said; "I have some work to look at, then I'll be down there. I'll get Erin and Lili up on the way."

Kathryn nodded and headed to the kitchen, where Eric sat quietly on a chair in the dining room.

Christian turned to his computer, where the night before, he found something that looked promising.

Government forms for visa status changes for Charles' probable children.

He clicked on the one that was marked "United States Office of Immigration, File Number 1130-2038US-IL, Application for permanent resident status."

Name of Applicant: d'Alessandro, Audrina Aida
Known Aliases: Audrina A. Alexander
Date of Birth: 30 June, 2022
Country of Origin: Italy
Name of Mother: Caterina Tosca d'Alessandro (Born 1994)
Country of Origin: Italy
Name of Father: Charles Richardson DeWitt (Born 2003; Died 2034)
Country of Origin: United States
Reason for Application: Father was a US Citizen; Permission to work legally in U.S.
Application Status: Approved 3 January 2039
New Visa Mailed: 15 March 2039


My God! Christian thought, Rina is my granddaughter! And Helene doesn't know!

He then clicked on the second file. It was the same application that made out in the name of Vittorio Matteo d'Alessandro. He was two and a half years older than Rina, and went by the names Vito Alexander and Victor Matthew Alexander.

Looking at the two forms, Christian realized that Charles had heirs. But why, he thought, do they carry their mother's surname and not Charles'?

Christian decided to do a little research into the d'Alessandro family before he drew any conclusions. And he would keep the information to himself for a while.

Instead of the three grandchildren he thought he had through Chris, he now had two more through Charles. And his daughter was her best friend's aunt, and had no idea!

It's up to Rina to tell Helene about their familial connection, and not mine, Christian thought. But does Rina know?

There still far too many questions for Christian's liking.

In a few weeks, he'd get confirmation of his suspicions when he got a visitor he wasn't expecting.

His granddaughter.

===