Kyle Avery, CEO of Mama Avery Foods, has been summoned to a special meeting by a note from her late mother, Virgilia Avery. When she arrives, she meets the elusive mogul Newton "Cass" Baxter, CEO of Baxter Chemicals and learns of the nearly forty year history her mother shared with Cass, as well as the obstacles they'd been forced to endure. As Kyle struggles to understand their history, she's forced to confront the man who loved and left her, Brandon Hall, VP of Baxter Chemicals and the adopted son of Cass Baxter. Kyle and Brandon unite in love, but separate in tragedy. They are forced to deal with the sad legacy of their parent's lives as well as their own heartbreak. It's up to them to finally break the chains which bind their hearts and find their own path to happiness.
When she finally got her ticket, she stood at the door, digging through her purse. Just as she reached for the handle, her hand touched someone else's. She looked up at him and felt a sudden jolt through her body. Their eyes locked for what seemed like an eternity.
Virgilia was suddenly lost in his warm emerald green eyes. He looked at her brown eyes and caught his breath.
"After you," he said, as she suddenly remembered where she was and why.
"Thank you," she managed to get out as she walked through the door he held open.
Neither of them had ever felt that way before and didn't know what to make of it. Was it a case of static? It felt a little too good to be just a random shock.
Virgilia tried to shake it off as she made her way into the theater. It was packed and she craned her head to find a possible seat. There were a couple of vacancies close to the front. Virgilia hated being that close to the screen, but as the saying goes, beggars can't be choosers. She found a seat and relaxed a bit. Not long after, her green-eyed doorman sat next to her.
"I'm not following you," he said, grinning at the look of surprise on her face. "This is just the only seat which seems to be left"
"Don't worry. I didn’t think you were following me"
"Why not? Aren't you worth following?" he flashed Virgilia a devastating smile which made her blush. Before she could even think of an answer, the lights dimmed.
She felt him lean in to her "We will continue this discussion later." Her stomach shivered as she cleared her throat and focused on the screen.
Throughout the movie, the audience’s reaction just heightened the tension of the scenes. Virgilia had no idea how big this shark was, but she knew the next time she decided to go to the beach, she would definitely rethink it.
A couple of times, the movie made her jump, much to the amusement of her doorman.
"Don't worry, Precious," he whispered. "I'll protect you"
Virgilia felt the pit of her stomach flutter when he called her "precious." If it were any other man, she would have been offended, even threatened. With him, it felt natural to hear him to call her that and she didn't even know his name.
When the movie ended, she stared at the screen, reading the credits. When she turned to glance at him, he was gone. Virgilia felt a pang of disappointment.
As she exited the theater, she felt a presence behind her. She turned to see him smiling at her.
"You never did answer my question. Don't you think you're worth following?"
"I will only answer questions from men whose names I know."
"Fair enough" he said as he extended his hand "My friends call me Cass."
"I'm Virgilia," she said as she shook his hand
"That's quite a name. I think I'll call you 'Lila' for short."Normally she hated it when people called her by some modification of her name, but this one seemed different. "Do you often change the name of the people you meet to suit yourself?"
"Only the special ones."
Virgilia felt her cheeks get hot and her stomach do backflips. No stranger had ever made her feel so at ease.
For his part, Cass was fascinated by this vision he saw before him. There was something about this woman, a light, a fire which drew him in and made him want to lose himself in those gorgeous brown eyes. He’d never felt anything like it before and was not going to let this opportunity pass him by.
"Yes," Virgilia said, suddenly.
"Yes, to Lila?"
"That too, but I meant the answer to your question." Cass looked a little lost and then she said, "I am worth following."
Cass felt his heart flip as he grinned. "Shall we?" he said offering his arm.
They walked around and talked for what felt like minutes, but turned out to be hours as evening turned to dusk. Virgilia's face hurt from smiling so much; she couldn't recall the last time she had such fun by herself or with anyone.
Cass found her smart and witty and even more beautiful than when he’d opened the door for her. He had met some stunning women in his life, but tonight, they seemed merely passable compared to Lila.
"It's getting late." She said "I had better get home"
"I'll walk you." he announced.
"No, I don't live too far from here."
He held his hand up. "I'm not letting any woman walk alone at night anywhere, no matter how close she lives."
They’d only just met, but the look on his face said he wasn't going to take ‘no’ for an answer. She thought better of starting an argument as they slowly made it to the gate of her house.
"Well, this is me," she said.
He nodded and looked at the house. It was small, modest, and held a bit of charm with the low white fence separating it from the house next door.
"Cass, I had a wonderful time."
"So did I," Cass said as his gaze moved from her eyes to her lips. "I want to do it again."
Virgilia wanted the same, but she had to be practical. "Maybe we should leave it at tonight."
Cass looked Virgilia straight in the eyes with a determination he felt deep within him. He was not used to hearing the word ‘no’ from a woman. But from this woman, the thought of not seeing her after tonight was completely unacceptable. "I don't believe you believe that. I can see it in your eyes…”
Grayson Baxter, first born of Julian and Joan, has always been the prodigal of the Baxter clan. He has also been heavily into drugs since he was a teenager. As his brother Cass enters a new phase in his life and is headed towards taking over the family business, Grayson’s drug use worsens. When he attempts to break away from the family that hates him, something goes terribly wrong. After tragedy strikes and with the help of a unique rehab facility, Grayson gets his life back. He discovers and pursues his desire to become a therapist and fall in love with Bindi Gail. Just as they start a life together, one fateful decision tears them apart. Through life’s twists and turns he finds his way from lost to found and learns to love again, Grayson’s journey to survive and realize his path as a Baxter makes his redemption more satisfying.
It was the day of Cass' return and even though the house seemed quiet, there was a little bit of a spark in the air. Julian was planning to have a party the next day, inviting some of the most elite of Gables society to show off his son. As Grayson walked downstairs to the pool, he met his father coming out of the home office.
"Grayson," Julian began, "Cass will be in late tonight. We're planning to have breakfast tomorrow at the Biltmore. Can you possibly make it a priority to show up on time?"
Grayson grinned. "What's the matter, Father? Afraid I'll be fashionably late and upset the golden boy?"
Julian looked at his son steadily, unsmiling. He had no idea what he needed to do to get to Grayson, but one day he vowed he would before it was too late. Grayson looked at his father and then looked away. He hated being stared at, especially by the inscrutable Julian Baxter who saw everything and said little.
Grayson sighed and shook his head. "Fine." He could never get the better of the old man and there was no use in wasting time. Giving him one last look, Julian walked away. Grayson ambled to the patio and made a mental note to call Jerry. He needed a little extra boost to last him through his brother's return.
Grayson jumped in one of the cars and headed over to Jerry's place. He desperately needed a hit of something to take the edge off, and the only place he’d get some peace to enjoy it was outside of the manor.
"And then he looked at me and I just stood there," Grayson said as he took a hit of the weed.
"At least he gives a shit," Jerry replied. "Mine was too busy beating the shit out my mother and me to even say 'boo.' He blamed my mother for his sorry state. She worked her fingers to the bone and when she got pregnant, he beat her so bad she lost the baby. Then blamed her for it."
"Damn, man." Grayson was stunned. Grayson had known Jerry for over ten years and he rarely talked about his family life. It was only when they were in college that he learned Jerry’s father was dead and his mother was in jail, but he never knew why.
"The day my mother offed my father was the happiest day of my life." Jerry stared unblinking at nothing and Grayson could see the grip his memories held him in. "She’d just had enough of the beating, the screaming, the yelling...and she decided it as time." Grayson sat and listened. His life was a fairytale in comparison, and for a moment he felt like a brat. "But my mom was smart." Jerry leaned over and looked at Grayson with a smile on his face. "She’d gotten a special insurance policy on my father and made me the beneficiary. She set it up special so that when my father died, I’d be taken care of and the money wouldn’t be spent willy-nilly by my uncle." Jerry nodded, tapping his forefinger on his temple. "She set up some trust or whatever that paid for school and books and college. She set aside some money to pay my uncle to take care of me, but she did what she thought she needed to do."
Grayson listened and wondered if Joan would have ever done anything like that for him or any of his siblings. He didn't even have to answer because he already knew and it made him sick.
Great interview. Awesome job, Palessa! I look forward to reading more from you.
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