Anything Could Happen

Chapter Thirty-One: Father's Bad News

"You look good," Ariana greeted hugging Briana, she had been keeping a close eye on how her friend was doing on her honeymoon and she had her suspicions that things had gone well for Lionel and Briana. 

Her suspicions had been further confirmed when she had laid eyes on Briana upon her return from her honeymoon; Ariana wondered if her friend knew yet that she was pregnant. 

It wasn't something that a lot of people would notice but it was there and Ariana didn't want to say something in case her friend wasn't quite ready for that news. 

"Thank you," Briana said with a smile, she was a little sad to be back at the palace but they hadn't been able to stay away forever; there was work to be done and she understood that. 

Moving to take a seat, Briana wondered just what was happening in the meeting that Lionel was attending with his parents; they had wanted to see him as soon as they had arrived back. 

Ariana nibbled on her lip and wondered how to explain to Briana the news that she had heard; she didn't wish to upset the brunette when she seemed so happy right now. 

"There has been news from your father," Ariana admitted carefully, she had no idea if she was doing the right thing especially when she knew that King Jorge wished to keep Briana in the dark about what was going on. 

It didn't seem right to hide this from Briana when the rumours could very well be true and Ariana knew that if she was in her friend's place then she would want to hear what was going on. 

Briana stared at Ariana, she hadn't had anything to do with her father for months and it made her nervous that her friend was bringing him up now just when she had returned from her honeymoon. 

"He is ill," Ariana revealed gently, she didn't want to upset Briana but she knew that she had to say something; she didn't feel right lying to Briana about what was going on.

Briana was silent at the news that she had been given, her mind trying to figure out why Ariana looked like this was worse than she was letting; it made her stomach turn at the last time she'd had this sort of conversation. 

"He's ill?" Briana asked wanting to be sure, she didn't know how to feel about the fact that her father was ill; she had lost one parent and yet she didn't speak with the other. 

Things hadn't been easy recently and Briana doubted that this was something that was going to go away; she wasn't sure how she should feel or react to this news. 

"They say he is going to die..." Ariana confirmed gently, she hated this and she knew that it would affect Briana; she had lost her mother several years ago and now it seemed like she would lose her father. 

It wasn't ideal nor was it an easy decision on what Briana should do but it was to be her choice and Ariana wasn't going to take that away from her. 

Briana was completely silent, her heart pounded in her chest at the news that her father was dying; she felt so torn on how to react and she didn't know what she wanted to do. 

The door to the room opened and Lionel walked into the room, he stopped at the sight of Briana and Ariana and he knew that something wasn't right. 

His father had just informed him of the rumours that Carlos was spreading about him being ill and that he didn't have long left; it unsettled him that this was happening now. 

"What did you do?" Lionel asked concerned, he didn't know what was going to happen but he had wanted to tell Briana himself so that she wasn't going to make the wrong decision. 

There was much for them to talk about and Lionel hadn't wanted to tell her so soon after they had returned from their honeymoon.

***

"You think he's faking it," Briana breathed looking at Lionel, she had listened to what he had to say and it made her stomach turn; she hadn't expected this and it scared her that he might be telling the truth. 

Lionel had his suspicions that Carlos was making all of this up to get Briana to come to him; he knew how desperate the man was to have his daughter's attention again. 

Things hadn't been going well for Carlos since Briana had cut him from her life, he had found himself pushed out of the social circles that had once accepted him because he was an ambassador. 

"We do," Lionel stated taking Briana's hand, he wasn't going to let the man gain control over his wife; he didn't trust the rumours for a moment. 

There was something that didn't feel right about any of this and Lionel wanted to make sure that Briana was kept safe during this time; he had noticed the small changes in her body that signalled that she was pregnant.

It was too soon to break the news to her but Lionel wasn't going to take any chances, Briana and their baby were important to him and he wanted to keep them safe. 

"Why would he do that?" Briana asked hoping that Carlos wasn't going to be making this up, she wasn't sure what she believed right now. 

Lionel sighed knowing how hard this must be for her to hear but he wasn't going to allow Carlos to trick her; he knew what the man wanted and it wasn't to put the past behind them. 

"He wants you back at his side Briana... someone that he can use for his own gain," Lionel whispered angrily, he didn't want this to become a problem between them when things had been going so well for them.

The last two weeks had been great and Lionel hoped that being back home would continue that for them; he wanted to be able to relax with Briana.

***

"Are you sure that this is going to work?" Christina asked handing her husband a drink, she was surprised by his plan and she hadn't been expecting it when he had said that he had a plan. 

Carlos sipped on his drink and nodded his head, he leant back in his chair wondering how long it would be before Briana would show up wanting to make sure that he was okay. 

"Of course. She's lost one parent... she won't want to lose another," Carlos replied calmly, he was pleased with how everything was working out; everyone seemed to be talking about his apparent illness. 

The rumours were spreading and he doubted that it would be long before Briana was at the door wishing to speak with him; he knew that she was home from her honeymoon. 

He had been keeping a close eye on the pictures and he knew that Lionel would do his best to make sure that Briana was safe; there were no signs of pregnancy yet but Carlos doubted that it would be long before an announcement was made. 

Male Auleans were extremely protective of their spouses when they were pregnant and there was no denying that Lionel had been pretty protective of Briana in the last couple of weeks. 

Carlos was still disappointed that he hadn't been able to give Briana away on her wedding day but he doubted that he would be welcomed if Briana was pregnant right now. 

Christina pursed her lips, she hated that everything seemed to lie in Briana's hands when she had been nothing but a stone in her shoes since the day that she found out the girl existed. 

They needed her support if they were going to survive on this new planet and she wasn't going to play nice with her if she had to come face to face with the bastard.