Life had always been easy for Axel. He had attended school in England until his father decided to move to America. Axel thrived wherever he went, top of his class, best in the school. Nothing he did was a challenge. When his sister got her heart broken it was the first trial he had faced in his life. Never had something like this happened to him. Women were the ones that got hurt, he hadn't realised the type of damage that occurred when it happened. He never had to pick up the pieces until Olivia cried in his arms, he had regretted the way he treated woman. When he saw this he swore that the mysterious woman from his suite, who turned out to be Elizabeth, would be the last time. It was, all the women he slept with after that knew his terms, one night only and no more. He wasn't interested in settling down. He didn't believe that he could find a love like his father's.
When he came into his grandmother's fortune his aversion to women became stronger. He was a dollar sign and they exerted their charm to try force a ring on his finger. He wasn't stupid.
Never before had he come across a situation like this, sure washed up penniless wannabes had accused him of carrying his child. A paternity test had sent them all packing though. He hadn't given the woman he slept with a second thought. He didn't suspect she was pregnant, let alone the rich heir to a billion dollar company. She had claimed that she had tried to find him. He wasn't sure about that.
He called the office he usually went through for paternity tests but didn't know how to get Athena's DNA to confirm or deny it. He also didn't know if he could take a pathological liars word for it. What made him question the validity of her claim was the fact that Elizabeth had also written a letter to her daughter. She hadn't sullied his name, had even told Athena that their history was theirs. She had stated his name and that's all. That is what made him believe Elizabeth.
The other thing that had bothered him was that she hadn't denied what she did to his sister, didn't even regret it. She claimed that his sister had ruined her sibling. That was not the story that he had heard. There was no way that he would doubt what Olivia had told him but what did Elizabeth think happened? Did her brother lie to her?
The next issue was Alexander. She said he was the reason she wouldn't want to tell him about Athena. What had Alexander done? He was in jail, right?
Walking to his apartment he opened the door to find his sister drinking wine with the very person he had under question. Axel leaned against the doorway as the two spoke. Olivia was talking about the house Elizabeth lived in with Athena, his possible daughter. He wasn't sure if he liked the sensitive information Olivia was sharing, but he didn't voice his opinions. At a lull in the conversation Axel found his opening,
"What is it that you were put in jail for Alexander?"
The pair turned their attention to Axel, both looking shocked by his silent approach and abrupt question. Elizabeth had placed doubts in his mind and he wasn't sure how to handle them. All his life there was always a definite answer and all of a sudden she makes him question his own judgement. Axel wasn't naive, he knew he could be arrogant and somewhat self righteous, but he had never been wring about his judgement on someone, he'd never been wring about a persons character.
There was an ominous threat lingering in the letter addressed to Axel that he couldn't shake, something that told him that Alexander could not be trusted.
"I told you," Alexander spluttered, that family lied about me and my character, said I was abusive and other outrageous claims!"
Warning bells rang loudly in Axel's mind at the shrill end of the other man's voice. The other tell tail sign was that he started to fidget under Axel's piercing gaze, beads of sweat starred to form under Alexander's lip as Axel's eyes narrowed. There was more to the story and the longer Axel watched the older man he grew more suspicious. It seemed his judgement was off about Alex and he refused to admit it to himself, let alone Elizabeth, at least not until he had answers and proof.
Axel looked at his sister who seemed confused at the silent war her brother was facing. He wondered if she too had things to hide, out of spite or maybe self reservation he'd put off the subject of Olivia until further notice.
"How did you know about Elizabeth's child?"
Alexander scoffed, his relief to be on a different subject visible, "My wife let it slip."
He didn't miss the sneer that Alexander had made when he mentioned his wife. His eyes opened to the underlying malice of this stranger in his apartment. He had called many places to find out about Athena, all records were sealed and no amount of money he offered was enough to get a peek at them. He had resorted to hiring a private investigator. It had been two hours since he'd come to learn that he could possibly have a daughter and the only information he had gathered was from what Ellie had talked about in her letter.
"Leave." Axel spat tersely. Alexander was only too eager to leave, when he had left, Axel turned to his sister and forced a small smile, "I have business to do, you should go too." Noticing her brothers foul mood she nodded mutely, wondering what had gotten in to him. He had been so excited to learn that she had found an insider to help them, but now her brother seemed to hate him.
Finally alone with his thoughts Axel looked around his place, thinking that it was much too large for one person. This place had two levels and four rooms with a large office. The silence that echoed through the walls seemed to taunt him, reminding him that he was alone. Thinking to himself he wondered what it would be like to have a child running around the place, wondered what it would be like to come home to a woman, his woman...
"Ridiculous." Axel growled.
He loosened his tie and stalked to his office slamming the door and ignoring the silent echo that seemed to vibrate around him. He sat at his desk and picked up his phone dialling a number.
"Ray!" He exclaimed when the man had answered after the third ring. "What gave you found."
"Mr. Halbridge, sir, I had to pick locks and scour files but I finally found something. Athena Margaret Lawson, was born at the Lawson family home. Her birth certificate does not have a father listed and it seems that the family regularly donate money to the places involved to keep the secret."
Axel sighed, there was no real information in that, his prise was slightly damaged at the idea of having a child that didn't have his lady name, but then again, he wasn't sure that she was his daughter, right?
"Pictures?" Axel questioned.
He was met with a moment of silence as Ray cleared his throat, "Uhh. No sir. The family haven't been seen with her in public let alone have knowledge that she exists."
Axel sighed frustrated," Very well, I have someone else for you to look up, Alexander, the man my sister has acquainted herself with."
Adter exchanging a few details Axel hung up, with no answers and possibly more questions.
He called his publicist and told her to announce to the press that he and Elizabeth have been dating for a while and his most recent events were the event of a little too much alcohol and an argument between the pair. That he and Elizabeth are working through their problems. He asked her to allude to the idea that they were engaged to be married.
Axel knew that it would infuriate Ellie. If he was being honest with himself he really had planned to take her company. He was going to break it down and sell it in pieces. Axel wanted to take everything from the Lawson family. He wanted them in despair and to feel the hopelessness his family had felt when Elizabeth had barged into their lives, but somehow his plans had changed. After seeing how the company had been run, how fairly the workers had been treated and how loyal they were he didn't think he had the heart to tear them away from their jobs. He also hadn't planned on helping on helping the company do better.
Once he realised that he couldn't destroy them in the business world his next plan for of attack was to make Elizabeth fall in love with him. He could settle with breaking the heart that broke his sister. Now there was a new factor in the mix, a child. If he was being honest with himself he didn't think that this woman could be a proper mother, but after reading the letter to her daughter he had to think twice. No uncaring mother would say the things that were said in that letter. It sickened him, the amount of live and care that had been put in that letter. He couldn't deny her parental care. When he first found out that Elizabeth had a daughter, Axel thought that he could put things in place so that she would lose custody of her, but he wasn't cruel enough to take a loving mother away from her child, especially if the father wasn't in the picture.
A daughter, Axel might be a father.
The idea both terrified and excited him in ways that he was unfamiliar with. He wasn't sure if he could be a father. He had seen the way his father was and Axel was unsure if he could measure up to such a great man.
If Athena really is his daughter, he knew that he couldn't separate the pair. He also didn't know if he could break Elizabeth's heart now. His mind was running circles and the next thing that hit him was like a freight train. He had gone and had unprotected sex with her! He had made a comment about not wanting a bastard child.
"Idiot!" He bellowed slamming his fist on his desk. "Shit!"
Axel couldn't sit still any longer. He went to his shower to get ready for tonight. When he was done, towel wrapped around his waist he walked into his office to answer the phone.
"Olivia" He replied curtly
"Axel. Is everything okay?"
"Yes. I'm fine but tell Alexander that we no longer need his services"
She gave a strangled noise and said bye when he hung up. The thing on his mind was how did she know about Alexander? Did she see him, did Axel talk about him? Or did he do something stupid?
Getting ready for the ball tonight Axel prepared his questions and felt a bubble of nervousness sprout in him. The type that would make a person squirm but he didn't. He was stronger than that, Axel didn't like this feeling and had half a mind to go over there and demand answers, but he wouldn't his pride wouldn't allow it.
So he would wait.