Chapter 79 - REASON BEHIND
To forgive is to set
a prisoner free
and discover the prisoner
was you.
***
Alexander Crawford wants nothing but revenge from the man who caused his only daughter nothing but anguish. He started to carefully plot his well-organized revenge to ruin his daughter's ex-husband so he would realize how he wronged an innocent soul. The first step is to present his daughter as the heiress of Crawford Chain of Companies and when Greyson sees his ex-wife he would receive the greatest shock of his life. Just as Alexander planned things went as smoothly as ironed clothes. The night of the party he saw how Greyson's jaw dropped to the floor upon the first time he laid an eye on Beatrix, he had a dumbfounded look on his face as if a sharp bolt of lightning struck him. Alexander couldn't stop grinning that night as he watched Greyson suffer in the dark corner of the room as he continued to watch his ex-wife as he slowly realized what he'd lost. Without his knowing it was just the beginning of his suffering
The painting was a bait to lure Greyson into his territory and he willingly jumped right into a treacherous trap despite the large caution sign. The day he set foot inside the Crawford Mansion, he signed his death warrant without him knowing. Alexander enjoyed watching the pained expression on Greyson's face each time he secretly watched Beatrix and Faith Vienne over a distance. He watched the indescribable pain etched on the younger man's somber face knowing he was overcome with grief by the realization all he could do was watch the two women he loved most from where he stood.
Alexander was satisfied that Greyson was painfully suffering from the remorse of losing both a wife and a daughter. And he celebrates his victory almost every night with a bottle of expensive vintage wine. He knew Greyson deserved much much worse than mental and emotional suffering and once more he found himself plotting for another form of revenge—this time he made sure it would snap Greyson's sanity—and that's sending Beatrix and Faith Vienne to Brittania where he would never see his family ever again.
He was almost successful...almost. But it seems the fates have a different plan. When he was only one step away from his ultimate revenge he realize while he was fullfiling his carefully organized revenge Beatrix secretly shares the same miserable fate as Greyson. True he wants to hurt her ex-husband but he didn't want his daughter to suffer.?It painfully occurred to him that she was still in love with him and there's nothing he could do to alter her feelings. Her memory faded, but her love for Greyson didn't change a bit.
The situation only worsened when Alexander discovered that Greyson's lawyer was a fraud and he was still legally married to his daughter. The serendipitous news shattered his cautiously laden plan to bits. All hopes to avenge his daughter faded like a mass of smoke after being blown by the wind. For the first time, Alexander realized that vengeance would only inflict further damage to two battered hearts.
The door to the library opened. His burgeoning thoughts were cut short from the sound of the door closing followed by soft footsteps inside the terrace. It was ten in the evening, the view outside the glass window was shrouded with darkness. Few stars scattered in the sky, it could be counted with his fingers. It would rain soon, he thought eyeing pitch-black darkness on the horizon that seems to mirror his mood.
The silence hanging inside the terrace was heavy—as heavy as how he felt now that Beatrix was away.?The footsteps behind him stopped in front of the white Victorian sofa. Without looking back, he knew exactly who was now sitting on the seat behind him.
"Do you think I made the right decision Mama?"
He turned in her direction. Clarissa Crawford was gracefully seated on the long, victorian sofa as if it were her throne. Her long dainty hands were clasped on top of her knees as she appeared to be deep in her thought. She heard his question but she made no immediate response as if contemplating the question thrown at her. After a wave of long silence, she raised her head and averted her gaze to his face as if she was reading his thoughts. Few strands of silvery hair fell from her neatly done chignon then slowly cascade to her face. She slowly lifted her hands and tucked the stray hair strands behind her ears before she spoke. "You made the right decision Alex and I'm so proud of you." She whispered without taking her phoenix eyes from his face.
After Alexander saw the flickering emotions in her beautiful eyes he knew he did the right thing. For the first time since morning, he was able to let go a deep sigh filled with relief since he knew when he woke up in the morning he will feel no regrets. As he moved to pour himself another glass of vintage wine on top of the transparent crystal table and occupied the empty seat next to his mother, the last conversation he had with Greyson played on his thoughts.
"I will pay for your tuition fee Greyson in exchange for your service as my daughter's bodyguard. You will stay on the Manor she would be staying so you could perform your duties well."
Alexander didn't know what occurred to him that moment. Not only that he allowed Greyson to stay in the same house as his daughter but he also granted him a big favor—to pursue his passion for art. What an ironic way to punish his greatest enemy, he thought sarcastically as he lifted the glass to his lips. The warmth flowed down his throat easing a bit of his stress. He lowered the empty glass back to the glass table while wondering where did his plan for revenge goes. He suddenly realizes that he was helping the man who he should be plotting to destroy.
He was a father too. He knew exactly how heartwrenching it feels to have his daughter taken away from him. He wasn't on good terms with Greyson but for Faith Vienne's sake, Greyson has his deepest sympathy.?He too couldn't bear the agony of being parted with his only daughter. Above all, Beatrix was the reason why he changed his mind and decided to abandon all ideas of revenge. He couldn't allow his daughter to grow old miserable. He will give her the liberty to choose for the man she loves without his intervention. Anyway, when Beatrix's memories returns, Greyson has to pay for his mistakes—the price would be high and I doubt if he could even afford it.
"Greyson proves to be changing Alex. He was a nice man who made a lot of regrets in the past. It was his unavoidable circumstances that turn him into a villain."
Alexander groaned, Clarissa was obviously in favor of Greyson. He didn't like it. When he lifted his gaze to her beautiful countenance, he caught the faint trace of a smile forming on her thin lips. "He made a mistake and nothing can change that."?He replied eyeing her warily before he refilled his glass to indulge another sip from his wine.
"You're right and wrong at the same time, my son." His mother spoke without even looking at him and straightened the crumple on her night gown. "You're right that Greyson made a grave mistake in the past and he couldn't change that but you are definitely wrong for your prejudice, the man still have a future and that future could help alter his past."
When he said nothing, she gave him a victorious smile. Her wisdom silenced him. Clarissa was telling the truth and he couldn't find a thing to say to contradict her words. If he would only be honest, maybe the truth in her words is what encourage him to believe in Greyson. After all the man was a genius artist, and he couldn't allow his exceptional talent to go to waste.
"It's getting late Ma. Go and get some beauty rest."
"Sending me to bed early, my son?" She asked sweetly, a triumphant smile tugging on her lips knowing he was trying to cut her from falling into a lengthy sermon. "Well then, I must be off Alex. Goodnight." She said instead. He couldn't believe his victory as his gaze guided Clarissa's back?towards the door after he bid her goodnight.
Silence hung inside the terrace when she was gone. Lightning danced into the sky as the last sign of stars faded into the pitch black horizon. Moments later the rain poured heavily. As he watch the rain falling from the sky he made a promise to himself. From now on he will never come between Greyson and Beatrix. The two had been through a lot. They deserve have one another.
Maybe one day, Beatrix will learn how to forgive Greyson in time, but for sure it would take a long while before she will.
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