282 Deserted Island (?)
“Are you sure about this? This doesn’t sound like anything Evan would say.” Desmond peeked over at the pop-up Zaria had just mentioned.
“Drive.” She pushed his head away to remind him that he was driving. “It sounds odd to you too. He rarely calls you Fort but it’s not like it has never happened. Maybe it’s Veronica.”
He wasn’t sure but he let it slide. After all, what could go wrong? It wasn’t like anyone could access The West’s website aside from members of the West family. Besides, they were going to meet the rest of the West family either way so it didn’t matter if they happened to grab onto their invite.
They were prepared for everything but when a helicopter landed in Desmond’s backyard to take them to the resort, they exchanged confused glances.
“Is this something Evan or Veronica would do?” She gave him a side glance for confirmation. “How can we be certain that we are actually going to The West and not being deposited on a random island on our own with no cell phone service?”
He knew she was joking, but this did feel like the prelude of such a thing happening. He chuckled. “I have watched too many treasure hunt shows that started with the contestants being ferried away on a strange helicopter but don’t worry. That’s Evan’s private pilot.”
She was relieved. Although she still had suspicions, she went back to the car and took her bag which she had already kept in and walked towards the helicopter, slowing down a step to take his hand.
“Zaria?” An adorable voice called out moments before Rosaly ran out of the house to rush to them.
They had planned to slip away while she was taking a nap so she wouldn’t be sad but it seemed like the helicopter had woken her up.
.....
She bit her lip and hoped she wouldn’t notice they were leaving.
“Hey sweetie. You are awake.” She opened her arms for Rosaly to come for a hug. She hugged her and then Desmond, then looked at the helicopter curiously.
“Where are you going?” She asked Desmond.
“We have some work matters to take care of. Stay here, okay? Izzie will come over soon to keep you company.” He promised, but she looked like she was about to cry.
“We will bring you a pretty tiara when we come back.” He promised.
“But I wanna come with you.” She whined, her eyes glistening. “Can I come, Zaria? Please?” She hugged her legs, having realized that Zaria was easier to convince.
Zaria’s heart melted as she looked down at the adorable crying mess. She crouched down to her level. “I wish you could, honey. I know you want to come and your daddy and I would like that as well. But adults’ business is very boring and you will not have fun. Would you like to play with Des instead? Grandpa Theo can come over later to play with the two of you.”
Rosaly switched from tears to smiles as soon as she heard that she would get to play with her new friends. She nodded excitedly and the couple was relieved.
They said their goodbyes before Zaria called Theodore to ask him to come over, and they boarded the helicopter.
“You sure know how to pacify her.” He remarked. He could spend an hour running his mouth off, trying to talk her into something, and Zaria would only need to say a few words for the girl to happily comply. She seemed to understand Rosaly more than he did, and they had not even known each other for long.
“You would make a perfect mother.”
She nearly choked on the water she had just sipped. How the hell did he come to that conclusion?
“Can you pay more attention here? We are probably being flown to our deaths yet you have the time to joke around.” She chastised.
He laughed. “Didn’t you willingly get on this flight?”
Yes she did, but she was regretting it now. Her gut told her they were not going anywhere near The West and when they flew over scenery she didn’t recognize from the last time, she knew she was right.
“Deserted Island, here we come.” She muttered.
He grinned at her theatrics but played along. When the air hostess came over to ask whether he was ready to order something to eat or drink, he asked for a bottle of wine.
“Celebrate your way to hell, is what Shakespeare said.” He winked at her.
“Shakespeare wouldn’t say that.” She fired back and watched jealously as he poured himself a glass. He looked like he was having too much fun on this trip.
When they finally landed on an island, she sucked in a breath. “Whose idea is this?”
“Ours. We entered the helicopter without being forced to.” He looked around.
That was true. She knew that, but she still felt it had nothing to do with the West family. “This situation feels awfully familiar.”
“Whatever. When do we start searching for food to eat and gadgets to make our lives easier?” She asked. The pilot had refused to open his mouth when they asked who sent him and had taken off as soon as he dropped them here.
“I bet that cottage has everything we need.” He pointed at a cottage that was nearly sealed off from the rest of the island by all the trees surrounding it.
“Wait here.” He ordered and went to check on the cottage first to ensure it was safe, before calling her over. She spotted the keys on the living room table next to a glass of water and guessed that someone was here. It didn’t take long before Veronica returned from the bathroom and rolled her eyes when she saw them.
“I knew you wanted to meet me but why did you have to stalk me and come all the way to my private island?” She scolded them, revealing just how much she hated them here.
The duo was taken aback by her response. Wasn’t she the one who had sent a helicopter to pick them up?
Guessing that it was Evan, he cleared his throat. “It doesn’t matter how we got to see each other. Since we are already here, why don’t we shed the pretenses and talk about something that will benefit both of our sides?”
“What do you want?”She asked.
“A piece of The West.” He went straight to the point, then emphasized, “Your piece.”
She scoffed and wanted to pass it off as a joke until she realized how serious he was.
“Why should I simply offer it to you?” She sat on the couch with her legs crossed, looking at them across the table like they were clowns.
“Because you don’t really want it. And because if The West is already falling into the hands of people who are not part of the West family, then you might as well let other strangers in.” He pushed.
She froze in shock at the implication of his words. He already knew that she was not actually a West. It was not a secret anymore. How did they find out? He had underestimated them. “It turns out Skeleton is as good as he is said to be.” The words rolled off her tongue bitterly like she had been forced to say them.
He kept going. “We have one thing in common with you, Veronica. We cannot stand Gabriel West.”
“And why the hell should I trust you?” She asked.
He cast a sidelong glance at Zaria, who smiled as she opened her palm to reveal a bug half the size of an earbud.
“What the...” She wanted to grab at Zaria and snatch it away but Desmond was too fast. He shielded her and pushed Veronica back to her couch.
“We are here to chat, collaborate and have a good time. Fighting will get us nowhere.” He grinned although she was on the verge of exploding in anger.
“Fine.” She gritted her teeth. She didn’t have much choice. If Gabriel knew the truth about her, she would die before she realized it. “I will collaborate with you, but I want something in return.”
“Name it.” He urged.
She looked at Zaria, zeroed her gaze on the ring on her finger then back at Desmond with a smile. “I want you.”
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