EMPIRE: The Rise of A Queen

Chapter 6

I laid in bed the next morning and kept replaying my first week in LA, especially the parts that involved Marcel, in my head over and over again. I looked at my phone and saw that it was time to get up if I didn’t want to be late, I groaned. The moment I got up and left this room I had to do something I’d been ignorant and pushing out off my mind. To tell my dad that I’m moving out today. After work I was going straight over to the new beach house to unpack some boxes and get settled. Maybe open a bottle of wine and take a late night dip in the ocean that was right outside her door. She couldn’t wait to have her morning coffee on that balcony or watch the sunrise there, with Marcel’s arms around me. I shook my head in effort to shake Marcel out off my mind as good as I could, I didn’t manage it full out but enough for me to get dressed and run the conversation I was about to have with my father over and over again before walking out of my room and in to the kitchen.

”Morning honey, ready for the last day of your first week at work?” Dad asked with a smile.

”Yeah, but mostly I just want this day to be over with.” I answered honestly.

”Oh, why’s that hon?”He took a sip from his coffee.

”Okay, so you know that I love you and it’s been so nice to live together again but we both knew I wouldn’t live here forever right?” I had to ask and my father nodded and just looked at me questioning, like he didn’t knew where I was going with this. ”So I actually got a place of my own.”

”Wow, that’s great honey. Is it a buy or rental? Cause I honestly think that rental is just a waste of money. I could help you with a loan if you need it or anything.” I let him ramble on for a little bit before I cut in.

”It’s not necessary dad, I already got a loan approved and the papers are signed and everything.” I was ready for some heat from him but he just looked at me with adoration.

”You are so independent, just like your mother. Just don’t get to independent and forget about your old dad. When do you move in?” He asked as I was still in a bit of shock by how good he took it all.

”Actually, it’s today.” I finally got out.

”Today? That’s fast.” He looked at his watch and took another sip.

”Actually it’s not, I signed the contracts about two months ago after we decided to move here. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. It was just so nice being together like this again and I know how weird it is for you to move back here without mom around.” I explained, I hadn’t want him to be alone. I had stayed with in for about a year when mom got sick and moving felt like that all over again.

”Oh, honey. I don’t mind that you’re moving, I was kind of surprised when you didn’t say anything. I was planning to make your room into a little lab but I didn’t know how long you were gonna stay here. I know we don’t talk like we used to since mom died but I’d like to change that, starting now. No more secrets and no lying ever.” I said and I couldn’t help but smile at the idea. But a thought in the back of my mind creeped in, I was still lying to him about me being a witch.

”I can live with that.” And with that our moment was cut short by my phone, a morning text from Marcel.

”Good, so who is this guy that keeps texting you?” My dad was so sneaky some times. ”I’m guessing it’s a guy by the smile and blush on your face.” He continued making my blush go another shade darker.

”Dad! It’s just a guy from work, actually the opposition really.” I said and quickly texted him a short good morning back.

”Oh, so it’s like a rivalry thing?” Dad asked and wiggled his brows which was something I never thought I would see or ever wanted to see again ever!

”Yes, no. Actually we meet before the case but that’s a conversation for another day, I have to run. Bye dad.” I was happy that work had to cut this conversation short.

”I wanna meet this opposition one day.”

”One day, I promise.” And with that I kissed my dad on the cheek before collecting my things and walked out the door.

Work wasn’t as bad as it had been earlier, Henry was not giving me crap anymore and actually listened to what I had to say. Plus I believed that he started to like me, just a little at least. Enough to give me more responsibilities and I even got to sit in on strategy meetings. But I think that had more to do with Olivia than Henry, but I take what I can get. I hadn’t run into Marcel at work anymore after that day and I was happy for that, since he is way to good at distracting me from my work. Work had been kind of strange with most of the firm on one case, there had been more leads about other possible suspects. Which Mr Reacher was happy to put out for the media to know since the cops wasn’t that up for looking into other suspects when Olivia seemed to have such a good motive and no alibi. So now we were just gathering all the pieces we could find, no matter how far off they seemed just to shed some light on the truth. Whatever the truth now was but I was sure that it wasn’t Olivia as the killer.

By the end of the day my mind was all over the place, I had so many loose pieces that I just couldn’t place and it made me frustrated. The frustration washed away as I drove through town with the wind in my hair. This feeling could make any stress or bad mood go away, at least that’s my theory. It felt weird not to drive to dads house, I had planned to swing by to get the stuff I had there but since he wanted to see my place as well he offered to stop by tonight with my bags, along with dinner. I turned the car down the street where my beach house was located, Ocean drive. I thank my business from my uni-days along with my trust to afford this place. But I always dreamed about a house like this so when me and dad decided to move here and I found this house on the market, I had to go for it. And it was worth it, it was all that I could think about when I pulled up the driveway. Two story house, white with huge windows, classed as modern without the overly technological s**t that some of the houses I had looked at before I found this one had. Sure I liked the clean kitchen without all the knobs but that was mostly because I always walking into them and got bruises as a kid. I wanted it to feel like a home and not a place that looked like you could perform surgery at or something like that. A home that felt like home, and this was it.

I got out of the car and just looked at the house, that was now mine, in awe. I had to do a happy jump before looking around to see if anyone saw my moment of embarrassment and to my luck there was no one there. I walked over to the locked box next to the door and entered the code that the realtor gave me to get the keys. While unlocking the door I hold my breath and close my eyes before the door is fully opened. The sight in front of me took my breath away, it was more beautiful than the video tour and pictures. If my memory serves me correctly there was three bedrooms and a huge bathroom upstairs, along with a huge balcony that I couldn’t wait to get some new furniture for. I had gotten most of the furniture delivered earlier today but some I wanted to get a feel for beforehand. Walking around the bottom floor I couldn’t help but smile, the open floor plan was perfect. There was a bathroom straight ahead from the front door and to the side of it was a huge staircase that lifted the whole space to another level. 

I walked over to the living room and looked around the floor, there was a clear view over the kitchen and when I turned to my right I found the most amazing view of the ocean. The kitchen was to the left side of the ocean side of the house and the rest was only glass slide doors onto the big open patio. I walked out and took a deep breath of the sea infused air and it cleared my mind. I could get used to this I thought and laughed a little. I had to get used to this since it was all mine now. Kicking off my shoes, I run down to the beach below and smile at the sensation of the sand spreading between my toes. It reminded me of my first day back in Los Angeles and meeting Marcel, the memory made my smile grow even bigger. Suddenly I’m brought back to the present by a familiar voice calling my name, it was Victoria. I wave at her and started to walk back to the house. When I get closer I see that Maya was there as well and she the bag in her hand.

”You guys, you didn’t have to get me anything.” I said and hugged them

”I know, but I was raised to never go to someone’s house empty handed so.” Maya said and looked her our grandmother with a smile before handing the bag over to me. It was white with green leaves and golden details on it and it felt heavy. I looked up at her and smiled before opening the bag to look inside, I reach my hand down and pulled out a glass bottle. I turn the bottle over and found a fancy french label making the bottle look very expensive.

”Champagne? Thank you.” I said and gave them a hug before we made our way back into the house.

”This place look beautiful honey, you really did good for yourself.” Victoria said as she looked around the house.

”Well I have the trust that mom and dad set up for me to made up the last part but most is my own.” I told her and I could see the pride she felt over me.

”I’m still proud of you. Being this independent at such a young age, it just reminds me about your mother.”

”So I keep hearing.”

”Just so you know, I’m not making the same mistakes with you as I did with her. I’m not gonna lose you, not again.”

”I like the sound of that.”

We made some small talk and was just about to go for a tour of the upper floor when there was a knock on the door, I told Maya and Victoria to check out the second floor as I walked over to the door. On the other side was dad and by the look on his face he was impressed.

”Wow, you really went all out.” He said and looked around the house from the doorway.

”Yeah, well I figured it was time to go big. You know my last apartment wasn’t exactly roomy.” I said and he had to agree since it was a really small one bedroom in the city.

"That's a good point. So I have your stuff in the trunk, I thought we could get them after we ate." he said and held out the two extra large pizzas in front of me.

"How much do think we're gonna eat?" 

"I got extra so you have leftovers for breakfast and lunch tomorrow since I figured you hadn't gone shopping yet. Am I right?" 

"Maybe. Thank you." I said and took the pizzas from my father. I was just about to put them down on the kitchen counter with dad in tow when a sound from upstairs reminded me of the other two guests I had.

Before I could get a word out Victoria’s voice rang around the house, bouncing on the still empty walls. ”Kendra, this place is beautiful honey!”

”Was that.. Vicky?” My father asked, I had never heard him or mom every call her Vicky. I nodded and he simply took a deep breath before turning around and awaiting the storm that was Victoria Miller. I had no idea what would happen when they meet for the first time in eighteen years.

”Oh, Fred. I didn’t know you were here.” Victoria said as they had made it down the stairs.

”I could say the same to you Victoria. You look well.” Dad was stiff and I knew he wasn’t comfortable with this.

”You too.” Victoria’s words didn’t help the situation.

”Well, isn’t this awkward.” Maya, it was just like her to drive in with such a comment.

”Maya? Little Maya Jacobs? When did you grow up?” My dad said, ignoring Victoria and trying to make the awkwardness fade away. Try being the key word.

”I think I was around fourteen, at least that’s what mom says.” She answered with her natural free spirited voice.

”Pauline.. How is she doing?” Dad asked and by the face that Victoria was making thing were about to take a turn.

”Okay, it was hard after dad left but she manages.” Maya shrugged like it didn’t bother her but we all knew she still had a hard time with it.

”Oh, sorry I didn’t know.” Dad apologized, not knowing what to say to that.

”It’s not your fault, my mom hates you. I don’t expect you to check in. It’s okay.” Maya said it like it was common knowledge, which it was but still. It sounded harsh.

”Okay.” Dad didn’t know what else to say and the awkward feeling came back. ”She still hates me?” He finally asked, I didn’t want to start this conversation as I knew it would bring up bad feelings between Victoria and dad.

”Pretty much.” Maya said and shrugged her shoulders and walked out on the patio, probably feeling that she didn’t want to be surrounded by the conversation that was about to take place. I was party thankful for that, a free spoken Maya probably wasn’t the best ingredient.

”Fred..” Victoria started to speak but he didn’t let her finish.

”Vicky, I know that things have been strange and your family has never kept me in the loop. I’ve always been on the outside. Just please tell me what I did to get Pauline to hate me? To make her still hate me to this day.”

”Fred.. You know what it is about. You’ve always knows no matter how much you wanna ignore it.” Victoria said cryptic, like she didn’t want to fully confess and let me in on whatever it was they knew that I didn’t.

”Still? Because of him? It wasn’t her choice or her life. She chose me, came back to me. I didn’t care that she didn’t know who the father was, I loved her no matter what. That should count for something.” Dad said not thinking of my presence.

”Fred..” Victoria said as she must have seen the confusion on my face as I took in what they were speaking about. They were talking about the guy that my aunt wanted my mom to be with instead of my dad. Had mom cheated on dad with him. Was this guy my father?

”Honey.. I’m sorry. We, your mom and I, were gonna tell you together but since we moved away we kept pushing it to the side and then she.. got sick and..”

”No dad. Or Fred.. You’re not my dad are you?”

”Kendra, I will always be your dad. No matter what.”

”Just.. get out! Both of you! I need to breathe, to think.” My dad was standing there with tears in his eyes, this wasn't how he had wanted this to go. I get that. But this is where we were at right now. ”Please, I just need time.” I added and he gave a slow nod before walking over to the door, he gave me one last look before walking out. Victoria put a hand on my arm as she walked passed my to the patio to get Maya.

What just happened?