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Vincent stared, unimpressively, at his only offspring. He watched as she stomped angrily across the study, shouting at the air, and knocking aside any loose items around the room.
By blood, how long did he have to endure such a spectacle?
He turned his attention briefly to the two goons standing at one corner of the study. They stood there, dumbfounded in their silence. It angered Vincent that good help was so hard to come by these days. Was it any wonder everything kept crashing at the very last second?
CRASH!
With tears streaming down her face, Moira howled as the vase she threw laid broken on the floor. Vincent desperately wanted to roll his eyes. He assumed this performance was to illustrate how angry she was. Incessantly, she vowed revenge against all who have wronged her, swearing to him that she would make this situation right. She would marry Benedict. He will be his cherished son-in-law.
Vincent was perplexed. He was unable to tell the difference between vampling Moira and whatever level of maturity this current state was supposed to represent. Was he supposed to feel moved by this display? Did she think this would motivate him to seek revenge? And for what? So, she can waste more of his precious time? Vincent was annoyed. Why could she not see that there was no other alternative to this situation?
Yet, he remained quiet. Vincent played his part and feigned his shock for her benefit. He pretended to be flabbergasted and surprised by the turn of events, but, deep down, he always had a feeling that his daughter would fail him. Even with all the odds in her favor, he knew at the eleventh hour, Moira would flop.
And, boy, did Vincent hated predictability.
But, in the end, what did he care? Benedict was still under contract, and his possessions would soon be his. Vincent won no matter the outcome. Obviously, this version of the situation is quite unfortunate for Moira. She will likely be immensely embarrassed when this scandal hits the realm. Vincent also knew how upset she was with herself. After all, Moira was, once again, a disappointment to him. It will take some time for him to forgive this latest failure.
He approached Moira. “There, there. Hush, my darling.” He whispered, wrapping his arms around her. He looked up and noticed Arina across the room. She stood vigilant, almost eagerly waiting for his orders. Of course, he reminded himself. Arina had most likely prepared and readied herself. She always knew how to get the ball rolling. He motioned for her to come closer.
“Take my daughter; Get her cleaned up and ready.”
“For what?” Moira asked. What the hell was there left to be ready for?
Vincent slowly released his daughter and looked intently at her face. Her hair was disheveled, and noticing a loose strand, he tucked it behind her ear. “He will come for us. You know that. Benedict will want to marry Ally as quickly as possible, and at this hour, where will he go?”
“He will come here.” Moira whispered to herself.
There was no point in denying it. Benedict would seek to marry Alice, and the High Council was the obvious place to formalize that. He was coming. And, by Blood, she will be ready for him.
“Alright, papa.” Moira agreed, letting Arina guide her out of the study.
Once Ariana and Moira exited the room, Vincent returned to sit behind his desk. It was time for action. He motioned for Zud and Oot to approach him. Hesitantly, and without no other choice, they slowly and cautiously advanced towards the powerful vampire.
Stonefaced, Vincent stared at the two monsters standing before him. Look at them! A pair of frightened imbeciles! They couldn’t even meet his eyes. He should have known. How could he have been so reckless as to have put his trust in these two inferior aberrations?
Sighing, he began the interrogation:
“I want to know what has transpired. Explain how you manage to fail such a simple task.”
●●●●
Zud quickly reiterated the events that occurred. He emphasized how Oot and himself could not have prevented such an outcome. So many variables. Surprises at every corner! How could they solely be blamed for this mess? This was not entirely their fault!
“Skip to the interesting parts.” Vincent snapped.
When Zud finally came to the part of Gabriel Harlan’s sudden appearance, Vincent flinched. Moira had found him unconscious and the goons were ordered to bring the half-breed into the cabin.
Vincent raised a hand to silence the goon. That damned Harlan. So, he is the wrench that threw his plans into chaos? Moira was completely preoccupied with Benedict, that she failed to mention anything about Gabriel Harlan. Vincent nodded for the goon to continue. It obliged.
The goons informed Vincent that they took due diligence and restrained Gabriel with an enchanted rope. They explained that the restraints were not the issue. The enchantment held up until they were banished.
“I still don’t quite comprehend how you were banished...”
“I’m getting to that,” Zud added. “The situation escalated when the Morphed bit into one of the humans.”
“Are you serious?” Vincent asked, aghast.
“Absolutely! I was surprised. They seem to have gotten along, and out-of-nowhere the morphed turned on her. She must have been famished.”
“Did the human die?”
Zud shrugged. “I cannot say. At that same moment, another vampire appeared.”
“Benedict,” Vincent muttered under his breath.
Nodding, Zud pursued. “He barged into the cabin, quickly raised his hand and next thing we knew, we were thrashing about inside Mistress Moira’s dressing room.
Vincent sighed. He didn’t like this. He didn’t like it one bit.
It was bad enough that Benedict reunited with that creature, but now he had to deal with Gabriel Harlan who knew too much, and a morphed that probably killed a human in his realm.
“Alright, I’ve heard enough. I want both of you to stand guard. I am expecting a visit from the very same vampire that barged into that cabin.”
“We will be ready for him.” The goons promised.
Vincent rubbed his jaw, lost in pensive thoughts. He knew Benedict was headstrong. He will be determined to find a way to marry that morphed. It was not implausible to achieve this by midnight.
He truly hated how things ended up. He knew that this was not the ideal scenario. Vincent would have much rather if Benedict had married his daughter. That way, no one would have questioned his authority over the Voss’s possessions, and the transfer of wealth and power would have been more palatable and seamless.
Now, he was left with only one option; ripping that power away from Benedict’s household. He knew this was going to cause some tension between certain powerful households. But, he was in the right. Benedict was bound to his contract. Vincent ensured that a witness was there to confirm that Benedict was not coerced or pressured into signing anything.
Still, he knew it would ruffle some feathers.
