Chapter 56 An ultimatum
Gripping the steering wheel Carson's knuckles turned white. With an angry metallic clang that reverberated throughout the silent evening the car door slammed shut behind him.
His entire body was trembling as he sat there not only from anger but also from intense nauseating guilt.
Because of his mother Annabel was in pain when he left her alone. He had let her down. He felt a chilly knot of shame as the thought twisted inside him.
The storm that was raging inside him was not much calmed by the deep breaths he took. At last he inserted the ignition key. As the engine roared to life he squealed his tires on the pavement as he pulled out of the driveway.
He returned to the mansion in a car that was too fast. Every time he turned the wheel the tension in his shoulders increased. He didn't even bother to shut the mansions imposing front doors before bursting through.
He had an objective. The huge deserted foyer reverberated with the sound of his irate entrance. A picture of flawless carefree grace he discovered her in the living room.
While a maid painted her nails delicately Victoria lay on a chaise lounge with her eyes closed and one hand resting on a small table.
Completely unaffected by the destruction she had caused she hummed a gentle tuneless song.
Carson's low growl laced with a raw bitter anger asked “How could you? How could you tell her those things?”
Victoria opened her eyes slowly. She ignored him. She gave the maid a silent signal as she looked at her. The maid capped the polish and fled leaving the room to the two of them after giving Carson a tense look.
“I don't know what you're talking about.” Victoria said in a smooth emotionless voice.
She sat up gradually moving with grace and purpose.
“And Carson you should be mindful of your tone. This house is still mine and I am still your mother.” She said.
“Don’t do that Mom!” Carson's voice rose in a piercing call of exasperation. “Don't act as though you're ignorant of what I'm talking about. You are fully aware of your actions. Just as you have pushed away everyone who has ever shown concern for me you did the same to her.”
Victoria's gaze grew strained. “Annabel is not a positive role model for you. She is frail. She serves as a distraction. You ought to be appreciative that I revealed her true nature to you.”
Carson's laughter was harsh and devoid of humor. “What she truly is? She's a decent person Mom. She's nice. She's truthful. She is also completely different from you.”
A verbal blow that struck with icy finality the words lingered in the air. After being so perfect Victoria's poise finally faltered. Her expression turned into a mask of icy rage.
She got to her feet with swift precise motions. Her intense glare was palpable as she stood above him.
“You will not speak to me that way.” she said her voice now a low perilous whisper. “You will treat me with dignity. Carson I gave you everything. For you I created this business. I placed you in command. Everyone who might ever attempt to harm you has been shielded from you by me. I helped you grow into the man you are now.”
“You haven't guided me.” Carson retorted his voice shaking with a mixture of anger and fear. “You've got me under control. I have never been allowed to be myself by you. You've never given me the freedom to choose for myself.”
Victoria's said. “Because your decisions are terrible pierced the atmosphere like a knife. You are a soft person. You don't have the strength I want you to. You just took over your dad exactly. Everything I've worked for will be destroyed by you. It will be destroyed by you. You are going to destroy us with your foolishness.”
“That’s not fair.” Carson uttered, his voice bursting with passion. “I'm not him. And I will no longer stand here and hear you speak negatively about Annabel. She is far superior to you as a person, far more nicer and the most decent lady I've ever met.”
Victoria had a chilly terrifying fire in her eyes. She moved closer while her voice dipped into a harsh closing tone.
“You’re going to Annabel tomorrow morning.” she ordered in a steely voice. “You'll bring her to this place. You'll hold her accountable for her actions and you'll do it in front of me. She won't act inappropriately once more. And she is not and never will be a member of this family.”
“No!” Carson exclaimed raising his voice once more. “I'm not going to do that. I won't force her to make an apology. It's your responsibility to apologize.”
Victoria's face was a mask made of stone. Her gaze was stern and unforgiving. The tension in the room increased and the intensity of their argument made the air crackle.
Her voice was dangerously quiet as she asked “You think you have a choice? Either you follow my instructions or you will lose everything. The business, the influence and the funds. The whole thing. I will see to that.”
Her words were like a last cruel challenge hanging in the air.
Carson could feel their weight. He experienced the force of his mothers influence. All his life he had been dreading this decision. Her effortless and icy delivery served as a sharp reminder of his reliance on her.
He had to decide between his life and the woman he loved. He found himself in the center of the direct conflict between the two worlds.
His love, his business and his future were all on the line awaiting his choice.