Chapter 5 Wasn't Enough

21st century

"I don't understand why between the two of us, you're not alarmed by what happened!" Leigh paced back and forth while flailing her arms in front of Alexis who was quietly reading a book on the couch.

"You should have gone up to King Richard, I mean Ellis Lane, and told him straight to his face how he was being a dick! How could he humiliate his wife like that?" The older woman's face was contorted in rage with her balled fists to her sides.

Alexis softly sighed in response as she turned to the next page. Her sister may not have known, but after they got home from the museum gala, she collapsed on her tub and cried until the next morning.

"Why are you so calm about this?" There was a small crack in Leigh's voice that made Alexis look up. It wasn't her older sister that she saw. Rather, it was the little girl she took in.

>>>

"So, how was your time spent in His Highness's company?" Lord Edmund asked, studying the small smirk on his daughter's face ever since they left the palace. It had been a year since her first meeting with the prince and it seemed to have improved radically.

Deyanira cleared her throat, "It was quite satisfactory, Father. As you have said, I refrained from berating him no matter how often he likes to provoke me. Nor did I depart from him to indulge my reading."

She didn't have the time for books anyway as Prince Richard was able to convince her to learn to play the piano while he held the violin. It was sweet seeing his passion and patience while he taught her.

Deyanira couldn't help but feel envious of him. He discovered a love for something he could indulge in, while she hasn't. She was only to be schooled in matters of literature, etiquette, governance of the royal household, and the art of leadership. Anything she considered fun was deemed unworthy of her time.

"Hmm," her father hummed, pleased with her response. "The next time-"

"Halt!" One of the soldiers barked from outside.

The carriage came to an unexpected stop, causing Deyanira and her parents to slam into the small confines. They weren't far off from the palace yet so there shouldn't be a checkpoint.

"What's the matter?" Lord Edmund asked, vexed. He lifted the window curtain to see their men walking to the fore of the carriage.

"My Lord, the-there's a child wandering about. It seems she has been lost for some time now."

Deyanira was so filled with concern that she opened the door herself and ran towards the child. She heard her father call out, "Deyanira! Come back here this instant! This could be a thief's trap!" But she didn't care.

Kneeling by the soldiers with her small hands over her head was the grimiest and skinniest child Deyanira had ever seen. The view stopped her in her tracks as she took off her cloak and slowly approached.

"My Lady, be careful," they warned, "We're uncertain of her intentions!"

The girl only kept mumbling, "I'm sorry, My Lady. Please let me go just this once!"

She gestured for them to move away as their presence was further scaring the girl. "What purpose does a famished child have other than seek help? Now bring forth some water and bread."

Deyanira gently placed the thick fabric over the girl's shaking form as she spoke, "Is someone else with you? Are you in pain?"

The girl was silent for a few seconds, apprehensive of the pleasant lady's attention.

Deyanira heard a faint whisper, "N-no one, it's always just me, My Lady."

She asked, "Oh. And what's your name, little one?"

The girl tried to make herself smaller. "I'm called L-Leah. Just walking from place to place for scraps, Y-your Ladyship."

Deyanira fought the tears coming out and smiled at her. "Leah, what a beautiful name. I'm Deyanira and from henceforth, you'll never have to be on your own ever again."

>>>

This was who she saw.

The little child she and her parents showered with love before she came out of her shell.

The girl who became glued to her hip and even pulled Prince Richard's hair when she caught him holding Deyanira's hand. And only warmed up to him when he gave her his strawberry pie.

The young woman she had to abandon after being imprisoned.

"Leigh, I'm sorry." Alexis opened her arms, letting the other run to them. "I also thought my next encounter with Richard would be a happy one. But it seems he learned about what happened after he died."

"But he knew you, why would he do that? Why didn't he just talk to you once he found out who you are?"

Alexis sighed as she leaned her head on Leigh's shoulder. "I don't know. But maybe this was how it was always going to end for us. So, it's better if we part ways."

This was one reason why she adopted a laid-back attitude. Putting emotional attachments on things and relationships she knew wouldn't last long was a masochistic thing to do. She finally realized last night that Richard was the one she had to let go the most.

Though saying it now stings more. But she would be stupid to say that Alexis was still hopeful. "We're given a second chance at life, Leigh. If it means cutting him off, I'd take it. Let him do what he wants, we'll live"

Liar. Even Leigh knew it with her deep stare. "If that's what you say, Allie."

So imagine the sisters' surprise when they suddenly heard a knock on the door.

Leigh hurried to open it while Alexis composed herself. She thought, "It's not the Richard I knew that returned to this time, I should stop thinking about that Ellis Lane."

"Allie! You have to come here quick!" The panic in Leigh's voice was something she never heard. Alexis ran to her side, seeing the visitor in a formal suit standing by their door.

She looked him up and down before asking, "What is it?"

"This man is only willing to talk to you." Leigh turned her head closer to Alexis to whisper, "He represents Lane's Heritage."

This made her heart jump. Until now, Alexis's first thought was that Ellis Lane wanted to apologize for what he did. But then, the gears began running in her head. Why send a stranger for something as straightforward as that? Her optimism morphed into dejection.

"If this is about your boss's payment, talk to my sister here. She manages the money part, I just cook."

"Exactly why my client wants me to give this attorney's letter directly to you, the head chef," the man stated with a clear tone. He handed her a thick envelope and waited until Alexis opened it and her eyes began bulging wider.

"What the fuck?" She expressed in confusion as she got to the last part. "You're going to sue us? Because you didn't like the food that YOU approved?"

Alexis was fuming as she squared up at the obviously larger man while Leigh took a read herself. He backed off a little so they could see eye to eye. "If you go back to it, the letter says you used unchecked ingredients that may have caused some guests to feel sick."

She scoffed in disbelief. "I-I don't understand. Almost everyone approached us to appreciate what we served! Is-"

Then the answer came to her. Alexis softly asked, "Is this Ellis's doing?" Leigh looked back at her and arrived at the same conclusion. "What he did that night wasn't enough?"

Leigh's fear of her sister breaking down because of this disappeared when she saw Alexis's back shaking and her eyes almost glowing in pure rage. She talked to the representative with an apologetic voice, "Your client brought this to yourselves."

Alexis took a deep breath and asked with a surging voice, "Where is he? I will hear it from his mouth."

The man moved further back at the unexpected reaction. "If you're talking about Mr. Lane, that would be a ridiculous thing to ask. You're seriously not asking to meet with one of the most regarded men in the world. Who do you think you are?"

"You are taking us to him right now." The man was taken by surprise at the sovereignty just a simple chef like her had while talking about someone else in power.

He wondered why it felt similar to how his client, Mr. Lane, carried himself. Which was why he soon found himself opening the CEO's office door at the museum for the said chef.

Alexis took long strides towards the office center and slammed the papers on Ellis's oak desk. "Why?"

The man didn't bother looking up from his screen to say, "My lawyers will entertain your questions, Ms. Tyne. You have no business being here." He continued typing without missing a beat.

But Alexis saw through him. The muscles in his hands flexing, the vein in his temple protruding, and his voice going an octave lower. Ellis was keeping himself from blowing up.

"I know you remember everything... Richard."

The clacking of the keyboard stopped. Ellis closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "How brave of you then to waltz in here with that demanding attitude. Leave or get dragged by the hair out of here," the way he spoke was starting to scare Alexis. Even back then, Richard never had this much hatred in his speech.

"I get that you loath me, I do."

"Do you?" Now up close, Alexis finally saw his eyes. The baby blues that used to look at her with love were now raven black filled with fury directed at her. Yet why was her heart still beating the same way for a clearly different man?

Chills went up her spine and she had to calm herself down. Alexis was the one to look away and instead stared at the lawyer's letter.

"Yes, I understand why you're acting this way. But Richard-"

"Stop calling me that, Ms. Tyne." It was a clear warning from Ellis's seething tone.

She cleared her throat, "I mean, Mr. Lane. I understand why you're doing this and I would've just let it pass if other people weren't involved. My sister, my staff, they have nothing to do with us. You can't just punish anyone you choose."

Alexis found the courage to observe his office which was filled with cabinets of old books, glass fixtures for antique items, and by the corner was a lone stand with a velvet top. On it was a pair of rings Alexis could describe perfectly from memory alone.

Before she could say anything about it though, Ellis stood from his chair and slowly walked up to her like a panther stalking its prey. "Still acting like the people's champion, I see. You can drop the act, Ms. Tyne."

Her heart sunk, her assumption was correct. He will never listen to anything that comes out of Alexis's mouth. All she could do was plead for Julian and the others to be spared.

The anger in her simmered down as she raised her hands in surrender. "What do you want because I'll do my best to get it. Just please keep them out of this, please."

She heard a rumble of a dark chuckle as Ellis walked towards the end of the table and handed her a different piece of paper.

"If you insist on appearing like a goodie-two-shoes, here's your last option. Refuse this then I'll continue with my lawsuit where I'll make sure to squeeze not just you of every last penny."

Even as she got home, his words continued to replay in her head, "I will make the people around you hate your very existence."

It seemed last night's event was just the beginning of Alexis's trials.