* * *

I found her in her dressing room sipping tea as if she hadn’t a care in the world. The woman I’d just fired was still lingering, so I knew which way the wind blew. Too bad for both of them I was the one directing the storm. “I thought I told you to get out.” I walked casually into the room and took a seat not even looking at her.

“Don’t be crass Ethan dear, of course Jill doesn’t have to leave. Now what’s all this about?” And that’s how she’s always done it. That smooth unaffected act while she ran over whoever or whatever was in her way. Too bad it wasn’t gonna work for her this time. I took a page from her book and played it cool; for now.

“Mom, I know you’re accustomed to having your way in everything, including my life, and I’m partly to blame for that. But trust me, you do not want to fight me on this.” I turned my attention back to the Jill person who was standing like a sentinel at mom’s side. “You, leave, now.” There was no mistaking the intent in my voice.

She wasn’t brave enough to withstand the look of anger I gave her and mom was too shocked to say a word. “How dare you. Since when do you direct my staff?” I ignored her long enough to watch the other woman gather her things before turning my attention back to her.

“Since they work in my house. If you want to hold onto your little henchman, then you can move into the apartment in town, or any of the other residences we own in the four corners of the earth.” She took umbrage to that I saw, and opened her mouth to speak, but I was in no mood.

“You had no right, and only yourself to blame for her termination.” She didn’t need me to explain. She knew damn good and well what I was talking about. Now I let her see some of the anger that I was barely keeping in check. Had she not been my mother this would be much worse. But as bad as she is, I have to give her a chance.

“See here Ethan, I will not be spoken to in that manner…”

“And I will not have you meddling in my personal life, that ends here and now. Why did you send her to threaten Lucia and her family?” I guess my anger wasn’t in the mood to be brushed aside. Not when it comes to Lucia.

“Oh I see. Helen just called and informed me of this madness. Typical man, you’re just like your father. Only he had the good sense to keep his filth away from the family. If you want to have a fling with the little urchin, then by all means, do. Helen has agreed to look the other way. But if you think that I will let you sully the Sullivan name by marrying her, you’re sadly mistaken.” She could’ve been discussing paint for the fucking walls.

I think this was the first time I gave serious thought to my mother’s mental state. Had I really been this blind all my life not to see it? Had she always been this way? I knew the answer to that and my own guilt kept me silent. I’d let this go on. Even those times I knew she was wrong in so many ways I never stepped in and put a stop to her tyranny.

I listened to all she had to say, as she wasn’t quite done there. She had my whole life mapped out nice and proper, down to how many kids I was allowed to have, and even when they were to make an appearance. Unfucking-believable.

I didn’t feel anything as I listened to her diatribe. I thought I would feel something, regret, dishonorable, something. But as with Helen, the more she spoke the less guilt I felt. And she just kept digging that well deeper.

“Do you hear yourself? I think I may have given you the wrong idea all these years when I kept my mouth shut and let you have your way. But make no mistake mother those days are at an end. I will not be having an affair; I will not treat her like a dirty little secret. As to dad and his mistress, I will never marry anyone who was okay with such a disgusting proposition.” She opened her mouth to argue but I silenced her with a raised hand.

“I’m not finished. I will marry Lucia because she is my choice. I came here to reason with you, but I can see now that that’s pointless. The things you’ve just said has proven to me once and for all that it would never work.”

“What will never work?” For the first time in my life I think she was actually listening to me. Was it the calmness in my voice, or the fact that I was rebuffing her for the first time?

“You and my wife living under the same roof.”

I gave her a minute to let that sink in. I’d ignored her actions for a very long time. I’d watched her drive dad away with her coldness. Treat other people as if they were less than human. And use our money and position to bully anyone who didn’t go her way. Now I see that even her only son wasn’t exempt.

Her only care was for wealth and prestige and showing a good face to her high society friends. Fuck that. I didn’t fight for other people’s right to be happy just so I could condemn myself to a life of misery to please her.

“I don’t think I quite get your meaning.” Not only was there venom in her tone now, but her face had changed from the soft grandmotherly façade she usually wore, to something dark. Something I was sure many people had seen just before she annihilated them.

“I’m waiting, what exactly are you trying to say son? That you will go against your mother, against the family for some stray? What exactly does she have to offer? Other than what’s between her thighs? What is it with the Sullivan men and your taste for classless trash?”

Now that her true face had been exposed she was no longer even pretending civility. The mask was off and I could finally see the disdain and contempt. Had she always hated men? Dad had tried warning me once but I’d brushed him off.

I’d always thought that their problems were theirs to deal with and I’d stayed out of it, never choosing sides. Maybe that was wrong, I never agreed with dad having extra marital affairs, but I never liked the way she treated him or me for that matter.

Mom has always been distant, locked off somehow. I’d never seen her any other way so it was just never a thing. I’d seen her way of mothering as the norm, because I didn’t know any different.

I’d been raised by nannies until I was old enough to take care of myself, that much is true, but so had many of my peers. I never saw much difference between my childhood and theirs.

So when dad tried to tell me years ago that my mother was a cold unfeeling woman who loved nothing and no one, I thought it was just marital sour grapes. Now I see the truth in her face.

“I mean mother, that the Sullivan name is mine to bestow on whomever I choose and I choose to give it to Lucia. I mean that since you have such contempt for my future wife, I can see that it wouldn’t do to have you both living under the same roof and since this is my home, passed down to the first son from generation to generation you’ll have to leave.” She opened her mouth to answer and I saw the calculating light in her eyes before she spoke.

“Don’t even try to convince me that you’ll change, I know you won’t. I should’ve listened to dad.” I was mad at her, at the waste. She could’ve done so much more with what she had over the years. Instead she’d used all her resources to beat down everyone she found lacking. Anyone who didn’t live up to her ideals, which now that I think about it was fucking crap.

“What has he got to do with it?”

“He tried to warn me about you years ago before he died, but I didn’t listen.” More fool I.

If it were only for myself I would’ve gone the rest of my life without having this conversation. It’s not like I didn’t know some of what she is, but I know that when it comes to keeping out what our society deems undesirables, she leads the pack.

I should’ve taken her to task when she drove my best friend’s wife to her end, with her constant put downs and her encouragement of others in their horrid treatment of that poor girl. But I won’t be that lax now. Not when it comes to Lucia.

“You can’t be serious. I’m sure this base behavior stems from your association with that… child. I will have no more of it. She and her family will be gone by tomorrow.”

“No they won’t. In case you forget, you have no say in how I run my household. I thank you for overseeing things all these years, but now that I am to marry, my wife will see to such things in the future. I suggest you move into the apartment in town. It will be perfect for you. You’ll be closer to your friends and all the stores and restaurants you like are right there.”

The apartment was a four bedroom penthouse suite and more than enough for her. She can rule the roost there and do as she please. Hopefully she can find some happiness for once in her life. I’m sure she could come up with an appropriate reason for the move. Something to save face amongst her friends. Right now I didn’t give a fuck.

If I’d been too late this morning that young beautiful girl would’ve signed her life away because of her selfishness. What kind of monster would do such a thing to one so young? Is this what money and power does to people?

I never understood dad’s will until this very moment. The fact that he left me everything with the stipulation that I could only pass that wealth on to my own wife and children, while leaving her nothing but a yearly stipend, now made perfect sense. If he’d left her even a fraction of his wealth she would’ve used it to keep her heel in other people’s necks, just as he’d predicted.

The estate had been in the family for generations, but he’d accrued other properties throughout his lifetime, all of which he’d left to me. The penthouse was also mine, but I couldn’t see me putting my own mother out on the street no matter what she’s done.

Her allowance was more than enough to keep her happy, though it wasn’t the same as her being here in this mansion that held so much history and made a powerful statement with the whole town. Where I take care of all her needs while she did who knows what with her money. But she has no one to blame for this turn of events but herself.

Had she gone to Lucia herself with her threats I just might have been able to forgive her, not so much for the threats, but because I would’ve seen it as a mother doing what she thought was best for her son. But she’d chosen to send her lackey. I knew very well what that move on her part meant.

I wasn’t even mad any longer, just disappointed that even now she couldn’t see how wrong she was. To think of putting a family out on the streets after making them pick up stakes and move all the way out here from everyone and everything they knew, just because I’d fallen in love with their daughter. Not to mention the fact that I knew the service Thomas Clifton had done for his country.

Of course my mother wouldn’t think of such things. She thinks wars are fought by robots or some shit. She has no idea that it’s men like him, men she believes beneath her, are the ones on the front lines fighting, risking their lives, so that people like her could live in a free society.

“I will not be cast aside so that you can bring that filthy little trollop into my home. Have you taken leave of your senses? The Sullivan name has survived without scandal these last forty years because of my doing….”

“There’s no point arguing. We both know you have no rights other than that you’re my mother. You’re the one who brought this about. You have to have known how I would react to your having me spied on. That’s unforgivable. And to send that idiot to threaten Lucia was the last straw. You went too far; enough is enough.”

I stood from the chair and left the room because the anger that I had thought contained was back in full force. If I stayed much longer I may say something I’d regret. But as much as I resent her actions, I do not mean to hurt her. After all she’s still my mother, misguided as she is.

I had no hopes that she’d do as I asked so I sent the maids to take care of her things and also to let them know that they will be following her to her new home. I had no doubt that they were loyal to her for whatever reasons, and I’d be a damn fool to leave them here to do her dirty work where my wife is concerned.

After giving them their orders I went into the family vault in the cellar to retrieve the ring that I hadn’t seen in years. The damn thing was about eight hundred years old and had belonged to one of my ancestors. I’d always liked this particular ring because of the design.

It’s a monstrosity of a thing made with rubies and diamonds. The center is a five-carat oval fiery red ruby surrounded by diamonds that even after all these centuries still shine like the sun. I guess what they say is true, diamonds really are forever.

There was a necklace and bracelet to match with teardrop earrings that I could already imagine dangling at her ears. They suited her, all that fire and ice. And I knew from past conversations that she’d get a kick out of all the history behind it.

The ring was a little heavy and it may need to be fitted for her but I doubt it, since it was barely about a five. But she’s so tiny who knows. Yes, I want this on her finger. She’s the only woman I could imagine wearing it.

I returned the other pieces to the vault and removed the ring before closing everything up again. My mother would love to gain access but thank heavens I’d never been stupid enough to give her the combination once I had it changed after dad died. If I had there’s no doubt Helen would be wearing this ring or another like it by now.