"Tante!" Zora cried happily when Celeste appeared at her front door unexpectedly. "When did you get here?" she asked her step-aunt, more like a sister really. They had always been close, Celeste, in many ways was like Zoraida's mother.
"Mon dieu, cherie!" she laughed gaily as she embraced Zora warmly, hugging tightly. It had been ages since they had last seen each other. "I just arrived... oh, maybee an hour, two ago..." she said purred, her accent stronger now since she was tired from the trip.
"Why did you not tell me you were coming?" Zora said as she lead her aunt into the kitchen and proceeded to pull out a bottle of red wine from a wine cooler, her hand automatically grabbing a bottle of Chateau Lafite, one of her aunt's favourites.
"I come, because there's a job for me, and because I wanted to be here for my Zoraida, I have been dreaming about you, cupcake..." her aunt said as she accepted a glass of wine from her niece.
"Dreaming about me?" Zora laughed.
"Oui, I have been dreaming about you," she confirmed with a smile, taking a sip of her wine.
"Good or bad," Zoraida asked as she took a seat at the kitchen table across from her aunt.
"I do not know." Celeste said with a tiny unconcerned shrug, "I dream of you, the island, a faceless man, the past... it makes no sense." Celeste laughed as she eyed her niece with a smile.
"Ah, Celeste, my lovely aunt, you talk in riddles - as always." Zora chuckled as she helped herself to a glass of wine.
"That I do..." Celeste laughed.
"By the way, my lovely... I saw Jeremiah when I was in London..." she said gently to Zoraida. "He is a handsome young man now. Mirabel is with him still... "
"That is good news indeed..." Zoraida said very softly, "Does Tomas know?" she asked with concern.
"No, I think not." she said patting Zoraida's hand. "Don't worry."
"I should have never let him go, Celeste," she said regretfully with a tiny shake of her head.
"You did the best thing for him... at the time, you were young. We have been through this before, ma cœur," she said taking a sip of her wine.
"I know, but... " Zora started...
"But nothing, my dear... Sacha would have understood. He loved you. You were is life. He trusted you..." Celeste said gently.
"I failed both of them, terribly... " Zora sighed blinking back tears, "I should have never let my father bully me into it."
"And let Tomas run the company? Take control of everything, control you, and probably Jeremiah too... No, I think not." Celeste shook her head.
"Mon dieu, cherie!" she laughed gaily as she embraced Zora warmly, hugging tightly. It had been ages since they had last seen each other. "I just arrived... oh, maybee an hour, two ago..." she said purred, her accent stronger now since she was tired from the trip.
"Why did you not tell me you were coming?" Zora said as she lead her aunt into the kitchen and proceeded to pull out a bottle of red wine from a wine cooler, her hand automatically grabbing a bottle of Chateau Lafite, one of her aunt's favourites.
"I come, because there's a job for me, and because I wanted to be here for my Zoraida, I have been dreaming about you, cupcake..." her aunt said as she accepted a glass of wine from her niece.
"Dreaming about me?" Zora laughed.
"Oui, I have been dreaming about you," she confirmed with a smile, taking a sip of her wine.
"Good or bad," Zoraida asked as she took a seat at the kitchen table across from her aunt.
"I do not know." Celeste said with a tiny unconcerned shrug, "I dream of you, the island, a faceless man, the past... it makes no sense." Celeste laughed as she eyed her niece with a smile.
"Ah, Celeste, my lovely aunt, you talk in riddles - as always." Zora chuckled as she helped herself to a glass of wine.
"That I do..." Celeste laughed.
"By the way, my lovely... I saw Jeremiah when I was in London..." she said gently to Zoraida. "He is a handsome young man now. Mirabel is with him still... "
"That is good news indeed..." Zoraida said very softly, "Does Tomas know?" she asked with concern.
"No, I think not." she said patting Zoraida's hand. "Don't worry."
"I should have never let him go, Celeste," she said regretfully with a tiny shake of her head.
"You did the best thing for him... at the time, you were young. We have been through this before, ma cœur," she said taking a sip of her wine.
"I know, but... " Zora started...
"But nothing, my dear... Sacha would have understood. He loved you. You were is life. He trusted you..." Celeste said gently.
"I failed both of them, terribly... " Zora sighed blinking back tears, "I should have never let my father bully me into it."
"And let Tomas run the company? Take control of everything, control you, and probably Jeremiah too... No, I think not." Celeste shook her head.