Nikolas
pushed the mound of paperwork as far away from himself as he could.
He knew that such an act only postponed the inevitable, and that
eventually the business of the renewed Cassadine Empire would demand his
attention. But at that very moment
he could not concentrate on business matters.
The young prince sighed and cradled his jaw in the palm of one hand. A faint smile curved the corners of his lips as he imagined the reaction his father would have if he were to walk through the office doors and spy Nikolas in so ungainly a position.
Just
as quickly, Nikolas’ smile disappeared. A
familiar wave of pain washed over him, nearly cutting off his breath.
Stefan’s death was still a raw wound that had not even ceased its
bleeding. It had left Nikolas alone
and frightened, floundering through a sea of responsibilities that he should
have been able to handle due to a lifetime of Stefan’s instructions.
What would his father think of Nikolas now if he could see him struggle
so?
What
would his father think of the resulting rift that divided Nikolas from his
younger brother Andresj? The two siblings had once been as close as two young men
could be, but with Stefan’s death came bitter words and angry gestures that
neither one could seem to get past.
Andresj’
had not been able to understand or forgive Nikolas’ decision not to
relentlessly pursue Luke Spencer and avenge their father’s death.
His younger brother had not accepted that Nikolas did not enjoy the
decision he’d made. As prince of
the Cassadine Empire, however, Nikolas had weighed his duty to restoring the
family against the task of endlessly pursuing Luke Spencer and made his choice. Nikolas firmly believed in his heart that Stefan would have
understood and approved his choice to rebuild the family back into its place of
power and prestige. Such a feat
would be the greatest honor Nikolas could bestow upon his father’s memory.
It would prove that Stefan’s faith in Nikolas was well-placed.
Perhaps
the last straw in Nikolas’ fragile relationship with his younger brother was
his order to Andresj’ that the young man not pursue his own vengeance against
Luke Spencer or anyone in his family. Andresj’
had seen the command as proof that Nikolas had not only betrayed their
father’s memory, but also chosen to place his Spencer family ties above that
of the Cassadine name.
For
Nikolas, there had been no reasoning with his younger brother.
Andresj’ listened stone-faced to Nikolas’ explanations and curtly
acquiesced to his demands with a clipped “Of course, my Prince”.
To anyone else listening, Andresj’s calm acceptance of his brother’s
wishes would have drawn no attention. But
Nikolas knew him too well. The four
simple words dripped with betrayal and scorn and anger.
They
were the last words spoken to him in over a year by Andresj’.
The morning after their angry confrontation, Nikolas had awoken to find a
simple note on the table beside his bed. It
said that Andresj’ could not remain in Port Charles, but instead would travel
the world to see the sights. In
deference to Nikolas, he had taken two bodyguards as his constant companions in
his travels.
For
the first few months, the two guards provided Nikolas with regular (though
vague) reports of Andresj’s daily life. It
soon became evident just why the guards felt such a reticence to share with
Nikolas the details of his younger brother’s life.
Andresj’ had become - in turns - a daredevil, a dilettante, and a
playboy bachelor. News of his
exploits began showing up in the social columns of newspapers all across Europe.