The Bed You Make

Chapter 14, continued

Dara Jensen Cassadine reached for one of the newly baked banana nut muffins placed onto the breakfast table by the Cassadine housekeeper Mrs. Landsbury. The heavenly aroma of the fresh ingredients spiked Dara's recent need for familiar comfort foods. “Breakfast first, Miss Dara.” The housekeeper lightly tapped Dara's hand.

“It hardly seems fair, does it?” Nikolas Cassadine walked into the room. “I can remember – as a little boy – voicing a complaint to Uncle that such temptation was unfair. He said that I could either learn to demonstrate self-control or he could instruct Mrs. Landsbury not to create any more of her ‘treats'.”

“You quickly adapted.” Stefan smiled at his nephew. “Good morning, Dara.” He took his place at the table and nodded to the housekeeper. “Thank you, Mrs. Landsbury.”

The trio breakfasted in silence. Halfway through the meal Stefan put down his fork. “A trip to Manhattan has become necessary,” he announced without preface. “The opportunity has arisen to purchase a very small, struggling cosmetics company. The jet leaves in ninety minutes.”

Dara frowned. “I don't recall Cassadine Enterprises having any interest in the cosmetics field.” The companies under the Cassadine corporate umbrella tended to run along the pharmaceutical vein.

“You are correct,” Stefan said. “We are not normally interested in such a venture. However, Reveal Cosmetics owns the patent to an highly experimental procedure that, if somehow perfected, would not only prove extremely lucrative for Cassadine Enterprises, but would propel our clinical laboratories even further ahead of the field than they currently are. Therefore, time is of the essence in this case.”

“So, you're going to purchase an entire cosmetics company just to get a patent that may or may not even pan out?”

“Yes,” Stefan confirmed. “In the long run it is simpler that way.”

Nikolas nodded. “I agree. How long will you be gone?”

“It is an overnight trip. Dara and I will return tomorrow at noon.”

Dara was attempting to process Stefan's casual regard for what would likely be a multimillion-dollar purchase when his words sank in. “Wait! I am going, too?” She scowled at her new husband. “You couldn't have said something before now? I need to go and pack!”

“Mrs. Landsbury has already seen to it,” Stefan replied calmly. He picked up his fork and resumed eating his breakfast.

Dara bit back a comment. Mrs. Landsbury had been almost motherly to her since moving into Wyndemere; Dara had no desire to doubt the other woman's proficiency. Still, she did not feel comfortable with the idea of relying so completely on someone else's judgment where she was concerned.