The Bed You Make, Chapter 5b
Stefan mused, not for the first time, that Alexis had managed to establish for herself the reputation of being an attorney with an unreadable face. He stood in the front doorway of Mac Scorpio's Outback Restaurant watching the expressions dance across her face with the clarity of a slideshow. A lifetime of closeness allowed Stefan to see directly into the heart and mind of his half-sister. And at that moment, Alexis was fixated on the woman at his side.
He felt Dara tense beneath Alexis' intense stare. Stefan did not make the mistake of attributing his new bride's reaction to a case of nerves. Dara and Alexis shared a history. They were longtime – and vigorous - adversaries in the courtroom. Stefan expected nothing less during this outing. Alexis would call upon her considerable skills to obtain information about the circumstances of their union. Dara, he was confident, would engage her formidable skills to thwart the other woman's curiosity.
“Shall we?” Stefan murmured into his wife's ear. His hand rested possessively against the small of Dara's back.
The couple followed Nikolas to their table. It was front and center of the small stage where rocker Eddie Maine would soon perform. “Good evening, Alexis.” They stood by as Nikolas greeted his aunt with a kiss on the cheek. “I am glad you could be here to celebrate this joyous family occasion.”
“ Family occasion?” Alexis' gaze swung pointedly toward Dara.
“Yes,” Stefan heard Dara coolly reply. “Your brother and I got married this afternoon.”
“ Married ?!”
“You married that miscreant?!” At the next table Edward Quartermaine forgot to pretend he had not been eavesdropping on their conversation. “Good lord, young woman! Have you lost control of your faculties?”
