Strange Bedfellows
~ ch. 14, concluded ~
“Unthinkable?”
Stefan got a longsuffering
look upon his face. “Miss Jensen,
please. I meant no offense.
But I do not think either of us would care to wed the other simply to
secure this position.”
“My uncle is right, Miss
Jensen,” Nikolas chimed in. “As
badly as I would like you to be the trustee of our family’s money, I cannot
ask something so important of you. Either
of you. I am very grateful to you
and Uncle for trying, though.”
Nikolas’ love for his uncle
was apparent. During the afternoon
in which he and Dara had spoken at length, the young man recounted instance
after instance of Stefan’s sacrifices on his behalf.
‘Uncle has given up his life for me,” Nikolas said.
‘There has been no sacrifice too great.’
No sacrifice too great…
The words repeated in Dara’s mind, pushing her toward a truth that remained
just out of her reach.
As irrational as it was, Dara
somehow felt as though she’d let Nikolas down.
The young man had shared such high hopes with her.
Nikolas viewed Dara’s appointment as Trustee as the first step toward
driving the Cassadine family toward the destiny that he secretly
envisioned for them. He had spoken
so earnestly of his dreams of doing charitable work with the Cassadine family
money. They were dreams, he shyly
shared, that he had not even told his uncle.
“If
that is the only way I can become Trustee, then I will do it.”
Dara insisted suddenly.
“No,” Nikolas
vehemently shook his head. “No.”
Dara ignored the young man’s
protests. She turned and locked
eyes with Stefan. “Well, what
will it be?”
Stefan’s clear green eyes
searched Dara’s. “You do not
know what you propose,” he said.
“Absolute commitment.
Weren’t those your words that day you came to me?”
Dara’s gaze did not waver. Nikolas’
presence in the room was completely forgotten. “Were they only for me?”
Nikolas stared in fascination
as Dara and Stefan stood frozen, their gazes locked on one another.
“Very well,” he heard his uncle say.
“We shall marry.”
