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“I don’t know,” I replied. “But they certainly have a lot to catch up on.”
"Thank you for getting them here," Adele said, smiling.
"We wouldn’t have been able to hold them back," Minty said. "As soon as they knew the truth, they wanted nothing more than to meet their true roots. It finally all makes sense. It’s almost as though they’ve got permission to be themselves - they don’t have to tiptoe around Consortium rules anymore.”
“What’s it like over there now that Sinclair and Ossian have gone?” Adele asked. “How are the families accepting Rupert and Hector?"
Minty and I exchanged a look. It wasn’t really our story to tell, but in the interest of expediency, we telepathically agreed to fill Adele in, because from here on out, the Winters would likely be the main topic of conversation.
We told her about the lab fires, Sinclair’s heart attack, and how most of the Consortium had been kept in the dark about the toxic waste and the Thorns’ crime of stealing their two young supposed sons.
"How did they react when they found out?" Adele asked, shaking her head in disbelief.
"Some were shocked and sympathetic – Angelica Horseman, Anthony Birkin, Miles Goldsmith. Others were livid. Almost all of them turned against Iris. But unfortunately, some still couldn’t bring themselves to treat Rupert and Hector like one of their own. It’s as though they’d never been part of the Consortium.”
"But Aro and Dax…"
"They’ve been nothing but supportive and would never dream of rejecting them. But even though they’ve now assumed the roles of Chair and Vice Chair, the other families are stubbornly refusing to accept Rupert and Hector for who they really are."
“That’s despicable," Adele said between clenched teeth. Then her eyes narrowed and her voice lowered. “How is my father with them? He obviously knew everything.” Her face contorted into a bitter scowl. “Did he show any regret at all?”
I looked at Minty then back at Adele. “I wasn’t there, but according to Rupert, when he talked about the rehab centres, Dexter just fell quiet. He didn’t say very much at all."
“Because he’s a coward, that’s why."
I took a deep breath.
“He then asked how Rupert knew. About his real parents…"
Adele remained rigid. "And?"
"Rupert told him you had sent me – that you’d taken copies of the birth certificates and the will. He knew you’d taken something, but wasn’t sure what. When Rupert left the meeting, your father went after him. He asked where you were. He seemed pretty upset."
Adele swallowed but arched a defiant brow. “He can put on a good act when he wants to."
"Anyway,” I continued, “he asked where you were and if he could see you. Rupert said you would get in touch if and when you wanted to. Then Rupert left him standing outside the council building. I think he’s devastated you’ve gone.”
“And Mother? Seb?”
“Seb has retreated into himself, Adele,” Minty said. “He’s not the bright and charismatic boy we all know and love. Not since you left. And your mother, well, she puts on a brave face, you know what the Consortium is like. But there’s a real stigma. The other wives have shunned her. They think your disappearance is a reflection on her relationship with you.” Minty placed a hand on Adele’s arm. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but she’s lost a lot of weight. She’s worried about you. They all are.”
Adele dropped her gaze to the table. “I have to say, I’m surprised. I really am. They never behaved as though they cared. I was always a second-class citizen in that family. It was all ‘Seb, Seb, Seb’. I was nothing but an asset to be leveraged, an auction prize to be given to the highest Consortium bidder. Can my family really care if that’s all they wanted for me?”
“Do they know any better?” Minty asked, kindly. “I don’t mean they’re not intelligent enough to work it out, but there’s been no small amount of brainwashing on the island. And not just among the poor. The rich have been subjected to Iris and Sinclair’s lies and fallacies for decades.”
“Maybe you should talk to them,” I said, gently. “Give them one last chance, otherwise you might end up regretting it, and that’s not a good place to be.”
Adele breathed steadily, then flicked her eyes between us both. “Fine,” she said, finally. “I’ll give them one last chance. I’ll ask my father to use whatever power he can to help Rupert. I know what he’s capable of. I know he can act in the interests of morality when he wants to. If he refuses, I’ll know who he really is and who I always suspected he was. And when that happens, I’ll be gone for good.”
I didn’t miss the warning in her voice. I nodded. It would take guts to go back and confront her family, but Adele had that in abundance.
“We’re right here for you, Adele,” I said. “Whatever you need. You’re not alone, okay?”
She reached out and gripped both our hands. “I fucking hate that place. Why did it have to go and give me two of the kindest, most impressive women I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing?”
Minty and I grinned at each other then threw our arms around Adele until she struggled for breath and had to prize us off.
When the door between the kitchen and living room opened, and Rupert’s smiling face appeared, followed by Hector. I wanted to explode with happiness. It hadn’t been easy seeing my sister so vulnerable. Yet, she’d floored me with her strength and determination. It hadn’t been easy telling Adele about her family’s despair, yet she’d impressed us both with her mettle and resolve. It hadn’t been easy walking with Rupert into his unknown, with a cynical Hector hot on his heels, but he’d shown a level of bravery that took my breath away and made me love him, if it was possible, even more. So, seeing him relaxed and happy around these strangers who’d created then lost him, wrapped my heart in joy.
