Chapter 320: Goodbye (3)
"I have shown you great kindness over the years, but that ends now. If you truly care for my children as you say, you will not approach them and make your feelings toward me known. They don’t need to know you don’t want to be my mother," said Alessandra.
"I didn’t mean for Penelope to hear it. I have always been careful, but now, others are stirring up trouble. The prince has threatened me," Melanie shared.
"Then you must be careful. This is where we must part forever. I genuinely wish you the best with all your endeavours, and I thank you for bringing Melody into my life, but there is no more to go from here," Alessandra said, tired of the back and forth.
"Claire needs your help. Hate me all you wish, but your sister has not done anything wrong. She needs the money from the mines. Do you not think it is unfair that my mother has left everything to you?" Melanie asked, shocked that Alessandra wouldn’t budge.
"No, I don’t think it is fair," Alessandra replied with honesty. "But I will not go against her wishes any longer. I have shared plenty with all of you for you to be well cared for. If you haven’t saved to be well in the future, it is not my fault."
"Wait," Melanie grabbed Alessandra’s hand. She noticed how the guards moved, ready to protect Alessandra. "They still treat me like a threat."
Alessandra moved Melanie’s hand so the guards would no longer be alarmed. "It is hard to tell what you will do next. If you wish to fight for what my grandmother left me, then so be it. Go to the Cromwells, but please, leave me alone. Let us go back to not knowing each other."
"Must you place yourself as the victim for so long? It has been many years since then," said Melanie.
Alessandra smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. "You are the one who keeps that idea of me. I have long moved on from my past. I have grown to be a different person. I am not a victim, but I think you secretly place yourself as one."
"Goodbye, Melanie," Alessandra said, finally having the goodbye she sought.
Alessandra was grateful for Melanie giving her life and for bringing her a sister, but there wasn’t something more she craved from her mother anymore.
"Alessandra," Melanie called, reaching for her daughter again, only for Alessandra to move out of reach. "My marriage will fall."
Alessandra tuned out what her mother said. She was not going to feel sorry for Melanie.
Melanie only came to Alessandra when she needed help to save her marriage, or she needed help for the children she cared for.
There was nothing more to speak of with Melanie after today.
"Oh!" Alessandra gasped, startled after she bumped into someone. "I am sorry. I was not watching where I was walking."
"You are forgiven, duchess. Your mistake has allowed me to have an encounter I have longed for."
Alessandra’s brows were knitted as she tried to place who the man before her was. She had never seen him before, but it wasn’t unusual for a stranger to want to meet her.
The Collins guards were quick to be at Alessandra’s side with Lily and Isabelle now standing behind their mother.
The guards stood in a way to block Alessandra from the stranger.
Quinn didn’t mind the overprotective guard and leaned so he could see Alessandra’s face. He finally got to see what all the fuss was about, and he wasn’t impressed.
’Perhaps I need the mask,’ Quinn thought.
"Duchess Collins, I have heard about you so often in my younger days. Of your beauty, of course. It has always bothered me that we never had the pleasure of being introduced. We were close to it happening," said Quinn.
"Forgive me, but I don’t know who you are," Alessandra said, unable to put a name to the face.
"Oh, where are my manners? My name is Quinn Monroe. You might have heard of my brother Cassius Monroe," Quinn introduced himself. He offers his hand for Alessandra to shake.
’Cassius?’ Reed repeated the name.
Reed looked at Caleb, both seeming to share the same thought.
"We must leave now, duchess. Urgently," Caleb informed Alessandra.
Alessandra looked away from Quinn, trusting Caleb’s decision to leave. Danger had to be near.
Reed kept his gaze on Quinn in case there were any plans to attack the duchess. He didn’t like how Quinn kept trying to look at Alessandra.
"We’ll meet again soon, duchess!" Quinn yelled, ignoring the looks he received. "Then you’ll know who I am."
Reed moved to stand before Quinn and said, "I suggest you stay away from the duchess."
"Being tall won’t be enough to terrify me. I quite have an interest in men like you. The taller you are, the harder you fall. Want to test it?" Quinn asked, taking an interest in Reed. "And there are two of you. It must be my lucky day."
"Take your fantasies to the red light district and stay away from the duchess. She is not the kind of lady you may speak with as you like," Reed said as he turned to follow the others.
"Oh, one day you will all be coming to me to speak and I will turn you away," Quinn said, following closely behind Reed.
"Duchess!" Quinn called Alessandra again. He smiled when he got her attention. "I’ll give you a hint about who I am."
"You!" Reed grabbed Quinn’s shirt and pulled him close. "Enough."
"My father was a collector of art. Do not forget it," Quinn yelled before Alessandra was ushered into a shop to be out of sight.
Quinn turned his attention back to Reed. "If you want to be rough, it’s going to cost you."
Quinn remained still when Reed started to reach for his gun. He always had a backup to keep himself safe.
"What is going on here?"
Reed looked up to see the town guards coming toward them. He released Quinn and put away his gun.
"Nothing, but a little misunderstanding. I tried to get too close to the duchess, and it riled her guards up. That was my mistake," Quinn said, fixing where Reed wrinkled up his shirt. "Tell the duchess and her daughters that I am sorry for scaring them."
Reed peered down at the man he wanted to hit, but he couldn’t. The town guards would take him away, and then someone from the duke’s estate would have to come for him.
"Stay away from the duchess," Reed advised Quinn. "Next time, you won’t be so lucky."
Quinn chuckled.
Quinn was certain the next time he crossed paths with Reed, it would be Reed who wouldn’t be so lucky.