The Heiress 18+{BWWM}

Epilogue

I opened the door to find Ariana on our doorstep. Her long, glossy, thick hair was swooped over one eye, Aaliyah style. She donned long dangly earrings and wore the hell out of a peach blazer and a matching pencil skirt. Under the subtle notes of her perfume, I detected a man's scent. It wasn't Monty's, her husband.

I pulled her inside and shut the door. "Spill," I demanded, hands on my hips.

She brushed off her skirt suit. "I'm going to France for a few weeks," she evaded.

I raised a brow. "Without Monty, I presume."

"Exactly." Her smile reminded me of the Cheshire cat in Alice in Wonderland. "Paris is beautiful this time of year. Oh, I also came to tell you that I didn't sell that story to the tabloids. It was dad." Her expression was neutral.

I stand there stunned. "Why would he do that?"

"Why don't you ask him," she begins examining her cuticles. "He always meddled in your life since the day you started liking boys."

I gazed at her for a time, narrowing my eyes. She began to stand there awkwardly in the middle of our foyer, so I took pity on her and asked, "Wanna play Mortal Kombat?"

Relief flooded her features. "I got dibs on Kitana!"

"Mileena all day, bitch!"

My mind continuously drifted back to Ariana for the rest of the day. I had a bad feeling, and her going to France was the tip of the iceberg. She's hiding something.

"There's something different about her," Randal told me. I knew for a fact her relationship with Monty wasn't all red roses and sweetheart candy. We both knew Monty cheated on her every chance he got. So, the difference in her had nothing to do with him. I smelled another man on her. Weird I know but baby hormones have strange effects on a expecting mom's body.

I used to laugh at Ariana's pain, but this growing baby inside me is changing me. He or she introduced a woman in me I had no idea existed. I care for Ariana, and I just want her to be happy. She's, my sister. And if that happiness is with another man so be it. As long as it was a healthy relationship.

"You want her to be happy, huh?" It's creepy now how Randal is in tune with me. It happened since the pregnancy began. He knows and understands my moods, anticipates my needs, and ensures that he meets them to the best of his ability.

I couldn't have asked for a better husband. "She told me daddy sold the story to the tabloids and that he's been meddling in my life since forever."

Randal looked uncomfortable. "Yeah... uh Polaris I have to talk you about something."

~*~

It was approximately two weeks into Ariana's trip to France when we heard the devastating news Monty was robbed and shot to death in their penthouse. Two men were arrested, charged, and tried. Because it was a high-profile case, the two men had a speedy trial. Both were convicted and sentenced to twenty years in prison. An open-and-shut case. It made those involved in the investigation look as if they were on top of things. Promotions were awarded. Politics, of course.

Our family supported Ariana and Monty's sister Tasha through the whole ordeal. Ariana became increasingly secretive, noticeable only to Randal and me, for she played the grieving widow well.

It was a Saturday morning when she stopped by for a cup of coffee. "You're the only person I can talk to about this." She looked worried, gazing over her shoulders and rubbing delicate hands up and down her arms as if she were cold. It was the middle of summer.

I took a sip of my water and said, "Tell me everything..."