CHAPTER 32: Unexpected Ally

POV: Selene Castellano

The call came three days after Margaret’s warning.

Selene was deep in thought, typing away on her grant proposal in the quiet library, when her phone suddenly rang, shattering the stillness. She looked down at the screen, and her curiosity was piqued when she saw that the call was from an unknown number.

“Hello?”

“Selene. It’s Catherine.”

Selene’s stomach dropped. “ Catherine, if this is about Marcus—”

Catherine's voice sounded different, it was harsher now. "Can we see today?" she said, her words laced with urgency. "It's really important," she added, her tone firm.

“I don’t think—”

“Marcus’s lawyer called me this morning. He asked me to testify against Nene’s will, he wants me to say she was losing her mind in her final months. That she was being manipulated and that the marriage clause was a proof of her declining mental capacity.”

Selene's fingers wrapped tightly around the phone, her voice firm as she asked, "What was that you just said?"

I really need to speak with you in person, it's extremely important. Would it be possible for us to meet at the Palace Hotel, you know, the same location where we met previously? How about we plan to meet at 2 o'clock? I would greatly appreciate it if you could be there. It's crucial that we discuss this matter face-to-face, and I'm counting on your presence.

Before Selene could respond, Catherine hung up.

Selene sat staring at her phone.

This might be a setup. Maybe Catherine is in on it with Marcus, trying to get her to slip up and say something she shouldn't, it is possible they're working together to trap her into making some kind of confession.

Or it could be genuine?

Avalon got a text from her, saying his mom had called and wanted to meet up. Apparently, Marcus had asked her mom to testify against the will, and now she wanted to talk to Avalon about it.

Three dots appeared immediately.

Don’t go alone. I’m coming with you.

She asked for just me.

I'm not sure that's the best plan, but if she's working with Marcus, you'll probably need some extra support. However, if she's alone, I'm not leaving - she'll just have to deal with me being there.

Okay. Meet me at home first.

Two hours had gone by, and now they were sitting in Avalon's car, which was parked right outside the Palace Hotel.

“You don’t have to come in,” Selene said.

“Yes, I do.”

“She might not talk if you’re there.”

I'm not about to leave you to deal with this on your own, even if she's not saying a word.

Selene looked at him. Saw the tension in his jaw, the way his hands gripped the steering wheel.

“You’re scared,” she said.

“Of my mother? Always.”

“No. Scared of what she might say. Whether she’s actually changed or if this is another manipulation.”

Avalon's mind went quiet, her thoughts had been taken over by a worrying feeling. After a while, she spoke up, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible. "Yeah," she said, "I'm scared that she hasn't changed at all, that everything is just the same and this is just another weird trick she's trying to pull on us."

“Then we will find out together.”

They walked into the hotel hand in hand.

Catherine was sitting at the corner table, just like she had been before. When she saw them walk in, she stood up from her seat.

Her eyes widened slightly when she saw Avalon.

“I asked to meet Selene alone.”

Avalon's voice was flat as he said, "I just wanted to know my wife is okay, that's all I care about." He stopped for a moment, then went on, "That's why we're here, because I need to make sure she's safe."

Catherine looked like she was going to say something, but instead she just nodded and told me to sit down.

They sat. Selene on one side of the table, Avalon beside her. Catherine was across from them like this was a negotiation.

Maybe it was.

“Thank you for coming,” Catherine began.

Selene didn't waste any time, she went right ahead and said, "You told me Marcus wanted you to be a witness, right?" She didn't bother with any introductions or casual conversation, she just got straight to the point and waited for an answer.

This morning I received a call from a lawyer, and I was impressed by how polite and professional he was. He asked if I'd be willing to discuss Nene's mental state in the months before she passed away, and share my thoughts as part of a testimony. He seemed really genuine in his approach, and I appreciated the way he handled the conversation. I'm still considering his request, and thinking about what I can share, but overall, the call was a pleasant surprise, given the difficult circumstances.

“And?” Avalon’s voice was hard.

Catherine met his eyes. “ I told him to go to hell.”

Silence.

Selene blinked. “ What?”

I told Marcus's lawyer I wouldn't say anything bad about my mother-in-law. I made sure he knew that Nene was still really sharp and aware right up until she died. I also warned him that if he tried to contact me again, I would report him for harassment without thinking twice.

Avalon stared at his mother. “ You said no.”

Catherine's voice was shaking as she talked. "I completely refused," she said. "I've done some really bad things before - I've used people for my own gain, scared them, and hurt people I care about but I am not going to let Marcus Pierce ruin Nene's good name and take away everything she's achieved."

“Why?” Avalon asked. “ Why defend her now? You spent years fighting with Nene undermining her decisions. You told me once she was a controlling narcissist who tried to run your life.”

Catherine's calm exterior began to crumble. "I did say that, and I was wrong," she confessed, her voice laced with a mix of emotions. Nene had been attempting to protect him from Catherine's controlling tendencies, having witnessed firsthand the way Catherine was treating him. She had tried to step in, to intervene, but Catherine had rebelled against her efforts, feeling a sense of resentment towards Nene. Yet, deep down, Catherine knew that Nene's actions were motivated by a desire to help, and that she had been right to try to stop her. As the truth began to sink in, Catherine's defenses started to break down, and she was forced to confront the reality of her own behavior.

She dug into her bag, pulled out a folder, and slapped it down on the table.

Nene's medical records from the past year are all here. They cover every doctor's visit, test result, and evaluation she had. I had my lawyer gather them after Marcus reached out to me. What's clear from these records is that Nene was fully in control of her mental faculties the whole time and there was no sign of dementia or any kind of decline in her mental abilities - nothing that Marcus can use to try and manipulate the situation.

Selene opened the folder and scanned the documents.

According to the medical records, she was given a clean bill of health. Not just one, but three separate doctors examined her mental state and came to the same conclusion: her mind was sharp and clear. What's more, these evaluations were conducted in the final six months of her life, so it's unlikely that her health was deteriorating. The reports all indicate that her brain function was normal, with no signs of any issues whatsoever.

“Why are you giving us this?” Selene asked.

Marcus is going to try to make people doubt what really happened. He'll find some doctors who will say that Nene wasn't doing well, that she was declining, then he'll take the decisions she made and twist them around to make it seem like she wasn't thinking clearly. But these records, they're your proof, your defense against all the lies he's going to tell.

Avalon's voice was barely above a whisper as she asked, "Why didn't you just hand those over to Marcus? It would have been a whole lot simpler, you could have helped him get his hands on the will, and then he would have taken care of me and Selene. That way, you would have gotten what you've always wanted all along."

Catherine looked at her son. “ What I always wanted was to control your life. To make you into what I thought you should be and in trying to do that, I almost lost you completely.”

She bent forward, her arm extending across the table, but then she hesitated, pulling back at the last moment, just shy of touching him.

I know I don't deserve it, but I'm asking you to have faith in me. I'm trying to change, to become someone better. That means I need to stand up to people like Marcus, who think they can get away with treating others poorly just to succeed. I want you to trust that I'm genuinely working on myself, and that I'm committed to doing what's right, even if it's hard. I'm not looking for forgiveness, at least not yet - I know I still have a lot to prove but I hope you can see that I'm making an effort, and that I'm willing to take on the tough challenges, like dealing with people who don't play fair.

Avalon's face contorted with rage. "You went after Selene when she was pregnant with our kid," he snarled, his voice venomous. "You terrified her so much that she felt like she had to take of and all because of you, we wasted ten years that we can never recover - years that are just gone, lost forever.

“I know.”

You're expecting praise for just doing what's expected of you? For not speaking out against your own family member, someone as close as a mother-in-law?

I know what I've done and I can see the harm it caused you. I'm trying to fix things, even if it's not enough.

Selene watched the exchange. Saw the pain on both their faces.

"Thanks, Catherine," she said softly, her voice hardly heard. "I really appreciate you keeping everything organized and standing up for me against Marcus, it means so much."

Catherine's eyes filled with tears, and her voice trembled as she asked, "Does it really matter?" She looked at the two of them, thinking about all they had been through and everything they had achieved, and she couldn't help but wonder if anything she did now would make a difference. "I mean, when I see what you've both overcome and accomplished, despite my mistakes," she said, her voice cracking with emotion, "I have to ask myself if anything I do now could possibly change anything."

Selene's voice was full of conviction when she said, "It does make a difference, you know. It's not that it erases what's already happened, but it's a step in a new direction. It's a chance to start fresh, leave the past behind us, and work towards something better. When we take this step, we're not ignoring what's come before, we're just choosing to focus on what's ahead. We're giving ourselves the opportunity to create something new, something better.This is not about forgetting, it's about moving forward, and that's what makes it so important."

Avalon stood abruptly. “ I need air.”

He left.

Selene started to follow, but Catherine stopped her.

“Let him go. He needs to process.”

“He’s angry.”

Catherine gathered the medical records and passed them over, saying "Keep these safe, you never know when they might be useful." She then added, "And when Avalon is calmer, be sure to give him a message from me." Her voice was trembling with emotion as she continued, "Tell him how proud I am of the person he's become - for finding you, for standing up for his convictions, and for growing into a better person than I ever taught him to be, which is something to be really proud of. I mean, it's not always easy to do the right thing, but he's doing it, and that takes a lot of courage." She paused, collecting her thoughts before finishing, "So, please, make sure to let him know how I feel, it's really important to me."

“You should tell him yourself.”

I think he needs to know, even if he's not ready to hear it, so maybe you could be the one to tell him.

Catherine got up and said, "There's something else. Marcus is going to take things to the next level. He didn't win the fraud case and he's not winning this one either. When people get desperate, they do crazy things."

“What do you mean?”

"Be careful, both of you. Marcus isn't just in it for the money now, he's got a personal stake. You beat him and that's bruised his ego, so he's coming for you. Watch your backs, things just got serious."

Catherine left before Selene could respond.

Selene sat alone with the medical records, her mind racing.

She saw Avalon standing outside by the valet parking, just gazing off into the distance, lost in thought.

“You okay?”

“No.”

“Want to talk about it?”

“She gave us ammunition against Marcus. She had refused to testify and trying to do all the right things.” Avalon’s voice was flat. “ And I still don’t trust her.”

“You don’t have to trust her. Not yet.”

“Do you?”

Selene took a moment to think about it. "I'm not really sure," she said, "but it seems like she's trying, and that's something, right?"

“It’s not enough.”

“Maybe not.”

They drove home in silence.

That night, Avalon couldn’t sleep.

Selene found him at two AM, standing in his study, staring at the medical records Catherine had given them.

“Can’t sleep either?” she asked.

“Keep thinking about what she said and about why Marcus is getting desperate.”

“You think he’ll try something?”

I believe he's already taking action, the plan is to challenge us. They want Catherine to testify, so they're trying every possible approach to see what works.

“So what do we do?”

Avalon turned to face her, a determined look on her face. "We're preparing for battle," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, but filled with a sense of urgency and gravity. "This has gone beyond lawsuits and legal proceedings - it's all-out war now."

“Then we fight.”

This is going to take a while - we're talking three months until the hearing, then the actual trial, and after that, there will be appeals. It's a long process, and it could easily drag on for years.

“Then we fight for years.”

Avalon crossed to her, kissed her and pulled her close.

“I’m tired, Selene, tired of Marcus. I am tired of fighting and defending something that should have just been ours.”

“I know.”

“But I’m not giving up.”

“I know that too.”

They stood in the darkness, holding each other.

Outside, the city slept.

Inside, they gathered strength for the next battle.

Because Catherine had been right about one thing.

Marcus was desperate and desperate men are dangerous humans.

The question wasn’t if he’d strike again.

It was when.

And how hard.