Becoming a Scott

Chapter 18

Christina was siting in the living room, reading her book and wondering what to do next when Michael appeared at the entrance way. He walked steadily, with determination, and dropped a piece of paper on her lap. "Ander left you a note."

"A note?" She asked, "From last night."

"He wrote it after you left, said he didn't get to tell you since you left dinner abruptly." Michael said casually. "Anyway, I don't really know what it says."

Christina lifted the paper from her lap but still stared at her cousin, he hadn't left the room yet and she was unsure if he needed to say something else.

"Just," he started to say before letting out a breath. "Ander is my friend, so make sure not to get too close to him."

"Huh?" Christina asked, genuinely confused.

"Yeah, I don't know what this is," he gestured at the note. "It's none of my business but whatever you're trying to do with him should stop before people get the wrong idea."

"And the wrong idea is that..."

"You're trying to seduce him, or something or other. Christina, you've only been here for a couple days, please don't flirt with my friends."

"What?" She asked as he walked away. "What flirting?"

Michael disappeared and that was the end of the discussion. Christina was taken aback by how many people had, without prompt, offered her an opinion on her relationship with Ander. She sighed and opened up the folded note.

'Country club at two,' it read in a scribbled jargon Christina could barely understand.

By one thirty Christina was standing at the concierge dealing with Rosalie and her attitude. "Last time Ander let me through. I'm early but I'm here to meet with him."

"Mr. Vivaldi should've called ahead to let us know you were his guest if you were planning on arriving before him." Rosalie explained with a sarcastic shrug, "As it stands I still have not had your identity confirmed as a member of the Scott family."

"What do you need? My driver's license?"  Christina pulled the ID out of her wallet and placed it on the counter. "Here,"

Rosalie eyed it suspiciously, "That's a foreign form of identification, I can't use it as official documentation."

She looked up at the ceiling and let out a sigh, she could deal with attitude but she could not deal with ignorance. "The island's are a colony, there's nothing foreign about them. Islanders are just as much citizens of the country as mainlanders."

"Please, Christina Ruiz Scott," Rosalie said as she read over the ID and handed back. "Do me a favor, wait for Mr. Vivaldi here or leave the premises."

Christina steadied herself and looked over the fancy, empty lobby. "Does he have a tendency of getting to appointments on time?"

"Quite the opposite," Rosalie smiled.

"Alright," Christina stepped back and wondered over to the leather couch and the reading magazines. "But I'd I appreciate if next time we see each other your knowledge on the islands isn't as lacking."

"Only if your knowledge on our guest policy improves."

"Smart ass," Christina commented as she sat down. With idle interest she flipped through the magazines and watched the members walk through the doors, wave at Rosalie, and continue on the rest of the club. Her impatience grew with each minute that passed, she didn't even know what Ander had planned but she was desperate to know.

A group had shuffled past her and Christina had learned now not to check and see if Ander was among them. He would arrive much later. "Wait a minute," someone spoke as they stopped mid-step, "Christina Scott?"

Christina's eyes shot up and found Irvin, the man Ander had gone out of his way to fool during the party. "Oh, hello," she smiled, not particularly sure that she wanted to start a conversation with him.

"What are you doing out here?" He furrowed his brows. "Are you waiting on someone, you should wait inside."

Christina exchanged glares with Rosalie, the woman nudged her head and looked away as Christina crossed the room to join Irvin. "I am waiting on someone, but I don't know when they'll arrive."

"Well, keep me company." Irvin said as he walked on. "I'm supposed to be meeting with Ander at some point but-"

"Your meeting with Ander?" Christina asked.

He nodded, "I'm not particularly friends with him but he rang me yesterday and seemed kind of adamant about talking to me."

Christina couldn't help herself but jump to conclusions, she didn't know Irvin at all but sure she'd marry him if it meant solving all of her problems. Slowing her steps, she blinked, surprised by how she rationalized marrying a random man. Her morals had really gone by the way side since she had moved to the mainland.

"Knowing him, he'll be an hour late without an excuse, casually strolling in as if other people didn't have their own lives to live." Irvin scoffed.

"You don't like Ander?"

"No," he answered without hesitation. "And I don't know that you should hold any admiration for him with the way he dragged you around that party. He was so unashamed of the way he introduced you that night, you were nothing but property to him."

Christina frowned, "I didn't say I admired him."

But Irvin didn't stop talking enough to hear her comment, "Seriously, women swoon after him without a thought as to how desperate they look. Michael spoke truthfully the other afternoon when he was lecturing his sister, but he waited too long to scold his sisters urges. I would expect a woman, as yourself, to know better than to fall for his schemes."

She scrunched her nose, maybe Ander was right, maybe she did care about her potential husband's personality. "I'm amazed by your words Irivin," she finally managed to speak once she realized Irvin had stopped his rambling, "Not everyone is capable of depicting Ander as a competent man, like you have just done."

He rested his eyes on her before looking away towards the terrace, "He brings out the worst in me."

"I can see that," she commented flatly.

"Please tell me, Christina, that you have not seen him since that night." Irvin spoke suddenly. "You have to do your best to evade him. I have watched even the most intelligent of women fall to their knees at his beckon."

Christina had to fight to keep her laughter from rising. Did Irvin really just say such a thing? Did he really mean to have that sound as raunchy as it did? "Oh, I doubt Ander can even get one woman to blow him a kiss, let alone reproduce." She couldn't help herself, she had to say it.

"But I have seen it, Christina," he warned while completely ignoring her comment. "My sister, she lives abroad now, but she for quite a long time was in love with him."

Christina rolled her eyes, suddenly bored of this one sided conversation.

"Vanessa was lucky he dumped her before things got too bad."

She furrowed her brows. "Vanessa?" She asked out loud. That was the woman Isabela and Uncle Joel had been talking about in the kitchen. The last woman Ander had been seen with.