Heart of Stone

A Plan

Julian stood at the window of his hotel room, gazing out into the night past his reflection. The confrontation with Alexander kept replaying in his mind, fueling the anger he already felt towards him. He thought he could lay claim to LouLou, effectively making her unavailable to him. He had no idea what Julian was capable of, however. He thought he did, but Julian was going to prove him wrong.

He turned away from the night, his eyes landing on the sleeping figure of his wife in the hotel room bed, her chest gently rising and falling. His eyes held no warmth, no color, as he gazed at her, almost as if the life in the room had been leached out of him. He had cared for her, once, but then he had grown bored of her hot and cold attitude.

LouLou, on the other hand, was young and full of vibrancy for him still. But Alexander had been a piece he hadn't anticipated coming into play on the board. It didn't matter, however, because he had a plan. As he thought over this plan, he turned back to staring out into the night, a specter in the dark.

Alexander thought he had the upper hand, and for all intents and purposes he did. But Julian had a trick up his sleeve he was sure Alexander wouldn't anticipate. He'd done his homework on LouLou, and he knew the people she knew. Alexander thought he knew her better, but he was wrong.

He smiled a cold, calculated smile. He knew what he was going to do next. It would be a bold move, but well worth it in the end. He would have LouLou, and there would be nothing Alexander could do about it. He could see her in his mind, in his arms instead of Alexander's.

He slipped his phone out of his pocket and strode into the attached living area, dialing a number as he walked.

As Eloise drove home, she replayed the events of the night over and over again in her head. From the encounter with Julian to the private talk with Alexander. She couldn't believe what a turn the night's events had taken. Despite having told Alexander she wasn't worried anymore, the closer to home she got, the more hesitant she became. She hadn't been back to the property since Julian showed up there, and she was uncertain whether she wanted the first time to be at night. She knew she'd left him at the venue, however.

Out of an abundance of caution, she found herself taking the turn that said "Alban St" and let her brain automatically lead the way. The trees in this part of town were thick and the canopy overhead closed out the stars. It eventually opened up to a different part of town where the houses were sparse, and it wasn't far from her own home.

She turned into a driveway on Rose Street, pulling into a blacktop circular driveway that had two vehicles parked near the garage off to the side. She parked hers on the circle before a large, two-story house. It was made of red brick with white trim and a grey shingled roof.

Pulling out her phone, she dialed Julianna's number.

"Hello?" Her low voice came through the speaker.

"Hey, it's me. I'm in your driveway." Eloise said.

Julianna chuckled and she could hear some rustling on the other end.

"I'm coming." She said.

Eloise got out of her car and walked up between the white pillars to the front door. She hung up her phone once she heard Julianna's footsteps on other side. The door opened to reveal her smiling face with a black silk lined head wrap covering her dreads. She wore a long light blue silk nightgown with white lace along the edges, and a matching silk robe over top of it. She stepped aside to let Eloise in and then softly closed the door behind her.

The entryway was white with black and white tiles and two sets of two lantern style soft lights on either side of a doorway that led to a hall with a white runner and bench. Julianna led her further into the house and they passed by the grand staircase on the way to the kitchen. It had light wood cabinets, a large island featuring a small sink and a double stainless-steel stove for all of her best friend's baking and cooking needs. The counter tops were a sandstone marble, and the floor was a simple white tile. There were windows above the second larger sink, but they were covered by thick, heavy curtains. Two pendant lights hung above the island, and she turned those on low.