Viktor returned home late that evening. He had hoped his future in-laws had gone to sleep by then. To his chagrin, he found them both awake, sitting in the den with Josette and Peter. Madame Foret was working on an elaborate embroidery, while her husband was reading a book. Peter was absentmindedly perusing the daily paper. Josette sat next to her mother, staring into space. She looked deeply lost in thought as she idly twirled a lock of hair around one finger.
"Wonderful," Viktor thought. "The entire committee is present."
He put on a fake bright smile and greeted them politely: "Good evening, everyone."
He carefully studied their individual reactions to his voice: Madame Foret looked up from her needlework with a startled expression; Monsieur Foret was obviously piqued, but trying to maintain his composure; Peter attempted to appear calm and neutral, but was still cowering from their previous encounter. Josette's hazel eyes were filled with suffering and something else... perhaps she was waiting for him to speak before making up her mind as to how she truly felt about him.
Viktor entered the den after taking his hat and coat off, and sat down in his usual armchair. The atmosphere in the little room was suddenly very tense.
"Has Lorie gone to bed?" Viktor began with a neutral topic of conversation.
"Yes, she was very tired," Josette replied, avoiding eye-contact.
"And you? How are you feeling?" Viktor addressed his fiancée.
He noticed Paul Foret looking up as his cheeks turned slightly red. Papa was about to say something, but Josette cut him off.
"I'm as well as can be expected," she said, still staring into her lap. After a pause, she asked: "How was your day?"
"Fairly uneventful," Viktor replied, giving Peter a sideways glance. His son remained stony-faced. "Business as usual," Viktor continued. "Did you... go anywhere?"
Josette shook her head. "I didn't really feel up to it. I didn't sleep very well last night."
Viktor nodded in response. "Neither did I."
Josette finally looked at him. "I suppose both of us felt... out of sorts."
"Indeed," Viktor replied, giving her a meaningful glance.
An uncomfortable silence settled over the room. Viktor used it to his advantage to read everyone's thoughts:
"That bastard! Look at him, sitting there all smug, while my daughter is suffering. I wish I could give him a piece of my mind." Paul Foret was quietly fuming. Viktor smirked in his direction, adding to Paul's fury.
"I wish those two would just go ahead and make-up. They are both so damn stubborn! For Lorie's sake, I hope they can put this ordeal behind them." Madame Foret pretended to busily sew, but her mind was obviously focused on something completely different. She suddenly pricked her finger with the sharp needle. For a brief moment, Viktor's pupils dilated at the sight of fresh blood. Fortunately, Maman instinctively put her finger in her mouth attempting to soothe it.
Viktor then tried to enter Peter's mind, but his son was putting up his strongest defenses. Viktor was frustrated by his inability to breach the thick wall of fog he came up against. Peter must have realized what his father was trying to do, because he suddenly gazed at Viktor and shook his head ever so slightly. Viktor narrowed his eyes and threw him a nasty look in return.
When attempting to read Josette's thoughts, Viktor found a complete jumble of ideas going through her head: "What should I do? Can I truly forgive him? But Lorie loves him. She asked me to, and I promised I would. He looks so handsome. Oh, God, what do I want? I think I still love him. What about my singing? I don't want to quit! He's trying to control me. My arm still hurts. What if he hits me? Do I still want to marry him? What if he killed Lawrence?"
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Why Lorie? Part II
Fanfiction** Mature content! **This is the second part of Lorie's story that starts after Drogo is banished to America. I try to alternate chapters between Lorie's life in Vienna, and Drogo and Nicolae's in Mystery Spell. Read on to find out how Lori become...
