{Victoria}

The next time I opened my eyes I was in a hospital room. I tried to get up from the bed but I couldn't because I was tied down to it. Okay, what the hell happened?

I heard someone let out a sigh of relief, "Oh, good you're awake! How do you feel Victoria?"

When I looked over I saw Walter sitting by my bedside with a look of concern on his face. I tilted my head and gave him a confused look. "I feel fine I guess? And confused as to why I'm here."

Walter frowned. "What's the last thing you remember?"

I paused and tried to remember what happened to me but my mind drew a blank. I shook my head. "At the moment, I remember nothing."

"You don't remember Frank coming over for a visit? And then flipping out afterwards?" Walter asked.

Once again I searched my memory and my mind drew a blank. I shook my head. "Nope. I don't remember anything so I'm going to assume that I had another anger blackout episode?"

He paused. "You mean you had a manic episode?"

"Well if that's what you want to call it, then sure," I said.

Walter took out his cell phone and showed me pictures of what looked like my living room and it looked like it had been ransacked. I gasped, "What the hell happened to my house?"

Before Walter could respond, the doctor came into the room and said, "Okay Ms. Lee, how are you feeling today?"

"I'm feeling fine for the moment," I said. "How long have I been out?"

"You've been out for a day. We thought you might be out for more than that but you're awake now," the doctor said. "Walter told me what the possible trigger might've been for your episode this time. You were very hysterical yesterday when you came in and there were four different nurses besides Walter that had to wrestle you down to the bed so we could calm you down. That's why you're tied to the bed at the moment. I want to make sure you're completely calm before I give the order to untie you."

I looked down. "Oh."

"Hey, it's okay Ms. Lee," the doctor said. "This is all a part of having the issues that you do. This is exactly why you need a caretaker right now. Now, you'll be staying here for a couple of days for observation and if everything's fine then you'll go home with Walter."

I nodded. "Okay."

The doctor looked at Walter. "Walter? I need to speak to you for a moment outside."

"Sure," Walter said. He followed the doctor out of the room leaving me alone with my thoughts still trying to figure out what happened.

***

{Frank}

After I went to visit Victoria, I heard that she was in the hospital. I asked my assistant to try and find out why and apparently it had something to do with a manic episode. Who'd thought that mentioning being married to a woman like Delilah would set someone off that bad!

My assistant managed to get a hold of Victoria's medical records and let's just say it didn't look pretty.

Victoria's medical history started when she turned 14 and she had a near death experience because she was beat up badly by her stepfather. From the looks of things it seemed that her mother just stood there and let it happen.

The more I read about Victoria's medical history the more I started to see why me mentioning that I was married to her mother set her off.

I sighed when I finished reading Victoria's file. "Un fucking believable! Delilah what did you do?"

"Um, sir?" My assistant said, "There's someone here to see you."

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Who is it?"

"She says her name is Jenny Tyler," He said. "She wants to talk to you about Victoria."

"Okay, send her in," I said.

A young woman who looked like a younger version of Delilah walked into the room. She had brown hair and Hazel eyes. Her hair was up in a ponytail and she wore a brown t-shirt with a pair of blue jeans. She wore gray sneakers to complete the look.

"Mr. Randal, it's nice to meet you. My name is Jenny Tyler but you can just call me Jenny. I'm here to speak to you about my sister," Jenny said.

I promptly motioned for her to take a seat across from my desk and my assistant to close the door behind him when he left.

"So what do you want to talk about?" I asked.

"Stay away from my sister!" Jenny growled, "She's already been through hell and back because of Mom and knowing the fact that Mom is out there living her best life because of being with you is bound to set her off. As a matter of fact, it has already set her off!"

I sighed, "Yeah I know. She's in the hospital because of a manic episode."

Jenny narrowed her eyes. "So then you know how serious this is? Victoria has extreme trauma because of what Mom put her through. If you knew the kind of person Mom was, you wouldn't have married her. Oh sure, she acts all nice and innocent in front of the right people, but her true colors are nasty!"

"I get it, but what do you want me to do about it?" I asked.

"For starters you can keep Mom away from Victoria and you might want to tread lightly if you have to deal with Victoria because of her art," Jenny said. "I don't know how much she remembers before the manic episode, but if she doesn't remember you and if you wind up doing business with her, if I were you I wouldn't mention being married to Mom."

"So just let her find that out on her own?" I said.

Jenny nodded. "Exactly."

"I see," I said. "Is there anything else that you want to talk to me about?"

She shook her head. "Nope, I'm just looking out for my baby sister, that's all." She stood up. "Well it was nice meeting you Mr. Randal. Again Victoria's been through hell and back. Mom's living her best life by being married to you and I think it's time that Victoria gets to live her best life don't you think?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I agree and I can help with that."

She tilted her head. "Oh? And how are you going to do that?"

I shook my head. "I don't know but I'll figure something out."

She nodded and didn't say another word as she left the room.

***

{Victoria}

"So you remember going to the art exhibit and you remember your mom slapping you?" My therapist asked.

I nodded. "Yes."

"And you don't remember anything after that?" He asked.

I nodded again. "Exactly."

It was my monthly therapist appointment and my therapist decided to move it up from the original date seeing that I had a hospital visit because of a manic episode. My therapist is an older guy who had to be at least in his early forties, he was white and had black eyes and gray hair. He wore business casual clothing which was a brown t-shirt and blue jeans.

"Something must've set you off enough to trigger a manic episode then," my therapist said.

"That's the thing, I don't know what happened to trigger it," I said.

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"Well maybe it's best that you don't remember what happened?" My therapist asked.

I paused. "What do you mean?"

"If whatever set you off so badly gave you a manic episode that required a hospital visit, maybe it's best that you forget about it for the moment and figure it out later," He said.

I shrugged. "I guess so."

He looked over at the clock and nodded. "Alright, that's it for our session for the day. Unless there's anything else you want to talk about?"

I shook my head. "Nope."

He gave me another appointment to come back next month and I went home.

***

When I got home I sat down on the couch still confused and trying to figure out what triggered the manic episode. I know my therapist said to leave it alone for now but it really started to bug me.

I turned on the Tv and connected it to my YouTube account and picked a random video to watch while I stared off into space.

"Are you okay?" I heard Walter ask.

I looked up at him. "Honestly, I don't know. I hate it when I have a manic episode and can't figure out what I did afterwards. This is bugging me!"

Walter sat down beside me and sighed, "What did your therapist say about it?"

"Well he said maybe it's best to forget it for now and figure out what happened later," I said. "I guess he's right but it still bugs me."

My cell phone rang and I looked at the caller ID and the number didn't look familiar so I let it go to voicemail. Five minutes later, the same number called again and I let it go to voicemail. After the third time of that number calling me I decided to check my voicemail to see what the caller wanted.

I didn't know why but the voice on the voicemail sounded familiar, "Hello there, I'm leaving a message for a Ms. Victoria Lee? Can you please call back because I would like you to make an appointment with me in regards to a business proposal I have for you. When you call this number back please ask for my assistant Damon and he'll know what to do. Please call me back as soon as you can. Thank you, have a nice day."

I knew that wasn't Louis because I'd already talked to him and signed a contract and he wants me to paint a couple of paintings for him and I have six months to get them done. I also thought that it wasn't my art teacher Ms. Rae. Either way, the voice sounded familiar and it annoyed me for some reason.

Walter frowned when I hung up the phone. "What's wrong?"

"I know I've heard that voice somewhere, but I have no idea where," I said. I sighed, "I guess I should call this guy back then?"

I called the number back and did what the message told me to do and I got a surprise when Damon asked if I could come to his office today. I agreed and when I went to meet Damon he ushered me into an office where an old man sat behind the desk.

The old man looked like he had to have been pushing late forties. He was dressed up in a black suit and white shirt underneath the suit jacket and a red tie. He wore a black fedora on his head and reminded me of a mafia boss. The only thing that was missing was a cigar and a sinister look that would say 'if you cross me you die.'

But he didn't have a cigar and he didn't have a sinister look on his face. He had a kind look on his face and he smiled when he saw me as if I were a long lost friend.

"Ah, Ms. Lee! So we meet again," the man said.

I paused. "Again? We've met before?"

The man nodded. "Yes we've met before and I know you probably don't remember because of your medical issues."

Before I could ask, the man said, "Your sister stopped by and told me what happened. My name is Frank Randal and I'm married to your mother."

After I took a seat across from Frank's desk I said, "O…Kay? So what's the business proposal you have for me?"

"Well, I know about your medical issues and all that jazz and while I do feel bad that Delilah caused most of them, I can try and make it up to you," Frank said.

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And how do you plan on doing that?"

"Become a part of the family," Frank answered.

I scoffed, "Seriously? You do realize how abusive my Mom was towards me right? Why the hell would I want to be lumped into the same family that she somehow managed to weasel her way into?"

"Hear me out okay? I can help take care of the medical bills and find you new contracts so that you can make an income with art. Hell, I can spoil you rotten just like how you were supposed to be treated growing up. You should've had loving and caring parents. I know your Mom won't be able to do that but I can do that for you," Frank said.

I gave him a look of disbelief. "Uh-huh yeah sure, that's exactly what Wyatt said before he chained me up in a basement like I was some sort of pet and used me as a punching bag because I refused to conform to high society life."

Frank's eyes went wide. "Who's Wyatt?"

"He's my piece of shit ex-fiancé who is thankfully dead," I answered in a matter of fact tone.

Frank composed himself, "You know not all rich men are bad right?"

I scoffed again. "Sure they're not bad. Okay, if I'm here to talk business with you then let's talk business. If not then we have nothing to discuss."

"Your sister told me that it's time for you to live your best life. I agree with her," Frank said. "And not only do I want you to become part of my family, I want your sister and your brother to become a part of the family too. If you become a part of the family, I will make sure that you never see your mother ever again if that's what you want?"

I was in disbelief at what this guy was saying. "Are you doing this because you feel sorry for me? Because if that's the case then I-"

Frank shook his head. "No that's not it. I've wanted to have you, your sister and your brother be a part of my family for two years now and your mother wouldn't even let me meet you guys. You don't have to live at the mansion or anything like that. If anything you can at least just have the family name."

"What if I wind up getting married and get a different family name? What would happen then?" I asked.

"We can worry about that if that bridge gets crossed," Frank said. "Tell you what, if I can convince your brother and sister to join the family will you join them?"

"That's going to be a tall order you know. Because they don't like Mom either even though Mom favors Jaxon. The funny part is that Jaxon bad mouths Mom behind her back constantly," I said with a chuckle.

"Okay, then that's what I'll do. I'm going to convince your sister Jenny and your brother Jaxon to join my family," Frank said.

I paused. "Question, why do you want me to join your family so much? Is it just because you're married to my Mom?"

"That's part of the reason. I knew about you before you were born," Frank said. "I can't tell you exactly how, just that I knew about you and it's rather unfortunate that I hadn't been given a chance to help you until now."

"Is there really a business proposal here or did you just want to talk to me about personal matters?" I asked.

"It's for both actually," Frank said. "I do want to commission a drawing from you."

"Oh? What's the drawing for? How big do you want it?" I asked.

"I need it big enough to fit on the wall over the secretaries desk out the hallway," Frank said. "I'll have Damon give you a contract and you can have your lawyer present for that if you want? Other than that, that's pretty much all I have to say at the moment."

"Alright, I guess I'll be on my way now," I said.

After Frank and I said goodbye I went home.

***

{Frank}

When Victoria left I felt happy that I at least got a chance to have a civil conversation with her about things. I intend to fulfill my promise that I made to Victoria's father before he died. He knew Victoria's mother was nuts and she got ever crazier after Victoria was born for whatever the reason.

He asked me if anything should happen that I should take care of Victoria at least. But unfortunately after Victoria's father died, Delilah had already moved on to be with Howard and Howard being my rival did his best to make Victoria's life hell.

Once Howard died I immediately decided to date Delilah and we got married. But it seems that the universe must not want me to fulfill the promise I made to Victoria's father because it took until now for me to be able to help her. However, even now being able to convince Victoria to let me take care of her is going to be an uphill battle.

I remember the day Victoria's father made me make that promise to him. It still gives me chills just thinking about it.

We were sitting in my limo just after I had finished a business meeting when he showed me an emerald jewel with a small black dot in the middle of it.

I tilted my head. "Okay? What's that?"

"Inside this crystal is the offspring of a fallen angel," Victoria's father said.

I blinked. "Say what now?"

"About 99% of the human race don't know this but fallen angels, the ones talked about in the Holy book known as the Bible are actually real," He said.

I gave him a look of disbelief.

He continued, "Only certain humans have the ability to carry the offspring of a fallen to term and I found a special woman for this child. Her name is Delilah and she'll carry this child and give birth to them. The day when this child's powers finally manifest themselves we'll be able to win the war against Angels and Demons once and for all!"

At this point Victoria's father looked like a crazy person that needed help badly. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You'll understand what I mean one of these days hopefully," He said. "Just promise me that if something happens to me that you'll help take care of this child and you'll help Delilah help this child manifest their powers when the time comes."

He held out his hand. "Promise me please?"

I shook his hand not knowing the hell Victoria's father was talking about and at the moment I still don't know what he was talking about.

There was a knock on my office door snapping me out of my thoughts. "Come in!"

"So how did it go?" Damon asked as he entered the room.

"Well it went better than what happened the other time I tried to meet her," I said.

Damon smiled. "That's good to know."

I sighed, "Now I just need to convince Victoria that all I want to do is help her. The sooner I do that the better." I looked at Damon. "Any ideas on how to convince a young woman that not all rich men are pigs just because they want to help her out?"

He looked thoughtful, "Hmm, why not just be kind and patient with her? Because more than likely she's been through something bad in her past and that's her outlook on rich people to be negative."

That statement made me pause. "Fuck!"

Damon tilted his head. "What?"

"Victoria mentioned something about an ex-fiancé who was rich that chained her up in a basement for some reason," I said.

His eyes went wide and his jaw dropped. "Seriously?"

I nodded. "Seriously. But I'll start by doing what you suggested. I just have to be patient with her. And sooner or later I'll fulfill my promise to Victoria's father."

"I see," Damon said.

I looked at my phone when Delilah texted me about being home for dinner. Lately I haven't really wanted to spend time with her but I do anyway because I'm her husband. The time phone said it was almost 5pm and it was time for me to start heading out for the day.

I stood up and left the room with Damon following behind me and went home.