Daddy Not-So Dearest

One of the servants opened the door. Her face wore an ugly grimace when she glanced at Ella, but when she looked up at Tim, the sneer faded and was replaced by a smile. “Come in,” she said, stepping aside.
Ella’s dad strode to the door to embrace her. “There you are, darling. God, how I’ve missed you.” He wrapped her up and hugged her so tightly, Ella felt as if she was a little girl again, and she almost cried. But she didn’t. The sound of Teresa’s heels coming into the living room turned her sadness into anger. “You look well,” her father added, holding her at arm’s length. “A little skinny.”
“Yes, well, not by choice.” Ella glared at Teresa as her father greeted Tim.
Teresa wanted to play pretend. “It’s lovely to see you, Ella.” She opened her arms slightly, but Ella took a step back. There was no way in hell she was going to hug her stepmother. Not after what she’d done.
Her father cleared his throat at the awkwardness of the situation. Thankfully, they were spared any discussion of whether or not Ella was being rude when Anna and Drew entered the room--and someone else.
A tall man with dark hair and a look about him that made Ella think he might be French walked between her stepsisters. He was quite handsome and wore an expensive suit. Ella was sure she’d never seen him before. The man appeared distinguished, though not much older than her, she guessed. His eyes were dark brown, similar to her own, his brows heavy but arched as he took her in. Who he was and what he wanted, she didn’t know, but an unsettled feeling stirred her stomach.
Anna and Drew said hello to Ella but lavished their attention on Tim for a moment as her father took her arm and walked her over to the man in the suit. “Ella, this is one of my newest associates. Henry Caron, son of Jacque Caron, whom you’ve met, I believe, hails from Paris and has been working hard on many of our projects in France.”
“It’s lovely to meet you,” Henry said, speaking in perfect, melodious French.
Ella answered in his native tongue. “It’s nice to meet you as well, Mr. Caron.”
“Please, call me Henry,” he insisted, and when she offered her hand, he brushed a kiss against her knuckles.
This was not a business meeting.
“What brings you to LA?” she asked as he released her hand.
Henry shrugged. “Your father and I have been working on a project. I have heard of your beauty and seen your work. I wanted to meet you.” He had a casual, innocent smile, and Ella had a feeling she was about to break his heart--and her father’s.
But there was no reason to jump to conclusions. After all, they’d only just met. He may well decide he didn’t care for her of his own accord, especially since he was likely about to witness an argument between Ella and her father. “Welcome to California,” she said to him before her father asked Drew and Anna to show Henry and Tim into the parlor so that he and Teresa could speak to Ella alone.
Her stepsisters didn’t hesitate to throw themselves at the men. Anna slid her arm through Tim’s, leaving Drew to fawn all over Henry. Ella tried not to roll her eyes as she caught Tim’s, and he gave her a slight nod, letting her know he remembered what she’d asked him. He wouldn't leave without her.
“Ella, why don’t you join us on the back patio? We’ll have a glass of lemonade and talk this over.” Her father gestured toward the rear of the house, and Ella headed that way.
Plenty of servants were bustling about, but Ella didn’t see Mary’s friendly face anywhere. Disappointed, she went outside and took a seat at the table. One of the servants brought them each a glass of lemonade. Ella took a small sip, but she wasn’t thirsty, and she didn’t trust Teresa.
“Now, let us get to the heart of the matter,” Lloyd said with a soft smile. “Ella, I’m afraid you’ve misunderstood Teresa’s intentions.”
“Yes, dear. I’m so very sorry we had such an intense misunderstanding. I was under the impression you liked to be alone. That’s the only reason I allowed you to work in the attic. I was trying to help you focus on your work.”
“Don’t lie, Teresa. It doesn’t become you. You may as well be honest. You locked me in the attic. All day, every day. Save the times I came out for dinner. Father, I had a bucket to use the restroom in. There are servants here who may tell you the truth, but only if you assure them they won’t be fired. She was awful to me.”
Teresa summoned some tears to her eyes. “That’s simply not true. Oh, Lloyd, I would never….”
Ella could tell from her father’s face he didn’t believe her. She could hardly believe her eyes. “Ella, dear, I don’t know for certain what the misunderstanding is, but I assure you, Teresa is ready to move on from that. We want you to be a part of this family. Why don’t you move back in here? I’ll pay off your lease. You can have any of the rooms on the second floor that aren’t already occupied. There are four to pick from.”
Biting her bottom lip as she tried to resolve herself to the fact that her father was taking Teresa’s side, Ella took a moment to compose herself before saying, “No, thank you, Father. I'm quite happy in my new apartment.”
Teresa’s eyes narrowed. She simply hated not having someone to control. “Ella, your father wants you here. Who am I to make you feel uncomfortable in your own home?”
“You told me my mother killed herself and you’d have me committed if I tried to leave.”
Lloyd’s eyes bulged. Teresa was seething. “I never!” she spat.
“I would never make that up,” Ella said, looking at her father, who was now studying his current wife with his mouth hanging open. Perhaps she had a chance to make him believe the truth after all
“How dare you! Take it back!” Teresa demanded, her anger clearly showing through.
“See?” Ella asked her father. “See how her temper rages?”
“You little bitch!” Teresa spat under her breath. To Lloyd, she said, “If you’re going to believe her, well, you can go to hell, too.” Her chair screeched back across the brick patio and she hustled inside.
Lloyd called after her, but when she didn’t respond, he rested his head in his hands for a moment. Then, he looked at Ella and asked, “Did she really say that to you?”
Ella nodded, tears in her eyes. “She’s just married to you for the money, Father. She’s glad you’re not here.”
“Be careful, daughter,” he warned. It was clear Lloyd’s emotions were torn between wanting to believe the truth his daughter spoke and keeping his wife happy.
Ella couldn’t allow herself to care anymore. With a shrug, she said, “It’s your life, Daddy. But I wouldn’t trust her if I were you. Where’s my car? Why did she lie to you and send that letter allegedly from me? Why didn’t she ever let me speak to you?”
“Your car is in the garage--but I can’t answer any of the rest of that.” Lloyd pinched the bridge of his nose, as if the thought of continuing to try to decipher Teresa was causing his head to ache.
Ella looked around the back yard while he tried to recover. It was lovely. She’d never been here before. Her father had bought this house when she was away in France, and she’d never been allowed to come out here. There was a large pool surrounded by beautiful plants and trees, a pool house, and lots of lovely flowering hedges along the perimeter.
“Ella, dear, there is something else I’d like to speak to you about, another reason why I’d like for you to stay here, at least for a while.”
“What is it?” Her head swiveled back so she could look at him. She saw that look in his eyes that said he was about to start some sort of negotiation. Ella felt her blood run cold as she imagined the possibilities.
He cleared his voice and reached for her hand, which she gave to him. “Ella, you know how important it is for our company to build relationships with others in our field. I work on cultivating friendships and cooperative efforts with powerful men in other companies that we work closely with on a daily basis.”
He had her attention now for sure. “Yes, Father. I know that.”
“Henry’s father is very wealthy. He has his finger on the pulse of the French film industry. You grew up in France. You are practically a native. The two of you have quite a bit in common.”
A large lump formed in Ella’s throat as she tried to determine what to say. It was evident where her father was going with this conversation, and as much as Ella didn’t want to hear what he had to say, she also didn’t want to have to respond. But it was inevitable. He was going to finish that thought, and she’d have to come up with a reason why she didn’t want to do what her father was about to suggest.
“I think that you should stay here at the house for a while, get to know Henry, and then, when you realize what a perfect match the two of you are, move back to Paris with him, and the two of you can anchor what is sure to become a beautiful relationship between Sinders Cinema Marketing and Caron Cinema.”
Sucking in a deep breath, Ella held it a moment and then let it go, asking, “Dad, what are you saying?”
“I’m saying… I want you to marry Henry Caron from Paris.”