The Twelve Zenati Pt. 04

"In either scenario, the decisions that she made about her life led her to that place where she was vulnerable to a man like Remington. Maybe she wanted the type of relationship that we believe he forced on her, where she didn't have to take responsibility for any of the decisions in her life any more. It could be that she not only embraced what he did to her but requested it. She may have believed she deserved punishment. She could see you as filling that void now and want you to take the responsibility of her life choices from her, rather than need you due to brainwashing," Vivienne hypothesised. "If she admits who she is and returns to Perth with her sister then she has to admit that she failed at what she set out to do with her life. That's a lot of shame and humiliation to carry home with you, especially if she turned her back on her family and disobeyed the people who loved her and would have looked after her," she said, still considering that she might have to return home to her own family having failed and been dismissed by both the Vitali and the Zenati.

"That would change how I approach her recovery significantly," Genesis mused, lifting his hand to scratch his cheek again.

"Not necessarily," Vivienne said as she considered what they were discussing from his angle. "You always planned to get her to take back some independence. It would mean not just giving her the confidence to make a decision, but also accept responsibility for any and all outcomes from that decision. Like now, she decided to ignore her sister even though she seemed to remember her, and the consequence of doing that was upsetting you enough to leave her side, which rarely happens. She lay down and closed her eyes, just as you commanded when you left, but she cried silently. She didn't like the consequences of her actions when confronted by her sister. So, your initial ideas on dealing with her mental health may still be effective, if not more so, depending on which scenario we are looking at, or all of them, really."

"Yeah, I can see that. I want to think about it for a while and deal with what Serena just did without an audience, so she will talk more easily," Genesis said, thinking through Vivienne's analysis. "Alright, do my brother a favour and spend the afternoon with him anywhere but here in this awful place. Now that I have Marcella's permission, I will make arrangements to move her tomorrow and get you an apartment in the same complex where she is staying, close to the clinic. I have a feeling she might need as much help as Serena to navigate this and whatever is going on with her father."

"You want me to stay in Darwin with you? After you move her?" Vivienne was surprised and then remembered that Gideon said that Genesis knew nothing of their argument.

"Please," he nodded. "You help me make sense of what I am thinking and feeling. Even if you only play the devil's advocate to my thoughts, like now. We don't have to agree on everything to work well together. Besides, I am pretty sure Gideon wants you around even more than I do. I don't think that I have ever seen him with a genuine crush on a woman before," he chuckled.

"Did he tell you to say that?" she shook her head, still not believing that a man like Gideon Zenati could be serious about finding her attractive. Maybe he really did want to get to know her in a non-professional way.

"No, and if you can't see the way he looks at you and hangs off your every word for yourself then you are blind," he teased. "We better go back before he sends out a search party for us. Once we Zenati men set our sights on a woman, it's pretty hard to deter us."

"Have you set your sights on Serena?" she asked. "It will be a hard road for you if you have."

"Not at all. It is Olivia that I want," he admitted. "The young woman who got dragged into the darkest depths of hell and is fighting to find a way back. Even if she doesn't remember all of who she was yet, she is in there, and she survived it all. That woman is strong and beautiful and deserves to be saved from remaining the automaton that Remington made her."

Vivienne considered Genesis for a long moment but said nothing. Something in his words and actions told her that he meant everything he said. The more she found out about the Zenati men, the more they confused her, and as they walked back to Serena's room, her thoughts turned to Gideon. The relief at her appearance in the doorway and his genuine smile of happiness as he stood and moved to stand near her made her body tingle with delight. She'd never been the sole focus of a man's attention the way she was Gideon's, and it was both exciting and unsettling.

"Gen, we're going to take off for a little while, Text me anything you need me to do tonight," Gideon said, taking Vivienne's hand. "Ready to go?" he asked.

"Ready to stay," she said decisively, giving Genesis a small, grateful smile.

"We'll come back tonight. For now, we go," he chuckled and swept her out of the room before she had time to bid farewell to Genesis, let alone Serena. Even if she only meant stay for now, it was enough for him to be hopeful that she would stay for good.

*****

Genesis sat down in his usual seat beside her bed but refrained from touching her as she feigned sleep. He tried to word carefully what he had to say in his head before speaking. He needed to maintain the bond that he had begun to strengthen and what he was about to do could damage that if he wasn't careful in his approach. He saw her move slowly towards the side of the bed at which he sat, as if to trying to renew their physical bond, so he cleared his throat and began to speak.

"I know you are not asleep," he said in a stern voice, trying to keep the displeasure of the last time he spoke to her in her mind. "Open your eyes. I wish to talk to you, and I want to know you are listening."

Without a word, Serena turned her head and opened her eyes to gaze at him. Tears formed almost immediately again, and she blinked, trying to wish them away. He was disappointed in her, and it hurt her, almost physically, to see his expression. She would much rather endure the physical punishments that Remy had given her than the look of disappointment on Genesis' face.

"Do you think that Remington would have given you to my care without telling me your story. Who you were and how you were living before he met you?" he asked in a chillingly cold voice. "I can order a DNA test to prove to everyone that Serena Seabrook is a name he gave you to hide you from those who might try to find you. Serena Seabrook is a lie; the identification you have carried is fake and illegal. If you cling to this name and identification, you will be perpetrating fraud and could be arrested. Do you understand?"

"No, Remington said he made it legal," she whispered, horrified by what Genesis was saying. She wasn't Olivia anymore. Olivia and her sad, miserable existence were gone. The DNA test would show otherwise, she knew, but she couldn't be Olivia again. It would be too horrible to contemplate being that sad, lonely girl who struggled each and every day of her life.

"If you had married Remington then you would have become Olivia Royce, whose preferred name would have been Serena, but legally you would still have been Olivia unless it was changed by deed poll. Only then would you have erased the name 'Olivia Gambaro.' Even then, a DNA test would show who you really are," he explained. "As the wedding was never completed, you are still legally Olivia Gambaro, and that woman you were so cruel to this afternoon was your sister, the one family member who desperately wanted to come to see if you really were alive after believing you were dead."

Tears welled in Serena's eyes once more, and she couldn't find the words to rebel against what he was saying. She didn't want to be Olivia. She didn't want to go back to that miserable existence where she had no one and nobody care for her-nothing. She didn't want her sister to drag her back home in disgrace and be married off to some socially-inept Table man who couldn't find a girlfriend on his own. She wanted to be the woman that a man like Remy loved and adored. She wanted Genesis to love and care for her as he had promised. She knew Olivia wasn't worthy of that love, only Serena was.

"Your sister will return tonight. She only wants the best for you, and as I am the best, she has agreed that I would be the better person to care for you, now that Remy is gone. She will not be taking you home to Perth nor will any other member of your family be visiting you. You will, however, acknowledge your sister and thank her for caring enough about you to come all this way to make sure that you are being cared for appropriately. Do I make myself clear?" Genesis demanded.

"Olivia deserved to die. She was nothing, had nothing, could do nothing right. Remington saved me. I owe him everything. I am Serena Seabrook. Olivia is dead," she said sadly rather than argue with him that she didn't want to reclaim her name or her family. Despite the relief she felt that her sister had no intentions of trying to force her to return home and that Genesis would continue to care for her and keep her safe, she had no desire to acknowledge anything associated with Olivia Gambaro.

"You are wrong about that. It was Olivia that Remington met and fell in love with. It was Olivia that he intended to marry. Serena Seabrook was just a disguise he used to hide you from those that would harm you or try to take you from him. It was Olivia that he entrusted to my care, and it is Olivia that I will take from this hospital. Serena will die here along with her creator. Remy is gone forever, little one. You are mine now, and I will make sure that you are safe and cared for and loved. That is what you want isn't it, sweet girl?"

"Yes, Genesis," she admitted, wondering why he would still want her if he knew her real identity and how miserably the awful Olivia had failed at her life.

"Then we start with ensuring that your sister knows this is what you want so she can tell your family that you will not be returning to them. You will stay with me where I can protect and care for you. We will leave all the lies and deceptions associated with Remington Royce here, at the hospital. I will move you to a better and more private clinic to recover from your injuries, where there is no chance anyone who means you harm will be able to find you, and you will learn what it means to truly be mine and make me happy," he instructed.

"Yes, Genesis," she sighed softly, not seeing any alternative but to admit she was who he said she was. Her choices, as always, were limited because, once again, life had surrounded her with little chance of surviving on her own.

"Good girl," he finally relented and put his hand over hers, needing the physicality of their touch as much as she did. "You can trust me, little one. I will always make sure that you are safe and have all you need." He stopped short of saying love; it was too soon for both of them, even though he knew without a doubt that she was his soulmate, his curse breaker. Even though he would never admit that to his father or brothers. He leaned down to kiss her and found her lips soft and yielding to him. He savoured the taste of her and broke the kiss.

"You can tell your sister that you are not the same Olivia she remembers. That you have grown and changed through circumstance. Perhaps explaining that to her will help ease your concerns about meeting with her again," he suggested gently, the command of his voice softening as he gave her an alternative to accepting completely the past that came with her name. "You are not the girl with multicoloured hair that worked as a bartender at a run-down dockside bar. Nor are you the girl who lived on a broken-down boat with no friends and nothing, as you say. You are now a woman who is adored and cared for by powerful men. You are mine now, sweet girl. You have nothing to fear from your past."

Serena gazed at him, taking in the words. She knew then that he knew it all. All her failures and mistakes brought her to this point. He knew how dreadfully Olivia had messed up her life and still he wanted her, and would care for her and keep her safe. Remy had done this for her. He had wanted her to be looked after the way that he had always looked after her. It was his will that Genesis care for her, and she would accept his last wishes and trust that he knew best, even if she felt that she couldn't fully trust Genesis yet.

*****