lorelei voigt
white swanx|xoutfitx|x#b1aecbricardo trujillo
the beastx|xoutfitx|x#b1aecbadrien duval
gastonx|xoutfitx|x#960f16grayson hughes
robin hoodx|xoutfitx|x#99bfaa x
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xWhile Lorelei's question was serious, she was met with laughter. "Liesl?" Whether or not Ricardo was trying to make fun of her for asking such a question, she did not know. But the laughter was enough for her to divert her gaze for a moment. "I suppose I could dance with her. In fact, any man here could dance with her and she'd not object. Why would you worry about that?"
There was a brief pause before he continued. Perhaps he connected the dots and realized she saw, maybe he didn't. Or... maybe he didn't care. "Why don't you go ask her why if you need to know so badly?" His words were sharp and harsh.
Lorelei did a slight double-take as she looked back up at him with furrowed brows. "My sister has never been honest with me a day in her life," she replied coldly. "And I asked you because I thought you might have the decency to tell me the truth." Even when the man came off a bit callus and demeaning, he somehow managed to still be charming. It frustrated her. She wasn't quite sure how to act around Ricardo.
"Or you can just ignore her and focus on me. Hmm?"
The blonde's brows knitted together as her face scrunched in a distasteful expression. Her eyes blinked a few times as what he said soaked in. Before Lorelei spoke, scoffed subconsciously as her gaze drifted elsewhere. "You sound like Adrien." Yes, she knew of their feud. How could she not? She did work for Adrien, after all. And it wasn't like the whole town didn't know. Perhaps what she said would get under his skin. Maybe that was her intention after hearing a comment like that.
There was a chime of a glass that brought their dance to an end. Truth be told, Lorelei was a bit thankful for the interruption. While part of her couldn't help but be a bit enamored by Ricardo's charm and the attention he was giving her, she also felt like he assumed she was another air headed woman who would turn to putty in his hands. She was never one to have much of a backbone, that she knew. But she also wasn't in a rush to sign up for another Adrien in her life. One was plenty.
Meanwhile Grayson lingered outside the City Hall. He took a moment or two to calm down, catch his breath... And overall act like what John said didn't bother him. Although it did. It'd probably plague Gray's mind for days to come. He let out a final sigh before pushing off the railing to head inside. Just as he pivoted on his heels to move towards the door was when he saw Greg enter. They made eye contact for a brief moment and Grayson gave his best smile. But the second the man stepped out of view the facade fell as he inhaled sharply.
Inside, Lorelei accepted the offered champagne that Ricardo had received for her. She gave him her best smile but as he turned away to grab his own it fell, just a bit. She was trying to figure him out but the man seemed even more an enigma than the rumors said. As Mrs. Picket began her speech, Ricardo had guided them both to the side and off the dance floor; all the while, his hands kept a gentle hold on her fingers as he did so. Perhaps he didn't notice or he wanted her not to notice, but she did. Her gaze fell to their hands as he ushered them aside, but she said nothing.
"But I hope you will always remember that there is always hope. Hope in the world, in each other, and even in that which is hopeless - be it a person or situation. Believe in change. Believe in... goodness." While might not have paid attention to the speech, Lorelei did. For some reason that she couldn't quite explain every word seemed to strike her down to her very core. Believe in goodness. Unintentionally, her gaze flitted from those in town she thought were that goodness, then to Adrien. And then finally, and slowly, she snuck a glance over at Ricardo. Which was he?
"So let's toast to that - hope, for it can be found in even the darkest places. Even in... all of this." A small smile graced Lorelei's lips as she looked down at the bubbling champagne. Even in all of this. She sighed softly before bringing the glass flute to her lips. Unlike her present company, she finished the entire glass. If the evening was truly coming to an end she might need a sliver of liquid courage to deal with her sister and father when she got home.
Grayson returned to the hall just in time for the speech. Had the night really ended so quickly? He sighed. One of the few times he got to enjoy a night off and it seemed to have ended before he got to have much fun at all. He lingered in the back along one of the walls, a fair distance away from anyone. As he took his glass of champagne his gaze surveyed the room, stopping when he saw Greg and Liana. He didn't let his gaze linger though, quickly turning his attention back to Mrs. Picket and her interesting speech on hope.
Once Mrs. Picket had finished and left them all to end the night, Grayson slowly made his way over to the auction tables. He should have bid on the hat while he had the chance, but it was too late. He nearly left without checking on the bow, but something in his gut told him to go look, just to be sure. He had accepted that he was easily outbid when Ciaran blurted it out earlier, yet to his surprise it was Grayson's number on the card before it. Relieved, he let out a soft sigh as he took up the bow and quiver in his left hand before heading towards the exit.
"I need to check on a few auction items I bid on. I'll walk you home after. Okay?" Ricardo leaned down, making sure his gaze met the blonde's.
"Perhaps," was the best answer Lorelei could muster. In hindsight, she wanted to say no. She was more than capable of walking herself home and so far Ricardo wasn't winning any gold stars with his borderline sexist comments, yet she didn't say no. Maybe she needed some liquid courage to stand up to him?
Once he had left her, Lorelei let out a breath that she didn't realize she had been holding in. She handed off her empty glass to a passing waiter before slowly making her way over to the auction tables. She wasn't following Ricardo, or at least she wasn't trying to. Something inside her wanted to know who had won the quill. It couldn't have been her, she didn't have any money to offer. But she hoped that whomever won the item was anyone other than Adrien.
Lorelei waited for others to search the tables and take their winnings. When nearly everyone was finished, she was surprised to see the quill still laying on the table unclaimed. As she approached it, she was surprised to see it was none other than her number upon the card. How? She wasn't certain. No one had her number, nor did she bet, yet there it was. Hesitantly, she reached out to take up the quill and ink well into her hands. She smiled to herself, happy for once that she was able to get something she wanted.
But whatever happiness was there was short lived. Adrien beelined for Lorelei like a blustering storm. She didn't see him coming, so when he took her by the arm and spun her around, it caused the newly acquired items to fall from her grasp. "We're leaving," he demanded.
The quill was bent beyond repair after colliding with the ground, and the inkwell shattered on impact staining Lorelei's gown and the white feather. "Adrien!" she gasped as she yanked her arm free of his hold. Her cheeks quickly flushed, embarrassed by the attention that was inevitably on the pair. She quickly leaned down to retrieve her now broken items, but before she could scoop them up he had a hold of her arm yet again. Not taking no for an answer, Adrien pulled her away, leaving behind the ruined quill and inkwell.
Adrien wasn't one to share his toys. And while Lorelei was nothing more to him than an assistant he liked to make miserable on a daily basis, she was his. Seeing Ricardo place his hands on her made his blood boil. It wasn't because of some deep seated desire to woo Lorelei. But he'd be damned if Trujillo somehow won her over before he got a chance to bed her himself. Ridiculous? Sure. Petty? Obviously. But that was Adrien. Nothing was ok without his approval and anything Ricardo tried to do beyond having a miserable lonely existence was out of the question... Including fucking his assistant.
Lorelei kept her head downward as she was dragged out of the hall like a scolded child. She didn't dare meet anyone's gaze. Only once, just before being pulled outside, did she look back toward the shattered inkwell and quill that laid abandoned by the auction tables. Outside, his hold only got more forceful as he tugged her down the stairs. "What the hell do you think you were doing dancing with Trujillo!?" He yelled at her as he spun her around to meet his gaze.
"It was just a dance..." she stumbled with every step as he whipped her around like a ragdoll.
"I don't care if he raped you in a back alley. He doesn't get to lay a hand on anything of mine," his voice practically snarled as he led her across the parking lot towards the car.
Lorelei groaned as she pried her arm from his grasp. "I'm not your property!"
"Aren't you?!" he rebutted, taking a threatening step toward her. "Maybe I should ask your father and see what he says?" Adrien's voice grew deep and menacing. It was barely above a whisper as he took another step forward, looking down at her with a burning glare.
It wasnāt that Ricardo hadnāt noticed the situation in the grand hall, it was simply that heād not cause a raucous in front of everything like Adrien. Despite their similarities, he did not want to solidify the image of a bad guy in anyoneās minds. Instead, he watched the scene unfold in his peripherals and waited until it was dragged outside.
He moved through the hall, plucking the quill and inkwell off the ground along the way. Like a good driver, Jacque waited for him in the foyer. He had enjoyed some treats and things himself, of course. Ricardo handed the man the mirror, feather quill, and the inkwell. He told him to wait in the car, then stepped outside and swiftly headed in the direction of Adrien and Lorelei. Neither would be exceptionally hard to find, as the pompous man was loud.
His touch was gentle; a large hand pressing against the side of Loreleiās waist as a queue for her to step aside so that he could take her place. "You can go back inside or go wait in my car, Miss. Voigt," he gave her the option between him or someone else, but it was clear that he meant anyone but Adrien Duval. His attention hadnāt left his adversary, even as he addressed the manās property.
Lorelei jumped slightly at the touch on her waist. She glanced over her shoulder and was met with the sight of Ricardo. Even though he spoke to her trying to persuade her to step aside, his gaze never left Adrien. And while some might have been relieved to have a savior, her eyes only widened. She let him guide her aside but she didn't do either of the offer suggestions. Instead, she only backed away several feet. Everyone in Essex knew about the bad blood between Ricardo and Adrien. There was no way that it could end well. Lorelei feared if she left that it would be far worse.
"I would prefer you leave quietly before I change my mind," he warned bluntly, unafraid of the man that stood before him. Yes, any man would be completely outraged to see someone treat the person they liked as Adrien had Lorelei. However, the last thing he wanted was to scare her, too. Ricardo wasnāt an irrationally violent man, but he could be. He did have a temper. A really nasty one, at that. Heās learned to be composed under the pressure of red hot anger. It helped that Loreleiās own biting words, comparing him to Duval, also had a big influence. That was hard to stomach coming from her lips, but it was not an unreasonable description of him at all. That was even worse.
"Are you threatening me?" Adrien laughed. "I don't care what you'd prefer," he said as he took a step toward Ricardo. "I'd like to tell you to get lost, and that this doesn't involve you... But actually, that's not true, is it?" Every word that came from his mouth dripped with animosity, yet on his face was a charming grin. It could be forgiven if others saw their encounter as a conversation and nothing more. But on closer inspection, Adrien's gaze deceived his careless smile.
"You placed your filthy hands on something that isn't yours." With each 'you' that Adrien said, his index finger jabbed at Ricardo's chest. "While you might be used to humiliation, I don't take kindly to people, especially you, thinking you have a right to move on my property."
Ricardo allowed Adrien to prod at his chest, but only for the first two jabs. Toward the end he seized the manās thick wrist within his own fingers and held them strongly, "Sheās not property." Ricardo and Adrien were nearly identical in height and build which made the encounter menacing and troubling to an outside viewer.
He made a single step toward Duval, keeping his wrist within his grasp. The manās finger was still jabbed into Ricardoās chest, as if to make a point that heād not be submissive by backing down. To be fair, it wasnāt like a jab to his chest was going to bother him much anyway. "Are we done here, Mr. Duval?" He could have continued. Ricardo could have teased Adrien with the fact that he had also touched Liesl, even though it meant nothing. But the fact that Lorelei hadnāt left made it hard for him to say something like that out loud, as though he was proud that he could easily have what Adrien forced onto others.
Lorelei watched in silence. But when neither man looked like they were going to back down, she got nervous. She had no idea if Ricardo was a violent or dangerous man, but she knew Adrien was. He wasn't the type of person who handled challenges well, especially from other men. He had an ego and god complex to him. He was a narcissist at best and a psychopath at best.
In a quick decision, Lorelei turned, scooping up the ink stained hem of her dress. She recalled seeing Grayson inside. Her only hope was to get him before things got out of hand. She hurried up the steps, pushing past anyone who might have been in her way. Inside, her gaze quickly scanned the crowd of people. "Where's Officer Hughes?" she asked, grabbing the first person who passed her. Whether they answered or not, she didn't notice. She left the person too quickly when she saw the policeman heading toward the exit with his auction prize in hand.
"Grayson," she said, a bit relieved as she hurried over to him. "Adrien and Ricardo are out in the parking lot."
Before she could say anymore, Grayson had already connected the dots. "Damn it."
Meanwhile, back in the parking lot, Adrien wasn't backing down. "Are we done?... I think you mean are you done? You are the one sticking your nose where it doesn't belong." He pulled his wrist from Ricardo's hold but didn't step back or give an inch. "You honestly think you're better than me, don't you?" He asked while shoving Trujillo's shoulders, just enough to make him take a step back.
"You think you're her knight in shining armor? For what? A tight fit?" Adrien laughed. "I had to try her... Just once. I mean, she is mine, isn't she? But the whole experience was rather forgettable. Although," he held up an index finger as if he had one last comment to add. Then, as if to add insult to injury, he straightened Ricardo's tie and dusted off his sports coat even though there was nothing there. It was a power play, nothing more. "She is incredibly sexy when she fights back."
Adrien's grin was sickening. Was he telling the truth? No. Whether he liked it or not, he has never laid a hand on Lorelei... At least in that way. But Ricardo didn't know that. If one thing was for certain, the girl had enchanted Ricardo. And there was nothing Adrien loved more than to get under someone's skin, especially Trujillo's.
Thatās when Ricardo could have sworn his eyes blurred over in an angry red cloud; his blood hot, every muscle tightening, his teeth clenching. It was a strange and uncontrollable feral frenzy that seemed to instantly wash over him. With Lorelei out of sight and Adrienās taunting words, nothing could hold back the primal and bestial hunger to turn the man before him into a pile of bones. The man had touched him and then let his tongue flop carelessly about things that Ricardo didnāt even think happened, but still made him flip a switch.
All their years of existing together in one town in some kind of tense truce all culminated to this final moment. Ricardoās hands gripped Adrienās collar. They were chest to chest and face to face at this point. Blinded by sudden rage, he walked Adrien out into the street before pushing him violently onto the pavement after delivering a hard fist to the right side of his face. He didnāt come equipped with guns or knives, but he did have fists and he balled them up as he proceeded to advance on him.
Adrien was poking the beast. He loved any opportunity to smash Trujillo's face into the dirt and assert his dominance. But he also wasn't dumb enough to be the first one to strike. He had to coax it out of Ricardo and make him swing first. After all, it was all a game. It took a lot of work to make himself come on top while running his adversary's name through the mud. It was too crowded of an event for either one of them able to get away with doing anything and not getting caught. Adrien already made a scene in City Hall, not it was Ricardo's turn to make one outside.
It wasn't long before both men were on the ground, throwing fists like teenage boys while ruining their expensive clothes. While Ricardo might have gotten in the first punch, Adrien didn't hesitate to return one in kind. Both men were large and formidable, with the muscles that would make anyone second guess double crossing them. Neither one of them held their punches or held anything back. It was years of a feud finally boiling over. Blood was spilled, clothes tattered and bones broken. If no one intervened, it might not have stopped until one of them was dead.
Inside, Grayson gently took Lorelei by her forearm and started to guide them both toward the exit. "Come on." The officer needed to get outside before a fight broke out... or worse, but he also hoped to hurry them both outside before it caught the wandering gazes of the people still inside City Hall. The last thing an altercation like that needed was an audience.
Once outside, the pair could see that Duval and Trujillo had gotten to blows. Lorelei slipped her arm free of Grayson's hold and hurried her way back over to the brawling men. She didn't know what she would... Or could do. But regardless, she couldn't help but feel like she was the catalyst. As she approached Ricardo looked to have the upper hand, he had Adrien pinned and delivered punch after punch. While Lorelei wouldn't deny that a small part of her found the sight to be satisfying, it didn't make the grotesque scene any easier to watch. "Ricardo?" she called out to him.
He heard her call his name - Lorelei, and it pierced through the exhilarating cadence of fists colliding with a body, heaving breaths, and an all-too rapid heartbeat between both men. It distracted him as he looked back; his jacket having ripped at the seams from the stress of his body exerting physical force the sewing was not meant to contain. He was a mess of blood and sweat, and his expression was feral.
With the small opening, Adrien threw both of his fists into Ricardo's stomach and then pushed him off of him. The man stumbled to his feet, wiping the blood and sweat from his face onto the sleeve of his sports coat. His chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath. Before his opponent could come any closer or place his hands on him again, Adrien reached behind him grabbing something tucked in his waistband. Then with a sick, satisfying grin, he pulled out the pistol, cocked the hammer and pointed it at Ricardo. "Touch me again and I'll paint her dress in your blood."
Ricardo had long since gotten up and dusted himself off. Even though his lips were busted and blood was drawn in various areas of his face, he started to laugh. Adrien wouldnāt actually shoot anyone. His ego was a lot bigger than his desire to kill. Ricardo felt certain of that. He did have an image to keep, after all, and murder would make things hard for Duval in such a small and close-knit town.
Lorelei gasped when Adrien pulled out the gun. Instinctually, she took a few steps forward, putting her hands out like she was trying to calm him down. "Adrien... don't. Everyone is watching. Think about what this would do for your image." She had worked for the man long enough to know how his brain worked. He had the largest ego in Essex and everything he did was to make sure he always looked like a paragon in comparison to everyone else. He wasn't always the smartest man. But you could guarantee that he would always do whatever benefited his own self interest... Normally.
But her words fell on deaf ears. When Lorelei tried to take another tentative step forward, Adrien shifted, pointing the gun at her instead. She froze. "Or maybe I should just shoot her? She obviously means something to you." Her heart raced in her chest as she stood there, scared to move or breathe. While inside, Lorelei was terrified, she tried her best to remain calm. How a single night and one dance could have led to this, she did not know. But quickly she had grown to regret ever coming to the charity auction in the first place.
While Adrien's gun might have been pointing at Lorelei, his words were addressed to Ricardo. The girl was a pawn in his eyes, nothing more and the only game he played was the destruction of everything Ricardo was. "Her life means nothing to me. But I'd rather see her dead on the ground before you lay your hands on something that is mine again."
"Her life does matter to you, even if for all the wrong reasons." He rolled back one of the cuffs of his sleeves and turned his back on the man. He stepped toward Lorelei and in front of her.
As much as he wanted to wrestle the weapon from Duvalās hand, it felt more urgent to protect the anxious woman. His head tilted as he leaned down a little to stare at her, ignoring Adrien which likely worsened things, "You donāt need to be scared, Lorelei." He slid his hands, as bloodied and bruised as they were, under trembling palms and slightly curled his fingers around her own. "This was a long time coming." He could get shot - sure, but that was life. Death never bothered a man like Ricardo.
The blonde looked up to meet Ricardoās gaze, but she said nothing. What was she supposed to say? Adrien was always an ass and the man before her she hardly knew. And while part of him was scarily familiar to her employer, there was another part of him that acted like she was the sun. Her mind was spinning and if it wasnāt for Ricardoās hands holding her own, Lorelei might have toppled over from the weight of it all. While his words might have been right... This altercation was a long time coming, that didnāt make it any easier to bear.
At first Grayson wasn't in a huge rush to shove himself in the middle of the Duval and Trujillo showdown. Both men were larger and stronger than himself, and without any backup it'd be more likely that he'd get his own ass kicked rather than stop anything. But when he saw Adrien pull out a gun everything shifted into high gear. He quickly made his way to his squad car, chucking his auction win into the passenger seat before grabbing his own handgun.
By the time he reached them, Adrien had turned his aim toward Lorelei. For the first time ever as a cop, Grayson drew his gun and pointed it at Duval. "Adrien! Put the gun down!"
Adrien's lips pulled back in a tight grin as he nodded his head and chuckled coldly. The audacity of Trujillo to put himself between the gun and Lorelei like he was a hero. And the gull of a podunk cop. "This doesn't involve you, Officer Hughes." While Grayson might have been the one with the badge, Adrien had the real power in Essex. He was the only cop in Essex not on Adrien's payroll. If the man was smart, he would holster his gun and leave before Adrien made his life hell like he had been doing to Ricardo for years.
"Put the gun down!" Grayson shouted once more, pulling the hammer back on his gun. "You have three seconds to drop the weapon... Or I'll shoot." He took a deep breath, steadying his aim. "1... 2... "
Lorelei's hands trembled. She hadn't moved a muscle, scared that any change she made, he might have pulled the trigger. Ricardo might have stood between them, but bullets had been known to go through more than one person. As Grayson began to count, she inhaled sharply, holding her breath. If he shot... then would Adrien shoot out of reflex? Would Adrien drop his gun? Thousands of questions ran through her mind in the few seconds that felt like hours. At 2, Lorelei closed her eyes tight. She dared not watch. If she was going to die... She didn't want to know.
Just before Grayson said 3, Adrien sighed and let his handgun fall from his grasp. Before the man could do anything else rash, Gray quickly holstered his pistol and pulled out handcuffs. "Adrien Duval, you are under arrest." He started reading the man his rights as he cuffed his hands behind his back. He led the hot head towards his car and ushered him into the backseat. For a second, he glanced over his shoulder toward the crowd that had gathered to watch the escalating events.
While he did the right thing... he thinks, the gaze of the town felt odd. Something inside him said this one decision might have ruined his life for years to come. Adrien was a powerful man and had Essex wrapped around his finger. But not Grayson. Double crossing Duval was a death sentence and he had just crossed a point of no return. For the first time in his life, he was thankful he was alone, because then only he'd had to suffer the consequences of what he just got dragged into.
Grayson sighed as he sat down in the driver's seat and buckled his seatbelt. "You're going to regret getting involved," Adrien threatened from the backseat.
"I know." With that, he started up the car and drove off.
As Duval and Grayson drove off, Ricardo tried his best to be calm. He looked horrible and felt like it, too. The beatdown was more than just Lorelei, and it was evident in how brutal it had been. She had only been that teeny-tiny push, in the grand scheme of things, that was needed to finally send Duval and Trujillo over the edge. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Ricardo let Lorelei go and reached up to brush a hand through his hair after running it over his face in frustration. "You obviously canāt go home," he said finally. "I have enough spare rooms for you to avoid me if thatās what you want, but you should come with me. My residence is the least accessible to Adrien and his goons. Safer."
Loreleiās gaze fell to her hands, her right thumb rubbing the palm of her opposite hand. Ricardoās blood stained her pale skin which only matched the ruined state of her ink splattered gown. She was scared to look up. She could feel the heavy weight of the silence in the air as everyone watched them. There might have been whispers, but she didnāt notice.
She registered that Ricardo was speaking, but her brain was on delay. It took her a couple moments to digest his words. Lorelei slowly looked up to meet his gaze, struggling to find the same face she saw before beneath the bloody mess. Should she really go home with him? He was as much of a part in the whole ordeal as Adrein was. But also, as much as she didnāt want to admit it.. He was right. Going home wouldnāt be safe. How long would Adrien remain in jail? A night at best. Heād be out by morning and one of the first people heād complain to would be her father and his anger would be taken out on her. What else was she to do?
Without a word, she slowly made her way towards Ricardoās car. It wasnāt hard to know which one was his. There were two cars that stuck out amongst the ordinary, one was Adrienās, so the other had to be his. Jacque opened the door for her with a kind, "Good evening, mademoiselle." Only once the door was shut, hidden behind tinted glass, did she finally look out to see the aftermath. Something in her gut said this would be a night not soon forgotten.
Ricardo trailed her, but he decided that his presence was too rabid for the timid woman. Overwhelming, and she was already filled with anxiety, guilt, and who knows what else. With her shut in, he proceeded to sit in the front passengerās seat to give her some reprieve from having to be close to him. "Let Miss. Potterson know to set the guest room in the east wing for Miss. Voigt." And that was that - Jacque made the call, and they were off to the Trujillo Estate.