Ch 975 - A Secret and a Vacation in Sweden

While Mark was collecting Yvonne and Christopher, Alex walked around his house, savoring every moment. He had only been without the house, and his money, for a few days, but it had felt like a lifetime. He was suddenly much more appreciative of everything Ken Stokes had done to give the house its own personality.

What was more, Alex now understood how quickly everything could be taken away. 

All those years ago, when his family put him through poverty training, he thought it would never end. Then, when it ended, he had arrogantly thought that he would never need to scrape and scrounge again. It saddened him to think of the people he had lost along the way, but he wanted to look toward the future. 

He was sitting on an armchair in the living room, both of his parents were on the sofa. They were talking about a trip they were planning to go on. 

"Alex," Gideon said, jarring Alex out of his thoughts. "You really should come with us on our next vacation!"

Alex looked up at his father. "Where are you planning to go?" he asked. 

Gideon smiled and took Flora's hand. "We think it would be a great idea if we took you and Justin to the spot where we had our honeymoon."

Flora cuddled up to Gideon. "It was a romantic hotspot, back in the day," she said. "So, it served its purpose when we were newlyweds. But now, it's been turned into this beautiful vacation spot for families of all ages."

"Sweden," said Gideon. "Beautiful island off to the south. Covered in Nordic greenery. We bought a house there that we rent out from time to time. It's going to be free for a few months so we figured that we might as well use it! The housekeepers are preparing it as we speak."

"Sounds amazing," said Alex. His eyes kept going toward the door. He was hoping that Mark would appear with the others sooner rather than later.

"Have you heard from Justin?" Gideon asked suddenly. 

Alex looked at him, confused. "I haven't. Why?"

Gideon shrugged and pulled out his phone. "He's staying with your grandfather, but every time I try to call him, he doesn't answer."

Alex groaned. "Dad," he said. "People don't answer phone calls anymore. They prefer texting, or something less immediate."

Gideon bristled. "Why can't a father call his son?" 

Beside him, Flora crossed her arms and straightened her back. She looked away from the two of them.

Now might be a good time to get her to own up to her infidelities, Alex thought. He narrowed his eyes on his mother. 

"Maybe he has something else going on," Alex suggested. "A lot on his mind. I mean, you did abandon him in Venice while you were supposed to be on a family vacation."

"He followed us here!" Gideon said. "We're a family here, just like we were a family in Venice. I don't see what his problem is."

Alex leaned back, thinking carefully. He had to be smart about this. His mother had pulled out her phone and was scrolling, on some fashion website. She would try to deflect the conversation, and he couldn't have that. Alex somehow needed to control the flow of conversation and lead them to its natural conclusion. He folded his arms and looked at his father.

"Maybe," Alex explained, "he doesn't feel like part of the family."

Flora turned away from her phone, her eyes wide as she stared at Alex. Her cheeks went pale. 

Gotcha, thought Alex. 

He continued talking to his father. 

"I'm not telling you this to rat on him," Alex said, "but he told me that he thinks you see me as the golden child, and him as the problem child. Like he can't do anything right."

"Well that's nonsense!" Gideon exclaimed. He turned to Flora. "Can you believe our own son would think something so preposterous?"

Flora glared at Alex as she spoke. "No, Gideon, I can't believe it."

Alex raised an eyebrow at his mother. 

Oh, you want to play that game, do you? He thought. Two can play at it!

He turned to his father. "I'm really worried about him. He told me that he doesn't feel like an Ambrose."

"Now what does that mean?" Gideon asked, scooting forward on the sofa so he was closer to Alex. "Alex, has Justin been okay?"

Alex shook his head. "I don't think he has," he said, then he looked at Flora. "I actually think Mom might be able to offer some insight into why he might be feeling out of place. Right, Mom?"

The two of them made eye contact. Gideon looked confused. He opened his mouth to speak. 

"I'll say!" Flora said, cutting across her husband. "How can anybody feel anything? Well, it's one of life's greatest mysteries!" she put a hand on Gideon's knee and distracted him. "Honey, we need to discuss the interior design choices for the house in Switzerland!" She pulled up her phone and held it in front of her husband's face. "I was thinking of a rustic look on the outside…"

Alex groaned and buried his face in his hands. He should have known better than to underestimate his mother. She had been keeping her various affairs a secret for years. Of course she wouldn't be willing to give up her secrets after only a few seconds. He took his face out of his hands and looked at his mother. She was smiling sweetly as she scrolled through her phone with Gideon. 

The two of them looked happy together, and Alex wondered if the right thing to do would be to bring up Justin's parentage. 

Then, there was the problem of Justin. Justin knew that something wasn't quite right with their situation. Alex knew that that might be because Gideon wasn't his father. Unfortunately, Justin had thrown in his lot with Lincoln, and it might take forever to bring him back to the side of reason. 

One more try, Alex thought, taking a deep breath.

"Dad," he asked. "Do you remember those long business trips you used to take?"

Gideon looked at him, smiling. "Oh, those? Yes, I remember quite well!" He put an arm around Flora. "They're the reason I'm so insistent on bringing my family with me when I travel, now!"

"I mean," Alex said, thinking as he spoke. "Do you ever wonder-"

Flora cut him off. "And we're so grateful that we get to travel!" 

She kissed Gideon so passionately that Alex had to look away in disgust. When they were done, and he looked up, his mother was glaring at him. Gideon, his face flushed, said something about going to the bathroom. He left, leaving Flora and Alex in their staring contest. 

[SFX: knocking at the door]

Alex broke eye contact with Flora and got to his feet. He kept his eyes on his mother as he made his way out of the living room and into the hallway. He rested his head on the door for a minute, gathering his thoughts, before he answered it. 

Alex felt nothing but relief when he saw Mark standing on the porch. Then, he cast his gaze around and saw that Mark had come alone. His heart sank. He had been hoping to have a massive gathering of everyone, including his parents, so that Mark could finally out Lincoln for the scheming criminal that he was. 

"Mark," he began. "Where are the others?"

Mark shrugged. "Christopher wanted to stay at Yvonne's. They're really cozy together, you know?"

Alex stared blankly at Mark, not understanding what he had just said. 

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm not quite sure I understand." 

"Put it like this," said Mark, tugging at his collar. "Christopher wanted to stay with Yvonne at her place. They're a little burned out and want some quiet time. Time alone. Time to themselves. If you know what I mean."

Alex knew exactly what Mark meant. Although a part of him was thrilled that Yvonne had found someone she deserved, and that Alex finally got to experience some joy, the rest of him bubbled over with jealousy. Alex remembered how Yvonne had thrown herself at him only a few weeks ago, practically begging him to take her. He remembered how she had confessed to falling in love with him live on television. He remembered kissing her in the heat of the moment, and wanting the kiss to go on forever. 

It felt like someone was twisting a knife in his stomach. 

"I see," Alex said weakly. "Thank you, Mark."

Mark looked away and scratched the back of his head. "I'm sorry, Alex," he said. Mark turned back to face him, and opened his mouth to say something else.

"You don't have to explain," Alex said, holding up a hand. "You're just passing on a message."

Alex thought he understood. After everything that had happened in the last few hours the two of them probably needed some rest and relaxation. They also probably wanted some time alone to be together as a couple. Alex's shoulders slumped a little. He hadn't reaized that he had been hoping to use them as a buffer against his parents.

Mark closed his mouth and nodded. After a pause, he asked, "What do you think you'll do now?"

Alex paused and thought about it. He wasn't quite sure. He had been hoping that they could start hanging out like a normal group of friends. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, and he wasn't sure that they would ever be able to hang out like normal people ever again.

"I don't know," he admitted, scratching the back of his head. He looked up at Mark. "My parents and I are going to go into town for dinner. You're welcome to join us if you're free."

The second the invitation let his mouth, Alex regretted it. It sounded lame, and a little desperate, making him seem like a lonely old man.

Mark drew his lips into a thin line and said, "I can't, need to lay low for a while."

Alex nodded, realizing how lonely he was without his friends. He waved goodbye to Mark, and closed the door. He stared at it for a little while, his shoulders slumped, and feeling more than a little empty. For a second, he hoped that Debbie would knock on the door, and things would go back to normal, to the way they used to be, but that didn't happen. The door stayed closed, the hallway stayed silent, and he remained alone.

He turned back and went into the living room, where his parents had started discussing their upcoming vacation to Sweden.