Chapter 23 Mirrors

Two days later

Zeda and Alana-Hope stood watching with Chaz from his office/apartment from his two-way mirror. Chaz's father and Yolanda stood with Quincy in the other room.

"Thanks for the invite," Yolanda said.

"I didn't." Quincy glanced at a six-foot table covered with considerable chocolate boxes with Chaz's face on it.

"This is Chaz's idea, probably trying to set us up to keep Quincy away from Zeda." Yolanda opened a box of candy and threw it against the wall.

Prince Kyle handed a check to Quincy and ate candy off the floor. "Break your engagement with Zeda. We want to break the Ugly Rebel's pride. She is their poster girl."

"Why?" Quincy asked.

Yolanda pursed her lips. "Ugliness is evil. Quincy, we know you are saving your money to free your sister by hiring a private detective. The last detective quoted a million.

Kyle handed Quincy another check. "Zeda has become a threat. She has a considerable influence over my son, and she is a favorite of my mother."

Yolanda kissed prince Kyle, and she parted his mouth with hers.

*

Chaz stomped on the floor. "Don't worry, they can't hear us. I could run a blender, and they can't hear a peep without the inner com."

"They are still kissing." Alana-Hope opened popcorn and ate it. Salt and butter melted on her tongue.

The oven timer rang.

"I think your pepperoni rolls are ready." Chaz wore oven mitts and pulled a steaming tray out. He tossed the mitts on his counter.

"Are you here to record my heartache?" Zeda asked Alana-Hope.

"No, she is here to enjoy your love story." Chaz ate a pepperoni roll and another.

"What love story? I understand, he needs to save his sister." Tears rolled down Zeda's face. Quincy offered her love, and she wanted to return it.

"It will be okay. And I am here to enjoy the show." Alana-Hope offered her and Chaz popcorn.

Zeda stepped back and turned from him. "Why did you two do this to me? Couldn't you let me have my fantasy a moment longer?"

Alana-Hope ate a pepperoni roll and went back to her popcorn.

Chaz winked at Zeda. "We're not destroying your heart, and this is not my idea."

*

Kyle and Yolanda stopped kissing.

Quincy tore the checks into pieces. "I didn't take money to date Zeda and your dirty money is a betrayal to her and my sister."

Yolanda touched his arm. "I'll have you fired. Do you think I love you? I'm attracted, but I hate you as well."

"Then I'll go take a job on Planet Unicorn Prime sooner than planned," Quincy said.

Prince Kyle slugged Quincy's arm. "I don't mean to insult you, but my son wants her, and she rejected him."

Quincy pushed his hair out of the way. "It doesn't matter if Zeda loves me, but I love her enough not to betray her at any price."

*

"Isn't that adorable?" Alana-Hope shoved popcorn into Chaz's hands.

Chaz ran to the fridge and brought back spiced honey sodas. "Zeda, maybe you should tell him, you love him back." He gave each woman a bottle and opened his.

Zeda refused and placed hers aside.

"I agree, she should do what I told her to do and just grab him." Alana-Hope sipped from the bottle.

"Why are you both pretending this is a party?" Zeda asked.

*

Yolanda touched Quincy's wrist and caressed it. "Honey, I don't want to kill you, but Zeda will think you abandoned her. She is an ugly girl with two marks."

Quincy yanked himself away.

Kyle opened his mouth and showed chiseled teeth. "Most of the board fawn over Quincy and adore him. His articles are funny and sweet. He wants Zeda and his sister, and we can make a deal."

She kicked the wall. "But he knows who Josh and Lisa are. It has to be Zeda."

"I'm Josh, and Lisa," Quincy stammered.

"You are protecting her. Josh hates you," Yolanda poked his arm.

"Kill him in case he is Josh." Kyle raised his fist.

*

Chaz yelled out from a speaker. "Yolanda and Dad, you are being recorded."

Former guards, and police, burst into the room and threw Yolanda and Prince Kyle to the ground.

"Get off me! Why are you here, didn't I arrest you freaks and give the Mark Authority Squad your jobs?" Yolanda asked.

"They're fired," an officer replied.

"What does that mean?" Yolanda raised her hand.

The officer pointed to Quincy. "Stay out of my way!"

An officer tightened his grip around Prince Kyle. "Attempted murder, torture, stealing money from the Mark Houses. Prince Kyle, your son cut you off financially and the Prime Minister has frozen your secret accounts?"

"Cavalier framed me to free his monstrous wife," she said.

The officer gritted his teeth before speaking. "You left messages on his and Ralphy's answering machines. Those aren't private conversations. We don't need them as witnesses because you spoke against yourself, but Brill hid evidence, and she also had disguised video cameras throughout her house, and the video streams might have recorded her murder. We'll send your lawyers everything."

"I have friends who know the charitable work I do," Yolanda said.

An officer smiled. "Don't count on your friends. Prince Kyle, your parents are stripping you of your title. Ralphy fled, and we arrested him at the spaceport. You signed the treaty not to sell women."

Prince Kyle's body crumpled. "Getting rid of me this way my son can marry who he wants. We won't end up with his money. Yolanda, I blame you, but you were fun." He kissed her.

Officers dragged Yolanda and Prince Kyle away.

The lead officer turned to Quincy. "You are lucky that you didn't take that worthless check. Your sister is waiting to see you at her home."

Quincy fled the room.

*

"Go and find that man," Alana-Hope said.

"Don't worry, I want you to tell him you love him," Chaz said.

Alana-Hope took a sip of her spiced honey soda. "I'm curious, why? I have my suspicions."

"Yes, why?" Zeda repeated.

He ate a pepperoni roll. "Ella and I might have kissed each other repeatedly, and I'm going to ask her out because I think I'm falling in love with her. Real is better than my fantasies..." He stopped speaking. "Zeda, I want you to be happy."

"Good for you, but why don't we keep your love story private for a couple of months." Alana-Hope opened her purse and jotted a few notes.

Zeda slid her hand in her pocket and found a note.

Dear Zeda,

I want to marry you because I love you.

I'll leave the planet with you, or stay with you in our new school apartment.

Double Love,

Quincy