Part 16

 

Alex and Nick woke to the sound of the phone ringing. Nick reached for the phone.

 

"Hello?" he said groggily, still half asleep.

 

"Alexandria Devereaux please," a curt voice said.

 

"It's for you," he handed it to her as he got up and headed for the bathroom.

 

"Hello?" Alex said into the phone.

 

"Alexandria, this is Javier."

 

"Javier."

 

"I just got off the phone with your parents. I understand you're engaged to some singer?"

 

"Lead singer, and yes, Javier, I am. I'm sorry."

 

"No, I'm sorry. But, on the bright side, I still have all the money your father gave me when I agreed to marry you."

 

"He was paying you to marry me?"

 

"Yes. Good-bye Alexandria. I hope you have a happy life."

 

"You too, Javier," Alex said as she disconnected. The phone rang right after she set it down.

 

"Nick Lachey's hotel room," Alex said.

 

"Alex, this is your mother."

 

"I know mother."

 

"Look, I just wanted to say goodbye. Your father and I are finally moving to London. Bill and his family have found us a pent house." Alex drifted off at the mention of Cameron's brother. "Your father wishes to have a word with you."

 

"Okay. Bye mom."

 

"Bye."

 

"Alexandria!" her father said.

 

"Father."

 

"Your inheritance has been removed from the will. You are no longer my daughter. You are not to tell anyone that you are my daughter, nor contact this family in any way. Your brother excluded, of course. The nation would think me a disgrace to have a lying, whoring daughter and a fag son."

 

"Dad, I'm not a whore."

 

"Don't speak to me that way!" He bellowed.

 

"What? `Dad' is what most kids call their fathers. They usually don't have to call them `sir' or `Father'."

 

"Well, you are not my kid anymore, so don't ever contact this family again."

 

"The same goes to you father. When you have grandchildren, they will know how heartless, shallow and stupid you are. When they're richer than their parents, you will not contact them. I have been disowned. Well you are disowned three times. Once by me, once by my husband, and once by our children. Tell Bill his niece Morgan didn't survive. I haven't had the heart to tell him his niece was born premature. Oh, and if you see Cameron, tell him his daughter, the one he dumped me for died. Tell him it was his loss as well as mine." Click.

 

Seventeen