Driven by Obsession
It was dinner time at the Lance estate. Jessica Lance was distracted—not truly sure where Dan Trace was or what her sister, Amber Ann, was doing.
They can't possibly be together.
She absent-mindedly looked up at her mother and paused. She had on the most stunning earrings Jessica had seen in a long while. It was some sort of Agate she did not know, but it was a beautiful light pink with soft greys flowing through it. They were oval, bezeled, and sat raised within a beautiful filigree of rose pink gold. It was elegant, with a unique antique feel.
Her mind drifted to how she would borrow them when her eyes caught sight of her father's cufflinks. She blinked several times—they matched her mother's earrings. For some reason—that she couldn't explain—her mouth went dry.
She swirled her blood orange Italian soda and took a long sip. "Those earrings, Mommy. I've never seen them before."
Her mother smiled at her, and Jessica's stomach twisted oddly. "Amber Ann had them made at the resort that she and Dan are reviewing."
Her father adjusted his cufflinks as he spoke. "We need to invest in a jeweler for Blue Serene. It will be a luxury resort soon." He paused and looked directly at Jessica. "Does that bother you?"
Jessica jumped internally and took another sip of her soda to cover. She smiled broadly into her father's eyes, trying to exude calm serenity. "Of course not, Daddy. I am so happy that little Amber Ann has finally found something to make her happy."
Virginia leaned over her older sister to have a closer look at the cufflinks and earrings. "They are quite exquisite, Daddy, but don't tease Jessica like that. A jeweler of this sort would really do at Blue Serene. Maybe an artisan that works in different mediums. You know, the type of person that can turn a piece of fallen wood into something unique and exquisite."
She smiled broadly at Jessica. "Amber Ann has probably already thought of it. Sister, I heard you have come into money. Are you ready to move into your own place now? I mean, are you ready to look for a new place?"
Virginia straightened and took a sip of her drink. Jessica forced herself not to sneer at her youngest sister, but when her father spoke, she could not keep it from her lips. "You've come into money? How exactly?"
Jessica heard the suspicion in her father's voice. It had taken forever to get him to simply speak to her without accusation, and now Virginia had caused all of her hard work to be tossed away.
"Yes, Daddy. I started painting again." She shrugged. "I decided I have to move on. I am finally understanding what you have been trying to tell me all along."
Her mother gasped in excitement and sat forward. "Really, dear!? Your work has always been so beautiful. I never truly understood why you stopped. When can we see what you've been working on?"
Jessica casually sipped her drink. It was true, she had started working on a few pieces—even experimenting in different mediums—but only to reduce stress. The doctors had been telling her she needed to be a bit more stress-free for the babies. Her blood pressure had been a bit outrageous of late.
But she had not sold a single thing.
"I can bring something around to show you tomorrow. Actually, I will bring a piece that you can have, Mommy."
She looked to her sister. "So when are we going to the spa? I would love to see what Blue Serene is like." Virginia raised an eyebrow, and Jessica knew her younger sister was suspicious, but she had already won her mother over again.
She looked at those beautiful earrings as her mother spoke. "Good idea! We can all go together. We should wait until Amber Ann is back. The four of us... oh! I wonder if your aunt will be free."
Jessica smiled into her glass. She had definitely won her mother over.
When Jessica got home, she was furious. Her belly was getting larger, and this was causing her back to hurt; meanwhile, she was growing further and further apart from Dan. She was losing, and she wasn't happy about it. Her annoyance was at an all-time high and her mind was swimming. She had to do something. Everything she tried failed, and she was feeling rather inept. She sighed and sat down, waiting to think it all through, when her phone buzzed on the coffee table before her.
She reached for it and smiled when she saw it was Anthony Shaw. He had gotten into the habit of checking in on her two or three times a day. How is his timing always so perfect?
"Anthony, I will be very cross if you have hidden cameras in my home."
Anthony Shaw chuckled softly. "I do not need to see you to know what you're up to or where you are. How are you today?"
Jessica sighed. "I am losing, Anthony. I thought he would always be mine, and when I saw he may not be, I panicked and went extreme. Now..."
"Now you have terrified him, and he has completely turned away from you." Anthony Shaw was quiet for a long while. "I would prefer that you wanted me like you want him, but..." She could tell he was now cocking his head as if he was thinking over his next move. "...but I want you to be happy, too. I know different drugs and medicinal compounds that can truly make someone pliable. From what I have seen from this Trace guy, if you do things correctly, you can play off his sense of honor to force him into your arms."
Jessica sat still, frozen in her seat. A slow smile spread across her face. How could it ever be her fault if it was his decision all along?