COUNTERPOINT
An original romantic serial

From Alina Adams the author of "When a Man Loves a Woman" (DELL 4/00), "Annie's Wild Ride" (AVON 8/98), "Inside Figure Skating" (METROBOOKS 11/00 & 9/99), "Thieves at Heart" (AVON 12/95) and "The Fictitious Marquis" (AVON 6/95)

Available weekly by e-mail from http://www.AlinaAdams.com

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Dedicated to Helping Children All Over the World

CHAPTER 61

      "How nice," Victoria said, "Was that all you needed to tell me?"
      Nicole had to give the little bitch credit. She'd thought she was the queen of staying cool under tense situations, but obviously, Miss Victoria Morgan had pure ice running through her veins. She didn't so much as blink or flinch. Her voice didn't even waver.
      Fortunately, the afternoon proved not utterly devoid of drama. Luckily, Robin was there to inject the proper note of hysteria.
      "You're lying," he accused Nicole, grabbing her hand to peer closer at the ring as if he expected a big "gotcha" to be etched into the metal.
      "You would think that, wouldn't you? After all, weren't you the one who observed that no man in his right mind would ever want to marry me?"
      Ignoring Robin, Victoria turned to Nicole and, a smile playing around her lips, asked, "Did my brother tell you his philosophy of marriage?"
      Nicole wavered, kicking herself for not having thought of it earlier. Of course, Gabriel's nosy sister would know how he felt about marriage and what it meant to him. No wonder she could be so calm, now. She knew. She knew!
      "You don't have to answer me," Victoria reassured Nicole. "The answer is written all over your face."
      Nicole took a step forward, her rage spilling over until it seemed to take control of her hand and raise it, aiming straight for Victoria.
      Robin interceded. He grabbed Nicole's arm, twisting it, not enough to cause pain, but enough to get her attention. "You won't get away with this. You think you lost your chance for the Cooper fortune with me, so you're going to make another assault on Gabriel? You won't get away with it. He doesn't have any legal status with us, you know. Legally, he's Gabriel Scott, not Sean Cooper. And, as long as he's married to you, you can bet Douglas will keep at that way. You won't get a penny, Nicole. Do you understand? Not a cent from the Coopers."
      Nicole understood.
      She understood his legal arguments perfectly well. (Despite dropping out of school in the seventh grade she, nevertheless, had an instinctively good grasp of all abstract academia that related to money).
      She understood what Robin was threatening her with.
      What she didn't understand, exactly, was why she didn't care.
     
      "I was going to tell you," Gabriel insisted to Victoria when she tracked him down at the clinic.
      "No, you weren't. You were going to let Nicole have her fun."
      "Well, it does mean so much to her..."
      "Were you just bored or something, Gabriel? Had a couple of extra hours on your hands?"
      "She asked me."
      "And do you do everything that you're asked?"
      "As a rule?"
      "Okay, okay, don't answer that, St. Gabriel."
      "She's a very need person, Vicky."
      "And do you always - " Victoria began, then gave up. "Okay, never mind that, too, I've known you too long."
      "So, are you terribly, awfully mad, or just really, really mad?"
      "To be honest, at the moment, I have my own issues."
      "Oh, yes, right, speaking of dysfunctional relationships..."
      "That, indeed, we were."
      "You know, you never used to be so bad at taking no for an answer."
      "Robin doesn't mean it. Breaking up with me."
      "Goodness," Gabriel observed, "But you're sounding like someone I know."
      "Do NOT compare me to that... that...creature you up and married."
      Gabriel shrugged. "I'm just saying, Nicole used to sing that song for me, too."
      "Which reminds me: do you honestly think she's quit it now?"
      Suddenly, the banter was over. Gabriel's smile disappeared, his shoulders stiffened, practically swallowing his neck.
      "Come on, Gabriel," Victoria refused to feel guilty or even rebuffed. "I'm hardly telling you anything you didn't know."
      "I know that she - I know that Nicole - I know that my wife is still in love with Robin, okay? I know that perfectly well."
      "Well, 'in love' might be pushing it. I'd go more for 'in obsession," or 'in mental case'...."
      "Which is different from what you were just saying about our Robin, how exactly?"
      "You're mean."
      "Pot. Kettle. Really, really black."
      "The point is, I know that Robin loves me. He told me as much when he broke up with me."
      "And Nicole is the one 'in mental case'?"
      "He thinks that he'll hurt me if he stays with me. I need to show him that he's wrong."
      "Is he?"
      "Yes," Victoria said, not even stopping to consider otherwise. "I'm sure of it."
     
      Robin was running out of options. He'd told Victoria and told her and told her, and still she refused to listen to him. Fine, then. He'd just have to show her. Robin would have to show Victoria why they could never be together. He'd have to show her exactly what kind of man he was and why being around him would only lead to heartache for her.
      And, as far as he knew, there was only one way to accomplish that. Robin got in his car and he drove over to Gabriel's apartment.
      "I'm leaving town," he informed a dumbstruck Nicole, in lieu of 'hello" or "how have you been?" And then he followed up with, "Care to come with me?"