Stay (Love In Montana Book 5)

Anastasia was shocked to see them all of a sudden after nearly a year. After her dad’s heart attack her mom had disappeared completely from their lives. There were no phone calls and no news of her at all. Anastasia had started to hope that they had left her all alone. So it was the biggest surprise of her life to see them at the doorstep. She was certain that they had come to get her.

Anastasia was tongue-tied seeing them. She didn’t know whether to invite them inside considering how her mom had fought with her dad the last time. With Anson still at the restaurant, and her dad resting, she was scared to face them.

“Mom? Madame Slovene, please come in,” she said hesitantly. They stormed into the house. 

“Start packing Anastasia. We’ve come to take you back to LA. Your training will start immediately since I’m not keeping well,” said Madame Slovene. Anastasia’s jaws dropped to the floor. She had no idea why she couldn’t train her mom instead of her! 

“I can’t go without informing dad and Anson. I need two days to pack at least,” said a helpless Anastasia, trying to buy time. 

“I’ll call my assistant, Freya to help you with the packing,” said Madame Slovene, picking up her phone. 

“Who are you talking to, Ana? Has Anson come home?” asked her dad, as he slowly climbed down the stairs. Her mom looked up with alarm while Anastasia went towards the staircase to help her dad. After the heart attack, his health had deteriorated considerably and therefore he didn’t go to the restaurant to work any longer. Anastasia didn’t answer him and waited for him to climb down the staircase before giving him the shocking news. 

“Who’s there, Ana?” asked her dad worriedly.

“Mom and Madame Slovene are here to take me away with them, dad. Please don’t react to them. I don’t want you falling sick again,” she said walking with him to the reception room but it seemed as if her dad couldn’t hear her. He was already agitated as he walked in, glaring at the duo sitting there. Anastasia sent a quick message to Anson asking him to come home as soon as possible. She dashed in immediately after her dad. 

“Ana isn’t going anywhere Bianca. She’s an adult. So let her decide what she wants to do with her life,” said her dad, making a valiant attempt to save her. Her mom looked angrily at him and was about to speak when Madame Slovene intervened. 

“Here I’m trying to give your daughter a chance at making something out of her dismal life, and all you can do is be ungrateful, Farrell? Do you want her to lead an average life like you are leading? Eat, sleep and be a mother of ten kids? Is that all you can think of? I’m really disappointed at your attitude, Farrell. I always knew Bianca had made a mistake in choosing you and now it’s proved. Look at you, neither do you have a job, nor business nor any income. What life will you give your daughter?” said Madame Slovene in a cold tone that made Anastasia’s blood boil with anger. 

“You don’t have the right to insult my dad. I’m willing to go with you. Stop attacking my dad unnecessarily. He isn’t well,” she cried out in desperation.

“Is that the way to talk to your mentor and guardian, Anastasia? I can see that staying here has made you forget all your etiquette,” scoffed her mom. Anastasia glared at her.

“I haven’t but if you both attack my dad all the time, I won’t at all go with you,” she protested. 

“It’s okay, Ana. I’m talking here. You aren’t going anywhere you don’t want to,” said her dad, calmly. 

“There’s nothing to talk about here, Farrell. You don’t have the financial capacity to give her the life I can give. She was adopted because of me and I’ve spent a lot on her till date. She has to come along with me, I’m not giving her a choice,” stated Madame Slovene. 

“I’m happy with this life, I don’t want anything else,” said Anastasia, ready to fight with her dad. 

“You’re not getting it at all. I’m going to make yours and your dad’s life a living hell if you don’t come along with me. This was a dream that I had nurtured for the last twenty years and I won’t let it go at all,” said her mom, her eyes flashing with mad fury. Anastasia’s face paled considerably. She knew that her mom’s threat cannot be taken lightly. She did what she said. “I’ll entangle him in lawsuits for the rest of his life and you wouldn’t have any choice than to give in,” threatened her mom. Anastasia felt close to tears while her dad stood pale and frozen. 

“Why are you doing this to us? Why can’t you look after the business if you’re that interested?” asked Anastasia in a broken voice.

“I can’t because I have an advanced stage of blood cancer,” said her mom, her voice cracking at the end. Anastasia and her dad stared at Bianca Farrell with their jaws dropped to the floor. “I just have a year left. My body isn’t responding to any tests. It’s a huge expenditure and Madame Slovene has undertaken the cost of treatment,” she said, taking out the wig she wore. Anastasia gasped seeing her mom’s condition. The chemotherapy had taken a toll upon her body and it was only the clever make up and the wig that had hidden the effects from everyone.

Her dad sat down beside her mom, holding her in his arms as she broke down completely. “Madame Slovene isn’t well and needs to hand over her empire to safe hands. She has very little time left to train someone. With unscrupulous and untrustworthy people all around ready to rob her off everything, she wanted Anson and Anastasia to take over the business. It seems Anson doesn’t have any interest in it, so that leaves us with Anastasia. Please David, I beg of you. Madame Slovene has always been like a guardian angel to me. I’m indebted to her for whatever she has done for me. I want to be able to do something in return, it’s my last wish, please,” pleaded her mom. 

“Yes, Bianca. Anastasia will surely go. Why didn’t you tell me before about your condition? We could have got you treated and you would have been better,” said David Farrell looking devastated.

“I had no idea. I was sick for quite a while and when Madame Slovene forced me to get myself tested did I find out. The whole of last year, I was busy with treatments and all sorts of tests. I couldn’t keep in touch with you,” she said, looking sad. The doorbell rang and Anastasia got up to open the door, thinking it to be Anson. 

“Freya is here, she will help you pack,” said Madame Slovene. It was a pretty blonde woman, a few years older to Anastasia, standing at the doorstep. She looked very adorable with dimples on both cheeks.  

“Hi, I’m Freya. Madame Slovene called me,” she informed Anastasia.

“Yeah, I’m Anastasia. Come in, please,” said Anastasia, walking back to the reception room with Freya following her. The scene at the reception room was friendly when she went back. Anastasia was relieved that her parents were on cordial terms at last. She knew that it was time for her to help her parents and she would do her duty. 

“Why don’t you both rest for a while, mom, Madame Slovene?” asked Anastasia. “The packing would take some time,” she said. 

“The flight’s in five hours. Do everything within that time,” said her mom. 

“Yeah, why don’t you both relax in the guest room in the meantime?” she said. 

“Yes, please take a rest,” said Anastasia’s dad. Her mom nodded and got up and followed her dad out. Anastasia led Madame Slovene to another guest room. 

“What should I get you, Madame Slovene?” she asked courteously. 

“Just a bottle of water, my dear,” she said. Anastasia rushed to get a bottle. She returned with it to the room to see Madame Slovene sitting on the bed with her eyes closed. 

“Your water, Madame Slovene,” she said. Madame Slovene opened her bleary eyes and looked at her. She took the bottle from her hands.

“Call me aunt Vida,” she said with a smile all of a sudden, making Anastasia’s eyes pop out. Did she really want her to call her something as personal as that? She nodded and smiled back. “Now go and pack,” said Madame Slovene.

“Yes, aunt Vida,” she said, rushing out. Her eyes popped out seeing Anson outside in the living room ogling at a shy Freya. “Anson? When did you come home?” she asked and Anson tore his eyes away from Freya and looked at her.

“Just! Your distress call had me go nuts. I was expecting some robber but when I got here I found her,” he said, gesturing towards Freya. “Where did you find her? What is she doing here? What’s her name? Why did you call me?” he started but Anastasia just smacked his arm.

“Shut up Anson. I’m going to LA now. Mom and aunt Vida are here to take me away with them. This is Freya, aunt Vida’s assistant. She’s here to help me pack,” said Anastasia, making Anson’s jaws drop with shock.