 
### Family Portrait Series

### Changes (vol. 1)

By Gillian Felix

Published by GillianFx Publishing, LLC

Smashwords Edition

2014

Copyright Gillian Felix 2013

Cover art by Kendell Clarke

Edited by Pauline Nolet

Story Editor Sherrian Felix

Thank you for downloading this ebook. This book remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book and would like to share it with another person please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Other titles by Gillian Felix:

The Banovic Siblings (vol 2.)

### Table of Contents

Chapter 1: The Short Life of Shayanne Montgomery

Chapter 2: Humble Beginnings

Chapter 3: The House that Viktor Built

Chapter 4: Welcome to LA

Chapter 5: The Star

Chapter 6: Westwood Academy

Chapter 7: The End of an Era

Chapter 8: The Muse

Chapter 9: House of Banovic

Chapter 10: When Opportunity Knocks

Chapter 11: Changes

Chapter 12: A Star is Born

Chapter 13: The MILF

Chapter 14: Wanted Dead or Alive

Excerpt from The Banovic Siblings (Vol. 2)

Connect

About the Author

### Chapter 1: The Short Life of Shayanne Montgomery

Adriana Kelly Banovic was known in the daytime soap opera world as Adriana Kelly. Her fans knew her as Shayanne Montgomery, the character she played on the daytime soap _My Whole Family_.

Jayne Banovic had the perfect mother/daughter day planned when she got a call from her boss, who summoned her to the office.

"But it's my day off, can't you get someone else?" Jayne tried to reason with him on the phone.

"Jayne, you're the best at closing. This is a seven-million-dollar house, think about the commission."

"It's not always about money, Saul." She knew what the commission would mean for her family. They were struggling, but she made a promise to her little girl. "I have plans with my daughter. There's no way I'll find a babysitter on the fly."

"Bring her along. Look, it's only for the closing. I promise ... I'll have one of the clerks do the paperwork."

Jayne sighed. Truthfully, she looked forward to Mommy-and-me time more than her seven-year-old daughter.

Jayne piled Adriana into the car and headed off to the closing.

That day, not only did she make the biggest commission of her career, but the woman she sold the house to was a big-time producer for the daytime soap _My Whole Family_. She was immediately smitten by Adriana. Not only was little Adriana brave and smart, she was stunning: unruly raven hair, Mediterranean blue eyes, light olive skin, and pink lips. She looked like a human doll.

Adriana played Shayanne Montgomery for eight years. She loved every minute of being on set and the people that worked there.

She was enrolled at Westwood Academy of Higher Learning, a school every Banovic family member attended. Her parents met and fell in love there. Back then, the school wasn't known as prestigious, or _'fru-fru'_ as she described it.

Adriana hated what Westwood Academy had become. The school was littered with Beverly Hills rich kids and run by money-hungry assholes who exploited celebrity kids and their famous parents.

Adriana managed to talk her parents into private tutelage and proposed using her salary to pay for the luxury of never seeing the inside of Westwood Academy again.

Adriana's world came crashing down around her when she was fired on her fifteenth birthday by the very producer who discovered her. Madame Producer's excuse was that they wanted to fast-track her character to adulthood. As a result, the _new_ Shayanne Montgomery was played by a twenty-three-year-old actress.

The news hit Adriana hard. Had the show been cancelled, she would have taken it better. But she was replaced ... replaced by some dumb-ass bimbo who couldn't act in a kindergarten school play. Adriana concluded that dumb-ass bimbo slept with one of the producers or higher-ups. The show was very incestuous; the cast, the crew, the producers all slept with each other. She paid attention and observed the dynamics. She was fifteen, not stupid.

After wallowing in self-pity, anger and damning everyone on the show to hell, she picked herself up and tried to get into the audition game.

Adriana sat impatiently in the waiting room of her agent. She shifted uncomfortably in the cold, hard, metal chair.

The office was plain and unexciting; the wall in front of her was white, and on it hung large toothy photographs of other soap opera actors, including hers.

Jenkins & Russell Management had been her representatives since she started in the business eight years ago. Stanley Jenkins, her agent, collected ten percent of her salary and never did anything else for her. He was her agent in name only. She'd met him only once when she had just signed on to the show.

A receptionist serving both agents sat at her boring desk, pretending to look busy.

Stanley's door finally opened, and a thin, blond, model-type girl walked out. She headed straight to the exit without looking at Adriana or the receptionist.

Adriana shot the receptionist an impatient look. The receptionist rolled her eyes, then called into Stanley's office. She spoke discreetly into the headset of the phone.

"Mr. Jenkins will see you now, Adriana," she said curtly.

Stanley Jenkins was an unattractive, bald, slightly pudgy man in his mid-sixties. Adriana figured he got off on all the young talent who were willing to part their legs in hopes that he could get them work.

He wasn't cordial to her; one would think after all those years of collecting part of her salary and not earning it, he would be nicer. "What can I do for you, Adriana?" He peered over the outdated computer monitor on his boring steel desk that separated them.

"You have not been returning my calls. What gives?" Adriana was on a mission to get work. Failing that, she would be forced to return to the dreaded Westwood Academy.

"I don't know what you want me to say to you, Adriana. The show has decided to go in a different direction. It happens all the time."

"Thanks. I got the memo," she said sarcastically. "I'm ready to work again. Movies, TV, whatever."

Stanley shifted uncomfortably in his big black leather chair, the only item in the entire office that was modern. "You're young; take a break. It can take a soap actor anywhere from a month to years to find something else." He addressed her as if she was part idiot. "... That perfect role they were born to play ... That career-making movie, with that career-making director."

Adriana's patience was growing thin. "Cut the bullshit, Stanley, and be straight with me. What the hell is going on?"

The truth was, if she allowed him to fool around with her, he'd be more inclined to help her get work, but she was under eighteen—jailbait. He planned on keeping her on the sidelines till she was old enough to be considered a consenting adult. "You're a fifteen-year-old kid with nothing on your résumé. You've been playing the same character for eight years. That's a hard sell."

Adriana's desperation was growing. "Can't you at least get me on another show? Soap actors change shows all the time."

Stanley wondered how far she was willing to go to get on another show. _'Jailbait,'_ he reminded himself.

"I could play Carly Corinthos's kid. I'd even dye my hair blond or whatever color hair she's sporting these days."

Stanley studied her creamy skin, full pink lips, long raven hair and piercing blue eyes. She was stunning. His mind drifted to her petite body beneath her clothes. Her young perky breasts stood firm against her blouse. Tension rose in his pants.

"I could play Sonny's love child, and I wouldn't have to dye my hair."

"That role's been cast."

"I was on the number one soap in the country! Doesn't that count for anything?"

Stanley felt that he had her right where he wanted her. She was ready to be split. He adjusted himself under the table. Just then the phone on his desk rang. _'God dammit!'_ He contemplated whether he should answer it.

Adriana paused and looked at him questioningly. He grabbed the phone off the receiver. It was his wife, major buzz kill. Stanley's hard-on deflated like a limp balloon. He covered the mouthpiece of the phone and addressed Adriana. "Go home, enjoy life. Go be a teenager for a while. I'll call you if I have something."

### Chapter 2: Humble Beginnings

Viktor Banovic was a proud, ambitious man. He graduated high school, but college was never a consideration in his family because there was no way to pay for it. He started working at the age of ten on the family's farm.

After his father's death, the family had so much debt that they had to sell the farm. Viktor took work wherever he could get it. He never complained and was always happy to work.

He married his first love, Kelly Pierce, at the age of twenty-one. Shortly after the birth of their first son Robin, Viktor desired more for himself and his family. He wanted to be great. He wanted to own something. To be respected and give his family everything his father couldn't give him.

Six years later, Kelly gave birth to a second son, Adrian, and four years later their daughter, Roxanne, was born. Viktor's desire turned into frustration and desperation.

He earned his wages picking apples in Northern California. One day while driving through the beautiful countryside of Mendocino County, he noticed a two-acre piece of land for sale. Viktor watched the land get smaller and smaller in his rear-view mirror. Something inside of him stirred. He turned the car around and headed back to the property.

A broken-down wooden fence surrounded the land, marking its boundaries. There was no structure, just a field of lush green grass and a few unconcerned stray cows grazing the land.

Viktor walked around the property and saw where the fence had been trampled by the cows. The closest neighbor was about twenty miles away in any direction. The longer he stood there, the more drawn he felt to the land.

Viktor used all the family's savings to buy the property. He and Kelly fought about it for days. He had no idea what he was going to do with the land or why he had bought it.

Months passed, and he still had no idea. He was on Kelly's shit list; she refused to go and see it or give any input.

Nine months later, while chopping down the overgrown grass, he noticed rows and rows of grape vines laden with pink berries. The more he chopped, the more he found; they were hidden by the grass. He tasted them; they were rich, semi-sweet and tangy.

Viktor took home a trunk full of pink grapes.

"Great!" Kelly said sarcastically. "We'll live off grapes."

Viktor tried to sell the grapes in town, but no one cared to buy from him. He tried to sell them in Mendocino, but it was like adding sand to the Sahara; Mendocino County was wine country ...

Years later, House of Banovic was formed. It was a very small winery, which sold a very special blend of rosé. The brand was exclusive and never sold in stores. No two bottles ever tasted the same; Viktor was bad at keeping records and lost track of ingredients and quantities while concocting the blend. He managed to turn that into their trademark, and the elite loved it.

House of Banovic was both a blessing and a curse to the Banovic family; while they had more money, Viktor spent most of his time at the winery and neglected his family. Kelly grew increasingly bitter towards him. His eldest son, Robin, was glad when he wasn't around ...

At seventeen, Robin had dreams of making the US Men's Olympic gymnastics team, but Viktor had other plans for him; Viktor's dream was that he and Robin would run House of Banovic after Robin graduated college. Once his other children, Adrian and Roxanne, graduated they, too, would join the family business.

Every time Viktor came home, he pressured Robin about working with him. That was all he cared about.

Naturally he and Robin banged heads on the topic like two stubborn rams. Their arguments were heated, and eventually Robin left home to make it on his own.

Kelly was devastated as she watched her family fall apart. She tried several times to get her son and husband to come to an agreement, but in the end it always led to escalated tempers among father and son.

Robin eventually made the team but was unable to bring home a medal. Devastated, he practiced harder than everyone, trying to ready himself for the four years ahead.

His plans fell apart when he injured his leg and was unable to compete. Robin's grades had suffered tremendously, and it didn't look like he would graduate from Westwood Academy let alone get a scholarship to a decent college. The alternative was to admit defeat, go back to his family and work at the winery.

After his injury, his mother was quick to encourage him to return home and make up with his father. He loved his mother but resented Viktor. That resentment made his desire to make it on his own even stronger.

Robin met Jayne Sullivan at a study group. She was indeed a looker. Half Brazilian, half Welsh, she was the perfect combination of beauty and brains, with dark, unruly, shoulder-length hair, olive skin, navy blue eyes, and a long, slender body. Robin was smitten with her the moment he met her.

Jayne Sullivan was a no bullshit kind of girl. She was always at the front of student protests and would fight for every cause under the sun.

Robin and Jayne got married right after college. Robin opened his own gym, where he trained Olympic gymnastics hopefuls, and Jayne became a real estate agent.

By the time their first son, Kevin, was born, Robin had completely cut his parents out of his life. It broke his heart being completely separated from his mother, but as long as she sided with Viktor, Robin took it as a sign that she didn't support his decision.

Four years after Kevin, Zax was born. Unlike Kevin who had Jayne's tanned skin, dark hair and blue eyes, Zax had his father's blond hair and pale skin.

Kelly died two years later, shortly before Adriana's birth. She had requested to see her grandkids. Robin obliged. He spent time with his mother in her last days on earth.

Fifteen years later, Viktor died at the estate in Mendocino. The news couldn't have come at a worse time for Robin. The gym was struggling financially, and things didn't look good at the real estate agency where Jayne worked.

Robin was lacking sleep and highly stressed, trying to figure out a way to make ends meet and save the gym. They said nothing to the children; Kevin was now in his last year at college, and Zax and Adriana were in high school.

Adriana was getting dressed for Viktor's funeral when she overheard her parents talking about their financial troubles. She climbed up on her bed and pressed her ear close to the wall to hear more. A two-inch-thick wall separated her bedroom from theirs. Sometimes that worked to her advantage; sometimes it did not.

"I could start looking for a second job," Jayne suggested.

"Honey, I don't want you to do that," Robin replied. "I will get a second job."

"We're in this together. It could be temporary until things pick back up again."

"What'll we tell the kids?" Robin's voice was full of remorse.

"Let's just get through this funeral; then we'll deal with telling the kids," Jayne said.

There was a knock on Adriana's door. Zax entered, fretting about his tie. He hated wearing any kind of formal wear, especially if a tie was involved.

"Why do we have to go to this thing, anyway? It's not like we knew the old man." Zax groaned.

"Because the _old man_ is family ... now quit bitching, and stand still." She adjusted the offending tie around his neck and began to tie it as eloquently as only she could ... in his eyes, anyway.

"What do people do at funerals, anyway? I'll be bored."

"What do you think people do at funerals, Zax?" she snapped.

"What's eating you?"

Adriana didn't answer. She had information about her parents that she didn't want to share, and was stressed about not finding work and possibly returning to Westwood Academy.

"Is it about your agent? How did it go?"

"It went."

"What kind of answer is that?" Zax was genuinely concerned.

Adriana knew he wouldn't let it rest until she told him something. "Do you ever think about what you'll do after you graduate high school?"

"I plan on going to college."

"What if we can't afford it?"

Zax sat on the edge of her bed. Her room was small and cramped, a dresser against the wall, a chest of drawers against another and her bed next to the small window in the corner. She wasn't into all the latest must-haves that girls her age were into ... maybe because she focused all her attention on perfecting her craft. Acting was something she wanted to do for the rest of her life. That was her dream.

Zax became serious. "I wasn't going to say anything, but I've been looking into scholarships. I think I have a good chance."

"Basketball scholarships?" Adriana was intrigued. She didn't think Zax thought that far ahead. He was always the comic relief between her and their older brother, Kevin.

Zax Banovic was Westwood Academy's star basketball player. He was in his final year. Zax was no dumb jock; a genius at math and chemistry, he kept his academic achievements hidden from his jockmates out of fear of ridicule. Image was everything at Westwood Academy ... starting with the people who ran it down to the lowest man on the totem pole. Unlike Adriana, he enjoyed going there and took it for what it was. He played the game and fit in nicely.

"Academic," he said, almost ashamed.

Adriana smiled. "I think you have a great chance."

### Chapter 3: The House that Viktor Built

Robin drove his Ford Explorer through huge wrought-iron gates, which boasted 'Banovic Manor' in bold iron letters. With Jayne next to him and Zax and Adriana in the back, he introduced his family to his childhood home.

Tall Cyprus trees lined the driveway leading up to a large, light beige Spanish colonial house in Holmby Hills, California.

The six-bedroom, seven-bathroom, split-level, 8,000-plus-square-foot house was huge, yet still too small to be called a mansion by Holmby Hills standards.

As Robin drove closer to the house, emotions hit him hard.

' _This was what Viktor was obsessed with ... a big, fancy, splashy house,'_ he thought wastefully. _'Things.'_

Jayne, seeing the house where her husband spent a small part of his life, felt a little closer to him.

As the car pulled in front of the house, Adriana and Zax exchanged looks. They couldn't believe this was the place their father grew up. It was a ritzy neighborhood where celebrities and famous people lived. The streets were well paved; mansions hid behind towering walls at the end of long driveways. The only people seen on the sidewalk were dog walkers and uniformed nannies with their prams.

Behind the gates of Banovic Manor, the grounds were uncared for, as overgrown bushes ruled the roost. A dry, tired fountain with its cracked tiled wall stood at the roundabout at the end of the driveway.

The house sat on five acres of surrounding land. Separate from the main house were three abandoned buildings. Jayne assumed one was a pool house, a guest house and the other some kind of storage house.

Large, weathered copper planters lined the wall on either side of the double entrance doors. They contained the mere skeletons of the perennials that once were.

Adriana imagined the house was probably a beautiful site in its heyday.

Viktor hadn't lived in the house since Kelly died some fifteen years ago.

Entering the house was like entering a time warp for Robin. Everything was as he remembered. French doors opened to a magnificent entry rotunda; an imported hand-crafted Italian chandelier hung from the ceiling. A dramatic French oak grand staircase was the focal point of the room. In the background, arched doorways and large pane windows allowed plenty of light to fill the space. European sconces and warm beige walls made the room feel intimate. Kelly had excellent taste as she was the one who secured all the details of the house.

As Robin walked through the main rooms taking it all in, there was heaviness in his heart as he longed for his mother and possibly Viktor.

Viktor's death had affected him in a strange way. He didn't cry at his funeral; it was as if he was numb. He provided comfort to his sister, Roxanne. His brother, Adrian, was noticeably absent. Adrian had disappeared a few years after their mother died, never to be heard from again.

As an adult, things seemed clearer to Robin. Were things really that bad between him and Viktor? Was getting his way worth walking away from his family? Would Adrian have stayed if he had stayed?

Robin wasn't particularly close to his brother. He spent most of his life pursuing his Olympic dream while Adrian went about his own way. Robin wondered about Adrian and Viktor's relationship. Did Adrian face the same pressures he did from their father?

Robin and Roxanne maintained a good relationship; their love for gymnastics kept them close. Roxanne went on to bring home three Olympic gold medals in women's gymnastics. She proudly dedicated the medals to Robin, who had helped her tremendously with her training. Roxanne gained several high-profile endorsements, which took her out of the country most of the year.

Robin stared at the large family portrait hanging on the wall over the fireplace in the main room.

Viktor was a handsome man, tall, lean and rugged. He had a full crown of sandy brown wavy hair, light mustache and beard, prominent blue eyes and ever so slightly dimpled cheeks when he smiled ... kind of like Jeff Bridges circa _Against All Odds_.

Roxanne, just four years old, was propped up on his right shoulder. Her blond locks covered part of her face as she rested her head on his broad shoulder.

Kelly was a small woman, with long, dark hair and kind eyes. She wore a proud smile. She seemed happy. Robin remembered that day well.

Robin stood next to her; his platinum-blond hair was in stark contrast to his younger brother Adrian's dark hair and piercing blue eyes. That day he and Adrian had gotten into mischief but were never punished because their parents wanted to be in great spirits for the portrait.

He smiled as he remembered that day and felt sand build up in his throat. He'd become so consumed with defying Viktor that he'd forgotten about the good times they'd had.

Jayne lovingly placed her hand on his back. He leaned in for comfort.

"Why didn't he sell this house?" Robin whispered.

"He wanted you to have it," Jayne replied.

*********

Zax fiddled with the door of the garage. He was intrigued by this place and he hadn't set foot inside the house; he immediately fell in love with the grounds. There was so much to see and explore. The rusty door handle finally surrendered. The huge, metal, barnlike door opened with a loud screech. The abandoned garage looked like a mechanic's scrap yard. Tools and car parts were everywhere. He knew Adrian loved cars and assumed that this was his playroom.

There was a large, covered object at the center of the room. Zax pulled the cover off, raising a cloud of dust. He uncovered a fire-engine-red 1967 Pontiac Firebird. Four blocks held the car up, and the open bonnet was a clear indication that the work that had been started was never finished.

*********

Adriana entered the house. She noticed her parents having a moment in the family room, then quietly headed upstairs.

Room after room, she opened doors and snooped around. All of the bedrooms were empty. She wondered which room was her dad's. They all looked the same.

The last room at the end of the long, arched hallway was different; it was Adrian's room.

Adrian's room was painted blue. A heavy oak chest of drawers anchored the corner of the room. There were still pictures on the wall ... mostly of him and his friends. In one picture Adrian proudly wore the purple and gold Westwood Academy Lacrosse uniform. In another, he appeared to be goofing off with his buddies. Another of him and his prom date ... a petite blonde with a bad perm, dressed like Madonna circa _Like a Virgin_.

All the drawers were empty. Adriana opened closets as if expecting to find some clue of Adrian's whereabouts. She thought about him often and missed him terribly. They had gotten close the short time he'd spent in her life. Even though he spent time with the kids, Robin's and Adrian's paths hardly ever crossed. They were brothers yet so very different. There was unspoken tension between them when they were in the same room together.

Her fondest memory of her uncle was of him teaching her to climb up his arm. He'd nicknamed her 'monkey'. Adriana was six when Adrian had disappeared from her life and she never forgot him.

A tiny wooden box the size of a ring box lay at the back of the closet. It was so discreetly hidden that she almost missed it. Her heart raced as she picked it up ... A clue? Etched in the wood cover was 'Property of Adrian Banovic.' The inside was lined with red satin, a men's class ring with the initials AB lay in the box. Adriana tried on the ring, which was obviously too big for her finger. She examined it and then slipped it on the thin leather necklace she wore and tucked it beneath her blouse.

Adriana wasn't about to leave the box behind, she wanted anything that reminded her of Adrian. As she was about to slip the box into her pocket a small packet of ecstasy fell out. Adriana smiled as she recognized the pill instantly. She popped one and stored the rest. _'Thanks, Uncle.'_

********

The kitchen was just as spectacular as the rest of the house, with its high ceiling of exposed wood beams, two center isles, a breakfast bar, and tan and sage cupboards with bronze Italian hardware. The glazed stone backsplash matched the sage marble countertops. The appliances were outdated but were top of the line in their heyday.

When Kevin arrived, the family was gathered around one of the center islands.

"Whoa, Dad, you've been holding out on us." He grinned as he hugged his father.

"Hello, son, I'm glad you could make it." Robin hugged him and patted him on his back.

"I tried to get here as soon as I could." He greeted his mother with a hug and a kiss "Traffic was a b ... you know how LA traffic is." He checked himself; he respected the ladies in his life and never used profanity around them.

Kevin winked at Adriana and acknowledged Zax with a familiar head nod.

"What did I miss ... besides the grand tour of the castle." Kevin perched himself on top of one of the counters.

Robin looked over at Jayne, who gave him a supportive nod.

Robin began, "Your grandpa left us this house ... and the winery in Mendocino."

The room was quiet. Jayne and Robin looked at each one of their children's faces, trying to read them. For the first time they couldn't tell what they were thinking.

"I wanted to bring you guys here before we put the house on the market."

"Dad, why would you sell this place? It's your history." Adriana was the first to speak. "And ours."

"Because we need the money. The gym hasn't been doing too well these days."

"We also need a new house; the house we live in is practically falling apart." Kevin pointed out. "How many times have we attempted to fix the roof? We do that, then something else breaks."

"This house hasn't been lived in for years. This house needs work too," Robin pointed out.

"We could all pitch in and help out," Adriana chimed in.

"I know we need the money, but with the housing market the way it is, this house could be on the market for a long time." Kevin looked to his mother for backup.

Jayne smiled and nodded; she was proud of her son. Kevin was always one to think on his feet. As a child, he was always a step ahead of everyone his age. She was proud of all her children. They each had a prominent attribute to their character that she adored.

She looked over at Zax, who was unusually quiet and taking in everything. "Zax? What do you have to say?"

Zax directed his answer to his father. "There is a reason Grandpa Banovic left you this house. I think he wanted to keep it in the family. Wouldn't it be dishonorable if someone gives you something and you turn around sell it to someone else?"

Everyone got quiet and looked to Robin for his response. "Your mother and I need to discuss this." Robin hadn't expected so much opposition. He respected his children's opinions and always took them into consideration. What Kevin said made sense to him, but his pride wrestled with Viktor's ghost.

Kevin, Zax and Adriana started to exit the room when Zax turned to his father again.

"Dad, is everything on the property ours?"

"Yes, son, why?"

"There's a 1967 Pontiac in the garage that wants to stay with me," Zax said matter-of-factly, then left the room to join his siblings.

"He kept the car," Robin said, half to himself.

"What car?" Jayne asked.

"The first car he bought me. He brought it home the day I left for good."

"Oh, honey."

"I took it as a bribe to get me to work at the winery. I said some awful things to him that day."

Jayne comforted him.

"I messed up. I was so stupid and childish; I had to have my way in everything."

"You were young."

"God, Jayne, I can't take back all the things I said to him." Robin agonized.

### Chapter 4: Welcome to LA

Haze was excited and ready to begin his new life. Moving to California was a step he had contemplated long and hard. As he drove through Venice Beach with all his worldly possessions piled up in his older-model RAV 4, he enjoyed the fresh, clean air and blue skies. The weather in Southern California was a far cry from the weather he left back in Wisconsin.

Haze Christopher Lyndon was six foot two and stunningly gorgeous: caramel complexion, high cheekbones, black short hair, brown eyes and a body like a finely chiseled Greek marble sculpture. Haze was born to an Afro-American mother and German-American father. He was a muse to his photographer ex-girlfriend. She always told him he should be a model. He never took her seriously until she sent in photos she'd taken of him to an LA talent agent.

A couple weeks later, the agent met with him. He immediately booked Haze on the United Colors of Benetton spring promotion, followed by American Eagle Outfitters, and Diesel printed ad campaigns. Haze had 'the look'. The problem ... he lived in Wisconsin.

Haze slowed down as he checked the number on the apartment buildings he passed with the address on the paper in his hand. He almost ran a red light and slammed on the brake. Several bikini clad girls that were crossing noticed him. They smiled in appreciation, and he smiled right back, checking them out. _'Welcome to LA,'_ he thought.

Haze pulled up to the curb of a two-story, four-apartment complex.

The exterior looked nice enough; his mother would be happy. He was an only child, and his mother wasn't exactly thrilled about him moving out to Los Angeles even though she grew up there. She felt a little better knowing that he would at least know Chellon, his high-school buddy. She comforted herself knowing that Chellon was a good, wholesome boy. Chellon called his mother every week. Chellon went to church, and Chellon studied hard.

Haze rang the door bell and waited. Chellon came to the door; he immediately bear- hugged Haze.

"You made it! It's about freaking time!" Chellon beamed at his friend. "Come on in, meet the guys."

The guys were Jason and Kai. They sat on a beat-up couch, rolling a joint on the coffee table. The inside of the apartment was messy ... After all, they were college boys.

"They don't live here; they're just hanging out." Chellon pointed out. "We party'n tonight!"

The one called Kai nodded at Haze. He seemed already high.

"You wanna hit?" Jason asked Haze.

"No," Haze replied.

The boys lit up, and a cloud of smoke engulfed them.

"Lemme show you your room." Chellon beamed. "I think you're going to love LA. The girls out here are a different breed, man. Every one is better looking than the next. It's like a feeding frenzy!"

*********

The club was packed with hot girls and guys who looked like they'd just stepped out of a magazine. The music was pumping; booze, drugs and sex flowed freely and openly.

Haze stood at the bar, nursing a drink. He was out of his element. There was nothing like this in Wisconsin. He looked over at Kai, who looked like he was about to pass out in the booth he was sitting in; no one seemed to care or notice him. Jason was on the dance floor engaged in a girl sandwich. Chellon finally appeared at the bar next to Haze with two bleach-blonde girls with oversized breasts, wearing tops that were two sizes too small.

"Ladies, this is my buddy Haze. He's new in town, just got in from Wisconsin," Chellon announced.

The girls eyed Haze approvingly. Haze nodded politely.

One of the girls sauntered over to Haze and whispered something dirty in his ear that made him blush.

"No, thanks, I have a girlfriend," he lied.

She walked away, disappointed, shooting Chellon a nasty look as she passed by him.

"Dude, why'd you say that for?" Chellon chided.

"I should go back to the house. I'm kind of tired."

Chellon spotted Kevin Banovic at the bar, chatting up an attractive woman.

"Yo, Kevin!" Chellon called out, getting his attention.

"Hey, Chellon, what's up? Haven't heard from you in a while." Kevin and Chellon man-hugged. "How you been, man?"

"This is my buddy Haze. He just moved out here from Wisconsin."

"Hey, Haze from Wisconsin. What brings you to LA?"

"Finishing up my last year of college out here," Haze replied.

"Yeah? Where at?"

"UCLA."

"Cool. Guess I'll see you on campus. I hope you enjoy everything LA has to offer." Kevin raised a glass to them. The woman Kevin was chatting up hooked her arm in his, indicating that she needed attention. Kevin acknowledged her, and they left.

"You want the best puff, pill or powder this side of Humboldt County ... Kevin's your man." Chellon watched Kevin as he walked out with the beautiful woman on his arm.

Kevin was the picture of confidence. He had it all ... looks, money and a reputation not to be messed with. Chellon considered himself lucky to be Kevin's friend. After all, being friends with Kevin Banovic was better than being enemies with Kevin Banovic.

Chellon tried unsuccessfully to get Haze laid; he presented girls of all sizes, shapes, and colors: redheads, blondes, brunettes, raven-haired, even girls with no hair. Haze turned them all down. He managed to finally convince Chellon that he needed to leave.

As Haze hit the sidewalk, the warm California air hit him. He was determined to stay focused, finish college, and make enough money to continue his art study in France. The modeling gigs were few and far between, but the pay was good. He decided that he would look for a part-time job that would allow him the flexibility to study, attend modeling gigs, and draw. Girls were a distraction, and he wasn't about to get distracted.

Haze noticed a woman limping a little further down the sidewalk. She was alone. The streetlights illuminated the path well enough so they could see each other.

"Are you okay?" he asked trying not to be too intrusive.

"My shoe heel broke," she replied without looking at him.

"Do you have far to go?" he asked.

She looked up at him, and suddenly her broken heel was not an issue anymore. "I'm gonna call a cab. My roommate left with some guy and left me stranded."

"Would you like a ride home?" he offered politely.

She smiled, as tempting as it was to get a ride from a handsome stranger, she thought better of it. "I don't take rides from strangers."

"That's cool. I can stay with you until your cab gets here if you like."

She was impressed that this handsome stranger cared enough to wait until her cab arrived. "You're not from around here, are you?"

"What gave it away?"

"You're too nice, and I thought chivalry was massacred."

"It's still alive where I come from," he stated proudly.

"I'm Carys." She extended her arm to him and felt the immediate warmth of his hand as it swallowed hers.

"Haze." He smiled.

### Chapter 5: The Star

Tour buses pulled into the loading dock area of the Hammerstein Ball Room in New York City. Teen singing sensation Leighann DaCosta was close; scores of fans lined the street, hoping to get a glimpse of their idol. They held up posters and chanted her latest hit as excitement filled the air.

There were reports that fans camped out days before her arrival, much to the chagrin of the N.Y.P.D.; massive crowds were always difficult to control at these things, and it cost the city thousands of dollars. They knew they would have their hands full when tickets for her show sold out within an hour.

In six hours, fifteen-year-old Leighann DaCosta would step on stage and give the performance of a lifetime. Every performance since she was five was 'a performance of a lifetime'.

This time she was burned out. She was on the last leg of her thirty-five city tour.

She felt trapped as if she had been living in a daze all her life, doing what she was told, eating what she was given, dressing how her stylist saw fit, saying what her publicist wanted her to say, singing what the record label wanted her to sing and smiling because the fans expected it.

Today she felt sick to her stomach. Today she didn't want to do as she was told. Today she just wanted to hide from the world. Tears welled up in her throat.

The bus driver skillfully maneuvered the bus through hundreds of excited fans. Leighann looked at their hopeful faces through the one-way tinted window. She couldn't understand their fascination with her. She was just a girl doing what she was programmed to enjoy. Her deepest desire was to be one of them ... just a face in the crowd, with a family to go home to, a home to go home to.

Leighann's home was a tour bus, and the band members were her family, but they had their own families to go home to.

She had Savannah—Savi—more her manager than her mother. Savi enjoyed the spotlight more than Leighann and had built Leighann's career to exactly where Savi wanted it. She worked hard at cultivating Leighann into what she could have been if her parents had had any ambition or if she had Leighann's talent.

Leighann was just five years old when Savi started entering her into numerous talent competitions. At the age of ten she struck gold, winning an international singing competition.

Her talent was further proven when she wrote and performed the soundtrack to a movie that went on to gross millions, which earned her a place in music history as the youngest artist to win a Grammy Award.

Critics were quick to label her a one-hit wonder, but Leighann proved them wrong by releasing a string of hits, which made the record label and Savi very happy and very rich.

At first Leighann enjoyed it; she loved writing music. She loved learning to play instruments and singing. Her distaste for the industry started two years ago. She had been constantly touring; the more popular she got, the more pressure was placed on her by Savi, the record label and the critics. Nothing she did was ever good enough. Her saving grace was her writing, but the label stopped using her songs. She didn't like or connect with the material that was given to her, but she sang it anyway.

The tour bus came to a slow stop, and Leighann knew she had to suck it up and do what was expected of her. She took a deep breath and pulled up a smile from the deepest part of her soul.

After forty-five minutes of signing autographs and posing for pictures with fans, Leighann's handlers ushered her from the press area down a long series of corridors to her dressing room. On the way they bombard her with the details of her schedule, which included stage rehearsals, dress rehearsal, lighting tech, more press interviews, more meet and greets, radio interviews, promotions and the other three million things she had to do; none of which included any down time.

"Where is Savi?" Leighann asked. The sickness in her stomach had returned. Just once she wanted her mother to protect her.

"She's at the spa, getting ready for the show tonight," One of the handlers answered.

How typical of Savi to load up her schedule, then take off to enjoy the spoils.

"Could you reach her, please?" Leighann asked pleasantly, hiding her annoyance.

"She asked not to be disturbed," the handler replied.

Leighann did little to hide her disappointment. The handler felt sorry for her and tried Savi's phone. The truth was, they all felt sorry for Leighann and could sense her fatigue but were too afraid to stand up for her. They were being paid good money to do as they were told.

Leighann entered her dressing room. "Could you guys give me a minute, please?" She closed the door.

They looked at each other and knew something was very wrong.

Leighann sat on the floor behind the door and sobbed uncontrollably. Her cell phone rang. It was L'Wren.

L'Wren was her half-sister, confidante and only friend. She always had impeccable timing; perhaps through some cosmic channel she sensed when her sister needed her.

"I'm so glad you called. I could use a friendly voice." Leighann smiled through the tears.

"What's wrong? Where are you?"

"New York. I don't know how much more of this I can take. I'm so tired; I feel like I could sleep for days."

"Did you tell Mom yet?"

"No, she's not going to like it."

"That's her problem. She's not the one busting her ass on stage every night! You want me to talk to her?" L'Wren hated the way Savannah treated Leighann and had stood up to her several times on Leighann's behalf. In the end Savannah always got her way because Leighann, out of some twisted loyalty to her mother, took her side and made it okay to be bullied.

As tempting as the offer was, Leighann declined and resolved to tell Savi after the show that she was going to quit the business.

Leighann took center stage for the final song rehearsal before the concert. Fatigue had set in. _'Just get through this one.'_ Her head spun as she picked up a bottle of water from the stage floor. Her throat was dry, her stomach tensed, and her hands were clammy. She sipped the water and felt its coolness coat the back of her throat. Sweat plastered her blond locks to her scalp as beads of sweat formed on her face. She felt the color leave her once-rosy cheeks. She looked over her right shoulder at the band leader. Leighann was not aware that she had dropped the water bottle, and a puddle formed at her feet. He looked at her strangely and said something to her that she couldn't hear. Leighann fell to the floor with a thud that scared everybody in the room.

Days later Leighann woke up in a hospital bed hooked up to heart machines and an IV tube. The beep of the heart machine was the only sound she could hear. Every surface of the room was covered with flowers, stuffed animals, cards and other gifts from fans and people she knew. She felt strangely at peace and more rested than she had ever felt. The pain in her stomach was gone. _'Maybe I'm dead.'_ The thought of being dead put a slight smile on her face. She'd considered suicide once but had been too afraid to do it.

She thought about L'Wren and how much she admired her. L'Wren was independent and smart. She had one more year of college and was destined to be a fashion designer.

When their parents split, Savi took Leighann and L'Wren stayed with their father. To Leighann, L'Wren got the better deal. They kept in touch as much as their schedules would allow. Leighann was always happiest when she visited L'Wren in Los Angeles ... usually for a night or two when she was in town doing press, touring or recording. She wasn't allowed to see her father, according to Savi he was the anti-Christ.

Leighann couldn't remember her parents ever being married or happy. She barely remembered what her father looked like. All she could remember were his hazel-green eyes, kind of like hers. They were kind and loving ... or maybe she imagined that.

At times she'd imagine she was adopted and one day her _real_ parents would find her. They'd live in a small house with a white picket fence ... or live in a yurt; she didn't care as long as they had a home.

Leighann closed her eyes and imagined. This time the house was in the country: a small yellow house with white trimmings around the windows, a beautiful red wood door, and shrubbery dotting the white wood rail wrap-around porch.

The front yard had a beautiful flower garden that her _mother_ tended to while wearing a pale paisley flowered dress and wide brim straw braid hat to shade her flawless skin. A huge tree stood guard outside the white picket fence that surrounded the property.

She'd spend lazy afternoons sitting under that tree, with its massive branches covered in lustrous leaves. She'd listen to the birds singing while enjoying the cool breeze as it embraced her.

Her _father_ would be a farmer like Jonathan Kent (Superman's earthly father). Her _parents_ loved each other and loved her. They'd have supper together and talk about things that family talked about.

Leighann's eyes were closed and she wore a peaceful smile when Savi entered.

"Oh, honey!" Savi's voice sounded of concern.

Leighann's smile quickly disappeared as she jolted back to reality. Savi hovered over her. _'Maybe she did care.'_

"How are you feeling? The doctor said you were dehydrated, but you'll be fine in a couple of days."

Savi hugged Leighann ... for a moment Leighann tensed up, then eased into it. It felt good being held by her mother. She embraced her mother for a brief moment, taking in the scent of her Les Larmes Sacrées de Thebe perfume.

Leighann hoped that her stint in the hospital would improve their relationship ... after all, her concern sounded sincere.

"I've rescheduled the Hammerstein concert for the end of the tour. We can spend two days here, then we'll leave for the Jersey show." Savi quickly switched back to manager mode, smashing Leighann's hope of a mother/daughter relationship. She whipped out her iPhone and checked her schedule.

"I'm tired, Mom." Leighann's voice was quiet.

"I know, honey. You'll be fine in a couple of days." Savi dismissed her.

"I don't want to do this anymore."

Savi barely looked up from her phone. "You just need to rest."

"The singing, the tours, I don't want to do this."

Savi sighed impatiently; she clutched the phone and looked at her daughter as if seeing her for the first time. "I know you're scared, but when you fall down, you get back up again."

"I've been thinking about this for a while." Leighann sat up. She felt stronger. "I want to go to school and have friends, go to the mall, meet a boy, do all the things normal teenagers do."

' _Shit, is she serious?'_ Savi thought as she sat on the edge of the bed. She had never heard Leighann speak up for anything and almost respected her for it. "If you want me to push back the Jersey show ..."

"No, Mother, I'm serious! I'm quitting the business." Leighann was surprised by her own tone. She felt a weight lift off her chest. She felt empowered. This was what she wanted, and she wanted it bad enough to stand up to her mom-ager.

"This is your life. This is all you know how to do, and you're good at it ... why would you want to give that up?" Savi questioned, losing her patience.

"I want to move out to LA and live with L'Wren for a while."

Savi got up from the bed and walked toward the window. She knew Leighann couldn't possibly come up with that idea by herself ... L'Wren was behind it. _'That ungrateful little bitch, I adopted her and raised her as my own, and this is the thanks I get? Who the hell does she think she is, trying to take my little girl from me?'_

The doctor entered the room and smiled at Leighann but could sense tension between mother and daughter.

"Leighann, so glad you're back with us. You gave a lot of people quite a scare."

Savi did not turn around. Her back faced Leighann's bed as she stared out the window.

He checked her charts. "Looking good." Then he did a physical check. Just then Savi's phone rang. "Phones are not allowed in here, Mrs. DaCosta."

Savi shot him a nasty look. "It's Ms." She walked out of the room with her head held high. Savi was not officially divorced from Leighann's father, a secret she kept from everyone ... including him.

"I can have you discharged tonight." He smiled at Leighann.

"Does it have to be tonight?"

The doctor was taken aback by her question. He studied her for a while. "Most patients can't wait to leave."

"Can I at least have one more day?"

"You're perfectly fine to go home." He sensed things weren't right, but he didn't care enough to pry. "One more day, then check yourself into a nice spa or something."

Leighann dreaded leaving the hospital. The black limo pulled to the curb at The St. Regis. She was greeted by the welcoming smile of a familiar doorman.

"Good day, Miss DaCosta." He nodded.

She returned his smile as Savi brushed past them and entered the lobby. She and Savi hadn't spoken since she had told her she was quitting the business. Surprisingly it didn't bother her, she was taking charge of her life, and it felt damn good.

The elevator doors opened to the penthouse they had occupied. Savi disappeared into one of the rooms. Jace, the bandleader, greeted Leighann with a warm hug.

"I heard you were getting out today. I just wanted to welcome you home," he said.

"Thanks. I appreciate it."

"Are you sure you're okay to come to rehearsals tonight?"

' _Is this some kind of joke?'_ Leighann was shocked by his question.

"Didn't she tell you?" Leighann searched his face for an answer but got none. "I quit the business, and I'm moving to LA."

Jace was genuinely surprised. He sat down on the nearby settee.

"I'm sorry you had to find out this way." Guilt started to set in as she realized how her decision would affect the rest of the band members. She cared about them but never gave any thought to actually saying goodbye to them. "We'll pay you guys for the rest of the tour. I'm ... I'm sure you'll find something else. You're a really good bandleader."

Savi entered. "You think that's how the business works?" Her voice was filled with disgust.

Leighann sat next to Jace.

"You are so immature. You have no idea how any of this works! You don't realize that you are playing with people's lives. People depend on you to feed their families." Savi towered over her. "All _you_ have to do is go out there and sing! _We_ do all the work. I have sheltered you from the realities of this life, and now you want to piss on me!"

Leighann got up and headed out of the room.

"If you leave here, you leave with nothing!" Savi yelled after her.

That moment played over and over in Leighann's mind like a broken vinyl.

"Miss DaCosta?" The beautiful Virgin Airlines flight attendant's voice was gentle. Leighann had been asleep. The flight attendant was careful not to jolt her awake, despite the fact that she looked like she was having a nightmare, flinching and sobbing.

Leighann woke from a groggy sleep; she was in the first-class section of a Virgin Airline flight to Los Angeles.

"Please place your seat in the upright position. We will be landing at LAX in twenty minutes."

### Chapter 6: Westwood Academy

Westwood Academy of Higher Learning was the Rolls Royce of high schools in Southern California. It sat on 312 acres of meticulously landscaped campus; Mediterranean architectural style buildings were connected by archways and tree-lined walkways. The interior floors were Italian marble. The school had two indoor and one outdoor Olympic-size heated swimming pools and a hot-tub. The school's colors were purple and gold. Everything at Westwood Academy was state of the art. The cafeteria boasted catered lunches from the best local chefs.

In its early stages, Westwood Academy groomed athletes and academic overachievers. Its alumni boasts of Tennis Pro Josh Newman, Academy Award-winning director April Alexis, world-class neurosurgeon Adrian Banovic and his sister Olympic gymnast Roxanne Banovic, business mogul Richard Malone and his son, NASCAR champion Preston Malone, Stefan DaCosta international land developer, novelist Madison Alexander and a host of other super achievers.

Back then, anyone who wanted to attend Westwood Academy could attend. If they happened to excel in an area, it was nurtured, and over time that person became something. These days, students had to already be something, know someone or come from money to get in. These days, Westwood Academy was more known for their media creds than their academic or athletic achievements. They had the best teachers and the brightest students, but the school was overrun by the Hollywood effect. Every young celebrity wannabe wanted to attend Westwood Academy; whether they had talent or not, the school would make them famous. The local celebrity rag-mag _The West Post_ always had the most hits when they posted gossip from inside the walls of Westwood Academy. They built up their popularity riding the coattails of the school's 'elite'.

Principal Michael Johansson was more than happy to welcome new student Leighann DaCosta to Westwood Academy. After all, she had already won a Grammy at the age of ten, sold millions of records, and sold out concert venues months in advance. Whether or not she could read or spell, the school would accept her; she would be good publicity for them.

Leighann's teeth rattled as Principal Johansson vigorously shook her hand in his office the first day of school. Mrs. Miller, the vice-principal, did the same thing.

"On behalf of Westwood Academy, we are so very pleased to welcome you," Mrs. Miller beamed.

Leighann smiled pleasantly as she took a seat opposite them. School was a new experience for her, and she was very excited to begin this new chapter in her life.

"I understand your father is an alumnus of this school," Principal Johansson pointed out as he took a seat behind his desk.

This was news to Leighann. She didn't know much about her father and decided that she would make it her duty to learn about him. According to her sister, L'Wren, he lived in Los Angeles but was out of town on business for a couple of months. Truth was, her mother, Savannah, had also attended Westwood Academy but dropped out after less than a year.

"We have very strict rules at this school, but they don't apply to you. I will see to it that you graduate no matter what." Johansson knew she had no prior formal education. She didn't have any transcripts and wasn't required to take the test assessment normally given to potential students. She was eligible because she was Stefan DaCosta's daughter and she was a star.

"Oh no, I don't expect any preferential treatment," Leighann protested.

Mrs. Miller's and Principal Johansson's wore fake smiles but Leighann couldn't tell the difference. The intercom buzzed on Johansson's desk.

"Yes, Shelby," he answered, putting Shelby on speaker.

"Adriana Banovic is here." Shelby's voice filled the room.

"Send her in," Johansson said and hung up. He turned his attention back to Leighann. "Another one of our fine students, I wanted Adriana and you to meet. She also has had a wonderful career in the entertainment industry."

"She was on the number one soap for eight years. Now she's back with us full time." Mrs. Miller's toothy fake grin plastered her face.

It was obvious that Adriana was less than thrilled to be there when she entered the room.

"Adriana! Welcome back." Principal Kiss-ass got up to greet her.

Adriana shrugged.

"I'm sure you know Leighann DaCosta. We are all fans of hers." Vice-principal Kiss-ass added, eager to wrap up this introduction so she could stop pretending to like these kids.

Adriana eyed Leighann up and down, unimpressed. _'Oh great, another primadonna Barbie,'_ she thought.

Adriana couldn't care less about Leighann DaCosta. She'd heard her name somewhere but wasn't interested enough to learn more about her.

"Leighann is new here, and since you both are our local celebrities, I think you two should look out for each other." Mrs. Miller's suggestion sounded more like a demand, in a gentle way, of course.

"What Mrs. Miller is trying to say is that the both of you have the same classes, and it would be nice if you could show our new student the ropes," Johansson quickly interjected and ended with a car-salesman smile.

Adriana was all too happy to get out of Principal Kiss-ass's office. She'd listened to their hot pile of shit and barely cracked a smile.

Principal Johansson and Mrs. Miller watched the girls leave.

"Do you think it was a wise idea pairing those two? You know Banovic doesn't want to be here, and she's kind of a troublemaker," Mrs. Miller reminded him.

"I know, but the school could use the publicity." Johansson grinned. "I've lit the match, now watch the fire burn."

*********

Adriana strutted down the school hallway as Leighann trailed behind, trying to keep up while balancing a stack of books and her long-strap hobo bag.

Students looked on as they walked past. Some of them recognized Leighann and whispered to each other.

One girl deliberately bumped into Adriana. "Bitchriana." She scowled.

Adriana rolled her eyes and continued.

"Fans?" Leighann asked sarcastically. From the nasty looks Adriana got from the other girls, it was obvious that she was not liked.

"High school bitches. Look, the school is not NASA or anything. It's pretty easy to figure out. You don't need me to chaperon; you have a map?" Adriana finally acknowledged her.

Leighann struggled to reach the map in her bag; Adriana did nothing to help. "It's in my bag, you mind?"

Adriana rolled her eyes and reluctantly shifted things around in Leighann's bag to produce the map.

"The first thing you want to do is find your locker and offload some of this crap. Juniors' lockers line this corridor and that one over there. The numbers begin over there." Adriana put the map on top of Leighann's pile of books and walked away.

Leighann followed her to her locker.

Adriana fiddled with the combination keypad on her locker. "If you're looking for a friend, I'm not it. I roll alone," Adriana spat.

Leighann didn't take offense or move.

"What!" Adriana snapped.

"This is my locker." Leighann balanced her books with one hand and punched in the code of the locker next to Adriana's with her free hand. It opened easily. She smirked at Adriana, put her things in, then walked away.

Astrid Wilson looked like she had just walked out of a _Vanity Fair_ photo shoot: her auburn hair properly coiffed, dressed in brands from head to toe, her favorite Christian Dior Gaucho purse hung fashionably off her arm. Astrid was a wannabe celebrity, she wanted to be famous for being famous. She came from money; her father was a high-profile Hollywood lawyer. Everywhere Astrid went, she always had her two minions. They always dressed stylishly but not too much to upstage her.

Astrid Wilson was extremely unhappy to see her old nemesis Adriana Banovic. She and her two minions boxed in Adriana, hoping to intimidate her.

"Look who's back. The daytime soap princess gracing us with her presence." Astrid's voice dripped contempt.

"My own welcoming committee, Astrid and the ass-hats," Adriana replied.

"Things have changed around here since you've been gone, and we like it that way." Astrid spoke slowly and condescendingly to Adriana. "I. Rule. The. School. You got that?"

"Whatever. I don't expect to be here long anyway." Adriana was not in the mood to measure cup sizes with Astrid. As she was about to walk away, one of Astrid's minions pushed her from behind. She tumbled forward, and Astrid put her foot out and tripped her. The girls mocked her. Adriana got up, dusted herself off, doubled her fists, and delivered a mean right cross. The blow was meant for that bitch Astrid, but she moved out of the way, and the blow connected with Amy Wasserman, one of Astrid's minions.

*********

Mr. Wells taught math to the seniors and chemistry to the juniors at Westwood Academy. He loved his job, and it showed. He explained Pythagoras' theorem with such vigor and excitement, it was like he was announcing the winner of _American Idol_. All his students paid attention; he could see it on their faces when they 'got it'. That made his job more worthwhile than the hefty paycheck he took home.

Zax Banovic sat behind Kristin Newman, the school's tennis pro. He had been sitting behind her since fifth grade. He knew her schedule down to the minute. He knew that she was an only child and lived with her father/coach, retired tennis pro Josh Newman in Bel Air. Zax hadn't the nerve to ask her out. Time was running out. This was their final year in high school. After that the chance of him ever being this close to her again was nil. Zax knew he had to do something or else he would forever wonder. Tennis season was over, and he felt confident that his chance of her going out with him was greatly increased.

He admired how her long blond hair cascaded down the small of her back. He longed to touch it, feel its texture between his fingers. He knew she used some sort of fruity shampoo; the scent would linger when she walked by him. Zax was the only student not paying attention in Mr. Wells' class.

She was poised to kick ass at Wimbledon. He didn't understand tennis, but she looked like she was doing something right. She always hit the ball with perfect precision when it came back to her.

"Mr. Banovic, is this class boring you?" Mr. Wells asked sarcastically, and everyone turned around to look at Zax. Luckily the bell rang, ending the period.

"Zax, I expect a full report from you about what you learned in today's class, in addition to the homework on the board." Mr. Wells handed down his punishment.

"I got your back, buddy." Joel came over to Zax.

"Thanks, Joel."

Joel had noticed Zax drooling over Kristin, something he had grown accustomed to seeing. He hated seeing his best friend, who was normally very confident, so introverted.

"Are you going to ask her out or what?"

"As soon as I learn to string sentences together when I'm around her." Zax piled his books into his bag, and he and Joel exited the classroom.

Frankie Malone, the school's jock, jerk and pussy hound, approached Zax and Joel in the hallway.

Zax Banovic, Frankie Malone and Joel O'Leary had been friends since kindergarten. Their parents all went to Westwood Academy. The three boys were inseparable. Their personalities differed greatly, yet they always found common ground.

Zax was the thinker, Joel was the worrier and Frankie didn't give a shit about much except getting laid, fast cars and basketball.

Frankie broke the news to Zax that Adriana had punched some girl out, and she was in the principal's office. Frankie described what happened as if he was describing a professional boxing match. He ended proudly with, "Boom boom, Banovic is back."

*********

Adriana sat in Mr. Johansson's office. She knew her punishment would be laughable at best. She knew he didn't have the balls to call her parents. He lectured her about fighting, and if she got into another fight, he would have to hand down stricter punishment. _'Yeah, right.'_

He ended with, "If anybody asks, you have detention. You can go."

*********

Ordering food at the cafeteria was an experience for Leighann. For the first time in a long time she didn't have a strict diet to adhere to. She didn't have her nutritionist looking over her shoulder or her personal trainer, Vincent, pointing out the calorie count of every bite she ingested. She had lobster with an extra side of butter, soft buttery rolls, mashed potatoes, garlic shrimp scampi and, for dessert, apple crostada ... à la mode.

' _Take that, Vincent!'_ she thought happily as she headed outside to find a table.

Everyone already had their clique. Sure, people noticed her, but no one approached her. She found an empty table away from everybody. As soon as she sat down, Astrid, with one less minion, pounced.

"Hey, I'm Astrid. You're the new girl. Leighann, right?"

"Yes."

"Is it true you won a Grammy at the age of ten?"

Leighann nodded.

"What happened with the tour?"

"I got tired, and I wanted to give high school a try."

"I have all your music on my iPod!" Maddy, Astrid's remaining minion, said excitedly. She was a huge fan and could barely contain her excitement. She had Leighann autograph _all_ of her textbooks.

Astrid, on the other hand, played it cool. With Leighann in her corner, they would make a good alliance; Leighann would be wonderful to be seen with in public. Surely together they could make _The West Post_ headlines. Her popularity would go through the roof. She and Leighann could be BFFs like Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie before Nicole grew up.

"Since you're here, here's the ranking order." Astrid wanted to stake her claim before some other group jumped in and corrupted Leighann. "You have the usual high school cliques, the nerds, the cheerleaders, the goths, the athletes and us. You need to have a place to fit in or you're nothing ... like her." Astrid pointed to Adriana sitting by herself under a tree while on her cell phone.

"Shouldn't she be suspended for punching Amy?" Maddy pointed out.

"Johansson is such a kiss-ass he'd let her get away with murder. That's Adriana Banovic; she thinks her shit don't stink because she was on _My Whole Family_."

"I heard she got fired," Maddy added proudly.

"What's _My Whole Family_?" Leighann asked.

"Only the number one soap in the country," Maddy boasted, proud to be a fan, to the dismay of the alpha-female Astrid.

"I'm sorry. I don't watch TV," Leighann said apologetically.

They looked on as Zax approached Adriana and sat next to her.

"That hottie is her brother Zax. He's a senior, on the basketball team, and every girl on campus wants to nail him." Astrid gleamed, obviously attracted to Zax. "I almost let him hit it last year," she boasted.

"Yeah, that was before he threw up on your Prada vest. Wasn't he drunk or something?" Maddy reminded her.

Astrid replied with a nasty look. "Why don't you make yourself useful, Maddy, and get me an Iced Quad venti twenty ounce caramel macchiato, no whipped cream! NOW!" Astrid barked.

Maddy scurried off, obviously upset that Astrid had spoken to her like that in front of her idol, Leighann.

"It's so hard to find good help these days," Astrid muttered.

*********

Adriana tried unsuccessfully to get her useless agent on the phone. Preoccupied, she bumped into Warren in the corridor.

Adriana and Warren had dated very briefly when he played her love interest on _My Whole Life_. His character was killed off after three episodes, and their off-screen fling ended.

Her books fell to the floor, and he helped her pick them up. Glad to see each other, they hugged. They had ended their fling on good terms. Off screen they were each other's first kiss; an event that sparked only first-base action.

"I'm so glad to see you! What have you been up to?" Adriana smiled for the first time since she set foot in Westwood Academy. Warren was probably the only person at Westwood Academy besides Zax who didn't want to see her suffer.

"I was off shooting a movie in Costa Rica. I heard you were back but didn't believe the rumors." Warren hugged her again. He was equally thrilled to see her. As a matter of fact, every time he saw her on TV or in _The West Post_ his heart skipped a beat. He carried a little spark for her. Maybe now that she's back, they could pick up where they left off; the thought crossed his mind.

"Yeah, the soap let me go. They wanted to age my character, so I was recast," she said dryly.

"I'm so sorry. That sucks." He meant it. She was a good actress, and he knew how much she loved being on the soap. "Have you been auditioning?"

"Not even! My agent is useless! He says I should take a break and enjoy being a teenager. How is anyone supposed to enjoy being a teenager?"

Her tone made him laugh. One of the things he liked about her was her passion. If she did something, she gave it her all.

"Maybe you need a new agent; you've been with him since you started the biz. Some agents are short-sighted, they get used to you in one role, and they can't see you in anything else," Warren pointed out.

"Honestly, I only have that soap on my résumé; who's going to want me?" Adriana was getting despondent.

"It is the number one soap in the country. And you had been on it since you were seven. You were a huge part of the show." Warren was optimistic; he wanted to cheer her up and meant every word he said. "Adriana, you are a beautiful and talented actress. The right agent would want you. Don't give up."

"Thanks for saying that, Warren. I'm glad you're back." She smiled at him again.

He looked away quickly; he loved the way her blue eyes shone when she smiled.

She hugged him.

The moment was quickly over when Astrid threw an epic hissy-fit. "Bitch, get your hands off my boyfriend!"

Warren placed himself between Adriana and Astrid.

' _Boyfriend? WTF?'_

"You little ho-bag!" Astrid screamed, alerting the other students.

"Astrid, calm down. It's not what you think." Warren tried to placate her.

"Not what I think? You couldn't wait to get back and drool all over her!"

"And the Oscar goes to Astrid," Adriana said sarcastically.

"You mocking me?" Astrid's temper flared.

"I don't have time for your drama, Ass-trid," Adriana replied, then deliberately made eyes at Warren to further jab at her. "Call me, and we'll catch up later." She brushed her lips lightly against Warren's cheek. His cheek turned bright red where her lips touched his skin.

Astrid tried ferociously to claw Adriana, but Warren held her back as they watched Adriana saunter off, pleased with herself.

' _Poor Warren,'_ Adriana thought, not really feeling sorry for him.

Meanwhile Warren struggled to get Astrid to listen to reason. If only he'd known Adriana would be returning to Westwood Academy, he would have waited for her.

"If I catch you with that skank again—" Astrid warned between clinched teeth.

"We're just friends," Warren interrupted.

"You're not friends with her! You're friends with who I say you're friends with. Not her! You got that?!"

*********

The centering thought on Adriana's mind as she stepped into the school shower was getting out of Westwood Academy.

What if she wasn't able to get another job? She couldn't imagine another three years of bullshit courtesy of Westwood Academy. She'd argued with her parents about transferring to another school, but that was not an option; however, if she got expelled, they wouldn't have a choice. It's not that she didn't like school or learning; she didn't like Westwood Academy. She'd already punched Amy Wasserman and got away with a mere warning. To get expelled, she would have to do something drastic. Something major. Something that warranted punishment worse than detention or suspension. Of course, she would have to deal with the wrath of her parents, but at least she'd be out of Westwood Academy.

Adriana heard giggling coming from the locker room. She turned off the shower, wrapped a towel around herself, and walked out to the locker room. The room was empty. She noticed the locker where she had her clothes was open and her clothes were gone.

"BITCH!" She slammed the locker door. She knew this was one of Astrid's pranks.

Adriana stuck her head into the hallway, shielding herself behind the door, trying to spot the culprits. Nothing looked out of the ordinary; kids were walking by, chatting and carrying on as they normally did. No one noticed her, something she was thankful for.

Leighann, dressed in sweats and a T-shirt, had just finished her lap around the track and came up behind her. "Planning on flashing somebody?"

Adriana turned around quickly. "Someone took my clothes." Adriana headed back to the locker room and plopped herself down on the bench.

"You don't seem to have a lot of friends." Leighann pointed out the obvious.

Adriana rolled her eyes, her signature gesture. "The kids here are so juvenile."

"This is high school," Leighann reminded her as she got clothes out of her locker and handed them to Adriana, who she was beginning to feel sorry for. "You can borrow these."

"You'd help me out like that?"

Leighann nodded.

Finally Adriana's day at Westwood Academy was over. Relief came over her as the bell to end the final period rang. She was about to walk through the doors of freedom when she spotted _The West Post_ paparazzi outside. Shit, she was not in the mood to be questioned about getting kicked off the soap. It was humiliating enough. She decided to make a beeline to the back exit and bumped into Leighann. Leighann boldly walked out of the building as the paparazzi chased after her. It became obvious to Adriana that they were there because of Leighann.

Leighann ignored them and got into a waiting car. The car drove off, and the paparazzi disappeared.

"How was your first day as a normal teenager?" L'Wren, Leighann's sister, asked as she drove away from the paparazzi.

Leighann immediately recognized the irony of it all. "High school is a lot like what I imagine prison is like. If you don't have the right friends, you could be killed or raped in the shower."

### Chapter 7: The End of an Era

Robin sat in his Ford Explorer, looking at the warehouse he had turned into a gymnasium twenty years ago.

BANOVIC HIGH FLIERS in bold blue letters stood proudly on top of the exposed brick warehouse.

Transforming the warehouse had been a labor of love. He and Jayne were so excited; it was the first time they had owned anything together. They were still newlyweds and Robin had always dreamed of opening a gymnasium after his Olympic career was over. He would continue in the sport he adored as a coach and mentor to all the Olympic hopefuls.

He lived his dream for twenty years; now it was about to be over. The once full parking lot would soon be empty. He had to let go of staff members, auction off equipment, and look for new buyers for the property. These were things he was not looking forward to.

For the first time in his life, he didn't have a plan. He wondered if he'd followed in Viktor's footsteps and learned the wine business, maybe he would have grown to love it.

Roxanne Banovic was as flawless at twenty-eight years old on the balance beam as she was at sixteen. Her routine was branded into her muscle memory; she had performed it hundreds of times. The hand gestures and somersaults came to her as easily as breathing. Her slender frame gracefully contorted into handstands and splits. Her moves were tight, yet it flowed like a Tchaikovsky piece. The performance rounded off into a backflip to a perfect dismount.

Robin clapped and cheered for his sister. She was so completely immersed in the routine that she was unaware that he was watching her.

"Do you miss it?" he asked as he gave her a welcoming hug.

"The training, no. The craft, yes," she replied.

They headed up to Robin's office. Roxanne knew he was about to close the gym. She had offered him money on numerous occasions to keep it open, but he was too proud and declined. She respected his decision.

Robin's office was high above the floor, surrounded by glass walls, with aerial views of the space below.

"How have you been? How was your trip?" Robin asked as they settled.

"Good. The usual, meet, greet and smile," Roxanne replied. She had been known for her waist-length, platinum-blond hair and beautiful looks just as much as she was known for her memorable Olympic wins. As a result, she was offered multiple modeling and hair endorsement contracts once her gymnastic career ended. This kept her on the road for several months at a time.

"Ah, the life of a model," Robin teased. He knew she hated that so much attention was placed on her looks.

Roxanne continued gaining public recognition so she could promote causes near and dear to her heart, like shelters for battered women and abused children. She was successful in raising millions of dollars to help with the cause.

"Have you decided what you're going to do with the manor?" She plopped down on the overly stuffed couch.

"I don't know if I could live there," Robin replied.

"Rob, Dad left you the manor for a reason."

"What's the reason?" he asked impatiently.

"I don't know."

"He always has to have the last say. He insisted that I work with him at the winery and live at home. That's why he left it to me. He had to have the last word even in death!"

"Dad gave us everything because he didn't know how to show us he loved us. He came from nothing, and he wanted us to have everything he didn't."

"He never believed in me, Roxanne. He never respected me as a man."

"Is that why he left you controlling interest in the winery? Seems to me that if he didn't believe in you, he would have left you with nothing." Roxanne spoke proudly about her father. She and Viktor had had a completely different relationship than Viktor and Robin.

"The manor and the winery was everything to dad. He left you with his most prized possessions."

"I don't want it."

"You ever think that maybe this could be a new start for you? Maybe closing this place is the universe's way of telling you there is something else on the horizon? Why do you always have to fight everything when it comes to dad?"

Viktor had orchestrated his will with Robin holding primary shares in the winery but unable to sell without the signatures of his other children ... most importantly, Adrian's signature. Adrian was the key factor, but he was missing. Viktor knew his kids better than they thought. Adrian left right after med school. He became a world-famous neurosurgeon but remained un-tied to any establishment. Adrian was notorious for being untraceable, he disappeared for months, sometimes years; the only way one could find him was if he wanted you to find him. His family knew he wasn't dead, he was just invisible.

### Chapter 8: The Muse

Adriana strutted into the audition hall, pleased with herself that she snagged an audition for a national television commercial. No thanks to her useless agent, Stanley Jenkins. This was all her; she found the audition on a website, submitted her headshot, and called to follow up.

It called for a female spokesmodel between the ages of eighteen and twenty-two. Even though she had just turned fifteen, she was confident she could qualify. _She_ was on the number one soap in the country for eight years.

The audition hall was like a cattle call. Girls of all ages and sizes turned up, but that did not faze her. She was prepared to give it a shot. Adriana signed in and waited.

Meanwhile, down the hall Haze Lyndon was gearing up for a teen magazine photo shoot. He was in between demographics. That in between age where he could be a teenage girl's fantasy and at the same time women could easily lust after him and that would be okay, kind of like Justin Timberlake.

The obviously gay photographer was very smitten with Haze. Haze was sure of himself enough not to be freaked out. He even 'worked it' at times, sending the photographer into a frenzy of excitement.

"Where did you say you were from again?" Luca, the photographer, asked as his camera snapped away at Haze. Haze was quickly becoming his favorite subject. He marveled at his chiseled body and that face, those eyes, those high cheekbones. It was like God himself had sculpted Haze with his own hands. Haze was truly a work of art. To Luca, a precious work of art.

"Wisconsin," Haze replied as he positioned himself to catch the floodlights. A trick he'd picked up from his photographer ex-girlfriend, who taught him how to use light to accent his natural features. At first he was camera-shy, but she quickly put him at ease. At first he only worked with her. Slowly she eased him out of that and encouraged him to spread his wings. She knew she couldn't hold on to him. As much as she loved him, she knew he had something special that the world had to see.

"You have a good look; you'll go far. Your mixed race thing could put you at an advantage against the blond, blue-eyed California boys," Luca said as he paused for his assistant to reload the camera.

Down the hall, Adriana waited for her turn to audition. The place still had lots of girls even though the process seemed to be going by quickly. She got up to stretch her legs and get some water at the water fountain down the hall.

She noticed a photo shoot taking place in the room adjacent to the water fountain. Curious, she headed toward the window and peered through the glass.

Everything was random, large floodlights illuminated a gray backdrop cloth. The room was divided into two parts by a portable screen room divider with an opening at either end. The dimly lit back room was closest to the room entrance; there was a table with a laptop and camera equipment, story boards, a notebook and other items.

Adriana spotted the photographer, a handsome-ish petite Italian talking to his butch assistant, dressed all in black. She was about to walk away when she spotted Haze. Her eyes fixated on him. He emerged wearing jeans and a graphic tee. Adriana was simply mesmerized by him. He was the handsomest man she had ever seen. She entered the room for a closer look. _'Was he for real?'_

The photographer instructed Haze on the next set-up. At first no one noticed Adriana as she stood in the shadows. She was unable to take her eyes off him. _'Who is he?'_ she wondered.

The photographer received his freshly reloaded camera from his assistant. Just then Adriana noticed a Polaroid of Haze on the floor; she picked it up and stared at it. Her fingers traced his smile. His brown eyes were lit up, and a naughty but sweet smile blanketed his face. Adriana felt her inside get soft and mushy; she felt a flash of heat and excitement. This was new territory for her. Whoever he was, she knew she would never forget him.

The butch assistant interrupted her thoughts with a disapproving tone. "What are you doing in here?!"

Adriana was startled.

"You're not supposed to be in here. This is a closed shoot! Get out!"

Adriana slipped the picture into her pocket, then left.

*********

Westwood Academy's basketball team had just wrapped practice. Zax hurried out of the locker room to the tennis courts. He had decided to finally ask Kristin out. He knew her practice would be over any minute, and he had to get to her before he chickened out.

He stood on the balcony overlooking the outdoor tennis courts. There were twenty-four courts, twelve on each side, all separated by chain-link fence. She practiced at whichever was free. His eyes scoured each court to see if he could spot her in her bright green tennis skirt, matching top and Adidas headband.

Joel caught up to him, armed and ready to support his best friend.

"Can you see her?" Zax asked nervously. His palms were sweaty. Kristin was his dream girl, and that was all there was to it.

"Not yet," Joel replied. He was excited for his friend; he knew Zax deserved to go out with her and was certain she would say yes.

Zax nervously checked his watch. "She should be done in seven minutes."

Joel spotted her in the far court. "Over there!"

Zax smiled. He was ready for whatever happened next. He checked his watch again. He saw her father/trainer, Josh Newman, talking to her. "I should get down there."

Joel held him back. "You don't want to piss Mr. Newman off. Wait until he leaves."

"You're right."

Zax and Joel waited nervously as Mr. Newman spoke to his daughter. Zax didn't take his eyes off her. Just then Mr. Big Dick, Mr. Confident, Mr. I'm-doing-you-a-favor-by-sleeping-with-you Frankie Malone proudly strutted out to the courts, heading straight for Kristin.

Francisco Tony Malone was 100% Italian American: thick dark hair, tanned and toned body. Frankie was tall and handsome and used his looks accordingly. He would sleep with any female. Girls were a sport to him. He would hit it, then quit it without so much as a second thought. Frankie was captain of Westwood Academy's basketball team. He came from wealth. His father, Richard Malone, was a business mogul, a handsome, younger, fitter Donald Trump with a full head of hair. His half-brother, Preston Malone, was a NASCAR and international auto-racing superstar. Lucky for Frankie, they both had attended Westwood Academy, so he became famous by association.

Zax was in panic mode on the balcony. "Wait! What's going on there? What is he doing?"

Mr. Newman shot Frankie nasty looks as he brushed past him. He graduated with Richard Malone, Frankie's father, and knew that Frankie was a mirror of Richard at seventeen. Josh Newman was certain his daughter wouldn't give that buffoon the time of day.

Frankie helped Kristin gather her things. Zax and Joel watched from the balcony. They knew it was game over if Frankie's intention was to pounce.

"Maybe it's not what it looks like." Joel tried to convince his friend even though he knew better.

Kristin had been on Frankie's radar for some time. Like Zax, he'd waited patiently until tennis season was over. Though she still had practice, there were no games to worry about. This meant that she was free to date, for a little while at least.

Zax felt an enormous punch to the stomach. That was how Frankie Malone rolled. If he wanted something, he didn't care who he crushed to get it ... even if it was his best friend.

"I'm sorry, man," Joel followed him back to the locker room. He hated what Frankie did. Secretly he hated Frankie and often questioned why they were even friends. "Maybe she said no. Maybe he didn't ask her out."

Zax said nothing as he entered the boys' locker room. He'd lost; he took too long and lost his opportunity. He didn't deserve to go out with Kristin. He should have had the courage to ask sooner ... before Zax could leave, Frankie entered.

"Guess who I'm going out with this weekend?" Frankie announced.

Joel looked at Zax. At that moment he wanted to punch Frankie for his insensitivity. This was all a game to Frankie, and Joel knew it. He restrained himself and refused to give him the satisfaction of punching him out ... Frankie would just use that as bragging rights.

"No guesses? Anybody?" Frankie egged. He knew Kristin was one of the coveted girls on campus and that every boy in there would be jealous of him; if they weren't, they should be. No one played along with his game. They were all used to it.

Zax put on his shirt and was about to leave when Frankie confirmed, "Kristin _The Bod_ Newman."

Zax slammed his locker.

"What happened to Rebecca?" Joel asked.

"Rebecca is so last week. After I hit it, I lost interest. What can I tell ya?"

"Frankie, Kristin's a nice girl. Don't do her like that." Zax couldn't help himself. He knew Frankie's game.

"Kristin is different. She's not boy crazy, and she's focused, smart."

"Why does she want to go out with you?" Joel asked sarcastically.

"Very funny," Frankie replied sarcastically.

"Where are you guys going?" Zax asked. He had to know and regretted it the minute he asked. The thought of Frankie with his hands all over Kristin irked him.

"I don't know yet. You're the romantic; why don't you think of someplace? Let me know what you come up with." Frankie patted him on his shoulder and grabbed a towel from his locker.

"Maybe you guys can double date," Joel suggested.

Zax shot him a dirty look.

Frankie stopped in his tracks. "Not a bad idea." More incentive for Zax to choose someplace cool, and he could take the credit. Plus it would make things interesting during his and Kristin's make-out session. "Good one, O'Leary." He slammed his locker shut and headed for the shower.

Zax turned to Joel once Frankie was out of earshot. "Really?! Double date? What the hell where you thinking?"

"Think about it; that way you can keep an eye on them," Joel pointed out.

*********

Kevin Banovic was different things to different people. To Jayne and Robin Banovic, he was a loving son. To Adriana and Zax, he was their big brother, their protector, someone they looked up to. On the UCLA campus, Kevin was a good student, a good friend, and a lethal enemy if you had a death wish.

He got the reputation when a rumor started that someone who crossed him disappeared after thugs who owed him a favor had a 'chat' with the unlucky soul.

Ladies loved Kevin; he was six foot one, with raven hair and piercing blue eyes. He wore his trademark long, cuffed jeans and soft shirts with sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He didn't date college girls; he wasn't into the drama that came along with dating them. His life was complicated enough; he didn't need to explain his absence or secret meetings to anyone. He played soccer with an off-campus league. His life was private. People who thought they knew him had no idea who he really was.

People either respected him or feared him. He had resources. He was always particular about who he let into his circle. Kevin was a good people reader; just from one meeting he could tell if someone was worth his time or not.

Kevin sat on one of the club chairs in Chellon's living room. Chellon sat on the couch and smoked a bong with the pot Kevin supplied him.

"You want a hit?" Chellon asked.

"You know I don't do that stuff," Kevin replied.

"It's good stuff, though. You're missing out."

"I'll take your word for it."

Kevin had a bigger mission; this house call was a chance to have a chat with Chellon's roommate. Chellon was just glad that Kevin chose to hang out with him. He was beyond honored that Kevin would bring a bag of goodies to his house. Of course, it cost him about $300, but he didn't care. A house call from Kevin was like a house call from the Almighty.

Haze entered the apartment and was surprised to see Kevin there. He remembered him from the club.

"Haze, you remember Kevin," said Chellon.

Haze was surprised that Chellon was coherent enough to remember his name.

"Hey." Haze acknowledged, then headed off to the kitchen adjacent to the living room.

Kevin followed him. Haze reached into the refrigerator and grabbed a cola; he offered one to Kevin, who declined.

"Beer, then?" Haze tried again.

"I'm good, thanks," Kevin replied. "I came to see you, actually."

That got Haze's attention. He wondered what Kevin could possibly want from him.

Kevin got right down to business. "I heard you're in the business of making IDs."

' _Damn, this guy works fast.'_ Haze was ashamed but knew who the source of Kevin's information was.

"I'm not in the business of making IDs," Haze defended himself. _'Fuck you, Chellon.'_

"That's nothing to be ashamed of. You have a talent that people can benefit from," Kevin politely pointed out.

' _Did he come to blackmail me in my own house?'_ Haze thought. "I don't do that anymore."

"How about you come out of retirement."

Haze was physically uncomfortable. He moved to LA for a fresh start, now this.

Kevin knew he would have to make it worth Haze's while. "Maybe we could come to an agreement."

"Look, I'm not into that anymore," Haze insisted.

"One last job, then it's over for good." Kevin studied Haze. "I know you like grass, and you don't have the cash to toss around for it. Maybe we could barter?"

Haze looked at Chellon sprawled out on the couch. Chellon was always a man of excess; he never knew when to quit.

"One job?"

"All I'm asking," Kevin smiled.

*********

Adriana lay in bed, looking at her mystery man's picture. She wondered if she would ever see him again. _'God, he was painfully handsome.'_ She thought about looking him up on the internet, but what would she look for? She didn't have a name, didn't know what the shoot she walked in on was about, or who it was for.

Adriana wondered what his name was. She decided to give him a name. _'Antonio? Daniel? Jake?'_ She took to her computer and Google imaged those names. None of them came up remotely close to her man. _'Billy? James? David?'_ Nothing.

' _When the hell are they going to make facial recognition software available to the public?!'_ She slammed the computer shut and moved on to more pleasurable thoughts ... thoughts that definitely got her pubic juices flowing.

### Chapter 9: House of Banovic

Robin and Jayne Banovic drove up to the beautiful stone Tuscan villa in Mendocino County. One hundred and eighty acres of biodynamically grown Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Cabernet blanketed the land all around them. The landscape was breathtaking.

Viktor Banovic had used all of his family's savings forty years ago to purchase, on a whim, two acres of land he passed by. Over the years as business grew, he bought more land and expanded the winery.

Robin had not been to the winery since the expansion; the vastness of it overwhelmed him.

Several structures dotted the property, workers were busy in the fields, and several staff members moved about the property. The place was buzzing. House of Banovic was a fully functional winery.

Jayne had talked him into visiting the winery, especially since he had controlling interest. Robin had no interest in being a part of it. The winery was not his dream, it was his father's. His plan was to sell it as soon as he could find Adrian.

Robin hired a detective to find him, but the detective came up with nothing. It was as if he had vanished. So for the time being, Robin was stuck with a business he didn't want.

A tour guide had just wrapped up a tour of the winery with a bunch of tourists. As they boarded their tour bus, Robin and Jayne smiled as they walked past them up to the main villa.

Caretakers and loyal friends of Robin's parents, Sandros and Helena Gracin, greeted them at the door. They remembered Robin as a child and greeted him warmly. They managed and lived on the property.

Sandros and Helena were Croatian immigrants who worked in the field alongside Viktor when he started the winery.

Sandros took Robin on a tour of the establishment. During the tour, he spoke highly of his friend Viktor, who he loved and missed. Sandros knew Viktor in a way Robin didn't. The stories Sandros told made Robin question everything he knew about his father.

Sandros showed him the pink champagne label they were working on before Viktor died. It was to be called _Adriana Blush_.

Robin learned that Viktor found out all he could about his grandchildren and was very proud of them. He knew Kevin loved soccer, Zax was a star on the basketball court, and he taped every episode of _My Whole Life_. He would watch it and boast about how beautiful and talented Adriana was. She reminded him of a young Elizabeth Taylor with her dark hair and piercing blue eyes.

Robin realized that it must have broken Viktor's heart to be shut out of his grandchildren's lives.

"Son, now I understand that you want to sell this place," Sandros said seriously.

Sandros was in his early seventies and had all his wits about him. He was honest, a hard worker and, above all, loyal. He got up early every day and worked.

Even though Viktor had left him and his wife a sizable fortune, he could have easily walked away but chose to stay.

"I was here when your father harvested the first crop years ago. My children grew up here. I don't think you should sell."

"But I don't know anything about running a winery."

"Neither did Viktor."

Robin contemplated. He respected Sandros.

"I don't know what beef you and your father had, but he was a good man. He did all this for his family. For the generations that came after him to not have to suffer the way his family did," Sandros said sternly.

It was late evening when Sandros and Robin entered the house. All the staff had left, and the grounds were now very quiet and peaceful.

Robin and Jayne stood on the deck of the villa and admired the spectacular orange and gold sunset as the sun sank behind the rolling fields. He understood why Viktor spent so much time here. Robin felt drawn to the earth, grounded; the place was truly magical.

Jayne knew this trip was something her husband had to take or else he would regret it for the rest of his life. She could tell that the experience had greatly affected him.

"I feel like I don't know who Viktor really was. Everyone knew him better than I did. His staff loved him. They all want to keep this place going for his sake."

"What do _you_ want?" She could see the anxious look on her husband's face.

He thought about it, then proceeded slowly. "I've spent most of my life running from this place. What was I running from? Maybe Viktor knew best."

"Honey, you had to make your own way, or you would have always wondered." She placed a soft hand on his shoulder. "You did what you felt you needed to do at that time, and I'm proud of you for it. Times are different now. We're struggling financially, and this could be a turnaround for this family."

That night Robin walked among the hundreds of wine barrels at the winery storehouse. It was amazing to see what his father had accomplished from nothing. He remembered seeing his father in his office, sitting behind the huge old oak desk he had bought at a flea market.

Viktor had big hopes for the two acres of land he bought after he discovered hundreds of rows of wild grapes growing among the overgrown bush. He told Robin that one day this would all be his ... they would plant more vines, buy more land, and have storage rooms of wine barrels filled with wine ... wine that would be served to kings and presidents.

Robin had no interest in his father's dreams. Now he felt guilty. He wished that he could go back in time and change things. The last encounter he'd had with his father was a nasty exchange of words. He couldn't remember what they had argued about.

Robin opened the door to his father's office. The same oak desk sat in the middle of the rustic room, overrun with files and papers. The wood-paneled walls were filled with awards and accolades awarded to the winery. Framed photos of Viktor meeting kings and presidents sat on the shelves, next to pictures of his kids at different ages and a wedding picture of him and Kelly. Robin picked up the single picture of his mother and admired her beauty. He missed her terribly. Emotions flooded him, and for the first time since his mother's death, Robin wept.

### Chapter 10: When Opportunity Knocks

' _Andrew, Michael, Aaron?'_ Adriana made it through her first week of school, but she was preoccupied with finding out who her mystery man was. She replayed the moment she saw him at the photo shoot a million times in her head. She had his picture with her everywhere she went.

' _Jessie, Walter, Hank?'_ None of the names brought up anyone who closely resembled him. _'That face, those eyes, those lips.'_ She swooned.

Life at Westwood Academy was bearable because she had other interests. Every spare moment she had, she would Google random names, hoping to find him.

' _Eric, Matthew, Tim?'_ Adriana had returned to the audition hall several times in case he had another photo shoot.

' _Dylan, Brandon, Steve?'_ Adriana's search was interrupted when Principal Johansson paged her to his office. She had no spare energy to be pissed at Johansson, so she went with the thought of _'Lucas, Nathan, Dan?'_

Astrid and her minions blocked her in the corridor. She was caught completely off guard and wasn't in the mood for confrontation. There were more important things at hand. _'Mavin, Antwon, Jack?'_ She looked at Astrid almost as if seeing through her.

"If you tell Johansson what happened in the locker room the other day, you're gonna wish you were never born," Astrid spewed.

Adriana was indifferent, which pissed Astrid off. She was about to further provoke Adriana when she spotted Warren heading towards them. She stepped aside to let Adriana go about her business.

Adriana was about to enter Principal Johansson's office when she overheard the school superintendent and Principal Johansson talking about a random drug search scheduled for tomorrow.

"I run a clean school. Westwood Academy's reputation is stellar. Why is this even necessary?" Principal Johansson questioned.

"The new board members ... I'm sure they'll find nothing, and your stellar reputation will be left intact," the superintendent answered.

Even though Adriana's mind was occupied, she was never one to miss an opportunity. After all, she still hated Westwood Academy. _'Theodore, Liam, Ryan,'_ would have to wait.

Adriana sat opposite Johansson in a surprisingly pleasant mood. He had expected an attitude from her and was taken by surprise that she was actually okay.

"Adriana, are you being bullied?" He felt silly for asking, but he had heard rumors. He couldn't let that rest; he needed his 'star' students to be very comfortable and happy.

Bullying was not something he wanted Westwood Academy to be associated with; he didn't want to scare off wealthy parents who wanted to send their wealthy children to Westwood Academy.

"Nope," she answered casually.

"Are you sure? You know you can tell me anything, and it will stay in this room."

' _Bullshit.'_ Adriana nodded.

"How are you fitting in? Any problems you want to talk about?" He tried a different angle.

"I haven't punched anybody since the first day of school." Her tone was sweet with sarcasm.

The school bell rang, indicating the end of the school day.

"May I go now?"

"If there is anything you need, Adriana," Johansson called after her as she quickly exited his office.

Adriana secured the Polaroid of _'Sam, Justin, Mark'_ to the inside of her locker. She knew he would be safe there until she could get back to him.

"Who's the hottie?" Leighann asked while attending to her locker next to Adriana's.

Adriana ignored her, slammed the locker shut, and walked away. Halfway down the hall, she looked back and saw Leighann sitting on the floor with a book.

Adriana felt sorry for her. Here it was, Leighann's first week of school and one would think that she would have tons of friends because she was a bona-fide celebrity, yet she was mostly by herself. The corridor was mostly empty by this time as students poured out of the building as soon as the day was over. Without overthinking things, Adriana walked toward her.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

Leighann continued reading and answered without looking at her. "Reading."

"Don't you have a home to go to?"

For the first time Leighann actually did have a home to go home to. She had been living with her sister, L'Wren for about two months after she walked away from her singing career, hectic touring schedule, and her mom-ager, Savi.

Savi never once called to see how she was doing, Leighann thought about calling her but felt that she wasn't quite ready. They hadn't left things in a good place; Savi was spitting nails because Leighann walked away from the tour and threatened to cut her off financially.

Leighann walked away penniless but was the happiest she had ever been. She was getting the hang of high school, struggling a bit with the classes but figured she'd catch up; after all, she had never set foot in a learning institution. She was raised with private tutors; this new learning arrangement took some getting used to. In class she was too shy to ask a question and just tried to blend in with the furniture.

She'd read an article in the papers where parents complained about school lunches and imagined the worst. She couldn't see what all the fuss was about, the lunches at Westwood Academy were comprised of steak, lobster, lamb, fresh green veggies, gourmet soups and salads. Leighann assumed all school lunches were like that.

"My sister has to work late. She'll be here in two hours," Leighann answered, taken aback that Adriana was actually talking to her. They had all the same classes together, their lockers were next to each other, yet Adriana seemed to dislike her. Then again, Adriana seemed to dislike everybody.

"Don't you have a chauffeur or something?"

"No, I don't have a chauffeur or something," Leighann retorted sarcastically.

Adriana could tell she had struck a nerve. "You want a ride home? My brother will be here any minute," Adriana offered.

This took Leighann by surprise. "Why are you being nice to me?"

"Nobody should have to stay here longer than they have to, not even you. Besides I owe you for the clothes."

Adriana extended her arm to hoist her up. Leighann smiled. Maybe Adriana Banovic wasn't so bad after all.

Kevin Banovic parked his Jeep Wrangler in the back parking lot of Westwood Academy, where he usually picked up his siblings.

A few years ago he followed in the Banovic tradition and attended Westwood Academy. He had many friends, did well academically, was popular, and dated his fair share of girls. He had a way of getting in and out of trouble just for the thrill of it. He was never expelled even though he was caught having sex in the backseat of Principal Johansson's car.

Adriana peered into the Wrangler. "Kevin, Leighann; Leighann, Kevin. Can we give her a ride home?"

"Hop in, where to?"

"Santa Monica," Leighann answered shyly. Something about Kevin made her blush. She noticed his eyes, like his sister's, were the color of the Mediterranean Sea. Their raven hair and olive complexion made their eyes irresistible.

"Just toss those in the back." He smiled. His teeth were perfect.

Leighann had no idea what he was talking about until Adriana directed her attention to his soccer gear all over the back seat.

Kevin reached over and tried to tidy up.

Adriana spotted Zax running towards them. She knew he always rode in the front; this time she got there first, so he'd have to ride bitch in back. She quickly got in and fastened her seat belt.

"Too bad, Zax, you're late," she teased.

"You know I hate riding in the back!" Zax whined.

Zax slid in next to Leighann, mumbling to himself. Kevin watched his brother in the mirror and grinned sheepishly. He had no idea who Leighann was, but her cuteness was not lost on him. He hoped Zax would notice her and realize being stuck in the back with her may be a blessing in disguise.

"Hi, I'm Leighann." She introduced herself to hot Banovic boy number two.

"Zax."

Zax' physical appearance was a little different than his siblings; he was a few shades lighter in complexion, with blondish hair and the same impressive blue eyes.

She noticed how all their personalities came out in their style. Kevin's was California casual, while Zax had a surfer boy look about him. Adriana clearly experimented with her look. Today she rocked the gypsy look: peasant top and long, flowing skirt, her thick black hair piled loosely on top of her head, and a hand-knitted headband scarf knotted at the base of her neck. She wore fashionable hoop earrings and uneven necklaces and cuffs.

While other girls at Westwood wore brands, with Adriana you never knew what to expect. Some days she'd turn up dressed like she'd just walked out of a slasher movie and she was the victim.

Leighann looked forward to seeing what crazy wardrobe creation she'd come up with. She was definitely interesting to watch. Other girls made fun of her, but she didn't seem to care. The funny thing was the same girls who taunted her would show up a few days later wearing something similar.

Adriana had the body and, more importantly, the attitude to pull off any look.

There was an unspeakable bond between the Banovic siblings. One got the sense that they would die for each other.

In the short ride home Leighann was glad that she got a glimpse into their lives.

*********

The Banovic parents were still in Mendocino at the winery. Adriana was left in the care of her brothers, which she enjoyed. Her plan for the evening couldn't come at a better time. With the parents out of town, slipping away and back would be super easy.

The Banovics always had dinner together ... family rule number one. Kevin had ordered pizza, their favorite. After dinner with the boys, Adriana retired to her room, stating that she had studies to attend to.

Exactly an hour after dinner, Adriana walked the deserted school hallways. It was now dusk outside, and the only sounds came from the music room where the choir rehearsed.

As she passed, the janitor paid her no mind as he mopped the floor. Adriana stopped at the stack of lockers, she typed in different four number combinations, trying to get it to open. After several tries, she sighed in frustration.

The janitor quickly glanced at her. "0000 resets it," was all he said, then continued with his work.

Adriana pulled the sleeves of her hoodie over her fingers and punched in 0000, then heard the locker unlock. She breathed a sigh of relief.

Astrid's locker was like a shrine to herself. She had a mirror, pictures of herself, and a single picture with her and Warren ... poor Warren. There was a hard copy of the local gossip rag _The West Post_.

' _Seriously? Who buys hard copies anymore?'_ Adriana was careful to replace everything she touched. She carefully stashed a clear plastic baggie with a quarter ounce of weed inside a make-up kit, a baggie of eight ecstasy pills between the pages of _The West Post_ , and for good measure, a baggie of powdered sugar behind a mirror. She did one final check to make sure everything was as she'd found it, shut the locker, then headed home.

*********

Principal Johansson was not happy about the random drug search of his students. He expected the search to turn up clean; Westwood Academy had been drug-free since its inception in 1955.

Two police officers with drug-sniffing dogs and Principal Johansson slowly walked past each locker as students looked on in silence. This was a complete surprise to students, but no one dared protest.

The dogs made a fuss as they passed by Astrid's locker. Astrid knew she had nothing to worry about; she only used drugs recreationally ... off campus.

Johansson punched in 0000 on the electronic keypad of Astrid Wilson's locker; it opened. Everything looked normal for the locker of a teenaged super diva. The officer peered in; there was nothing on the surface. He moved the magazine, nothing ... checked around her make-up kit, nothing. Johansson looked over at Astrid's smug grin; he knew he would have some major ass-kissing to do when the search was over. On instinct the officer checked behind the mirror and found a baggie of powdered substance. Everyone gasped. Astrid's expression turned from smug to shock. As the officer handed the packet to his partner, they conducted a deeper search, moving things this time. They found the pills and the weed.

Astrid screamed, "That's not mine!"

Johansson was a relieved; he knew if they had found nothing, Astrid would make his life hell. "Miss Wilson, come with me."

Astrid was furious. "That's not mine! Wait till my daddy hears about this! We'll own this school! Then I'll burn it to the ground!"

One of the cops tried to move her; she flinched and glared at him. "Don't you touch me, you inbred hillbilly!"

The audience looked shocked. Astrid behaved like a possessed woman.

"Astrid, calm down." Johansson tried to control the situation.

She turned on him. "Don't tell me to calm down! When my daddy's done with you, you won't be able to find a job cleaning pigeon shit off of park benches!"

The cops had had it with her attitude. She'd made things worse for herself by resisting and being hysterical.

"We can go the easy way, or I can put you in handcuffs," one of the cops said.

Astrid turned on her heel and walked out of the building with her head held high. Students whispered as she passed by.

Not even 'school immunity' could save Astrid. She had tarnished the school's reputation, and Principal Johansson was eager to make an example out of her.

*********

Adriana was at the call-backs along with ten other girls when she got the call from Warren about what happened with Astrid.

Her plan had worked perfectly. As much as she hated Westwood Academy, getting herself expelled was not an option. Her parents had enough on their plates without her disappointing them. Since she had to stay, Astrid had to go.

### Chapter 11: Changes

Robin had come to terms with his demons regarding his father and his inheritance. Three weeks after visiting the winery he moved the family into the manor and took a job at the winery to learn the ropes. The only drawback for him was that he was away from his family more than he'd like. He didn't want to turn into his father and spend more time there than with his family in LA.

The separation actually pulled the family closer; everyone helped out in making the manor livable again. Jayne divided her time between the winery and the manor and didn't mind the commute. Kevin was the man of the house in his father's absence.

*********

Haze was running low on cash. It had been a few months since his last gig. It surprised him how fast money changed hands in LA. The cost of living was definitely higher than it was in his home state. He looked around for odds and ends and refused to ask his parents for money. He considered asking Kevin if he needed any more IDs but thought better of it. Something about Kevin didn't sit well with him.

His stash of weed was running low, so he used it sparingly. Chellon was always eager to share. Haze had no idea where Chellon got the money to continue his habit, keep a roof over his head, and pay for his studies. The guy didn't work; he partied, entertained women, slept and went to class. Part of Haze didn't want to know how his friend kept up his lifestyle.

Haze drove through the huge wrought-iron gates of a property in Holmby Hills. He had never seen so many beautiful extravagant homes in his life. This home looked run- down, but it had lots of potential.

*********

Adriana secured Adrian's old room as hers. No one argued with her. There were five other bedrooms in the house. She liked this room because she'd discovered a trap door in one of the closets that led up to the roof.

Dressed in overalls with old paint splats, she covered the floor with clear plastic, then stirred bright yellow paint in the container. Her mobile phone rang as she was about to pour the paint into the tray. The caller ID said 'DAD'

"Hey, Dad," she answered gingerly.

"Honey, your mom and I are on our way. We're stuck in traffic. Someone is supposed to come by to interview for the handyman position. I don't have his number with me; when he gets there, can you ask him to reschedule?"

"Okay, Dad."

"Thanks, baby."

She hung up and continued with her business.

*********

Haze pulled up to the beautiful Spanish colonial mansion. He admired the grounds. He wondered what it must be like to live here. Even though it was run-down and in need of care, it was still a sight. He wanted this job, not only for the money but he would love to be a part of the home's restoration. He wondered about the owners and imagined them to be bankers, lawyers or actors; this is California. The man he'd spoken to on the phone was nice, sounded down to earth. He wasn't sure if he was the owner or the head groundsman in charge of hiring. Haze rang the doorbell and waited ...

Adriana heard the doorbell. She called out to her brothers, but no one answered. She wasn't even sure they were on the property.

The house was quiet. As she descended the stairs, she assumed it was the handyman her father was expecting. They all did their part, but the work was plentiful. She was excited to get back to painting her room and planned to get rid of him as soon as possible.

Adriana opened the door to find the man she had spent months trying to find ... the object of her masturbatory fantasies. She was dumbfounded.

Haze smiled pleasantly as he introduced himself. Unable to believe her eyes, Adriana didn't hear a word he said. She imagined one day she would see him again but never expected him to show up on her doorstep, like a perfect package delivered from the heavens.

Haze tried again, "Am I in the right place? I spoke to Robin Banovic on the phone. I'm supposed to meet him for an interview for the handyman position."

Adriana just stared at him.

Haze wondered if she spoke English. "¿Habla usted español" Still, no response. _'Maybe she's hearing impaired,'_ he thought and looked over her shoulder to see if anyone else was around.

Meanwhile, in Adriana's mind ...

The lighting is perfect. She is dressed in a sexy, flowing white gown, her hair blowing in the light breeze. He is shirtless and muscular. Slowly she saunters to him. They are close, very close; she can feel his minty breath on her face. Slowly she runs her hands up his rippled, sun-kissed chest. Their eyes connect, sending a burning and longing into their souls. Their lips are about to touch, then she hears him say ...

"I'll just leave and come back later." Haze was disappointed. He drove all the way across town from campus for an interview, and it turned out to be a waste of his time. As he was about to leave, she stopped him in his tracks.

"NO! Don't leave!" she heard herself say, much louder than she would have liked, startling him. He didn't know what to make of this strange girl in painted overalls.

"I ... I ... mean, come in." She composed herself.

Haze was apprehensive.

"You're in the right place."

Haze didn't move.

"Robin Banovic is my dad. He's not here now but will be shortly ... he called and said he is stuck in traffic, and you should definitely wait."

Haze still wasn't convinced ... he'd heard stories about the weird shit that could happen in California.

"Really, come in." She stepped aside to let him in.

He entered cautiously. As he crossed in front of her, she checked out his ass, quickly checked outside to make sure her brothers were not around, and then closed the door behind her. She was not about to let him get away from her again.

### Chapter 12: A Star is Born

Leighann was a happy teenager for the first time in her life. All was well in her world. She enjoyed waking up in a bed, in a house. She enjoyed eating what she wanted, dressing how she wanted. She cherished the moments when she got to sit by herself and read.

She had smiled at Zax in the corridors at school, and he'd smiled back, but they never spoke. She never got a ride again with the Banovic siblings because her sister was always on time. She'd hope to become friends with Adriana, but Adriana still ignored her.

Leighann's best moments were spent with her sister, L'Wren. Whenever they went shopping, Leighann always wore dark glasses and a hat to conceal her identity; otherwise, people would stare.

*********

Fresh out of college, Stefan DaCosta married his sweetheart, Kathy Turner. They had only been married for six months when she became pregnant. Nine months later she died during childbirth. Their daughter survived. Kathy had chosen the name L'Wren when she found out the baby's sex.

Stefan cherished L'Wren. On days when he couldn't find a babysitter, he would take her to work at the development firm.

Over the years as he changed jobs, he and L'Wren moved several times around the country. At twenty-eight he was a single father raising a daughter he adored. He had no time for dating. All of his attention was placed on his little girl and building a safe and comfortable future for them.

Eventually they settled down in Connecticut, where he had bought a small hotel.

Stefan DaCosta met Savannah Nicole Rose passed out in one of his hotel rooms. She had been partying with a rock band that had been passing through town on their way to New York. The band had moved on and left her overdosed and face down in her own vomit.

Stefan felt sorry for her; she was so young and fragile. He paid her hospital bills and made sure she got the best care. He visited her every day during the week she spent in the hospital. She was admitted as 'Jane Doe'; he had learned her name after she woke several days later.

Savannah Rose had nowhere to go. She had run away from her 'hillbilly' family, as she called them. She claimed that her stepfather made advances on her, and her mother did nothing. She obviously couldn't return to that environment.

Stefan offered her room and board if she promised to get help and clean herself up. Although she didn't think that she needed help, she accepted.

As the days turned into months, Savannah enjoyed working alongside Stefan at his hotel. She was good at organizing and managing things. Not only did she win the approval of L'Wren, she also won his heart.

After opening a string of hotels, they were married. Savannah and L'Wren had a stable home and family for the first time in their lives.

L'Wren was six when Savannah gave birth to Leighann. L'Wren was thrilled! She always wanted a baby sister and vowed to always protect her.

As the years went by, Savannah got bored. She felt the yearning for more. She wasn't sure what that 'more' was. Stefan was away a lot; he travelled overseas opening more hotels, and she was left with the girls.

A production crew that was in town setting up a talent search for a new television show stayed at the hotel. They were looking for young, talented kids. An idea went off in Savannah's head. She would enter both her girls. She told them they were going to play 'dress up' for the nice people. Of course L'Wren, eleven, and Leighann, five, were thrilled. L'Wren didn't make it through the first round, but she backed Leighann. Leighann made it all the way to the semi-finals but didn't win.

A seed had been planted in Savannah's mind. If Leighann was good enough to get into the semi-finals, she was good enough to win. Savannah tried her out in competition after competition. She had found her new high. The 'more' that was missing was found.

Stefan was furious when he found out that Leighann was taken out of kindergarten and carted around the country to talent shows.

Their fights were intense and vicious. Eventually Savannah took Leighann and left for good. Stefan and L'Wren were devastated. He fought to get his family back, but by then Savannah had other plans.

The custody battle for Leighann was nasty. Savannah pulled out all the dirty tricks she could muster against her husband. He eventually backed off when he saw how their problems affected the girls.

The court battles cost him the hotel in Connecticut and the house he had built. He and L'Wren moved to Pasadena, California, to begin a new life.

*********

L'Wren DaCosta was on her final year at Otis College of Art and Design. She was a fabulous up-and-coming fashion designer with an internship at a popular fashion house in LA. She worked hard and was good at what she did.

She'd lived alone since she'd turned eighteen four years ago. Her father bought her a small two-bedroom house in Santa Monica about two blocks from the beach as a present when she graduated high school. At first she rented out the spare bedroom, but after her roommate moved out, she never bothered to again. She kept it vacant in case Leighann ever wanted to stay with her.

After their parents split, the girls kept in touch, L'Wren watched her sister's rise to stardom from the sidelines. She also saw how it destroyed her. She and Savannah, Savi as she liked to call herself, still spoke casually and cordially.

Leighann never got the chance to know their father. Since breaking away from Savi and the madness of her career, she had spoken to him every week. He was in Greece on business and promised to see her when he got back.

### Chapter 13: The MILF

Savi sauntered into a club called Bacchanal Jake's. Most of the patrons were college age. There was a decent crowd, and she enjoyed the attention she got from the men half her age.

She looked good, and she knew it; she sported pencil-thin jeans, a low-cut tank top revealing her surgically enhanced breasts and a biker jacket. Fire-engine-red lipstick highlighted her man-eating lips, her platinum blond hair piled high on her head. She walked comfortably in six-inch heels, which accentuated her toned legs and calves. Not to mention it made her ass stand at attention.

Savi sat at the bar and ordered a vodka tonic. She was served by a handsome male bartender in his mid-thirties. She smiled pleasantly, but he didn't interest her. She was more interested in the early twenties, strikingly handsome bartender at the other end of the bar.

She whispered something to the older bartender.

He smiled, then went over to his younger co-worker. "Boss the MILF at the end of the bar requests your service."

Kevin Banovic turned around and noticed Savi for the first time. "Then I shall service her," he replied, his blue eyes playful with mischief.

Kevin and Savi flirted for hours, and then they left a few hours before the club closed.

"Won't you get fired for leaving early?" she enquired as he got into her silver-gray Mercedes E-Class.

"Nah, the boss and I are on good terms." He smiled. He had never met this woman but knew tons like her—rich Beverly Hills trophy wives bored with their balding husbands. They frequented his bar, looking for hot young studs to rock their world for the night. And score some pills.

### Chapter 14: Wanted Dead or Alive

Adriana had learned all she could about Haze in the hour and a half it took her parents to get to the manor. She'd managed to dissipate his suspicion of her strange behavior when he'd first arrived. She needed him to trust her, she needed him to get the job, she needed him in her life. She also played it cool, asking a few well-structured questions to learn more about him. She knew her father well enough to know what he would expect from his potential hire. Adriana hoped that Haze was smart enough to pick up on the deliberate clues she left him.

When Robin and Jayne arrived at the manor, they were a little surprised and confused to find Haze still waiting for them but said nothing. They apologized profusely to him for being late. Haze told them he didn't mind, and from the look on Adriana's face, she didn't either.

Adriana positioned herself next to her father and opposite Haze in the family kitchen while Robin and Haze got to know each other. Her eyes did not leave Haze's face. Jayne noticed a permanent smile on her daughter's face as she hung on to every word he said.

"Honey? Why don't we leave the men to talk," Jayne addressed Adriana, who seemed to be starstruck.

Only after Robin and Haze stopped talking and looked at Adriana did she realize Jayne had addressed her. "I'm sorry. What, Mom?"

"Would you mind helping me get the stuff out of the car?" Jayne asked pleasantly and wondered if hiring Haze would be asking for trouble.

"Sure, Mom," Adriana replied pleasantly. She knew Haze had picked up on her breadcrumbs; so far he was doing well. She was confident he'd get the job. Robin didn't have a lot of time to interview other candidates and there was a lot of work to be done, so that worked to her ... Haze's advantage.

Adriana smiled as she helped her mother remove bags from her station wagon.

"He's cute," Jayne said.

"I didn't notice," Adriana replied calmly.

"Uh-huh," Jayne retorted sarcastically. "I don't think your dad's gonna hire him."

Adriana knew her mother was testing her reaction; two can play that game. Even though her heart leapt at the thought, she remained calm.

"Why?"

"He might be a distraction for you," Jayne said frankly.

"Mother, I've been around good-looking guys before. I worked on a soap opera!"

Jayne knew she was right, but this felt different. She didn't want her little girl growing up too soon. He could be a passing phase. Jayne wondered if Haze was hired, would he be kind enough not to take advantage of Adriana's obvious crush. No doubt he was a handsome guy and was probably used to girls throwing themselves at him. He looked about Kevin's age. Maybe he had a girlfriend; then he'd have to let Adriana down gently.

"I'd be very disappointed if Dad were to take away a man's livelihood because of what I may or may not do. Nice to know you trust me, Mom." Adriana carried the bags into the house.

The longer Robin talked to Haze, the more he liked him. He'd come from a good home, and he had good values. In some ways he reminded Robin of himself at twenty-one. Robin's mobile phone rang. He excused himself and took the call in the other room.

"Hello?" Robin said into the phone. There was static. The caller ID said 'Morris'. Robin had hired private investigator David Morris to find Adrian.

David Morris was the best in the business and prided himself on solving all of his cases. No case was unsolvable, he told himself. He believed that life is science and there is an answer to everything. However, finding Adrian Banovic was no easy feat; Adrian was a phantom, and Morris took it as a challenge. He decided not to give up his search. Sooner or later Adrian would show up, either dead or alive, and the case would be solved.

"Hello?"

"Robin," Morris's voice came over the static. "Can you hear me?"

"Yes, but you're breaking up."

"I have a lead on your brother."

"Great. Where is he?"

"I'm going to meet him now. I'll call—" Morris's call was dropped.

Robin called him back but the call went straight to voicemail. It was a bittersweet moment for Robin. He wanted to find Adrian to let him know that their father had died. He wanted to form some kind of relationship with his brother. He had warmed to the idea of running the winery when Adrian was missing; now that he was found, he'd have the signature he needed to sell it. But did he want to sell it? He knew that Viktor wanted him to have it, and he felt like he'd let him down. He felt that he owed it to Viktor to make it work.

*********

Robin had gotten used to splitting his time between the winery and the manor. When he slept over at the winery, he'd call his family in the morning to have breakfast with them over the phone. Jayne always put him on speaker so he didn't miss out on any of the conversations.

"Whose turn is it to do the dishes this morning?" Robin asked, as he turned on the television in the kitchen at the villa where he stayed. He always had fresh coffee, orange juice and bagels waiting for him, courtesy of the villa staff.

"Zax!" Adriana and Jayne answered in unison.

"Dad, when are we gonna get a maid? Can't we afford it yet?" Zax asked.

"Hey, Zax, you wanna know the cool thing about staying at the villa?"

A news story came across the television about a man's body found floating in the Hudson River in New York. Robin paid the story no mind. He poured himself a glass of orange juice.

"What?" Zax replied.

"I don't have to do dishes," Robin teased.

Riotous laughter broke out, and Robin joined in.

A picture of the dead man came on the screen as the newscaster read the story. Robin instantly recognized the picture. The glass slipped from his hand and shattered on the tiled floor, spilling the juice.

"Darling? Are you okay?" Jayne noticed Robin's sudden silence.

Robin instantly recognized the dead man as David Morris, P.I.

The End

### Excerpt from The Banovic Siblings (Vol. 2)

L'Wren entered Bacchanal Jake's with two of her girlfriends. While their intention was to have fun and enjoy the attention of guys, her mission was to see Kevin Banovic again. She knew he worked there and, without alerting her friends to her plan, casually chose Jake's as the hangout spot for the evening.

She hated the way they'd left things. Why did she care what he thought of her? He was just some guy—some guy who cared enough to stand up for her and got hurt in the process. She carried around immense guilt, and he'd made her feel worst when she tried to apologize. She had no idea what she was going to say to him. She just knew that she had to see him again.

They ordered drinks and found a booth. L'Wren's eyes combed the room, her breath unsteady, her palms sweaty and her stomach in knots. Maybe he had the night off.

L'Wren's friends noticed her distraction.

"Hey, what's going on with you?" one friend asked.

"Nothing." She smiled nervously.

A couple of guys came over with drinks for the girls. They began chatting them up. L'Wren was not interested. She just smiled and nodded and kept an eye out for Kevin.

Her hopes began to fade after an hour. L'Wren was about ready to leave when she spotted Kevin. She took a deep breath. The air in the room was getting tight again. She watched as he flirted with a woman at the bar. The scene reminded her of Tom Cruise in the movie Cocktail, minus the bar theatrics.

She felt a twinge in the pit of her stomach that surprised her. The guy next to her said something, but she didn't hear him. Her mind was focused on Kevin. Mentally she tried to muster courage and find something to say to him.

Her legs felt heavy as she stood and walked over to the bar. With every step her heart pounded harder and faster. As she got closer, she straightened her spine, lifted her head, and steadied her breath. She walked straight towards the end of the bar where he stood still chatting up the brunette, who looked like she was ready to ravish him. Kevin said something to her, and she smiled, then tossed her long mane, retrieved her cell phone, and touched hers with his.

Kevin stood up and looked at L'Wren. The brunette shot her a menacing look.

"What can I get you?" he asked as if she was a complete stranger.

"I just thought I'd come over and introduce myself," she heard herself say. New-formed confidence took over. "Hi, I'm L'Wren." She extended her arm.

The brunette's eyes switched between them. She eventually walked away without saying a word.

"What are you doing?" Kevin asked.

"Starting over."

Kevin was unsure where she was going with this but played along. "Kevin, nice to meet you." He gently shook her hand.

"I'd like a martini, please. Shaken not stirred." She perched herself on the bar stool.

They looked at each other for a moment, and then started to laugh at the obvious James Bond reference.

It was late when L'Wren's friends said their goodbyes and left her at the bar.

Kevin served drinks, and then returned his attention to her.

It was last call when Kevin walked her to her car. "You okay to drive, or should I call for a cab?"

"Kevin," she leaned in close to him, "when you weren't looking, I ordered diet Sprite from the other bartender."

"What about the martini?"

"I don't drink martinis. I sent it to my girlfriend."

"Oh, I feel so duped, seriously?"

She nodded affirmative.

"Since we're confessing ... I saw you the minute you walked into Jake's."

"Liar! You were nowhere around."

"I was in the back room ... I wanted to see if you were waiting for someone."

"I don't believe you. You can't stand to be duped." She laughed.

Kevin watched her as she got into her white Prius V and drove away.

L'Wren looked at him in the rearview mirror and smiled. That turned out better than she'd expected.

As she pulled into her driveway, she hummed 'Kokomo', the theme song from Cocktail. The house was dark, and she knew no one was home. Leighann had gone to the game with Zax, and who knew where Savi was. L'Wren smiled as she thought about Zax and Leighann. Those Banovic boys had charm. If Zax was anything like his brother, Leighann was a lucky girl. Just then she heard footsteps and turned around quickly.

"Jeff! You scared me." She playfully punched him.

"Hey, baby." He kissed her. "Here let me." He took the keys and opened the door for her.

They began turning on the lights.

"I didn't realize we were supposed to get together tonight," she said, feeling uneasy.

"Do I need an appointment to see my girl?"

"No ... if I knew you were coming over, I would have gotten here sooner." She busied herself in the kitchen.

"Where were you?"

"Traffic on the 405 was a bitch."

"Where did you say you were again?"

"Out with a couple of friends. No place special."

"You could have called me. I would have gone to no place special with you."

"Jeff, we talked about this. You can't have a cow every time I go out with my friends."

"You never invite me anywhere with your friends. Are you ashamed of me?" Jeff towered over her.

"Don't be silly. It was just us girls. None of them had their boyfriends with them."

"Did you have a good time?"

"Yes." She tried to walk away from him, but she was trapped between the counter and Jeff.

He boxed her in with his arms. "Did guys hit on you?"

"What? No." She tried to move his arm, but it was firmly planted against the counter. "Why don't we go in the living room and talk," she suggested, trying to sound calm.

"Why can't you look me in the eye and tell me that guys didn't hit on you?"

"Jeff, I think you should leave."

"Is he coming over? Is that why you want me to leave?" Jeff raised his voice.

L'Wren knew what was coming next. She braced herself for him to either punch her in the gut or pull her hair. He wouldn't slap her face; he didn't like to leave visual bruises. He couldn't have his friends know that he beat up on his girlfriend. He was quarterback of the football team and had a reputation to uphold. She gripped the counter as he yanked on her hair, tugging her head back, causing her to bump her head on the overhead cupboard.

"I have absolutely no qualms about putting a bullet through your brain right now," Savi said calmly.

Jeff turned around to face the business end of Savi's shiny silver revolver. L'Wren gasped. Something in her eyes told him that she meant it.

"As far as I'm concerned, you broke into my daughter's house. I came home and found you roughing her up ... a plausible story ... for the police."

Jeff held her gaze.

She clicked the gun. "Bounce."

Jeff did as he was told. Savi walked out behind him and locked the door. L'Wren was still shivering in the kitchen.

"Where do you find those losers?" Savi asked casually. She set the gun down on the counter and poured herself a glass of wine.

L'Wren stared at the gun. She had never seen one up close before. "Why do you have a gun?"

"Target practice." Savi drank the wine and poured another. This time she also poured a glass for L'Wren, whose hands were shaking so badly that she could barely hold the glass.

"I don't want to be around it."

"Then move out." Savi picked up the offending object and walked out into the living room.

L'Wren followed. "This is my house. You're a guest."

Savi placed the gun in her Dior handbag.

"What if Leighann finds it?" L'Wren continued.

"It's not a dildo, for Christ's sake." Savi headed to her room and shut the door.

The End

Thank you for reading my book, your reviews matter, please take a moment to leave me a review at your favorite retailer.

Cheers!

Gillian Felix

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### About the Author

Gillian Felix has been writing since she was old enough to hold a pencil. She enjoys creating characters that could be your next-door neighbor, but would you want them as your neighbor is another story.

Originally from the island of Trinidad and Tobago, Miss Felix moved to the United States in 1998. Since then she has been involved in the entertainment industry for over ten years. Her experience ranges from script supervisor to production manager on many independent features. She is trained in the Meisner and Stanislavski technique of acting, which she credits as an asset to her character development and writing.

Miss Felix is an entrepreneur and advocate for children's and women's rights. See her work in action at <http://www.plaintalkbm.com/>. Follow her on Twitter: <http://twitter.com/Gillianfx>

### Dedication

This book is dedicated to Sherrian Felix, thank you for being my biggest supporter; from selling plants at the side of the road to this, and to Mom, for teaching me to believe in myself.

### Thank You!

Thank you, Alex Diaz, for your encouragement and wonderful review of the very first draft. You believed in the story even before it evolved in to what it is now.
