Alex stepped into the kitchen and threw his car keys on the counter.
"Hey bro," said Adrian, still petting the Patty the ferret. Alex gave them both a contemptuous glance.
"Get that thing out of here," he basically ordered Adrian. Adrian instantly turned on his heels and walked right out of the kitchen muttering "Yes, boss," under his breath, while giving Alex the evil eye.
Tris stared at the third Lanter brother she was about to meet. Like Adrian and Matt, Alex was also handsome, tall and well built. His dark hair was neatly trimmed, and his face looked freshly shaved. Tris caught a whiff of his masculine aftershave as soon as he entered the room. He wore an elegant, expensive navy blue suit ("probably Armani or Hugo Boss," Tris thought), and his silk tie matched the color of his ice cold blue eyes. All in all, he looked like he had just walked out of GQ Magazine. Tris wondered if everyone she was going to meet that day could pass for a supermodel...
"So what news of Adam," Alex addressed Matt, completely ignoring Tris.
"He's still in the ICU," Matt answered. "He's not conscious yet, and they're giving him extra oxygen."
"When can we see him," Alex seemed like a cut and dry, straight to the point kind of guy.
"Tomorrow morning," said Matt.
"Good," Alex said curtly. He then turned to Ella and greeted her briefly.
"I'm going upstairs to take a shower. Today was exhausting. Let me know if you hear anything from the hospital," Alex walked away from them and took the stairs.
Matt, Tris and Ella exchanged looks.
"Well, that went pretty well," said Matt.
"He's not the emotional type, is he," asked Tris.
Ella laughed. "Who, Alex? Quite the opposite. He's as cool as a cucumber," she told Tris. "Unless he's angry, in which case, you better run the other way as fast as you can," she added.
"He seems pretty intimidating," admitted Tris. "It almost feels like it got 10 degrees cooler in here when he walked in."
"That's Alex for you," Matt agreed. "And he's just as warm and cuddly on all special occasions: birthdays, holidays, funerals, you name it," he smirked.
"Adrian seemed kind of scared of him," Tris noted.
"Not scared... he just didn't wanna make a scene today of all days. Sometimes it's easier to just give in than fight," Matt answered.
"I guess he didn't realize there was a stranger standing in his kitchen," added Tris.
"Alex only notices people that are potentially beneficial to him. Otherwise he's not interested," said Ella.
"Wow... is he a lot like your dad," Tris asked Matt.
"You could call him Mini Dad," Matt sniggered. He and Ella both laughed.
"He's certainly more than ready to take over Dad's place... at home AND at work," Matt added.
Matt checked his phone. "There's a message from James... He got a hold of Adam's car... yikes, that looks awful," Matt turned his phone toward the girls. There was a picture of a smashed up red Ferrari.
"Jesus Christ," Ella exclaimed. "It's worse than I thought..."
"He must've flipped over or something," said Matt. "I'm surprised he only broke a leg and some ribs."
Ella gulped loudly. "Let's HOPE that's all he broke..."
"James says he talked to the cop who arrived at the scene. It looks like Adam skidded off the freeway and rolled over. Luckily it wasn't into oncoming traffic," Matt read his message out-loud.
"Shit," whispered Ella.
"Let's be grateful, Ella. This could have turned out a lot worse," Matt said.
"Well, we don't know yet how it's going to turn out, do we," Ella answered.
"Anyway... James said he'll be back in a hour or so. He wants to know how many people I got in touch with about tomorrow's party... Shit! I gotta start making some calls," Matt almost ran out of the room and up the stairs.
The girls stood looking at each other. Tris approached Ella. Even though she didn't know her well, she felt like it was the right thing to give her a hug. It was. Ella held on to Tris for dear life.
"He'll be fine," Tris whispered to her. "Remember. Stay strong!"
Ella just nodded 'yes.' She looked like she was about to cry again, so Tris tried to change the subject.
"So... do you live in Beverly Hills too," she asked.
"No... I live out in Malibu," Ella replied. "I like seeing the ocean every day."
"I'm sure it's beautiful," said Tris. "Do you live by yourself?"
"No... I'm actually back at my parents' house for now. I went to college in Boston, but decided I liked the California weather much more... So, as soon as I graduated, I came back home."
"Oh... I see," said Tris. "Do you have any brothers or sisters?"
"One brother and four sisters," Ella answered. "But my brother and older sisters are living on their own, so it's just me, my parents and my two younger sisters."
"It must be nice to have such a big family," Tris said wistfully. "I always wanted siblings."
"It's nice most of the time... but it can get pretty crazy... especially during the holidays," said Ella. "Too many people in one place can lead to a lot of tension."
"Do you work," asked Tris.
"Yes. I currently work for my brother, Jason. He's a fashion designer and owns a boutique here in Beverly Hills. It's called Glamorama. I help him take care of the business side of things so he can focus on the creative side. I used to just model there, but I took over more responsibilities when my older sister, Barbie, left the company and moved to the East Coast."
"What's your sister's name? Did you say Barbie," Tris asked. "Like the doll?"
"Well... it's really Barbara, but nobody calls her that. And, come to think of it, she looks like a life-size version of the doll," Ella answered.
"And is just as 'perfect'," she added a little maliciously.
"So do you still model," asked Tris.
"Not really. Not unless I'm wearing his designs out and about... like what I have on today," Ella answered. "I'm getting too old to be a model."
"How old ARE you, if you don't mind my asking," inquired Tris.
"Twenty-five," Ella said. "But these days, most fashion models are a lot younger than that... More your age."
She studied Tris for a minute and added: "Hey... you're pretty enough to be a model. You should come by the boutique."
Uh... I don't think I'd be good at it. I'm too short," said Tris.
"Don't be silly. We need petite models too," said Ella. "You're very beautiful . You've got great bone structure, and I bet you're photogenic too."
"Thanks... I'll think about it, "said Tris. "In any case, I'd love to see the boutique someday."
"I'm sure you will if you stick around L.A. for a while," Ella told her. "You're welcome to come by anytime you'd like."
"That would be awesome. But ... I don't exactly have a big budget to spend on clothes," said Tris.
"No worries... You know one of the bosses now," Ella smiled and gave her a friendly elbow. "I'm sure we could arrange a discount for you."
Adrian interrupted their conversation when he snuck back into the kitchen. "Is he gone," he asked both of them.
"Who? Alex," replied Ella. "Yes, he went upstairs."
"Oh, thank God," said Adrian. "I was about to throw a ferret at his head, but I felt bad for Patty."
Ella and Tris both giggled. "That would've made my day," said Ella.
"Let's see how far he can push me," answered Adrian. "Your wish may come true later on. By the way, thanks for cleaning up the mess, Ella. You saved my ass."
"Sure thing," she answered him cheerily. "You know you're my favorite Lanter," she batted her eyelashes at him.
"Yeah, right," Adrian snorted. "I'm sure you're ready to leave Adam for me."
"Let's just say there are times when I've considered it," Ella teased.
"Well... you know that I'm available," Adrian gave her a big smile.
A little while later, Matt came back downstairs.
"O.K., I took care of my share of the calls," he announced. "How about you, bro?" He turned to Adrian.
"Me too," his brother answered.
"Phew... glad THAT's over," sighed Matt.
They heard the front door open and James walked into the kitchen.
"I see you're all where I left you," he snorted. "Good thing I went by the police station. Sounds like there was nobody else involved in the accident, so we won't have to deal with a lawsuit."
Everyone seemed to let out a sigh of relief.
"Well, I'm gonna go watch some T.V.," said Adrian. "And hope that I won't run into Alex," he added.
"So did you actually see Adam's car," Ella asked James.
"Yup... did you see the picture I sent Matt?"
"Yes... it looks awful," said Ella. "My poor Adam... I can't stop thinking about him."
"You just have to make it through tonight," said James. "We'll go to the hospital tomorrow. I bet he'll be up by then."
Their conversation got cut short by Adrian who was shouting from the family room.
"Hey guys! You better get in here," he called to them.
They noticed he had the TV on and was turning up the volume. He looked at them and then said: "Looks like my brother made the 5 o'clock news."
