Her Grave
Aubrianne Ivanov
Also, a part of the massive square footage was a gym decked out with every workout machine, type of equipment, or apparatus known to man and beast in that gym.
Of course, things like weights were eight hundred pounds and up, and the eight hundred pounds were for the pups.
Again Aubrianne had gone wide-eyed and watched her father, "Now, let's talk about your training." Theo had used the opportunity to bring it up again as he was in the gym.
The pair had already discussed steps, and she had also mentioned she wanted to have Daniel and Jada teach her.
But Theo wanted to be the one to teach her. Aubrianne wanted Daniel and Jada to teach her so she would go to her father when she got better.
She wanted to impress him, to at least know a few things. She was also confident that she already had the stamina and drive because of her previous job, and not to mention, now she was stronger and faster.
And Theo did not push again when Aubrianne indicated her preference, nor did he state why he asked again.
Nevertheless, as the tour moved along, there were more oversized rooms for visiting guests. For the ball, Theo would be accommodating a few high-class guests for the weekend.
There was also a chef's kitchen with solid wood cabinetry, granite counters, two sixty-eight-inch cooktops, five prep sinks, built-in rotisserie appliances, five ovens, four dishwashers, three built-in fifty-six-inch Subzero refrigerators, five fridges, hard-wired professional Elektra Espresso machine and so much more.
"We host events here regularly, so you can be prepared to attend as many as you can," Theo had informed Aubrianne. While Aubrianne was wondering if he ran a restaurant out of this kitchen.
He was accustomed to hosting one event or the other.
He is always active in society on top of his hectic work schedule. How does he do it?
Theo always offered up his home to his foundations and all their events, such as art shows, spelling bee contests, dodgeball tournaments, treadmill races, parties, auctions, meet and greets, and dinners.
His staff functions, a soiree or two, and so much more. His home was a statement piece, and he was happy to share it with the elites and as a means to raise funds for his many foundations, especially his study programs.
Theo had explained it all for Aubrianne to grasp, and he had used the opportunity to inform her of the role he would like her to play in these events, which was to be by his side.
Theo wanted to pass on as much as he could to Aubrianne and was excited about doing so.
Next, he showed Aubrianne her wing. Yeah, that's right, she had her own wing, just like Timothy. Tobias still slept in his parent's wing.
Her wing was the two-bedroom home she had, except everything was more extensive, and there were four bedrooms and not two.
Aubrianne had beamed and ran from room to room, checking out everything, but she refused to open the closet.
"So, you not gonna open the closet," Theo asked, amused and smiling.
"Nuh-uh," Aubrianne shook her head quickly; oh lord, she was sure it was another full closet with all you could think of. She already had that where she currently was, and it was too much.
Her hand moved automatically to her temple. She would look in there the day she moved in. It would give her something to do, as she was already doing the whole tour.
Aubrianne's heart swelled in her chest. Could somebody pinch her? Maybe she was still in that hospital bed, and this was just an elaborate dream.
A figment of her imagination. Was she in a coma?
"Aubrianne?" Theo called as he noticed she was unmoving for a good minute.
"Oh, yes," Aubrianne breathed, and Theo watched her concerned. She waved him off and said, "Oh, it's nothing, I am alright; I am sorry about that, it is just..." She trailed off.
Leaving Theo eager for her to finish her sentence, "Just what, sweetie," after a minute passed.
Aubrianne was speechless that this was all happening. She was here, seeing everything and experiencing everything; this was no dream. Or a dream come true.
"I, I, this," Aubrianne waved around the room. They were in her master bedroom. "I never in...my..." And the dam burst. Aubrianne was in tears, and Theo looked mortified, wanting to slay her dragon, who upset his baby girl. Who made her cry?
He rushed to her and wrapped her in his arms as she hugged him tight around his torso, her head buried in his chest as he soothingly rubbed her head.
"Everything will be ok, baby girl. What is wrong?" as he tried to decipher what she was saying under those tears.
Aubrianne sounding not only muffled but very distorted with all the hiccupping in between as tears of joy flowed, "I...nev..er..in my life...ex...pected...things to...turn out like...this...for..mee." She heaved a breath after.
Aubrianne could not continue, but she felt she got out the gist of it.
Theo held her tightly, grasping her words, and his heart squeezed in his chest, wondering what all his baby went through out there alone in the world.
He loved her no matter what. He could tell from their conversation that she would only skim past the tough times. But again, he figured she would be open to sharing the good and the bad with him in time.
Oh, how he wished he could take that pain away. He held her as she shed tears of happiness. "Oh, baby girl, and this is just the beginning, so I would buckle up if I were you," He teased and kissed the top of her head.
She was his baby girl!
"I know," Aubrianne answered in his chest. She knew her father would go to great lengths to make her happy. He would do anything for her and give her anything she asked for.
She would not fight him on it any longer.
"SO, are you going to move in tomorrow?" Theo had to ask because she was so happy about things. Then she may have changed her mind about moving. Not so? Can't blame him for questioning.
Aubrianne 's head rose to look up at him instantly, with a surprised look, like how were we back here? "Dad, soon, ok!"
This brought him back to the earlier question he wanted to ask. "Ok, so do you mind telling me why you would not move in sooner?"
Aubrianne stiffened in his arms. Theo felt it, "Tell me what is wrong. Did somebody say something to you? Did someone hurt you or threaten you?"
Theo is no fool. He knows his eldest is upset he is no longer the firstborn and can be very petty, remembering all the squabbles he had to get involved in to get Timothy out of trouble. Plus, his wife is upset that he has a child with the love of his life.
He already knew getting her settled would be challenging, and he was prepared for those who refused to get on board.
"Oh, no, Dad, that is not it," Aubrianne shook her head frantically, "Then what is it?" Theo queried at the edge of his seat.
"I, I would like to give them time to get used to the idea of me, warm up to me a little, and vice versa," Aubrianne took her time and explained to her father.
Theo was left speechless. He rubbed her head again soothingly. His family loved their lifestyle so much. Here, he was ready to use threats to get them to comply because they would have made it easy for him to threaten.
And his daughter, on the other hand, had a different, calmer approach, and she was right; maybe all they needed was a little time to get to know her, and once they did, they would love her as he did.
"You sure that's the only reason?" Aubrianne looked at him, eyebrows furrowed, "yea, that's it, Dad." Like, what else could it be?
'Maybe, Kirrah did say something to Dad,' Leia spoke suddenly, and Aubrianne almost jumped out of her skin, not because she was startled or anything by Leia's sudden presence.
It was because of what Leia said.
Aubrianne would take the fact that she was a stripper to her grave and the fact that Ron was there complicated that for her. She strolled over to the closet and hovered closely as she tried to calm herself.
"Hey, Dad?" Aubrianne spoke in a small voice. "I am ok, alright, please don't worry." She looked him in the eye and said those words as she genuinely believed that between her, Jada, and Shawn, they could handle Ron.
"You sure?" Theo asked. "Yes, I am," Aubrianne assured.
