Into the Lion's Den (92 page)

“Very well, we understand each other. I will bring Guntram to you after the money is deposited and the children are in Zurich. Perhaps they will work their charms on him better than you, and I can see why. What really hurt him was losing the opportunity to look after them; more than your lies and deceptions. He was truly in love with the idea of having children.”

“My sons will be born on May 15th and they will arrive to Switzerland beginning of June. I can't wait for so long to see him. I need to be sure that he's in good hands. Your word has not much value for me.”

“Yours neither, my Duke. I don't want to have your men storming into my house one night looking for Guntram and giving him the fright of his life.”

“Before I do anything, I want to see him and talk with him.” Konrad rose from the table has he had enough of the man.

“All right, you can visit us in three weeks time. After your children are born,” Lacroix conceded, as he knew that Lintorff was on the limit of his endurance for challenges. “You can visit us in our house in Aschaffenburg.

It's in front of the river, near the
Residenz.
There's a small children's park in front of the walk that runs along the Mainz, the first one after you descend the steps from the castle toward the river, before Willigisbrücke. Come by after lunch and bring a photo of the babies. They will do much more for your cause than you. In fact, if I were you, I would be quiet and only show the photos.”

“Are you staying in Aschaffenburg?” Konrad asked incredulous, on the brink of a heart attack.

“It's a very nice city and Guntram needed to see the other part of his inheritance. My mother was born there.”

“There's nothing there! It's open to any attack from Repin!”

“No, it's not. It's perfectly safe. I'm more concerned about you than about the Russian.”

“You betrayed him!”

“Starting to be concerned about your fatherin-law, my Duke?” Michel smirked. “How touching! If it eases your fears, send some of your Krajina hounds to protect him but it's totally unnecessary. There's a team of my own working there.”

Konrad's blood nearly exploded at the disrespectful tone, words and attitude the man had. “Had it not been for…”

“Good day to you, sir. We'll see each other in three weeks. I wish you all the best in the birth,” Michel said regally. 'Exactly as the old creep,' Konrad thought rising from his chair and standing in front of his old adversary.

“I expect to hear from you soon, sir,”

“Send the conditions to Ferdinand. He will see to it.”

“Agreed.” Michel offered his hand to Konrad but he didn't shake it, still looking outraged. “As I said earlier, the best would be if we reach an understanding between us.” Reluctantly, Konrad shook the pre offered hand, sealing their pact. “Good, I'll start to work on Guntram.”

“I will send my people over. He should be under protection.”

“All right, thank you,” Lacroix walked to the door, not expecting that Konrad would also accompany him and opened it for him. That Ferdinand was almost falling on top of them, was not a surprise for neither of them and both smirked at the same time while Ferdinand blushed like a child. Goran Pavicevic was clever enough as to stay a few metres away from the door.

“One more thing, Mr. Lacroix,” Konrad said the name clear and loudly so his men would understand that he had accepted to go with Guntram's father's scheme.

“Yes, my Griffin?” Lacroix asked, slightly bowing his head in an almost submission gesture.

“Why did you say that Repin affected his career in addition to his life?”

“Do you remember that exhibition in January? In Berlin? The collective one, where he got that dreadful, bordering on slanders critic?” All the men's faces adopted a murderous look when they heard his words. “The Griffin should fire his people better after ten years of services. Your Italian…” Michel chose the word very carefully,

“girlfriend paid that man, I don't remember his name, three million euros for it.”

“Stefania never had so much money!” Ferdinand protested.

“She hasn't, but Repin has plenty. He didn't want Guntram to become famous or well known after it. If so, he would have lost the boy forever. Had it not been for Roger's accident, I would have never let Repin to tell the truth to Guntram. I took him away to keep him away from people like all of you, but he wants to return to you. I don't support his decision, but I accept it. We cannot chose with whom we fall in love; only pray that he or she is a good person. Good day to you all.”

The three men looked at each other; dumbfounded and baffled while Lacroix went away, without looking behind for once.

“That would have explained it. I liked his things and the others were not so bad. Better than what we have to suffer at Ostermann's auction each year,” Ferdinand said softly.

“I'll nail Repin to a wall. Like the worm he's,” Goran said even softer.

“He still loves me, despite all,” Konrad said almost inaudibly. “Come with me gentlemen, we have much to discuss.” He returned to his normal overbearing persona.

It had been a huge risk but it had been worthy. Lintorff was obviously still in love with his child, really in love with him; not besotted as he had been with Roger. 'Nothing turns out how we plan it, but Guntram will be happy with him the years he has left. He deserves to have a family and peace. His mother died at thirty-one and was not so sick as he was.'

Lacroix finished writing the envelope in the VIP room and closed the lid before giving it to the young girl at the desk office for posting it. Ferdinand should start to work with this.

“Where's Guntram, my Duke?” Goran fired the question, not even sitting in his chair, his eyes fixed on the boy's picture over the large polished desk.

“He lives with his father, Michel Lacroix, in Germany.”

“What? Of all places?” Ferdinand shouted.

“Aschaffenburg. Goran send one of your teams with Milan or Ratko as leader. He goes every morning to a park near the
Residenz
. Find out everything you can, but do nothing. Lacroix does not want us near till three weeks.

He has accepted the surveillance, but your men should not frighten Guntram. He's health is frail in the moment.”

“It will be done as you wish, Sire.”

“Since when Jerôme de Lisle sets conditions to us?” Ferdinand barked but Konrad ignored him as he was still speaking with Goran.

“If a Russian shows his nose five hundred metres from where Guntram is, eliminate him. Is that clear?”

“Yes, Sire. Ratko is my best man for such things.”

“Regarding the other issue, the Art critic, do nothing. We need proofs of Lacroix's words.”

“Why do you call him like that?” Ferdinand roared. “We should have eliminated him by ourselves!”

“Be quiet Ferdinand.”

“Don't you dare to shut me up!”

“Do you want to lose my only link to Guntram? Should I kill this man and then tell him; sorry, I killed your father this time for real? Never! If I want my consort back, I have to negotiate with him. From now own you will also call him Michel Lacroix as I don't want any of our associates asking questions about him. Officially, he saved us whether we like it or not! I have granted him a full pardon. He's the person who will take over the Presidency of the Lintorff Foundation in six months. We need someone with broad experience in tax law.”

“Are you exchanging Elisabetta von Lintorff for this snake?” Ferdinand shouted and Goran looked more sombre than ever.

“Do you prefer him sitting in the Council? Knowing him like we do now, he would be in your place in two years.”

“You can't fire Elisabetta!”

“We'll find something else for her and she has told me several times she gets headaches with all the legal and money issues. Lacroix will do a better job and I prefer to keep him busy than plotting against us. Pray that I find nothing against me from your wife in the document's he's going to give me.”

“What?”

“As a proof of good will, Ferdinand. I want that you make a transfer for one hundred thirty-five million euros from my own money to an account number he will give you. Before you yell again, the money is for Guntram.

Make sure that he has no access to that money, only Guntram. Once I give you the order, complete that amount up to two hundred twenty-five millions.”

“You're crazy. Utterly crazy.”

“I agree with the Duke, Ferdinand,” Goran said after considering for a while. “The lad needs some cash if something were to happen to his Excellency. He has the children to support now, because he's still their Guardian of Estate and legal Tutor, right?”

“As it was decided.”

“Then, I would suggest that you increase the sum over the years, my Duke. If you're satisfied with his performance and behaviour as Consort, that is.”

“It's a good idea. I'll take it into consideration,” Konrad said and returned his attention to a full brooding Ferdinand. “Is everything clear, my friend?”

“I'm the only one with some sense in this room!” He smirked but then the idea landed in his brain. “If I have to suffer this “Michel Lacroix” again, I also want your support in a project of mine.”

“I hear you, Ferdinand.”

“I want to divorce and to marry Cecilia Riganti. I'm also tired of running to hotels Konrad. We are too old, exactly as you said and she's a decent woman to be treated like this. I had enough of Gertrud. I coped with her for 25 years.”

“This is unexpected. You married by the Church!”

“I'll go to the Rota, if I have to. I will not be the first one to tell that was not understanding his vows. I was only twenty years old when I married!”

“Do you swear that this would be your grounds for your annulment request?”

“Yes, of course. I will say nothing about Marie Amélie not being my daughter or remove her from my will. Her brothers like her.”

“What about my cousin?”

“She has more money than I! May I remind you that we married under a separation of property regime?

We have a contract and in case of divorce I don't get a single penny from her although I expanded her capital several times! I have paid for everything over the past twenty-five years! Even for her bastard… and quite expensive she was!” Ferdinand roared at the injustice.

“She's a woman! She depends on you to protect her! You're her husband and swore before God to protect her!”

“Protect her? Even you say that she's a cunning snake! Of all the money I've made over the years, she took half of it!”

“That's true. If I remember correctly our calculations about how much your wife and children were costing you, the result was that from every franc you were making, you only got thirty cents for yourself,” Goran supported an astonished Ferdinand.

“I insist that you provide for your wife. She spent twenty-five years of her life at your side! Remember her actual position! Her accounts are frozen! If you stop to support her, she will have nothing!” Konrad barked.

“Fine! I'll give her a house and pay for its maintenance! It's more than I should do according to my lawyers! Really Konrad this is too much! I was married to Lady Macbeth and I have to support her? I didn't want to marry her! Your uncle almost forced me! Did you ever take a look at my prenuptial agreement? I only stayed for the boys!”

“Not enough,” Konrad replied unmoved by his friend’s fury.

“All right, 10.000 dollars in addition for the supermarket. That's final Konrad.”

“Please! That's what I was giving to Stefania!”

“It's half of my salary here. Give me a rise and I'll pay her more!”

“Should I remind you how much was your bonus or your representation expenses?”

“Not included in the salary: windfall. Ten thousand.”

“I can't believe you're denying your own wife your support. She's the mother of your boys!”

“Karl Otto is twenty-five and in Harvard and I pay for that! Johannes is twenty-three and in Chemistry Faculty! Old enough to fend for themselves. Guntram was on his own when he was eighteen!”

“And he thought that the best idea was to move in with Repin!”

“You have a point there. They can move with me and Cecilia. I'm going to live with her and introduce her as my fiancée. Are we finished?”

“I will not forget this offence, Ferdinand.”

“Then, do your own dirty work! I refuse to! Live you with her! It's YOUR fucking cousin. She was not even pregnant when I married her! All was a deception from your cousin Georg! She married me to get your uncle's money so his second wife wouldn't get it all! I left my career in the Army for her! I was an idiot to believe that one night's fuck would be enough to impregnate her!” Ferdinand stood up and left the room, furious and determined to call his lawyers and finish everything once and for all.

It was very late when Michel Lacroix descended from the train at Aschaffenburg. He took his car from the parking lot and drove home, hoping that everything was fine for Guntram. His son had not liked at all that he was going away for the day, even he believed that he was only going to Brussels to visit some of his customers. He truly hated to lie to his child, but telling him the truth of his business would only drive him nervous. He passed by the huge castle, lightened in the night in an eerie way and turned left to the small street where he had his house, bought some five years ago before it was put down because he liked its old style and the view over the river.

He opened the door with great care as he didn't want to wake up Guntram.

“Papa! You're back!” A very happy Guntram shouted from the stairs

“You should be in bed, my son,” Lacroix smiled while he mildly scolded his boy.

“I was waiting for you. Did you have dinner? Fairuza left something for you. I can warm it.”

“Yes, thank you. I had something in the plane, but nothing that could be compared to her cooking.”

“I agree with you, she cooks great! I'll do it in a minute,” Guntram smiled and disappeared toward the kitchen to set the table and serve the food. He took from the refrigerator the prepared dish, removed the plastic film and put it inside the microwave without giving much thought to his actions. Living with his father had been awkward at the beginning but now he was getting more and more comfortable around him and starting to dull the pain of Konrad's betrayal. He was sad all the time, although he did his best to conceal it from his father, thinking and remembering his lover's face, expressions and the void left by his absent body in his bed. 'How could he do it? How could I not see it? He told it in my face several times! I loved him more than anything and he lied to me! There's nothing more to do. I won't return and he will not have me back because I didn't fulfil my promise to be there for his babies.'