A week after Mark's attempted abudction of Giselle, he was duly arraigned, and I felt nerves as I sat in the gallery with Andrew and Catherine. Giselle was nervous, but she'd been told to tell the truth, and not let fair of reprisal stop her from delivering all the facts.
I was surprised to see Stella among the gathering, and I really hoped she wasn't here to support Mark. If she was, it would be the nail in the coffin for her and Giselle's friendship, something I fervently wished wouldn't happen. Then the trial began, and I soon had no room for any other thoughts, except to pray it went well.
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Unfortunately, despite Giselle's testimony, and the testimony of the dog-walker who'd come to her aid, Mark was only sentenced to ten months in prison. The one saving grace was that he was slapped with a permanent restraining order forbidding him from going anywhere near Giselle once he was released, but as we left the court, I reflected bitterly on how well the last order had worked.
Stella added the cherry on top of the bitter cake we'd been handed as we made our way back to the car. "Mark doesn't deserve to be treated this way," she snapped, barring our way, arms folded as she glared at us. "I think he should've been given community service."
"Move," Catherine warned. "You're breaking the restraining order my daughter has on you, as well as James's. I suggest you let us pass, or you'll be the one facing court next."216Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVVuurAoOlD
Stella dug in her heels. "Mark's not the bastard you make him out to be," she appealed to Giselle, who ignored her. Stella's face turned red with rage, but as she was about to get up in Giselle's personal space, a police officer appeared and tapped her on the shoulder. She spun, turned white, and suddenly found herself lost for words.
"I think you'd best be moving," the officer warned, and Stella squeaked before darting off. Her face, however, suggested the matter wasn't over in her eyes, and I made a note to ask Andrew to increase security at both the pawn shop and his supermarkets. I had the nasty feeling Stella was going to wage war on Mark's behalf, and I wanted the collateral damage to be as minimal as possible.
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My request came none too soon; two weeks after Mark's court case, Stella tried accosting Giselle at the pawn shop, but once the police were called, she slunk away. She then tried doing the same to me at the supermarkey, but the police once more foiled her efforts. They couldn't arrest her unless she turned violent, but they did say our paper trail would prove effective in the event of another trial.216Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfr7FmtRkGV
Stella refused to be stymied; she turned to social media to protest Mark's innocence. Giselle and I had her blocked, but we were told of her attempts to try and rugsweep Mark's abduction attempt. We ignored her, and Giselle posted the truth, causing Stella's support to crumble overnight. This was a bold move, but it ended up backfiring when Giselle's car was set on fire the day after she put an end to Stella's campaign. Mercifully, Giselle hadn't been in the car at the time, and Stella had made no attempt to hide her face from the extra security cameras Andrew had installed after Mark's trial. That was enough to allow the police to act and arrest Stella, and it wasn't long after that before she herself was facing court for her arson, and a few other surprising crimes that came to light.
I think the arrest knocked some sense into her; she pleaded guilty, and was sentened to three years behind bars. She, like Mark, was also permanently barred from coming anywhere near Giselle or I once she was released, and the way her shoulders slumped as she was led away had me hoping she'd seen the error of her ways. I didn't believe it, to be fair, but I did hope Stella would learn her lesson.
Giselle and I shared a commiserative coffee that night, and though nothing came of our long talk, we met the next morning knowing an invisible line had been crossed. Nothing was said, but Andrew got a knowing look in his eye whenever he saw us in the same room, and Catherine got a gleam in hers which suggested she heard wedding bells chiming in the background. It was a nice thought, to be sure, but we were still raw, and we didn't want to take too great a leap into a relationship, not with the ghosts of Christmas past hanging over us.216Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZlMnP1aZf6
It was Gerry, ironically, who told me to get a move on. Not in so many words, of course, but I began noticing a female huntsman hanging around not long after Stella's trial had reached its close. Gerry began spending a bit of time with her, and as spiders do, they ended up doing the deed. Before I knew it, I had a little spider family hanging around, and while they behaved like spiders most of the time, they occasionally reminded me they were different, just like Gerry and his mate, who seemed to be madly in love. Seeing them with their little spiders made me realise life was too short to waste time on the past. The past was the past for a reason; it had no bearing on the future.
So one night, not long after Gerry's mate birthed a few more spiders to add to the tribe, I finally got up the courage to ask Giselle out. Thankfully, she said yes, and our unofficial relationship became official, much to the delight of her parents. I believe it was our budding romance which rekindled theirs; two days later, Andrew and Catherine told us they were getting married again, much to Giselle's delight, and planning began. 216Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAxzK9eUJ32
Five months later, Andrew and Catherine were married in a quiet ceremony with just myself and Giselle in attendance, and while they were away on their honeymoon, Giselle managed the pawn shop, while Andrew left me in charge of the supermarket. I think he was grooming me to take his place as CEO of the company, given the duties his assistant CEO, Mary, helped me with while Andrew was away. It was made fact when Andrew and Catherine returned.
"You're a bright young man," Andrew told me on the first morning after his return home. "Mary tells me you handled things well, and everyone's looking up to you. I think it's only fair you step into my shoes."216Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvf4TXxzZAF
"I'd be honoured," I said. "But what about Mary?"
Andrew sighed. "Mary is good at what she does," he told me. "But she hasn't the head for running the show like you do. She knows it and is okay with it, and she's going to be a good assistant to you. And you've got good staff. You treated them quite well, so I heard, and I'd like to think I'm leaving them in good hands. I'll be honest; I'm almost sixty. I've built up a hell of a good fortune, and now that Catherine's had the good sense to realise her idiot mother was wrong about me, I'm ready to buy a farm in the Midlands and raise sheep."
I laughed. "Sounds like a good plan," I said. "I take it you're going to leave Giselle in charge of the shop?"
"Yes," Andrew told me. "Which reminds me; I'm going to transfer my funds to her, but some of it will go to you as well, since I know you're to marry her one day. And you will. I know you love her, and she's as besotted with you as you are with her. So do me proud - marry my girl. You both deserve happiness."
I couldn't argue with that logic. "You know, I think I might just do that," I said.
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