Page 78 of The Chalet Girl

‘While Zand’s back in town, I wanted to talk to you,’ Walter said. He had his steely, businesslike face on.

Vivian looked at her father, her blue eyes ablaze with concern.

‘Where’s Kiki?’ she asked.

Walter stifled a glance in Lysander’s direction.

‘She’s lying down. She has a migraine.’

‘Oh.’ Vivian looked sympathetic. ‘I guess she’s not coming to the party then?’

‘No,’ Walter said gravely. ‘No, she won’t be coming to the party.’

One hour earlier, Walter had served Kiki with divorce papers and asked how long her little side hustle had been going on. Over the past few days he’d done a deep dive into his wife’s porn content. Eden Roque had been a busy girl, shooting in Ibiza, Mykonos, Bel Air, and of course, Milan.

‘Did you use me for the jet-set lifestyle?’ he asked, almost hurt.

‘No Walter,’ Kiki said kindly. It was most certainly not a side hustle or a hobby. ‘I’d done it for a couple of years before you happened upon my blackjack table, I promise.’

Walter studied her.

‘I’ve made my own– very good– money, for the pastseven years. It’s high-end feminist porn. Beautifully shot.’

‘Harlot!’ Walter spat, and Kiki gasped, before retaining her cool.

‘I promise I didn’t seek you out,’ she implored.

‘And the sick children in Lapland?’

Her defiance dropped. There were no sick children in Lapland. She started packing her things.

‘Well, what the hell’s going on?’ Anastasia asked, her chestnut mane tumbling over her breathtaking dress.

Walter sat back in his chair behind his desk.

‘Just before Zand heads back to New York, and before I get any further down this road than I want to…’

Anastasia sat on the sofa next to Lysander and crossed her long legs.

‘I want to talk about my exit strategy.’

The girls scoffed.

‘Please!’

‘Daddy …’

Lysander was silent.

Dimitri was almost robotic.

‘I’m seventy now, I need a plan.’

‘Please, Daddy,’ Vivian implored. ‘I don’t like this talk.’

Lysander looked at her as if to say,it’s OK.

‘I need a plan for how our family business will continue to thrive, long after I’m gone.’