The Principle Of Chance (24 page)

Until one day her husband introduced
her to Frank Orban at a dinner party.

‘Be nice to him,’ He whispered into
her ear. ‘I need him, he knows everyone in the city.’

Ellie smiled blankly. ‘I will …’
Then she recognised Frank, her heart began to beat faster and her hands were
shaking.

Frank was surprised to see Ellie
again but had no idea what Ellie’s life was like – he presumed she was
blissfully married. However, Jack Harvey was also present and he did hear what
George said to his wife.

‘Ellie isn’t happy.’ Jack told
Frank.

‘What? She's the picture of the
content wife!’ Frank said.

‘Watch her, the husband irritates
me.’

It didn’t take Frank long to realise
that Jack was right. Here was a situation Frank didn’t know how to handle, he
regretted letting Ellie go all those years ago but if that was what she’d
wanted to do – who was he to stop her?

He managed to get Ellie alone for a
few moments and when he asked about her life – she blurted out far too quickly;
‘Why wouldn’t I be happy Frank? I married the man I loved!’

‘You loved?’

‘I love.’ Ellie hastily corrected.

‘Tell me the truth Ellie!’ Frank
demanded.

‘It has nothing to do with you
Frank.’

‘It has everything to do with me!
You know that! You only married this man because I was a fool and let you run
off to do that!’ Frank said bitterly. ’There isn’t a day I don’t regret that
decision - not one day!’

‘Well, Frank we learn from our
mistakes and have to stand by our choices.’ Ellie answered quietly.

‘We don’t – you can divorce him!’

‘I can’t Frank, he has … power!’

‘What power?’

‘His career is important, he cannot
have a divorce.’ Ellie explained.

‘Yes he can.’

‘No Frank, it isn’t that simple…’

Ellie and Frank started seeing each
other shortly after the dinner party. Frank watched an amiable Ellie turning
into a new strong, determined woman who knew what she wanted. Frank recognised
that she needed to be independent with her own life, make her own decisions and
have her own thoughts.

‘It’s a dream,’ she told Frank. ‘I
know, one day I will have all the things I am missing now.’

‘You can be free tomorrow!’ Frank
stated.

‘I can’t Frank, not yet. I married
him and I have to stay with George – for a little longer.’

Frank gave up trying to convince
Ellie. He guessed there were things she didn’t tell him and he needed to give
her time. Years passed and Ellie still refused to talk about divorce until one
day George died of a heart attack at home after an argument.

Ellie called Frank first. ‘He's dead
Frank, died of a heart attack, we had a major argument, I told him I wanted to
leave….’ She was upset but calm.

Frank arrived as the ambulance left,
Ellie didn’t waste any time, she packed her things, told Frank she was going to
the airport and left LA for a six month stay in France. She was desperate to
discover who she was – until now Ellie had been someone else’s property. She
still kept in touch with Frank but she didn’t tell him where she was. When she was
ready to return, she bought a new house, decorated it the way she’d always
wanted and created her Talent Agency. She wasn’t in a rush to establish herself
as an agent; she didn’t need money or crave power. What she enjoyed was
discovering hidden talent that would be her speciality.

She kept her married name and loved
being on her own. Frank stayed away; he understood that Ellie needed space.
However, their friendship continued and slowly through the years turned into
the perfect secret relationship.

****

After the initial surprise, Monica
was the first one to congratulate Ellie and Frank.

She hugged Eleanor and wished her
all the happiness in the world.

‘Frank! You have kept this quiet.’
Jack exclaimed. ‘Ellie, you have turned me down so many times!’

‘How could a woman resist Jack
Harvey?’ She said kindly, not missing out Monica who smiled at her comment.

Jack felt he’d been left out of a
major secret all these years. What bothered him was that he’d never noticed a
thing!

‘I cannot believe this Frank! You
never told me! I am your best friend!’ Jack complained.

‘Sorry Jack, I found it hard to
understand myself, still…’ Frank said.

‘You are
the
girl Eleanor, the
one I wasn’t allowed to name or write much about. How amazing, Ellie Chrystal –
the guys talked about you a lot! You were the chorus girl and you also danced.’
Justin said, standing with Amy.

Eleanor smiled at the pair. ‘Do not
make the same mistake… life is way too short.’ She reached out for Amy’s hands.
‘I’m very happy for you and Frank. I had no idea what he was up to all these
years.’

‘Okay! - then I am not the only one
who was fooled!’ Jack buzzed.

‘I am speechless,’ Amy said.
‘Congratulations Ms Taylor, what a night of revelations!’

‘Call me Ellie, we will be seeing a
lot of each other in the future I believe.’

Don entered with a discreet knock
and announced that the limousines were waiting outside to take the party to the
award ceremony.

Frank held Justin back for a moment.
‘Would you mind if I took Amy with me?’

‘Of course I would Frank!’ Justin
replied. ‘Why would you want to do that? ‘

‘Jack you come with us?’ Frank
asked, not waiting for an answer.

‘All right, but ….’

‘Don’t ask, I will explain in the
car.’

Frank settled into the first car
with Jack and Amy. Justin followed with Eleanor and Monica.

When they arrived on the red carpet,
the paparazzi were in frenzy. Here was Frank with the mystery girl - this was
going to be some story. Wow, Jack Harvey joined the party. Cameras flashed in
their faces but Frank and Jack happily posed for pictures surrounding Amy. Jack
was back to his usual self; Frank had revealed his plan in the car – a clever
move.

When Justin arrived, people were
shouting his name. There was no girlfriend around. It gave the catch and
attention people craved, quite as Frank had planned it.

The PR people rushed forward to
greet them and lead them to their lavishly decorated table. Frank acknowledged
various people with a slight nod - who stared openly. The host also appeared to
welcome Frank and his party.

The film won five awards. Frank saw
the proud faces around him - he was truly pleased for them. Before dinner was
served, the host requested that the winners make a speech at their table. This
was unusual and caused a small stir. No celebrity wanted to be put on the spot.
However, everyone complied for the cameras. When it came to Frank’s table, he
stood up, said a few words and proceeded to thank his cast.

‘Finally I wish to thank the two
exceptional ladies in my life for their help and support.’

People started to stir. Frank Orban
was about to reveal a bombshell. ‘My lovely great-niece, Amy Ronay,’ he waited
a moment as the room began to buzz with excitement. ‘….and the lady who shortly
will become my wife, Eleanor Taylor!’

Frank kissed them both gently and
sat down to enjoy the dinner, oblivious to the cameras closing in on their
table. The gossip had failed; whatever the magazines had published so far
turned out to be lies. Frank looked up and gave a slight nod to the host. Frank
Orban knew people!

The beginnings of a truly great
night unfolded, Frank’s close family and friends were making it happen and he
had finally got the woman of his dreams….. and then the musicians began to play
an old song.

Frank bought a brand new house; he
wanted to make a fresh start on new ground. He married Ellie in a lavish ceremony
held at the new house with over three hundred guests. Frank’s wedding present
to Ellie was a brand new yacht named
Chrystal
. They planned a long trip
around the world at their leisure. He was keen to make up for lost time whilst
Ellie just wanted to be with Frank.

****

Monica decided to take some time off
from work.
State Of Mind
was a massive hit and she won best director
again! A long break, that’s what she needed, away from everything but Jack.
Their relationship survived the press coverage and the never ending gossip.
Jack became a one woman man who loved his new ‘boyfriend’ status.

Monica surprised Justin with an
offer to use her house on the beach whenever he wanted. She moved in with Jack,
who loved having her around.

They planned to spend a few weeks in
Frank’s Hunting Lodge in Hungary.

****

Justin and Amy moved into a huge
mansion in the hills. Amy asked Maria if she wanted to run their new house and she
happily accepted the offer. Of course, Paco followed as well. Frank and Eleanor
were regular visitors. Amy loved Eleanor; she was a clever woman, always ready
with an answer to any problem. She was also a good influence on Frank. Justin
sold his label to a company Frank worked with. He joined Frank and continued to
learn about the movie business. Justin was the perfect boyfriend.

 Born to
Hungarian parents, M Howson
 
spent
years travelling through Europe and has lived in many beautiful cities all over
the world.

She currently lives
in the United Kingdom with her husband and son.

 Look
out for her new novel, an indirect sequel to The Principle Of Chance, but with
your favourite characters.

Connect with M Howson

Twitter @MHowsonauthor

Goodreads -
www.goodreads.com/mhowson