Chapter 31
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Keesha started into the dining room of the Port Charles Grill. But she
saw them and froze. Ducking behind the end of the entry way, next to
the bar, she waited.
"I still don't think this is a good idea."
"Everyone knows I am after you my dear. Now would I be me, if I never
came and taunted you with it. Where is Jericho?"
"Away on business."
"What kind of business."
"Don't you know?"
"Of course."
Miranda smiled. "You don't know, do you."
"That is enough out of you." Quickly Miranda's smile faded. Helena
continued. "What is important is that you are unknowledgeable.
Probably because Jasper wants it that way. You were supposed to drive
a wedge between them."
"I'm *trying*."
"I do not want you to try, I want you to *do*. I need them vulnerable,
all three of them...so that Spencer and my ingrate of a son will not be
able to resist taking advantage or getting involved to help, whatever
the case may be...and they therefore will be too busy to occupy their
thoughts with me and what I have planned for Nikolas."
"I thought that Moreno took care of that."
"That was more for the beneift of Mr. Corinthos and your Jacks men.
Jasper and Jericho are another story. That is where you come in, and I
suggest you succeed quickly, or else I will have to move on to another
plan. And if I have to move on to another plan, I will have to
terminate you, because you know all about this one." Helena stood
slowly. "And that is why I tell you everything. To make sure I get
the results I require."
Keesha moved behind the bar as she saw Helena start to leave. Too bad
she didn't get to *hear* anything. She waited for a moment and then
ventured forth into the dining room sitting across the room from
Miranda. Miranda was obviously shaken. Perhaps Jax really was wrong
about her.
Then why did Keesha have this nagging feeling that he wasn't.
That evening, Keesha was reclined on the sofa, her head resting on
Jax's lap as he stroked her hair. She opened her eyes and glanced
towards the television which had his attention. It was almost time for
the NY stock market to close, and he was watching the news intently,
that wonderful twinkle in his eyes as he was on full, as she liked to
say, corporate raider mode. Keesha smiled before closing her eyes once
more.
She realized she was the luckiest woman in the world. Someone up there
must have really cared to send Jax her way, because she was the
happiest she had ever been in her entire life. And she wouldn't let
anything change that.
Jax bent over and kissed her on the forehead. "May I please get up?"
"I suppose." Keesha moved and Jax stood from the sofa, heading to his
office.
Keesha looked over at the television but her thoghts were again
elsewhere.
She had to figure Miranda Jameson out.
She knew Jax was working on it, but he was far from objective. He was
so busy looking for proof he was right, he might miss something else...
"I said, do you want to go for a walk?"
"Sorry." Keesha realized Jax was in front of her. "My mind was
occupied."
"On what?"
"Miranda."
"Because of today? I already told you, she probably knew you were
around...that look of fear was merely for show..."
"I don't know Jax. She really did seem frightened. I wish that I
could...get inside her head, you know?"
"Miranda's world is not a place you want to be."
Jax would prefer it if Keesha stayed as far away from Miranda and this
situation as possible.
Miranda shut off her television and stood from the floor, stretching.
Jerry had once asked her why she always ate her meals on the floor.
She told him it was a habit she had picked up as a child.
That was half right.
She was never allowed to eat at the table where she lived...worked.
Not in the main dining room anyway.
And she refused to sit in the servant's quarter's dining room like the
rest of them. She wasn't a servant.
She was a tutor.
Nikolas Cassadine's tutor.
She was only a mere 16 year old child herself. She was chosen because
she had graduated top of her class in her pretentious prep school in
London, a year before she was supposed to. It could have been more,
but her parents had insisted they didn't want her too far ahead of the
other school-mates. So they refused to skip her another year. It was
for that reason she decided to put off college for a year or so, and
when Stefan Cassadine came to her, telling her of the oppurtunity to
spend a year in Greece, teaching a prince, she jumped at the chance.
There Miranda took her meals in her bedroom, and not wanting to eat on
the bed, and risk angering Mrs. Landsbury, she would sit on the floor
of her chambers.
One day she had been sitting on the floor, and she almost knocked over
her glass. She moved to retreive it and noticed part of the floor
sank. Her curiosity got the better of her and she spent the next few
evenings cutting up the carpet, trying to get to the sinking part. And
when she did and pulled that back as well, she saw something that
changed her life forever.
Documents concerning Nikolas' parentage.
Helena had put them there she realized years later, for her to find.
Because she felt Nikolas was too close to her, a commoner, though a
brillant one. From what she heard, to this day, Nikolas remembered his
ex-tutor fondly.
Remembered her fondly.
Life was never hers after that. Stefan found out and Helena convinced
her he meant to kill her, and that she should leave. For some reason,
she trusted Helena. One of three big mistakes.
She went to Australia and two years later fell in love with Jax-he was
her second biggest mistake.
Helena gave her documents concerning the Jacks' illegal dealings, and
she went to tell Jax, beleiving it was her duty to inform him of it.
Helena knew that Mac was hired to blow up that mine. And that was why
she sent Miranda there-she couldn't afford her possibly telling the son
of one of the most powerful families in the world, all of the Cassadine
secrets.
To Helena's dismay, Miranda survived. But as long as she didn't come
out and live life openly, Helena was content to let her breathe.
Then came Miranda's third mistake. Sonny Cornithos. Not really
trusting him, but giving her the reason she needed to leave and go get
her Jax back.
That failed. And as soon as Jax blew her off at the airport, Helena
was there.
And since then she realized her life was never her own. Now,
everything she did was orchastrated by Helena.
Befriending the Spencer child.
Coming back to Port Charles.
And this, trying to tear apart the bond Jerry and Jax had...
Well, make that almost everything.
Miranda's feelings for Jerry were real. Once she realized Jax didn't
love her, she also realized she didn't really love him either.
Because she was in love with Jerry.
And that's what made trying to get him away from Jax's influence the
best part of Helena's plan. Because Miranda felt-she *knew*-that Jax,
and John, and Lady Jane never really appreciated Jerry. If she could
get him from under Jax's thumb long enough, Jerry would realize it too.
And be thankful that she had saved him.
The rest would fall into place.
And that fit into *Miranda's* plan. Of getting away from Helena once
and for all she smiled. A second later she realized the main phone to
Jerry's house was ringing.
"Hello?"
"Hi Miranda? It's Keesha."
Shani]]>
