Page 9 of Born To Be Bad

Christopher waits his turn, then envelops me in a bear hug. For once, he doesn’t say anything, and I dare say we all appreciate it.

“Sandringham’s in the building,” announces Alistair, putting his phone away. “She’ll be here in five.”

“Who is Sandringham?” asks Gregory.

“A well-regarded psychologist,” replies Alistair. “She’s going to help Ariana.”

Alistair’s father’s jaw drops open at the mention of his daughter. He turns away from us and begins pacing up and down the corridor, clearly unable to process the new development. My heart goes out to him. It’s a lot to deal with, even for someone with a stable state of mind.

“You spoke to her?” asks Christopher. “To Ariana?”

Alistair nods. “We didn’t push her too much, but it’s clear she was brainwashed by the De Lucas.”She’ll need significant therapy to get back to her old self—if that is even possible. The trauma and manipulation began so young.

“Those fuckers,” hisses Christopher, punching his palm. “The absolute fuckers!”

“They’re all dead now, if that’s any consolation,” deadpans Alistair.

Henderson interjects. “Actually, sir, there is someone unaccounted for.”

We all fall quiet and stare at him.

“What?” asks Alistair, cocking his head.

“We were under the impression that the attackers were the two De Luca kids and their mercenaries. Turns out one of the De Luca kids stayed home.”

“Who?” demands Christopher, murder in his eyes.

“We identified the body of Daniel De Luca, but negative on Sebastian. The eldest.”

“That cunt!” whisper-yells Christopher. “Sends his little bro and our sister to fight, but he stays home!”

Alistair sighs and puts his hand up to quieten Chris. “Sebastian will be dealt with accordingly. What we need to focus on is getting Ariana well again. At the moment, her allegiance is to the De Lucas. The moment she’s discharged, it’s their home she’ll go to.”

“No!” cries Isobel. “Impossible!”

“Mother,” Alistair begins gently. “Ariana has had decades to come back to us. All this time she has been a couple hundred miles from us. All this time.”

Isobel shakes her head. “I can’t accept that. I just can’t.” Her arms are folded in front of her, and her eyes are teary.

“I’ll help you with that,” says a confident voice I recognize.

We turn to see Dr. Sandringham. She’s looking smart in a tailored charcoal suit, and her face is wide open and friendly. We exchange smiles.

“Let’s sit down and chat about it, okay?”

CHAPTER 7

The Nut House

ALISTAIR

I order a platter of fruit, sandwiches, and a round of coffees, and we all take our seats, ready to listen to Dr. Sandringham explain the way forward.

“Now, I haven’t consulted with Ariana yet,” the psychologist says, “but from what Mr. Ravenscroft tells me, we’re dealing with a highly distressing case of emotional abuse, including severe manipulation.”

“I just don’t believe it,” replies Mother, shaking her head again. “I don’t believe that my daughter would choose to stay away from me. From us.”

Sandringham nods, her expression empathetic. “Of course,” she says gently. “Of course you feel that way. But you must understand that it wasn't truly her choice to stay away. Ariana was manipulated to such a degree that she felt the De Lucas were her family. She was taken at a tender age, a vulnerable time when her core beliefs were being developed. Most likely she was being told again and again that the kidnappers were her family and you were the enemy. Something like this doesn't happen overnight. They would have kept her imprisoned while they spun their manipulations. They would have shown her small kindnesses to make her believe they were benevolent. Over time, they would have reinforced this until Ariana’s brain rewired to accept the lies, and to accept the new normal.”

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