Nathaniel Vanderbilt is having lunch alone at the very exclusive Jean-Georges Restaurant at the Trump Hotel in New York. He loves the quietness of this place. It is rare to be seated at a restaurant and have a view of a park. This restaurant has white walls and floor-to-ceiling windows. The light makes the place special. It doesn't need electric lights although it also has them. The round tables are covered with white tablecloths and the chairs are upholstered in white. They are comfortable, some are individual chairs, and some are curved for two or three people.
Nathaniel likes sitting facing the park. It is his time of day to relax. He likes taking a break from work there. He knows the chef, Jean-Georges Vongerichten. He is the only one who talks to him during lunch. When he asks for coffee, Jean-Georges meets him and sits with him at his table. It's a daily routine. Today, Jean-Georges persuades Nathaniel to stay for a while, he wants him to meet someone.
Clarice Statton Ford comes in with her friends. The host takes Clarice and her friends to the table next to Nathaniel even though there are many empty tables. The young women are at a hearing distance. Clarice is a fan of the New York elite families. Clarice father made his fortune by the end of the nineties. She doesn't belong to that traditional wealthy elite. But she knows everything about them and wants to meet them.
"Clarice, what do you know about the Vanderbilt's heir feud? Linda asks.
"Oh, that is a very romantic story..." Clarice sighs.
When Nathaniel hears his family name, he pays attention to the young women's conversation.
"Russell Vanderbilt was forced to marry Joan Kennedy in an arranged marriage. They never loved each other. She was a bad-tempered, headstrong, bitter woman. They slept in separate rooms. He tried his best to be a good husband but life with Joan was hell. One day, she had him drunk to get pregnant. After that, Mr. Vanderbilt told the servants to keep the alcohol away from his wife. She got pregnant and Gloria was born. Gloria grew as bitter and cold as her mother. She didn't have a good relationship with her father. Their relationship got worse when she was 12 years old..." Clarice paused to create suspense.
"What's romantic about that?" Linda is dumbfounded.
"Shhhh, let me finish the story... When Gloria was 12, Russell and Joan attended a gala at the Metropolitan Theater. Russell didn't enjoy these social events, especially because he couldn't stand his wife. The Rockefeller family also attended the Gala, as Mrs. Rockefeller was ill, John Rockefeller took his younger daughter with him. Alison was a real beauty. She was gentle, kind, sweet. Russell was mesmerized by Alison's beauty. Alison and Russell fell in love at first sight. But Russell was married so he couldn't pursue Alison's love," Clarice sips some water.
"In the high-class society, everybody knew how unhappy Russell was with his marriage but arranged marriages were common back then. The elite of New York enjoyed their wealth among friends but suffered their broken hearts in solitude..." Clarice shows sympathy for Russell's situation.
"Russell and Alison had a secret affair. They were in love. He wanted to get a divorce but his father didn't allow him. Alison's father objected to her friendship with Russell because he was married. Little did he know that they were lovers. Alison got pregnant. Her father disowned her. Everyone thought that her son would be a bastard. But Russell would never allow their child to be looked down on. He acknowledged the child. Joan Kennedy was furious, she pushed her daughter to hate her half-brother. But life has a way of making you pay for your mistakes and bad deeds..."
"How? What happened to them?" Rosanne was anxious to know.
"When Russell's father passed, he decided to get a divorce and marry the only woman he had ever loved. Joan told him she would commit suicide if he left her. She declared this in front of Gloria. Russell couldn't divorce Joan after that declaration. Alison was very supportive. She never complained. Russell spent as much time as he could with Alison and their child, Nathaniel. Every day he got out of work early to spend time with them. He bought a nice house for Alison near the Vanderbilt Enterprises Offices so he could be close to them. And sometimes he even lied to his wife and told her he was on a business trip to be at Alison's for her and their child's birthdays. He also invented business trips to take them on holidays," Clarice sighs.
"When Gloria was 19 and Nathaniel was 6, Joan was diagnosed with four-stage liver cancer. She didn't last long. They buried her that same year..."
"And then he married Alison?" her friend Linda asks.
"No!"
"No?" her friends ask in unison.
"No. Gloria threatened her father that if he married Alison, she would make their lives a living hell. Russell tried to send her to a boarding school in Europe but she refused. She studied in New York. She got a degree as a BA in Literature. That didn't stop Russell from being present in Alison and Nathaniel's lives. When Nathaniel was 18, Alison got sick. She was terminally ill. Nathaniel was going to attend Harvard Business School, but he postponed that to take care of his mother. That year he bonded with his father. Although Gloria tried to stop her father, she couldn't. Russell moved in with Alison and Nathaniel and took care of Alison. They had a nurse but Russell did most of the work. People say he sat by her side and read poetry to her every afternoon. He also cooked for her. The family of three lived together for the first time. He almost didn't set foot in his office, his assistant helped him so he didn't have to spend so much time away from Alison. Gloria hated her father for this."
The waiter brings them the menus. They order and the waiter leaves.
"After Alison's death, Russell was devastated. If you go to the cemetery you will see a beautiful statue of an angel guarding Alison's grave. When old Mr. Rockefeller knew how devoted Russell was to Alison, he forgave him for making her cut ties with her family. The Rockefeller family allowed Alison to be buried in the family mausoleum. The Rockefeller and the Vanderbilt mausoleums are one next to the other. Russell had this white marble angel sculpture placed between the two mausoleums. At the feet of the angel, there are some words of love from Russell to Alison. aaahhhh, isn't it romantic?"
"It's tragic!" Linda exclaims.
"Then Nathaniel went to Harvard and graduated Suma Cum Laude, he is a PhD in Bussiness, Econimics, and International Commerce. People say he is brilliant! And they say he is a good-looking man. But he stays away from the cameras, there are no pictures of him anywhere. Gloria is very jealous of him. He is bright, handsome, and good-hearted unlike her. Russell got him to work at the Vanderbilt enterprises but he started from the bottom up. Now he is on the board of directors because of his merits, not because of his family connections. He is outstanding! Gloria is the Chairwoman because she is the eldest not because she is capable."
"And they never got married?" Rosanne asks.
"Sad story, that one..." Clarice heaves a sigh, "Gloria fell in love when she was in her twenties but her father objected to the gentleman because he was divorced. People say this was Russell's revenge... Gloria objected to Alison and then Russell objected to Robert, Gloria's lover. They became lovers. Russell added a clause in his will, in order to get her half of the inheritance she should marry someone from a New York elite family and bear an heir. If she failed, once Nathaniel turned 40 he would become the sole heir to the Vanderbilt fortune and Gloria would live on a trust fund and would lose her shares of the company and her position. She deserves that for being so bitchy! Poor Nathaniel, he was an innocent child and she despised him. Her own sibling!"
Nathaniel can't believe his ears. This girl knows all his family's secrets.
"He is the sole heir of the Vanderbilts and the Rockefellers. The only surviving members of the Rockefellers are his grandfather, John, and his uncle, Richard. The other uncles and all his cousins died. What a tragic family history. I hope he finds true love and has children. It would be a pity if he is the last member of those two prestigious families."
"Clarice, you are obsessed about the history of these families."
"Let me tell you a secret. The first thing my father did when he became a millionaire was buy the house next to the Vanderbilts in the Hamptons. When I was a child I always sneaked into their garden to peep on Nathaniel. I saw him for the first time when I was 9, he was 16 and I have loved him ever since. I don't know how he looks now, but I still remember his handsome face and adorable smile, and his voice was so sweet. Back then, I asked him to be my boyfriend and he accepted. He gave me a ring, but when we grew up I never saw him again. I hope to see him again. I sometimes dream he comes for me and saves me..." her smile fades.
Nathaniel who is listening chuckles to himself, 'So she is my nosy neighbor? a-ha!' Nathaniel is not facing them so he doesn't know her face doesn't look happy anymore.
"What happens, Clarice? Are you alright?"
"My mother wants an arranged marriage for me..." Clarice holds a ring that hangs from her neck in a golden necklace chain. Her friends look at the ring.
"Is that the ring he gave you?" Linda asks.
Clarice is brought back from thoughts, she looks at the ring she is holding, "Yes, he gave me this. It's his family ring."
Nathaniel remembers his cute little neighbor. That little girl turned into a young woman who she still sighs for him. He feels touched. He cannot leave the restaurant without getting her contact information. He doesn't know if he will ever love her but needs to know her better. He knows the kind of misfortune and sadness that arranged marriages bring.
New York City comprises 5 boroughs sitting where the Hudson River meets the Atlantic Ocean. At its core is Manhattan, a densely populated borough that’s among the world’s major commercial, financial, and cultural centers. Its iconic sites include skyscrapers such as the Empire State Building and sprawling Central Park. Broadway theater is staged in neon-lit Times Square. ― (from Google) Hakkında daha fazlasını okuyun New York City.
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An excellent chapter, it instantly captivated me and I felt like I was there, I highly recommend. 5 stars 🌟
This is an amazing story among several from this author that should capture the attention of readers everywhere with both its historical and entertaining content. It pulls you their world as you hope they can resolve their differences and that they will be able to eventually live with the decisions they make on their journey and find the love they desperately seek- Bravo on an epic love story!!!!
An excellent story that will easily get you hooked and want to read more. I highly recommend you to read and enjoy like I am, 5 stars 🌟
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