'Fine'

After the proposal things started moving rapidly. They met each other's families and they prepared for a wedding. At the same time Stephen and his father were working on the merger of Stephen's company and Westwood corporation, which still needed to gain the title of Westwood international. All was taken care of in a little over a month. The wedding turned out beautiful and it was here that Susan's party planning skills became apparent. On the day of the wedding Susan and Violet met and they instantly hit it off. Susan even had a heart to heart with Violet, where she apologized for her past and explained that she did not know of her existence back then. Making Violet believe her choice to let go of Stephen was a good one.

She told Susan that she accepted her apology and that she was fine. She told Susan that her meeting Stephen must have been one of destiny and that was something she wouldn't dream of getting in between. How else could they have met in the one year where she wasn't by his constant side and how else could they have found each other again after all these years, without any change in their feelings. This only meant that there was someone else out there for her and she would find that someone and with that her own happiness.

During a semester abroad she did, as she met Mr. DuPoint and fell in love herself. A short while after that she too got married and moved to France. Up to this point all was well. It wasn't until the Westwood corporation took off and became one of the largest empires in England that a seed of greed was planted in her heart and started making her regret her choice. Making her look at Susan's life as the life that should have been hers. Something she was confronted with during her visits back home and in the magazines she read. Though she wasn't short of anything in her life in France, as Mr. DuPoint had a company of his own allowing them a comfortable life, it was no where near the Westwood corporation's success. And that is exactly the thing about greed, that it always keeps you wanting for more. Slowly turning her from a path of friendship and onto her obsession of becoming connected to the Westwoods and reclaiming what was 'rightfully' hers.

However since her door with Stephen had already closed, she had to settle for the role of a friend of the family. At least for now. That was until she and Susan became pregnant around the same time and she was having a girl and Susan a boy. This provided her a new opportunity to marry into the Westwood family. Not as a bride, but as a mother-in-law. Half jokingly she proposed to have the engagement promise between their families carried over to their children. However, she was met with instant rejection. "Those preformed engagements have given too many people heartache including you yourself. So, for our son, we have decided that we will let him decide on who he wants to marry on his own." Though later in life they would mend that decision ever so slightly, right now it was something they stood by firmly, forcing Violet to change her tactics once more.

She trained her daughter whichever way she could to increase her chances with Jason. Attending every party that allowed the two of them to meet and after a while even moving back to England so that Mr. DuPoint could take over her family's business. When it became clear that the two of them would be attending the same school, the time had come for all that training to be put to good use. As it gave them a reason to see each other on a daily basis. Something a role as the daughter of a friend of the family didn't quite do. Especially not one that had lived abroad for many years, weakening their bond. Luckily her daughter did not disappoint. In a matter of months, she had moved herself from practically a stranger to being the rumoured future Mrs. Westwood. This restored her hope. That was until Jenny came into the picture and the door was slammed shut once more. Causing her greed to apparently create a grudge towards Jenny that seemed to be standing in between her and her long time goal. Susan had become aware that Violet hadn't been as 'fine' as she had once claimed to be, but it wasn't causing any troubles. So, she decided to leave Violet's dignity intact by not bringing the matter up, but now she had left her no choice.

Right now Susan was headed to the DuPoint residence to sort this mess out with Violet in person so that the obsession could stop. She walked in after the housekeeper opened the door and followed him into the living room where Violet was already waiting for her. Not suspecting the reason for Susan's visit she welcomed her with open arms and offered her tea and refreshments like the good host she had been trained to be. After they each had a cup in hand and the staff had been dismissed, Susan started. "Violet, there is something we need to talk about. I had hoped that with Elizabeth's engagement this would no longer be necessary, but it appears that old matters are causing trouble in our children's lives." Seemingly shocked Violet replied, "What are you talking about Susan. What matters could there be."

"Let's not play games Violet. I have been aware that something had changed your mind about not minding that the engagement between you and Stephen had been broken. Ever since your pregnancy you have been finding reasons to get our two children together and even now that Elizabeth has found someone, you seem to find fault with my daughter-in-law where there is none. I respect you as a person and as a long time friend of Stephen and I, but if you can't let go of whatever could have been and hurt my family and your own in the process, then I am forced to do something about it. This is me giving you the chance to step out of the competition gracefully and lead a happy life by being a good mother, a good mother-in-law and a good friend. If you don't take this chance then you will lose all of those things one by one, starting by our friendship." Susan did not await her reply and placed her cup down after which she left. Leaving Violet to think things over and figure out what she is willing to sacrifice in order to reach for a dream she will never reach.