Alex's Beginnings: An Alexandra Destephano Prequel: Alexandra Destephano, #0

By Judith Lucci

Meet Alexandra Destephano . . .

Learn who she was, and how she became who she is.

This is a great novella short companion to the Alexandra Destephano Thrillers, part of the Women of Valor World. 

 

A psychological medical thriller series featuring the strong female lead of Virginia-born nurse and lawyer Alexandra Lee Destephano, along with Commander Jack Francoise of the New Orleans Police Department, and Dr. Robert Bonnet, Alex's former husband and a prominent Crescent City surgeon.

 

These hospital conspiracy crime novels center on the characters as they encounter murder, death, malpractice, and the supernatural in the Big Easy's most famous hospital.

 

Welcome to the best-selling psychological medical suspense thriller series which blends together hospital drama and romance, political intrigue, domestic terrorism, espionage and the grisly work of a serial killer madman.

Medical Thrillers That Chill The Heart from the "Queen of New Orleans" Thrillers - USA Today, Wall Street Journal best-selling, and Reader's Favorite Award winning author, Judith Lucci. 

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Judith Lucci
• Release date: Apr 10, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201023805

Book preview

1

These have been the worst two weeks of my existence. My life has been shattered, and I think I remain in shock from all of it. I hope I’ve made the right decisions, but I suppose time will tell.

My heart is broken, and my soul is shattered. I love my husband. As a matter of fact, there are times when I’ve believed my love for him was too encompassing, too extensive and perhaps obsessive. Robert and I were soul mates and best friends, or at least I thought we’d been long before we were lovers. I thought it would last forever. I have loved him unconditionally and without reservation, so I don't know what's happened over the last couple of years. Let me tell you my story and maybe it will lend clarity to my confused life, broken spirit and addled brain. Maybe, God willing, I'll be able to figure out what's happened to me and perhaps decide what I should do.

Let me introduce myself. My name is Alexandra Lee DeStephano Bonnet. I was born in New Orleans, but I grew up on Wyndley Farm, a horse farm in Virginia. I suppose many might say I have lived a charmed, privileged life. Perhaps I have. I’ve wanted for nothing material my entire life. I had my own horse, dancing instruction, art lessons, a great education and everything a child could want to make them happy and successful in adult life.

Except for two loving parents.

That’s right. My father was supposedly a member of the New Orleans Dixie Mafia and my mother, a Virginia debutante who met the bad boy on a trip to New Orleans. The two fell madly in love and married, but the relationship was doomed. My grandfather attempted to have the marriage dissolved. He despised my father and my father’s family. Louis Destephano wasn’t allowed on our property. My mother, broken-hearted and distressed, eventually became so depressed she was hospitalized. I don’t understand what happened after that, but she has been living in a home since then and is under constant supervision. She doesn’t seem to know or recognize any of us although my grandmother and I visit her often. My grandmother tells me she is a shadow of her former, vivacious self. I believe she her former self." I believe she suffers from a broken spirit and damaged soul. In my mind, she’s a lovely, distant stranger.

So, my life hasn’t been that perfect. At times I’ve been quite sad and felt unloved even though I was raised by my loving, doting grandparents. I understand why people think I’ve had it all. If you look around at the trappings of wealth that surround me and are a huge part of my life, you'll see why my life appears perfect. But it’s not. Not at all for indeed my heart and soul have been crying for my parents since I was three years old. I have feelings of desertion, abandonment, and neglect and I often feel vulnerable, like nothing is for keeps.

I was raised by my grandparents, Adam Patrick Lee and Kathryn Russo Lee. My grandfather is somewhat famous. He's the senior Congressman from the Commonwealth of Virginia. Adam is also a descendent of Robert E. Lee which I suppose, makes me one as well. His family dates back to the first families of Virginia. Anyway, Adam as I call him, is a strict disciplinarian. He's a law-and-order politician, beloved by the military and law enforcement and adored by my grandmother. He has a strong code of right and wrong and is frequently unable to see gray in many situations. He’s popular, fair, impartial and is known throughout the country as the People’s Politician. Adam listens to his constituents and plays a huge role in the national security of the United States. My grandmother, Kathryn, gave up a promising career as an internationally-known violinist to marry my grandfather and support him in his political career. She’s an equestrian and runs a very famous horse training farm in Virginia. Grand, as I call her, is well-known throughout the horse racing world both in Virginia and on the East Coast.

My grandparents gave me a wonderful life. I had everything I wanted, and lots of friends and acquaintances. Also important to me as a child was my godfather, Digger Stildove. Digger is quite a bit older, kind of like a big brother, and does security work for my grandfather. Sometimes I think he’s a spy of some sort, but I can’t be sure. Anyway, he disappears for long periods of time and I’ve noticed recently, that things happen in foreign countries when he’s away. At any rate, Digger is a native American Indian and he taught me how to hunt, track, hike, shoot and become an expert at Archery. I can hit the bulls-eye every time, with an arrow or a bullet. He also taught martial arts and I have a black-belt in karate. Digger married a lovely American Indian woman named Mary and they live close to my grandparents in a log cabin that backs up to Wyndley Farm. Mary is the local medicine woman and does amazing things with herbs, powders and natural ingredients. She treats people in her tribe, as well as many local folks who’d rather see Mary than drive to the doctor in Richmond.

So, you can see I’ve had a pretty good, almost extraordinary life, and I’ve been surrounded by amazing people. My grandparents entertain often, and I’ve met important people from all over the world. Nevertheless, I am always plagued with a sense of insecurity and an overwhelming feeling of loss.

Therein lies the gist of my difficulty with Robert. I think I have, on some level, always believed he would leave. There’s no question that a psychiatrist would find me worthy of study, probably for years. A Freudian shrink would have a field day.

Oh, perhaps I should tell you what I do. I'm a registered nurse with a degree in nursing and I currently practice in the critical care unit at the University of Virginia Health Sciences Center. I love my job and I