GiGi

Hi LNCronan, I hope that the snippets aren’t included in the next book (with the exception of the dance club scene…sigh!). In a way, the snippets are like a tease. They are meant to garner interest in the book series and the characters. The more people that talk and blog about these characters and these books, the better it is for the author. I think that you and I and all the other ladies on this forum are a living testament to that fact. Several of us have spilled our theories about these characters and their storylines onto our family members, loved ones and best friends. Mission accomplished! Now how many more days until June 4th?

    Hi LNCronan, You just contradicted yourself. I can complete buy the fact Vidal Sr. probably sold his wife a “bill of goods†(i.e. He gave her some crap excuse about the pediatricians saying they couldn’t find any abuse) because he was paying the bills, but I don’t see Elizabeth Vidal doing that voluntarily. She was having a difficult pregnancy after all so I could see her letting her husband shoulder the responsibility for details such; the referrals, payment of specialist etc.. I state it before and I will state it again, I think it behooves Vidal Sr. to find something wrong with his step son. It would have given him the perfect ammunition to alienate him from his mother and from Vidal’s own family. • If Corinne is not a good woman it is because Gideon made her that way with all of his lies (by omission) and complete lack of honesty. • Sylvia herself said that Corinne was a good woman, so is Sylvia now lying to us as well. First we can believe her words and then we can’t. Which is it? • Once you are a student you aren’t “qualified†to practice on clients or patients. I could go into specifics as to why this is the case but I won’t bore everyone unless people want specifics. As a student this man isn’t insurable/he is still a student/regardless of it being grad school. • The list of criteria for these mental illnesses is freaking long and they completely CONTRADICT Gideon’s character traits. 90% of the world’s population fits some of the criteria of one or the other illnesses. That doesn’t make them mentally ill. You have to fit all the criteria in order to get that kind of diagnosis. Gideon didn’t exhibit even one as a child. • Psychiatry as a profession is one of the first to admit, that some professionals are eager to label patients and in doing so, patients can be misdiagnosed (which can have devastating effects) and improperly medicated. • If a child was that ill, a parent would be concerned about the potential physical harm to any other siblings. This didn’t seem to be the case for Gideon and his family. I think it will be interesting to see how much of a role Christopher Vidal Sr. played in this entire scenario and why Gideon wound up with controlling interest of Vidal records.

    Hi LNCronan, I hope Victor finds out the good old fashioned way, with his detective skills. I think that could make for some really interesting dialogue between all of the characters and it could also provide for more friction and possibly more interesting storylines. Could you just imagine the discussions? Juicy! Sigh!!

    Hi Nathalia, I hope that Victor is in the next book. If Victor does find out about his daughter’s past, I hope it is because of his good detective skills and that his radar went up on the night the detectives came to Eva’s apartment. I think that there could be some really interesting scenes between Eva and her dad, if he had to go and find out what was going on? Maybe it could bring up some of Eva’s trust issues (or lack thereof where her dad is concerned). It could also stir up some really interesting dialogue between Victor and Eva’s mother Monica. Oh to be a fly on that wall, while Monica tries to explain why she kept Victor in the dark all these years. I think it would be really interesting too to see if Victor finds out who killed Nathan and how he reacts to that. I personally think that Victor would support whoever killed the man who brutalized his daughter. Oh June 4th can’t come soon enough! :)

Hi everyone, Kirsten posted something yesterday that Sylvia had a big announcement planned for today. Does anyone know what it is? I don't follow twitter so I can't find out that way. If someone could post a respone to this, that would be great. Thanks in advance. :)

    Hi MicheleWV, I just wanted to ask what you meant when you said Eva worked him good. I am not following. If you could please explain that would be great. The Italian phrase for I Love You is “Ti Amoâ€. They are two very simple words; but packed full of meaning. I was just wondering why you would think that Gideon would say that to his friend Arnoldo first and not Eva. Most guys choke at the mere thought of expressing their emotions to one another. So I think it is an interesting concept that Gideon may have expressed his feelings someone else before the object of his affection. :)

    Hi Shycharm, I think that Gideon may very well have whispered that he loves Eva. I could totally see him whispering that because he was afraid to say it out loud. Fingers crossed! I hope so. :)

Hi FSUMom, I think that may have just been Anne Lucas. Eva described the way women reacted to Gideon in Bared To You and I think that would be an interesting character twist in the book (a red herring of sorts). I think if Anne showed up at the dinner it would be a testament to the effect that Gideon has on women he dates.

Hi LNCronan, I am not giving Elizabeth Vidal more credit than you. I am just simply willing to give her the benefit of the doubt on this one issue. I am sure that the mothers in this forum would agree that they try their best when they raise their children and yes they make mistakes. Now Elizabeth Vidal made a HORRIBLE mistake in not believing her son about the abuse. That one issue would be more than enough reason for Gideon to walk away from his mother (and never speak to her again!). Absolutely no one would blame him for that. I just don’t see Elizabeth Vidal buying that crap from a doctoral student and a pediatrician without sitting back and getting another opinion (several opinions) from specialists. Making up stories (about the abuse) and being angry doesn’t qualify a person for sociopathic or psychopathic status! Come on! All of a sudden I am expected to believe that Elizabeth Vidal is a complete idiot? Crap!! I also don’t think that she would have mentioned any of this to Gideon. None of the therapist’s claims can be supported at all! Gideon’s anger is only proof of one thing; he is ANGRY!! Anger in itself doesn’t prove any severe mental illness! He wasn’t setting the family pets on fire, or dissecting them! Again this is common sense! Surely Sylvia isn’t asking the reader to COMPLETELY SUSPEND ALL COMMON SENSE in order to believe that? I don’t buy it!!! Your theory expects that Gideon’s mother wouldn’t have gotten several opinions from other specialists about such severe mental diagnoses, that she wouldn’t have done any research about these illnesses to see for herself if her son fit the criteria and that she just would buy everything lock stock and barrel doesn’t jive.

Hi LNCronan, Did you ever think that all the snippets that Sylvia’s been releasing are “RED HERRINGS� If they are red herrings then how can they be used as part of the theory process? It is speculating on speculation. Listen, I am all for a good theory, but the theory has to make some sort of sense and this whole eviscerate Corinne because she played a dirty trick (NO: SHE DIDN’T run over Gideon’s favourite pet, KILL ANGUS-whom he seems to hold dear, etc. ) doesn’t make sense to me. Corinne played a dirty trick, that’s it!! Other than having the misfortune of falling in love with a man who didn’t love her in return, this character was basically a good woman. So really?! Maybe now would be a good time to go back and reread the books before we go back and find a tree and some rope to hang these characters from.

    Hi LNCronan, Your theory gives Corinne too much credit and Eva and Gideon’s love, not enough. Here’s something to consider: • Eva realized that she was the first and only woman that he ever invited back to his apartment-not Corinne. • Eva is the only woman that he ever slept beside-not Corinne. • Yes Gideon may have some feelings toward Corinne and that is why he isn’t reaming her out. • But Gideon realizes what Corinne has attempted to do so he uses her by allowing her to believe she may have a chance with him again. NOT!!! Punishment enough! • The biggest obstacle Gideon had was that he didn’t really love Corinne. He just couldn’t admit that to himself. • If Gideon truly loved Corinne he would have figured out a way to tell her about his past, his sleep issues, etc. • Gideon’s actions directly support that he didn’t love Corinne enough to enter into or sustain a marriage.

    Hi LNCronan, I get the whole for profit concept of this discussion; I just don’t think that Elizabeth Vidal would have taken such a serious diagnosis lightly. I think that regardless of her personal circumstances she would have responded to something like this. I think that with respect to her not believing Gideon’s abuse claims, maybe she figured that she would deal with things later on, when she was no longer pregnant, no longer had an infant to deal with….blah, blah, blah…. I also think that if Elizabeth had received such a devastating diagnosis for her child, she probably would have told someone, like a friend. I don’t think that she would have gone into specifics but I think she may have said something likeâ€My son was just diagnosed with a severe illness, I am so worried, and I don’t know what to do…†At which point I am sure that the person she confided in would have asked her if she had consulted a specialist (or two or three or four, etc.), a pediatric psychiatrist….that could help her son or that of another perspective.

    Hi LNCronan, I just wanted to clarify that Elizabeth Vidal believed the physicians in that they said they couldn’t find any visible signs of abuse. I think that is a far cry from a specialist saying “Hey your son has a severe mental illness and by the way, he is a borderline monster.†I don’t believe that Elizabeth Vidal would take that at face value. Pregnancies eventually end, she would have had the baby and then would have gone looking to see how she could help her son.She would have sought out every single specialist in US to figure out what was going on with her son. Not just a pediatrician. At some point common sense would have dictated that she would have suspected something was up and started digging.

Hi LNCronan, I was just thinking about what you said and I thought; “What is the best way for a man to get revenge?†You systematically destroy your enemy piece by piece. 1. You eliminate your enemy from having any ability to sustain an income (i.e. you get his license revoked) because he either covered up a horrific abuse case or he was the abuser. 2. You destroy his credibility by exposing his crime of abuse or his covering up of said abuse. 3. You alienate him from his friends and family. I suspect that if Anne Lucas was aware of Dr. Lucas’s involvement in Gideon’s abuse case, then I suspect that she would be running for the hills (that is if her marriage happened to survive her affair). I can also guarantee that if he was such a monster none of colleagues would have anything to do with him either. He would be a literal pariah. 4. You take away his freedom (if at all possible). If Dr. Lucas was Gideon’s abuser, it would be very easy to get him convicted. After all is said and done I would suspect that Dr. Lucas would be looking for a bridge to jump off of. One could almost that it was a fitting end for all of his deeds.

Hi LNCronan, I think that Elizabeth Vidal did coerce Christopher Vidal Sr. prior to her marriage. She probably did what most women with that type of social philosophy do; she used her s****l prowess prior to marriage. I suspect that if she were smart, she would have gotten all of these types of agreements down in writing in a legally binding way. I don’t think that Elizabeth Vidal is anyone’s fool. Quickly this issue just reminded me of what Catherine Zeta Jones did when she married Michael Douglas. She had a prenuptial agreement set up and she received a sum of four million dollars up front in case her husband was to misbehave or stray. I could seriously see Elizabeth Vidal doing something similar, so that regardless of Vidal Sr. promises, she would have some financial security. The US is notorious for its prenuptial agreements and divorce lawyers. One only need look at the Hollywood starlets and the messes they seem to make with their love lives. I suspect that Elizabeth Vidal is a highly shrewd individual who would have dotted her “I’s†and crossed her “t’sâ€. Sylvia ultimately knows, and time will tell.

    Hi LNCronan, We also have a universal education system. Every child can attend school for free until OAC or Grade 12. We used to have Grade 13, but that’s another discussion for another day. I do however know that our University systems are also the same under which they allow grad students to medically treat patients. Those things are universal and not different. Yes I can see Elizabeth Vidal letting some things slip through the cracks because she was having a difficult pregnancy but NO WAY would I believe that she would just accept such a devastating diagnosis for her kid! I think that Elizabeth Vidal would have knocked on every specialists door to get a second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth…..opinion until she found someone who could help her son. Those types of diagnoses for a child are like a physiological death sentence. I don’t care how much trouble Gideon was stirring up, there is no way that she would have allowed something like that to happen to her kid. I could however see the good Christopher Vidal Sr. buying that crap diagnosis. It would behoove the man to believe those lies, because then Vidal Sr. could justify him lying to his wife. He would have been protecting his wife from the little monster and he would have been trying to figure out a way to get rid of Gideon as soon as possible; if for no other reason than for the protection of “his†two children.

Hi everyone, I don’t care what country a person lives in. I can absolutely guarantee that medical specialists absolutely HATE it when a general physician goes ahead and diagnoses a patient with an illness when they clearly don’t have SPECIALIZED EDUCATION to do so!! They grow horns out of their heads!!! I know that for sure!!

    Hi LNCronan, What I am saying is, if any actual psychiatrist or pediatric psychiatrist took a look at Gideon’s’ records there is no way that they would support said “diagnosis†of someone of lesser educational standing. If anything that would raise HUGE RED FLAGS for the person assessing theses diagnoses. If you look at my technical theory about how a grad student can treat a patient, those rules apply all across North America. These people know that they are clearing breaking the law, but the money must have been good enough that they found it worth the risk. What I think they didn’t count on was a third party becoming involved. That third party could eventually be Gideon if he decides to pursue these matters. That’s when the real s**t storm would happen. It will be interesting to see how Sylvia will deal with these issues in the next book.

    Hi LNCronan, If this keeps up they are going to be playing a game of “Diagnosis Clue†with the man! Oh for crying out loud! If anybody took a look at his records, they’d kill themselves laughing! Then they’d be making a phone call to their healthcare regulatory body in order to lodge a complaint of professional misconduct against our dear Dr. Lucas and that lovely grad student. Sigh! Dr. Lucas is selling this pile of crap to Eva because she weak and emotionally vulnerable and I suspect that he senses that. That is his modus operandi. He wouldn't dare open his mouth to his colleagues because that would raise HUGE RED FLAGS!!! So he quietly picks at the people who surround Gideon and hopes to poison their minds against him. That's how he gets his revenge. Afterall Dr. Lucas is a doctor and many people believe without question what a doctor would say. Sigh! I am just so glad that Eva isn't one of those people.

Hi LNCronan, I just wanted to clarify a few quick points. In Canada, a person with a Master’s degree doesn’t have the legal ability or the educational ability to diagnose a child with such a severe mental illness (I am sure that the US has very similar if not exactly the same laws). I am sure that yes, they can clinically treat said with talk therapy but quite frankly Gideon wouldn’t have been seen with someone with such low qualifications. The grad student also couldn’t legally diagnose Gideon or even offer his opinion. He was already breaking the law by treating someone; whom he had no qualifications to do so and wasn’t in the prescribed setting (i.e. University Clinic). In order to become a physiatrist, a person has to be a medical doctor first and then has to continue on into a specialty such as psychiatry for an additional; four year or six year university education and hospital rotation. You must be a medical doctor in order to understand just exactly how medications affect other organ systems in the body etc. It is also really important thing to remember that psychiatrists are giving people medications that; if not administered correctly could cause devastating effect on the person and population at large. If Gideon were that mentally ill, he WOULDN’T be seen by a psychologist. Period! AS I stated before, I think that Dr. Lucas’ pseudo diagnosis of Gideon wouldn’t have stood up in front a medical review board and he most likely would have lost his license. • You mentioned Dr. Lucas’ qualifications: He would have been mandated to refer Gideon to the appropriate specialist or could have faced losing his license. You don’t send a patient needing a heart operation to a general physician…you send them to a heart surgeon. • As far as the paper trail is concerned, the government isn’t allowed nor is any doctor (regardless of the specialty) allowed to disclose ANY information about a patient. That also INCLUDES if said person is a patient of that office, etc. • Obtaining those types of records are next to impossible, even if a patient dies. Their files are still protected.

Hi LNCronan, I read your posting and I think that Elizabeth Vidal had more pull then we may be giving her credit for. I highly doubt that it would be ok for Christopher Vidal Sr. to donate a "majority" of his wealth to a charity if Elizabeth Vidal had anything to say about it. She has an incredible standing with this man and the courts. She has born him two heirs, plus a step-son for which I am absolutely sure that she would have nailed him down before the marriage to be provided for. I know many wealthy people and the majority of them have primarily left their vast fortunes to their children/grandchildren etc. Yes it is true that many of them have left vast sums of money to their favourite charities, but it certainly isn't the bulk of their estate. I think that Elizabeth Vidal approached the marriage like any person would negotiating a contract. She made sure that her needs, and the needs of ALL her children were met. Otherwise it wouldn't make sense for her to stay in the marriage. She could easily have divorced the "bum" and gotten at least half of his estate through a divorce settlement, alimony, and child support. If you also factor in Gideon's abuse, Elizabeth Vidal could potentially have ruined Vidal Sr. financially. I don't doubt for a second that Elizabeth would have used her difficult pregnancy as a sympathy tool and maybe even her husbands' cover-up of the abuse. Bye bye money, bye bye wife and bye bye custody of his children.

    Hi LNCronan, I read your posting and I just wanted to clarify, that if Christopher Vidal Sr. died first, then his wife would be the sole beneficiary and as such when Elizabeth Vidal died, the estate would have been divided three ways. I also suspect that before Elizabeth Vidal married Christopher Sr. she would have made sure that documents were drawn up to ensure that "her" child was also taken care of. For as desperate as Elizabeth Cross may have been at the time somehow I don't think that she would have been that short sighted as to completely neglect Gideon. Let's remember that Elizabeth Vidal was/is a very beautiful woman and quite frankly I think she could have had a few options for marriage (even with dire circumstances).

    Hi AMC, I hope it is ok that I jump in here with a quick response. I think that if Gideon knew Magdalene as a child, it was probably through his mother. When the mothers would get together they would bring their children along. I found that often happened in my childhood. My mother would get together with one of her friends and she would take me along with her. The assumption was that I would play with the other lady's children.

Hi LNCronan, I just wanted to clarify a few points with your posting. • No child who comes from a wealthy family necessarily has money. Some kids have trust funds that are “given†to them when they reach a certain age. So in that respect Gideon would have been just like every other rich kid. A kid with rich parents. • If Magdalene didn’t want to hang out with Gideon while they were at school, the that would give Gideon very good reason why he never wanted to date her…â€If she never liked me at school, then why would I give her the time of day now?†• Magdalene most likely went to a private all girls’ school. • Regardless of whom his mother married, Gideon is still the son of Elizabeth Vidal and as such would be entitled to one third of her entire estate. Period! Regardless of whether Vidal Sr. ever left in the will, it would be a moot point. He would be included in her will. • If Magdalene were disloyal to Gideon in his childhood, then I am absolutely sure that Gideon wouldn’t give her the time of day now.

    Hi everyone, MrsCrossfire makes a good point about whether Trey and Magdalene are tied. I wonder whether Magdalene had any self respect to begin with. I think that Trey lost his self respect when he continued to date and have sex with Carey after he found out about the cheating. He wanted Carey to be someone he’s not. I guess the real question is what is more pathetic; the person who is hoping to change someone or the person who is waiting for a person to notice and accept them? Both scenarios are incredibly sad.