Authors: Sylvia Hubbard
Thomas had involved himself in investments outside of the country and the last thing on his mind was a bastard in Chicago. The child was left in foster care then lost in the system. Last thing they were able to pull up was that the child had run away from the last foster home.
No other news had come about her.
He blamed himself for all of it. Thomas could not imagine what this girl must feel for her parents about now. Many told him to give up, but he kept hope that she would be alive and willing to forgive a man who was stupid, young and had not realized the power of carrying on his blood line until it was too late.
“Don’t beat yourself up anymore, Thomas. If she’s out there Heart will find her. He said he received positive leads in Sante Fe, Dallas and Toronto. He plans to check them all out with a fine tooth comb and get back to us,” Thaddeus assured the older man.
“I know this.” Thomas sat across from Thaddeus noticing the his vodka and coke Thomas had made had not been touched. “You still on that trip?”
Thaddeus patted his chest. “I will continue to be on this trip as long as I have this scar to remind me about the errors of drinking.”
He had been once, so consumed with alcohol it had made him blind to see how devious Nicole really was.
“Suit yourself.” He picked up the drink and took a swig. “Now who’s beating themselves up? I say go whoop her ass for getting you to do it.”
“Right about now, I really don’t want to think of Nicole. I plan to stay far away from her and her kind.”
“I noticed you’ve been staying out of the social circle.”
“Trying my best. Mother invited me to Europe this summer, but I plan to decline.”
“Why is that? You’ve always jumped at chances to spend time with your mother.”
“I have business in Detroit.” He smirked secretively.
“Fash, you can do business anywhere... why the hell are you smiling like that?” He then chuckled. “I guess you can’t do that everywhere if it’s only in Detroit.”
Thaddeus flushed. “Quite true, but not just that. I’ve met an extremely interesting woman who I find enjoyable to speak with. She’s not like others. She's pleasant.”
“Odd. Never thought I would hear you speak of females as pleasant. She must be ugly.”
“No Cleopatra, but far from breaking mirrors with a little help.”
“A little help?”
“With the right incentive.”
“That must be a treat. Female friends are hard to come by with a status like us, Thaddeus. If she’s a gem, keep her.”
“I plan to.” He stood up. “I’d like to shower before dinner.”
“Go ahead. Your room is always ready.”
Thaddeus went up the stairs of the large colonial home. This house had been in Thomas’ family since after the Civil War. Thomas loved the house, but his business took him all over the world so he hardly enjoyed it, except on his birthday weekend, which all his closest friends gathered for a grand celebration on the weekend near his birthday, coming next weekend. The weekend prior to his birthday was time spent with Thaddeus for his unknown daughter’s birthday and for people who showed up early. No one questioned why he celebrated a birthday for a daughter he had never known. He was wealthy and allowed to have his quirks.
Thaddeus had spoke to Fats and informed him he wouldn’t be needing to be serviced by the woman next weekend, but to keep her to himself, he would still have to pay for that time slot.
He knew this was fine with Craig, and if it wasn’t he would pay for it out of his own pocket.
Even now as he undressed to get comfortable, he found that he missed her presence. Disturbing his thoughts was his pager going off. Looking at the screen he read, “8 New E-mails.” Hooking up his laptop, he downloaded them and realized they were from Skye. He replied to her last one, “Thank you for your prompt services. I hope they weren’t too tiresome to transcribe.”
Sending the e-mail he wondered if she would reply back with friendliness or just ignore another chance to talk to him. Before he went to bed that night, he did check his e-mail one more time. Skye had written him back.
“Compared to the foreign doctors I usually get from my other accounts, I go through yours like a paddle in the water. Although, you shouldn’t work so late. I can tell when you get tired because you begin to slur your words. I hope Florida treats you well.”
He wrote back. “It’s beautiful down here. Have you ever been to Florida?”
When he awoke the next morning he was surprised she had written back. “I haven’t been two steps away from Davenport, Ohio since I was young except to come to Detroit. I miss the small city, but last night was my first night out in the city since I’ve been here and will honestly tell you, it was a pretty good experience of city life I’ve yet to discover. You are so blessed you can travel so easily. I think on a traveling tip, I’d like to see Europe, but not by myself. What’s to enjoy if you have no one to share the experience with. Oh dear, I’ve talked too much : )”
The e-mail ended there. Talked too much?. He enjoyed knowing that little bit about her.
Picking up the receiver, he dialed her number surprised he remembered it off the top of his head, yet he knew if he got it wrong he would end up calling Trisha, which he wanted to avoid.
“Hello,” she answered.
“Good morning. Am I calling too early for you?”
There was a hesitant pause, then she said, “Oh no, I enjoy calls at seven am. I take it you are a morning person, Mr. Newman.”
He chuckled at her sarcasm. “Were you up?”
“I was but not out of bed. I love waking up and just listening to the morning, meditating to myself, and being grateful at the opportunity to experience a new day. Have you ever done that?”
“Not of late. Usually I’m trying to get everything done by noon to enjoy the morning.”
“You should try it once in a while. You might be surprised what it can do to your whole self being.” She sounded relaxed.
There was no doubt in his mind that she was still in bed and there was this overwhelming urge to jump on the next plane and join her. “Listen to the morning? Don’t you mean look at it?”
“No. Just lie in the bed and breathe. Close your eyes and focus on the noises outside or in the house. You’d be surprised what a good state of mind you’ll be in when you get to the middle of the day. Especially if it’s stressful, which I’m sure yours is.”
He considered it, but wondered what she would think if he asked her to join him one morning. Thaddeus decided not to mention this wicked thought. “I might try it. Tomorrow as a matter of fact and let you know if there was any difference.”
“Good. Why don’t you call me back then but not so early, so I can finish enjoying mine?”
Thaddeus hung up the phone in a fitful of laughter. It tickled him immensely to know Skye had a silly sense of humor. Thomas knocked quietly, and then opened the door. “Your mystery lady?”
“Far from it. She’s the new woman I enjoy talking to and also one of my contract employees. I’ll tell you again she’s quite engaging. You’d certainly enjoy tangling minds with her, Thomas. I will invite her next year definitely.”
“How do you know you will know her that long?”
“I intend to know Ms Patterson for a very long time.”
“That sure of yourself? Fash, then, how ‘bout Christmas if you find her that engaging cause I must definitely meet her then.”
“Yes, my company’s Christmas party should be perfect for the event.”
One of the housemaids came from downstairs and passed Thomas a note. Once he read it, he immediately frowned in distress.
“What is it?” Thaddeus asked concerned.
Thomas crumpled the paper in agony sighing. “Agatha Washington died last week. Her lawyers would like me to come to her will reading this afternoon.”
“This afternoon? What about the gala?”
“I should be back in time. Would you like to come with me? Moral support?”
Thaddeus shrugged. “I feel I’d be in the way, but you know I’d stand by your side hell or high water, Thomas.”
The older man smiled, “Good. Let me get details and then we’ll go from there.”
“I’ll call Trisha to reschedule some phone meetings and be right down.”
Chapter 13
Entering the small offices of Newborn, Washington, and Fields, Thaddeus paid attention to the eyes that on him. He knew his size was impressive and he was far from being self conscious about it anymore.
Lester Newborn, one of the law firm’s partners, greeted them with a solemn smile. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Thomas. I’ve heard a lot about you, but to my surprise, Agatha never spoke of you. I know of you from other sources impressed with your investment skills.”
“Agatha and I didn’t part on good terms,” Thomas admitted regretfully.
Thaddeus snorted knowing the truth. Thomas nudged him in the ribs. Lester gestured for them to follow him. Thaddeus whispered in Thomas ear. “I thought she was a dancer.”
Thomas replied under his breath. “She paid her way through law school. I didn’t say she was an idiot. She was a very rich vindictive bitch of a lawyer.”
“I was wondering why she didn’t try to take you for child support.”
“Hell, her family was filthy rich. I was the one, because my father disowned me because of my involvement with her. He couldn’t stand the family.”
“Like Romeo and Juliet?”
“Close to it, but Romeo decided to heed his father’s advice and leave Juliet alone pregnant with child and Juliet decided never to speak to Romero again and cursed his name for the rest of her life.”
Entering a conference room that sat twelve, five other people were gathered. Lester went over to an elderly man and whispered something to him, then nodded at Thomas who approached them. Thaddeus stayed back near the door not wanting to intrude on the family that was now gathering around Thomas.
Newborn introduced Thomas to Clay Parsons, Agatha’s fifth and last husband, Darlene Parson, Evelyn Cross, and Emmit Powell, her children all below the ages of twenty-two Darlene being with the youngest at twenty.
To Thaddeus, Agatha seemed like a woman who was never satisfied. Her parents had been Edith and Edward Patterson-Washington who owned Ethanol processing centers in Brazil and large cornfields and potato farms about the size of Connecticut in the middle of Idaho. Bored of the farm life, Agatha had immediately left and moved to Chicago, shunning her own family’s wealth to put herself through school. When Thomas met her, he had heard rumors that she had babies before meeting him, but he was so mesmerized by her beauty that he had ignored what his frat brothers' warning. After their separation and giving up their child, Agatha married someone else. It wasn’t that Thomas’ parents were trying to control their son. It was the fact that Agatha had a vicious way of burning bridges and derived some sick pleasure out of treating people like shit. Which is why she never kept one husband. Most of the ex’s didn’t even care about alimony, they just wanted out of the relationship as fast as possible.
No one was familiar with Thomas, except Clay who didn't like him very must. The mousy-looking, thin frame man was rather brusque saying out loud, “I don’t even know why she invited you, she detested you greatly, sir.”
“Love and hate are almost the same,” Thomas rebutted. “Some people don’t know the difference.”
That shut him up pretty quick and even the others looked at Thomas now with some wariness. They had heard Agatha saying the same thing all the time.
Newborn called the meeting to order, insisting everyone sit down so they could start the proceedings. “I will now start the reading of the will for Agatha Evelyn Patterson-Washington Powell Cross Parson.”
Thaddeus half listened more interested in watching Thomas react to everything. The man was perfectly relaxed as Newborn read out what her children would receive, then her husband and her law partners. Thaddeus also noted confusion on some of the children’s faces and even Clay’s face.
Clay decided to speak up. “My wife was worth over seventy million dollars. She owned a huge amount of large properties over half you’ve only mentioned. I don’t understand what is to be left with the rest of the properties unless this asshole has something to do with it.”
“You know your own, Clay?” Thomas asked seething.
Clay stood up. Newborn shouted his name before something ghastly popped out his mouth. “Please Mr. Parson, sit down. All will be known in due time.”
Clay huffed under his breath. Darlene tried to quietly calm her father down, but her eyes could not stop wondering to the dark handsome stranger in the corner who had come with Thomas.
“At this time it is instructed by Agatha to stop the will reading and to read out loud a letter she prepared two days before her death.” He reached into a large manila envelope and pulled out a pink smaller envelope.
“I would like you, Clay, to verify this is your wife’s familiar stationary and that the seal is not broken and the signature underneath the seal is Agatha’s true handwriting.”
Clay took the envelope smelling it, closing his eyes taking a whiff of his wife’s essence still present in the seams of the parchment.
Without even looking it over, he knew it belonged to his Agatha. “I verify.” He handed the envelope back.
Newborn broke the seal and took out a two-page letter.
Thomas,