“But I thought you wanted a divorce?” Stefan reminded.
Martha shook her head. “Yeah I did, but I didn’t want him to die,” she said.
“I don’t know mom. If you stopped disturbing him about the divorce, maybe he wouldn’t have suffered from a heart attack. It’s all on you, and now you’re crying. Wipe your tears; your wish has been granted,” Stefan said, as he jumped to his feet.
“How dare you accuse me of your father’s death?” Martha asked.
Stefan remained silent and walked back into the house, heading to his bedroom. Getting there, he rushed to his vault to take out some Indian hemp. He wanted to run away from his present state of mind. To him, smoking was the best way to achieve this. It took him to a galaxy where he couldn’t worry about anything or anyone.
Judy King arrived at the house a few hours after her brother had been pronounced dead. She was his only sibling. Her short pixie haircut and her chin dimple gave away her resemblance to her late brother. She motioned to Stefan’s room and walked in without stopping to knock on the door. “Is it true?” she asked, as she spotted him sitting on the Persian rug that lay at the middle of the room.
“Yes, he’s dead,” Stefan replied. He held a bottle of scotch in one hand and a stick of Indian hemp in the other. His long hair fell forward, covering his teary eyes and pale face. “The paramedics said he must have died from a heart attack.”
Judy walked over and sat beside him. “I knew his blood pressure was high during these last few weeks, but it wasn’t so serious to cause his death.” She reached for the stick in his hand and smoked it. “I don’t think he died from a heart attack. Someone killed him.”
“Don’t you dare corrupt my son’s mind,” yelled Martha, as she walked into the room. She had followed Judy from the moment she entered the house. “You know how Stefan relates to violence, he would want to avenge his father’s death even though deep down he knows his father wasn’t murdered.”
Judy handed the stick back to Stefan and jumped on her feet. She stared daggers at Martha for a long minute, as though she had something to say to her. Then she left the room and headed straight to her brother’s study. She was the only person Julian could share his problems. Miguel was his second option, but he needed someone who wouldn’t judge or condemn him. And Judy was the perfect friend. She knew everything about him, so the thought of him dying from a stroke was hard to fathom.
She found her way to Julian’s study and headed straight to the book shelves. Glancing around as though she was searching for a particular book, she pulled out a set of books. Behind these books was a vault, similar to Stefan’s vault but bigger. She knew the combination of the lock, turning it clockwise and anti-clockwise before she heard a clicking sound. She opened it and reached for the brown envelope inside.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Martha asked, barging into the study.
“I’m sorry Martha I don’t have the time or energy for you tonight. I’ve got a meeting in LA tomorrow and I need to be there. You should focus on mourning your late husband,” she replied, and walked out of the room, nudging Martha by her shoulder. Martha could sense something strange, but she couldn’t place her hands on exactly what it was. Her late husband had never told anyone the combination to the lock of his vault, but yet, Judy opened it like it wasn’t her first time.
Martha reached for his desk in the room and checked the drawers for any information that would reveal the contents in the envelope, but couldn’t find anything. She became worried.
* * *
Sandra escorted Ben to his car and dropped a Nike sports bag in the front seat. “Do remind him to take his morning pills, but he should eat before taking them,” she said.
“All right, I’ll tell him though I know you’ll still call him once I’m gone,” he replied, smiling.
“Very funny, drive safe,” she said, and kissed him.
That morning, she had a few backlogs of book reviews and guest posts on her blog, so she couldn’t drop by the hospital to visit Eric. It was over a week he’d been admitted. The cast on his leg had been removed and he was looking to get rid of the collar within two weeks. She needed to stay home and respond to the long emails from her writers and readers.
As Ben drove out of the street, she walked over to the house opposite hers and knocked on the door. “Oh, hello,” Raphael greeted, as he opened the door. “Please come in,” he added.
Sandra refused. “I don’t think that’ll be necessary,” she said. “I only stopped by to thank you for everything you’ve done in the past few weeks. Ben wasn’t in town when Eric was involved in the fight, but you came to the rescue. You took Jessica to her dance classes, you always stopped by the house or the hospital to check on me, and most importantly, you donated your blood for my boy because of the shortage at the blood bank. I am truly grateful.”
“It’s okay. You’d have done the same for me and my girls. Moreover, I take Eric and Jess like my own. I’m happy Nicholas and his friends have been suspended from school. They deserve much worse, if you ask me,” he replied.
“The most important thing is my baby is recovering and should be discharged pretty soon,” she said. “The girls are in school right?”
“Yeah, they missed the bus so I had to drop them off,” he replied. “Are you sure you don’t want to come in? Remember you promised me a visit? And I don’t think you standing outside the door of my house can be classified as one.”
Sandra smiled. “All right, I’ll just stay for a few minutes. Only a few minutes,” she stated.
“That’s okay with me.” He led her to the living room and offered her a glass of wine. He made certain he opened the wine in front of her, because he didn’t want to giveaway any nasty impression. He liked her, but he wasn’t obsessed. He wanted her to feel the same way for him without any form of persuasion. From the moment he arrived in Sandville, he noticed how her husband had little time for her, and he knew she needed attention – a lot of it.
“So what do you do when the girls are away? Like how do you maintain the mortgage in this house? Or the rent?” Sandra asked, looking around the master piece that was his living room. Starting from the wine drapes that fell at far ends of the room to the beautiful wall patterns and the aquarium tank that stood at one corner of the room; the décor in his living room was breathtaking. And Sandra admired it. She could probably steal one or two ideas from it.
“I own a graphic design company. We help produce posters, banners, business cards and many more for businesses and celebrities. Have you heard of PR Inspired?” he said.
“Oh yeah, they did a cover design for a book I reviewed. Is that your company?” she asked.
“Yeah, that’s the one.” He smiled.
“I loved it, great job. And you mean you own the company?” she asked.
“Yeah, I’m the founder and CEO of the company. Well, my wife and I founded the company, but as you know she passed away,” he replied.
“I’m really sorry about that.”
“It’s all right,” he said. “Anyways, tell me a bit about this blogging thing I hear you’re into.”
She took a glimpse of the time on the wall and jumped to her feet. “I’m sorry, that’ll have to be a discussion for another day. I’ve got a meeting online in about five minutes,” she said. She stretched her hand for a friendly handshake, but Raphael refused. He pulled her closer to him and wrapped his arms around her to the point that her chest fell on his. She trembled. “You know I’m married, why do you keep doing this?” she said.
“I’m only trying to find out if a part of you still feels something for me,” he replied.
“And?”
“Still a work in progress,” he said smiling, and released her from his embrace. She shook her head and didn’t say another word to him, as she walked out of the front door and headed to home. As for Raphael, he felt good and somewhat excited. She had stated she was married, but not happily married. This alone could be the key to ma
king her fall for him.
Chapter Eight
On a cold winter evening, Luke walked into the hospital room to check up on his friend. He found Jessica sitting beside the bed and playing with her phone, whilst Eric laid on his the bed staring at the LED screen that hung opposite him. “Hey, what’s up?” Luke greeted. “Jessica, you should probably head home. I’ll keep him company until your mom arrives.”
Jessica looked over at her brother. “Yeah, it’s fine. I’ll be okay,” Eric said. He watched his sister pick up her school bag and leave the room. She often stopped by the hospital to spend some time with him, even though they would hardly hold a long conversation. She believed it was her duty as his only sister to be around him whilst he recovered. Eric glanced at Luke. “How’s school today?” he asked.
“It was all right, not the same without you though. Blair really misses you,” he said.
Eric blushed. “Did she tell you?"
“No, but it’s obvious. She keeps looking at your chair hoping you’d return to class soon. She doesn’t chat with the dudes in the class, except me, and when we do we barely hold a convo. Emma, who would have been the one to keep her company, is mostly with Stefan ever since his father passed away.”
“Are you serious? Julian King is dead. What happened?” Eric asked.
“Oh I thought you’d have heard about it. Jessica didn’t tell you?” Luke said.
“Nah, she mostly talks about her relationship with Antonio. Though she once mentioned that Stefan approached her in the hospital. That’s about it,” he replied.
“Okay. Well, the funeral will be in a few weeks. I heard he died of a heart attack, some say a stroke. Poor Stefan. Even though I dislike him more than anyone in school, I wouldn’t wish death on anyone’s family.” Luke reached for the bag he brought and handed Eric a pack of chips, ring doughnuts and a can of soda. He knew Sandra wouldn’t buy her son junk food, especially when recovering, so he decided to fulfill his friend’s desires. That was the least he could do.
As the two friends ate and chatted, Blair walked into the room with a novel in her hand. “Oh hey, what a surprise,” Eric said, smiling. “I thought you’d forgotten me.”
“No, I haven’t. It’s not easy seeing you in this condition,” she confessed. She noticed his friend in the room. “Hey Luke, wasn’t expecting to see you here. I thought you were having piano lessons tonight?”
“Yeah, I am, but I took a rain check. Besides, I already know how to play the piano,” Luke replied.
“Oh okay.” Blair glanced at Eric. “Has the doctor said anything about discharging you?” she asked.
“Yeah, most likely next week, as you can see, the cast on my leg is gone. So how’s Emma? I hear she’s now friends with Stefan?”
“Hmm, kinda… I think she feels sad for what happened to him. I don’t know what’s going on in her head, but I hope she’s doing the right thing by hanging around him. Stefan is bad news.”
“I’m sure everything will be okay. What’s the worst that could happen?”
“Oh no, you shouldn’t have asked?” Luke advised.
“Why what happened?” he replied.
“Last week, a senior accused Stefan of impregnating her, and I don’t want that for my sister,” Blair said. She handed the book in her hand over to him. “Here, I know you’d love this. It’s a romance thriller. It’s really intense and has loads of suspense.”
“Thanks, I’ll get started with it tonight,” he replied.
Sandra entered the room and found her son with his two friends. She had filled his sports bag with his dinner, fruits and more novels to read. Every now and then, Eric offered to help her review some of her writers’ books. He was an avid reader and loved diving into different stories and reading about diverse characters. He hoped one day he would publish a book, but for now he stuck to reading and occasionally writing.
“Hey guys, how’s he been?” Sandra asked Luke and Blair.
“Mom, I’m right here you know,” Eric replied. “I’ve been good. Is Jessica home?”
“Yeah, she is with your father.” She noticed the empty packs of junk food beside his bed and shook her hand. “Thanks Lucas, I believe those are from you,” she said, pointing at the empty packs. Then she tossed them into the waste bin and placed her homemade food beside his bed. “It’s getting late you two. I think you should head home. I’ll take it from here.”
“Yeah, my mom’s right. Luke, please take Blair home and for my sake, try to hang out with her more often. I don’t want her to be by herself in school, especially now that Emma’s gone MIA,” Eric said.
“All right, not a problem. Get well soon bro,” Luke gestured, and Eric nodded back.
“Take care of yourself and I’ll see you soon,” Blair said. As they left Eric and his mother in the room and walked to Luke’s car, Blair pulled Luke to the side and asked, “Does he know you spend time with me these days?”
“No, and I don’t think we should tell him until he’s been discharged,” Luke replied.
“Are you sure? I don’t want you two to have any problem because of me,” she said.
“I’m sure, and we’ll be fine,” he said, as they arrived at his car. Luke felt informing Eric on matters with Blair would ruin the relationship he’d been building with Blair for the past few weeks. Even though he was the reason Eric laid in the hospital in the first instance, it didn’t seem to affect his conscience. He was more interested in spending quality time with Blair.
* * *
Blair rang the doorbell of her house and waited for a few minutes before Raphael appeared. He held a slice of pizza in one hand and his smart phone in the other. “Yes, just the lady I was hoping to see,” he said, as she walked into the house. “Wait, where are your keys?”
“I must have left them in my other purse,” she said, grimacing.
“Oh okay. Do you have any idea where your sister is? I assumed you two were together, but seeing you alone has raised my curiosity. Where did she go?” he said.
“I don’t know. I left her at home when going to the mall a few hours ago. Then I stopped by the hospital to see Eric, and came back home,” she said.
“How’s he?” he asked.
“He’s good. The doctor says he should be out in no time,” Blair replied. “So Emma didn’t tell you where she was going? That’s strange.”
“Yeah, tell me about it. Let’s just wait it out. Sandville is a very safe city and I’m sure she would be home pretty soon,” he said. “And yeah, I called her cell phone. It’s turned off.”
“Maybe her battery died. You know how the blackberry batteries are right?” she said.
“Yeah. Sure. Come have a look at the design I created for your uncle’s factory,” he said, stretching his smart phone towards her.
She took it and glanced at the picture for a short minute. Then she smiled and returned the phone. “It’s nice,” she said, nodding.
“Just two words Blair?” He sighed. “I really need Emma,” he grumbled, strolling back to the living room where he’d been watching a movie. He invited Blair to stay with him and enjoy the movie, but she declined as always and went to her room. Emma was the one who often hung out with him.
An hour later, Raphael was still in the living room when he saw a set of headlamps flash across his eyes. He jumped to his feet and headed for the front door. The light was so bright that the car had to be parked in his yard. As he opened the front door, he saw Emma jumping out of a coal-black Range Rover. She tottered to the front door and walked past her father as though he was invisible.
“Hey young lady, where do you think you’re going?” he asked.
“My room,” she replied and headed for the staircase.
“Don’t you dare walk out on me, Emma Elizabeth Milton,” he yelled. She paused at the foot of the stairs and turned back to look at him. Her eyes and cheeks were flushed. Her lip gloss had faded and her hair was held with a clip.
“What do you want from me?” she said
.
As he approached her, he could sense the smell of alcohol and Marijuana around her body. He’d sensed it when she walked past him, but decided to edge towards her in an attempt to perceive the odor again. “What have you been doing Emma? And where are you coming from? I need you to be honest with me,” he said.
“I went to a friend’s place Dad, and we hung out for a while. Can I go now?” she said,
“Is that why you reek of alcohol? Emma what have I told you about drinking? First and foremost, you’re not old enough to be drinking. Second, you could get arrested for the first.” Raphael paused to think. “Who’s this friend of yours?” he added.
“You don’t need to know every single one of my friends dad,” she replied.
“I need to know this one,” he stated. His face was turning red in anger. He’d expected better from his daughter. He cleared his throat and said, “You’re grounded for a month.”
“What?” she yelled causing Blair to storm out of her room.
“Yes, one month, and if you don’t tell me who your friend is, it’s going to get a lot worse,” Raphael said.
“What could be worse than a month indoors?” She walked out on him and nudged her sister by the arm as she passed her on the staircase. She entered her room and fell to the ground; her eyes pooled with tears. A month indoors would mean she wouldn’t get to spend time with Stefan. She couldn’t bear the thought as she cried on her wooden floor.
Chapter Nine
It was a cold morning at Edmund & Bale Publishing Inc. Ben Michelson sat behind his office desk as he stared at the ceiling. The cup of coffee in front of him had grown cold over the last couple of minutes, and his computer screen remained switched off as though he hadn’t resumed work for the day. He wore a grimace on his face that could only mean something bad had happened. Michelle, his friend, walked into his office. “Hey, I just heard about what happened. Are you all right?” she asked.
Ben nodded. “Do I have a choice?” he said. “It’s either I pretend to be fine with the board’s decision or I write my resignation letter.”
“Don’t be like that Ben. There must have been a mistake somewhere, because you’re one of the most hardworking men I’ve ever met.”