Chapter 13
13
JACKSON
“ W hat the fuck do you mean you’re not interested in seeing him prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law?” Gavin demands on the other end of the phone so loudly I have to hold mine away from my ear.
I should probably be grateful that I’d participated in the latest board meeting through video call because I’m certain Gavin would have gotten violent. We had to present the auditor’s findings to the board and what it would mean for our company. They all seemed to agree with my plan to allow this to be taken care of as quietly as possible which meant working out a deal with the DA so that Langston wouldn’t see the inside of a prison.
As long as that idiot was found within a certain amount of time.
Gavin however had a strong sense of justice that needed to be satisfied and was not happy with this decision even though he’d kept his thoughts to himself during the meeting.
So I was not surprised to receive his call as soon as he meeting was over.
I knew he wouldn’t be happy about this when I told him but ultimately the decision fell on my shoulders. “With the company going public in a year the investors will be scared off at the whiff of scandal. You know how testy everyone has been lately with collapse of TechDreams.”
“We don’t have to give the appearance that we’re soft on criminals. He really fucked us over and now he deserves to go to prison. Why are you helping him? Not to mention that little weasel has skipped out of town. I say you let the DA issue a warrant and have him arrested. Like what the fuck man? I know you’re the head of the company and hold the most shares but I’ve been with you from the beginning you asshole and I deserve to have a say in the matter. I’m not just your goddamn subordinate. I thought we were friends.”
I understand I’ve pissed him off and maybe he’ll be mad at me for a long time coming but now that I’ve set myself on this course of actions, there was no turning back. But I still didn’t wish to be dismissive of his feelings.
“Look, man. I probably should have consulted you before presenting my decision to the board. It’s never my intention to make you feel like your opinion doesn’t matter. I also understand what Langston did was inexcusable but like I said to the board, in the long run it’s not going to change much if we decide to let this thing die down quietly or make sure he’s prosecuted so that he sees jail time. Either way he’s not going to get away with what he’s done. I don’t understand this hard on you have for seeing a man go to prison.”
“And I don’t see why you want to go soft on him. Maybe I care about this company so much because I helped build it and I take this shit personal. Maybe I should be asking why you want to be so lenient when this man has stolen from us.”
“He didn’t steal from us personally. He stole from the company.”
“This is our life’s blood so to me it’s the same things. Now answer the goddam question. I’ve felt something was fishy about you hiring him in the first place. You know I didn’t think he was qualified to take on the position he was hired for.”
“He’s no less qualified than some of the other executives. Just admit you never liked him.”
“Again, you’re avoiding the question.”
I sighed. I had to give him something or else he wouldn’t let this shit go. “I told you already he and I come from the same hometown.”
“Yeah you said that already but you didn’t seem to know him before you hired him.”
“But I did know his sister. She was in my grade”
“So what? Are you going to tell me you had a thing for his sister?”
“Yes.”
Gavin doesn’t answer right away.
“Are you still there?”
“You put the company at stake by hiring someone who is not only incompetent but a thief because of a fucking crush.”
“Watch your mouth. It’s more than just a crush and I don’t have to nor will I justify it to you. But I can apologize for not being upfront about it. I wanted to give Langston a shot because I believed he was up for the job. I didn’t want him to steal from us. In a way I feel responsible for this so I don’t feel right trying to make this thing bigger than it has to be.”
“I guess there’s nothing left to say then. I hope you know what your doing. Good luck with the sister. I hope it’s all worth it.”
He hangs up before I can respond.
I could hear the anger in his tone and he’s probably as pissed as he’s going to get. I’m sure he will eventually get over it. It’s probably for the best we’re in different states right now. It will give us plenty of time to cool off.
I do feel a little guilty about lying to him. I did in fact know Langston would steal. I’d been counting on it. Otherwise, my plan wouldn’t have worked.
As I told Zora, one call to the hospital and I’d know why her father was there. The mini-stroked seemed like a big deal but a cancer diagnosis was worse. It was no wonder Zora had broke down the way she did.
Again that tiny voice inside my head told me that I should feel ashamed of myself for what I’ve done. I suppose it’s my conscience but I’ve come too far to let a little thing like morals to get in the way of what I want. I’ve denied myself way too long to back down now.
Zora’s soft body in my arms was even better than I remembered. The way she moaned and wiggled beneath me had my dick so hard I could barely contain myself. I wanted to fuck her so bad but even I’m not that big a bastard. To take her when she was already at her most vulnerable would have been a despicable thing to do.
Besides, when I finally fucked her properly, I wanted to be the only thing on her mind, I didn’t want the worry of finances, her father’s health and her piece of shit brother hovering over us.
Now if we I could track Langston down, I could work something out with the D.A.
The shrill ring of the doorbell cuts through my silent musings and I frown. I’m not expecting any visitors and no one besides my assistant knows where I am. Since I’ve left Champion, it’s developed quite a bit. One of the additions to the town are a luxury condo community. I purchased one of them so I’d have a base whenever I came back to Champion because I would be damned if I stepped foot in Champion Manor voluntarily.
I made a mental note to finally get a video doorbell monitor. It had to be a neighbor because no one was allowed in the building without a key code. The only other person it could be is Zora. I left my information and how to get into the budling after I left her but I didn’t expect to hear from her so soon.
Knowing her how stubborn she is, I’m certain it will take her a few days to face the inevitable.
Whoever it is, I have no desire for company and maybe they will get tired and go away. But my mysterious visitor continued to ring the bell.
With a frustrated grunt, I stalk toward the door and open it.
I freeze when I see my visitor. I knew our paths would eventually cross when I came back to Champion, but I didn’t want that time to be now.
“Are you going to invite me in or are you going to allow your own mother to stand in the hallway like an unwanted solicitor.”
My mother is only five feet tall but in the six-inch heels she wears with inexplicable ease makes her seem larger than life. As usual there is not a hair out of place on that head that casually cascades to her shoulder. Her make up is flawless and her green silk dress I assume isn’t from off the rack, screams casual luxury.
There has never been a time when I’ve seen her as anything other than immaculate. And she happens to be the most terrifying person I know.
“You’re an uninvited guest. Why should I let you in?”
She narrows her eyes. “Do you think you’re some big shot because of that little startup you run?”
My company is on the verge of going public and it’s on course to make billions but my mother always has a way of diminishing my accomplishments. For as long as I can remember, I have done everything I could to be a good son and live up to her impossible standards, but nothing is ever good enough for this woman.
It's only when I stopped trying did, she pretends to care and even then It was her way of manipulating me to get what she wanted.
“Mother, is there a point to your surprise visit?”
“Jackson, I raised you better than this but seeing as you’re being a jackass, I’ll just invite myself in.” She pushes past me with little resistance from me because I released she wouldn’t go away otherwise.
She wanted something from me and she is like a dog with its favorite chew toy when she sets her mind on getting something she wants.
She walks into my condo with an exaggerated sneer as if she smells something particularly awful.
“I opposed these condos being built in Champion because I thought they’d be an eye sore but I suppose they suit their purpose. I didn’t think I’d ever have to step foot in one of them. They’re much smaller on the inside than I expected. I could never live here.” She shudders as if this was a fate worse than death.
“Lucky for you there’s Champion Manor for you to play Queen on the Hill.”
“Champion Manor is your birthright, not this, hole in the wall.”
“If you came here to argue about my living conditions, you can leave.”
“I don’t know what I ever did to make you so hostile toward me.”
“Even if I did have the time to rattle all the reasons off, you wouldn’t listen so I’ll spare us both.”
“I’m hosting an event next month and I’d like for you to attend. Perhaps your little company could be one of my sponsors.”
Of course, she came to visit because she wanted something and not out of concern for her only child.
“I’m pretty sure I’ll be busy then. As for getting my company to sponsor anything you’re involved in, forget it.”
“It’s for charity and I’m sure it would be a tax write off. Besides, that little friend of yours from high school will be there. She’s been asking about you. Taylor or was it Tina?”
“You mean Teagan?” Another person I had no desire to see again.
“Yes, she’s a lovely girl, it’s too bad she’s gained so much weight but I’m sure if she pushed away from the table more often she could lose it. Anyway, I expect you to be there, Jackson, this isn’t up for debate.”
And just like that I’m transported back to a time when I lived under her thumb. My mother wasn’t simply a helicopter parent she was the helicopter parent. She told me to dress, who I could be friends with, which activities I could participate in. She even instructed me how to comb my hair.
Whenever I would step out of line she found a way to make me cave in by whatever means necessary. When I was a child, she bought me a puppy. Most people would see it as a generous offer but she used that door to torture me. If I didn’t eat my vegetables, she’d threaten to put it down. If I didn’t act in a way she thought was appropriate at one of her many events she’d threaten to put it down.
Once I called her bluff when I went over to a friend’s house when she said I couldn’t. I came home to find my dead puppy on the kitchen floor. She ordered one of the maids to stab him through the heart.
I’ll never forget cleaning up the blood through my tears. After that her punishments were more sophisticated. Anything I showed interest in, she found a way to destroy it. So I let her cultivate my friend group, approve of all my girlfriends and chose who I dated.
But now she no longer had anything to hold over my head and I refused to fall in line just because she snapped her fingers.”
“You seem to be under the impression that you can order me around. I said, I won’t be there so now you’ve said what you needed to, leave.”
She swings her hand in the air but I catch it before it connects to my face.
Her eyes widen in shock. I’ve never been this firm to me before. I never needed to be because the past twelve years, I’ve mostly avoided her.
Fat tears suddenly fall down her cheeks, another tactic she’s used on me when she wasn’t getting her way. Her crocodile tears didn’t move me and in fact they filled me with disgust because I could see right through her.”
“When you’re finished, you can go.” I emphasize my point by tossing her wrist away.
“I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve you treating me this way. If your father was alive, he wouldn’t stand for it.”
My chest tightens and I clench my fists at my side. There aren’t many cards my mother has left to play but she still knows which buttons to push. “If my father was alive, he probably wouldn’t give a shit because you would just be one of his many ex trophy wives. You live this privileged lifestyle because he happened to have a heart attack before he got bored with you and moved on to the next gold digger.”
Her palm flies across my face with a resounding slap. “How dare you? I am you mother!” Her nostrils are flared, and her coloring is nearly as red as her lipstick. Her face is still unmoving because of the various fillers she’s plumped it with but the anger in her eyes that are similar to mine is clear.
I laugh, ignoring the sting on my cheek. “Something you never let me forget. Now that you’ve reminded me for the 1000 th time, you can leave. This is my property and you’re not welcome on it.”
“And here’s another reminder that you seem to have forgotten. I’m aware about the talk of your little company going public soon. What do you think would happen if potential investors find out you’re violent and a murderer. I bet…hmm, what’s that girl’s name? Melody Berkstram was it? I wonder what would happen if her family went to the media and discuss the cover up? And then there’s that poor unfortunate boy you assaulted on the night of your graduation party. I mean I guess I should take some of the responsibility for allowing that night to go unchaperoned but when the media comes knocking, I could always just say, I never expected my son to act like an animal.”
They say the one person who is supposed to love you unconditionally no matter what, your mother but mine is a completely different breed. When she doesn’t get her way, she has a way of going below the belt that would make even the most corrupt politician proud.
I have never claimed to be a perfect person, and I’ve committed many sins in my nearly thirty years on Earth. But she brings up the incidents that would have sent anyone else to prison. Incidents that still haunt me to this day.
“Just when I think you can’t stoop lower, you manage to surprise me. All this so I can come to your charity event?”
Her lips curve into what I think is a smile but looks more like a grimace. I can’t really tell because her face is like stone. “Does this mean you’ll be in attendance? Great. I will see you there. I’ll have my secretary forward you the detail. You can be my escort.”
She pats me on the cheek she’d smacked only moments ago.
My mother isn’t one to linger once she gets what she wants, she doesn’t wait for me to rely. She turns on her heels with the precision of a runway model and exit my condo.
“God, I hate her,” I mutter when the door closes behind her.
I wasn’t worried so much that she would bring my past up to the press. There were work arounds for that. But as long as she believed she was in control, she wouldn’t do anything stupid. Like going after Zora, and she would for various reasons.
And if that happened, I’d make my mother regret the day she crossed me.