Chapter 20I’ll save him the trip.
Chapter Twenty
I’LL SAVE HIM THE TRIP.
“Holy shit. I’ll have to remember you aren’t wrapped too tightly when you are crossed.” Frank whistled as Emmanuel brought him up to date on some ideas he had to get, even with Leonardo.
“What can I say? He almost cost me Ivy.” Emmanuel shook his head, as if to ward off the thought.
“Yes, it’s true, but brother dearest certainly picked the wrong one. Especially considering your many resources.”
“To whom much is given, much is required. As far as I understand, that is the way the verse goes.”
“I am certain that verse wasn’t written to give you a carte blanche to exact retribution. However, from what I heard so far, while menacing, nothing you have planned is illegal. We will walk through the steps of the acquisitions to make sure they remain on the right side of the law.”
Emmanuel had already forwarded him all the paperwork he had received from Darsh. The files were extensive. It wouldn’t take Frank long to go through them. The man was a beast. Not only would he speed read through the information, but he also wouldn’t miss a detail. It’s likely he'll catch something to help put everything together. Emmanuel was glad to have him on board.
Ivy came in search of them. Emmanuel hadn't realized how long they'd been gone. “What have you guys been up to?”
“I’ve just been bringing Frank up to speed,” he answered.
Walking over to her, he kissed her temple. “Everything good out there?”
“Not really. Our children are waging war over what to order for dinner.”
“I thought you put out snacks?”
“Yes, but it was mainly finger food. Honestly, I think they just miss eating a meal as a family. However, it isn’t stopping them from arguing about what to order. The three of them can’t agree. We have camps Sushi, Chinese, and Pizza.”
“Hm, I could go for some Thai,” Frank added. He could be as bad as the kids.
“Oh, Frank, you better not start,” Ivy admonished.
“It’s fine. I’ll go out there and the kids and I will order. It’s my treat.” Frank waved them off as he left them in Manny’s office.
“You know he’s just going to order everything they want. Don’t you?”
“It’s okay Doc. Let them celebrate.”
“I guess we have a lot to be grateful for.”
Emmanuel pulled her, so she was in his embrace. “Yes, we do.”
“I’m looking forward to us falling asleep in our bed tonight.”
Emmanuel’s arms tensed around her at her declaration.
“Manny, you are coming back home, aren’t you?”
“Yes, but can we hold off until tomorrow night?” Before his question was completely out, Ivy went stiff in his arms. Her answer didn’t come right away. Emmanuel was beginning to think she wouldn’t answer at all.
Coughing, she cleared her throat, before she answered, “um sure.”
She moved to pull out of his embrace, but he held her firm.
“Doc.” It was one word, but it held so much meaning. It was a plea of understanding. Yeah, Emmanuel should have been jumping at the chance to return home, but he wasn’t ready.
“Sure. I said sure, didn’t I?” He could hear the hurt in her voice. “I get it,” Ivy added, worrying her bottom lip.
He was certain she most certainly didn’t get it. While he wasn’t ready to voice his avoidance of returning home, they’d been through too much to let anything else come between them.
Emmanuel released his hold but only to cup her face. “No, you don’t get it. I promise you. This has nothing to do with you. With us. You and I, Doc, are beyond solid.”
“So why don’t you want to come back home?” Her voice broke, and it was then he realised she was holding back tears. “Are you mad at me?”
“No, like I said, we are solid.” He kissed her forehead, then bent his head and rested his forehead on hers. Emmanuel closed his eyes as he made the omission that he would have preferred to stay locked up inside him. “When I left this house. The only reason I did it was because I had faith that it would be temporary. It was obvious who I was. There was no doubt in my mind about it. Until now, I’ve never had one before.” While he spoke, Emmanuel’s hands dropped to his side. “I’m struggling to return home to you because, for the first time in my life, I do not have a fucking clue who I really am. My whole life is a lie. The deception runs deep, and I suspect that it’s deeper than we can even begin to imagine.”
Now it was Ivy who grasped his face in her soft, warm hands. “Yeah, I know Baby. No matter what has happened or will happen. Despite everything, you will always be the amazing man I met and fell in love with. You are an amazing husband, father, friend, son, and CEO. You are Emmanuel Campbell Scott, and you are my everything, and we will get through this.” Hearing Ivy say it made it all seem so simple. It wasn’t, but like she said, they’d get through this.
“Tonight, when I get back to the condo, I will pack, and tomorrow I’ll move back home.”
“Sounds like a plan. Let’s go see how dinner plans are coming.”
In contrast to the shitstorm Emmanuel had been experiencing lately, dinner was a welcome respite. It was a great night full of laughter. The only blip was when Sage found out that her dad wasn’t spending the night after all. Emmanuel had assured his little girl in two days he would be home when she returned from her trip. He’d promised Ivy that he would come home the next night. She had planned a welcome home dinner for the two of them.
So why couldn’t he get out of the fucking car? Emmanuel was parked in front of their home. His bags were in the back seat. The last thing he wanted to do was let Ivy down. Yet he couldn’t bring himself to get out of the car and move back in. It was a tough decision.
“Hey, Doc.” Emmanuel tried to sound upbeat when he greeted her.
“You aren’t ready to come back, are you?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Oh.” Ivy’s voice was laced with disappointment. “Shit, okay. You know what? I’m going to lie down a bit. Can I call you back later?”
“Yeah.” The words were barely out of his mouth when she disconnected the call.
Emmanuel wasn’t sure how long he sat in the car, but he knew there was no way he could leave things like this. He was almost certain how this would play out. Ivy would take time out for herself. Then she would swallow her hurt and try to make things better. Especially with everything that had been going on lately. Maybe it wasn’t fair, but he would not give her space. The phone rang and went to voice mail, but Ivy phoned back right away.
“Hey, sorry—” Ivy began, but Emmanuel cut her off.
“Wanna go for a drive?”
“Umm… sure. When will you be here?”
“I’m already here, Doc.”
Ivy giggled. It was a perfectly lovely sound. “Okay, I’ll be right down.”
It didn’t take long for her to make her way downstairs and when she arrived, Emmanuel was waiting for her. Her smile was everything.
She gave him a quick peck on his cheek, and he pulled her into a quick hug.
When was the last time that they did anything like this? Just drove around, listening to music. When they finally got hungry, they stopped at a classic diner to grab some smash burgers, waffle fries, and chocolate milkshakes to go. They drove to the city park which was still closed for the winter and ate their meal.
“I didn’t mean to let you down tonight, Doc.”
“I know. Like I said, we will be alright.”
A soft peck turned into so much more. Their tongues mated in a familiar dance. It quickly turned into more. The windows were steamy as they explored each other in the car with no thought of their surroundings. Emmanuel needed Ivy, and it was his only thought.
Knock, knock. Between the music and their sounds of passion, it took them a moment to realise that they had company. Emmanuel promptly turned down the music and cracked the window.
“You kids couldn’t find a room somewhere?” The officer admonished. Then motioned for Emmanuel to open the window all the way.
Shit. Well, this was embarrassing.
“Wait, seriously. You two are grown people.” The officer said, using the flashlight to inspect the occupants of the car. “I want to see your IDs.”
Emmanuel presented the officer with his and Ivy’s license.
The man took one look at them and started issuing apologies. “Sorry, Mr. and Dr. Scott. Um yeah. We will be on our way.” It seemed like the officer wanted to say more but thought better of it.
Once the officer was gone, Ivy covered her face with her hands. While Emmanuel found the encounter hilarious, Ivy covered her face with both hands. “That was mortifying. I can’t believe we got caught like some horny teenagers.”
“It wasn’t so bad,” Emmanuel soothed. “Let’s head home.”
When they pulled up to their house, Emmanuel removed his bags from the back seat before opening Ivy’s door.
“Welcome home, Manny.”
“ W here are you off to?” Emmanuel tightened his hold around Ivy’s waist and nuzzled her neck. He was certain she could feel his morning hardness pressed against her backside.
She wiggled against him. Then she stopped sighing and informed him. “The washroom so I can get my day started.”
“But you said all of your meetings are scheduled for this afternoon.”
“I did, but I have to go prepare for those meetings. Don’t you have a company to run?” Ivy swatted his arm. Her voice was full of laughter.
“I do, but I have my morning free. It would be nice for us to go to brunch.” He was in no rush to get out of bed. It had been two hectic weeks since he moved back home. Between work, his children, and putting the puzzle of the past together, he had been going non-stop. Emmanuel hoped they could have the morning to themselves.
“Really? Your plan was for us to leave this bed? I very much doubted it.”
“Well… eventually,” he admitted. “Fine, go conquer the medical world.” Emmanuel kissed her neck, then squeezed her right breast before letting her go. “I’m going to crash for a while longer. Christ, I think my age is finally catching up to me. Working out with a twenty-one-year-old who is in his top physical shape might just kill me.”
“Hey, Dad want to work out with me?” Oliver had called and asked over a week ago.
Emmanuel immediately jumped at the chance. Although he had been gracious with his forgiveness, his son was still beating himself up for doubting the man he looked up to most in the world. They spent time together, re-establishing their bond. Now he could attest to his son’s fanatical commitment to his training. Oliver went just as hard off-season. Both his sons did. Benjamin had joined them on a few occasions. Their weight and core regiment were insane. He was going to have to decline the next workout session.
Emmanuel fell back to sleep, only waking up to say his goodbyes to his wife. When he’d gotten enough rest. He placed a three-way call to Darsh and Frank.
“Hey guys, are you both free to get together and go over the latest findings?”
“Darsh, you know what that means, don’t you?” Frank asked.
“He wants to go over the findings,” Darsh responded.
“Ivy dumped him for the morning and now he wants to spend time with us.”
Instead of allowing Frank’s back and forth, Emmanuel put an end to it with his offering. “Lunch will be ordered. I’ll see you in my home office in an hour.”
“I want sushi. That platter better be big enough,” Frank answered.
While Emmanuel waited for the men to arrive, he focused on business. Being a CEO was demanding. He was committed to his job and moving the company forward. The role wasn’t his first choice for his life. Hell, business wouldn’t have been the direction he took. He couldn’t help but think what his life would have looked like if he had been raised by his biological parents. Maybe he would have been able to live his dream and see how far football would have taken him.
The NFL had come calling, but he had promised his dad he wouldn’t accept it. So, he didn’t. Emmanuel was sure he could have had a great career. Then, when he retired, he would have become a coach.
“I knocked, but you seemed like you were miles away,” Frank announced as he entered the office. He dropped into a chair in front of the desk.
“Sorry, I have a lot on my mind.”
“Yes, plotting revenge is very consuming?—”
“Frank,” Emmanuel warned. If he allowed it, Frank would go off on inner peace rants.
Frank lifted his hands in surrender. “That wasn’t an attempt to talk you out of anything. It was simply an observation. I know you are keeping me busier than a motherfucker. The acquisitions are complete. You now own the banks that hold the loan for Leonardo’s business, personal loans, and properties. Also, the properties that house his condos in Vancouver and Italy.”
“Good. How are we coming along in obtaining shares of his company?”
“Five percent away from having controlling shares.”
“If it is a matter of funds, just up the offer.”
“I had already offered the last board member seven times the market share.”
“Frank, it isn’t about the money. I just want it tied up. I don’t care if you have to increase the offer to twenty times the amount.”
Frank whistled and just raised an eyebrow at him. His best friend refrained from once again cautioning him about being so hyper-focused on revenge. Besides, he had already promised both Frank and Ivy that he would think about the consequences of his action before acting.
Darsh arrived when the food did. The men waited for the house manager to set out the platters before going over the newest information. Frank had caught the difference between the last names of their mother and Leonardo. Emmanuel thought maybe his brother carried their father’s name.
“Based on all the information I found. I think we have solved the last name mystery,” Darsh revealed. This is it; he’s found my father. “It seems Concetta gave Leonardo her mother’s maiden name. I can’t find anyone else in her life that carries that surname.”
Fuck. If Emmanuel was being honest, not knowing who his biological father was, was messing with his head. He needed someone to answer the many questions he had. Unfortunately, his biological mother wouldn’t be able to answer them. She was deceased. At nineteen, he had lost a parent and had had no idea.
Emmanuel was uncertain how he was supposed to feel when he heard the news. Again, if he was being honest, he was still processing. He would never get a chance to confront her. Ask her why she’d given him up. It made him wonder if on some level he sensed she was gone. Why wasn’t his initial reaction to find and meet his mother?
The information he found out about his birth mother explained a lot about his life. Even without knowing her, Emmanuel had made decisions as if he knew about her. Like the way his stomach would twist in knots every time Ivy got on a plane. It turns out his mother died in a plane crash. The woman was also an addict. One that struggled a good deal of her adult life. It explained why Emmanuel had always avoided liquor and drugs. It seems he was right to have concerns surrounding dependency.
Grabbing a few pieces of sushi, Frank excused himself. Darsh continued providing Emmanuel with updates.
“You wanted to know what Concetta did with the quarter mill?” The way Darsh posed the question was as if he didn’t want to relay the information.
“Yeah. I need to know.” Emmanuel had spent a lot of time thinking about what she did with the money.
“She blew through most of it in seven years. Lots of huge cash withdrawals. I can’t trace what she might have done with it. I will say until she died, she would receive huge infusions of cash. Money would just appear. I can’t trace where it came from. I think she must have received it in cash. So, there is probably more we don’t know about.”
“How much were you able to trace?”
“Another hundred thousand.”
More hush money? That seemed unusual.
Although Emmanuel didn’t have any idea what was involved in purchasing a baby. One would expect the primary requirement to be a one-time payment. This whole situation was frustrating. For every answer they found, two more questions would pop up. This strategy wasn’t conducive to solving the mystery surrounding his birth or adoption. Of course, there was a glaring step he had omitted. He could go to his dad and hope the man would be truthful. Ha. That shit was unlikely.
One question Darsh could resolve was whether the Journee woman was in on the conspiracy with Leonardo. “I was able to get into Jasmine Journee’s social media messages. She had no idea what your brother was up to. Based on the information, she thought it was you.”
“Considering she thought she was sleeping with a married man, what was she expecting?”
“Be for real. Do you think he told her ‘Hey I am married wanna sleep with me?’ He omitted that fact. Jasmine only found out you were married later. She was livid. FYI, she still is in the dark.”
“A Voogle search could have saved us all this trouble.”
“Probably. When she finds out what your brother did, I would hate to be him. The only reason she hasn’t come after ‘you’ is because of Ivy and your children.” Darsh supplied.
For the first time since this ordeal began, he felt bad for Jasmine Journee. She took a chance on some guy and got knocked up. Now she was stuck with a loser for her baby’s father. No, legally he was the baby’s father. He had an appointment with his attorney next week. It would be an interesting discussion. There was no doubt Anna Harkness thought he was full of shit. It would be hard for him not to look smug.
Darsh left shortly before Frank finally returned. “Where did you disappear to?”
“I was off doing your bidding. Hey, where is all the food?” Frank asked, looking at the space where the platters had been.
“The food was refrigerated over an hour ago. What did you want to get food poisoning or something?”
“I’ll go finish it soon. You’re welcome. You now own controlling shares in Leonardo’s company. Everyone also signed the NDA and accepted the bonuses.”
“Good. Thank you. I’ve been thinking you are right.”
“Be more specific man, I am right about many things.”
“It’s time Leonardo, and I had a face-to-face.”
Frank looked surprised by Emmanuel’s declaration. “So, how do you plan to get him here?”
“I’ll save him the trip. Actually, my plan includes going to him.”
“Christ. I’m not sure if I like that plan or the look that just came over your face. I know you are pissed, and rightfully so. It’s just I came across some information that might give you a different perspective.” Emmanuel doubted there was any information Frank could have come up with which would stop him from paying Leonardo back. But he’d listen. What did he have to lose?