Chapter 27
Emerson walks into my living room, searching around the place, and I can already tell by the expression on her face she’s not happy. “Is Gisele here? Don’t fucking lie to me, Brody. I need to know what I’m dealing with here before I go into damage control.” Her voice is shaky, and after my chat with Noah tonight, I can only assume Victor hasn’t heard the warning and he’s spreading rumors.
“You’re overreacting, Em.” I run a hand through my hair. It’s just past midnight, and while I was still working, I’m also not up for dramatics. “I have this under control.”
“Am I overreacting? Because we all know what we stand to lose. You two think youre sneaking around being discreet, but you’re not. We all know what’s going on.”
She shoves a paper in my direction. There is an image of Gisele and me coming out of McAllister’s last month, my arm wrapped around her and her smiling up at me.
“Fuck,” I curse, running a hand through my hair.
“You bet fuck. Read it.” She snaps.
The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far from the Tree. Scandal Erupts as The Alexander Hotel’s New CEO Follows in Father’s Footsteps
In a stunning turn of events, it has come to light that Brody Alexander, the newly appointed CEO of The Alexander Hotel, is alleged to be following in the scandalous footsteps of his father. Gisele Kelley, the recently appointed events planner at the hotel, is now entangled in the web of controversy surrounding The Alexander, and the once-idyllic town is left in shock as it grapples with the betrayal of one of its own.
Gisele Kelley, known for her impeccable event-planning skills, had quickly risen to prominence within the hotel’s staff. Her appointment as the planner for The Alexander was initially met with enthusiasm, as she was seen as a beacon for change and a fresh start for the hotel’s events department. However, recent revelations have shattered this image, linking her name to the scandal involving Brody Alexander and his apparent emulation of his father’s behavior.
As the scandal continues to unfold, engaged couples who had entrusted their special day to The Alexander Hotel and Gisele Kelley are left in a state of uncertainty. The once-enviable wedding venue, now under the cloud of Brody Alexander’s alleged indiscretions, has become a focal point of doubt and skepticism, prompting soon-to-be-weds to reconsider their choices and seek alternative locations for their celebrations.
The serene fa?ade of Deception Bay has been shattered by the scandal, and The Alexander Hotel, now under the leadership of Brody Alexander, finds itself at a crossroads. Can the hotel recover from the tarnish on its legacy, or will it forever be remembered as a symbol of betrayal and intrigue, just like the scandals that plagued its predecessor? As the small town grapples with the implications of this shocking revelation, the fate of The Alexander hangs in the balance, leaving the community to ponder whether history is repeating itself in the once-celebrated haven.
Sweet Tea Scandals, Annabelle Grace Turner
I shake with anger as I read the words in front of me. We might be about to lose it all. Not only that but this story drags Gisele’s name through the mud as well, and that’s just not fair to her. All I had to do was control my fucking dick, and I couldn’t even do that. The paper’s right, I am just as bad as my father. “This photo was from the night I took her home because she was drunk, nothing was going on. This is bullshit. You know that, right?”
She rolls her lips. “I believe that, but I’m not some innocent little thing that hasn’t seen the way you two look at each other. I know there’s something going on between you. Are you going to keep lying to my face?” she says angrily. “I don’t fucking deserve this, Brody. I’m sick of the lies and secrets in this family. Tell me the truth so I know what we’re up against.”
I run my eyes over the paper again, knowing how upset Gisele is going to be. “This paper is dated with tomorrow’s date. How did you get hold of it?”
Her angry eyes flick back to me. “It was dropped off at my house.” She shrugs, and there is something in her guilty expression I don’t like. What does she know that I don’t?
“Why would someone from Prescott Media do that?” I study her expression while I wait for her response.
Guilty eyes meet mine. “I have no idea. They just knocked, and when I went to check, it was there. I’m grateful for the chance to go into damage control before the shit hits the fan tomorrow.”
“Hmm,” I say in response, running a hand through my stubble. Why would someone at the paper alert my sister to this story early? It doesn’t make any sense.
She goes to leave, and I hate the tension in the air between us. What Gisele said to me has stuck, and as hard as it is to talk to my sister, I know I need to make things right. “Emerson.” She turns back to me. “Thank you. I know this makes me look like him, like I want to sleep with any young thing that comes through those doors, but it’s not true. I knew Gisele before she even came to work for us. We met in New York the weekend I went to finish up at work. When she arrived here a month later, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I was shocked at the coincidence, but mostly I was pleased. I never thought I would see her again, and she was right there in front of me.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because I saw how the article about Dad affected you, and I know you haven’t been the same since. I don’t want you to hate me. Not all men are out for one thing only. I know this is bad and I fucked up royally, not waiting to be with her until this contract is over. But I couldn’t. I fell in love with that girl the first night I met her. I couldn’t stay away from her. I would never do what our father did. There is only one girl for me, and she’s it forever. I already know that.”
Emerson wipes her eyes and sniffs.
“Are you crying?” I ask my sister, amused she’s such a softy.
“A little, that story is kind of beautiful. Honestly, I didn’t think the big grump had it in him to love anyone.” She comes over to me and wraps her arms around me. “Maybe true love isn’t dead.”
“I would like to hope not. But also, if you tell anyone what I admitted to you tonight, I will deny it and tell them you read too many books.”
She smiles softly. “We will fix this. You don’t deserve to be lumped into the same category as our daddy. As much as I loved the man when he was here, I’m so angry at him for the pain he caused. For what happened to Mama.”
“I know.” I pull her into me, hugging her properly. Gisele’s right, I know Emerson needs me just as much as I need her. We’re all in this together now.
She looks up at me, so much pain in her big brown eyes. “I don’t even remember her, Brody, I was so little when she died. What was she like?”
I sigh. I try not to think about her, not because I didn’t love her but because it hurts way too much to remember. But for Emerson, I will. “She was fun, made a game out of everything, and you lapped it up. She was the kind of person who always had a smile on her face, such a beautiful smile, and she tried as hard as she could to see the good in everyone. She tried to teach us that as well.”
“She sounds amazing.”
“She was. You’re so much like her.” I smile at my sister. “Sometimes a beautiful smile is covering up a lot of pain and hurt, though.”
“The affairs?” she asks sadly.
“Yep,” I respond with a solemn nod.
“You never told me what you knew. When I read that story, you said one day when I wasn’t so upset you would tell me everything about that night.” She looks at me, hopeful.
“I know you loved our father, and I want you to remember all the good things when you think of him, but he had two sides; one that loved us, our family, and one that was selfish. I don’t know how many affairs he really had. All I know is of two for sure. The first was with Hamilton Prescott’s mama. Me and the boys all saw it.”
She goes white, taking a seat on the sofa, staring toward my fireplace. I think she must be in shock.
I wait for her to process what I’m telling her. I know it’s a lot to learn. “I was only seventeen. It was truly disturbing for both me and Hamilton. For all my buddies.”
“Are you kidding me? You all just walked in on them while…” She shivers like she’s repulsed by the idea.
I go to sit with her on the sofa. “We saw it all.” I shudder at the thought. Still all these years later I’m not able to get the sight out of my head. It was confusing and disturbing on so many levels.
She glances at me as if confused. “You used to be friends with Hamilton Prescott? I thought you two hated each other.”
“We do, but before that, I was close to him and Elliot, Parker, and Noah. The five of us grew up together, played on the same football team. We did everything together.”
“I didn’t realize he was a part of the Raider brotherhood,” she mutters almost to herself.
“Why would you, you were only a little girl when I left, what, six or seven?”
She goes quiet, staring down at her hands. I let her process what I just told her. I know it’s bad, but she needs to know why the Prescotts are determined to run these pathetic storiesin an attempt to get to us. “That is all a lot, Brody. Why does he hate you? You had nothing to do with our parents hooking up.”
“I wish that was the worst part, Em, but it’s not. There’s so much more to why he hates our family.”
She looks at me blankly, and I know she has already heard too much tonight. “What’s the worst part?” She pales and looks like she might puke. “Oh dear God, don’t you tell me we are related to him,” she cries.
“What? No. Why would you say that?”
She clutches her chest. “The affair,” she says, almost breathless.
“No, don’t let your imagination go wild. Dad told me that was the first time with her, and he never saw her again. Hamilton’s too old to be related to us.”
“And you believed him?” she snaps, sounding irritated I was so na?ve.
“I guess at the time I didn’t have any reason not to.”
Her breathing is ragged, and I can see the panic washing over her. It’s a lot to take in. I’ve had years to process it all, but it’s so new to her. “Well, let’s both pray that’s the truth then,” she whispers.
I observe her, curious about what’s happening with her. Her posture is tense, and she constantly wrings her hands like she’s stressed. “Why are you getting so worked up about the situation with Hamilton Prescott?”
“I’m not,” she says quickly. “It’s just all so crazy. If we have an illegitimate brother or sister running around out there, I would like to know about it. Wouldn’t you?”
“We don’t, Em. Do I need to say it?”
“Too many books,” she mutters.
“Exactly,” I grumble, getting frustrated. We got sidetracked from what I really need to tell her. “What I wanted to tell you was… the night when Mama found him with a woman from the hotel, she was really angry. She had too much to drink and got behind the wheel of his Mercedes. I don’t know what she was thinking. Hell, maybe she wasn’t thinking at all, maybe she was too numb or too angry to see past her pain. But whatever was going through her mind, she took that wheel and drove out of town. The police officer said she was driving way too fast, there was nothing I could have done differently. It wasn’t my fault, but she drove that car right into the front of us.” I drop my head, seeing the collision as if it’s happening in real time. “I saw her coming and swerved, but it was too late. The impact was horrible. I looked around the car to make sure all the guys were alright. Got ‘em all to safety while we waited for the emergency vehicles to arrive. It was then I realized it was her in our father’s car.”
“She ran into you,” she gasps, mortified, tears rolling down her face.
“When I got to her, she was bleeding real bad from a cut on her forehead, she looked so poorly. Then the car caught on fire, and I screamed to the others for help, desperate to do anything I could. Elliot and Parker helped me drag her out of there, off to safety, or so we thought. We tried to stop the bleeding while we waited for the ambulance, but there was nothing we could do. When they arrived, they pronounced her dead.” Tears scroll down my face, I cant stop them. “You have to believe me, Em, I did everything I could, but she died in my arms.”
“Brody.” She cries, wrapping her arm around me, and I hug her back, letting the tears I have been holding in for so long fall freely. We stay like this just holding each other for a while. And I know after tonight our relationship will change. She will see me differently, but hopefully, in time, we can grow closer because of it. Because Gisele is right, she is my only family left now. And I want her to be a big part of my life.
“You kept this all to yourself for so long,” she whispers through her sobs.
“Dad knew,” I admit.
She looks at me, reality dawning. “That’s why you hate him so much. If he hadn’t been cheating on her with some floozy, none of that would have ever happened. We would still have our mama and you wouldn’t have left me.” She sobs, her chest heaving.
I nod. The way she says I left her makes my heart ache. I never meant to leave her. I was running away from my own feelings and our father, not her.
She swipes away her tears, and her face grows more serious. “From now on, no more secrets, Brody. We’re family, we’re in this together. And if we survive this year, we will be business partners for life. I need to know I can trust you.”
“No more, I promise.” She hugs me again. I don’t know if everything is going to be alright at The Alexander tomorrow, but I know one thing for sure— I don’t have to carry around the pain of my fathers affairs anymore. And maybe Em and I can actually have the kind of relationship I know she’s always wanted. The relationship I need.