Chapter 24You Stayed Out of Jail?
Chapter Twenty-Four
YOU STAYED OUT OF JAIL?
It is one thing to believe it. Feel the truth of it coursing through your blood. It was a completely different thing to have it confirmed. It didn’t go without his notice that HE claimed Emmanuel, but not Leonardo. Leave it to Larson to make him feel empathy for a man Emmanuel despised. He wanted to rage against Larson because the havoc his actions caused were still being felt. The newest casualty was his Mom. His heart twisted as he watched her. She dropped her hand, cupping his father’s jaw.
His Mom came in and fought for the answer he was looking for without knowing what the answer would cost her. That was the kind of woman she was. She didn’t deserve to find out most of her marriage was a lie. Larson Scott’s only redeeming feature was his relationship with his wife. The devotion he displayed. Or so Emmanuel thought. How the hell should he refer to him? Emmanuel sure the hell didn’t want to refer him as Dad or want him to be his father. Larson would do. Larson had been looking at his Mom in the face for fifty years while perpetrating a colossal lie.
“Grace, Grace,” Larson pleaded, as he held her hand in his.
Emmanuel wanted to intervene, but he didn’t trust himself to speak to Larson. There was no guarantee he wouldn’t lose it if he did.
“It meant nothing. I made a mistake. It happened once,” Larson coaxed.
It meant enough to rip a newborn from his mother?
Separate twin infants?
No, it meant something!
It happened once… not from Concetta’s description. Emmanuel could refute Larson’s claim. Hell, he wanted to, but not at his Mom’s expense. Emmanuel wouldn’t have confronted Larson if he knew his Mom was home. Larson, who (fucked him for all of this) obviously wouldn’t have confessed if Emmanuel’s Mom hadn’t pushed him.
“Mm.” Mom inhaled. “Give me a moment. I need to sit.”
Initially, Larson held unto her hand, despite her attempts to pull it away.
“Please,” she begged.
Larson reluctantly released her hand and helped her to take a seat. Emmanuel felt like he was watching the entire scene from somewhere outside of himself.
“I want to make sure I have this right.
You had an affair.
The woman became pregnant.
Then the two of you decided on a Solomon-type custody arrangement. You each took a child.”
Larson glanced at Emmanuel. It was like he was waiting for him to contradict his wife’s account. When he remained silent. Larson looked back at his wife. “Yes.”
“What about your other son?”
“I upheld my end of the bargain. His mother took him, and I’ve never met him.”
“You were content to walk away from your son?”
“Yes. The other child was provided for financially. But for you, I gave him up. For you. I made sure we had a family of our own.”
Did he really believe this shit? Or was he just trying to make Emmanuel’s Mom believe it.
“You did this for me?” Her laugh was brittle.
“Yes, I loved you, love you still. I would have done anything for you.”
“Manny, Manny Baby,” Ivy called softly, pulling him from the scene before him. “You’re crushing my hand.”
Her words jolted him, and he realised how tightly he was holding onto his wife’s hand. He loosened his hold but needed her touch to ground him. Emmanuel turned to her. “Doc, I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.” Her eyes were watery.
“I hurt you?” Emmanuel asked, concern tinged his voice.
“No, this is too much,” Ivy stated, shaking her head, and she was right.
The tale Larson was spinning was wrong on so many levels. It seemed he saw nothing wrong with what he did. Even if the events had occurred the way he reported. They hadn’t. Concetta’s journals refuted his account. Over fifty years of lies. His Mom deserved better. Emmanuel didn’t want to cause her any more pain, but he couldn’t sit back and allow Larson to continue to lie to her. She had been stripped of so many decisions.
“Are you certain that is the way it occurred?” Emmanuel called to Larson.
Who turned a furious gaze at him? “You stay out of this. This is between my wife and I.” Larson all but bared his teeth. Rage contorted his features. How did Larson think he would continue to get away with these lies?
“No, I don’t think this is just between us, Larson. Once upon a time, it might have been. If only all those years ago you would have come to me and told me the truth. This affects us all.” His mother was ever graceful, as her name implied. She sat straighter on the sofa and smoothed out her skirt. “Emmanuel, I just want you to know it is my greatest accomplishment has been being your mother. This… what your father has done. Will never change how much I love you.”
Emmanuel nodded, but he felt the truth of her words. All the love that he had felt as a child, into his adolescence, and finally into adulthood, emanated from her. She had continued to shower his children with the same love and adoration. The irony was Larson had been cold, aloof, and demanding for as long as he could remember. Larson Scott had made it clear that Emmanuel was his legacy. He had to live up to the Scott name.
Legacy. From as early as Emmanuel could remember, his father would tell him the Scott name and company was everything, and he had to live up to it. It struck him when reading Concetta’s journal.
What if I gave up my son to fulfil his father’s legacy, and he has an unhappy life?
It was then what was staring him in the face the whole time became clear. There was no way Larson Scott would allow an adopted child to take over the helm of the Scott industry. A child without Scott’s DNA coursing through his veins would never be allowed to run the company that announced to the world the Scott’s dominance.
A question popped into his head, and Emmanuel forgot all manners. He wasn’t sure where they were in the conversation, but he had to ask. “How did you decide which son to keep?”
The question must have caught Larson off guard, because he answered without thinking. “Obviously, the firstborn came to me.”
It was probably the most honest thing he had said since he entered the room. Again the answer should have been obvious to him. Of course, Larson would have wanted the firstborn. If one of his children had to be dispensable, it would have to be the youngest.
“My God.” Both Ivy and his Mom gasped.
“Grace, I did what my father would have wanted.”
“Yes, of course. I’ve had a lot to take in.” His mom announced as she stood. “If you all would give me a moment.” She excused herself from the room as Manny and Ivy stood.
“I’ll be back,” his Mom called over her shoulder.
She was gone for a minute when Larson turned on him. “You! After everything your mother has been through. You had to push. Dig up all of this… Unpleasantness.”
Larson was completely and utterly delusional. Emmanuel turned to Ivy to see if he really had heard him correctly. From her wide, rounded eyes, she also was surprised by his accusation.
“Unpleasantness!?” Emmanuel questioned as he turned towards Larson. He took a step back so he wasn’t tempted to wrap his hands around his neck. “There would be no unpleasantness, as you put it. If you had been faithful to my mother. Once! My ass. You knew I was sitting right here having read Concetta’s journal, and you still continued to lie to her face. I know it wasn’t once. You carried on with your affair for months. Concetta didn’t want to give me up. It wasn’t an agreement. You bullied her and caused her… her sanity.”
“Don’t you dare blame me because she was weak! Why do you think I was so hard on you!? If it wasn’t for me, you would have ended up like her. Made nothing of your life. Do you think you would be the upstanding family man who looks down on me for a moment of weakness if I didn’t push you beyond her weakness? Her mental failings? You owe me, and this is how I’m repaid.”
Emmanuel’s blood was boiling. “Fuck you, Larson!”
Now it was Ivy who was squeezing his hand. Pulling him from the brink of putting his hands on the old pathetic man before him.
“Go straight to hell. Doc, I can’t stay here. We need to go.”
He rushed them towards the front door. Just as they entered the foyer, he heard their names.
“Emmanuel, Ivy,” his mother called. “Wait.” She held a bag. “I’m coming with you.”
“Mom?” he questioned.
“I can’t stay here. It will just be for the night.” She all but pleaded.
“Of course, Mom,” Ivy spoke as she finally let go of Manny’s hand and walked over to his Mom.
Ivy moved in for a hug, but his mother shook her head. “Darling girl, if you touch me right now, I’ll fall apart. I have to walk out of here on my own steam with my head held high.”
The butler entered the foyer and took the bag from his Mom. “Mrs. Grace, let me have your bag. I will put it in Mr. Emmanuel’s and Dr. Ivy’s vehicle.”
“Thank you, Becker.” His Mom inclined her head as she passed the bag over to him.
Larson entered the foyer then and stopped short at the exchange.
“Grace?” He questioned.
“Larson. I’m going to visit with the children for the night. We will talk, because you have a lot to tell me, Emmanuel and I am sure, what was it, Leonardo?” His mother looked at Emmanuel as she ate up the space between them. Ivy followed closely behind her.
“Yes, Mom. Leonardo.”
“We all will need answers. The truth, of course. All these years, Larson, you fooled me, but I know most of what you told me in there was complete bullshit.”
“Grace!” Larson admonished.
“Are you shocked at my language? How does Sage say it? Hold on to your wig. Be prepared to tell the unvarnished truth to both me and your children. Until then, there will be no fucking reason for us to talk. Do not drag it out. Otherwise… I will make this scandal very public. You owe me and the boys the truth. Especially if you have any hope of forgiveness.”
Of everything that transpired since his arrival, his Mom’s edict before she marched out the front door was the most surprising. Well, it was, until he heard a heart-wrenching sob from Larson as Emmanuel walked out.
“Grace, please. Don’t leave me.”
The ride from the Scott Estate to Emmanuel and Ivy’s home was surprisingly full of chatter. Grace carried the conversation. Once they were buckled into the back seat, she immediately launched into a conversation about her grandchildren’s recent accomplishments. The couple recognised her avoidance tactic and went along with it. No one was ready to address the horrible bombshell that had just been dropped.
Luckily, a distraction was waiting for them when they arrived home.
“I just knew if we waited, you two would make it home for dinner.”
Emmanuel couldn’t recall the last time he ate. Hell, he hadn’t kept track of the time. He wasn’t particularly hungry, but his daughter looked so pleased that they would all eat together. Sage was especially ecstatic about her grandma’s impromptu visit.
Despite the way she was grumbling, she was also excited that both her brothers were home for dinner. “The moochers are both here for dinner, but they are off in their rooms,” she’d informed them.
Their family would be together to share a meal. Hungry or not, Emmanuel embraced the idea. He needed his family around him to ground him. She was talking a mile a minute and all three adults welcomed the distraction.
“Guess what Cook made for dinner?” She didn’t wait for them to respond. “Hold on to your wig. She made smothered pork chops with onions, mushrooms, and bacon. I helped. Well, taste tested. It is cool, because it’s almost like M?rbradb?ffer i fl?desovs, which is like your favourite Grandma. Except Cook made it with mashed potatoes because I asked and not the roasted potatoes you prefer.”
“You know… I have a taste for mashed potatoes today. So it worked out perfectly,” His Mom praised, pulling his little girl to her side.
Sage’s face lit up immediately.
“Hey Sage, why don’t you help Grandma get settled into her room and then tell your brothers we will eat in forty minutes,” Ivy instructed.
“Thanks Doc. I have some calls I need to make before dinner.”
Ivy shared her plans as well. “I’ll go make sure the staff knows Mom is here. Oh, and make sure there are enough place settings for dinner.”
He kissed her temple then asked, “then you will come join me?”
Ivy nodded.
“I’ll be in the office.” The first thing Emmanuel did once he was seated behind his desk was call their house manager. The call was brief. His instructions were explicit.
“Miller, please ensure my father is not permitted entrance to the property tonight.”
“Is that until further notice, Sir?”
Hm, that was a damn good question. “Yes.”
Once he had completed the call, he took a moment with his thoughts while he waited for Ivy. His father, Larson Campbell Scott II, was a real piece of work.
The truth. For the brief period when Emmanuel believed Larson was not his father, he had feelings of relief. He hadn’t even told Ivy about it.
Being Larson’s son had never given him a sense of pride. Emmanuel had been grateful to be out from under the weight of Larson’s legacy. Except now he wasn’t. They shared the same bloodline. Emmanuel felt it coursing through his veins. If he wouldn’t hurt so many people, he would burn the company to the ground. Then dance gleefully around the flames, while his father lost his fucking mind.
The way Larson was causing Emmanuel to question if he could keep hold of the reigns of his own sanity. Wasn’t the truth supposed to set you free? Then why did he feel shackled and bound? Probably because he was hurting.
His mom. God, his poor Mom. Finding out that most of her life with her husband was a lie. That he had brought home his bastard son for her to raise.
STOP IT. His mind screamed.
There would be no way she could feel that way about him. It wasn’t the way she felt now, but who knew what she would feel when she had a moment to think.
“Hey you,” Ivy called. He hadn’t heard her come in, but she stood beside him.
Instinctively, he pulled out his chair and drew her into his lap. “Hey, Doc.”
“I don’t mean to sound trite, but… How are you feeling?”
“I’ve never wished I was wrong more than now. My Mom. When everything sinks in, how is she going to feel?”
“I don’t know. It is a lot to process, but we will be there to help her through it all. His deception ran so deep. God, what do we tell the kids?”
Christ ! Emmanuel had been so grateful to have them around he hadn’t thought about what this revelation would do to them. They owed their children the truth. He wouldn’t keep this from them. No more secrets concerning this matter. They worked out how much to tell them tonight, and then they would tell them the rest tomorrow.
“Your mom and our children aren’t the only ones who deserve the truth.”
Emmanuel knew exactly where Ivy’s train of thought was headed. Hell, he had almost told Leonardo when the suspicion had first taken root, but he felt he needed to protect… who? The man who lied to him his entire life?
“I know Doc, I wanted to speak to you first. I think Leonardo deserves to be told face to face.”
Emmanuel couldn’t believe he was considering the feelings of the man who almost cost him the woman in his lap.
How could he not? He’d read the hospital and CWA reports. Now, he was certain he knew how Leonardo remained in those abusive situations. He was a fucking kid. His father, their father, with all his considerable resources, used them to keep him in an abusive life.
“Of course, but we really can’t go back out there… not with things the way they are.” His lovely wife was right. They needed to be home, for their family and the company.
“No, I think Frank is still in Vancouver. Maybe he could fly back with him.”
“Well, let’s call him and find out,” Ivy prodded.
Frank picked up on the first ring. “Hey, Frank.” They both greeted.
“Well, this is good news. Emmanuel, you stayed out of jail?”
“Why would I be in jail?” Emmanuel asked, even though he had an idea what Frank was referring to.
“You didn’t confront him then?” Frank asked.
Emmanuel would not pretend that he didn’t know the ‘who’ Frank was referring to. “I sure the fuck did. Larson admitted to fathering us. How did you know?”
“Larson, is it?” Frank chuckled. “Your reaction is valid. I didn’t know it was him for sure. It’s more like I got a sense it was Larson . Then the way you took off… well, it became clearer. Larson is still amongst us?”
“Yes, Frank. Manny didn’t lay a hand on him.”
“Hm. I don’t know if I would have been able to keep my composure.” Frank seemed impressed. Although Emmanuel didn’t feel as if he accomplished any great feat.
“It’s probably the shock of it all. Not just for us, but for my Mom too.” The couple gave Frank the CliffsNotes about what happened.
“How is your mom holding up?” Grace and Frank always had a warm relationship. She accepted Frank as one of her own.
“I don’t know, man.” It was an honest answer. Emmanuel hoped she would be alright, but it would probably take some time.
“The big question is, are you going to tell Leonardo?” Frank inquired. Did his friend really think he would keep his brother in the dark?
“Of course. We both deserve to know. I was wondering if you could give him an escort here.”
“I got you,” Frank responded, and he did.
Emmanuel went on to explain that he needed to run his plans by his Mom and then reach out to Leonardo. They had just finished their call when someone tapped at the door. That certainly couldn’t be Sage.
“Come in,” Emmanuel called as Ivy stood from his lap.
“Hello, you two,” His Mom called as she entered the office and moved towards them. “I was sent to come and get you. It’s time to eat. Dinner smells wonderful. Plus, once I eat, I can have a cocktail after the afternoon I’ve had. I need a drink.”
Emmanuel stood and met his mother halfway in the room. “I’m sorry?—”
“You have nothing to apologise for, Dear. It was past time for the truth came to light. You, and your brother… wait, you have told him, haven’t you?”
“I was thinking it is best if I tell him in person. I just wanted to check with you, if you would be alright with Leonardo coming to Toronto.”
“Very smart thinking. Yes, of course. I have no objection to him being here. You and your brother have been apart long enough.”
Emmanuel didn’t think this was to time to tell his Mom that Leonardo and he would never be close. It was his duty to answer his questions about their paternity, and he would do so.
“I thought I should tell you. Your father has been calling me non-stop. I had to shut off my phone. Well, you know how persistent he can be. I don’t want him to disturb your home.”
“You don’t have to be concerned about him showing up, Mom. They won’t let him pass the gate.” Emmanuel wasn’t sure what reaction he expected, but it wasn’t the smile which lit up his mom’s face.
“Good. Let’s go eat. I really can use a cocktail or two.” She linked her arms with both Emmanuel and Ivy. One on each arm and they headed to dinner.
As they sat around the table, talking and laughing. Emmanuel could almost forget the storm brewing because of the revelation of the truth.
For the night, the children were told their grandparents were going through a rough patch, and their grandma needed a break. Sage had questions, but all the adults who had been present at the revelation wanted the night to process before they let the children in on the kind of man Larson Scott was.