8. Chapter Eight
Chapter Eight
And So You Dare?
SAL
Years of unresolved trauma be damned; she would not allow another person to bully her into acquiescence.
Her sisters had scorned her. She was unloved by her mother and constantly criticized by her former colleagues.
If this man wanted to be another person to cast her down, then he would have to get in line.
“We came here for the sale and we delivered,” she stated through gritted teeth.
“It’s a shame we can’t have a friendly conversation about this.” Harmon was unfazed, as though he had expected she would reject him.
Sal knew this game. The first person to lose their temper was the loser. But that did not mean she would not strike, and so she retorted, “How you choose to throw your money away when you could have asked for a formal meeting is none of my business. But the fact remains. It is not for sale.”
“I met you, and besides, I’m a patron of the arts. Why not support another artist? The Art Cards from Nowhere will be displayed at my Tribeca penthouse.” He smiled.
A charm offensive. It would not work.
“You act as if you did not bring us here under false pretenses—”
“I did not.” He didn’t even let her finish, sounding offended. “Which is why I will make it clear to you why the land should be mine.” He motioned for them to peruse the ignored manila envelope.
Rafa took the envelope and studied its contents silently.
“What money did you use to purchase that land?” Harmon asked.
“Why are you asking?” Sal asked, clenching her jaw. From beside her, she could hear Rafa take a deep breath. That didn’t sound good. “What is it?” she asked him.
Rafa looked up at Sal, and just as he was about to speak, Harmon interrupted.
“I am directly related to Claire Liang. I assume the money she left you was used to purchase the land for Autumn Town and to build the structure. So if you will not sell it, even with my generous offer, since you used money that was not yours to begin with, I will have to take it from you the hard way,” he said coolly, hands interlaced.
He waited, but Sal did not respond. She gave him an icy look of restraint instead.
“If you fight me, I’ll seize Autumn Town, the house, and the land she gave you, though you can keep the cat,” he finished.
So her choice was to sell Autumn Town or risk losing everything?
That was ridiculous. Sal appeared certain and unbothered in front of Harmon, a trick she had learned in her childhood from dealing with her mother, but deep inside, she still had questions.
She thought of Claire and Autumn Town. She thought of all the little pockets of joy she had been building—something that finally felt like hers.
All the sleepless nights, the community she built, the friendships she deepened with Willow, and the love she and Rafa formed brick by brick came to her mind.
Autumn Town was not just a place; it was a testament to her new life, an ode to Claire, and a symbol of her beating heart.
How dare he threaten to take it! How she ever considered him even remotely attractive, she did not know.
His beauty had disarmed her. The way Claire’s name escaped his mouth felt like the sting of a viper.
Poisonous and filled with acrid lies. She would not fold.
“How do I know you’re not just some sort of land grabber? And why here, of all places?” she asked, scowling.
Harmon lifted his hands, palms up, and shrugged. “The reasons are as clear as day. I want only what is mine.”
“That’s debatable,” Sal said. Claire had left everything to Sal in her will, so there shouldn’t be a problem—would there be?
Harmon took a deep breath. “So you’re going to fight me on this? You’ll lose,” he said it as though it were a fact. “My lawyers are the best, and my connections are vast. Just take my money. I’ll allow you to continue running Autumn Town on lease—with generous terms, of course.”
Sal couldn’t believe what he was saying. White-hot rage bubbled inside her. She felt her temples throb as she clenched her fists. “I’m flattered, but no,” she said in a stony tone.
“I didn’t take you for the stubborn type.
” He leaned forward, clearly annoyed, as his lips formed a tight line.
“Salome Poe, top of her class in NYU oral surgery, accepted into the Philippines’ most prestigious master’s program for dentists, only to be crushed under my fingers.
” He shook his head as though remorseful about what he was about to do, but he pressed on.
“Very well. Once all of this is over, let it not be said that you were not offered a gracious exit.” He stood up from the table.
“Thank you for your time. Take the sale, you’ll need my money for what’s coming. ”
“Actually, we do not.” Sal stood and ripped the signed papers. “We will return your check.”
A stunned silence filled the room.
Rafa stood by her, quietly attentive, almost as though he was confident in what she was doing.
“Nothing of mine will ever be owned by you; not the paintings, and definitely not Autumn Town.” She approached Harmon, her tote bag slung over her shoulder, her eyes throwing daggers at him.
If only he weren’t so tall, her neck would not ache from looking up at him like a petulant child.
But no matter; even if she looked ridiculous, her pride was all she had, and she would not yield.
For a moment, a flicker of surprise flashed through his dark gaze. The intensity that had once been in his eyes suddenly softened, and he said nothing further.
Sal and Rafa let themselves out of Cedarthorne Estate, and with the paintings returned to the back of the car, Rafa drove to the cottage in silence.
Sal had boasted about not needing the money, but the truth was the opposite, and she didn’t know how else to add more resources to help Autumn Town.
I could try selling the collection again, she mused as she thought of buyers for the Art Cards from Nowhere.
A few had offered, but they were only set on buying a few pieces; it would break the collection, and it wouldn’t be enough to make it worth it.
Kimmy and Hana greeted them at the cottage. Somehow, the cats instinctively sensed their humans’ low spirits, and as usual, they sat on the sofa to comfort them. Kimmy’s purrs were healing for Sal. She relaxed on the leather couch as her senior cat lay next to her, purring.
“I think we need to talk to Michael,” Rafa muttered as he sat beside Sal while Hana sandwiched her head in the nook of his arm. He had a somewhat forlorn expression on his face.
Sal fought back an old but familiar feeling. Not today, not now, she thought. The hopelessness could wait. She would try to salvage whatever Claire had left, even if it meant breaking her damned pride.
Rafa
Phone calls to Claire’s relatives and lawyers occupied the next few days, but none of them were aware of Harmon or what his relationship to Claire might be. After a day of going through Claire’s contacts, they felt exhausted and had no clue as to Harmon’s connection with Claire.
“It’s possible that he’s just lying,” Rafa said as he massaged his forehead while reviewing their schedule on his laptop.
Sal closed her notebook, walked away from the dining table sprawled with papers and old notebooks, and flopped on the couch. “I don’t know. He seemed so certain.” She exhaled, sounding frustrated.
Rafa double-checked his calendar on his laptop as he was going through his notes.
His days were nearly bursting with meetings both online and in person thanks to the audit, and their partners learning about the embezzlement.
He eyed the most pressing one to come in a week’s time.
Michael McGuirre had set up a meeting with them in a week about this current issue with Harmon.
He made a mental note and buried his face in his palms. Rafa never thought he’d have this sort of problem with his company while also managing a looming threat like Harmon.
The level of betrayal and the frustration that came with it were impossible to let go.
He never thought this would come from an employee he had trusted for years.
How could he not know that someone had pilfered that much money from his company?
Was he always this lax? Would he have seen it if he paid more attention?
What’s worse is that this oversight not only affected him and the family business, it affected Sal and his support for Autumn Town too.
His parents always gave him room to make mistakes, but this one could very well be the biggest one of his career.
“Hey,” Sal interrupted his train of thought. “What are you thinking about?” she asked.
“The issue with my company…it was bad governance,” he said, equally frustrated.
“Is that what it was? Or did you just place your trust in someone who didn’t deserve it?
” Sal said as she got up, poured wine from the decanter, and offered a glass to Rafa.
He had told her enough—not all the nitty-gritty details of what was happening at his company—but enough for her to understand that borrowing money would be difficult.
He couldn’t bear to tell her more, like how much the loss was, or how his business partners were losing faith in him. It was mortifying to say it out loud.
Sal invited him back to the couch as he sipped on his wine. “Maybe I placed too much trust in Colette…” he answered as he took a seat beside her. “It’s making me paranoid. I don’t know how long this has been happening, or how deep it goes. I don’t know what will come of the internal audit.”
Sal propped a pillow on her lap and patted it. Rafa rested his head on her cushioned lap as she gently stroked his hair. She placed her other hand on his chest and relaxed at the weight of her hand on the smooth rising and falling of his chest.
“That Harmon, I hate him,” she said after taking a sip.
Rafa looked up at Sal and held the hand she had placed on his chest. “I know. And I don’t think he’ll stop.”
“What do you propose we do?” Sal asked. “I’ll have to get a loan if I don’t sell the Art Cards from Nowhere soon.”
“Maybe ask your family for money?”
Sal looked at him as though he had said something ridiculous and then let out an astonished laugh. “Oh, God, no! They’re worse than a bank. I’d much rather deal with high interest rates than them.”
Rafa nearly bit his tongue for having mentioned her family.
They couldn’t help themselves. Maybe a loan from the bank was the only option.
He understood it was necessary, especially when managing a business, but what self-reliant businessman wanted debt?
Even if it was good debt. “I’ll fix this,” he said again softly.
Sal looked at him and kissed him softly on the forehead. “I’ll be okay, my love. You don’t need to help me. Help yourself first.”
His breathing became irregular, and he blinked away the tears that had suddenly formed.