Page 25 of Savannah Sweethearts

In my younger days, I had been intimidated by him. Now, he was just a man, no better or worse than me. I went to his desk; but he did not offer to shake my hand, so I did not offer mine either. When he motioned for me to sit, I remained standing.

“Let’s get down to business.” He pulled a few papers from his desk. “If you’ll just sign these, I can get everything started, and your children and mother will be taken care of.”

I shook my head. “I’m not blindly signing anything.” I needed him to talk more. “How do I know you’ll be true to your word, Mr. Gloss?”

He licked his lips. “Don’t you know by now, Mr. Harris, that I’m a man of my word? Once this is signed, I can hand you cash.”

Playing dumb, I tilted my head and scratched my chin. “Cash? I thought you were going to set up accounts for everything.”

Now, he stood, his hands splayed on the desk between us. “Don’t be stupid, Harris. You didn’t think I’d be as easy as that, did you? You sign that document saying you will never see Ashley again, and I will hand you one hundred and fifty grand right here and now. Put it away for your offspring’s college, blow it all on drugs—I don’t care.”

I adjusted my stance and folded my arms. “You think so little of me, Mr. Gloss? You want me to give up on a lifetime of love with Ashley for cash? Don’t you want her to find a good man to settle down with?”

A devious smile came across his face. “Of course, I do, Tyrell. That’s why I’m getting rid of you.” He opened a drawer and pulled out a stack of bills. Pushing it toward me, he winked. “Here. All the money I promised you. Just sign on the dotted line.”

Now I did sit in the chair across from him. I picked up the paper and began reading it out loud to myself. He was right; it was cleverly worded, but I still read it in its entirety. If I were to break the agreement, he could break me—that much was clear.

I drew in a deep breath and blew it out slowly as I brought my gaze up to his. “Mr. Gloss, I love my children.”

“And I love mine.”

“I also love your daughter.”

He scoffed. “It will never be enough.”

I stood again. “Is that enough?”

A quizzical look came across Mr. Gloss’s face, but he didn’t realize I wasn’t talking to him. I was talking to Rex, who sat outside in the parking lot with recording equipment. Georgia was a single-party-recording state, which meant I could record him without his knowledge. Everything in our exchange had been recorded via a hidden mic I wore under my shirt.

My phone buzzed twice, the signal that we were good to go.

Mr. Gloss was still in the dark. “I just said it would never be enough.”

I smiled. “Maybe not for you. But it’s enough for Action News to air tonight. Have a good day, Mr. Gloss.” With a wink, I turned and walked out of his office, leaving him sputtering behind me.

The contract that he had already signed was still in my hand.

Ashley

I was called out of work by two frantic people – Tyrell and my father. The director stepped into the classroom for me while I went outside to call them back. I opted to call Tyrell first.

“Have you spoken to your father?”

I put my hand on my hip. “No, but he just called me as well. I called you back first.”

He sighed. “Good. I just came from his office. He tried to pay me one hundred and fifty grand to never see you again.”

My knees buckled, and I sat on the curb. “I’m sorry, what? Surely you’re mistaken.”

“I wish I was, Ash. But I went to his office, and I have the entire thing recorded. Rex set me up with a mic and recorded it from a car in the parking lot.” He spoke rapidly, and I could hear someone else in the car with him. That must be Rex.

“Okay, back up and explain this to me.” I put my head in my hands as he explained everything that had transpired with my father.

The very thought that my father called this love was beyond me. It was not love. It was control. This was why I didn’t use the monthly “allowance” he gave me. It was either donated or invested. I lived off my own money, and I had never been so glad of that until this.

“So, what will you do with that recording?” I chewed on my bottom lip. On one hand, my father could use a big helping of humble pie. On the other hand, I owned a good chunk of the business, and if my father went down, the business would as well.

Tyrell spoke to Rex before coming back to me. “That’s why I’m calling. I can have this on air all day today. It would certainly be breaking news. Your father is one of the most prominent names in Savannah.”

---