Page 37 of Carmine

“Good morning. I won’t be taking questions today, but I have a statement from the Michaelson family in relation to the article released yesterday. The report published was sadly in poor taste and judgement. It printed lies without evidence to back them up and attacked a respected ball player and his family. The only purpose behind this was to cause harm and scandal.

“If the reporter and newspaper done their job properly, they would have realised several things. Someone under the age of sixteen cannot be a prostitute by law. Therefore, any sexual activity concerning Carmine Michaelson under that age is classed as rape, as he was a child and could not give consent. Carmine Michaelson has admitted to being raped as a youngster in private and in therapy.

“In regard to the allegation he was a prostitute, if the newspaper has witnesses and witness statements, then they are obliged to hand them over to the police. Or therefore, they are protecting a paedophile and are also subject to prosecution. Without checking facts, this newspaper has dragged up tragic memories for Carmine Michaelson in their attempt to sell more print copies.

“This was a private matter for Carmine, and it is disgusting that the media has printed his personal trauma for everyone to see. Shame on them and on those who are now trolling social media. A victim deserves respect and compassion, and tragically, that is lacking in today’s world. We ask that the family is left alone to deal with their pain and upset and to have time to heal. Thank you.”

Molly

“Go to work,” Carmine urged.

“No. I’m working just fine from here. I am linked to everything at the command centre,” I replied.

“Molly, you need to be there.”

“Carmine, you need me here too. And plus, I’m getting to know your sisters,” I retorted.

Carmine rolled his eyes. Jodie had flown in that evening, and I’d bonded with her and Serenity. Both were funny yet badass in their unique ways.

I was more wary of Micah, who arrived glowering and merely sat in silence with Carmine. But somehow, that’d helped Carmine. Don’t ask me how, I don’t understand man things.

Tye also showed up being given special leave, and Phoenix was delighted to have all her kids home, despite the circumstances. The last three days were filled with Carmine’s favourite meals as Mrs Ames, the cook, ignored any other request and spoiled him. That left the older Michaelson children bitching about favourites.

But Carmine was doing better with Micah, who was known as Fanatic, and Tye being home. Serenity was his shadow until she knew he was stronger. It confused me what to call Micah. Phoe explained that his road name was Fanatic, and we should call him that. But occasionally, a member of the family slipped and called him Micah. Fanatic didn’t seem to have an issue with that mistake.

In spite of Carmine’s revelations, the house was filled with love and laughter. The younger children had no idea something awful had happened but were delighted all their siblings were home. They’d played ball and used the ice hockey rink on the estate. The last few days were chaos, but I saw they all revelled in that.

Although Eddie’s, ‘I’m going to gut me a fucker,’ took me by surprise as the girl glared fiercely at Serenity. No doubt Eddiehad learned what had happened to her brother. She’d been especially loving around Carmine.

Phoe had sent lawyers after the newspaper that had printed Carmine’s history, and they were chasing them for answers and had filed a seven-figure lawsuit. There’d been no further statement from the family, although Carmine was wondering whether to release one. Carmine’s PR consultant was also doing damage control, but the story, or some twisted version of it, was out there.

The newspaper hadn’t printed anymore stories and had gone strangely quiet. I wasn’t sure if it was because of the lawsuit or the negative outcry that they were protecting a paedophile. Even so, we had stayed at home in the safe harbour of Reading Hall. Liz had taken me to get Mya, and she’d shadowed me, unsure of her surroundings.

Phoe and Drake had also stayed close, putting family first. I was staying with Carmine in his room, but we’d not done anything except sleep and offer each other comfort. Tye and Fanatic were sleeping at the Hall, too. The basement had been their man cave and the tower, their bedrooms. They’d given the tower up to the next teenagers in line, and they had converted a couple of rooms in the basement to crash in.

There was a ton of space in the Hall, which surprised me. But I guessed Phoe needed it with thirteen children still at home.

With the eldest ones back, they had an impromptu meeting between them. I hadn’t been aware, but Micah, Carmine, Tye, Jodie, and Serenity had started a scholarship school, paying forward the goodness Phoe had given them.

They sponsored twenty scholarships between them a year in a private school that Phoenix owned. The school took twenty academically gifted children aged four and above. The siblings funded those placements to give the children a chance they would not get otherwise.

These youngsters were fully covered for uniforms, pocket money, meals, and a dormitory.

Then Carmine etcetera had leased a field from Phoe’s school that was unused and went one step further.

All five of them sponsored a further twenty scholarships each a year. This meant they offered another one hundred children a chance they wouldn’t otherwise get. To ensure their success, a dorm had been built separate to the others the private school used. And each floor had two den mothers. The building resembled a hotel, with four levels of fifty rooms on each. Each room housed two children.

For this specialised school, the kids had to be sixteen, and they stayed for four years learning a trade. But it was more than that. They searched for youngsters who had talents that were being ignored or not utilised. Like a tendency towards baseball, but they couldn’t go to college, so wouldn’t get scouted. These were the students they recruited.

They had also built a block with additional classrooms on Phoe’s private school site and had outfitted it. And finally, they’d had several workshops made relating to things like mechanics and woodworking. They had funded extra teachers and provided uniforms and pocket money.

I learned that Phoe not only had an ice rink and a baseball diamond, but she also had a football field for Aaron, who was obsessed with the sport. And Jared had a dojo where he practised kickboxing daily. When they weren’t in use, or the swimming pool or tennis courts, the school the elder children funded used them. The pupils took basic lessons in the morning, and after lunch, they moved to their specialist subjects.

I was amazed to learn they’d been running this for three years now, and it had expanded beyond their dreams. Lots of Tye’s and Carmine’s colleagues helped during a summer school, and it boasted several retired baseball and ice hockey players. They’dalso reached out to some retired tennis, football players and swimming coaches.

Carmine admitted what had started out as a dream had grown into something far bigger than they’d ever imagined. I was awed by their dedication and full of admiration for a man who was fast becoming the centre of my life.

Chapter Nine.

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