Page 69 of Billionaire Corruption

As I walked down the street, I got a call from Don on my new phone.

“I think I found something,” he said.

I stopped walking.

“What?”

“I think you’d better sit down,” he said.

Chapter 27

Grace

I was getting ready to meet Paul.

My mom came up behind me.

“Ooh! Who is the lucky fella?!”

“What do you mean?”

She laughed. “Oh, come on, sweetheart! All that effort with your hair and make-up? You’re not just popping in to the store!”

I rolled my eyes.

I should’ve realized my mom would be more attentive than my grandmother, who usually had her nose buried in a newspaper or a sudoku puzzle book.

“It’s no big deal,” I said, trying to play it cool. “It’s just some guy.”

“It’s not, though is it?” my mom was guessing but she knew she was on to something.

“I’m not boy crazy like you were, Mom!” I snapped, a little too harshly.

Her head snapped back, her face hurt.

“I’m sorry,” I apologized. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

She nodded slowly.

“You know, there is plenty of stuff you don’t know about me, about that time. You only saw the bad stuff, and there was plenty of it. But I wanted to get married, I loved your father. I wasn’t the one who on our wedding night said it was all a big mistake and that I was the wrong sister.”

“Dad said that?”

My mother nodded, tears in her eyes. “When he was still drinking, oh, he could be a real asshole. I caught the two of them together one time, him and Marissa, kissing in the kitchen. That was after we were married too.”

I knew my mother didn’t get on with her side of the family, but I hadn’t heard this story.

“Love is a bit like a plant, honey,” my mom said. “You’ve got to look after it. It can take a bit of neglect, as long as you pay it extra special attention afterwards, then it can come back, if it’s strong enough.”

“But you guys weren’t?”

“Oh, honey, with your dad, it was just a mess. Until he stopped drinking, there was no point and by then I was so sick and tired of his promises, of his broken promises, his temper….” She shook her head. “I can’t tell you how many times he didn’t come home at night. I know I wasn’t a saint, but I didn’t sleep around. Dino was the only one.”

“Really?” I found that hard to believe, but my mom reacted strongly.

“Of course! You think I was running around on your father? That’s not me! But with Dino, it was different. He helped me out, with food and groceries when the money ran out and your father didn’t send any. That was how it started, him helping, being there for me.”

I knew my mother was young when she had us and had to look after us by herself. They were living on the other side of the city, far from my grandmother who couldn’t just hop over to help. I didn’t realize there were money issues too.

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