35. Marcus

"You wanted to see me?"

"Yes, come in, sit down." I indicated the chair across from me on the other side of my desk.

"Should I close the door?"

"No, that won't be necessary."

She took a seat and looked around the room, probably clocking all the changes I'd made since taking over.

"I'm surprised you let me up here, or is it only because your wife is not here?" No sooner had she said those words than my wife walked in.

"Well, this is an awkward moment," Justine said as she came around the desk and sat in the chair I'd placed there next to mine for the occasion.

I nodded my head for her to go ahead. She placed the folder she'd brought with her down in front of Melanie. "What's this?" I noticed the bubbly vivaciousness was gone from her tone now that Justine was here and was almost certain that she'd been testing the waters and was none too pleased about the interruption.

She has no clue how lucky she is that my wife did show up when she did because had she come onto me as I was sure she was gearing up to, I'd have done much worse things to her than we had planned.

"Open it," Justine answered her before sitting back and folding her arms.

I'd given this to her because I wanted her to get some of her own back.

I'd dealt with Paul and his mother on my own, not only because she was pregnant at the time but because I didn't want her anywhere near that asshole ever. I could've taken care of this one as well, but I think my girl deserves to shed some blood in this fight.

It"s only been three months since the birth of our sons, and though she was chomping at the bit to get back to the office, I was holding her to her new rule of one year of maternity leave. She fought like hell, but I won by asking her what kind of example she would be setting for our employees if she broke her own rule.

This was just a one-off, which I made sure she understood, or she wouldn't have stepped foot in the building. When sex didn't work to sway me, she finally gave in after spending days fighting me on this.

I don't know, but I think women must be made of something else because I was still recovering from her labor while she seemed to have bounced right back within a month or so. She's so happy that it makes me happy just to see it. I think having all the help we do helps with that, but we also spend as much time with all the kids as we can because I don't want my children, any of them, to be solely raised by nannies.

We both watched Melanie open the folder and saw her face go pale. "Do you recognize those?" She looked at me even though it was my wife who asked the question. Is she really this fucking dense? How could she not know that this was the wrong move? Disrespecting my wife in front of me.

"Can you and I talk about this alone, Marcus? This is a family matter."

"Oh, that's odd because the only people in this room who are related are her and I. Since she's your boss, I think she's better qualified to handle this meeting. I'm just here for moral support. In case you know, you start a new rumor."

"She's doing this out of revenge." Now she looked at Justine, and all the anger and malice was right there for me to see. Now, I've never been on the receiving end of this shit; I've never been cheated on because I never hung around long enough to form anything close to a relationship.

But isn't it a bit backward for the one who did the wrong to be angry at the wronged party? I see now that she's not much different from the thing that birthed. This is perfectly fine with me because it meant I didn't have to go easy on her, and I didn't need to feel guilty about what I planned to do to her.

"You've only got one-half of that right. This is revenge, but it has nothing to do with her. It was all me, and you know why. I was willing to let you slide since you were a kid when that beast you call a mother destroyed my mother's life, but the fact that you hurt my woman is why we're here today."

"And none of that negates the fact that you are a thief." She finally looked at Justine when she said this.

"I knew you had it out for me all along. And the only reason you married him was to get back at me. You claim to hate my mother, but how is she any better than my mom?"

"Don't answer that, hon, it doesn't deserve a response. We're not discussing our personal lives with strangers. Melanie, you can think what you like; I have nothing to say about your affair with the criminal who was my ex. We're here about you and your criminal activities."

"What criminal activities?"

"Oh, come on, I thought you were smarter than that; it's right there in front of you. The trip to Bali, for starters. We don't have any business there, so why was it written off as a corporate expense? And all the others, going back since you started working for the company."

"Dad said it was okay."

"Oh really, where is his authorization?"

"He said it."

"Fine." I picked up the phone, dialed his number, and watched her lose what little color was left in her face.

She didn't know that the old man and I had been talking, why would she? She was there all those years ago when I swore never to speak to him again and had kept my word for fifteen years.

I'd been working on this part for a while, and the only reason I went ahead with it was because it suited my purpose for the bigger picture. So even though it burned a hole in my gut each time I spoke to him in the last few weeks, I knew I had to do it to bring this whole mess to an end.

I could've used the kids' births to bridge the gap, but I didn't want my children stained by this. So, I had to play the game until he fell into my trap; this was just the beginning.

"Dad, I have a question. The company is being audited and we came across some expenses on Melanie's account going back years. She claims you authorized them, but there is no signature showing this is so. Do you know anything about it?"

"If it was something for the company, I might"ve, but it wouldn't be anything you'd get audited over."

"So, the trip to Bali, the weekend trips to Cabo, those were not authorized by you?"

"What are you talking about? When was she in Bali?"

"That's all for now. Thanks. I'll see you soon." I turned off the phone and looked at her.

"So, I guess that didn't work."

"What're you going to do to me?" I looked at Justine, who was only too happy to give her the good news.

"You're fired, effective immediately, and you should find yourself a lawyer."

"You're suing me?"

"What did you expect? Should we have invited you to tea? You committed a crime, many in fact. So you see, I don't need to use the fact that you're a homewrecking slut to bring you down."

* * *

"Uncle Markie, are you all set?"

"I am, yes, I didn't expect your call."

"I just wanted to remind you to play the music I sent you for the party."

"I will, though you still haven't told me why this is so important."

"You'll see. No kids at the party, right?"

"No, it's a cocktail party; I don't think that it's suitable."

"Cool, I guess I'll see you when I see you." I shook my head after she hung up. She's a persistent little thing. I've listened to the music she's talking about, and though it fits the occasion, I don't see why she's made such a big deal out of it. But, since she'd done me a great service, I guess I can give her this.

I went looking for my wife, who was in her private dressing room getting ready for the night and opened the wrong door. "Oh shit!" I closed the door back as fast as I'd opened it, and it flung open as soon as I started walking away.

"You didn't see shit."

"No, I did not, but if I did see anything, I would need bleach to wash out my eyes. So, how long has this been going on, and can I tell Gramps that he won that battle?"

"You do, and I'll skin you alive. It's not what you think."

"Oh? I didn't just see you climbing all over Carl half-dressed at that?"

"You…. He asked Damien for my hand, that simp."

"Uh-huh, and he said yes, I take it." Carl came out of the room fixing his cuffs without a care in the world.

"Ah, my beauty, you're blushing."

"If you don't shut the fuck up. You did this on purpose."

"How?"

"You set it up so he could find us together before I was ready to tell him."

Carl just rolled his eyes and carried on with his cuffs. "I'll bitch slap the curl out your hair."

"It's good to see nothing has changed, ah, love very- very extraordinary."

"Shut up!" Now, they both turned on me. I just grinned and held my hands up in surrender and went in search of my wife.

I had the biggest fucking grin on my face. It only took them five years to come to their senses, but anyone with eyes could see those two were meant for each other. This day is shaping up to be one of the best already, and the party hasn't even started yet.

I found Justine looking as scrumptious as ever in her evening gown. I checked my watch to see how much time we had. "Damn, cutting it close."

"Don't you dare, you stay away from me." She backed up, and I grinned.

I can't believe this is my life. Some days, I just wanna pinch myself, and some nights, I wake up in a cold sweat from a nightmare that this was all just a dream. It should be illegal to be this damn happy all the time.

"I can't believe you're letting me leave the house."

"Don't be a smart ass. I let you go out."

"In the last six months, I've left the house twice, and that's only because Monique broke me out."

"And almost got her ass fired."

"Oh, stop it; you know you can't live without her."

"That's what she likes to think anyway. I got a secret."

"Do tell!" I told her what I saw less than five minutes ago, and she was ready to go find her Mo to get all the details.

"You do, and she'll make my life a living hell. She'll tell you when she's ready. I think she's a bit embarrassed because she took so long to accept what everyone else already knew."

"Okay-okay, I won't say anything." She pouted and picked up her evening purse off the chaise.

"Let's go say goodnight to the girls and check in on the boys before we leave." I held my hand out of her to take and we left the room together.

* * *

I've thought longand hard about this night. There were many opportunities since the triplets were born, but I didn't want this night associated with them or my wife in any way.

In the end, the sperm donor had made the suggestion of having a company party since he was under the impression that I was ready to forgive and forget and let him back in. I didn't correct his assumption since it played well with what I was working on all this time and was actually the perfect solution.

"Welcome back to the scene of the crime." Had it really been almost two years since I first saw her in this very hotel ballroom? So much had happened in such a short space of time, yet it felt as if no time had gone by at all.

I approached the DJ first before I forgot and had to deal with Catalina's disappointment. Somehow, for one so young, she has this way of making her displeasure known that leaves you wanting to bend over backward to make it right.

He was more than happy to enjoy the amenities and get paid to do nothing since the playlist was about four hours long. My security team, the ones that were here and not back at the house with the kids and their nurses, had the room surrounded, and I had an earpiece in my ear to keep track of things that were happening on the outside.

I saw Melanie walk in, looking as if she'd won. I'd let Dad talk me into not calling the cops yet, which he didn't have to work too hard for because I wanted her here for this as well. Had she gone quietly, I would've spared her the embarrassment, but since she's used every opportunity to talk shit about my wife behind her back, I have no empathy.

* * *

It was halfan hour before I got the alert that the guest of honor had arrived. The room was full of business associates and the city's most elite citizens doing what they do best: networking.

With a sign from me, the DJ switched out his music, and the strains of a concerto filled the air. The din of voices and laughter seemed to dim as the doors opened, and she walked in.

As expected, all eyes turned to the new arrival, and there were hushed whispers of ‘Who is she? Is that….? It can't be.' I kept my eyes on the crazed woman who entered the room, talking to herself and looking around wildly.

Her husband, the one who calls himself my father, was the first to recognize her. It's been more than a year since she went missing, and all of his efforts had come up empty. He'd exhausted every effort to find her with no results and had been ready to declare her dead if he didn't have to wait another couple of years for the judge to sign off on that.

I'd heard the recordings over the months, heard her ramblings becoming more and more erratic, but hearing and seeing it in person was something entirely different.

The DJ, with another order from me, turned the music down a little so that everyone could hear what was being said. Dad tried to reach her while Melanie stood in shock as her mother clamped her hands over her ears and screamed and yelled about killing my mother.

You could've heard a pin drop in that room as she said it all. The affair, Dad's hesitation months after Mom found out, but there was a surprise even for me. The reason for his hesitation and it made my blood boil over.

Maybe I should've kept listening to her ramblings in those reports I received, but they'd been so repetitive that I'd just thrown them in a desk and forgotten about them. "Yes, you wanted to leave me and go back to that insignificant thing that you picked up somewhere, and why? Because she was pregnant with your daughter. I had a daughter, too. A daughter who lost her father too young."

"So yeah, I killed her, killed them both. But I had to make it look like she'd done it herself. An overdose. Hahaha. Only she didn't know that I'd ground up those pills and put them in her drink. The stupid bitch, she thought I wanted to bury the hatchet, but I showed her."

I couldn't move, and I think I was blinded by rage. I took a step and felt Justine's hand on my arm. That settled me a bit and brought me back to the here and now. I'd only planned part of what came next.

The cops who were there to arrest Melanie in front of her peers. But Karen took one look at the cops, grabbed her head in pain, and ran around the room searching for something.

That something turned out to be a knife, which she took from the buffet table, and before anyone could reach her, she pulled the knife across her throat. She was dead before she hit the floor. What the fuck did I just see?

The music. There's a subliminal message in the music. Oh shit, how old is that kid again?

* * *

Dad lookedaround the room as if searching for me with his eyes. I knew from the look on his face that he knew, and my smirk was all the confirmation he needed. I did raise my glass to him just in case he'd missed it.

He tried coming towards me and was met by Carl, who pushed him back across the room, kicking and screaming. I didn't bat a lash, but he could have no idea of the effort it was taking not to drag him to the top of this building and throw him off the roof.

The place was in total chaos as his friends and colleagues looked at him with scorn, which is exactly why I did it this way. I wanted all those people who had believed that my mother had gone crazy after he left her and taken her own life to know the truth directly from the horse's mouth.

Whatever had driven Karen mad had left no room for turning back. She'd spilled it all, which should've been enough to put her away for a very long time, but she'd taken care of it herself.

There was nothing in that music, I's listened to it before to see why it was so important that I play it tonight. But I know a little bit about how subliminal messages work, and I'm pretty sure I'd just seen a severe case of it in action.

Some people were starting to leave once the paramedics and firemen showed up, along with a whole battalion of cops. Since everyone had seen her take her own life, it should be pretty cut and dry, and I wasn't in the least bit worried about them finding out where she'd been before showing up here.

Melanie was scream-crying while looking at her dead mother on the floor. Then her eyes landed on me and my wife, and she escaped the cops, who got a bit distracted by the suicide that took place right in front of their eyes as soon as they walked in.

"You bitch, what did you do?" I'll never understand why she thought my wife had anything to do with this, but maybe she knew she couldn't take me, so she chose who she saw as the weaker link. I moved to stand in front of Justine as Melanie grew closer, talons bared and a crazy look in her eyes not unlike her mother's.

Justine hip-checked me at the same time as her hand came up and connected with Melanie's face. I couldn't help the laugh that escaped. How fucked is it that she'd slapped the shit out of her in this same space about two years ago?

I think I might've been high from the weed I'd smoked in the car on the way here, or maybe I was having a mental break or some shit because things had taken a turn I had not expected. Did the kid know she was going to do that to herself? What exactly had she programmed into that music?

Melanie landed on her ass with a broken nose and yelled out threats that she had no way of carrying out while the cops were dragging her off; she'd been embarrassed in front of her colleagues for the second time in as many years.

I wasn't thinking about the new revelation, not here, not now. Because if I did, there's no way my team could take me down before I did some damage. Since Justine and the kids, I've been teaching myself how to control my blackouts, which isn't easy.

It"s not a thing that happens often, but when it does, its impact can be far-reaching. It's not something I want around my wife and kids, and their presence seems to have tamed that beast for now. But this, finding out that I had a sister who didn't make it, is something I'm going to need to spend a lot of dealing with.

"Let me see your hand slugger. Did you hurt yourself?" I kissed her knuckles and pulled her into my side as the rest of the room continued in an uproar.

"Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Devereaux! Did you do this?" Ah shit, Grandma went for the whole name; at least she didn't sound too pissed. Well, if you're going to name me after a Roman emperor, allow me to act like one. At least I've lived up to my namesake. I'm very stoic.

"Yes, ma'am, I did. Not the suicide part. I just wanted her to expose herself for what she did to Mom; I had no idea she'd gone crazy." Lies!

"I don't…, what are we supposed to do about this? And you, did you know about this?" She turned to Gramps, who, for some reason, was chewing on a cigar.

His son stomped his way across the room after they carted his dead wife from the room. "Did you have to do this? Did you have to destroy me in front of everyone?"

"Why are you such a disappointment?" Gramps got in between the two of us while I put Justine behind me out of harm's way.

"Why do you always stick up for him? I am your son."

"Because my grandson"s moral fortitude is like my father's, a man I admired and looked up to until the day he died. While you have brought your mother and I nothing but shame and heartache."

"Let's not do this here."

"No, Teresa, enough is enough. He's sixty years old, and you're still mollycoddling him. No more. This was a long time coming, and it's justly deserved."

"I know, but people are watching."

"Yes, the same people who believed that our daughter-in-law had taken her own life. Isn't it fitting that they should be here now? To see the end of this travesty that our son created?"

"So, you never meant for us to reconcile."

"I told you the day I laid my mother to rest that you were as dead to me as she was. Unless you can raise her and bring her back to me, that won't ever change."

"So, that's why you didn't even let me meet the children or your wife. I thought you had changed."

"I have; otherwise, you wouldn't be breathing right now. I'll never forgive you. Did you know that Mom was pregnant? Of course, you did. How does it feel to have lived with the woman who killed your unborn child all these years?"

I had to walk away, or I'd have ended up in cuffs. By the time I made it out to the car that was waiting, I had a smile on my face. That kid is worth every penny she's talked me out of.