42
Today's the Day
Two more chapters and the journey is over. I want to thank each of for especially reading, reviewing, alerting, and making this story one of your favorites. I appreciate each of you so very much.
The story idea is mine but the main characters belong to Charlaine Harris. And always, enjoy. Have a great week and I will see you on Thursday. I'm also thinking about posting the last chapter of the story on Saturday if I'm off. If I have to work it will be posted on Sunday.
As I leaned against the kitchen counter, I sipped on my coffee and thought about the day that I was about to face. Today was the day before the party … the day before we are able to break the Maddens. The day before the day of reckoning. This was it. And I wasn't nervous in the least. I was excited and happy. Quinn and I have the meeting with Sam Merlotte and Arlo Braxton this morning. After my last meeting, I'm going to call it a day. And that's not the best part. The best part of my day is that I'm standing here in my kitchen with my family.
Eric and Flynn were sitting at the kitchen table eating their bowls of Apple Jacks and talking about Flynn's second favorite subject. Comic books. Marvel comics to be exact.
"You have no idea what you're talking about, dad."
Eric rolled his eyes as he wiped a dribble of milk from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. "I know exactly what I'm talking about, thank you very much," he replied. "I'm older than you are and I know more than you do. I especially know more about the world of Marvel Comics better than you do, you nine-year-old."
"Just because you're old doesn't mean that you know anything about Marvel comics," she retorted. "From what you're saying this morning, I say that you know nothing about comics."
I giggled as I watched her shaking her head. She's done that to me many times. And this conversation? It's not my first time hearing it. We've had it many, many times in the past.
"What do you mean that I don't know about Marvel comic?" he said. "I was a boy at one time in this life. I've read every Marvel Comic ever written and therefore, I know exactly what I'm talking about when I say that the Hulk is weak because he has not an ounce of self-control. Anyone that has no self-control is an awful superhero. They're unreliable. You never know when they'll go all crazy on you."
With her spoon aimed at her mouth but no quite going in, she stared at her father in disbelief. "Are you kidding me, old man?" she asked. "You can't honestly believe that the incredible Hulk is the weakest Avenger. He's the best there is and he's way better than Captain America. Captain America is a jerk and he's a know-it-all," she said. Her spoon clanked loudly in her bowl.
"Are you kidding me, kid?" Eric asked. "Captain America is great. He is always fighting for the underdog. He believes that everyone should have the right to liberty and justice. He's the epitome of what America is."
"Puh-lease," Flynn mocked. "Pam said that everyone in America isn't given the right to liberty and justice. She said that it's just a façade and a falsehood. I may not know what that means but I like that word. Isn't façade a cool word, mom?"
"Sure is," I said as I nodded and continued listening to them.
Eric filled the room with laughter. "You have no idea," he proclaimed.
"I think that the Hulk is great and plus, he can never die," Flynn reasoned. "And Captain America is dying. And I don't mean literally. He's a dying superhero and he's a phony. He thinks that everyone has to follow the rules and the laws but him. He pretends to be good and all but he's not. The Hulk hides nothing. What you see, is what you get. So there; Captain America is weak compared to the Hulk and to any other Marvel hero if you really think about it."
"You're crazy," Eric said. "When you get older, you'll see what I mean."
"I hope not."
I laughed as she rolled her eyes.
Eric shrugged his shoulders. "I'm right so you're just going to have to deal with it."
Flynn fanned him off as she began to eat her cereal once again.
Needless to say, I'd had enough of listening to their nutty argument. I decided to join in. "Well, I can end this entire argument with one word. Thor."
"Really mom?" Flynn asked.
"Really," I answered. "Both of you are wrong if you ask me," I said as poured my second cup of coffee. I sat in the chair in between them before putting in my two cents worth. "I have been roped into this same conversation with Flynn many times in the past, Eric. The 'Hulk is better than Captain America' spiel is not true."
A sneer appeared on his handsome face. "Do you agree with me?" he asked as he looked at me. "I keep trying to get her to see that I'm right but she won't listen to reason."
She looked at the ceiling as she rolled her eyes. "He just doesn't get it," she said to the ceiling. She then looked at me and asked, "Why do you keep saying Thor is the best? He can't even stay on the planet."
I said, "I believe that both of you are wrong. It's doesn't matter that he can't stay on the planet. Thor is the best of the best. No one is better than Thor. Thor is a god and he is better than the Hulk and that weakling known as Captain America. Because he's a god, he's way better than both of your choices. I've already told you why," I said.
Flynn was offended. "I can't believe that you said that, mom. You can't compare the Hulk to Captain America. Captain America is self-entitled and he's old. Also, everything that he is came from a bottle."
Eric opened his mouth to say something but I cut him off.
"Just like the Hulk," I added. "Everything that he is comes from a bottle. He was built in a lab too. The Hulk is green and not very literate. Any superhero that can't verbalize his needs or wants, I just don't trust." I then shrugged my shoulders. "Thor was made for the world of superheroes. He is a true hero and a god. He has them beat on all counts. He's worked hard for his title and that hammer. And once again, he's a god. Oh, and he's so hot; especially when Chris Hemsworth is playing him."
Why did I say that? They were coming at me from both sides. Flynn had scooted her bowl to the side and Eric scooted his chair closer to mine. I don't think I heard a word that either of them said. The expressions on their faces brought so much joy to my heart. Flynn's little hands were out by her side. Eric was sitting next to her and his hands were out by his side. They both had their heads cocked to the side and they were both telling me that I was wrong about Thor and that my reason for liking him the best was flawed and his hotness shouldn't even be considered.
After they'd finished their useless arguments for their useless characters, I said, "I don't really care what either of you think. Thor's hot, he's a god, and he has that hammer. That hammer is fierce and no one but Thor can use it. Well, except for Ultron but he doesn't really count."
"Mom, are you kidding me?"
I turned to face her and replied, "Nope. Have you seen how good looking he is? I plan on moving to Australia so that I can meet Chris Hemsworth. Maybe if I bat my eyes at him, he'll leave his wife. What do you think?" I asked her. "Do you think that he'll fall for my charms like that cop did?"
"No," she said without hesitation. "You should be with my dad. You and dad make a great couple but I'm not into that Chris Hemsworth. Plus, he bought you that car. Chris wouldn't get you a car like dad did."
The Enclave is nice. Though I told him that I didn't need it, he wouldn't hear of it but what could I do but take the keys and say thank you.
Eric ruffled Flynn's hair as he agreed with her. "No one is good enough for your mom but me. High five me, kid."
She leaned across the table and did just that.
The rest of the morning with my family was great.
Eric took Flynn to school and he drove me to work. He parked on the roof and we sat in the car for a few minutes and talked. He turned to face me and asked, "What do you have planned today?"
"I have that meeting with Sam Merlotte. We're closing it today and then I have another meeting at 12:00. After that, I'm leaving work early to prepare for the Vardamon gala. What about you?"
"A meeting with Niall and an associate from Sweden that may be looking for business attorneys. If things go as planned, we'll be set as far as big clients go." He looked at me and smiled. "How does it feel to have a law firm that's getting some very influential clients?'
"Great and scary," I answered. I leaned in and kissed him. "Thank you so much for believing in me. We are going to be so successful. Nothing or no one is going to stop us."
"We will," he replied. "Come, let's go."
When we got out of the car, I expected that he'd go his way and I'd go mine but we didn't do that. He wouldn't let me. He held my hand as we walked along. There were others on the roof with us and they were watching us. And I didn't care. I gripped in his hand in mine as we waited for the elevator with the others.
I don't care anymore who knows that we are together. I love him. He's the father of my child. He's the man with whom I'm going to spend the rest of my life. There was nothing for us to be ashamed of. I looked up at him and smiled. I love him and wanted everyone to know.
As we stepped onto the elevator, Eric wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me into his side. My heart fluttered and my smile was bright. My day was getting off to a wonderful start.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Arlo looked as if his world had caved in multiple times. I watched his face as Quinn presented all of the evidence that had been found. With each word that Quinn had spoken, Arlo's shoulders slumped. The high and mighty attitude that he had when he first walked into the conference room was long gone. He continued to mop his forehead of the sweat that was rolling down to the collar of his shirt. He refilled his glass with water several times and his mouth was still dry. Nothing was going to relieve him of the embarrassment that he was now facing.
"You are a thief, Mr. Braxton," Quinn concluded. "Your lies have been lain out before you. There's nowhere for you to hide. There's nothing that you can do or say to get out of this. There are no more lies that you can tell. Accept this for what it is. You have lost."
Sam looked at his wife, Nicole, and squeezed her hand gently. She smiled at him as she stroked the back of his hand with her thumb. "It's over," he whispered to her. "It's finally over."
She leaned in and kissed him. "Yes."
Arlo watched them and he was no longer a nervous mess. He was afraid and angry. He knew that he'd been defeated but he wasn't going to go down without a fight. He was determined to make us believe that he's innocent of all charges. "My business model is different than Sam's. I have worked too hard to give my fortune away to the likes of him. I could say that he stole the idea from me. And who's to say that he didn't steal from me. He's done it in the past. He's not above doing it now. I could …"
I slid the plans that he'd devised and shared with his cohorts in front of him. I pointed to the dates of when he'd put his plan in motion. I then slid Sam's original plan in front of him as well. "Sam's businesses were established long before yours was. His patent was put into years ago. Give it up, Mr. Braxton. Don't embarrass yourself any further."
Arlo's attorney ran his hand through what was left of his thinning hair.
Arlo looked at the defeated man for some type of support … anything. When he saw that he was going to get none, he said, "Why the fuck am I paying you if you can't help me? This is a bunch of bullshit! How did you get this information anyway? Who fucking betrayed me?"
I crossed my arms over my chest as I stared at him. "Be careful of who you hurt, Mr. Braxton. You always end up paying in the end."
He frowned for a brief moment and then it dawned on him. He shook his head no. "That fucking bitch," he mumbled. "That fucking Debbie Pelt. All because I left her for her fucking sister. I should've known. I should've fucking known that she'd betray me. After all that I've done for her. I let that bitch keep the engagement ring. Didn't I let her keep the house? I do all of that for her and this is what she does? I even gave her $25,000 and this is what she does. I can't believe it." He chuckled as realization hit him.
"A woman scorned," Quinn answered.
Arlo glared at Quinn before returning his attention back to his attorney. "What can we do? I can't lose everything that I've worked to have because my ex has decided to be vindictive. These restaurants are my life," he said. "What can we do? If I lose my businesses, I have nothing left."
His attorney began reading over the documents before responding to Arlo. "They have you by the balls. There's nothing that you can do, Arlo. These are your documents … your plans," he emphasized. "You're talking of ruining Mr. Merlotte with these guys. You don't have a choice but to do as Mr. Merlotte has asked of you. It's done."
Arlo threw the papers across the room. "I'm not paying him one fucking thin dime!" he yelled. He pointed at Sam as he continued to rant. "This motherfucker ruined my life! He ruined my life and you expect me to give him everything that I've worked to have?! Hold your fucking breath and wait on it," he growled.
I smiled down at the angry little man. I opened the folder and removed the document that Arlo was going to sign. I placed it in front of him and sighed. "Sign," I ordered.
He looked down at the paper and laughed at it but not before he spat on it. "Fuck you, you deceitful bitch," he said.
Quinn stepped forward with his hands in fists. I shook my head no as to stop him. He looked down at me and nodded; though his anger hadn't dissipated in the least.
I picked up an ink pen and placed it next to the document and repeated my earlier statement. "Sign."
"I won't," he growled.
His attorney leaned in to whisper into Arlo's ear. "You must sign, Arlo. It's in your best interests to sign. You don't want to make matters worse for yourself. They are giving you a chance here to start over. He's not trying to destroy you or take you for everything that you have. He just wants you to use a different model." His attorney began to stab the document with his finger. "Give him the fucking percentage that he's asking for and cut your losses. Change your model and pay the man."
Arlo was wide eyed with surprise. "Are you working with them, you fucking shyster? Is that it? What the fuck is going on in here? I won't sign anything."
That's when I pressed the intercom button on the speaker phone in the conference room. "Todd?"
"Yes, Ms. Stackhouse," he answered.
"Will you send in Mr. Brigant, please?"
"Yes."
We all stood around and waited for a few moments. The room was quiet. It was a little too quiet for Arlo. He was almost as nervous as he was while Quinn was presenting his findings. He'd opened his mouth to speak but in strolled Niall carrying a folder.
He looked at Arlo's attorney and introduced himself. "I'm Niall Brigant."
His attorney stood tall as he straightened his suit jacket. "I'm Daniel Swanson. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Brigant. You are a legend in the world of defense attorneys. I had no idea that you were dabbling in the world of business these days. I'd heard that the legend had retired."
Niall smiled and said, "I am and I have not. I can't retire. I have too much too offer this wonderful world of business. I decided that I needed a change. I was worn out doing defense law. Not enough innocents for me. After so much time, I became disillusioned but this seems to be the world for me."
"We welcome you," Daniel said. "I'm honored to be in the same room with you, Mr. Brigant."
"Can we cut the shit?" Arlo interrupted. "Why are you here?"
Niall whispered in my ear and handed me the file. "Everything that you need is right here. I wish that I could stay but I have a meeting to get to."
"Thank you, Niall."
He patted me on the shoulder before leaving the room.
I slid the file across the table to Arlo and his attorney and waited. His attorney opened the file and began reading over the documents that were inside. He sighed and suddenly dropped his head as he shook it in disbelief. He slid the folder to his client. "Read," he ordered.
Arlo did as he was told. A few moments later, he looked up at me; anger flaring in his eyes. "Where did you find this?"
"Does it matter?" I asked. "You're a crook, Mr. Braxton. You've been robbing your vendors since day one. Mr. Merlotte isn't the only one that will take you for everything that you have. You are man of very few morals." I began to shake my head no. "You don't want to take this to court, do you? We both know the answer to that."
Arlo shook his head no.
"So," I said as I stood before him. "Because of the evidence that we've discovered, you're going to restructure your business as Sam has requested and you're going to give Mr. Merlotte the percentages that he's asking of you. We will destroy you. We will take you to court and we will strip you of everything that you hold dear. What are you going to do, Mr. Braxton? And remember. This will be the last time you will be asked so think before you speak."
His attorney looked at him and said, "Sign it."
Arlo picked up the pen and did as he was told. Afterwards, he jumped up from his seat and left the conference room. His attorney nodded meekly and followed behind him.
Sam and Nicole thanked us. "He was destroying me," Sam said. "I can't thank you and your team enough, Ms. Stackhouse." He shook my hand enthusiastically before he then turned to face Quinn. "Your work was outstanding. Ms. Stackhouse told me of how you worked extra hard to get this information and I thank you. My wife thanks you. My entire family thanks you. You've done us a great service." He placed his hand on the small of Nicole's back as he presented her before us.
"Each of you have done a wonderful thing for us," she said. Thank you."
Via the speakerphone, Todd's voice soon filled the room. "Ms. Stackhouse, your 12:00 appointment is here."
"Well, Mr. Merlotte," I said. "Quinn will finish up the meeting." I then said to Quinn, "Contact the vendors that Mr. Braxton was stealing from and let them know that we have some information for them. Offer our services and go from there. This your team now. Take the reins and do what you do best."
"Will do," he said.
With that said and done, I left the room and went to my office. After my meeting with Niall on Tuesday, we got the ball rolling to set Quinn up for taking over my team. Next week, I will be working on the same floor as Eric. My office will be next door to his. Then, everyone will know what the 'S' in E & S means. It's going to be great. One meeting down. One to go.
This one, this was the meeting that I've been waiting for all week. Wednesday night while Eric and I was watching a movie, Sophie Ann's face popped into my mind and I couldn't stop thinking about her. As soon as Eric took a bathroom break, I called her to see if she'd meet with me Friday afternoon. She immediately said that she would. Never once asking why. And that's when I knew for sure.
When I went into my office, there was she was. She looked as nervous as I've ever seen her … though I've never seen her nervous. I've never really seen her too many times. I've only met her twice.
"Hi, Apish Neon," I said as I sat on the couch across from her.
Sophie Ann looked down at her hands. She looked as if she was about to cry. She looked up at me and said, "You can't tell Eric what I've done. He's going to be upset with me. He told me that he didn't want me to get involved because of my family but I couldn't let him go through this anymore."
"There's no reason to explain your reasons why. I'm just glad that you did it," I said to her. "Would you like some coffee or tea? I have hazelnut flavored coffee and orange spiced tea."
"No, thank you," she said. Her legs were bouncing up and down as she looked around the room.
"Sophie Ann," I said. "We don't have to do this. I don't want you to do anything that's going to make you feel uncomfortable. I'm sure that I can find out as much information as I can at the party. That's not a problem."
"I know that you can but I have to help him. I love him. I love him like he's my own son. I'd do anything for him … even if I have to go behind his back to do it," she offered. "How did you know that it was me?"
I shrugged my shoulders and answered, "I like anagrams." I scooted in closer to her. "Does Eric know that you're with me now? Does he have any idea that you're Apish Neon?"
She shook her head no. "I don't think so. If he did, he would've said something to me and besides, Eric has never been a huge Scrabble player. He's not going to wonder where I am. He's in a meeting with Niall and a potential ally. They should be in there for the next hour or so. He thinks that I'm at lunch with my husband."
"Okay," I said. "So, let's get down to business. How did you get that contract? Victor and Appius are way too skilled at covering their tracks. There was no way in the world they would have let you get a copy of it."
Sophie Ann closed her eyes and sighed. It was as if the world had finally been lifted from her shoulders. Tears rolled down her cheeks as relief rolled through her. She finally looked at me and smiled. She took a Kleenex from the table and dabbed at her cheeks. She gripped the tissue in her hand for support as she began to talk. "A couple of months before she killed herself, Erica came to Sweden. She told me about you, you know. She talked about the sweet girl with whom Eric has fallen in love. She told me that Eric shared with her that he was going to marry you someday. From that point on, she was determined to do whatever she had to do to get him out of the arrangement that she'd made.
"You know," she said as she smiled. "At one time she believed that she wouldn't have to go fulfill her end of the bargain. For so long she believed that she couldn't get pregnant. She'd been pregnant several times before and she'd lost the babies. Eric was her miracle baby." She then chuckled. "That's what she called him … 'my miracle'. She never wanted this to happen, Ms. Stackhouse. She did everything in her power to try and get him out this life.
"She went to see Dashell the same day that she'd come home but he turned down everything that she'd offered him," Sophie Ann proclaimed. "So, she came back to my home and told me that he'd turned her down. She offered him everything that she had but he wanted none of it. He wanted her first born son. She cried to me, Ms. Stackhouse and there was nothing that I could do. I was basically in the same predicament as Erica was. I was indebted to the Maddens. I'd paid my debt but because I'd signed the clause, I could never speak of what I had to do."
Sophie Ann snorted. "I was so jealous of Erica."
"Why?" I asked. I couldn't imagine why anyone would be jealous of what Erica had to do.
"She was stronger than I was," she answered. "She fought for her son and though she lost, she died fighting for him. That's why she gave me a copy of the contract. She wanted me to keep a copy just in case someone could get Eric out of the mess she'd put him in." She began to nod her head rapidly. "And I tried, Ms. Stackhouse. I truly tried but no one would help me. No one wanted to go against Dashell. He was an ornery piece of shit, he was."
Now, I was stumped. If she's had a copy of the original contract all along, why didn't she give the contract to Eric or to Niall? This so called arrangement never had to happen. There were choices that could have been made so that none of this never could've happened.
"Then why did this arrangement happen?" I asked. I was doing my best to keep my anger in check. The fact that everyone around Eric has basically kept him in the dark about what his life could and should be, angered me. "There was no reason for Eric to have to go through all of this believing that he is married to a woman that he hates. He shouldn't have had to go all of these years believing that his life was over. Why didn't you give him the original contract sooner? Why keep him believing that he had no other choice?"
"I didn't know that the contracts differed," she explained. "It never dawned on me that they would change the contracts on him. I didn't realize it until the day he was set to marry Freyda."
She scooted to edge of the couch as she began to speak. "I knew that something was wrong when he had to marry her. You were pregnant with his child. I'd heard Victor and Appius talking about it. They knew that the original contract would keep Eric from marrying Freyda. He wouldn't have to go through with the marriage if he'd fathered another child with another woman. As soon as I heard that, I went right to Eric's office to tell him. I didn't know that Victor knew that I was listening in on him and Appius. He was waiting on me at my desk."
I closed my eyes in defeat. Fucking Victor Madden.
"Victor told me to keep my 'fucking mouth shut'. He said that he knew people that would destroy my husband. He would take everything that he's worked to have." Her voice lowered when she said, "I was pregnant with my boys. I was afraid. We couldn't lose them. We wouldn't have survived this. Peter wouldn't have forgiven me if something had happened to his sons. I couldn't lose him, Ms. Stackhouse."
"I understand," I said. I sighed as I sat back in my seat. She was basically in the same boat as Erica and I was in. There was nothing that she could have done. Her family's livelihood was at stake. She was pregnant and the stress would have been too much.
"Ms. Stackhouse …," she began.
"Please, call me Sookie. You don't have to be so formal. We're talking about taking down a powerful family together. I'm sorry that I didn't let you know this earlier but …"
She nodded. "I know," she agreed. "It's a lot to take in at once. But Sookie, I will be at the party tomorrow night. I will let you know which people to speak with when you get there. The ones that hate the Maddens. The ones that want to see them fall. They will be the ones who will tell you everything that you need to know." Her eyes dropped to her hands. In a soft voice, she asked, "Eric doesn't know about the contract, does he? You haven't told him?"
"We have not," I answered.
"Complete take down?" she asked.
"Complete annihilation," I replied.
She nodded her head. "Many secrets will be revealed that night," she said. "No one will be left unscathed. Not even Eric. You know that, right? You're willing to accept everything that comes with taking down the Maddens?" She took my hands in hers as she gazed into my eyes. "In their world, everyone pays the price … whether you're guilty or innocent."
"I know what I'm getting myself into," I assured her. "The only thing that I fear is losing Eric. And I'm not going to lose him. He's here now and I'm not letting him go. Ever. So whatever happens, whatever we discover, we're prepared for it." I began to shake my head no. "Nothing is going to stop me from destroying Victor Madden. I want him to know what it feels like to lose everything. I want him to suffer and he will."
Sophie Ann patted my hands before letting them go. "I must go," she said as she stood up to leave.
I mimicked her movements as I offered her my hand. "Thank you for your help." Staring into her eyes, I said, "You know that when the time is right, I'm going to have to tell Eric what you've done to help us. I'm going to tell him about the contract. I'm going to tell him everything. He must know."
"I know," she agreed. "And I'm okay with that. This is what I've wanted. I've always wanted to help him. I promised Erica that I would and I have. Thank you for letting me do this."
I placed my hand on her shoulder and said, "Thank you for doing this."
She nodded at me as she said, "I'll see you tonight?"
"I'll be there."
I closed the door behind Sophie Ann as she left.
"Everything changes," I said as I rested my backside against the door. "Tonight, all hell breaks loose."
And my day couldn't get any better.