CHAPTER 72
The next day…
(CHRISTOPHER)
"Are you alright?"
The sound of my sister's voice pulls me from my thoughts, although my thoughts at the moment are pretty much a jumbled mess. I turn and smile at her and tell her I'm fine, but I unconsciously touch the healing gunshot wound on my arm. A gesture Ireland doesn't fail to notice.
"I don't believe you" Ireland says bluntly as she folds her arms and gives me a defiant 'don't bullshit me' look.
I let out a small laugh and pull her into a warm hug. "I'm fine honestly, admittedly I am still trying to get my head around everything Gideon told us yesterday… to be honest with you, I was just thinking about calling dad, to see if he knows anything. I mean as far as I am aware, he took up with mom fairly quickly after Gideon's dad died and then we happened fairly quickly after that. So, my reasoning is he must have known her reasonably well beforehand and therefore must have known about her background?" I look questioningly at Ireland and she nods.
"I was going to suggest that, but I wasn't sure whether to or not though considering how dodgy dads' relationship with Gideon is. I don't want him saying something to Gideon as he has been through enough".
I nod in agreement, that is the only thing that is holding me back. After learning the truth about Gideon and everything he went through as a kid, which still shocks and disgusts me to the core, and I still have difficulty getting my head around the fact my own parents treated him so badly and so cruelly, when he was undeniably a victim and a victim in the worst way possible. Even if you set aside the whole abuse thing, there is so much our mother should be held accountable for. First of all he finds out his mother was as complicit as his dad in the fraud, then he finds out that through her he is related to the guy who has tried to discredit and ruin him in business all his life. I don't want to rock the boat and do anything which causes him anymore upset or confrontation. We are getting ready to go to the prison where Landon is being held to confront him about everything we have discovered to find out if he knew about any of it and hopefully finally get him to see sense where Gideon is concerned and make him realise that he isn't his enemy.
"Fuck it, I'm doing it" I say after a moments silence, suddenly making the decision to call my father.
I grab my phone and putting it on speaker so Ireland can listen in I hit the speed dial button and call my father. Ireland moves closer and wraps her arm around me and I settle my free arm around her shoulder. Our father answers quickly with a warm greeting that makes my heart lurch. I am lucky to still have a fairly good relationship with my father despite everything that has happened and it makes me realise just how lucky I am as that is something that Gideon hasn't had at all throughout his life.
"Christopher, how are you?" my dad says warmly.
I take a deep breath, "I'm good dad, just so you know you are on speaker and Ireland is with me as we need to ask you something" I begin.
"Alright, hello Ireland" my dad says warily.
"Hi dad" Ireland says simply and then she glances at me and waits for me to continue.
"Dad, how long did you know mom before you two married?" I ask.
There is a long silence before I hear a sigh. "What's this about Christopher?"
Ireland and I look at each other, neither of us missing the edge and sharpness of our father's tone or the fact he has avoided the question completely. Ireland moves even closer and squeezes me gently.
"This is about us needing to know if you knew that mom was also Ryan Landon's mom" Ireland says bluntly.
There is another long silence before our dad responds.
"Yes, yes I knew that" he mutters quietly.
Any remaining respect I had for my father disappears in that moment and Ireland lets out a shuddering gasping sob as she shakes her head and slaps her hand over her mouth. I try and console her as best as I can, whilst trying to hold it together so that I can find out more details which I can pass on to Gideon. I fail to keep my emotions in check though as I begin to rant at my father.
"You knew! You knew and you never made Gideon aware of this fundamental fact when he has been constantly irritated by Ryan Landon all his life. Just so we are really clear here, as well as the fact that we also know that mom was more complicit in the fraud Gideon's dad perpetuated – which I believe is the reason you have now left her, we also now know that Ryan Landon's dad was also up to his neck in it and more importantly Ryan Landon inherited some of that dirty money which his dad squirreled away to start LanCorp. So, Eric Landon wasn't ruined by Geoffrey Cross, Gideon wasn't to blame for everything and just like within the family he has been made out to be a scapegoat all his life when the only thing he did was fucking exist".
"Don't take that tone with me Christopher, and mind your language" my dad says sharply and I let out a derisive snort.
"Just don't dad, don't try and claim the moral high ground because you can't. You knew that Ryan Landon was Gideon's half-brother and you didn't think to inform him of that fact? You could've ended that feud between the two families years ago if only you had said something" I say.
"And Christopher wouldn't have got shot either" Ireland puts in.
I hadn't actually thought of that but I seize it and run with it as I continue to berate my father. "Yeah dad, how does it make you feel that your son was shot by his own half-brother? Because that is what Landon is or didn't you consider that? Ryan Landon is not only related to Gideon he is also related to me and to Ireland. I know you don't give a shit about Gideon, but we are biologically your kids so by you keeping your mouth shut you could argue that you should take some of the blame for the fact I got shot when Ryan Landon went postal".
"That's not fair Christopher, he wasn't aiming at you he was going for Grey and you just got in the way".
I look at Ireland as both our jaws drop in shock and disgust at his dismissive attitude. Ireland recovers first and shakes her head, "Well that makes all the difference" she mutters under her breath.
"Oh, so it's my fault?" I retort.
"I didn't say that, you are twisting my words, look I'm not speaking to you while you are in this frame of mind. Could I have said something to Gideon about Ryan Landon? No, I couldn't because I promised Elizabeth that nobody would ever know and I stand by that decision" he says defensively.
"Gideon has been persecuted by Ryan Landon all his life. He has been accused of using the fraud money to start Cross Industries which didn't happen, ironically though the man accusing him did use that money to start his own company, don't you see how twisted that is? If you had come clean to Gideon, he could've stopped Ryan and put an end to the feud" Ireland says in exasperation, trying to make our father see sense.
"Ryan knew Elizabeth was his mother!" our father blurts out, which is followed by a complete stunned silence, "He knew" he repeats a moment later.
"Thank you dad, that's all we needed to know. I'm hanging up now, as I really don't want to speak with you any further" I say coldly and I end the call.
"This latest information is going to destroy Gideon" Ireland says a moment later.
I look at her worried face and hug her to me, "I know, but he needs to know. We are going to see Landon today so he needs to know this so he can be prepared. If he was to go in there blind it would be worse for him, at least this way he can prepare how he confronts Landon with all this new information".
Ireland nods, "It could also help him when he goes to see mom, as we know she will try and deny everything but with this information from dad she can't do that" she says.
"I agree, it will" I say, and the guilt I am feeling at what I have just done starts to disappear with that thought.
There is another lengthy silence before Ireland speaks again. "We should get going" she says and with that we wordlessly leave my apartment to go to Gideon.
When we arrive, the penthouse is full. Gideon, Eva, Christian, Ana, that Welch guy and Angus are all there standing around talking. The therapist woman is also there as is Eva's dad – Victor. Everyone greets us warmly but their smiles fade as they see our grim expressions. Ireland crumbles first and bursts into tears. She leaves my side and hurls herself at Gideon who catches her and tries to console her.
"Hey, come on it's ok" he croons as he gently strokes her back.
I shake my head, "It's really not" I say which immediately gets everyone's attention.
"What's going on?" Christian asks stepping forward.
"I think we should all sit down" I say and I point to the sofas.
We all sit down and I shuffle slightly uncomfortably as I have everyone's attention on me. "I called dad this morning, as I needed to know if he knew anything… I mean my theory was, he must have known our mom a fairly long time and so perhaps he knew something about… Ryan Landon being her son. Well, it appears he knew all about the fact that Ryan Landon is mom's son… we berated him telling him he should've told you, but he pulled the loyalty to mom card… but… but… he did tell us something, something which isn't good considering what a bastard Ryan Landon has been to you all your life…" I pause and look down at my hands clasped in front of me.
I take a deep breath and still staring at my hands I pull off the band aid and tell Gideon what I know. "Dad said that Ryan Landon also knew that mom was his mom" I say.
The gasps fill the room. I look up and see Gideon looks ashen. He is gripping Eva's hand tightly and she is whispering furiously in his ear. I have no idea how he must be feeling at this moment. Not only has he been betrayed by his own family in the worst way possible he has been made a fool of for years by a man who is his own brother.
"Gideon?" I ask warily and he looks at me. The impassive blank mask is now in place giving no clue to how he is really feeling.
To my surprise he simply stands up, "Well, that gives me some idea of how I am going to approach this when we go to the prison today. Thank you for telling me Christopher, that couldn't have been easy for you" he says with an eerie calmness.
Everyone is looking at Gideon in unconcealed shock, nobody was expecting this sort of reaction. I am worried as he sounds almost detached from everything he has just been told.
"Shall we go then?" he says coldly.
"Gideon lad, don't you need a moment to process this?" Angus asks. I can tell he is as worried about this reaction as I am, not to mention everyone else.
Gideon shakes his head, "No, this information gives me the advantage. Landon believes I don't know. He thinks I am ignorant to all of it, so he believes he has the upper hand and so I am going to go in there and take that belief away from him. All I need to find out now is if he knew that the money he used to start LanCorp was stolen. Whatever happens today, I now have no guilt about handing over everything I have learnt to the police and to the lawyers who have reopened civil cases for the victims, and it should ensure he doesn't come out of this situation well".
There is complete silence as everyone takes in Gideon's cold words. My brother has always had a reputation for being ruthless in business and not thinking twice about destroying people and this is how he appears to be handling this, he has compartmentalised it as a business matter rather than a family one. He doesn't look upon Ryan Landon as family, he is the enemy and an enemy who needs to be destroyed and I honestly can't fault that. I make the decision right there that whatever happens today, I will stand beside Gideon and give him my complete support.
oooOOOooo
We arrive at the prison and the usual security protocol is implemented. We are led into a large room where a prison official greets us.
"Ok, I wasn't expecting this large a party to see prisoner Landon, we have arranged for this room for you all to wait in. You will be able to watch proceedings and hear everything that is being said but I need to ask that only three people are in the room with Mr Landon" he says, as he glances at us all.
We all look at one another, "Well, I say you, Christian and me" I say pointing at Gideon, Christian and then myself.
Gideon nods in agreement, "I'm happy with that, what about you Christian?" he asks and Christian just waves his hand dismissively.
"Ok then gentlemen if you could follow me" the prison official says. I give Ireland a hug but she is soon surrounded by Eva and Ana and I am grateful for the support they are giving her. I watch as Gideon and Christian both pull their wives into bone crushing hugs before we leave the room.
We leave the room and walk down a short corridor and enter another door and we are confronted by the room we saw previously through the window. I look and see a mirror on the wall and know that the rest of our family are behind that. Gideon and Christian also look across at the mirror and smile, before taking their seats on one side of the table. We have our backs to the mirror but we have been assured that our family will be able to hear everything we say.
We sit and wait. A prison official brings in a tray filled with paper cups filled with coffee. We thank him and we all take a cup and drink. We all grimace at the same time as the unpleasant taste hits our tongues. It seems like we have been waiting for ages but eventually a buzzer sounds and the door opens again. We look up and see Landon being led in and handcuffed to the table.
Christian smirks at him, which seems to irritate him immediately. Gideon however just sits stony faced and silently observes him. He has the file of information in front of him on the table which Landon glances at and then dismisses, returning his attention to us. He looks at each of us in turn, he pauses as he looks at me.
"I didn't mean to shoot you" he says eventually.
I am surprised by that, but don't show it.
"I apologise, you were an innocent victim" he adds.
I snort, "I'd thank you, but after what we have discovered about you, I don't feel inclined to believe your false remorse".
Landon frowns, and looks confused at my response. At this Gideon leans forwards slightly, and fixes an icy glare on Landon.
"So, I'm going to get straight to the point Landon. No messing about as I have better things to do with my time. I know that you are my half-brother – your mother is Elizabeth Vidal, at the time of your birth she was Elizabeth Yarwood. She washed her hands of you signing you over to your father, I also know that you are aware of that fact. We also know and have written documentary evidence to prove that your father – Eric, was up to his neck in the Ponzi scheme and made a great deal of money out of it. He wasn't ruined at all as you have claimed all these years, in fact we have evidence that proves that the offshore investment funds containing the vast sums of dirty money were accessed when you started LanCorp".
Gideon pauses and smiles at Landon before continuing, "Imagine how interested lawyers of the families who were genuinely ruined by my father, our mother and your father would be upon hearing this. Imagine how this will make you look after your constant needling all these years, almost like you were trying to shift the attention to me to cover your own culpability".
Gideon stops and we all look and see Landon's reaction, fear and anger in equal parts fill his face. He doesn't say anything though as there is nothing he can say. His eyes dart to Christian and then to me, we both are wearing emotionless impassive expressions and I think this is unnerving Landon somewhat.
"Just so we are totally clear, this will also be of interest to the lawyers in your trial. I mean, it puts a whole new slant on things, the amount of premeditation it suggests is immense" Gideon adds.
"You're bluffing" Landon stammers.
Gideon picks up the file and throws it towards Landon, "It's all there in black and white, and you can't deny it, any of it" he says.
Landon hesitates a moment and then fumbles for the folder, he is handcuffed to the table so he is finding it difficult to move properly. Eventually he manages and his eyes widen as he takes in the contents of the folder. As he continues to read, I see his demeanour change completely. He is broken, he knows that this will finish him.
"What do you want Cross?" he asks eventually. Not in a confrontational way, more a resigned way. He knows there is no way out of this with everything we now have on him.
"An explanation" Gideon says simply.
Landon frowns, "What?" he asks clearly confused by that.
"An explanation" Gideon repeats, "You have known all your life that we share a mother, you have accused me of using embezzled funds to start Cross Industries which I did not, and which because of your constant noise on the matter I have had to continually prove. While you did just that and seemingly got away scott-free, until now as I going to make sure this information is passed on to the relevant authorities. You have been a thorn in my side all my adult life constantly trying to undercut me and out do me to the detriment of your company. Your actions made it easy for Christian and I to force you into insolvency. What I want to know is why? Why did you do it?"
Landon's face contorts with rage and hatred as he glares at Gideon, "You had her all your life, I didn't" he spits and with that one sentence it all becomes clear, he has been eaten away with jealousy. Jealousy that as far as he is concerned Gideon had something he didn't – a mother.
Gideon lets out a snort, "Trust me you are not missing much, in fact I would say you dodged a bullet as far as our mother is concerned. Let's just say she is missing something fundamental maternally".
Landon pauses and seems taken aback by that, he glances at me and I hold up my hands. "Don't look at me, whilst I admit that I had a fairly good relationship with our mother it has all come out that it was built on a tissue of lies, lies which coloured my opinion of my brother for years. It is only recently that we have become close and that is down to discovering the truth about mommy dearest". I pause and watch as Landon takes all that in.
"Besides, you had a mother" I add.
Landon glares at me, "She left my father when I was young. That is when I discovered the truth about my parentage, she told me out of spite when she left my father" he says.
I inwardly cringe at that and glance at Gideon and Christian hoping that they will say something.
Christian cocks his head to one side, "It was unfair of your… for want of a better word mother to do that. As far as you were aware she was your mother and for her to break your world apart like that out of spite towards your father was wrong. Surely you should see that?" he says.
Landon hesitates a moment and then nods, "My dad said much the same thing" he mumbles. "It forced him to tell me about Elizabeth. Apparently, he told me it was just a fling, nothing serious and she was horrified when she discovered she was pregnant. My father was seeing my mother and it appears that there was some overlap where he was seeing Elizabeth at the same time as my mother. She was going to abort me, as she didn't want to be a single parent or the scandal of a relationship triangle but my father persuaded her to carry me to term and he paid for all her medical expenses. He paid for her to disappear while she was pregnant and then when I was born she handed me over, signed the paperwork to relinquish all responsibility for me and carried on with her life. She met Geoffrey Cross a short while later and they fell in love and married".
"Let's get this straight, apart from your step mother telling you the truth about your parentage which was wrong on every possible level, did you have a good upbringing?" Christian asks carefully.
Landon stills as he thinks about that and then he slowly nods his head, "I did, my father was the best. I adored him and he was my hero" he says with clear affection.
Christian smiles, "That's good to know, however I think he should take some responsibility for what happened here as he was seeing two women at the same time". He pauses and glances at Gideon while he seems to consider what he is going to say next. I take a moment to look at Landon and he accepts that remark with a resigned dip of his head.
Christian sees that and continues to speak, "I am sure Gideon won't mind me saying this, but after what you have just said your jealousy was unfounded as you had a far better childhood than Gideon did. If you had done your homework and discovered the truth about the life Gideon had as a child you wouldn't have dreamed about persecuting him all his adult life for a slight that he was totally unaware of until now. You were blaming the wrong person, the person you should've aimed your anger at was your biological mother. As far as I can see, and I am no expert here. You and Gideon… you both… you and Gideon have been let down in the worst way possible by your mother, in differing ways you were both abandoned by her when you needed her most". I can see Christian is uncomfortable saying this as he is trying to get across to Landon the truth without saying anything which is Gideon's story to tell.
I nod my head as I had come to the same conclusion after hearing what Landon said.
"I agree with Christian" I say and I look at Gideon, "I think when you see our mother you should drag her ass here, whether she wants to or not as it's the very least she can do. Make her come here and have the confrontation here as Ryan deserves to know everything, he deserves to know exactly what sort of mother we have. He needs to be aware of the full picture and if he doesn't understand then when everything is out in the open… well there is no hope for him". I shrug as I finish speaking.
Landon watches me, and frowns again, "I am guessing that something big happened in both your childhoods?" he asks warily.
I take a shot look at Gideon who is like a statue and nod, "You could say that, in fact that is an understatement as to what my brother endured. But that is his story to tell and to be honest with you. You are probably the last person who he would consider telling, given your history". I look towards Christian, "Do you think that therapist woman you brought with you could help in some way? I can't see Gideon opening up but as far as I see it Ryan needs to know everything; he needs to know Gideon is not his enemy and never has been".
Christian shrugs, "She came to help at my request so I would assume so, but this is a delicate matter" he looks at Gideon, "You are the deciding factor here Gideon, and nobody will think any less of you if you say no" he says kindly.
"I need to think about it" Gideon mutters quietly and we both nod. I reach for my brother and squeeze his arm.
"Of course you do" I reply.
Ryan watches the exchange and then looks at Gideon carefully. "From what I have heard, it is clear my assumptions about you have been grossly inaccurate and my decisions over the years have been coloured by my resentment towards our mother… it appears that I may have been targeting the wrong person" he says, he is clearly uncomfortable saying what he is saying and I think that is closest to an apology that Gideon is going to get, for now.
"I'm not just saying that to prevent you taking the actions you have threatened" Landon continues as he points at the folder. "I wouldn't blame you for thinking that. In fact in light of the evidence you have, along with my behaviour all these years I wouldn't blame you and would expect you to hand this over to the relevant parties. Just for the record… I had no idea, and that is the honest truth".
"No idea about what?" Gideon asks looking up at Landon.
"The money, I had no idea it was the Ponzi scheme money. My father told me that it was money he had set aside from my birth and which he had invested well. He was the one who told me he was ruined by Geoffrey Cross. He never mentioned our mother at all, so I don't know if he was aware that she was as involved as she clearly was, or if he was trying to shield her. I… just… I just had no idea he was also as deeply involved with it. Had I known I obviously wouldn't have kept throwing all those accusations at you over the years. My father led me to believe that money I used to start LanCorp was literally all he had and he made me believe that you had received money from Geoffrey Cross which made me hate you even more. I assumed my fathers fortune had been decimated and that he was giving me his last cent. It made me want to try and destroy you, It gave me the incentive to make you pay… but it was all lies".
Gideon nods, he looks up and he has a look of acceptance on his face. "I'll do it" he says looking at Christian. "Give me time, I will need Eva with me and I will need Caroline present. But I'll do it" he says.
Before he can say anything else, his phone buzzes and he pulls it out and smiles. He answers putting the call on speaker and we hear Eva's voice fill the room.
"You will not do this alone Gideon, I will be right there with you. You are not to blame for any of this. However, after hearing Ryan's side today and assuming what he is saying is the truth I think the only people truly responsible are Elizabeth and Eric Landon. Eric Landon is dead and can no longer be held accountable for his actions but it is clear he wasn't honest with you Ryan and made you believe things that just weren't true. So, with that in mind Gideon, when you tell Ryan your story she should be there, she really should be there. She cannot deny any of it any longer. This is your chance Gideon… and you too Ryan you both need to confront her and you both need to put an end to her lies and denial. Then when the whole truth is out there, you can hopefully start to rebuild… with help of course. Start to build something together as you have both been lied to and you have both been let down by your families. You have that in common so when you both know the entire truth and it's all out there, use it! Use that as a base to build something new and strong for you to move forward".
Gideon turns to look at the mirror and he smiles. "Agreed" he says simply, before turning towards Landon and giving him an almost challenging look.
"What do you say?" he asks.
Ryan doesn't hesitate and nods his head emphatically. "Your wife speaks a lot of sense. I am beginning to realise my father wasn't as innocent as he made out and I am also guessing what I am going to be told about our mother will be epic and I am going to feel even more guilty about the way I have treated you over the years, but if we can get all that toxicity out in the open, we can get rid of it and hopefully build something more positive moving forward".
Gideon smiles and turns to Christian and to me, "Well it appears we have our plan. Christopher I will need your help as you have the best relationship with our mother and me dragging her here wouldn't be productive. I am relying on you to help with this?"
I realise this is huge and I start to work out how I am going to do it, but I don't hesitate. I nod my head, "Consider it done" I say.