Double Deceit
Chapter 27
70/30
Bella:
"I told you to stop seeing her Jacob! Why didn't you listen!" Sarah said.
"You knew?" Dad and I said looking at her.
"That he liked Leah? Yes, I knew," she said matter of factly. "He came to me when he was a teenager and told me about his attraction to her," Sarah explained.
"But I reminded him of his duty, of the commitment we had made with you and ordered him to stop seeing her," Sarah said looking at Jacob.
"Why didn't you do as asked?!" She snapped.
"Because you can't tell me who I should or shouldn't love!" Jacob snapped back.
"You should have given up when she married that doctor," Sarah added.
The fact that she knew his true feelings and still made him go through with the arraignment was horrible, why? Because he dragged all of us with him.
"Did you tell her she's not the only one?" I spat while looking at him and seeing him clearly for the first time in my life.
Jacob's gaze flicked back to me, his eyes wide with surprise. "What are you talking about?" He asked.
I walked towards the spread contents of the files and retrieved the photos of Jacob with some of the other women he cheated with.
"Did you tell her how you closed deals with Mrs. Kebi?" I said, brandishing the photos in his face. "How about your rendezvous with her? Or her?" I added more pictures joining the pile.
Jacob's face paled as he took in the evidence. "Bella, I-"
"Don't," I said, cutting him off with a wave of my hand. "Don't you dare tell another lie."
Jacob's eyes searched mine, desperation etched into every line of his face. "Bella, it's not what you think. The file, it's just part of the job. I had to do it."
"Your job?" I scoffed, the disbelief thick in my voice. "Your job is to cheat on me? To lie to my face? To make a fool out of me?"
Jacob reached out, his hand shaking, but I slapped it away. "Don't touch me," I hissed. "You've been playing me from the start. You and your 'I had to do this for us' bullshit. For who, Jacob? Us? What excuse are you going to give now? How are you going to manipulate your way out of this?"
Jacob's eyes grew darker, his jaw tightening. "You don't get it," he said through gritted teeth. "You don't understand the kind of world we're in."
"And what world is that?" Dad said.
Jacob held his hands up in a defensive stance. "The world where we have to protect what's ours. This isn't just about me and Leah. It's about the company, about our family's legacy!"
Billy's voice grew cold. "Your legacy is built on deceit and betrayal. How could you do this to us, Jacob?"
Jacob's eyes searched the room, as if looking for an escape from the accusations. "I did it for us! For the company! For the future we were supposed to build together!"
"The future?" I scoffed. "You mean the future where I pretend not to know about your countless affairs while you sit at the head of the table, playing the devoted husband?"
Dad's voice was steely. "Your actions don't just affect the company, Jacob. They affect all of us!"
"Jacob I can't believe you used sex as a bargaining chip," Billy said, he then looked at Angela, "Is there more Mrs. Cheney?"
She nodded. "There's more," she murmured.
"How could you, Jacob?" Dad's voice was low, the kind of quiet that was louder than a shout.
Jacob swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat. "It wasn't just about the money," he began, his voice cracking. "It was about keeping us on top. The competition is ruthless. We had to do whatever it took to stay ahead."
"Which is why you started billing clients for unnecessary services and products, marking up the prices," I said, my voice shaking with anger. "You didn't just cheat on me, Jacob. You cheated on everyone who ever trusted you."
Dad's face was red, his fists clenched at his sides. "My daughter managed to maintain our previous clients and get new ones without doing all of this shit you did!" Dad said.
"Is this true?" He asked Angela, his voice shaking with barely contained rage.
Angela nodded, "I found out about the financial discrepancies a few months ago," she said.
Billy's eyes narrowed as he looked over the documents. "This isn't just a few shady deals, Jacob. This is embezzlement on a grand scale."
"It's not like that!" Jacob protested, his voice rising. "I was just trying to keep us afloat!"
"Afloat?" Dad's laugh was humorless. "You've sunk us, son. You've sunk everything we've ever worked for!"
Jacob's shoulders slumped, and he looked around the room, desperation in his eyes. "What do you want from me?" He asked, his voice small.
"The truth," I said, my voice firm. "Tell us everything, and maybe, just maybe, we can figure out a way to fix this mess."
"But the damage is already done," Billy said, shaking his head. "You've betrayed your family and your company."
Jacob's gaze fell to the floor. "I know," he murmured. "I know."
The room was thick with tension, the only sound the rustling of pages as Billy continued to flip through the evidence.
"How could we not notice?" Dad asked Sarah, his voice tinged with accusation.
"Now we all have to deal with the consequences of his actions."
Jacob looked up, his eyes meeting mine. For the first time, I saw something in them other than arrogance or deceit. It was fear. Pure, unadulterated fear.
"What happens now?" He asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
The silence that followed was deafening, each of us lost in our own thoughts, weighing the gravity of his confession against the shattered trust and the future we now faced.
"Now," Dad said finally, his voice measured and calm, "we deal with this as a family. But Jacob, you need to understand that your actions have consequences. And you will face them."
Jacob nodded, his eyes never leaving Dad's. "I understand," he murmured.
The next steps were unclear, but one thing was for certain: nothing would ever be the same again.
*DD*
We had been at the meeting all morning, and the tension in the room had only grown more palpable with each passing minute. The weight of Jacob's confession hung heavy in the air, and it was clear that we all needed a break to process the betrayal and deceit that had been revealed.
"I'm calling a timeout," I announced, my voice cutting through the thick silence. "We'll continue this after lunch."
Jacob's eyes snapped to mine, a hint of desperation in them. He knew that this break was only the calm before the storm, and he wouldn't be able to sweet-talk his way out of the consequences that awaited him.
Sarah, Billy, and my dad nodded in agreement, and we all began to gather our things. The atmosphere was tense as we walked out of the conference room, the echoes of our footsteps bouncing off the cold, hard walls.
In the hallway, I couldn't help but feel a pang of hunger. The emotional rollercoaster had taken a toll on me, and I realized I hadn't eaten since early morning. "Let's get some food," I suggested, trying to keep my voice steady.
We headed to the office cafeteria, the smell of overcooked meat and stale bread doing little to alleviate the nausea that churned in my stomach. The silence was suffocating as we sat down at a table, each lost in our own thoughts.
As we ate, the weight of the situation began to settle on my shoulders. I had been living a lie, a pawn in Jacob's twisted game of power and greed. I glanced over at him, watching as he pushed his food around his plate, his eyes hollow and haunted.
After lunch, we filed back into the conference room, the air thick with unspoken accusations and anger. We were all ready to confront Jacob, to lay bare the full extent of his deception and decide on a course of action.
Billy cleared his throat, his eyes on the documents spread out in front of him. "Alright, let's get back to this," he said, his voice firm.
Jacob took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair, his fingers drumming nervously on the armrests. He knew he was about to face the music, and there was no way to predict the outcome.
The silence was a stark reminder of the storm we were about to re-enter. Jacob wasn't going to know what hit him.
Jacob looked even more haggard than before, his eyes darting around the room like a caged animal seeking an escape. He knew the truth had been laid bare, and there was nowhere left to hide. As we resumed our discussion, I couldn't help but feel a strange mix of anger, betrayal, and pity for the man I had once thought I knew.
"Let's get this over with," Dad said trying to his hide anger. "Tell us everything, Jacob. Leave no stone unturned."
As Jacob spoke, the details of his deceit unfolded like a tragic play, each act more shocking than the last. His voice grew quieter as he recounted his use of company funds to cover his tracks, the way he had manipulated clients and colleagues alike to keep his secret hidden.
"And what about the other women?" Billy asked, his voice cold. "Was that just part of the game?"
Jacob's eyes flickered up to meet his father's. "No," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "They were just... I don't know. They were just there."
"And he hasn't told you the most recent event, before the picture I sent you that is," I added.
"What's that?" Sarah asked
"Leah was the one who provoked his accident, she's the reason he almost lost his leg," the room was silent after my input.
Sarah's eyes went wide with shock, her hand flying to her mouth. "What are you saying, Bella?"
Jacob's gaze was glued to me, his face a mask of horror as the revelation hit him like a ton of bricks. "It's true," he murmured. " I didn't notice her following me," he said defensively.
The room erupted into a cacophony of accusations and questions, but I remained calm, my eyes never leaving Jacob's. "But that's not the only gem on his crown of deceit," I said, my voice like ice.
Jacob leaned back in his chair, his hands gripping the armrests tightly. He looked at me trying to understand what I meant, I looked at him square on. I don't know if he found what he was looking for in my eyes, but realization hit him and his eyes widened. I smiled.
"You know Leah's twin boys?" I put it out there. Jacob's expression paled. He knew I knew and he was fucked.
"What do they have to do with anything?" Sarah asked, looking at her son questioningly.
"Are you telling them, or should I?" I asked, looking at Jacob.
There was a moment of silence, but just as I was about to spill the beans he took the lead.
"They're mine...the boys, James and Ephraim are mine,"
Jacob's words hung in the air like a toxic cloud, and everyone's expressions shifted from shock to disgust. It was clear that the depth of his deceit knew no bounds.
"You fathered her twins?" Billy's voice was incredulous, his eyes narrowing into slits as he stared at his son. "And you didn't think to tell us?"
Jacob swallowed hard, "no one was supposed to find out," he said in his defense.
"How did you find out Bella?" He asked.
Leah's ex-husband is my doctor, there are pictures of them in his office, the resemblance is uncanny," I said. "But if you don't believe me check out the paternity test in the file,"
Jacob's eyes grew darker, a dangerous edge creeping into his voice. "You had no right," he spat.
"I didn't do this test, it was given to me," I informed. Billy looked embarrassed and Sarah was seething, she hadn't known about her grandkids.
They started arguing until dad slammed his fist on the table, Dad's fist slammed onto the table, the sound echoing through the room. "Enough!" he bellowed. "We've heard enough of your excuses. It's time to face the consequences!"
"I'm sorry," he murmured. "I never meant for it to go this far." He said again as if that was going to make everything better.
But sorry wouldn't be enough. Not for the web of lies he had spun, the lives he had shattered, or the trust he had obliterated. The room was a maelstrom of accusations, each one a knife twisting in his gut.
As the reality of his situation set in, the color drained from his face. "What happens now?" he asked, his voice trembling. Dad leaned back in his chair, his expression a thundercloud of anger. "Now, we decide what to do with you," he said, his tone leaving no room for doubt.
"I know what I'm going to do with him, Dad. I know how we are going to deal with this situation. It's the main reason I called for this meeting,"
Everyone's eyes snapped to me, curious about what I had planned. I took a deep breath, my mind racing with the potential outcomes. "You made your choices, Jacob. Now you get to live with the consequences."
The room grew colder as the weight of his actions bore down on him. He looked from face to face, searching for a shred of mercy, but all he found was anger and disappointment.
"You see, Jacob," I began, "We are going to move forward with the consequences stated in the contract that both of us signed. As per that contract the division of the company is 60/40, but now it will be 70/30. And our marriage is null," Jacob's eyes grew wide with shock.
"You want to leave us with scraps?" Sarah said.
"No, I want to leave him with nothing," I corrected. "Jacob, you're going to sign over your share of the company to me, and you will step down from your position immediately," I announced, my voice steady and firm. "And before you start throwing around legal jargon, remember the prenup you were so eager to sign. It's airtight. You've given me all the ammo I need."
"How do you plan on paying for our part of the shares?" Billy asked calmly.
"That's where we come in," Mr. Jenks, one of the other lawyers, said.
"Mrs. Swan has acquired her inheritance, the one left by Helen and George Swan, and Marie Higginbotham," Jacob's head shot up at the mention of my grandparent's inheritance.
"But she isn't twenty-one yet," Mother interjected.
"Yes, we know, but there was a footnote, Mrs. Swan could cash in the inheritance two ways, by legal age or by finishing her college degree, and since the latter happened first, she can dispose of the funds as she pleases," Jenks explained.
"I finished all the required courses in December, refer to the letter in the file for further proof," I added in case anyone (Sarah) doubted what the lawyer said.
"Is the inheritance enough to buy us over?" Billy asked.
"Yes, Mr. Black," Jenks confirmed.
Jacob's jaw dropped. "You can't do this," he sputtered, his eyes darting around the room as if searching for a way out of the corner he'd painted himself into.
"But I can," I said, my voice unwavering. "And I will. You see, Jacob, I've always been smarter than you gave me credit for."
His eyes narrowed as the reality of his predicament began to sink in. "You can't do this," he repeated, his voice less certain now.
"Watch me," I said, my tone icy. "You've played us all for fools long enough. It's time to pay the piper."
"We are also going to have another meeting with the heads of the other departments, to see who else was doing anything shady because of you, and legal actions will be taken."
Jacob's face fell, and his hands clenched into fists. "You can't just throw me away like this," he said, his voice cracking. "We built this together."
"No, your father and I worked to build this together, you took advantage and destroyed it," Dad pointed out.
Jacob's desperation grew, "But Bella, please, we can work this out,"
"NO! We are divorcing and I am taking 70% of the company, I am leaving you with a mere thirty percent, that's the only part that belongs to your family. I am sorry Billy, but you are a minority board member. You have your son to thank for that," I said looking at him, Billy was sad and broken, it pained me to see him like this.
"You don't know the disaster you created! How is everyone going to do business with us once this gets out, huh?" Dad said.
"Dad, we will handle it, we will not sink, I promise." I was not going to let everything my father worked for fail because of Jacob Black.
"Is the new contract ready?"
"Yes, Mrs. Swan," the lawyer, Mr. Jenks, said as he slid the document across the table towards me. My heart was racing as I picked up the pen and prepared to sign my name, effectively ending my marriage and taking control of the company.
"Wait! But what about the children?" Sarah asked.
"My daughters?" I said placing a protective hand over my stomach.
"Yes, they're his daughters too, he has rights, you can't..." I stood up and cut her of.
"They're MY children!" The words came out of me like a roar, the pent-up anger and pain bubbling to the surface.
"Mom, it's fine...Bella and I will discuss this at a different time, please, let's just get this over with." Jacob's voice was pleading, and his mother looked at him with a mix of pity and disappointment.
"Very well, if you say so," she said, her voice heavy with defeat.
Jacob and the Black's signed the contract giving the majority of their shares to me.
As I looked at the signed contract, the weight of the moment wasn't lost on me. I was about to take control of my family's legacy, something I had never expected to do under these circumstances. But the anger and betrayal coursing through my veins fueled my determination.
"Thank you," I said, my voice surprisingly calm as I addressed the lawyers and my dad. "That's all," I said, ending the meeting.
* DD*
The next day, as I retrieved my mail, a letter caught my attention. It bore the official insignia of the courthouse. Curiosity got the best of me, and I opened it with trembling fingers. My eyes widened in disbelief as I read the summons to appear in court. I raced to my office, where Alice had sorted the mail in my absence. I discovered a similar letter amidst the stack.
With trembling hands, I called Edward, my voice laced with fear. "Edward," I gasped, "Hey Love, I was just going to call you,"
"What is it?" He asked.
"I don't know, I received two court summonses to give a deposition as witness in a medical fraud case," I explained. A moment of silence hung heavy between us before he spoke.
"Bella, this is serious. We may need to hire a lawyer."
"Why?" I asked, concerned.
"I received a similar letter…But that's not all, Bella," Edward said, his tone low, as if he didn't want anyone on his end to hear him.
"What else is there? You're scaring me, Edward," my heart raced as I waited for him to continue.
"The case is against Dr. Lee."