A wife for my brother

– I told you it would work. It’s done –

– Now I have to face his wrath –

– Don’t worry too much, I did this very carefully –

– What are you talking about? –

– You’ll find out. I opened the door for you, it’s your turn to move. You have been in the shadows too long. Either you take advantage now or you do what you want. The game is over for me.

– You’re really scary –

Leonard knocked on her door after lunch. He really wanted to do something for her. Since he found out that she was his daughter, his and Philippa’s, he couldn’t think of anything else. Maybe because he had lovingly fathered her, maybe because he felt guilty about everything he had done, or maybe to try to make up for what he had almost done. He didn’t know, but the urge to be there for Deanna was stronger.

Deanna let him pass. He brought her a few things because he guessed she would have left the house with little and nothing. She thanked him for them. He offered her a ride from Philippa’s, but Deanna had talked to her on the phone that morning and made up an excuse for not keeping her promise to come first thing in the morning. She couldn’t tell her the truth, at least not yet.

– What are you going to do? –

– I don’t know. I thought about it a lot last night, I just know that I’m not coming back –

– I know it sounds like a joke coming from me, but you can count on me for whatever you need… It’s the least I can do –

– Thank you.

She hadn’t rejected him, Leonard had expected it. And this “thank you”, like the previous one, resonated inside him. She was definitely like her mother: she had the gift, the magic, to light sparks in the most inhospitable and dry places. And they were warm sparks. Deanna was a blend of everything good that had touched his life; the woman he had loved and his mother’s music. Hee only hoped that this was the only thing she had inherited from her grandmother, and that Crusher hadn’t dragged her down to the point of making her a frustrated and sad person.

He left the hotel with a feeling of satisfaction in his body.

Daniel had the hardest part of all: explaining and telling his children that Deanna was not coming back. He took it for granted, convinced that she would be with Reed now.

– I want to talk to you to explain what happened last night –

– We know what happened last night – Ethan told him without looking at him.

– Deanna’s not coming back? – Naomi looked the most upset.

– No…

– Why, Dad? Why did you have to do this to Deanna? –

– I’m sorry, Naomi…

How could he explain to them what motivated him to do what he did?

– It’s better that she’s not here, Naomi,” her brother told her.

– What are you saying? We won’t be able to see her anymore.

– If she stayed, Dad would continue to hurt her, Grandma, Uncle Harry, everyone…

Ethan understood a bit more than his brothers.

– But it’s not our fault, Ethan –

– Would you rather she cried all the time? –

– No… – Naomi began to grieve and cry.

Daniel couldn’t look them in the eye, he was ashamed. Jonathan curled up in a ball in the corner of the couch. All he understood was that Deanna, the magic fairy who communicated with him through her voice, would never come back. He would no longer be able to listen to her singing around the house or enjoy her private concerts in the music room. There would be no more ice cream, no more one-sided conversations with her.

And he was angry, he was very angry at his father for scaring her with his yelling.

Ethan stood up.

– Let’s go upstairs – he said to his siblings.

– Wait, Ethan…

– What else do you want to tell us, Dad? –

Daniel didn’t answer, he had nothing to tell them and he couldn’t find a way to do it. It was clear to him that he was the monster of this story for everyone.

But he was not alone. The video was taken from his office. The cameras there and in the boardroom where the shareholders met were limited. They only recorded, not projected onto security monitors. Charles had had them installed a few years ago when they had a data leak.

Beverly had sent the video to Deanna as a form of revenge, or perhaps to create a rift between them. The only one who got anything out of it was her. Daniel had never realized that she was so bold and malicious, he had always thought of her as a strong and independent woman. He had never imagined that she would stoop so low for a man.

The next morning she would have to explain herself to him.

-Everybody out,” he said sternly as he entered the law office.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

The few people inside looked at each other and Beverly settled back in her chair.

-Everybody out,” he repeated.

When everyone but her was out, he sat down in the opposite chair facing her.

– I never thought you could be so slippery.

– What are you talking about?

– Don’t you dare play dumb with me, Beverly –

– Dumb? I don’t know what you’re talking about, Daniel – Her tone was normal. She had to keep it that way.

– You’ve got nothing to gain, I hope you know that –

– Daniel… I really don’t know what you’re talking about. What’s going on? –

He looked at her, scrutinizing her, if she was faking it, she was doing it very well.

– You sent him the video.

– Video? What video? –

– The video from the camera in my office.

Beverly looked at him with a confused expression that made him hesitate.

– Look, I really don’t understand anything you’re saying, what video are you talking about? –

– You sent it to Deanna last night. From that day when we almost…

Beverly’s eyes went wide.

– Oh, my God! Daniel, I didn’t know you had a camera in your office… Much less show it to your wife… Jesus Christ! –

– I want you to leave the company.

– Daniel, it wasn’t me. I didn’t even know you had security in your office.

– Who else would do that, Beverly? But just to give you the satisfaction, you got your way, she left… –

– Daniel! Do you think I’m capable of such a thing? I told you, I don’t win my battles this way, I don’t play the underdog –

– First thing tomorrow morning, you will vacate this office.

– No! I’m not leaving! I won’t pay for something I had nothing to do with! –

– Don’t make me angry, Beverly. You don’t know how hard I’m trying to control myself right now –

– This is ridiculous! It wasn’t me!

– And who else would do it? Tell me! –

– How should I know?! –

She stood up, she was indignant, or at least she played the role very well.

-I won’t let you accuse me like that. We’re going to the security guard right now to find out when and who took the video from the building.

– I know it was you.

– Of course not! I’ve been interested in you for a long time, I’ve never done anything like this. I’ve always been waiting for you, waiting for you to look at me. I don’t need this kind of trick to lure you. Let’s both go down and check it out; I’m not going to be responsible for someone else’s mess –

Daniel hesitated again. If she was willing to prove that she hadn’t sent the video to Deanna, it meant that someone else was behind all this.

Beverly had played her last card well. She hadn’t made the copy and hadn’t given it to Deanna. Going down to the security section would relieve her of responsibility to Daniel.