Heath stalked out of Ivy’s office looking livid, and he was furious. He wanted to confront and silence every person spreading the rumors. Ivy struggled with this, and he didn’t appear to do anything correctly. Heath had to fix this right away.He headed to his office to discuss this with Parker. They could devise a plan to shut this down. Heath didn’t care if they had to sue every media outlet and two-bit new website to get the lies removed.Heath rode the elevator to his office, searching for recent rumors he was unaware of their source. He’d have to find someone to track these accounts to the guilty parties. One thing he saw treading within the comments were people who had become fed up with the rumours and they’d begun poking holes in the rumours. There were few small mercies. But he must get this under control.Monica's silence convinced Heath that she must be involved in some way. These rumours were something of a hobby for her. He’d found her ruining peop
“Your wife, for one. Then there’s your mother, and I just received a message from someone claiming to be your father. His wife told him to call me and complain about you. Why would they choose to call me specifically? It made little sense. I may never have met your father, but it didn’t sound like a man at the helm of a business empire.” Dr. Paton tried to be as candid as he could with this information. However, he was aware of the strangeness of these calls.“That’s the crux of it, Doctor. I can lay the blame on ex-wife. She has made a hobby out of finding ways of ruining people in business and socially through destroying their reputation. She may not work, but she can make it exceedingly difficult for anyone. Her success rate is impressive. She has my parents choosing her side of things over mine. So, they are doing her bidding. Honestly, I don’t understand it, but I can’t discuss it with them. My lawyers have instructed me not to speak to them if possible. It’s all abou
Ivy received the same call from Kathy, who was in a panic. In the end, one of the security staff took Kathy’s phone from her as the other settled her down in her car. “Dr. Smythe, we were here, and the kidnapping failed. Your son and his caregiver are uninjured as far as we know. Though one attacker is a little worse for wear. You and Mr. Allan may wish to be present. We have called the police, and my partner has verified that our dash cam picked up everything. This situation should be straightforward. “Yes, of course. I'll come as soon as possible. You’re sure everyone is alright?” “Your son’s caregiver may want to seek attention for her throat. The attacker briefly held her by the throat. Ivy heard how rough Kathy sounded. She was sure Kathy would survive, even if she hurt.We'll arrive as soon as possible. Thank you for calling.” Ivy barely disconnected the call when her phone rang again. “Hello?” “Hi Dr. Smythe, it’s Park
Ivy finally got down to the security check in at the staff parking lot entrance. Heath and Parker were both there waiting for her. Ivy looked into Heath’s face and simply said. “I can’t believe someone tried to take them during the day. How could they think they’d be successful?” “Love, I tried to explain it to you. Assuming I have any clue about what they were thinking when they planned this kidnapping. I’d say they believed we would be in denial of the threat and resistant to use any type of protection. Geoff is the most vulnerable within the family. The least important yet somehow important member, according to some. “That last part makes no sense, Heath.” “He doesn’t have any power or influence of note. However, he could become the family's future driving force.We'll need to wait and see. Your father could change things on you at the last-minute disinheriting Geoff and even you if he wished. I won’t count on that until Geoff’s recogniz
Heath climbed from the car and assisted Ivy out. Spotting the officers, he understood Parker's daunting task of linking the local cops to the federal officers who would assume control of the case. The principal and several other school officials were there. Fortunately, the paparazzi and new media hadn't arrived. Perhaps they could finish this before they arrive.“Before talking to our security team, I'll check in with Geoff and Kathy. You stay with them and make sure they have everything they need. If you need anything, just call me or Parker and we'll take care of it. “Thank you. I’ll do that.” The large crowd of people surprised Ivy. The police were keeping the school staff away from Kathy and Geoffrey. Including the principal, who wasn’t happy about it. He tried to get Heath’s attention angrily, but Heath ignored him. Heath decided he’d let his lawyers handle the man before this and they could continue with that. The school and school board woul
Heath and Parker finally came to the car. Kathy and Ivy avoided discussing the details because of Geoff’s proximity. Geoff’s unhappiness didn’t bother Ivy, at least for now. He could be gone, dead, further injured or who knew what. Parker insisted Kathy give him the keys to her car. That became a bit of a power struggle, but in the end, Ivy suspected Kathy appreciated his taking over, as her hands were still shaking.Parker will handle Kathy and take care of everything, so no need to worry. Heath said as Parker drove off with Kathy in her car. “I’m sorry, what do you mean by that?” Ivy wasn’t sure she heard Heath correctly. She was unsure whether to commend him for persuading Parker to handle this task. Or strangle him for putting Kathy in an extremely uncomfortable position. “Kathy needs to see a doctor. I want to make sure it’s nothing more than bruises. She declined and like me, Parker wasn’t comfortable with her playing Russian roule
Kathy couldn’t believe Parker as he drove into the parking lot of the urgent care centre her doctor worked out of. “First, I just want to go home. I’m not sick or injured.” Parker stopped the car in a parking space and gave Kathy a skeptical look. She continued speaking. "Why did you choose this urgent care?" I didn’t tell you where my doctor’s office was.” This didn’t make her feel comfortable. It was hard enough letting someone else drive while she was a passenger. Control and privacy were two things Kathy valued, and in the last week, Parker had steadily wormed his way past her carefully constructed boundaries. Kathy couldn’t get over his ever-changing appearance, either. When she tried to tell him, he wasn’t being true to himself by changing his appearance so much, Parker turned to her and spoke. “Don’t limit my options. God, woman, I’m not a one-dimensional person and I’m not afraid to show it. Certain individuals spend their entire
Ivy had Geoff settled in his room, and he seemed fine with staying home with Kathy and Parker. He knew they’d be home in a few hours. His favourite food arrived, but he wanted to nap first. Ivy felt guilty not staying with Geoff. She realized the truth in Heath's words and the need for a safer living arrangement. Ivy didn’t care what they moved to be like if everyone could feel safe again. Heath and Parker hadn’t seen Kathy yet, but Ivy had. The clock was ticking on her meltdown from this. Ivy didn’t know how Geoff would process this incident, either. At least he didn’t have anymore school to deal with for several months. He’d recover from this, and Heath wanted him in a specific school she bet would have experience dealing with security issues. Could they be happy with Heath? Ivy understood the answer would require time. She knew Geoff could be. But Ivy still struggled not with trusting Heath, but trusting herself. If she trusted him co