~ DAVID HARGROVE ~ Jake sauntered over and sat down. By his grinning face, I knew he had an interesting story. “Well? What've you got?” “I’m certain they’re not telling us the entire truth. Oh, and when you check your mail, you’ll find my report on what you wanted. I apologize I had to reach out to someone, which caused a delay.” “That’s fine. Now, what happened. They warned me, we’re in for something unpleasant. Fill me in.” “She’s not the boss. That I’m sure of. As soon as I had her separated from Maria, Josy became a different person. Maria's apparently the leader. If I compared them to us. Josy sits where I am, and Maria would take your position.” “Interesting, it would fit with things I've witnessed this morning. But why?” “Why would we switch places? You tell me. Sometimes it’s easier to get the lay of the land if you’re in the trenches.” “Fine. They have their little deception going on. But for
~ MARIA BELGRAVE ~ I sat there with Josy beside me. We were flipping through files at a frantic rate to catch up with this project. But it’s hopeless. When the CEO left, he’d allowed another company to hire the two executives who worked on building the framework for this project away from our company. It’s a mess now and I’m stuck trying to work with it. Okay, it’s not like he stole everything. He didn’t. It’s just that I don’t have anyone who can talk to me through this. Why are we doing this now? It’s insane. What decent person calls a meeting like this after one of the power players dies? You’d think they’d wait. Of course not. Bloody cold ass men. Unfeeling jerks. I’ll get through this. Better than them, they’ll see. If they think this’ll phase me, they’ve another thing coming.I’m unsure how to handle David. How am I going to keep him at bay? I can’t go back to him. He needs to see reason, but I’m afraid he wouldn’t be reasonable. Ugh, how can I do this? I
~ MARIA BELGRAVE ~ “Excuse me, Gentlemen. Can we return to business rather than slandering my colleague? This is becoming rather insulting in more ways than one.” Josy said. Interrupting both men. I couldn’t interrupt them without incriminating myself. Thank heavens I have one person in my corner. “I’m sorry its long-standing humor from a long time ago and it wasn’t focused on Ms. Bell.” Chris Skylar said. His words weren’t as reassuring as he meant them. “Your words did not hit the mark by a landslide and were insulting. You may think your excuses will fly when it’s all said. I don’t appreciate this behavior from my people or happening to my people. Do I make myself clear?” Josy said. Josy had a knack for using her ‘mom’ voice, and she did just that. Between that stern tone and that hard, disappointed look she gave him. Chris shifted in discomfort in his seat underneath her withering gaze. “Perhaps we can discuss this after
~ DAVID HARGROVE ~ While on break; the lawyer’s assistant delivered a package. “I’ve a delivery for Ms. Bell. Miss, it’s from the real estate firm. They assure me the property is ready. The staff arrive tomorrow. Everything’s here, with the keys. If you need anything related to your discussion with Mr. Edwards, I’m here to assist you.” I heard the assistant’s soft-spoken words; I’m almost certain my Bella Bell is hiding her identity, and the lawyer knows. Now, is she hiding from her family? Someone at Belgrave Tech. Me? Or another reason? Was Jake correct? Is Maria afraid I’ll toss her aside once I have Belgrave Tech, like I planned with Sabrina? Fuck. I must lock her down. If I talk to her now, she won’t listen or stay. She hasn’t touched her lunch. I didn’t bring it to her for her to ignore it. Maria’s supposed to eat it. I’ve been debating on mentioning it. But after Chris’s asshole remarks, it might sound
~ DAVID HARGROVE ~ I’d called for my car and was heading out of the conference room. Thoughts from speaking with my father led to a desire for arrangements. This would take several careful stages of plans to achieve what I must. Maria wouldn’t know what hit her if it worked out the way I planned. Sabrina and her mother would learn soon enough not to cross the Hargrove family. I’d sent my father an email outlining what Jake and I had discovered. He’d enjoy sinking his teeth into the lawyer for me. It’d keep him out of my business as well. He’d promised to send photos of Thea and Maria Belgrave he had stored away from public events. I felt as though I’d found the trail of my prey again. The excitement lit a fire within me, and I want to run with it. The elevator doors opened, and Sabrina Vines slithered away. She walked differently from other women. She used an unnatural walk a model did when they walked the runway. Impressive on the runway,
~ MARIA BELGRAVE ~ Our first stop was the shops. This was going to be fun. I’ve been to these places many times with David’s money. Buying things with David in mind. But tonight, I was in a panic. The late hour and I needed everything. They knew me as a gold-digger, not a mourning heiress. “Miss Bell. This is an unusual surprise.” The manager arrived, wearing his signature smile, aware that David would overspend. “Giles, hello. Well, I need you discretion love. Can I trust you to keep this out of the media?” My question had him looking at my left hand. “Oh, grief, when this leaks, he’ll wish he had. No, I left David. Don’t worry, you won’t lose me as a customer. Can we go somewhere more private?” “My dear, you’re in luck. You’re the only client. Now spill the tea.” He appeared eager, as if he had waited all day. “I know you, Giles. You’ll need to sit for this. Oh, this is my best friend. Memorize her face as yo
~ MARIA BELGRAVE ~ Josy and I found the new place. I must admit it’s nice. “Oh my God! Are you serious? The photos don’t do it justice Maria. The exterior alone is stunning. Come on. Remove the lock and reveal what’s inside.” Josy bounced out of the cab and snapped up the bags of clothing the driver was unloading onto the circular drive. “This is a significant improvement.” “I warned you. Be careful. There’s a security alarm inside, we must disengage and reengage too. The company will visit tomorrow.” I typed in the combination for the locked box and retrieved the second key. One key for the house. One for the padlock the real estate company put on the house, plus the locked box and the security system. “Welcome to Fort Knox.” “No kidding. My Uncle Jonesy who’s a conspiracy nut isn’t this crazy about locks. But we have a pool.” I hadn’t fixed the security system yet and Josy was running through the house toward the backyard.
~ MARIA BELGRAVE ~ “Okay, I’m liking this twist. The shock is fading, and the real Maria is coming back. I’m coming to get my bags. You’re helping me with my makeup. We’ll make this bad-boy weep by the end of the night. Or do the walk of shame. I haven’t decided on which yet.”Let’s not complicate things, Josy. Keep in mind that walks of shame don’t apply to men. It’s more the strut of conquer or some such stupidity. Also, nine months later.” “Oh, like you’re one.” “I’ve dealt with that, so it won’t happen. Ugh, changing addresses must be added to my to-do list. Movies never show this, do they? Look, tonight I’ll sit here and figure this out. You need a mover to pack up your place and bring it here. We both need a list of who to call to cancel or change addresses. I’ll start that for both of us, along with work. I must go visit the main office after the funeral. We need to get this moving.” “I can cancel this date. I could he
~ MARIA HARGROVE ~SEVEN MONTHS LATER I had a month, maybe six weeks, until I would give birth to a baby boy. The Hargrove family members were beside themselves, keeping David and me happy because of the baby. The baby impressed them when they learned of it. But their traditional attitudes found satisfaction when they learned our baby was a boy. I would be faultless in their eyes. The collaboration project wasn’t a collaboration as it started. Now, it spanned three divisions of Hargrove Tech. We would use it as a headquarters for all three divisions where we could share research and resources between divisions. With the ground broken and construction started, we were working with the division as they were right now. I’ve settled my business in preparation to hand it over for a time to Josy. So, I could give birth without worrying about the business. Then I could spend my time settling my baby into life at home, bonding with him, healing, an
~ MARIA HARGROVE ~ “Maria, welcome home. You arrived at the perfect time. I can’t believe I’m saying this. Jake has bought out Chris Skylar’s company! What is the world coming to?” Josy came rushing forward to meet us. “Oh, hi. I hope your honeymoon’s good, and you better have some pictures or video. No, I don’t mean naughty stuff either. Did you bring back any souvenirs?” “If you mean a baby? Yes, we did.” I smiled and waited for that to hit through Josy’s rambling. “No, I don’t mean a baby. I mean a new purse for me. Wait. You’re pregnant?!” Josy squealed. “David, you couldn’t keep it wrapped long enough to do a little tourist type thing?” “Josy. Honeymoon. I did what normal men do. I got busy.” David said with a smile on his face as Jake clapped him on his back as he congratulated us. “Let’s get you all home. I guess I can’t say two anymore. Now, can I?” Jake asked with a humorous half smile. He let the sec
~ MARIA HARGROVE ~ David was true to his word, and we did land in London, England. Not some other London. He’d teased me most of the way there in the most affection ways. But he wouldn’t touch me on the plane. When I asked him why? David said, “You were Maria Bell then. But now you’re Maria Hargrove. I expect others to respect you, and I must lead by example, don’t I? Isn’t that what all leaders are supposed to do?” He said this in a light tone, but I heard how serious he felt about it. There’s no way I could prepare myself for his words. It’s like a man uttering that he loved you without warning. Or proposing marriage. If David didn’t now have a track record of doing things like this, I would panic. “David, you would’ve not have that long ago. I’ve not changed. It’s you that’s changed and I appreciate it. No, I love it and you all the better for it. Just don’t let it slide back.” “I don’t won’t. But tonight, I want us to forget about the
~ DAVID HARGROVE ~ Maria didn’t waste time and that kept everything going with a smooth grace I found enjoyable. Other than my uncle’s outburst, it went well in my perspective. Maria’s smile hadn’t left her face all day, and I loved seeing it. Now, with dinner is over, speeches are over, cake cut, marriage documents signed, and first dances done. I’m more than ready to leave. We should head to the airport. I’m not thrilled to maneuver through the airport.I knew my private plane was ready this morning. We’d processed our documentation and flight plan days ago. Jake and Josy stored our luggage on the plane for us this morning. The wedding planner would take care of the clothing we used today and return it to our home. She’d have Maria’s wedding gown cleaned and packed into protective archivist clothing packaging. “Are you ready David?” Maria said from behind me. I turned around when I heard her question behind me. There she was, standing beh
~ MARIA BELGRAVE ~ The wedding ceremony was over. We’d exchanged rings, signed documents before witnesses, and all that. David was all smiles. It’s unexpected, but there it’s. His arm didn’t leave my back. He was true to his promise, and he didn’t leave my side. He gave me attention, as a person and as an object. David’s uncle glared at me after I told the wedding planner it’s fine to go on to the next stage. Which was removing everyone from the church and moving them to the reception hall for dinner and reception. I thought everything was fine. Everyone’s happy. “Are you insane, woman? It’s far too early. The hotel preparations won’t be finished for your guests, and everyone who arrives there will find themselves turned away. How embarrassing. Are you looking to embarrass your guests? How uncouth? David, I can’t believe you think she’s Belgrave. See her,” David’s uncle loudly exclaimed, stomping towards us. His cane banging hard on the har
~ MARIA BELGRAVE ~ Some may say spending the night before the wedding together is bad luck. But David didn’t want to leave me alone. He didn’t want to leave my side. His words were something about not trusting people and their double standards. David promised me that he’d stay beside me as long as he could, and he’d determined to do that. Along with the flood of attention he’d been including presents and surprises for me. It wasn’t the first time; he’d given me so many presents. But it’s the first time that the presents and attention were personalized. The personalization all had a theme though. They all faced the future and things she’d need to use in her life with him as his wife. Not just as a piece of jewelry along side his cufflinks. But his partner at work, social events, and at play. From a platinum fountain pen with her name engraved with her name and crystal encrusted, to a tennis dress that matched an outfit for him so they could
~ DAVID HARGROVE ~ “I’ve finished everything with the wedding planner and now we must wait for the day. Are you sure you are happy with everything David? Is there nothing you’d like to change?” Maria asked as she settled into bed beside me with a tired smile. She and Josy had spent weeks selecting the wedding planner. They spent an additional three months working with the wedding planner to complete all the details. Now she lay beside me. She was nervous since our wedding was three days away. I returned her smile. We took care of our business today and planned so we could have the time we wanted for our wedding and honeymoon. I think I felt just as tired as Maria. “Maria. You’ve done excellent work with the wedding planner, and I’ve no issues with what you’ve done and planned. I’ve focused on ensuring our businesses and future ventures wouldn’t cause any issues for Jake and Josy while we’re away during our honeymoon.” “Remind me why we’re g
~ DAVID HARGROVE ~ “Ah, there you are, Maria. Thank you for informing me first, instead of sharing it with everyone. Enemies seeking control make everything worse. Once Maria entered, I mentioned this to avoid asking why she was late. She seemed so eager to announce it. Maria paused. She was on the verge of speaking. She frowned at me, and I read it as confusion. “Maria. Are you alright? Is something wrong? Anything happen on your way here? “I’m confused because I don’t know how you feel about it. How do you feel about my explanation? Do you hate it? Should I bear the consequences alone?” I sighed in relief when Maria said this. She wasn’t holding back, and that meant we could deal with whatever happened. “Hell, no, Maria. I’ve said nothing like that. Your explanation’s perfect, but I want you to add a few things.” I said to Maria and directed her to sit beside on the sofa beside me. A smile settled onto my face as she sat do
~ MARIA BELGRAVE ~ I considered it insane, but it’s brilliant to spread the word that we required a creative wedding planner and welcomed ideas. Here we sat reviewing countless submissions, page by page, video after video. “Maria, these people went all out, even throwing a baby shower and revealing the gender, just in case you’re getting married and expecting a child. No pressure there and no assumptions. Ew.” Josy said after closing another presentation package with a look of disgust and tossed it into the rejection pile. She discovered several people like this, assuming and attempting to sugarcoat the situation. But it all appeared as judgmental in the end. “It’s okay. We told no one if I’m pregnant. Thought It’s not a crazy leap to assume why a man as rich as David is marrying his sugar baby in such a rush. Many people share this thought. Hell, I’m not sure how many know I’m the Belgrave heir.” That had me pondering whether I should rew