Chapter 3: Fired Guardian Angel

Blake

Until the butler came to fetch me to help around in the compound I had no idea that Anita got fired moments after suffering a physical assault from Tessa. It was so sad that I was the reason she lost her job and there was nothing I could do to help her. Now every female worker was avoiding me like a plague. The weakness combined with anger that I felt in the matter was threatening to freeze my brain. There was no Wallace I could give my version of the story to. Even if I did there was a snowballs chance in hell it would have helped to overturn their decision. During the precious lunch break I decided to find Tessa, with her I stood a chance.

"You don't want rage from any of them right now" the butler said walking around the kitchen.

"Just tell her I want to talk she will understand, Tessa"

He stopped to look at me. The butler was among the few nice people in the entire compound. I didn't know his name, we all referred to him as the butler and he always responded.

"They all are seemingly mad at you today, you're the topic of discussion I advise you keep your head down"

"It can't wait please, at least try" I pleaded with everything I had left.

"Okay but no promises, I will see what I can do" he said.

"Thank you" I said walking out of the fancy kitchen.

Though he said no promises I set up camp by the door pacing up and down in my boots, an old pair of jeans and flannel shirt with my cowboy hut in my hands. I couldn't live with myself knowing that a good woman lost her job because of a false accusation. Love was keeping me around if only it was easy to fall out of it with Tessa none of it could be happening. Everyone in the Wallace family would have been happy and a rat like me would be far from any of them. My biggest fear was Tessa leaving me. She made it clear if I left the manor I had no choice but to forget about her. That she would have married someone else without blinking. Call me stupid but to me that was worse than everything they were putting me through.

"You have a lot of nerve Blake, I was having lunch with my family"

"It won't take long just listen to me, she is innocent in all this. A good woman is going to suffer because of your insecurities"

"Are you done?"

"Does it make you so happy that the employees shiver with fear when they see you?"

"You called me out here to insult me? Your rants and raves won't change anything am out of here" she said and marched away.

"Tessa!" I called out.

Of course she ignored me and kept walking. I had blown my chance of saving Anita's job and I would have understood if the butler wasn't willing to help me again.

"Don't even say it" he said when he saw me coming.

"It's not what you think"

"Do you know what it took to get her out of the house? You had one shot at this Blake, one chance and you blew it am not helping you again, never"

"I just want an address"

If I couldn't save her job the least I could do was an apology. Find her and apologize for fucking up her life. Not that I had given up in getting her job back.

"You'll just make it worse" He said leading us outside.

He was not so done with me after all. Taking the conversation outside meant he was willing to help. And I followed him like a starving toddler follows the mother.

"I owe her an apology"

"You don't, what happened between you two anyway?"

"Tessa thinks we had a thing"

"Is it true?"

"No men! You know me I can't do that, I love Tessa that's why am sticking around anyway"

"She is a Wallace, they believe what they choose to...I'll get you an address for now get as far from them as possible"

"Thank you"

"Go!"

I took a sigh of relief and briskly walked to my crib. I couldn't seat, I kept checking through my window to see if he was coming. Anxiety mixed with that feeling of guilty couldn't let me eat and I was not even hungry. With Anita gone and none of the maids willing to talk to me I was in trouble. She was like my Guardian angel, she brought food and sometimes helped with doing my laundry. I had lost a friend. Perhaps the only I had in the island of slavery.

"Blake!"

Ooh my God!

Gerald Wallace

He was lucky my daughter saved him. It was his ass that I wanted to fire. I didn't need him anyway. None of the things he was doing for me needed manpower and I had enough of that. The boy was just lazy and he chose to repay my daughters mercy with cheating on her. She had no idea I was there to make it clear to Blake that he had one last chance or he was going to help the mafia and Rowdy Street gangs fight in the city for a living. And hopefully he died there.

"Sir" he said almost running into me by the door.

I angrily pushed him back and locked the door looking around just in case anyone had seen me get in.

"Sit!" I growled

"Am sorry sir it's not what she thinks, I respect you, I respect your daughter I will never do such a thing within the walls of this compound sir believe me" he begged going on his knees.

"Shut up Blake and don't kneel you make me look bad and am not bad Blake you're bad. Are you calling my daughter a liar?"

He shook his head getting back on his feet. There was no way I could tell whether he was telling the truth, I trusted my daughter more than anyone in my family. Not even wife and son had earned the amount of trust. The two could conspire tom kill me but not Tessa.

"That's exactly what you're doing Blake, calling my daughter a liar after cheating on her with a maid!"

"I..."

"Shut up Blake" I raised my arm to slap him but then it occurred to me we were locked with him in there, "one more complain about you Blake I swear to God am going to throw you back in the war torn city"

"Am sorry sir it won't happen again"

"You better keep your word, and remember..." I got closer to him looking down on him, "No word about this to Tessa or I will make your life on this planet a never ending agony!"

As I walked out of his pigsty of a room I couldn't help but remember the first time Tessa brought him home...her biggest mistake in her life disguised in one fine gentleman.

***Flashback***

Gerald Wallace

Tessa had called us the previous night that she was bringing home the man of her dreams. It was barely two months since she moved to the city for a break from her mother. Their feud was among the few life riddles I couldn't solve. They looked so happy together, physically but emotionally they were very far apart. The daughter blamed the mother for negligence, while the mother blamed me for turning Tessa into a cry baby by giving her everything she wanted. There was little I could do really, my Son Gabriel hated me leaving me no option but to invest in my daughter.

Anyway, Bailey ordered the maids to clean up the manor and prepare delicious food, buy the finest wine. She was happy her daughter was getting married, going far from her as possible. We also invited a few friends and relatives over. A combined effort of the butler and I also managed to convince the black sheep of the family, my idiot of a son to come over so that we could do it as a family. That's what he was, an idiot that I couldn't trust my entire inheritance in his hands. That's why I was really anticipating Tessa's choice of a husband.

"Gerald hunnie, they are here" Bailey said joining me in the bedroom where I was resting.

"Let's go, you look happy"

"Don't assume just because we fight all the time am not happy for my daughter"

"I wish I could say the same about my son"

"Gerald?"

"Okay am sorry I'll watch my tongue" I said leading us out of the room.

When we got downstairs, the moment I saw Blake my heart felt calm. Right that moment something was telling me he was a good man and he was capable of seeing my legacy protected. Not that Tessa couldn't do it, but her success depended on who she was going to marry.

"Mum, dad how are you?" Tessa asked hugging us both.

"We are fine how was your journey?"

"Comfy, Blake is the best driver on the planet" she said holding his arm.

Blake looked shy, his hair was short, black lustrous and jell soaked, well shaved beard and an incredible physique, white shirt blue tie a navy blue suit. He looked authoritative, an alpha male.

"You must be Blake" I said going for the handshake, am sure he knew what it meant.

The grip of a man can say more than what the face and mouth could. And his handshake was strong but still warm and soft like I expected.

"Nice to meet you sir, I have heard a lot about you both"

"Ooh" Bailey marveled staring at Tessa with a big smile, "so you praise us"

"She can't stop talking about you, I bet you're the best parents in the world"

"That one they are, where is Gabriel?" Tessa asked looking around.

"Come on let's take you where everyone is" I said guiding them to the guest wing of the manor.

Mother and daughter disappeared somewhere in the corridors leaving Blake and I. He reminded me of the day I first met Bailey's parents having been in that position once I decided to go easy on him.

"So what do you do son?" I asked slowing down, with many relatives chances were I wouldn't have gotten an opportunity to have that one on one talk.

"Am a business man, dealing with Electronics sir"

"Your own business or an inheritance..."

"No sir my own business"

"That's good, very good. I also built all this" I said proudly showing off the entire house, "From the ground, if I did it you can do it" I said with a pat on his back.

"Thank you sir"

"Everyone!" I announced happily opening the large double doors to the dining room, "Meet my son-in-law Blake!"

It was no surprise that everyone in the family loved him. By the time Tessa and Bailey were joining us he had hit it off with Gabriel and the other relatives. We were talking happily about life and politics.

Bailey Wallace

Just like everyone else that day I was happy to see Blake. He was a perfect gentleman but I had my worries on the timing. According to my experience two months were not enough for people to just fall in love unless she was proving a point. Those few minutes I stole her away from the boys were enough to interrogate her.

"Mum, what is it?" She asked when we got to the music room.

And I went straight to the point.

"Are you serious about Blake?"

"Of course I am, he is what I have been looking for my entire life to feel complete"

"You mean the one you want to build a future with, no inheritance no rich parents nothing?"

"Exactly mum, he has his own electronics business and it keeps getting better day by day...can we go?"

"Not..."

"Relax mum, you have the entire day to take in the L, you can be wrong too you know" she said walking out.

Tessa and I always had an argument on who she was supposed to marry. While she wanted to build her man from the ground I wanted her to have a man who was already established.

"Wait up" I said quickly following her, "Do you even know his parents, his family or anything else about him?"

"Mum like I said we have all day to talk about it" she brushed it off.

We did talk about it. Turned out Blake was an orphan, brought up in an orphanage that got shut down. After years of struggling on the streets he had finally made a fortune. And my poor daughter chose to settle for that. New money.

***End of Flashback***