Chapter Four

Bridget paced around the floor of her mother's office absentmindedly wringing her fingers, while Anita and Janet sat on the visitors' seat with concern written on their faces.

“It could be nothing serious,” Janet offered.

Bridget stopped and stared at her aghast. “You read the message, Jane. How can you say it’s nothing serious? Why else would they demand a meeting?”

“Maybe to pay their condolences concerning your mum’s death, and probably talk things over with you,” Anita said. “I really don’t think it’s something to be worried about. You might just be getting yourself worked up over nothing.”

“If they were concerned about mum’s death, they would have come to the burial.” 

“And how would you have felt to see your father’s worst enemy at your mother’s burial? The Harrisons may be ruthless, but they are certainly not stupid.”

Bridget thought about it for a few seconds and then wrapped her arms around her body.

“I have a bad feeling about this. The last thing father would have wanted is a meeting with the Harrisons. I still don’t understand why mum signed an agreement with them. Father would have rather sold Fanny’s restaurant to someone else than do that.”

She was sure her mother must have been tricked or put under pressure. Either way, there was something else involved. There had to be. And she was going to find out what it was.

“So let’s just say your mother made a mistake which I doubt, what happens now? I think your focus should be on what to do next, rather than whining about what has already happened. And right now, you can’t know that until you accept the meeting invitation” Janet said. 

“Oh, but I already know what I’m going to do,” Bridget replied, pulling out her mother’s seat and settling into it.

“And what would that be?” Anita asked.

Bridget grabbed a pencil from the desk and tapped it lightly on the desk while the others gazed at her.

“I’m going to take back full ownership of my family’s business.”

                                                                       * * *

The sky was cloudy when Bridget arrived at Drince's legal group.

It was located on the fifth floor of the ten-story building in the eastern part of the town.

The meeting was scheduled to be held here and Bridget was thankful that the Harrisons had chosen a neutral group. Although she knew there was nothing neutral about sitting with the Harrisons in a room.

Taking the steps seemed appealing to calm her nerves, but Anita insisted on taking the elevator. As she watched the metal door close, Bridget counted numbers in her head.

The elevator stopped at the fifth floor and they stepped out and walked into a well-lighted hall. 

A receptionist directed them to the conference room where they saw Mr. Fred engaged in a discussion with the Harrisons' attorney.

Bridget felt a rush of anger.

What could Mr. Fred possibly be discussing with the enemy? 

At that moment, she wasn't sure if her mother's attorney was truly on their side or not. But then she remembered that her mother had trusted him to handle her will. And if there was anything she could rely on, it was her mother's judgment.

She managed to control herself and kept mute. Besides her, Anita pulled out one of the black leather seats around the table and sat down. Bridget did the same as well.

The sound of the seats alerted Fred and his colleague and they raised their heads.

"Hello, Bridget," Mr. Fred greeted in his usual way while nodding at Anita. "You both are early."

Bridget made an inaudible comment about his being there before her, while she fixed her eyes on the other man.

Noticing the direction of her gaze, Mr. Fred continued, gesturing to the older man.

"I don't think you have met, but this is attorney James Newman. He is the Harrisons' attorney." 

"I know him," Bridget retorted.

"You do?" Mr. Fred was stunned. He glanced from Bridget to Newman.

How would he know? Bridget thought. He was not her mother's attorney until two years after her father's death. And so, he had little or no knowledge of the conflicts that had occurred between both families. Mr. James on the other hand had been the Harrisons' attorney for as long as she could remember.

She could guess he was the mastermind behind the Harrisons' ruthlessness, which only enhanced their vicious acts

Right now she could see his eyes boring into her, and she turned away.

"Nice to see you again, Bridget." She heard him say. "Please accept my condolences regarding your mother's death. She was a good woman."

"Thank you," Bridget said crisply.

"And quite reasonable," he added.

She heard the unspoken message but refused to dwell on it. Whatever agreement her mother had arrived at with the Harrisons took place outside her own free will, and she was here to correct it.

"So, where are the others?" Anita asked.

"Dominic will be here in a few minutes," Mr. James replied. "He had an emergency to take care of which delayed his coming.

"Dominic?" Bridget was surprised. She had expected to meet with Mr. Harrison himself.

"Yes, Mr. Harrison's second son and the heir to the Harrisons' group of companies.

"What happened to the first son?" Anita asked.

"Well..." The attorney looked uncomfortable and Bridget could tell that wasn't a line of discussion he would like to tread. "Let's just say he is unavailable."

"What do you mean by unavailable?" Anita seemed not to have noticed the man's discomfort.

"He is…" The words suddenly died on his lips as his gaze moved toward the door. Bridget did not miss the look of relief on his face as his lips curved in a smile. "And here is Dominic Harrison, the chief of operations at Harrisons corporations.

Bridget turned around and her jaws went slack. She stared in disbelief as a figure sauntered into the room with the air of one who owns the world.

He approached Mr. James and shook his hand after which the attorney began with the introductions. Dominic shook hands with Mr. Fred and then turned to Bridget.

Bridget saw recognition and astonishment pass briefly across his face before it was masked by a look of mock surprise.

"Well, well, well. Who do we have here?" He asked no one in particular, his eyes locked on hers.

"Have you met before?" The question was asked by Mr. James. 

Bridget was certain she was either dreaming or something else was happening to her eyes.

No, this could not be.

"Oh yes, we have," Dominic replied. " And in a most interesting situation." 

He stretched forth his hands towards her. "Nice to see you again, Miss Patrick."

Bridget stared at the hand and was tempted to ignore it. But she knew she could not do that while everyone's attention was fixed on them. She knew he was mocking her, and she wished she could knock out the grin from his face.

She raised her hand and placed it on his with a very brief handshake in mind. But his large hand held hers in a tight grip and would not let go.

Bridget pulled her hand away with so much force that she almost fell off her seat. She quickly held onto the table to steady herself. 

Dominic smirked slightly and strode toward the end of the table. He took his seat and locked his gaze on Bridget. She ignored him and shifted her eyes, wondering how on earth she had found herself in such a situation.

Of all the men in the world, the heir to the legacies of her family's worst enemy turned out to be the same arrogant brute she nearly had a collision with just two days ago.

What could possibly be worse than this?