Three months later. . .
The living perpetrators who were responsible for the mass shooting at Michelson Investments on Madison Avenue were captured eight weeks ago. Their trials would start in two months. They were sitting in the city jail without bond. Calvin had been right. They shot up the place and everyone they could out of some sort of entitlement of justice for losing their jobs.
The Michelsons and the Washingtons sat in the spectator seating in the courtroom. Charles, Jessica, and Debbie sat at a table several feet away from the bench. Arthur Whitman had just finished his petition to the court to have Debbie’s last name legally changed.
Jessica had filed an application to change Debbie’s birth certificate to state that Charles was her father. But in the state of the New York, they had to
Charles Michelson was thirty-three years old, good looking, worth two billion bucks, and spent most of his time overseas. He lived every man’s dream. However, the dream was getting old, especially for the last year. Charles was experiencing an emptiness — almost a hollow feeling in his stomach and in his heart. He wasn’t sure what was wrong until he decided to visit his family for Christmas. What was missing in Charles’s life was love. Now, that he knew what he needed, he was on the hunt — the hunt for true love. **************************************************** It was November in New York. Charles Michelson had
It was Saturday evening when Charles walked past the threshold of the Michelson estate. He had on a black tux. His thick, brown, curly hair was slicked down with gel to keep it under control. “Good evening, Mr. Michelson,” Joseph, the butler, greeted. “Evening, Joseph,” Charles said with a wide grin. He took off his coat and white scarf and handed them to Joseph. “I take it that everyone is here already. The valets were just milling about when I pulled up.” The party had started a half hour ago. Charles was purposely late to events like this. He didn’t have the patience to listen to opening speeches stating how much money was needed to be raised and who was sponsoring the event.“Most of the guests have arrived, sir,&
Jessica Washington Davis surveyed the three-bedroom loft. It was perfect. There was a room for her to set up a studio, and she could afford it. Her divorce settlement was generous, but there was no need to waste it. She was an independent artist and photographer. She loved what she did for a living, but her survival depended on if someone decided to buy her photos and paintings. At first, she didn’t think coming back to New York was a good idea. After all, her upbringing in New York wasn’t all flowers and roses. Then she had thought about her aging parents. Jessica should be close just in case something happened. She was about to unpack another box filled with kitchenware when there was a knock on the door. She knew who it was. They had called and said they we
It had been a week since the HIV research charity event, so Charles thought that was more than enough time for Toni to cool off. He held a bouquet of white roses as he waited for Toni to answer the door. Michelson Investments held the title to the Hull Building There were only two penthouses on each floor. Calvin and Yvonne owned the massive penthouse on the top floor. Toni opened the door. She was holding a fried chicken leg in one hand. One of her socks was blue and the other was white. She wore bagging gray sweatpants and a sky-blue T-shirt. Her short dark hair was straight, and it framed her face. Charles adored her button nose. He gave her his most devastating smile.&n
Jessica and her parents had Thanksgiving dinner at her loft. Since her mother had to cook for the Michelsons, they had a late holiday meal.Her mother had brought over a sweet potato pie and collard greens. During dinner, Jessica told her parents that she had been invited to an art gala in Manhattan on New Year’s Eve. The coordinator wanted her to bring some of her work to put on display. It was last minute, but Jessica didn’t mind. She always had a few pieces finished and ready for sale. Hopefully, she would sell something at the gala. They nodded their congratulations and continued to eat dinner.Fifteen minutes later, they were having dessert – in silence. Jessica could tell something was off. “Are you two all right?”“Yeah,” her father answered. “Why?”“You two are acting . . . strangely. You two are usually chattier than this.”“We’re just tired, baby,” her mot
Jessica was staying at the JW Marriot in Washington, DC, for Christmas. Drake and Jessica had agreed to share Debbie for Christmas. She had gone over to Drake’s new townhouse that he shared with his fiancée to attend their Christmas Eve party. There had been a few raised eyebrows when she entered the room, but one thing Drake and Jessica were experts at was rising to the occasion, especially where Debbie was concerned. The awkward stares from the party guests had subsided and everyone had enjoyed the festivities. Christmas morning had gone well, too. Drake had bought Debbie a pair of diamond earrings. They weren’t big, but Jessica still thought it was too extravagant for a thirteen-year-old girl. However, she let it go because she thought Drake was just overcompensating because of the divorce. She figured it was a natural rea
Jessica watched Debbie as she examined her new bedroom. Debbie looked at the gold comforter and white, crisp sheets. She looked around at the bare, white walls. She looked at the desk with the brand-new Apple computer on it.“We can paint it any color you like,” Jessica said.“No, the color is fine,” she said. “It’s just that there is nothing of me here.”“There will be when the rest of your things arrive from DC They should be here in a few days. We’ll put up your awards, certificates, and pictures. Your piano will be here, too. I was thinking we could put it next to the window in the living room. I saved that space for your piano when I first moved in here. I knew you would want to bring it with you.”“The living room is fine,” Debbie mumbled as she sat on the edge of the bed.“Debbie, maybe we should talk about . . . the current situation.”“I’
Twenty-minutes after they had arrived, Jessica’s father had to drive Claire Michelson into the city. He said he would come back to take them home. Jessica and her mother decided to take a short walk around the grounds. They left Debbie in the kitchen with Andrea so she could finish her lunch. “Don’t get me wrong,” her mother began. “I’m always happy to see you and my grandbaby, but what in the world were you thinking coming out here with her?” They continued to walk. “Oh, Momma,” Jessica sighed. “First, it’s been years, and you had said he only comes here for a
Three months later. . . The living perpetrators who were responsible for the mass shooting at Michelson Investments on Madison Avenue were captured eight weeks ago. Their trials would start in two months. They were sitting in the city jail without bond. Calvin had been right. They shot up the place and everyone they could out of some sort of entitlement of justice for losing their jobs.The Michelsons and the Washingtons sat in the spectator seating in the courtroom. Charles, Jessica, and Debbie sat at a table several feet away from the bench. Arthur Whitman had just finished his petition to the court to have Debbie’s last name legally changed.Jessica had filed an application to change Debbie’s birth certificate to state that Charles was her father. But in the state of the New York, they had to
Debbie’s head fell forward. Charles quickly caught her in his arms. She was out like a light. He pulled the side of her shirt up. Blood had soaked the large gauze that covered where she was shot. The other gauze where she had surgery was starting to bleed, too. “Calvin!” he yelled frantically. The door swung open. Calvin dashed over to him. “What happen?” “She passed out. Calvin, she’s burning up, and she’s bleeding,” he explained as he adjusted his hold on her. “We have to get her back to the hospital.” They were back in the Range Rover within minutes. His unco
After Charles had carried an unconscious Jessica to a hospital room for the nurse to examine her, he walked with Drake and Bobby to the hospital employees’ elevator. The maintenance guy had said he had never seen anything like it. Debbie had pried the panel off the wall and rewired the elevator to do what she wanted it to do. “It’s sloppy, but they got the job done,” the maintenance man had said. Security had a camera in the elevator. Everyone’s mouths had dropped open when they saw Debbie enter the elevator with a coat and boots on. She had looked half dead on her feet. She got off in the employee garage. Three security officers along with Bobby, Drake, and Charles had searched the garage, and there was no sign of her.
Debbie quickly trotted down the sidewalk in Manhattan with the coat that she stole out of the maintenance closet and the boots that were two sizes too big for her feet. However, she was still cold. The hospital gown was not made for cold weather. She had found ten dollars in the coat. She was saving it for food. She had plenty of cash stashed in her bedroom at home, but she didn’t have her house keys to get in. She had always saved ten dollars from her allowance in case of emergencies since she was nine. Debbie wasn’t sure where she was going. All she knew was that she wanted to get out of there. They were all getting on her last nerve. She needed her space, not drugs.Luckily the sedative had worn off while no one was in the room. Despite the fact that she was groggy, she had rummaged through the drawers and found gauze and
Jessica had left. Bobby stepped to Charles. They were eye to eye. Neither one of them blinked. “If I had seen you fourteen years ago right after I found out she was pregnant, I would have busted yo ass. Job or no job,” Bobby said darkly. “Now that you know that you’re a father, I’m sure you understand.” He understood. If some guy got Debbie pregnant, he would shoot him in the face. “I do. But I hope you know that I was in love with her. It wasn’t a one-night stand. I love her still, and I told her so.” Bobby’s thick eyebrows rose. “What’d she say?” &
It had been an hour and a half since Debbie’s break down. The staff had let Jessica and Drake look in on her only once during that time. They were limiting her visitors until she woke up and a child psychiatrist had a chance to speak with her. Jessica didn’t like it, but she knew that it was best for Debbie. Jessica didn’t want her daughter to be traumatized for the rest of her childhood. She and Drake hoped it was just an outburst of frustration and nothing deeper had taken root because of the truth. Jessica was in the hospital chapel alone. Drake and her parents had gone to the cafeteria. All of a sudden, Yvonne Michelson sat next to her in the pew. Jessica didn’t even hear
It was five thirty, and Drake and Jessica were sitting at Debbie’s bedside. Debbie had just finished picking at her dinner.“Baby, you should eat some more. You need to keep up your strength,” Jessica mumbled.“Oh, Ma, that’s not food. It’s a science experiment, and lunch wasn’t that much better,” Debbie said with a deep frown. “Daddy, can’t you get me a cheeseburger with mayo?”“Sweetheart, the doctor doesn’t want you to eat anything greasy for a while,” Drake said solemnly.“You two seem down about something. I thought the doctor said that I was going to be okay,” Debbie said.“You are, honey,” Jessica said quickly. “It’s just . . . we have something to tell you, and we don’t know how to . . . tell you.”Debbie looked at her and then she looked at Drake.“You know I love you, don’t you, Debb
Charles had been at the townhouse for two hours drinking wine out of bottles. He had excused Xavier for the evening. He wasn’t going anywhere. What for? He wasn’t needed or wanted by anybody. Someone rang the doorbell. Charles drunkenly made his way to the door. Whoever it was rang the doorbell again, and then started banging on the door. Charles stopped in the foyer. “I don’t want to talk to you, Jessica! Go away!” he slurred loudly. “It’s Calvin, you fool. Open the door!”&n
Thanks to Charles’s blood donation, Debbie survived the night. Drake, Jessica, and her parents stayed at the hospital. They slept on and off in the waiting room in the ICU. They were allowed to see Debbie two at a time and for only ten minutes at a time. Debbie had been unconscious most of the night. She had opened her eyes once when Jessica and Drake were in the room, but her eyes fluttered closed within five seconds. The staff said the doctor wanted Debbie sedated for the night so she could rest and to make sure she didn’t make any sudden movements that would tear her stitches. Charles had been gracious enough to spend the night at the hospital just in case Debbie needed more blood. Plus, the hospital staff wanted him to stay close by because they had slowly drawn two pints from him. Of course, it wasn’t all at once, but two