Kelley slept like the dead. The first night in weeks that he slept right through with no haunting dreams. He showered and dressed in a suit before going to his study. The funeral would start at ten and afterwards everyone would return to the house to celebrate Blain’s life.He ate breakfast alone in his study since it was seven am and nobody else had woken up yet. He printed the documents he would need and placed them inside a folder in his briefcase. He worked until ten when Milana opened his study door.“Good morning,” she said and walked around his desk, already dressed for the funeral.Kelley pushed his chair back and pulled her onto his lap and kissed her. “A good morning it is,” he agreed as she smiled and climbed off his lap.“Can I use your laptop to order a few things? I think I left my cable on the island,” Milana asked.“Of course. I need to head out for a bit. I’ll be along later.”“Where are you going?” she asked him with a frown.“Nowhere you should worry about. Ask Marl
Kelley stood in the foyer of his own house and listened to the argument in full swing in the sitting room. Grace’s body was clutched tight against his with her arms around his neck. She hadn’t let go once and even in the car he’d had to sit in the back seat with her clinging to him.“He’s so big into family and caring for everyone but he couldn’t even be bothered to show up to Blain’s funeral!” David yelled.“I’m sure he had his reasons,” Lee said in an even tone.“I don’t care about his reasons!”Footsteps were muffled by the thick carpet. “I don’t have time for this shit. If you don’t want to be a part of this family, then leave, David,” Mason said angrily.He stopped short in the foyer and Kelley smiled at him as his eyes widened. He nudged Grace in his arms and she turned her head to look at him. “Daddy?”“Gracie,” Mason breathed as Kelley put her down on the floor.Mason sank to his knees as Grace ran toward him. Tears flowed unashamedly down his cheeks as he grabbed her and one
Milana watched Kelley leave the office and she smiled. She would never have believed it if someone had told her that she would love the brooding man. She minimized the tabs open on his laptop and looked at the folder aptly named ‘Norah Kensington’.Milana bit her lip and then double clicked on it. Inside was a video file and she opened that one too. She sat back in horror, her hands shaking as she listened to her husband. She felt the bile rise in her throat and fear settled deep inside her heart.She’d been wrong. He was exactly the man Ernesto had told her he was. He was part of The Club and it sickened her to watch him take advantage of this woman. She couldn’t look at it anymore, the stoic look on his face as the woman touched herself.She made it to the bathroom just in time and emptied her stomach into the toilet. She dry heaved a few times and stiffened when a hand touched her shoulder. “What’s wrong?” Steel asked her.“I … I don’t feel well,” she said and closed her eyes.“Com
Lee unlocked the front door and swung it open. He hadn’t been back to his house since the shooting. Marella followed him inside and they both stood in the living room not saying a word. Lee took her hand and pulled her toward him.“If you don’t want to be here we can go back to Kelley’s house, sell it or demolish it. I’ll buy us a new house,” Lee said.“This is our home, the one we chose together and the house we furnished and restored. I love this house,” Marella replied.“I know but it’s just a house. I care more about what you’re feeling right now.”Marella squeezed his hand. “We’re staying.”She led Lee up the stairs and switched the lights on. The carpet in their bedroom had been replaced and everything was in its place. “Kelley,” Lee murmured as he sat down on the bed.Marella switched the lamp on the nightstand on and closed their bedroom door before switching the main light off. Lee pulled his shirt over his head and stood up to discard his shoes and jeans. He lay back on the
Mason leaned against the doorframe and stared at a sleeping Grace. He’d done the same thing every single night for the past week, since the day Kelley had brought her back and they’d come home. His little girl was home.He hadn’t slept the first night, too afraid that he’d wake up and realize that everything had been a dream. He didn’t care about biology, Grace was his daughter and now, thanks to Kelley, nobody could ever take her away again.“Mason …”Mason turned to find Carey at the end of the hall near the stairs and she motioned for him to join her. He looked back at Grace one more time before following his mother down the stairs and into the living room.Carey sat on the couch with two cups of coffee on the table and looked expectantly at him. “Sit down.”“What’s going on, Mom?”“I want to talk to you about Andrea,” Carey said carefully.Mason sighed and leaned back against the couch. He’d known this day was coming but he didn’t want to talk about Andrea right now. She was still
Two months later …“Every single time I’ve asked you why, you say that it’s time for a new regime,” Arlo said as they sat in a coffee shop in Yorkdare Bay.“Arlo, please, you know that this change was needed. You being sworn in as mayor tomorrow is the best thing I could have hoped for,” Kelley said.“And your financial backing and all you’re A-list friends that have attended my fundraisers … what do you get out of this? I’m not ungrateful, Kelley, but I have to wonder what you want out of this,” Arlo said.“The former mayor was in the Elite’s pockets. I want truth and justice to be just that, truth and justice no matter who the person is. I’m tired of corruption in the places where the people are supposed to be honourable. I don’t want anything from you, not even a favour,” Kelley said.“Not even getting out of unpaid parking tickets?” Arlo joked.Kelley smiled and emptied his coffee cup. “Not even that. I’m your friend, Arlo, and this is business, your business now. I just want thin
Their table was semi-private but Sylvie could see the layout of the restaurant. She had definitely noticed how other people noticed Kelley. They seemed to want him to look at them or to acknowledge them in some manner but he never did.Kelley spoke in fluent Italian to the waiter and moments later the chef himself appeared. Kelley stood up and both men hugged and slapped each other on the back as men often did. “Guillermo, this is Sylvie,” Kelley introduced them.Guillermo kissed the back of her hand and patted Kelley on the shoulder again. They switched back to Italian and Sylvie could only stare at Kelley’s face. He seemed so at ease and people tended to drift toward him, even she had.Guillermo nodded his head enough times that Sylvie thought he’d get a sprain. After ten minutes of intense discussion, he left their table and Kelley turned his attention back on her. “I apologize for that,” Kelley said.“No, it’s fine,” Sylvie said.“Not really. It’s rude to speak in another language
Kelley spent two hours on the conference call, securing the land he wanted to buy and put up another hotel. The deal was a lucrative one, for both sides, and they were basically just dotting the i’s and crossing their t’s.“Thank you, Phillipe, we’ll talk again once the plans have been accepted by the municipality,” Kelley said and ended the call.He sat back down on his chair and winced slightly. Sylvie had really gone all out on his back. He didn’t regret it though. She had blown his mind, in more ways than one. She wasn’t petite like Milana and he hadn’t been afraid that he’d hurt her, well not as afraid.He should get Blaire to trace Milana’s whereabouts, talk about a financial settlement and get divorce proceedings underway. He hated to do it, he didn’t believe in divorce but there was no other way around it.He and Milana were history and Sylvie could possibly play a big part in his future. He liked her, knew that she liked him too. She wasn’t overly shy, never looked down and s