Chapter 49

ARTHUR

As I sat on the edge of the bed, still basking in the afterglow of our passionate connection, my phone buzzed with an incoming video call. It was Andrea, and a sinking feeling settled in my stomach. I reluctantly answered, the image of her stern face appearing on the screen.

Luckily Doris was in the shower, and I fully intended to keep Doris out of video range. But I obviously looked like I’d just had an amazing night, because I had.

“You are not still with that trash,” Andrea said instead of hello.

I flinched. Be calm, I told myself.

"Andrea, can't you see that this obsession you have with Doris is wrong?"

She scoffed, her voice dripping with disdain. "Arthur, you've always been weak-willed.”

“What?”

“It's time you learn your place and listen to your mother's advice. Fire Doris immediately."

I couldn't believe the audacity of her demands.

“Do it now, Arthur; otherwise, I'm going to throw a wrench into all the Marcus - Heritage joint projects.”

Andrea was going to use our shared business ventures as leverage against my personal life.

"Andrea, I will not let you control me anymore," I declared, my voice filled with determination. "If you want to sever our contracts, so be it.”

In that moment, a flicker of doubt passed through Andrea's eyes, a realization of the consequences of her own vindictiveness. Yet, stubborn pride still held its grip on her, and she ended the call with a curt wave of dismissal.

True to her word, Andrea severed our mutual contracts, severing the financial lifeline of her own company. The consequences were swift and brutal, but they hurt her a hundred times more than they hurt me.

I hoped she learned her lesson, knowing that her actions had cost her dearly, but I doubted she’d learned anything.

In the aftermath of the fallout, I put Kate in charge of finding new markets to concentrate on. We flourished and publicized our successes, which I’m sure compounded Andrea’s pain and shame.

For now, Andrea had to back off. I was just worried that she would come back more forceful than ever.

DORIS

We were lying in bed, enjoying a few lazy moments before Mia woke up.

"By the way, I signed us up to be chaperones for Mia's school field trip to the Museum of the City of New York,” Arthur said.

I sat up in bed.

“You what?”

“Sorry. I should have asked you first. Another couple dropped out. It’s this Friday. Will you do it with me?”

I looked at him. “You’re going to take the whole day off work?”

“Yup.”

“Wow.”

“It would mean a lot to Mia.” Arthur kissed my neck. “And me.”

“I’ll do it.”

Friday morning, the day was bright and clear.

We joined the bustling group of energetic children. Luckily the head teacher had it all under control.

Among the sea of faces, Mia introduced us to her newfound friend, Betty. The spark of camaraderie between the two girls was palpable.

"Mia, you've found yourself a fabulous partner in crime," I teased, winking at Betty. "Hope you're ready!"

Betty grinned mischievously. "Oh, you have no idea! We're going to make this field trip awesome! I’m originally from California, and I love learning about New York. An entire museum about New York history? This is going to be so cool."

We strolled through the exhibits. I hadn’t even known this museum existed. I was interested in learning the history, but I made sure I kept an eye on the kids at the same time.

Arthur and I exchanged glances, our hearts swelling with parental pride. It was a delight to witness Mia and Betty exploring the wonders of the city's past, their imaginations ignited by the artifacts and stories surrounding them.

Betty's enthusiasm was contagious, infusing our group with curiosity.

"Mia, your friend is a gem!" Arthur said.

Betty beamed, taking a playful bow. "I aim to please, Mr. Chaperone!"

The trip drew to a close, and we took all the kids back to school, where they were going to a short assembly to review what they learned.

I looked at Arthur. “Well, are you going back to work for a while?”

“No.” He looked at me, his gaze practically steaming. “I’m playing hooky. I’m taking my woman hard and fast without my daughter around.” He lowered his voice. “This time, you can be as loud as you want, and trust me, Dove. I’m going to make you scream.”

My body heated. For a moment, I couldn’t speak. Finally, I cleared my throat. “That sounds like a fabulous idea.”

ARTHUR

Andrea rushed into my office. Her fury was a cyclone ready to unleash its destructive force.

“The business deals I canceled have hurt me more than you!” she yelled at me.

“So it’s my fault that what you did backfired?”

“Yes.”

I shook my head. “You got what you deserved. You should have thought about that before you threw a monkey wrench in the works. You wounded your empire way more than you hurt mine. Now you’re angry?”

I stood up and walked around to the front of my desk, confronting her anger.

“You crossed a line,” I said. “You got burned. Learn something from this. Learn that forgiveness and family loyalty should weigh heavier than petty revenge.”

“It’s not petty!” Andrea yelled.

“Is there something else I don’t know about? Even for you, this amount of anger seems excessive.”

Her face turned red. She looked like she was going to burst.

Nathan came in at that moment to put some documents on my desk.

Andrea turned to him. “Go away!”

“You can stay,” I said. “Andrea was just leaving.”

Her slap across my face stunned me, the sting reverberating through the room. I pressed my hand to my smarting cheek. I said the first thing that came to my mind. “I can’t believe you hit me in front of my best friend and trusted colleague!”

Nathan quickly called Doris. “You better get here quickly,” his voice was barely above a whisper, laced with concern.

I didn’t want Doris in the same room as Andrea.

“Please, Andrea. I’m not a teenage boy you can intimidate anymore.” I lowered my hand so she could see the redness of my cheek. “You got your smack in. I’m not going to retaliate. You’re miserable enough.”

I pointed to the open door of my office. “Go.”

Instead, Andrea rushed me, hands out like claws.

Suddenly Doris ran into the office, throwing her body in front of me like a shield.

“What?” Andrea paused for a split second because she was shocked, either from seeing Doris or seeing how loyal she was to me.

“You bitch!” Andrea said. She went to claw me with one hand and pull Doris’ hair with the other.

I grabbed both of Andrea’s wrists and held her in place while she writhed and kicked.

“Andrea, stop!” Doris’ voice was commanding. Andrea stopped momentarily.

Doris straightened her shoulders.

We were all in an awkward stance, standing too close to one another.

“You will calm down, right now, Andrea,” Doris said. I admired how Doris exuded courage and determination. “Whatever problem you have, we are going to clear this up, right now.”

“Oh we are, are we? You think you can marry Arthur for his money? That’s beyond ‘wishful thinking’, that’s ludicrous. I’m telling you. It will never happen. You’ll always be a poor mouse who works hard and gets nothing.”

Andrea was so mad she almost foamed at the mouth. “Nothing, do you hear me? Nothing!”

I let go of Andrea’s wrists. She moved to slap me again.

“Stop!” Doris said with such force that Andrea froze mid-motion, her hand suspended in the air.

“Why do you care so much what happens to me?” Doris asked.

Andrea's voice dripped with venom as she scolded Doris. “I don’t care about you, just Arthur.”

I watched Doris’ face as she connected the dots, piecing together that Andrea was my mother.

“You’re the relative who sabotaged the Brooklyn deal.”

“And I’ll sabotage everything you do until the end of time.”

Andrea went to slap Doris, but I got a firm hold on her wrist.

“Even our seven-year-old daughter knows not to slap,” Doris said.

“Our daughter?!!” Andrea shrieked. “What does she mean, ‘Our daughter’?”

I just shrugged. I didn’t owe Andrea any answers.

Nathan returned with the building’s security guards. They flanked Andrea.

Andrea's rage distorted her perception, twisting her into a self-proclaimed victim. Her fury propelled her forward, lunging at Doris, who still stood as my protector. But I couldn't stand idly by, watching as my mother's rage consumed everything in its path.

I reached out, gripping Andrea's wrist more tightly than ever. "Leave immediately. You are no longer my mother," I declared, the weight of those words heavy on my heart.

“I should have had you killed too, when I had the chance!” Andrea seethed.

What?

The guards took Andrea away.

Andrea's departure left behind an air of unease. It was like a high-pressure balloon popped.

I hugged Doris. “I’m sorry you had to experience that, baby.”

“She’s your mother, isn’t she?”

“Not anymore,” I said. "Thank you, Doris," I whispered.

“I’d do anything for you. Although I never want to stand between you and a crazy lady again.”

“You've shown me your strength,” I said. “Together we can weather any storm." I stroked her soft, shiny hair, then put a gentle kiss on her head. “It’s over, Dove. Our troubles are over.”