by Jade Winters
Heidi saw Simone mingling in the crowd, handing out the photo of Vanessa and herself. This, more than anything, seemed to be what the media was interested in.
Heidi brushed her hair aside. ‘Craig O’Neil intended to blackmail me by releasing this photo to the press. An innocent dinner meeting I had with Vanessa O’Neil.’ She looked down and caught sight of the picture Priscilla was holding. The memory of that night came flooding back and it took all the strength she had to go on. ‘These are the tactics this company uses to shut down the little people, but I say it’s time the little people pushed back.’
The crowd clapped and hollered as Heidi jumped off the wall and was immediately grabbed by Priscilla. It took another hour before Heidi was done with all of the interviews. The protestors were enjoying the media coverage and chanted in the background as the television news cameras kept rolling. To no one’s surprise the police were soon on the scene moving them on, but it didn’t matter, they had achieved what they set out to do. Now they just had to wait for Berkley O’Neil’s response. Heidi’s gut feeling said they wouldn’t respond and, as the hours ticked by, she was proven right. There wasn’t a single peep from Vanessa or Craig.
Just before Heidi was going to call it a day, she heard a familiar voice. Within seconds, Amanda appeared at her office doorway making her jump.
‘Hey, what are you doing here?’
‘Nice reception.’ Amanda walked in, gave Heidi a quick hug then dropped her bag on the desk. ‘I hope you aren’t letting fame go to your head.’
Heidi rolled her eyes. ‘Fame? Yeah right.’
‘Who would have thought it, my little sister the celebrity.’
‘Hardly.’
‘Are you kidding? You looked sensational. Who knew you were so photogenic.’
Heidi gave a short laugh. ‘Do you think I did the right thing?’
‘Do you even have to ask? No one tries to blackmail my sister and gets away with it. I must say though, you and that Vanessa woman looked a cute couple.’
Heidi’s stomach turned over as images of Vanessa flashed through her mind. ‘Yeah, well, that’s dead in the water. I don’t think she’ll ever want to talk to me again.’
‘Whatever’s meant to be—’
‘Will be.’ Heidi finished for her.
A soft sigh escaped Amanda’s lips. ‘That’s right. It will.’
‘Amanda.’
‘Uh huh?’
‘Can I ask you something?’ Since Heidi was hell bent on setting the world to rights, it was time to confront Amanda and find out exactly what was going on in her marriage. She hated the thought of her sister not being able to share her burden with anyone.
‘Of course,’ Amanda said taking a seat.
‘Is everything all right between you and Ellis?’
Amanda’s eyes narrowed. For a moment, Heidi thought she was going to tell her to mind her own business but just as she was about to retract her question, she saw tears in Amanda’s eyes. Heidi jumped out of her seat, made her way around to Amanda and knelt down before her. Taking Amanda’s hands in her own, she said, ‘What is it? Tell me. If you’re worried about mum and dad finding out—’
‘It doesn’t matter. You’re all going to find out sooner or later.’
‘Find out what?’
‘He left me.’
‘What?! No way. Ellis loves you.’
‘Not anymore. It’s my own stupid fault.’
‘Don’t blame yourself, Mandy. He should support your decision to work so hard.’
‘It’s nothing to do with work.’ She cast her eyes downwards. A look of shame crossed her features. ‘We were … swingers.’
Heidi laughed. ‘Of course you were. Come on, be serious.’
Amanda looked up. The expression on her face told Heidi she really was serious.
‘Oh,’ was all Heidi could think to say. Amanda, a swinger? She didn’t even want to follow that thought with an image.
‘He left me for one of the women we swapped with weeks ago. I didn’t even want to do it in the first place, but he kept pushing and pushing so in the end I gave in.’
Heidi found it hard to believe that weedy, introverted Ellis actually had it in him to swing, let alone leave Amanda.
‘Oh shit. I’m so sorry.’
Amanda withdrew her hand and rummaged in her bag for a tissue. ‘I’ll get over it.’
Heidi returned to her desk to give Amanda some space. ‘Do you want me to come back to Mum’s with you?’
‘No, I’m not looking for sympathy. I only came here to tell you,’ she stared at her, ‘that I’m so proud of you.’
Tears sprung to Heidi’s eyes. She had waited twenty-nine years for her big sister to say those words to her.
Chapter Twenty-Four
By the time Vanessa returned to her office, her head was pounding. Spending the morning with Craig had left her dizzy, nauseous and clammy. They had been to Brighton to look at a new property the company was interested in purchasing. Half way through the tour of the site, the call had come through to inform them that a ‘mob’ had gathered outside their offices.
It was no surprise to her that Heidi had moved things up a gear; she’d been expecting it, but Craig was furious, ranting and raving in her ear for the rest of the morning as well as on the drive back. Now in the sanctuary of her own space, she searched in her drawer for a couple of much needed painkillers.
Knocking the tablets back with a swig of water, Vanessa closed her eyes and rested her forehead on the desk. There was no point in trying to work; she wouldn’t be able to concentrate, not when her mind was filled with so much unnecessary drama. How long is this fight going to go on for? In a way, she blamed herself. I should never have got involved. I should have left Craig to deal with Heidi from the start. Either way, Vanessa concluded, her reputation was going to be tarnished. Birds of a feather flock together.
She wasn’t wholly convinced that Heidi’s vendetta against their company was purely about the eviction alone. It may have been at the start, but not anymore. She believed what drove Heidi now was her need to get one over on, not only Craig, but Vanessa herself, that the need to punish Vanessa was blurring her vision.
Vanessa should have learnt throughout her years in the business world to never mix business with pleasure—no matter how tempting.
A knock on the door preceded Craig’s new secretary hovering in the doorway, looking as stressed as Vanessa felt.
‘Ms O’Neil.’
Vanessa reluctantly lifted her head and looked up. ‘Call me Vanessa.’
‘Okay sorry. Um, Craig wants to see you in his office.’
The thought of spending another second in Craig’s company made Vanessa feel uneasy. ‘Suzy, can you tell him I’m busy, please. I’ll—’
‘He said it’s urgent,’ Suzy’s voice quivered.
Vanessa noticed Suzy’s red puffy eyes. Craig had obviously scared the living daylights out of her with his tantrums and demands. There was no need for her to make Suzy’s day any worse, so Vanessa pushed back her chair and stood.
‘Why don’t you go and get yourself a coffee. I’ll deal with Craig.’
Suzy shot her a grateful smile. ‘Thank you.’
Vanessa walked down the corridor, dreading to think what had pissed Craig off now, not that it took much these days.
‘So what’s the urgency?’ she said, trying to look interested as she entered Craig’s office.
Craig stood in front of the TV leering at the screen, his pupils practically glowing red with hatred.
‘That bitch has gone too far,’ Craig almost shrieked. ‘She’s been badmouthing me, sprouting shit about me blackmailing her!’
Vanessa looked at him bemused. ‘But you did, didn’t you?’
He spun around and glared at her. ‘Whose fucking side are you on? You do realise this affects you as much as it does me.’
‘I’m well aware of that Craig, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.’
The news footage p
anned across the crowds and zoomed in on Heidi. Vanessa drew in a sharp breath when her face filled the screen. Instead of sharing the rage Craig exuded, Vanessa felt strangely moved by Heidi and the support she had garnered for her cause. Vanessa knew if the circumstances were different, she too would be out there with the crowd trying to save the centre. Instead, she was one of the bad guys indirectly responsible for the closure. It was a cross she would just have to bear.
‘Did you hear that?! We’re corrupt? Some insignificant little bitch has an opinion about us, but she doesn’t stop there, oh no!’ Craig raged, his face crimson as he clutched his Scotch. ‘She’s plastered our name all over a fuck load of social media pages, consumer watchdogs and has contacted our associates!’
‘She what?’ Vanessa unsteadily lowered herself onto the sofa and stared at the screen. Heidi was speaking to several journalists in front of the centre. This is bad. It was one thing to have a protest outside the building, but to contact their business associates? She had to agree with Craig—that was going a step too far.
Does she hate me this much that she would smear the reputation of my father’s company? Vanessa couldn’t believe that the woman she’d almost made love to a few nights before wanted to destroy them by spreading lies. The company was nothing like the one she was portraying.
‘She has to be stopped,’ Vanessa said.
‘This is what I’ve been telling you, but your head has been stuck in the clouds. She is not who you think she is.’ Craig slammed his glass down on the desk and grabbed his jacket, pulling it on as he headed for the door.
‘Where are you going?’
‘To see our solicitor. I’m going to find out where we stand with her making slanderous accusations. I’ll make sure I take that bitch down! I want her out of the way, out of that building and fucking gone, once and for all!’
Vanessa relaxed once he’d stormed out without another word. She didn’t need Craig to tell her they had to act, but what if, and it was a big if, Heidi was right? That there was some truth to her claim that the company was corrupt? Craig’s underhandedness was, after all, the reason Vanessa had elected to come into the fold after so many years of resisting. She knew Craig was very capable of destroying their company with his unorthodox and sometimes unethical business conduct, but did Heidi have any evidence of her claims?
Losing herself in Heidi’s eyes took her back to the night in her apartment. Vanessa could still remember the smell of her hair and the slight hint of her perfume just above her collarbone. Vanessa’s gaze dropped to Heidi’s lips and remembered them hard pressed against her own.
Behind Heidi, one slogan in the crowd caught her eye in particular. Not because it was so harsh—Down with the O’Neil bullies—no, what shocked her to her core was the face beneath the banner.
‘Kelli?’ she breathed out her name. ‘What the hell is she doing there?’
Vanessa couldn’t believe her eyes. The camera panned and stopped on Heidi again.
‘You have to understand we’re not a business, we’re a charity, and that means we care about people, not money. Our centre serves society on behalf of young people who can’t manage by themselves. Where will you go if you feel as if the world is against you? Young people who feel suicidal, who are alone in an intolerant world, they find peace with us. And why? Because most of us have been there. People need the centre. Berkley O’Neil does not.’
‘You’re watching it too?’ Suzy remarked from the doorway. She walked to Craig’s desk and laid several papers down. ‘What do you really think she’s after?’
‘Justice,’ Vanessa replied, too dazed to consider anything other than Kelli and what her appearance at the protest meant.
‘I didn’t want to raise the issue while Craig was here,’ Suzy said, ‘but my sister sent my nephew to the centre because he was having a hard time coming to terms with his sexuality. The counselling he received there was second to none; I dread to think what would have happened if he’d had nowhere to turn.’
‘I’m glad things worked out for him,’ Vanessa said. ‘The place sounds like a sanctuary.’
‘It is,’ Suzy said before leaving Vanessa to her thoughts.
Heidi had disappeared from the screen, but the crowd was still on camera. Vanessa leant forward, searching for Kelli again. My niece. My off-kilter, lost and angry niece. Vanessa just couldn’t make sense of it. Why would she oppose our company, a company she holds shares in?
It was mind boggling. Unless she’s gay. But why wouldn’t she tell me, it’s not as if she has to be scared of rejection? It had never crossed her mind to ask Kelli about dating. This past year Vanessa was frightened to ask her about anything to do with her life, worried about the backlash it would cause; and now this. If the press realised who Kelli was, it would crush them, to have someone within their own family opposing a business decision.
It didn’t take Vanessa long to realise that it was probably what Kelli wanted all along.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Despite the protest being a success in bringing more attention to the centre’s cause, the eviction date still loomed depressingly close. In three weeks, it would all be over; that was unless a miracle happened. Heidi wasn’t going to hold her breath. Although she went through the motions of cheering on the efforts of her colleagues, personally Heidi had given up. There had been no contact from Vanessa or Craig and it was now obvious the negative reports about them failed to have any effect. Worse of all, because of Heidi’s unrealistic vendetta to try and bring them down, she had lost the one opportunity she may have had to be with Vanessa.
It hadn’t been long since that day in the restaurant, but Vanessa still haunted her. Thoughts of her touch, the tenderness of her voice, her eyes and her smile all consumed her. Whenever Heidi’s mind drifted, it drifted to her.
A scream brought her attention back to the present, then another. Heidi ran into the corridor; her body alert, ready for action. Simone was running towards her, panting, breathless. Heidi couldn’t imagine what had happened. Expecting to see a look of panic on Simone’s face as she neared, Heidi frowned when Simone laughed.
‘Oh my God, Heidi! You’re not going to effing believe this,’ Simone said, her eyes were so wide Heidi thought they might pop out.
‘Simone, you’re scaring me!’ Heidi said, thinking the stress had become too much and Simone had lost the plot.
‘We just received an anonymous delivery.’ Simone handed her an A4-sized envelope. On the front, the words, ‘This will help you sink the O’Neils’ was scribbled in large clumsy handwriting. ‘Mel found it at reception when she got back from a fag break.’
Heidi took the package from her and tore it open like a cat ripping a bag of Dreamies treats. Her frown turned to a beaming smile as she scanned page after page.
‘Are you thinking what I’m thinking?’ Simone said.
Heidi looked heavenwards. Thank you, thank you, thank you! ‘You bet I am. We need to read through this carefully.’
‘What are we waiting for? I’m right behind you.’
An hour later, Simone and Heidi sat in silence, their mouths agape. From what they understood, Berkley O’Neil had made a contribution to the local authority under section 106 of the Planning Act and in return, the authority waived the company’s responsibility to build affordable housing, as well as a community centre.
‘The lying scheming conniving bastards,’ Simone said as she continued to read from the papers. ‘Over the last ten years, Berkley O’Neil hasn’t once had to comply with local authority rules on the percentage of new buildings that have to be built with affordable housing.’
‘Meaning?’ Heidi asked.
‘Meaning, the local authority let them off every time. I know that under section 106 they’re given some leeway if they make a contribution, but come on! Every time!?’
Heidi scrutinised the papers closer and found that the O’Neils and their associates, Berkley Trust, had bribed planning committee members, in particular one Jason Le
e, to approve their planning applications.
‘How on earth have they got away with this?’ Heidi asked.
‘Who’s going to question them?’ Simone said. ‘If the planning committees are in on it.’
‘But you’d think someone in the local community would have complained or something?’
‘I know it’s a long shot, but what if they were paid off too?’
‘Or just turned a blind eye because they didn’t give a shit?’
‘Turncoats, the lot of them.’
‘Well this lady is not for turning! If I didn’t believe in God before, I sure as hell do now.’ Heidi could feel something burning inside her veins. Something she hadn’t felt in a long time. Hope. ‘Simone, we’re going to name and shame those bastards. They’ll be sorry they ever bought this building.’
‘You almost sound happy to give the O’Neils what they deserve.’
‘This isn’t about revenge. This is about shining a light on a company that has managed to hide in the dark for way too long.’ Heidi clasped her hands in front of her. ‘I’m going to—’
‘I want to do it. I’ll release the papers simultaneously on social media first thing tomorrow. Mel still has the list she compiled of the companies they work with.’
‘Okay. Hopefully when word gets out, the mainstream media will pick it up.’
Heidi couldn’t help but think how devastating it was going to be for Berkley O’Neil to be exposed by those they’d sought to destroy. If this plan worked, not only would they get to keep the centre, but they’d also topple Berkley O’Neil, crumbling them to the ground.
However, it wasn’t that easy. In truth, Heidi felt bad about what they were going to do, especially if it affected Vanessa. She closed her eyes and saw her. For a moment, Heidi could almost feel her breath against her skin, feel her hand caressing ….