The Con

by L M Bee

  The black two-way mirrored exterior of the tower block enabled a spectacular panoramic view of Monaco down below. Similar to the rooftop restaurant at breakfast, but much higher up, and far better because it was Oliver’s.

  “Gosh, what an incredible view to have from your desk!” gasped Mary.

  “Oh I know, I’m so lucky. Have to pinch myself sometimes that I’m working for Mr Harrison, such a good boss to work for. Started here as something to do during my gap year, but to be honest, can’t imagine ever leaving. Excellent job opportunity. My father’s made up. Thinks the world of Mr H. They met at a fundraiser for Mr H’s cancer charity. Couldn’t believe my luck when Dad said they were offering me an interview – and the rest is history!”

  “Good for you,” replied Mary. “Are your family here in France too?”

  “No, they’re all near Tetbury in Gloucestershire. Dad’s got a big agricultural machinery company. He and Mr H met at a charity polo match at The Beaufort Polo Club, hit it off straight away. Do you know much about his cancer charity?”

  “No,” replied Mary, gently shaking her head.

  “Oh, amazing the work that they do. Mr H set it up after he lost his sister to pancreatic cancer. A long two-year battle that really took its toll on him; when she passed away the staff here all thought he would never get over the loss. That’s why it’s so incredible to see the difference in him now, since meeting you. Anita, that’s Mr H’s PA, says she’s never seen him this happy. Anyway, his charity builds holiday homes for children with cancer. Accommodation for families to stay in during their child’s treatment, with the cheerful atmosphere of a theme park. All the top medical staff on hand, with lots of fun things for the family to do. Cancer affects the whole family, you know.”

  “Oh, I know,” concurred Mary.

  “The homes make it possible for the family to stay together, in an environment that’s tailor-made for their sick child during his or her cancer treatment. The programme’s attracted some of the best professionals from around the world, all keen to be part of the ground-breaking concept that maintains care routines and treatment whilst keeping the whole family together under one roof. Giving them the chance to support each another during a challenging time, helping them to bond tightly, surrounded by a joyful environment and creating happy memories too. Huge success, America and China are currently discussing franchises! I have to say he’s very special, our boss, improving the lives of all those families. I mean, put yourself in their shoes, how would you like to remember your dying child? Lying in a hospital bed hooked up to loads of pipes and tubes? Or laughing with brothers and sisters having fun at a holiday park? And that’s not all, Mr H has been funding research into a cure for pancreatic cancer.”

  Mary was stunned and absorbing every word.

  Annabel placed a finger across her lips, about to divulge a secret.

  “Anita says he’s poured millions and millions into it and, apparently,” she squinted though a tiny gap between her thumb and index finger, “they’re this close to announcing the cure.”

  Astonishingly good news; Mary’s heart was bursting with pride. So Oliver had a secret – funding the cure for pancreatic cancer!

  If only his research could have saved Henry’s life. Her children would be so proud of him for investing in such vital research. The last five years had taken its toll on her children, affecting them deeply; Ollie’s cure would put an end to families having to endure such suffering. Mary’s mind was buzzing. How proud would she feel on her wedding day marrying such an incredible man? The luckiest woman in the world.

  Suddenly, Annabel leapt off her chair to grab a package from the side table.

  “Ooh, nearly forgot, Mr H bought a brand new MacBook Air for you as a present. Insisted on rose gold to match your new iPhone. I can set it all up for you, if you don’t mind giving me your details, and copy your numbers and everything across from your old phone – save you the bother.”

  “Gosh how kind, yes please. I’ve stored my Apple ID and password here on this new phone, just a minute, let me find it for you.”

  “And I can install any apps you use, like Instagram or Spotify, or internet banking?”

  “Ooh, yes please, that would be such a great help. Do you think you can find the app for Coutts Bank and install that please? Must admit, I get a bit muddled with all this new technology. I do try to keep up, but usually have to ask my children to help me …”

  As Annabel busied herself setting it up, the coffee and biscuits arrived. Mary sat back on the luxuriously comfortable sofa, and drifted into a fabulous daydream about Ollie. Couldn’t believe her luck. He was everything she had ever dreamed of, and to think he hadn’t bothered to tell her about his secret. What a secret! Pouring millions into a cure for pancreatic cancer.

  The enormity of his good deed would take a while to sink in properly, her skin tingling with pride and admiration. Her darling Ollie was a real hero, changing all those lives for the better. Her heart was bursting with love.

  Chapter 20

  “Ta-dah, all done,” singsonged Annabel, handing Mary her latest present.

  “Fantastic, thank you, and what about the banking app? Did you manage to put that on too?”

  “Yes all done. I’ve synced the MacBook Air with your new iPhone, so they’re both bang up to date. Oh, and Mr H is free now if you want to go in.”

  A very impressive sight – Ollie sitting behind his large flat desk, the whole of Monaco spread out behind him. He stood up the moment he saw Mary, walked forwards and kissed her warmly.

  “Darling, do you like your new present?” he enquired, stroking her shoulder.

  “It’s fabulous, thank you. Annabel’s set it up for me already, and synced it with my new phone too!”

  His mobile was face down on the desk and buzzing. Striding back to pick it up, he glanced at the screen and smiled.

  “Text from Chuck who I told you about, listen to this: ‘Thanks for another great party – trust you to have the biggest motor yacht on the Riviera!’ Such a nice guy, remember I mentioned we’re taking over that airfield we flew out of this morning. Small, but a key location.”

  “Very picturesque too,” said Mary.

  “Certainly is, prime location. And that’s not all, terrific investment opportunity. Three of the top private jet companies have already expressed an interest in setting up there. Seriously, you should consider investing in it, brilliant opportunity to get in at the start.”

  “Um, not sure if it’s my thing,” mumbled Mary.

  “We’ll form a company, which we’ll float on the stock market, offering investors the opportunity to recoup their original investment plus outstanding profit margins. And that’s not all, every founding member receives complimentary air travel, all European flights completely free of charge – for their families too. Darling, it would suit you down to the ground. A simple transaction, five million, and you can dash back and forth between here and London at the drop of a hat – whenever you want, with the children too …”

  Mary interrupted him mid flow, unsure if she’d heard correctly. “Five million?”

  “Yes,” he confirmed bullishly, about to continue when she cut him off.

  “Sorry darling, but it’s not for me.” Instinctively knowing it wasn’t something she would be interested in, and privately reeling at the figure quoted; five million was a big ask by anyone’s standards. “Honestly, I’m not looking to invest in a new business, and, besides, I know absolutely nothing about airfields and private jets. I’d be completely out of my comfort zone, and for that reason, it’s definitely not for me, sorry darling.” Hoping she’d managed to turn it down without offending him, she felt a twinge of guilt for not jumping at his suggestion.

  Before Oliver could reply, something buzzed on his desk and distracted him. A light was flashing on the intercom.

  “Sorry, mind if I answer this?” he said before putting his hand over the microphone. “Darling, do you mind if we take a quick FaceTime call
together?”

  Mary shook her head and smiled.

  “Annabel, patch it through to the big screen please so Mary can meet Charlie too.”

  On the opposite wall, a large flatscreen burst into life as the FaceTime call connected, revealing a wizened grey-looking man in an armchair, with a tartan blanket over his knees. Hard to tell what age, ravaged by illness, early seventies perhaps.

  “Good afternoon, Mr Harrison. Thank you for sparing the time to take my call. Before I forget, my wife sends you her best, sir.”

  “Charlie, very good to see your face. Please give my best wishes to Dot. How’s things? Any news?”

  “Yes, very good news. My tumour markers have greatly reduced, and I’ve gained some weight. My liver’s on the up again too.”

  “That’s great news, Charlie, I’m so pleased for you. By the way, I would like you to be one of the first to know my good news too. I’m delighted to say, I’ve met the lady I’m going to marry – we’re planning to have a London wedding next summer. I want you to meet her. Mary, darling, come closer so Charlie can see you.”

  Mary stepped forward. “Hello Charlie,” she said cheerfully.

  “Nice to meet you, Ma’am. Many congratulations! I’m sure you’ll both be very happy. Proper good fellow you’ve got there.”

  “Charlie’s too kind,” muttered Ollie humbly. “He’s the good fellow. Charlie, tell Mary what you’ve been through, how your pancreatic cancer might be cured, thank the Lord.”

  Mary’s eyes were instantly glued to the screen; this was a subject very close to her heart. Charlie carefully leant his walking stick against the arm of his chair, and straightened the tartan rug before starting to tell his story.

  “Well, I began feeling very tired, back in October. I’d been building a new extension at home, Dot’s always wanted an ensuite. I put the tiredness down to getting older, and the building work tiring me out more than normal, but I’ve always kept fit you know. At weekends, Dot and I used to go rambling. Walking holidays in the Lake District, that sort of thing. But the tiredness wouldn’t go away, kept falling asleep, so I went to see my GP. Long story short, blood tests diagnosed a possible liver problem. Maybe cancer. But my doctor didn’t think it could be cancer, because I looked so fit and well. Anyway, more tests and scans, then I got worse. Couldn’t eat, couldn’t walk far, losing weight fast. Ultrasound scan showed something in my pancreas, so they took a sample for testing.

  “The results came back on our Golden Wedding Anniversary of all days. Dot was devastated. They said I was terminally ill and there’s no cure. The oncologist gave me just a few months to live.”

  “Oh my god, you poor thing, I’m so sorry to hear this. And poor Dot too, I understand the terrible impact this must have had on you both. My husband passed away three years ago after a long battle with the same. Tragic. Heart-breaking. It’s a dreadful, dreadful disease. Let’s hope a cure can be found soon.”

  “Well, here’s the thing, Mary. Your Mr H is a lifesaver, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart. He’s been funding research for a cure, and it’s looking hopeful. Before this new treatment with his people, I had to go through six rounds of chemo. That was tough. Wasn’t sick an’ all, but food tasted different. Curry was all right, and ginger beer! Kept my hair too!” He grinned and turned his head from side to side to show off his silvery locks. “But got bad tingles in my hands and feet when I was cold. Had to wear thick socks, my son’s ski jacket, and two pairs of trousers to stay warm outside. Battling the low mood swings was tricky too. You know when you’re convinced, this terrible disease is gonna do me, I won’t get through it. Have to say, Dot’s been a diamond. Top woman my Dot, by my side every day, good as gold since the day I met her. Love her to bits.”

  Tears trickled down Mary’s cheeks. She couldn’t help it, Charlie’s story was touching her deep inside and resonating with her own tragic experience.

  “Have to say, on our 50th wedding anniversary, Dot and me really thought my time was up. Then our luck changed and we got introduced to Mr Harrison and his people via the cancer charity. The man’s a legend. Invested fortunes in finding a cure for pancreatic cancer. His research results have changed my life. My next scan’s due in two weeks, and the oncologist thinks I might have beaten the statistics. Apparently, everyone thinks I’m going to be told good news, fingers crossed they’re going to tell me I’ve been cured.”

  She couldn’t hold them back anymore; the tears poured down Mary’s face. Empathy on a high, her heart went out to Charlie – possibly the first person to be cured of pancreatic cancer, thanks to Oliver’s fortunes funding research into new treatment. How impressed Henry would have been by this philanthropic multi-millionaire leading the world in finding a cure. She was so proud of the man she was going to marry, her Ollie; a genuinely wonderful human being.

  As Oliver and Charlie finished their call, Mary walked over to the sofa where she’d spotted a box of tissues on a side table, blowing her nose and dabbing under her lashes in case her mascara had run.

  “Darling, come back and say goodbye to Charlie.”

  Nipping back to stand beside Ollie in his leather desk chair, looking the perfect couple, Mary leant forwards respectfully.

  “Charlie, thank you for sharing your story with me. It means so much to us that you might be cured. We’ll be thinking of you in a fortnight when you get your results, please let us know the news – and send our best wishes to Dot too.”

  The call ended and the screen went momentarily black, before the gold H logo reappeared. Still dabbing the tissue under her lower lashes, Mary wanted to tell Ollie how very proud of him she was and ask how he could have kept such an enormous secret from her? Investing his fortunes in a cure for pancreatic cancer! Her heart was literally going to burst, she couldn’t remember loving anyone more than she loved him at this precise moment, but before she could say anything his mobile rang again. He looked at the number on screen and turned to Mary.

  “Sorry darling, must take this, do you mind? Last call I promise, then I’ll show you round the Harrison empire,” he said, planting a kiss on her forehead.

  He held the phone close, saying very little, his demeanour changing as he paced round and round the office. Suddenly his short fuse blew and his patience erupted. Mary had never heard him lose his temper before, and was genuinely shocked as he roared vehemently at the caller.

  “I don’t give a bloody damn. Investing in this research is vital, not negotiable. And I want my house in London finished before Christmas too, I don’t care what you have to do to achieve it, just get the fucking builders to stay until they’ve finished the job.”

  Hurling his phone to the floor, Oliver slumped onto the sofa, the image of an anguished man. After a moment he sat up, elbows on knees and dropped his head into his hands, massaging his scalp roughly with his fingers as though trying to pull his hair out by the roots. Mary felt freaked out, she’d never seen him like this before, the mask of the confident entrepreneur slipping to reveal a little boy lost and close to tears.

  “Darling, what is it? What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing my sweet, don’t worry yourself. Business problem.”

  “But I am worried, Ollie. I’ve never seen you like this before. Is there anything I can do?”

  Suddenly throwing a tantrum, he leapt up from the sofa and flung his arms in the air as he roared, “Not unless you can perform fucking miracles!”

  Mary gasped, putting both hands over her mouth; he’d never yelled at her before.

  Instantly his mood changed and he rushed to her side, full of remorse for his appalling outburst, begging for forgiveness.

  “I’m so sorry, darling, I should never have snapped at you like that. That was wrong of me, it’s not your fault. Sorry, sorry. The pressure just gets to me sometimes. So many balls in the air, a constant juggling act, pouring millions into cancer research has left me a bit short that’s all. Temporary cashflow problem, bloody nuisance, just for a fortnight. The builders workin
g on my house in London are demanding to be paid by the end of today, or they'll down tools and leave to start another job in Holland Park. Big construction job like mine, digging out the basement for a cinema and gym. But if they stop work on my house, and start on this other one, there’s no guarantee when they’ll come back to finish mine.”

  He flopped back onto the sofa, dropping his head into his hands again in utter despair. Sensing he was crying, witnessing this scene was crushing Mary and causing sharp stabbing pains in her chest.

  Face still covered with both hands, he wailed forlornly, “I so badly wanted the new house to be finished for Christmas so the children could stay, we would have all had such fun together. Worst of all, this blows our secret pact to smithereens, I won’t be able to propose to you now on Christmas Day. Gutted beyond words. Don’t know what to say, but I can’t pay the builders for two weeks, and they’re not prepared to wait …”

  “Darling, can I help? Henry left me extremely well off. The money’s sitting in the bank doing nothing, more than enough there to help you out. How much do you need?”

  “Five hundred thousand.”

  So proud of her man for funding the cure for pancreatic cancer, she would do absolutely anything for him right now, anything at all. Also, if she gave him this money it would assuage her guilt for not leaping at his suggestion of the airfield investment. Compared to investing five million in a new business she knew nothing about, giving him five hundred grand to pay the builders seemed far more reasonable – and planning to get married in London next summer made all the difference too. Plus, if she gave him the money, there were advantages for her personally too; not least if the house were finished in time for Christmas, their secret pact could still happen and he could propose on Christmas Day. Mary had set her heart on their perfect plan, so romantic to get engaged on Christmas Day, and with the children there too – like a dream come true. Also, having him living in London during the lead up to their summer wedding would be ideal, planning their big day would be so much easier with him nearby. From Mary’s point of view giving him the money was merely an investment into the smooth running of their plans for the future, a contribution towards blending their lives and building a future together. Most of all she loved the warm buzzy feeling of being needed by him. This felt like her help was vitally important to him, and being able to do something for Ollie was making her feel good.