We all were quiet, contemplating the possibilities. Finally, I said “okay, let’s try it. It seems to be a long-shot, but if you say that this doctor is open to being bribed, then let’s go.”
I was certainly apprehensive, but I had to trust Asher for once. He knew what he was doing.
At least I hoped that he did.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Asher
I was happy that we had a plan, but I wasn’t entirely happy with it. There were just too many variables for this to work. If it did work, then I could perhaps kill two birds with one stone – maybe my father would not only allow Natalia to come to America, but perhaps, if he thought that he was facing another health crisis, it might make him more likely to accept my marriage with CJ. Facing that type of issue sometimes caused people to rethink their previous positions, and, hopefully, that would be the case here.
The first thing I had to do, of course, was to track down my father’s physician there in London. That was the doctor who was open to being bribed, I knew, and that was also the doctor that was local at the moment. I therefore just had to make an appointment and see what I could do.
I called his office and got his receptionist. “Dr. Wyatt’s office, may I help you?” a friendly voice inquired when I called.
“This is Asher Sloane. I need an appointment with Dr. Wyatt as soon as possible.”
“What is this regarding?”
“I’m having a blood pressure issue.”
“Can you come in two weeks?” she asked.
“No. Could you please call me in the event of a cancellation? I need to see him as soon as I can.”
She got my number and informed me that she would call me back.
About two hours later, she did call me. “Mr. Sloane, I just received a cancellation. There’s an opening tomorrow morning at 9.”
“Thank you. I’ll take that.”
I turned to CJ, who was sitting across from me at the table. “It’s arranged. I’m going to meet with him tomorrow.”
“Good,” she said, nodding her head. “Although I have to admit that I’m very nervous. What if he isn’t bribable? What if he turns you into the police instead?”
I smiled. “He’s pretty corrupt. At least he used to be. I don’t think that’s going to be a problem, as I can offer him as much as money as he wants. That’s not the problem. The problem is simply whether or not my father will allow Natalia to go when he finds out that he has another health crisis.”
CJ took a deep breath. “Asher, what about you? If your father retires, how are you protected?”
“It’s pretty simple. I’m protected as long as I’m alive. Even if my father retires or dies, my protection doesn’t die or retire with him. Members of his organization as entrenched even in America, and, since my father was the founder of the group, the men in America still know not to mess with me.”
She nodded her head, but said nothing.
I put my arm around her. “What’s on your mind?”
“Nothing. I’m just nervous.”
“Understandable.” I put my arms around her, and she put her head on my chest. I could hear her heart beating. “It’s going to be okay.”
She nodded her head and wrapped her arms tightly around me.
I hoped that I didn’t let her down. Because I not only would be letting her down, but also would be letting Natalia down.
The next day, I went down to see Dr. Wyatt. I was prepared to offer him any amount of money that he desired in exchange for him telling my father that his heart disease had recurred and he would need another surgery. I had to give him the money that would cover him in an inevitable malpractice suit, plus he wouldn’t have my father’s business anymore, so the money would have to cover him for that as well.
I got into see him. He was a balding sixtyish man who was short and squat and wore glasses.
“Mr. Sloane,” he said, looking at his chart. “What can I do for you?”
I drew a breath. I didn’t want to beat around the bush, yet I felt strange just coming out and telling him what I needed. Yet, that was what I had to do. “Dr. Wyatt, you have a patient by the name of Sergei Pushkin.”
He looked at me suspiciously. “I’m sorry, but I cannot confirm or deny that.”
“Dr. Wyatt, I’m a very wealthy man. I also happen to know that you have enormous gambling debts and you owe alimony and child support to several ex wives. You’re about to lose your house. Am I correct about all of this?”
Dr. Wyatt cleared his throat and feigned outrage. “What is the meaning of this, coming in here and throwing these things in my face? How did you find these things out? Is there not a right to privacy anymore?”
“Relax. I’m not here to throw these things in your face. I’m here to help you. I can help you with all of these issues and more. I can help you so much that you not only can get out of all of your financial problems, but you will never have to work again if you don’t really want to. I just need for you to do one thing for me.”
Dr. Wyatt got very quiet after that. “What do you mean?” he finally asked me.
“I mean that I need for you to do something for me that is very important. It has to do with Sergei Pushkin’s health.”
He shook his head. “You can't just come in here and expect me to take your word for what you’re trying to say to me. I don’t know you from Adam. You’re going to have to do better than that.”
“Okay, fair enough. My name is Asher Sloane. I’m the CEO of Sloane Industries. Go ahead, do your research on Sloane Industries and on me. I’ll wait.”
He still looked at me suspiciously, but he called his assistant in. She walked through the door, and Dr. Wyatt asked her to do research on me and on Sloane Industries.
In the meantime, he and I just sat there and stared at one another. He obviously was trying to size me up, and, I confess, I was doing the same. One thing was for sure, though – the man was desperate. I could see it in his eyes. I could also see that he had a note of hope in those eyes. Hope that I might be the answer to his prayers. I could practically see him imagining himself retired on an island somewhere, sipping pina coladas for the rest of his days. I knew that he was ripe for a bribe. He was just trying to figure out if I was really good for it.
In about fifteen minutes, his assistant gave him a file folder that presumably had information about me that was gleaned from the Internet. Dr. Wyatt studied the dossier for a few minutes, flipping through the pages and saying nothing. Then he finally looked at me. “Well, Mr. Sloane, it appears that you are who you say that you are. You’re apparently one of the wealthiest men in the world.” His face had changed now to one of eagerness. “What can I do for you?”
I cleared my throat. “I need for you to convince my father, Sergei Pushkin, that he is in need of another open-heart surgery. I need for you to tell him that he is going to have to have another bypass surgery, and give him the survival rates for such a surgery for a man his age.”
Dr. Wyatt looked interested, too interested. “What happens when he asks for a second opinion?”
“I know my father. He’s never asked for a second opinion on anything in his life. He lives his life by going by his gut instincts, so he’s always been one to believe the first instinct, if you will, and not try to question it. That’s the way that he has become so successful in his business. While other men waste time agonizing over the right decision, my father pretty much puts things into action without much thought. As you know, the first time he got this diagnosis, he didn’t get a second opinion. I don’t anticipate that he will do so here, either.”
“But if he does….”
“Then he’ll know that the diagnosis was wrong. That’s it. With the money that I’m willing to pay you for doing this, you won’t have to worry about that. You might be investigated by the medical board, but I daresay that you won’t care about that, because you’ll be retired in comfortable style.”
Now he was looking even more excited. “How much money ar
e we talking here?”
“I understand that you’re taking an enormous risk here. I’m willing to pay you $10 million to do this. I’ll transfer $1 million now, and the rest when you deliver the diagnosis.”
He nodded his head. I could tell that I had hooked him completely. “He’s not scheduled for his annual for several more months. Is that a problem?”
I had actually thought about that, and decided that it would be best to have Natalia slip something into his drink that would give him some kind of chest pains. Ephedra, which was a banned diet pill substance, would be the best bet for that. Since my father was a bit of a health nut and shied away from caffeine and other stimulants, Ephedra, being a heavy stimulant that sometimes caused panic attacks and chest pains, would be just the drug to make my father seek medical attention. He would go to Dr. Wyatt, too, because he trusted him and, since my father was in a position where he didn’t trust many people, he sought Dr. Wyatt first for any kind of medical emergency.
“He’ll be coming to see you within the week. I’ll make sure of that.”
“And when do I tell him that I made a mistake in his diagnosis?”
“I will let you know.” I wanted to tell Dr. Wyatt that he couldn’t tell my father the truth until Natalia was allowed to go to America, but that wasn’t Dr. Wyatt’s business. If he asked me, however, why I wanted to do this, I would tell him.
He nodded his head. “Transfer that $1 million, and I will do what you ask me to.”
That was easy. I knew that this doctor was bribable. From the look on his face, I was doing him an enormous favor and probably saving him. He could pay off all his debts and retire. I knew that he was only thinking of this.
Of course, if he didn’t seek help for his gambling problem, he probably would end up broke again, but that wasn’t my affair.
I walked out of his office, and called Natalia. “It’s arranged. You have to do what we talked about, and then the good doctor will do the rest.”
“Thank you, Alexei. If my father agrees that I can leave, then I will talk to him about Sophie and you. I think that he will believe me. At least, I hope that he does.”
My heart quickened. It was still going to be tricky, even if my father found out the truth about Sophie. Basically, he would have to quickly agree to protect CJ, or else CJ would be in grave danger the second that Sophie found out that I told my father the truth. It was going to be a game of finesse and had to involve a lot of praying. Not that I was a religious man, but sometimes prayer was in order.
CJ
The plan was in motion, so it just became a waiting game. I was on edge, constantly, for I was terrified on what was going to happen. I knew the stakes. I knew that if everything didn’t go perfectly, I could very well end up dead. And there were any number of things that could go wrong – perhaps Sergei would ask for a second opinion. Asher said that he wouldn’t, because he was a guy who went with his first instincts, but that was far from settled. Considering the fact that having a second bypass surgery at an advanced age meant that there would be a high chance that Sergei couldn’t survive, I would have thought that he would for sure try to get a second opinion.
So, that was one thing. Then, even if he believed the diagnosis, that was no guarantee that he would let Natalia go. Then, even if he did let Natalia go, there was no guarantee that he would believe her about Sophie. Then, even if he did believe her about Sophie, there was no guarantee that he would approve of my union with Asher.
Everything had to come together just right. It was a tightrope, I knew this, but Asher and I were trying very hard to get pregnant. That would make things easier, according to Asher, because Sergei was old-fashioned at heart. He believed in the man doing what was right when a woman became pregnant.
So, we tried every chance we got.
I wanted something to start happening. I needed the plan to start coming together. There was just so much as stake, and I was nervous as hell.
Finally, about a week later, something did happen. Sergei called Asher and asked to meet with him. It was a matter of great importance, Sergei had told him, which could only mean one thing – he had found out, again, about his “heart condition,” and he was going to make some new plans.
“Here’s our chance, CJ,” he said. “You stay right here in the hotel room, and I’m going to meet with him. Natalia is going be there, too, of course.”
I nodded and said nothing. I was trying very hard to tamp down the panic that was rising in my throat, but it was very difficult. I had no idea what was going to happen, but I said a little prayer that everything was going to turn out all right.
It had to. Otherwise, I was not going to be long for this world.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
I picked up Natalia, and we headed over to my father’s home in silence. His London home, which he apparently just purchased, was a sprawling mansion in East Horsley, a wealthy enclave situated in Surrey. It was a gated estate, Tudor style, very old England. It was a gorgeous home, but it still was nothing compared to his home in Russia. His home in Russia was as large as a castle, and was outfitted with security rooms that were constantly manned by various specialists in the security field.
Natalia and I went through the gate and rang the doorbell. To my surprise, my father answered the door. He usually had one of his servants answer the door, so that was a sign that he was anxious to speak with Natalia and me.
He gave me a big hug as I walked through the door. “Alexei, I cannot tell you how nice it is to finally see you again. It has been way too long, my son. Way too long.”
I hugged him back, and all of us went through the enormous foyer, and we ended up in the den. My father got up to make himself a brandy, and he got Scotch for me and vodka for Natalia. Natalia was Russian, through and through, and vodka was always her drink of choice. She drank it straight-up, no ice, no mixer.
As he got the drinks, he was talking. “So, Alexei, tell me how you have been? I am overjoyed to hear about my new grandson.”
I cleared my throat. I had no idea that Sophie was having a boy. “That’s what Natalia and I were going to talk to you about.”
“What about it? You are going to marry that woman. You cannot abdicate your responsibilities to her. I hope that you know that.”
I looked over at Natalia, and she gave me a look back. I wondered if she was half as nervous as I was. She certainly did look it, but, as she sipped her vodka, it did seem as if she was calming down just a little.
I drew a breath. I wanted my father to bring up his health issues. I couldn’t bring it up to him at all. If I did, he would be suspicious that I might have been behind it, and then everything would unravel.
He shook his head. “Well, I hope that you and Sophie get married soon.” He drew a breath. “It turns out that I am not well.”
I feigned concern and got up and put my arm around him. “Not well? What do you mean by that?”
He shook his head again, and there were tears in his eyes. “My heart. Apparently my doctor has told me that I need another open heart surgery, or even a heart transplant. It does not look good, Alexei. I am 65 years old. I have had a previous bypass surgery. I do not think that I can survive another surgery, so I need to put my affairs in order.”
I hugged him tighter. He looked so shaken, so lost, so hopeless…I truly felt sympathy for him. I hated that I was putting him through this, but I knew that it needed to be done.
“Oh, father, I’m so sorry to hear about that,” I said. And then Natalia got up and hugged him as well. “Is there anything I can do?” I asked him.
“Yes, Alexei. Marry Sophie. Give me an heir before I die. That would make me immensely happy. Please, Alexei. That is all that I have ever wanted – a grandchild. Sophie can make you a very happy man.”
I felt uncomfortable. I wished that CJ was pregnant, because, once my father found out the truth about Sophie, it would have been nice for him to know that he would be a grandfather. Of course, chances were great that he
actually would see a grandchild before he passed away, as he was fit as a fiddle and probably was going to live a long life. But he didn’t know that. He thought that I needed to produce a child quickly, as he thought that he had little time left.
“Father, let’s not get too far ahead. You aren’t dying.”
“I am, Alexei. I have elected to not have the heart surgery. Apparently two of my arteries are so blocked that there is very little that the doctors can do without opening me up again. And I do not believe that I am strong enough to survive another surgery. That is very invasive surgery.” He shook his head. “I am weighing my options, but I am leaning towards getting only palliative treatment.”
“Now, come on, a second bypass surgery has a very high success rate. I’ve reviewed the research on it.”
He furrowed his brow. “Why were reviewing the research on this, Alexei?”
I had to think quickly. I couldn’t believe that I gave myself away like that. “After you got your first bypass, I looked at the research on the success rate for a second bypass. I wanted to make sure that all the bases were covered. I figured that you might have to do it again.”
He seemed to be satisfied with that answer, and I let out an internal sigh of relief. I looked over at Natalia, whose face had gone white after I slipped up. At that moment, though, she, too, looked completely relieved.
“That is my son, always being prepared.” And then he paused. “That is why, Alexei, I would like for you to take over for me. I might not be dying. I do not know. What I do know is that the stress of this job is not good for my heart. I need to go away and retire. Relax in the sun somewhere. I cannot remember the last time I had a holiday.”
My heart sunk. Somehow, I knew that this was coming. I had to simply tell him what he wanted to hear. “Father, I am sure that you know that I have my own company to run. But I can step in for you until you find someone to replace you permanently.”
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