by Marie Astor
“It’s got to be a mistake. It can’t be real. Where’s my phone?” Ally rummaged through her purse. “Damn, I must’ve left it at home.” She was heaving now, her heart racing like a hammer, and she felt the world spinning around her. This couldn’t be happening. She needed to call her father’s lawyer and find out exactly what was going on. Maybe her father was trying to reach her this very minute and she wasn’t there to answer his call. When was the last time she had spoken to her father? Easter, and now it was the end of May. She was ashamed to admit that such breaks in their communication weren’t out of the ordinary. Her father was a very busy man, and she didn’t want to appear needy or interfere with his affairs. But now something terrible had happened to him, and she had read about it on the Internet like a complete stranger. She wanted to be with him, to know exactly what was going on. She needed her father more now than she ever had. “I have to go! I have to get to my phone.” Allyson thrust her feet into her shoes and lunged for the door.
“I’m right behind you,” Madison followed.
“Miss, excuse me!” A saleswoman stood in Ally’s way.
Ally stopped dead in her tracks, realizing that she was still wearing the dress she’d been trying on. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror; her hair was disheveled and her face was flushed red. She could already see the headlines: “On the heels of the news of her father’s arrest, Allyson Roberts is caught shoplifting.”
“Leave her alone!” Madison snarled. “I’ll pay for the damn dress. She has an emergency.” Maddie threw her credit card at the sales person. She thrust her sunglasses at Ally. “Take these. You’re gonna need them.”
“Why would I need those—” Ally stopped short, understanding instantly. She hated wearing sunglasses, but she’d be crazy to venture outside now without a pair on. Growing up, Allyson had remained out of the spotlight—her father had made sure of that. The one time a photographer had managed to get a picture of her—when she was about five years old—her father had the man brought up on harassment charges, followed by a gag order. But now her father was powerless to protect her and she was prime bait. Every paparazzo on the street would be dying to take her picture. It was only a matter of time until they would seek her out.
“Come on!” Madison grabbed Ally’s hand, ushering her outside. Luckily, Madison had parked her car close to the store and within moments they were on the road, driving.
Ten minutes later Madison pulled up in front of Ally’s house. She helped Ally up the front stairs and opened the door for her, as though Ally were an invalid. By now the shock of the news had taken its toll, and although there was nothing physically the matter with her, Ally found it hard to function, as though she were wrapped in a cocoon of numbness, making even the simplest of movements extremely difficult.
Madison sat Ally on the couch. “Allyson, listen to me. I know you’re in shock, but you have to pull yourself together. There are a hundred calls you need to make, and you need to be one hundred percent, do you hear me?”
Ally nodded, although she didn’t understand why she needed to make a hundred calls. As far as she was concerned she only needed to make one phone call: to her father.
Maddie squeezed Ally’s hand hard. “Ally, listen to me. I know you’re scared, but you’ll be alright. It’s probably nothing. Your father will get out of this mess. Trust me, these things happen.”
Allyson’s eyes flew wide open, but she remained mute. What on earth was Maddie saying? These things didn’t happen, not to her, not to her father.
“My father isn’t a lawyer for nothing. You should hear about some of the messes his clients had gotten into. All old money, so venerable and discreet. You’ve got nothing to be ashamed of. You’ve just joined a very elite club.” Madison tried to bring Ally back to reality, but there was a glazed-over look of shock in Ally’s eyes. “Allyson!” Maddie’s hand slapped Ally’s face. Allyson clutched her cheek, staring at her friend. “I’m sorry, but you have to get yourself together.”
The sharp stinging of her skin brought clarity. With her now clear eyes, Ally saw the red blinking light on her answering machine. On the reading table next to the couch was her cell phone and it, too, was beeping angrily, bursting with tidings of bad news. No matter how bad, it was the news she needed to hear. Her father didn’t bring her up to be a babbling child; she was a grown woman now and she had to step up to the plate. “I’m all right now. Thank you.”
“You’re not mad at me? I don’t know why I hit you. I guess I panicked.” All of Madison’s toughness was evaporating as she babbled guiltily.
“I deserved it. Now if you don’t mind I’m going to need some privacy to sort through all of this . . . it’s not that I don’t trust you, but I don’t want you to be in the position of overhearing things that could be compromising,” Ally said firmly. She was fully in control now.
“I understand. I’ll be home if you need me. I’ll let myself out.” Madison rose from the couch and headed for the door.
Allyson reached for her cell phone and hit the messages button. There were five messages, all from her father’s lawyer.
Chapter 2
Otto Bauer, or Uncle Otto as Ally called him, was Victor Roberts’ attorney and his right hand. As time went on and the size of Roberts Enterprises grew, so did Otto’s practice, turning into a sizeable law firm with legal staff dedicated entirely to managing the affairs of Roberts Enterprises. Otto’s duties extended far beyond the daily legal matters associated with the running of Victor Roberts’ business affairs. Otto was also Ally’s trustee, but he went above and beyond managing Ally’s trust. He was the one who made sure her tuition bills were paid on time and that her allowance was delivered to her checking account on a monthly basis. Her father was too busy to handle any of these matters, and Otto had stepped in without saying as much as a word. For as long as Ally could remember, Uncle Otto had been there for her. He had even visited college campuses with her when she was applying to schools. Whenever she had a problem, she would turn to Uncle Otto, not wanting to trouble her father. Over the years, there hadn’t been a problem that Uncle Otto couldn’t solve, but never in her wildest nightmares could Ally imagine that she would be calling Uncle Otto with something as terrible as what was happening to her this very moment.
With shaky fingers Ally dialed Uncle Otto’s phone number. He picked up on the first ring.
“Ally? I’ve been trying to reach you.” Even in these grave circumstances the lawyer’s voice was calm. “Are you all right?”
Ally felt a wave of guilt rush over her. While she had been out shopping for an engagement dress, Uncle Otto had been worrying about her instead of focusing his attention on her father’s affairs. “I’m sorry, I forgot my phone,” Ally stammered.
“Ally, I need you to listen to me very carefully,” Otto continued in an even voice. “Your father is in a very serious predicament—”
“But you’re going to get him out of it, aren’t you?” Ally blurted out, instantly feeling like a six-year-old kid. There were so many instances in her life when she had gone to Uncle Otto for advice, and he had always been able to help, but this time was different.
“I will do my best, Ally. I promise to take care of your father, and I want you to promise me that you will take care of yourself. That’s what your father wants most. Now, about the state of your trust and allowance . . . ”
Ally couldn’t believe what Uncle Otto was saying. Her trust? She couldn’t care less about her trust. All she cared about right now was that her father was going to get out of this crazy mess.
“Ally? Are you listening to me?”
“Yes, I’m listening.”
“Unfortunately your trust consists entirely of company shares. Your father and I both thought it would be the best way; sadly we’ve both been proven wrong. But then neither of us could have ever predicted anything like this. The price of the company shares declined this morning, but I’m confident that it’s going to rebound once we prove that the charges a
gainst your father are groundless. We just need to be patient, that’s all, no panicked selling. Your allowance will be smaller this month since the payout is tied to the stock performance, but I’ll make sure that the difference won’t impact you.”
“Don’t worry about it, Uncle Otto. I’ll be fine.” Ally’s allowance was not exorbitant by far—just enough to cover the cost of her books and lodging—but even so she rarely managed to spend the entire amount, so she had some padding in her bank account that would tide her over. In less than a month she’d start her job and she’d be earning her own living. The last thing she wanted was to be a financial burden on her father, especially now that he was in trouble. Still, Uncle Otto’s words worried her. She should have had the presence of mind to check the price of the company shares. “How big was the drop in the company shares, Uncle Otto?” Ally bated her breath: the greater the drop in the price, the greater the drop in confidence the public had in Roberts Enterprises.
There was a cough on the other side of the receiver. “There’s been a thirty percent drop so far.”
“Thirty percent?” Ally repeated in a hollow voice. Thirty percent drop in her father’s reputation and everything he stood for was a crushing reality to accept.
“I’m sorry, Ally. The allegations against Roberts Enterprises are very severe. Roberts Enterprises is being accused of fraud and negligence due to the massive malfunctions that Pollux plants had experienced after maintenance that was performed by Roberts Enterprises. There are also charges of possible intentional misconduct and being a threat to national security—”
“But it can’t be true!” Ally exclaimed. “There has to be some mistake! The quality of Roberts Enterprises control systems is superior to those of the entire industry. Roberts Enterprises even owns a patent on it. How could this have happened?” How Ally wished she had been more involved in the day-to-day operations of Roberts Enterprises. She had been so intent on making a name for herself that during her college summers she had opted to intern at other companies instead of her father’s. Her plan had been to rise to the top on her own and make her father proud. Instead she had blinded herself.
“That’s what we’re trying to find out, Ally. If only the scale hadn’t been so large and the impact of damage so extensive. That damned contract with Pollux has turned out to be a curse instead of the blessing we thought it to be.”
Ally was more than familiar with the name. Pollux, Inc. was one of the major suppliers of electricity to the national grid and owned nuclear reactor plants located nationwide. A little less than a year ago, Pollux had awarded Roberts Enterprises a maintenance contract for the reactors. The deal had been announced with much fanfare in the same magazines that were now trashing Roberts Enterprises. The contract was supposed to elevate Roberts Enterprises to a whole new level, leading to government-level contracts, but that wasn’t the primary reason why Victor Roberts had taken on the contract. Innovation was the true motivation behind everything her father did. He truly wanted to bring something new into the world and make it better. At times Ally wondered if the world understood just how much Victor Roberts had sacrificed to build his company: the long hours spent in a research lab, the tireless search for perfection, the never-ending drive for innovation. Ally remembered only too well the countless hours her father had spent on the work required to fulfill the Pollux contract, cancelling pre-planned family functions and outings with Ally. “You understand, Ally, don’t you? This is real important stuff, kiddo. The kind of stuff that will make you proud of your daddy. We’ll catch up tomorrow, okay?” her father would speak to her as though she were still a five-year-old kid, which of course he knew she wasn’t. It was a little game they played. Ally would always say yes, thinking that she was already very proud of her father, and all she really wanted was just to have dinner with him or go bowling, or whatever it was that regular families did. But then theirs wasn’t a regular family, and there was always tomorrow. Ally forced her attention back to the present.
“Your father is going to put up a good fight. I’ll make sure of that,” Uncle Otto assured her.
“Can I come and see him?” Ally asked, holding her breath.
There was a brief pause on the other end of the receiver. “Ally, I know you mean well, but your father and I think it’s best for you to stay out of the spotlight. I’m working on arranging bail for him and he should be released soon. Then you can come home and see him. Your father asked me explicitly to tell you that these are his wishes.”
Ally knew better than to argue. When her father wanted things a certain way, he wanted things done that way. “All right, Uncle Otto, but you’ll let me know once Dad is released?”
“I’ll call you as soon as I have the good news, Ally. And Ally, it goes without saying that you shouldn’t speak to the press under any circumstances.”
“Of course, Uncle Otto.” Ally couldn’t think of anything more humiliating than speaking with the press. Still, putting her own feelings aside, she could see a potential benefit in the action: perhaps if she were to tell the truth about her father, the press would paint him in a kinder, more advantageous light. Yet she also knew that it would be futile to deviate from her father’s chosen course of action, and she certainly didn’t want to cause him additional distress by acting against his wishes. “Thank you for everything. I’ll talk to you soon, Uncle Otto.”
“Keep your chin up, Ally. Before you know it, this whole thing will blow over.”
Ally hung up the phone, wanting desperately to believe Uncle Otto’s words. For several moments she just sat there, staring at the wall and feeling utterly useless. She wished she could be out there, fighting for her father’s good name, but Uncle Otto had specifically told her not to, and the last thing she wanted was to hurt her father more by her inept actions. Uncle Otto had told her that what her father wanted most now was for her to stay calm and take care of herself. While it sounded nearly impossible, that was exactly what she was intent on doing.
There were so many things that she had to take care of. She had to call Ron and discuss plans for his parents’ visit, the mere thought of which now sent tremors down her spine. What would the Graystones say about her father’s misfortunes? Would they stand by her side, or would they shun her and order Ron to do the same? But Ron wasn’t like that; Ally was sure of that. She was confident that regardless of what his parents might say, Ron would stand by her side. And then there was a matter of packing: she would be moving to Boston in a few weeks and she had to vacate her college apartment. She also had to hire a moving truck to transport her belongings to Boston and confirm her move-in date with the management of her new apartment building. She had planned to do all this housekeeping this week, blissfully unaware of the impending doom that was about to strike. And now these basic tasks seemed insurmountable, as Ally felt drawn of all energy. At the moment all she wanted was to lie down and go to sleep.
Chapter 3
Ally woke up from the sound of the key being turned in the front door lock. Instantly, the memory of recent events came back to her. Her father’s name was splattered all over the paper, and she was a target of the press. Could it be that paparazzi were breaking into her house this very moment? The thought sent shivers down her spine. She didn’t have a roommate and she wasn’t expecting any visitors. Quickly, she tried to come up with a plan of action. She saw Ron’s baseball bat lying in the corner and decided to make her move. In a failed attempt to gracefully slide off the sofa, she fell on the floor with a dull thump and scrambled for the bat. Moments later she had it in her hands and crept to the front door. Just then the door began to open.
“Don’t you make another move!” Ally screamed, holding up the bat and clutching it tightly.
“Ally, baby, it’s me! What are you doing, honey? Don’t you hit me over the head with that thing!”
Seconds later she was enveloped in Ron’s warm embrace, her hands falling limply by her sides and the bat dropping to the floor. “Ron, what are you doing here?”
“What am I doing here? I’m making sure my girl is all right, that’s what I’m doing here. Madison told me what happened, so I hurried on over as soon as I could. If it hadn’t been for that stupid baseball practice, I would have been here sooner. The one time I don’t check the news and something like this happens.”
Ally’s heart was still racing like crazy. She was very glad to see Ron, but she couldn’t understand why on earth he decided to use the spare key. “Why didn’t you knock, Ronnie? You scared the bejesus out of me!”
“I did, Ally, I practically broke down the door, but there was no answer. So I figured that you must’ve fallen asleep so I used the spare key. I didn’t mean to scare you, baby. God knows you’ve got enough on your mind as it is.”
“I’m so glad you’re here, Ron.” Ally clung to Ron’s broad muscled chest, instantly feeling calmer. How could she have been so stupid as to doubt him? He was her knight in shining armor, rushing to her rescue at the time of distress. No matter what lay before her, she knew she’d make it through with Ron by her side.
“Ally, look at me.” Ron held up her face. “Let’s have a seat on the couch over there. We’ve got so much to talk about.”
Ally nodded, following Ron to the couch. “I shouldn’t have been napping. I have so much to do. I just lied down for a little bit and zonked out,” she explained guiltily. She grabbed her cell phone from the reading table and checked her messages, hoping that there might have been some good news while she’d been asleep, but no such luck. “I’ve got to call the movers and start packing.”
“Ally, calm down, take a seat.” Ron reached for her hand, pulling her down to the couch next to him. “There’s so much we need to discuss.”