A Prior Engagement

by S. L. Scott

  Richard sat back and finished his drink. “Tom is going to be arrested. My contact will call me with the details.”

  William lowered his hand just before taking a drink. “What?”

  “I made a large purchase a few weeks ago. I bought the company right out from under him. My accountants found some discrepancies in the books after the buyout.” Richard’s voice was low, but firm and tinged with anger.

  William stared at him, waiting for more.

  “There was a board meeting four weeks ago and the members were not happy with his leadership. Because of Tom’s lack of attention to the details, the company was threatened by a takeover. I’m convinced the timing of it is not a coincidence. The fundraiser was just days earlier. From my understanding though, he hadn’t taken an active role for a while.”

  “It must have been hard for him to squeeze work in when he was so busy trying to destroy lives,” William said, sarcastically.

  “I wish I could say it was sweet revenge, but it’s bittersweet. It’s another example of how much he was fixated on my daughter in such a negative way. I’m going to make it up to her. I promise I will.”

  Evie and her mother walked into the living room holding hands and smiling. William stood up to greet them. Evie kissed him on the cheek, not afraid to hide her affections for him then joined her father. William sat on the couch just as Audrey entered the room. She made a beeline for William, sitting down next to him on the couch. “Hi, it’s been a while. How are you?” he asked.

  “Your brother has me all twisty-turny inside. He really has no right to be that cute. It’s damn near impossible to even look at him, much less talk to him. He’s too distracting in all the right ways with those great eyes and—”

  “Yeah, I get it. No need to go into detail.”

  They laughed.

  Flopping back dramatically on the couch, she said, “We’ve decided to go to your alma mater next year.”

  “Oh, really?”

  “Yeah, Dallas said he still wanted to get your advice to make sure it’s the right choice, but I think he just wants your approval.” She laughed.

  “He’s got it. He’s a good guy.”

  “The best. From what I’ve seen, he takes after his big brother.” She smiled at William as she stood up. “Well, not that it matters, but I approve of you for my sis.”

  He stood up and squeezed her shoulder. “Thanks,” he said, “That means a lot to me.”

  “What you did for my family means a lot to me.”

  He thought she was great for his brother. They were sharing a laugh when Kitty approached. “Hello, William.”

  “Hello, Mrs. Wright.”

  “Kitty, please.”

  “All right.”

  “Will you join me at the window? I’d like to have a quick chat.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” His stomach turned as he joined her across the room, wondering what she wanted to talk about.

  Audrey left the room as her father came in and led Evie out.

  Kitty stared forward, her eyes fixed in the distance. With an abrupt nod down, she got choked up. “I want to thank you, but my words will never be enough.”

  As much as William wanted to help her out, he also knew she needed to say these things, not for him, but for her, so he remained quiet.

  “Everleigh was a lively child. Vivacious and beautiful. Why did I not notice the life being sucked out of her?” She turned to look at William, tears in her eyes, shame on her face. “I’ve apologized to Everleigh, but she’ll never understand the depth of the guilt I’ll carry for sitting by while my daughter was abused by someone I thought was good for her.”

  “He deceived all of you. He was lying to you. You can’t blame yourself for being manipulated.”

  “But all else I can. You saw what we didn’t. You did what we should have been doing. As much as I will spend my life apologizing to Everleigh, I’ll spend the same amount of time being grateful to you. Thank you for everything you did for her. Thank you for taking care of her when we didn’t and for loving her.” A small smile appeared. “She told me she loves you. She blurted it out like she couldn’t contain the emotion. It was wonderful to see this vivacious side of her again.”

  “She’s a remarkable woman.”

  “And you’re a remarkable man. Thank you, William.”

  “You’re welcome. Kitty, I think everyone can heal from this. I believe Evie will heal and that’s the most important thing to me. ”

  “She’s lucky to have you.”

  “I’m the lucky one.”

  They continued chatting, changing topics to the family photos on the bookshelves.

  Richard led Evie into the dining room, and in his own distinct way, he apologized to her. It was roundabout and he got off track several times, but he finally ended up where he should and said the words she knew he struggled to say. “I’m sorry for not being the father you deserved.”

  She wasn’t prepared for all the emotions overwhelming her and this was almost too much. Her happiness overcame her, and she broke down. Her father took her in his arms and held her, comforted her, and loved her. For the first time since she was seventeen, she was whole again.

  Kitty had surprised her family with a home-cooked meal. She had never cooked an entire meal and was quite proud of her creation. It was tuna casserole. The family didn’t even know what that was, but William was excited. He loved tuna casserole. After a few unsavory bites, the group looked at their plates and set their forks politely down. No one wanted to tell her it was not any good. They gave her polite compliments instead.

  William didn’t even know it was possible to screw up tuna casserole, but he kept that thought to himself.

  Kitty stood up, tossed her napkin over her plate, and announced, “We’re going out.”

  Evie and William took them to Pizzeria La Cucina where they all enjoyed pizza, salad, and wine along with laughter and great conversation. At one point, Evie sat back and watched her boyfriend tell her parents about playing football in high school. Her parents seemed engaged and quite enamored with him. She understood why, of course. William was charming and handsome, intelligent and witty. She fell in love with him long before she ever admitted it. She leaned back in her chair and realized everyone fell in love with William, but he loved her unconditionally, and that made her feel all warm inside.

  William glanced over to Evie then ran his palm down her thigh until he found her hand and grasped it possessively in his own.

  Richard was in the middle of a story about his days on the rowing team at Yale when he received a call and excused himself. He walked outside and stood in front of the large window as he discussed something that appeared to be business to everyone at the table, except William. William knew the call was about Tom and he wrapped his arm around Evie’s shoulders bringing her close and kissing her on the head.

  Their good-byes were said with heavy emotion and Evie’s heart was full of love when she hugged her mother. As the women hugged, William shook Richard’s hand, leaned in, and whispered, “I’d like to be there.”

  No further explanation was needed. Like William, Richard also planned to be there, front and center, for Tom’s arrest. “I’ll call you.”

  With a nod, a bond had been formed. They were now on the same team, working together to right Thomas Whitney’s wrongs.

  Chapter 34

  Friday morning, William and Evie had just arrived on campus when his phone rang. He looked down surprised to be getting a call so early in the day. When he saw who it was, he stopped walking, and answered immediately. “Hello?” With his eyes on Evie, he listened to her father give the details of Tom’s fate. “I’ll be there. I agree it’s best if she’s not there.”

  Evie was puzzled and searched his face for clues to the call, but none of it made any sense to her.

  “Thank you. I’ll see you then,” William said before hanging up. “We need to talk.”

  Her chest filled with concern as he took her by the elbow and led
her to a secluded part of the sidewalk. She went because she trusted him, but every siren was sounding in her head. “What is it? What’s happening?”

  “Tom’s gonna be arrested today.”

  “What? Why?” she asked, confused.

  “Your dad would like to talk to you about that, but I want to be there. I need to see justice being served.”

  She closed her eyes, and shook her head. “I don’t want you near him. He’s dangerous.”

  “I told your father I’d be there and I need to see this through. Do you know how many times I’ve wanted to hurt him, the feelings of rage he’s responsible for—”

  She placed her hands on his chest, stepped closer, and lowered her voice. “But you didn’t act on that rage. You’re not like him.”

  “He hurt you…” His words caught in his throat as his anger swelled. William cleared his throat and wrapped his arms around her. “I need to be there so I don’t take matters into my own hands. I need to watch him fall from glory. I need to make sure he knows he’ll never come near you again.”

  “He needs to know I’m yours, William. All yours forever more.” She lifted up on her tiptoes and kissed him. She understood he could be the kind man she fell in love with and still have that tough, protective side to him. What she loved more was that he could control himself, and never cause her to be afraid. With him, she knew she was safe.

  “I don’t want you there, Evie.” His voice was stern, leaving no option.

  She agreed. “I don’t want to see him again, but I do have a morbid curiosity. I can’t let that jeopardize his arrest. Whatever my father has on him, it must be serious. I need you to promise me you’ll stay away from him.”

  “I’ll just be there as a witness.”

  * * *

  Across town and hours later, Tom was on a distressing call. “What do you mean I can’t access the money?” He raised his voice as his fist slammed down on his desk. “Everleigh Wright is my fiancée. We share everything.” He listened as the incompetent banker rattled on about policy, but interrupted because he was too impatient for the man’s excuses. “It’s my money! She doesn’t make the decisions on it, I do. Get your supervisor out of his meeting because my fiancée and I are coming down there to settle this matter once and for all.”

  He slammed the phone down as he stared at the photo of him and his fiancée from three years ago. Everleigh was smiling in the picture, and he remembered it being genuine back then, not fake like the smiles he’d gotten used to seeing from her. He ran his finger over the glass above her cheek then picked the solid silver frame up and threw it as hard as he could against the far wall.

  Time slowed as it flew through the air and shattered on impact.

  The relief he hoped he would feel didn’t come. Instead, his heart raced as it pounded in his chest. The broken frame didn’t change the fact that she chose a kid from Staten Island over him. He hadn’t come to terms with the implications this insult would bring when people found out. He’d become good at lying to everyone over the last month.

  Everleigh stayed home because she’s not feeling well.

  Everleigh wished she could have been here tonight, but she has an exam in the morning she needed to study for.

  Everleigh went to the Hamptons for the weekend.

  Lie after lie, his anger grew during their time apart, but his name being taken off the account was the end for him. She would be his again. His money would be his again, or there would be hell to pay. They would be rich, and married, and together. Life would be how it was always meant to be. He took three short, stilted breaths, and headed for the door, not caring if he stepped on glass from the broken frame along the way.

  When he entered the lobby, the receptionist called to him. “Mr. Whitney, the board is waiting for you in the large conference room.”

  “Damn it,” he mumbled. He’d forgotten about the meeting today. He huffed his displeasure and stalked his way down the hall already planning his excuse to leave early.

  He opened the door with impatience and stepped into the room. All six members of the board were already seated, and his seat at the head of the table was empty, left for him as expected. He started to close the door when he saw the others: The two police officers, on his personal payroll, and Richard Wright.

  Tom slipped into character so easily that he almost laughed out loud at his acting talents. “Richard!” he said with a huge smile on his face. He walked toward him to shake his hand. “Good to see you.” Richard is my ticket to Everleigh. What a stroke of luck today.

  Richard didn’t accept his offered hand. He stuck his hands in his pockets instead, and said, “I think you should sit, Tom.”

  Tom’s fake smile faltered, but he agreed. “All right. Are you here on business since you’re in my board meeting?”

  The door closed just as Tom sat at the head of the table on the opposite side of the room. That’s when their eyes met. William stared right back at him. “What the hell is he doing here?” Tom stood, hands planted on the table in front of him. His eyes darted to the police officers which made no sense for them to be in this meeting, the same two officers he paid to back him up two months earlier. “Arrest him for trespassing on private property,” he demanded, pointing at William.

  Richard leaned with his hands planted on the other side of the table. “Actually, you’re the one being arrested.” He stood straight up, strong and firm. “You have embezzled money from the company that your family built, you’ve set it up for a corporate takeover, the government is looking into your taxes, and you assaulted my daughter on numerous occasions.”

  “Prove it, Richard.”

  “I don’t have to. Your sloppy cover-up is proof enough.”

  Not caring about Richard or the company any longer, his anger flared as he stared at the man who was his undoing. He wouldn’t go down without a fight, especially not to some punk kid from one of the boroughs. William didn’t waver under his direct glare and that irked Tom inside, so he yelled at him. “I’m Thomas Whitney. Who are you? You’re nobody, and you’ll never be anybody important in this world. This is the big leagues now. Did you come to play?”

  “I won’t play your sick games. I don’t have to because the one thing, the only thing that will ever matter to me is that I’m Evie’s somebody.”

  “Everleigh!” Tom shouted. “Her name is Everleigh!”

  William didn’t react to his words.

  Tom watched as he crossed his arms over his chest and smirked—smug and satisfied. How dare he! How dare he look down on me!

  All notions of right and wrong, charades, and cares left Tom as he leapt onto the table and ran across the top. Lunging at William, he swung as hard as he could. He would take him down. He would be the one to pay. Tom’s body slammed into William and they hit the corner wall, falling into a heap. Both men fought to get the upper hand.

  William kneed him then threw an upper cut that sent Tom to the floor gasping for air as he balled up to protect himself. The officers jumped into action, yanking his arms behind his back and handcuffing him before rolling him onto his stomach, and pressing a foot between his shoulder blades to still him.

  He found some satisfaction in the fact he’d caused William some pain, but his own pain, both physical and emotional he felt right then far outweighed his joy. This couldn’t be his ending. No way. “Get these cuffs off of me, you idiots. You work for me.”

  The burly officer smiled, and said, “We actually work for the City of New York and it’s a good day when we get to arrest the real bad guy.”

  “Bad guy? I’m Thomas Whitney. Look at the name on the wall. Whitney Industries! Whitney, you asshole! You’ve arrested the wrong guy.”

  Richard squatted down next to Tom. “It’s a division of The Wright Corporation now. Your role in the company has been dissolved. Your family no longer owns any part of this company thanks to you.”

  The first cop sighed loudly. “Listen man, don’t make this harder than it has to be. Just play ni
ce and let the company go. You’re fighting a losing battle here.”

  Looking over his shoulder at the officer, Tom got the message. With his cheek against the expensive Berber carpet he’d chosen just six months prior, Tom watched Everleigh’s father help William up, offering him a tissue for the blood on his face. That’s when he realized he had been set up, ambushed.

  William sauntered closer, standing above him. “Good work, gentleman. I’ll sleep better knowing the streets are safer tonight.” Then he bent down, and whispered, “Don’t ever come near Everleigh or myself, or anyone in our family again. I’m warning you. I won’t play fair, and I won’t play nice next time.”

  It was all becoming clear—he’d lost. He had lost everything: His money, his company, and Everleigh.

  He watched William walk out of the room, followed by Richard, and the board members, two of whom stepped over him to get out of the room in a hurry.

  “I’m fucked, aren’t I?” Tom asked, needing someone on his side.

  “Royally,” was the only reply the officer gave him before he started reading him his rights. “You have the right to remain silent…”

  * * *

  The following Sunday, Evie and William walked into the Wright home, welcomed with open arms for a dinner that was becoming tradition.

  William waited for Richard to speak, knowing he knew more of the logistics of the situation. “Tom was arrested. He’s in custody downtown.”

  “Why was he arrested?” Kitty asked, shocked.

  Richard Wright paused, worried his family might think him weak for seeking revenge, but he needed to repair his relationship with Everleigh, and that meant telling her the truth. “I’m not proud of much these days and you might think less of me for doing this, but I’ll admit I found some pleasure in it. I bought Tom’s company.”

  “You what?” Evie felt sick to her stomach. “How could you do that? How could you,” she said, standing up. She threw her napkin onto the table. “How could you attach us to his family, to him, like that?”

  Tears filled her eyes as William stood up and started to rub her back to comfort her. “Evie, you’ve got to hear him out. It’s not what you’re thinking.”