Crazy Maybe

by Justice, A. D.

  I step away from the podium and ignore the questions the reporters are yelling to me. The public relations director takes the podium and informs the media that she will be glad to answer any business-related questions but that I will not be taking any business or personal questions at this time. Her blunt, no-nonsense statement leaves no room for argument.

  Bill Stanton and the lawyers for MaxMorgan Music escort me to a private room where I’m given a copy of the papers that finalized the deal I just announced. We shake hands and exchange pleasantries. My contract position basically means that I can work when I want to and I’m paid on a per-case basis. The money doesn’t really matter to me, especially since after selling the company to a handful of specific private investors, I’m now a billionaire.

  The only thing is, I’ve never felt more alone in my adult life.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  ANDI

  Tuesday morning, I arrive at Bill’s office to finalize the transfer of the property to Sam. I’m dreading this meeting and I’m looking forward to it at the same time. I dread seeing Sam and Linda again after our last time together. I had started seeing them as my own family and now having them, and Luke, ripped from my life has been harder than I could have ever imagined. The only reason I’m looking forward to it is to get it over with and get on with my life. I need complete closure on everything to do with them and Luke.

  The only thing I can’t bring myself to do is cut Brandon out of my life. He’s been too good to me and I would never do that to him. He calls or texts every few days to check on me and asks if there’s anything he can do to help. His support means a lot to me when I have very few people I can truly count on. I sort of wish he was going to be there today. Even if he sat with his parents, at least I would still feel his support of me.

  So imagine my surprise…..and horror…..as I step into Bill’s conference room and find Luke, Sam and Linda there waiting for me. This is just perfect. I sit on the opposite side of the table from them and avoid eye contact. We’re all obviously more than uncomfortable since no one speaks until Bill and another man walk in the room. Bill introduces him as the Woods’ lawyer and he shakes my hand. He has a weak grip and the vibes I get from him make me want to urgently wash my hands. With bleach.

  Bill and Sleazy, as I’ve nicknamed him, give a stack of papers to Sam and me and Bill takes the lead in explaining what each paper is. When Bill first learned of this property transfer and the reasons behind it, he vehemently disagreed with my decision to just give it to Sam. I don’t want his money, I don’t want his company’s money, and I don’t want his bank’s money. I didn’t give Bill a choice – I just told him to make it happen as fast as possible after my birthday.

  So here we are the morning after my birthday. There’s some strange rule – something about property or taxes, I don’t know because I’m not really listening – but apparently Sam has to pay something for the property – some amount of money regardless of how little. It’s asinine but we’ll make it happen anyway. Everyone is waiting for me to answer Bill’s question about the amount I want to list.

  “One dollar,” I respond to Bill, flatly. I purposely don’t look at anyone whose last name is Woods, even though I can feel all of their eyes on me. Bill’s lips form a tight, straight line and I know he wants to argue. I arch one brow at him, daring him to push me, and he nods curtly and fills in the blank with his handwritten note.

  We make a few more adjustments to the papers and Bill calls his assistant in to update and reprint the paperwork for us to sign and seal the deal. While we’re waiting, Bill turns up the volume on the flat screen TV at the other end of the room to listen to the news. I look briefly at the TV when I hear my name mentioned and I see the footage from the gala last night. I quickly look away and from my peripheral vision, I can see Luke and Sam both staring at the TV. The reporter’s next statement catches my attention, though.

  “Just last night, Andrea Morgan reportedly became a multi-billionaire after selling her father’s company to private investors. Today, we see Andrea from a totally different perspective in these photos obtained by The Biz Insiders.”

  I look back up at the screen and see the pictures of my 15-year-old self in the mental hospital. The pictures that Sam dug up on me. I’ve obviously been crying and I’m vigorously fighting with the orderlies. In this particularly lovely shot, I’m wearing a hospital gown so it had to be the day they transported me there and had performed all sorts of wonderful tests on me before they would let me wear my own clothes.

  The reporter is regaling the lies that my foster family told to get me locked up in that hospital like it’s the gospel. Just remembering those days is bad enough, but the myriad of emotions running through me watching this unfold for the world to see is overwhelming. I’m literally watching as my reputation is completely mauled by people who have no clue what they’re talking about.

  The reporter continues with her lies, “Andrea was thrust into notoriety by her association with the world-famous company, MaxMorgan Music, started by her father. Both of her parents were killed in a car wreck when Andrea was only 6. She was placed into foster care and soon was taken in by a loving, prestigious family. It was then that Andrea’s mental illness made itself known when she attacked and attempted to kill her foster father.

  The generous family who took her in declined to speak on camera and court documents have been sealed because Andrea Morgan was a minor, thus preventing us from identifying the family. However, their continued concern for her is impressive and commendable.

  The family’s spokesperson provided the following quote, “Andrea cannot be blamed for what happened. She experienced too much trauma in her youth and we should’ve seen the signs earlier and sought help for her. Our only regret is that Andrea ever had to leave our home.”

  “Turn. It. Off,” I say forcefully to Bill. From the redness of his neck and face, his narrowed eyes and the clenched jaw, I’d say he’s about half as angry as I am right now.

  Sam finally speaks, “Andi, I’m so-“

  I cut him off mid-sentence with my words and with my eyes. “Don’t. Don’t say you’re sorry. You have no idea what you’ve done – and I’m not even talking about what you’ve done to me.”

  Sam opens his mouth to answer, then closes it without saying a word. He finally says, “I don’t understand.”

  “Yeah, well, that’s pretty obvious,” I dead-pan.

  “I didn’t leak those pictures, Andi.”

  “You didn’t have to, Mr. Woods. The private investigator could’ve done it. The person he got them from could’ve done it. Anyone who that person told could’ve done it. There’s no telling how much money they made off those pictures. This was set in motion the second you hired that PI to investigate me. Another thing you don’t understand, Mr. Woods, is that because this has been leaked, you and your family are now in danger, along with others who are innocent.”

  I think I’ve done pretty well at keeping the emotion out of my voice in this exchange. I’m dying to explode right now – start ranting, raving, throwing things, breaking shit. But I sit here with my fists balled up so tightly that my fingernails are digging into my skin. The family’s “statement” disgusts me – they are so full of shit. That family, and I use that term loosely, never cared about me or my traumatic childhood. They’re scrambling to cover their sins right now.

  “Bill, I need to finish this now. I have other things to do today.” I state calmly.

  We sign the papers and the property is now Sam’s. Bill asks everyone to wait as he steps out of the conference room and within a minute is back with Hugh Donovan, of Donovan Enterprises. He is a huge name in commercial property development and I’ve secretly negotiated a deal with him on Sam’s behalf.

  I have inherited other properties he wants to develop and I agreed to work with him on it if he would do this for me. He’s here to offer Sam and Linda an enormous amount of money for the property I just sold for a dollar and for all of Sam’s adjoi
ning property. The insane amount of money will more than set Sam and Linda up for life. I know I have no obligation to help them, but I can’t help but think Sam must be pretty desperate to do what he did.

  Hugh makes the offer and the blood drains from both Sam and Linda’s faces. Sleazy grabs up the paper and quickly reviews it. He looks at Sam and nods. Sam and Linda whisper amongst themselves while Luke gives me curious looks. I won’t look at him though – because he can read me all too well. Sam agrees to Hugh’s proposal, they sign and close their own deal.

  Hugh shakes hands all around the table before giving me a pointed look before he leaves. After a few minutes of Sam, Linda and Sleazy talking about Hugh’s sudden offer, I look at Bill and incline my head towards the door, “I’m going now.” The others hear me and stop talking. We all stand and I finally look at Luke. He looks like he’s about to say something to me, so I quickly turn and walk to the door.

  I stop at the door and suddenly feel the need to make a statement to Sam before I leave.

  “Mr. Woods, you’ve obviously wanted this for a long time. With your new found wealth, hopefully you’ll find your friends are more loyal than some of mine have been. Be careful what you wish for…because you may get more than you bargained for.”

  LUKE

  I’ve been staring a hole in Andi but she won’t look at me. I know she’s uncomfortable in this conference room with us – my mom, dad and me – and I can’t blame her. I insisted on coming after what my dad told me he’d done and because she won’t answer my calls. My dad’s lawyer is in Bill’s office looking over the paperwork before presenting it to Andi. All this over a damn piece of property.

  My dad has been a nervous wreck all morning. I haven’t helped his anxiety in this situation, either. I’m still so pissed at him for what he did to Andi and I told him repeatedly all the way here. He didn’t even argue – neither did my mom. I found out that Mom didn’t know what he’d planned until she was sitting in the room. That’s why she was crying – she felt like she had to support her husband but ended up hurting Andi and me in the process.

  I would be in love with Andi even if she hadn’t done all the things she has for me and for my parents. But knowing how generous and loving she is, it makes me even more furious with him. I have so much to prove to her and to make up to her. I just have to find a way to get her to damn listen to me. She has every right to be mad. And I have no right to whine and complain about how she won’t listen to me. Isn’t that exactly what I did to her?

  I’m deciding on how to start a conversation with her when the lawyers walk in and take over the room. If it wasn’t completely inappropriate to change the subject, I would jump in and start talking to her. I decide against it when they said she has to set a price on the property. Her tone of voice says don’t-fuck-with-me and I can’t remember ever hearing her sound this hard before. I continue my analysis of her body language and blatant avoidance of making eye contact with me when I hear her name coming from the TV.

  I turn my head to see pictures of her from her birthday celebration last night. It isn’t the first time I’ve seen them. I stayed glued to the TV and internet last night just to catch glimpses of her. My god, she looks beautiful in that gown. The first thing I noticed, though, was the pink splotches were missing from her hair. Then I noticed the gown’s long sleeve covered up her tattooed arm. The only tattoo that still showed was the one on her shoulder blade. It’s a small, colorful phoenix and it’s so sexy on her.

  Then the image changes from my beautiful, confident vixen to a scared, young girl in a hospital gown, fighting with the staff at the mental hospital. They flip through all the pictures of her in that damn place, all the pictures that my dad has at home right now. They better fucking be at home anyway. I’m so fucking stunned to see these images on the huge flat screen TV, it takes my brain a second to register what the reporter is saying.

  “Andrea cannot be blamed for what happened. She experienced too much trauma in her youth and we should’ve seen the signs earlier and sought help for her. Our only regret is that Andrea ever had to leave our home.”

  Andi speaks and stuns the hell out of me. “Turn. It. Off.” I take back what I thought earlier – this is the hardest tone I’ve ever heard her take before. My dad tries to apologize to her but she won’t hear it. I can’t say I blame her – it’s a little hard for “I’m sorry” to take away all the damage that’s been done. But I wish she would accept his apology because it would give me some hope that she would accept mine.

  But she doesn’t. In fact, what she says next cuts me to the bone so I know it does my dad, too. He looks stunned – he never really thought through the consequences of what he had planned. He must have seen this whole thing going very different in his mind. Andi’s statement that she wasn’t even talking about what he’d done to her worries me. That implies my dad’s actions are worse than we know.

  When Dad assures her that he wasn’t the one who leaked those pictures, I think he was trying to tell me, too. Because if he had been the one who did that, I don’t know that I could ever forgive him for that. Even if he is my dad – that would just be too much. I wish I knew what all this is really about because I see the pure panic in Andi’s face. Her words confirm the danger involved. But she also says that people other than her or my family are now in danger.

  What. The. Hell. Happened?

  She’s so ready to bolt but something is keeping her here. She’s signed the papers, the property is my dad’s, but she’s still sitting here. Bill suddenly gets up and within a few seconds is back with another man. When I hear his name, I instantly know who he is. And I know that the only way he could know about this meeting is either through Andi or her lawyer, because my dad’s company is not in this man’s league. This man is more in Donald Trump’s league.

  Andi suddenly looks a little self-conscious. She’s fidgeting and keeping her eyes averted from me so that I can’t see them at all. I can’t see what kind of look she has, because she doesn’t have a poker face at all – her eyes always give her away. And that makes me even more suspicious and I know somehow she’s arranged this meeting with my dad and Donovan. She keeps amazing me.

  When I glance at the offer from Donovan, I know for a fact that Andi arranged this. The amount is insane and there’s no way a man with his experience and resources would give that much for all the property my dad now owns. Even though it’s prime real estate and is the equivalent of the entire block. Donovan would find a way to squeeze any opponents and get it at the bottom dollar. He didn’t make his money and reputation by being this generous. Andi is generous to a fault, even when she has no reason to be.

  Andi tries to make her exit as soon as Hugh leaves but I have been waiting for this. I stand as she does and my parents rise from their seats. She finally looks me in the eye and I’m ready myself to talk to her but she’s whirled around and rushing for the door in a split second. She suddenly stops and the hurt in her voice is like a dagger in my heart. I know she directed her statement at my dad, but it applies to me, too.

  “With your new found wealth, hopefully you’ll find your friends are more loyal than some of mine have been.”

  Then she’s out the door and walking swiftly towards the elevators. I’m on her heels before I know it and my hand reaches out to grab hers.

  “Andi,” I say on a whisper.

  She turns to me and I see tears in her eyes, though she’s fighting hard to keep them from falling down her cheeks. My hand cups her cheek and for just a few seconds, she leans her face into my hand and closes her eyes. A single tear rolls down her cheek and I wipe it away with the thumb of my other hand. She suddenly tenses and jerks her head up, out of my caress.

  She swallows hard, “What do you want, Luke?”

  “I want to talk. I’ve called, sent texts and even came to your house. I’m just asking for time – time to say the things I need to say and time to hear whatever you have to say to me. Please.”

  Her eyes slowly roam
around the empty hallway, taking time to thoroughly study the carpet and the elevator buttons, before she softly replies, “Our time has passed, Luke.”

  All the oxygen in the building has suddenly been sucked out because I. Can’t. Fucking. Breathe.

  “No,” I say on what I’m sure the last bit of oxygen reserves I have in my lungs.

  “It’s too late, Luke,” she replies with a choke.

  The elevator dings, the door opens and she walks backwards until she’s inside it. Our eyes remain locked on each other as the doors close. I don’t care that we’re on the 16th floor. I hit the stairs and take them two…or sometimes five…at a time until I’m busting out the door into the lobby. The security guard at the front desk startles at the sound of the door slamming into the wall as I run to the elevators.

  My chest is heaving but not from the physical exertion of running down the stairs but from my heart that’s splintering into a million pieces inside me. I reach the elevator just before the doors open and I get my speech ready to make her listen to me. If I have to carry her out of her thrown over my shoulder like a fucking caveman, I will do it. I block the doors and get ready for a fight….but she’s not there.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  ANDI

  Time? He wants time to talk – now? After my psychiatric-patient pictures have been splattered all over the news and internet, he decides he wants to talk to me. After his father tries to blackmail me to get the property he wanted, now he wants to talk. After he left me at his parents’ house, broke his promise, broke my heart and just fucking walked away from me, now he wants to talk.

  A thought takes root in my mind….something I haven’t considered until now. He was in on this from the start – that’s why he reacted that way. His dad gave him his planned out that night – a way out of our relationship and away from me. It makes sense to me now – why else would he not even ask me any questions? Why else would he drive off and leave me stranded with the very people who were blackmailing me?