Fugitive Millionaire Revenge (Fabian Cooper Book Two)

by Brooks, Jaclyn

  Nathan refuses to take it. “Get that thing away from me, Gray. You know I hate those things. Listen, the truth is that Sloane filled my head with all of these grand ideas. She said that once we got Fabian out of the way for good, you’d change your will and leave me all of his money.”

  “So it all boils down to money in the end. Is that it, Nathan? I thought being the president of my company with a generous salary of two hundred and fifty thousand a year, plus bonuses would be enough to satisfy any ambitions you had.”

  “It is, but she kept filling my head up with all this stuff about me and her having this wonderful life together after you’re gone. For some reason, it all made sense at the time. I guess I let Sloane’s manipulations get inside of my head. Gray, I’m so sorry. Can you ever forgive me?”

  Gray ignores Nathan and walks over to Sloane. “Sloane, why not just ask me for a divorce? I would have given you a decent settlement. Even more than our agreed upon prenup, if that’s what you wanted.”

  “Because her greed consumes her,” Fabian answers. “She always wants more. She won’t be happy until you’re dead and I’m out of the picture.”

  Gray stares at the gun in his hand. His father seems to be contemplating whether or not to use it, which is very alarming. He quickly steps in between Sloane and his father.

  “Give me the gun, dad.”

  Gray looks Fabian in the eye and actually smiles. “That’s okay, son. I’m not going to use it.” Gray puts the gun back into the desk drawer. He goes back over to confront Nathan and Sloane together.

  “I want both of you out of my house,” he says coldly. “Get out! I never want to see either of you again.”

  Sloane throws up her hands in exasperation. “Alright! I admit that I slept with Nathan and told him a bunch of stuff I thought he wanted to hear. Gray, I swear to god it was all fake. I don’t love Nathan. I just wanted to fool around a little and have a good time. No harm no foul. He’s the one that goaded me into this stupid scheme.”

  Nathan is beside himself with indignation. “That’s a damn lie! She’s behind it all, Gray. My eyes are wide open now. I can see that she purposely threw herself at me sexually just to come between you, me and Fabian. Damnit! She used me like a chump so she could get her hands on all that money. I’m such a stupid fool.”

  “It no longer matters to me which one of you did what,” Gray says dryly. “Nathan, you are no longer top executive at Cooper Enterprises. You’ll submit your resignation first thing tomorrow. I’ll contact our human resources manager and have her set up your severance pay.”

  “No! Gray don’t do this,” Nathan begs as he drops to his knees in front of his mentor. “I’ll do anything to make it up to you. I’ll take a leave of absence for a while, without pay, or some other type of punishment. You and that company mean everything to me. You’re the only father figure I’ve ever had. Please don’t take it all away.”

  Gray looks down at Nathan. “I guess I didn’t do a good enough job at being a father to either of you boys. Sorry, son. My mind is made up.” Gray heads back to his chair.

  “Gray, please…I’m the best leader you’ve got and you know it. I can’t…I won’t resign.”

  Gray spins around. His face is beet red with anger. “What did you say? Listen here, Nathan. This is my company and whatever I say goes. You’ve made me look like a damn fool and I’m not letting you get away with it. You had your fun with my wife. Now, take your punishment like a man. Get out of here, and take that whore with you!”

  Fabian gets in Nathan’s face. “You heard him, bro. Get the hell out of here. Our friendship is over too.”

  Nathan stands there blinking back tears as he struggles to regain his composure. “You’ll regret this, Gray. I promise you. You’ll live to regret taking away everything I’ve worked so hard to achieve all these years.”

  “Do you think this is easy for me?” Gray asks. “It’s not. You did this to yourself, Nathan. You…”

  Gray grabs his heart. “You…agh!” Gray crumbles to the floor in agonizing pain.

  “Dad!” Fabian kneels down by Gray’s side.

  Claire still has her cell out and starts dialing. “I’m calling 911.”

  “Oh my god,” Sloane says with genuine concern. “He’s having a heart attack.”

  Nathan pulls at his hair. “No, this can’t be happening. Oh my god, Gray. I’m so sorry. I did this to him. Oh god. Please let him be okay.”

  Gray lies on the floor gasping for air, fighting for every breath.

  Tears are streaming down Fabian’s cheeks as he gently holds his father in his arms. “Hang in there, dad. You’re gonna come out of this okay. You’re too damn stubborn to die. I love you and I need you to live. There’s so much I wanna say to you.”

  Gray grimaces in pain while keeping a steady gaze on his son.

  *****

  Claire stands outside on the estate grounds silently watching as the paramedics carry Gray Cooper on a stretcher into a waiting ambulance. The live in house staff is huddled nearby watching the proceedings with solemn expressions. She can imagine they are worried that their boss may be leaving Cooper Manor for the last time.

  The whirling red and blue lights from a patrol car flashes brightly as two uniformed officers and a detective team from New York’s finest hang out and talk among themselves. Claire is grateful that they have taken no action to arrest either her or Fabian.

  Fabian. Poor Fabian. He looks so distraught as he climbs into the ambulance and takes a seat near the stretcher. He has refused to leave Gray’s side, even for her. Claire walks up closer to the ambulance. She is trying to think of something supportive to say to her man, but can’t quite come up with the right words. Everything will be okay is so overused and she doesn’t know if things will be okay.

  She longs to climb in there with him, just to give him some strong emotional support. But, that’s not possible. There’s only room for one family member. Fabian is right where he belongs—holding Gray’s hand as they take him to the hospital. The ambulance door closes. Sirens blare loudly as the mobile emergency vehicle makes its way towards the front gate.

  Claire is feeling a little tinge of guilt. Maybe if she had never shown Gray that videotape of Sloane and Nathan going at it in a hotel room he’d still be sitting inside, upset but well enough to chat with her and Fabian. She knows she acted impulsively.

  While they were in Mexico she had gone behind Fabian’s back and hired P.I. Mike to do a side job, which she added to Fabian’s bill.

  She had Mike do some digging into Nathan’s activities around the time of Sloane’s so called kidnapping. She was hoping the P.I. would find some dirt they could use to beat Nathan at his own game. The trip in the camper had distracted her so much that she’d forgotten all about it. That is, until Mike sent her an email with a video attached. That was yesterday. She put off watching it until an hour before they pulled into Fabian’s neighborhood. She was going to tell Fabian about it before they talked to Gray, but decided to wait. She was hoping it would come in handy at the right moment. Boy, did it ever.

  Mike’s email was short and to the point:

  I shot this video after discovering the mark has a standing reservation at a hotel. He usually goes there at odd times with a classy blonde. Snuck a camera in the room during their latest rendezvous. Hope you can use this.

  Claire has a new found respect for private eyes.

  She forgot that Sloane had told her about Gray’s heart condition. It was one of those bits of information that she stored in the back of her mind. If she had remembered, she would have chosen to show the video only to Nathan and Sloane. That would have been enough to scare them into coming clean. At least she thinks that’s how it would have gone down. As they say, hindsight is twenty twenty.

  Gray was so upset. His heart just couldn’t take it. He had invested so much of himself in molding Nathan into his version of the perfect son. He never dreamed in a million years that Nathan would turn on him, or have an affair
with his wife.

  Perhaps her showing the video didn’t really make much difference. The damage had already been done. Fabian’s father was an emotional basket case. She did what she felt was right at the time. At least Gray knows for sure now that Fabian is telling the truth.

  Claire and Sloane make brief eye contact. Claire observes that Sloane seems upset, but by what? Is she upset over Gray’s current condition? Or, is she upset that she’s been banished from her fancy digs? Or, is it both?

  Sloane walks past Claire without saying a word and goes into the house. Claire has no desire to speak with Sloane about her feelings anyway.

  Claire turns in the direction of loud sobbing. She sees Nathan sitting on the ground, crying heavily while rocking back and forth, his arms are folded tightly against his knees. She can tell he’s inconsolable. She’s never seen Nathan look so alone and miserable.

  Claire stands there contemplating what to do next. Fabian gave her the keys to the camper. He’s okay with her taking it, but, she’s not comfortable driving such a large vehicle in city traffic. She could go inside the camper and hang out until she hears from Fabian. But, who knows how long that will be?

  He needs me to be there for him. I’ve gotta go to the hospital.

  Claire pulls out her cell phone and calls a taxi company. “Hello? Yes, I need a cab going to New York-Presbyterian Hospital.”

  Fabian needs her more than ever now. She’s going to be right there by his side, helping him get through another major crisis. Her days working at Cooper Enterprises may be over, but a whole new chapter in her life is about to begin.

  Chapter 6

  “Am I under arrest?”

  Fabian is sitting in a small interrogation room in a Manhattan police station. He’s an absolute emotional wreck and isn’t sure what his legal status is at the moment. He hasn’t gotten a wink of sleep since Gray was taken to the hospital. His father has just gone through hours of open heart surgery in an attempt to save his life.

  Fabian had called his mom and sister, who both rushed to the hospital to wait with him and Claire during the operation. He’s grateful that his mother knew how to handle all of the insurance details and that she smoothly made arrangements for Gray to be in a private room.

  When the surgeon came out to update the family on Gray’s condition the news was not good. The grim-faced doctor has given Gray only a small chance of pulling through. The man that had been so unwaveringly strong most of his life is now near death.

  Fabian had been sitting in his father’s hospital room when the two detectives came to get him. They called him out of the room and informed him he was being taken in for questioning. What rotten timing. He had no choice but to agree to go. He left Claire, his mom and sister there at the hospital.

  He took his first ride in the back of a police cruiser. Fortunately, the cops didn’t slap handcuffs on him. That would have made things worse. He knows that his sudden appearance at Cooper Manor probably triggered police to follow up on his outstanding warrant. He knows they are only doing their job, but it’s very difficult to focus on all this legal crap when he’s so worried about Gray. He wants to get back to the hospital to be by his father’s bedside, just in case Gray wakes up and wants to speak with his son.

  Detective Polidoro sits across from him on the opposite side of the table. The detective’s demeanor is relaxed and casual. “No, you’re not under arrest. We just need to ask you a few questions to clear some things up.”

  “Sure, I’ll answer any questions you want. I just wanna get this over with.”

  “Sorry about your dad. Is he going to be okay?”

  “It’s not looking good at this point.”

  “Sorry to hear that. Anyway, the warrant that was out on you was in relation to the disappearance of Sloane Cooper.”

  “My stepmother.”

  “We’re questioning her in another room.”

  “Yeah? I’m sure she’s telling more lies about me.”

  “Actually, she’s not being very cooperative. She refuses to answer any questions without a lawyer.”

  “I see.”

  “Fabian, we need you to tell us what you know about Sloane’s disappearance from that hotel.”

  “Here’s what I know. Sloane cooked up a scheme to get my father to disinherit me in his will. She and Nathan Prewitt were working hard to make it look like I was having an affair with Sloane. She even made up fake stories about us being together in her diary.”

  “The diary that your father gave to police.”

  “Right. I got an invitation by email, supposedly from an old friend, inviting me to meet him at that hotel. I just assumed the invite was authentic. I went to the room and knocked. That’s when I noticed that the door was propped open slightly. I went in and there was no sign of my friend, or that anyone was staying there. I found a suitcase and brought it down to the lobby. I left.”

  “So, you’re saying you never encountered your stepmother at the hotel that day?”

  “That’s right. Never saw her.”

  “How come the tape shows you and her entering and leaving the same room?”

  “I don’t know how she and Nathan pulled that off. The private investigator I hired said he thinks someone in hotel security messed with the tape footage. My family’s company owns that hotel, so it’s totally possible they bribed someone on staff.”

  “And, were you and she having an affair?”

  “Absolutely not. I’d never touch her in a million years. My ex-pal Nathan didn’t hesitate to take a dip in those waters, though.”

  “She had an affair with Nathan Prewitt?”

  “Yes. That’s what we were discussing…arguing about when dad had his heart attack. He had just fired Nathan and had kicked both him and Sloane out of the house.”

  “If you knew you were innocent this whole time why did you run?”

  “Look, I know what I did made me look guilty, but I panicked. I knew that as long as I was free I could use my contacts and resources.”

  “Okay, Fabian. I guess that’s all for now.”

  “I can go?”

  “Considering the circumstances, we’ve got nothing to hold you on. Your stepmother insisted that all charges be dropped.”

  Fabian exhales loudly. “That’s a big relief. She’s probably doing it to protect herself. Liars have a hard time keeping their stories from unraveling.”

  Polidoro smiles. “You got that right.”

  Hours later…

  Gray Cooper quietly passes away without getting another chance to connect with his son.

  *****

  Nine Months Later

  Claire is finally getting around to making up the bed that she and Fabian rolled out of this morning. She meant to do it earlier, but got distracted by her desire to go downstairs and eat breakfast while relaxing on the couch. She enjoyed drinking herbal tea and eating blueberry scones while gazing out the window at their neighborhood. She absolutely loves her new neighborhood. Tribeca is teeming with all sorts of fascinating people leading interesting lives. This area of the city is famous for being the coolest hang out spot for artists, celebrities, musicians, professionals, and everyone in between.

  I love Tribeca!

  Claire has to pinch herself sometimes. She is so lucky to be able to laze around all morning doing whatever she likes. No more getting up at 5 a.m. to get ready for work, rushing through breakfast, hurrying down the block to catch the train to work. No more crowded morning and evening subway rides. These days she catches a cab or hires a private driver whenever she wants to go somewhere outside her neighborhood.

  Perhaps the biggest change in her life since she and Fabian moved into their chic Tribeca area apartment is that she no longer aspires to work in corporate America. She has her loving boyfriend to thank for that. Claire felt aimless for a while after things calmed down. She was seriously contemplating looking for another executive assistant job. Fabian suggested she wait and think over her options before diving into another 9
to 5 job.

  Boy is she glad she took his advice. The more she hung around Fabian the more attracted she became to the creative lifestyle he’s become immersed in. Film producing seemed interesting, fun and challenging. She learned that independent film producers have different levels of involvement in projects. She quickly saw that her executive assistant skills could be transferred to this profession. So, why not give it a whirl?

  After several long discussions with Fabian, they decided to become producing partners. Claire is over the moon with excitement. For the past several months she has been eagerly researching the indie film scene. Currently, she and Fabian are actively seeking out new projects to work on together.

  Claire smoothes out the ethnic style bedspread over their queen sized bed. Their bedroom, like the rest of their home, is decorated in the modern chic style. It’s cozy casual and feels fresh and vibrant. She and Fabian picked out the furnishings together. They were lucky to find a three-bedroom loft in a renovated industrial building. Fabian was especially psyched up about moving into this place since he had his heart set on living in Tribeca. It’s so much easier to meet and connect with talented up and coming film writers and directors when living in and around this exclusive area.

  She loves that their loft has a winding staircase with wooden stairs and a white metal railing. All three bedrooms are on the second floor. Each bedroom has one exposed brick wall, which is very cool. They have turned one of the bedrooms into an office. The third bedroom is a workout room. Downstairs they have a living room, dining room and full kitchen. Their medium-sized loft apartment is perfect for the two of them. She knows how fortunate she is to be living with a wealthy boyfriend. Tribeca lofts are among the most expensive apartments in the city.

  Claire notices that Fabian left his cell phone on the white cube-shaped nightstand next to his side of the bed. She figures he forgot to take it with him before he left for his meeting with a business associate. Claire picks up the phone and casually refreshes the screen. She’s curious about the person he’s meeting with. Maybe it’s another aspiring director seeking support for a film. Normally, she doesn’t snoop at his messages, but her curiosity is getting the better of her right now.