Uncorked

by Rebecca Rohman

  “I love them both very much.”

  “Then why won’t you marry him?”

  Chella’s gaze snapped to Liz, surprised by her words, “I didn’t realize you knew.”

  “He needed someone to lash out on, and he slipped and told me during a rant.”

  “I refused because it was in his best interest. I don’t want him and his business to be adversely affected by his association with me.”

  “You’re making a mistake.”

  “You don’t know all the details about my life, neither do I care to talk about them, but if I know you as well as I think I do, you’d be happy with my decision. I refuse to let your son be affected by the drama in my life.”

  “It’s too late for that. He’s deeply in love with you. Whatever happens to you affects him.”

  “Liz, it goes beyond that. I love your son too much to let the problems of my life completely ruin his.”

  “I’m starting to realize how wrong I was about you,” Liz said, smiling.

  “That’s kind of you to say. I have to go now,” Chella said, standing up to leave.

  “Before you leave, can I offer you a word of advice?”

  Chella bristled, but kept the softness in her response. “What is it?”

  “Don’t make the same mistakes I did. Don’t forsake your emotional needs and necessities all the time. Everyone needs nurturing and love and security.”

  “Not if it risks hurting the people I love,” Chella said.

  She could feel emotions building up within her; she wanted to get out of there.

  “Don’t end up like me—not allowing other people in, shutting others out. Loneliness is the bitter pill of regret.”

  “Thanks, Liz. It was nice of you to do all this, but I have to go,” Chella said, looking at her and smiling softly. “Enjoy the rest of your day.”

  Before Liz could say anything further, Chella got into the elevator, eagerly pushing the closed-door button several times so she would not have to face her again. On the way down, Chella thought about the conversation she just had. Liz being nice to her and offering her words of advice seemed surreal. Chella wasn’t sure she could trust her.

  The elevator doors opened. Chella walked into what felt like a brick wall. Momentarily dazed, she pulled herself together. A pair of outstretched hands helped her regain her balance.

  Looking up, she saw Mitch.

  “Chella, are you okay? What are you doing here?”

  “I’m sorry. Your mom asked to see me. I just came by to…how was your trip?”

  “I got a lot of work done.”

  “Great. Well, it was nice seeing you. We’ll chat another time. I have to go.”

  She left in a rush, headed straight back to her hotel.

  Chella met Vicky and Kacy for lunch at a waterside restaurant with a beautiful view of the San Diego skyline. They exchanged hugs and kisses and sat comfortably at a table overlooking the view.

  Vicky said, “We’ve been so worried about you. What’s going on?”

  “I guess I owe you both some sort of an explanation. I know I left pretty abruptly, but things were getting out of hand. If I hadn’t left, you all might have ended up in this mess.”

  “Kacy told me about you being drugged and what happened afterwards. Chella, I’m so sorry.”

  “That isn’t the half of it.” Chella told them everything—from two years prior to the day they met on the lawns at U. C. Berkeley to the moment she returned to San Diego.

  “You didn’t tell Mitch where you were going?” Vicky asked.

  “No. I realized I was drugged after the car crash. He was with Emily at the hospital, and we had a big fight that night. Our relationship sort-of ended after that. I felt responsible for his daughter being in the hospital, and he blamed me for it, too.”

  “Why?” Kacy asked.

  “I neglected to tell him that after two months of quiet and no threats that they had started up again. That’s the only reason he took a chance and brought Emily here. He thought the danger was behind us.”

  “Chella, you couldn’t have predicted this. This is not your fault,” Kacy said, giving her hand a tight squeeze.

  “That’s partly true, but I let my guard down. Anyway, he realized he had blamed me in anger. He found me a couple of days before Christmas.”

  “That’s so sweet,” Vicky said, quietly clapping her hand with excitement.

  “It was, but it didn’t last very long.”

  “Why?” her two friends chorused.

  “He asked me to marry him on New Year’s while we watched fireworks. I said no.”

  Gasping, Vicky asked, “Are you insane?”

  “I can’t agree to marry him—not until these perpetrators are permanently behind bars. If these people knew he and I were seeing each other, his life and his family’s life would all be in danger.”

  “That was very noble of you, but they’ve all been arrested. So what’s holding you back now?” Kacy asked.

  “An arrest isn’t a conviction. Anyway, I think I really hurt him when I said no. We’ve communicated twice since he left, and I saw him earlier for a minute, but he’s been distant.”

  “He needs time. If he loves you as much as it seems he does, he’ll get over it,” Kacy responded.

  “I hope you’re right. I really miss him.”

  “Well, Chella, your reason was legit. He’ll see that soon enough. His ego might be bruised a bit, but he’ll come around. Personally, though, these people have been arrested. In my opinion, you should move on with your life.”

  “So, enough about me. What’s going on with you two?”

  Mitch arrived in San Diego early that morning. When he got the call about a deal in Sacramento, he was happy that his mind would be occupied for a few days, and he wouldn’t have to think about how rejected he felt by Chella declining his marriage proposal. However, now he was back home, seeing her earlier flooded his mind with memories. He knew that at some point they’d need to talk.

  He knew that he could have been turned down when he’d asked Chella to marry him, but when he heard her response, it hit him unexpectedly harder than he thought it ever could. At this point he wasn’t even sure how or if he wanted to move forward.

  The following morning, Chella did a Google search on how to fix your damaged reputation, and was surprised at all the websites that came up claiming they could fix information on the internet. With the case still pending, she decided it might be best to get a lawyer involved to see what the legalities of a situation like this would entail and get guidance on how to move forward.

  She met with a lawyer that afternoon. After much discussion, they concluded the best way to handle her situation would be to use the very media that was so hungry for an interview with her. It was something she’d have to seriously think about. If it were something she chose to do, she’d be seeing this trial to the very end in a public setting. Having personal details about her life and the past out in public was not something she wanted to endure.

  Later that evening, after Chella had stepped out of the shower, her phone rang. It was Mitch.

  “Hi, how are you?” she answered.

  “I’m okay.”

  “Great. How’s Emily? I’ve been worried about her.”

  “She’s doing well. I saw her today on short layover in L.A. Charlotte brought her by the airport. How long have you been back?”

  “A few days.”

  “I know we need to talk. Why don’t you come over? Or if you’d prefer, I can come to you.”

  “Is your mom still there?”

  “No. I dropped her off at the airport tonight.”

  “I can be there in half an hour.”

  Before Chella left her hotel room, her phone rang. It was Samantha Marlow, the lead prosecutor in the case.

  “Ms. Marlow, good evening,” Chella answered.

  “Ms. Noon? I have some news,” she replied.

  “Yes?”

  “Jade Benson agreed to a plea of t
wenty years. In exchange, she will testify against Aaron Stewart.”

  “That’s all? She tried to have my boyfriend and I killed on more than one occasion, plus his five-year-old daughter, and let’s not forget Craig Spencer. I don’t know that she is any less dangerous than Aaron Stewart is. One attempted murder charge is life in prison. Are you trying to tell me she gets to have a life after her sentence? That’s not taking into account the harassment or the humiliation she put me through. My reputation is trashed because of her. I have to spend the money and time to fix it, which you and I both know could take years, and she gets to walk away with twenty years?”

  “Ms. Noon, you have the option to file a civil suit against her.”

  “Tell me what good will that do? While she’s in jail, how is she supposed to pay for whatever dollar amount the courts tell her to pay me for pain and suffering?”

  “Ms. Noon, I did my best.”

  “Well, it wasn’t good enough. I guarantee you I will fight this. On sentencing day, I’ll work my ass off to see to it the judge throws this plea out.”

  “I’m sorry you’re not happy about this. My office will be in touch.”

  Chella was furious when she got off the phone. She felt like the system let her down. She felt betrayed. She was sure there was enough evidence to put both Aaron and Jade away for the rest of their life, but this had her scared.

  As Chella rode up the penthouse elevator, sweat accumulated on her palms, and she realized she was slightly more nervous than she anticipated.

  When she entered the penthouse, Mitch was nowhere to be seen. After walking around a bit, she found him in his study.

  “Hi, Mitch…” she said knocking gently on the doorframe.

  “Hey.” He greeted her with a light kiss on the cheek.

  “I’ve been worried about you,” she said as they walked into the living room and sat beside each other on the sofa.

  “I knew there was always a possibility of you saying no, but I didn’t expect it to hit me like this.”

  “I’m so sorry I hurt you. You mean the world to me, and it’s the only way I thought I could protect you. Under any other circumstances, were no lives in danger, I would have said yes.”

  “So where does that leave us now?”

  “You tell me. I love you, and I want to be with you, but until this is over, I can’t make any long-term commitments.”

  “Both Jade and Aaron have been arrested. I see no reason why we can’t move on with our lives.”

  “I’m so afraid they’ll get away with this.”

  “Chella, that won’t happen.”

  “If that’s true, explain to me why the prosecutor seems to think Jade agreeing to a plea of twenty years is such a great deal?”

  “Twenty years?”

  “Yes. I told her I‘d fight her all the way. I will try to get this plea thrown out by the judge.”

  “We’ll get lawyers involved. Let me make some calls and see if there’s anything that can be done.”

  “What if there’s nothing they can do?”

  “We’ll explore every possible avenue.”

  “She was so nonchalant about the whole thing. Her attitude was completely different from when she spoke to me about Aaron. This was supposed to get easier. Now I feel like I can’t even trust the prosecutor.”

  “We’ll deal with it tomorrow. Where are you staying now?”

  “At the Marriott down the street.”

  “Why didn’t you use the keys?”

  “I wasn’t sure if the invitation was still open.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “That’s okay. I understand. Here they are,” she said, pulling the keys from her pocket.

  “No. Hold onto them. I’m not going to deny that you turning me down hurt like hell, but I’ve never been one to give up. I’m not ready to give up on you, yet.”

  “I was hoping you’d say that,” she replied, holding his hand. “Please tell me you understand why I can’t right now?”

  “I mostly do, but it also feels like you don’t trust me to handle things. I hate feeling helpless. I can protect you.”

  “We’ve had this conversation before. This is also about Emily.”

  “I love you for always thinking about her needs and her best interest, but I can’t understand why you won’t allow me to protect you. You’re the woman I’m in love with. If I can’t do that for you, who am I supposed to do it for?”

  “If you’re constantly protecting me, your life would be in danger. I’m not willing to take Emily’s dad away from her.”

  He shook his head and smiled. “You’d make a great mom.”

  “Only in my dreams…”

  “We can adopt. There might even be options for us to have our own someday.”

  “You might be right. I’ve never been at a place in my life where I could allow myself to think about such things. It seems almost unreal that we’re having this conversation now. Do you really want another child?”

  “With you? Yes.”

  “That’s a really kind thing to say.”

  “It’s the truth.”

  “Maybe someday…”

  The following day, while they sat having cocktails, Chella discussed with Mitch the publicity problems she faced.

  “Mitch, there’s so much stuff about me out there. I have to try to clean up my reputation. I don’t want this to affect your business. When I came back and switched on my phone, I had calls from reporters wanting a comment on the photos.”

  “I know. They’ve been calling for weeks now.”

  “They’ve been calling you, too?”

  “Yes. I wanted you to enjoy Christmas. I didn’t want you to worry about it.”

  “Thanks. I saw a lawyer yesterday. She suggests I use the media to help.”

  “She might be right.”

  “I’d be opening myself—us—up to scrutiny and a very public trial. I don’t want personal details of my life out in public. They were painful enough to go through. Have you done a Google search on my name?”

  “Yes.”

  “So you know at least two of the images are out there?”

  “Yes. I have my lawyers trying to get them removed from the websites they’re on.”

  “Can they get them all removed?”

  “Not likely. Some websites may not co-operate. You can always threaten them with a lawsuit, which may or may not work.”

  “This is an enormous mess.”

  “We’ll get through it, Sweetheart. Try not to worry. We’ll use all available resources to fight this if we have to.”

  “Craig offered me my job back. I have some repair work to do first before I can accept the job; otherwise, it will negatively affect the brand. That kind of scandal is never good. It’s exactly the type of press the company doesn’t need.”

  “Unless you somehow turn this negative into a positive.”

  “I wouldn’t know where or how to do that.”

  “We’ll get a PR agent involved.”

  “I’m so scared of getting the media involved in this.”

  “Chella, you can either avoid them and they get to write whatever story they want to tell, or you can talk to them and have some input in what they print. Tomorrow we’ll make some calls and see how we can fix this.”

  Early the next morning, Mitch and Chella met with a lawyer who had recent training in victims’ rights law. The good news was Chella had the right to be heard by the judge. The bad news was because the laws regarding victim’s rights were fairly new, finding lawyers with vast experience in that area was almost impossible. They hired a team of lawyers and hoped that with their collective experience they would be able to get the judge to throw out the plea agreement the prosecutor made with Jade. Unfortunately, Chella and Mitch would not be called to testify for another five weeks, so they would have to be patient and wait. Hopefully, that would be enough time for the lawyers to prepare a winning case.

  The lawyers advised her that if she was going to do an
y interviews with the media that at least one of them should be present. That afternoon, she researched all the reporters who had contacted her for interviews. After much thought and discussion with Mitch, she called a reporter from one of San Diego’s largest business magazines since she was mostly concerned about her reputation in the business community. She agreed to do the interview with them the next day.

  In the presence of two of her lawyers and Mitch, John Carlton from the San Diego Business Magazine interviewed Chella. At first, she was a little nervous, still uncertain whether she wanted to, but she felt the alternative might be worse. As the questions continued, Chella relaxed and was candid with her answers, however hurtful they might have been. Occasionally he would ask Mitch a question. The lawyers remained quiet.

  A photographer took some shots of her appropriately clad in a navy, French-cuff shirt with a black knee-length pencil skirt, a pair of navy Jimmy Choo patent leather pumps, and a pair of small black chandelier earrings. If there were going to be pictures of her all over the internet, it would be better if people saw a business exec as oppose to the nude pictures that could be interpreted in a way that was far from the truth.

  The story would not be out until the beginning of the next month. She and her lawyers would get to approve the article before it went to print. She hoped the outcome would be positive for all involved.

  After the interview, Chella and Mitch changed clothes and went for a drive. It was Chella’s idea. She had some things she wanted to talk to him about, and she was sure he would disapprove.

  “I’ve been thinking about getting my license again. Maybe a car, too. Or maybe I could use a company car. Craig has offered me one for years.”

  “I think that would be great. Do you remember how to drive?”

  “I do—well, automatic vehicles. I might need some practice with a manual vehicle.”

  “I’d be happy to give you lessons on the weekend if you like.”

  “Great. The other thing is, I know you’re going to hate this idea, but I want to rent a house. I realized that for sure while I was in Aspen. I know what you’re going to tell me about security, but—”