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Even though Mom and Dad have been divorced for nearly seven years, it seems as if she has never stopped loving him. His “girlfriend” as she refers to her is actually his fiancé, but she has never acknowledged the fact.
“I’m going to let you go,” I tell her, since she is obviously engrossed in the news reports. ‘I’ll be back in the city tomorrow night. I’ll see you then.”
“Be safe,” she whispers before hanging up. Be safe is right.
“You should go get some sleep,” I coax Liv, who has been rubbing my back during the brief conversation with Mom.
“Are you sure? I can stay up if you want to talk,” she offers.
“No. I’ll be fine. Go grab the other bed in Mandy’s room. I’m going to take a shower and then I need to return some phone calls.” I take her by the hand and lead her over to the door of the other suite. “I’ll let you go in alone, I don’t want to catch Mandy in a compromising position or anything.” I give her a subtle smile.
“At least you still have your sense of humor.” She gives me a look of disapproval before opening the door and disappearing inside.
I wander into the bathroom feeling completely numb, turn the dial on the shower and wait for warm water to arrive. I’m probably in shock, but I certainly don’t feel like someone who just found out his father has been killed. If anything, I feel a strange sense of relief. I’m a multi-billionaire. The thought crosses my mind as I stand under the water and let it rain down over me. I know it sounds cold, but at least the timing of all this was pretty incredible. I’m sorry Dad; that was morbid.
~~~
“Hi Trey, I’ve been expecting your call.” Vanessa’s voice shocks me as she answers my brother’s phone.
“It sounds like a crazy night, huh? Where is Tyler?”
“He’s here.” Her voice sounds hesitant. “He hasn’t said a word since he saw it on the news,” she whispers. “It’s almost like he’s in a trance.”
“He’s in shock. I think I am too.” I run my fingers through my hair still not knowing exactly what I am feeling.
“Yeah, we all are. The scene was so haunting.” Her voice quivers. “You could see all of the blood that had splattered against the window of the limo.”
“Okay… that’s enough. I don’t need any disturbing images to go along with this.” My stomach turns over and I begin to feel light headed. It’s way too early in the morning dealing with this sort of thing.
“I’m sorry. They shouldn’t have shown it on TV. Your mother was absolutely mortified. I was on the phone with her when we both saw it,” she explains.
“Yeah, I talked to her a little bit ago. It seems like she’s taking it pretty hard,” I say in agreement. “Will you guys keep an eye on her until I get there?”
“Of course, where are you?” she asks with a hint of annoyance.
“I’m in Geneva, Switzerland. I have a meeting that starts in a couple of hours. I’ll let them know what has happened and hopefully we can wrap things up by mid-afternoon. I’m going to try to make it back to New York by early evening. It’s an eight-hour flight but I’ll gain six, so that’s a plus.”
“Okay Trey, we’ll see you tomorrow. I’ll let Tyler know you called,” she murmurs before hanging up on me.
“See you tomorrow.” My love. The dull ache that normally resides deep within my heart immediately rises to the surface. The worst part of this trip is going to be spending time with her and Tyler. The closer she is to me, the more it hurts. I’m going to need some extra Xanax.
Chapter 5
Mandy
Upon waking, I squint to see who is in the other bed. It appears to be Liv. I slink out from between the sheets and pull on a robe before cracking the door open to the other suite. Trey appears to be gone and everything is quiet. Maybe she and Trey had that talk after all. If so, she is going to be venomous again today. I glance around the room. Trey’s bags are still here, but his briefcase is gone so he must have already left for his meeting. He has been careful to keep that briefcase close to his side.
Liv is still sleeping, so I close the door before turning on the TV and calling room service for coffee and an almond croissant. My favorites. It’s almost eight o’clock, so I click to find CNBC or CNN Headline News, not thinking about the fact that it’s actually the middle of the night in New York. It only takes a few seconds for me to realize that I only have access to the European versions of my favorite channels. I toss the remote onto the bed and turn to spot Trey’s cologne bottle sitting on the desk. Yum! I spray a bit of it into the air, close my eyes and simply inhale the amazing scent. If there is such a thing as sex in a bottle, this is it.
