AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Karl is gritting his teeth as he leans forward. A pulse taps away on his wrists. He looks to be trembling from a combination of fear and anger. He inhales deeply and pulls away from the desk, dropping one nervous hand on his brow. The lawyers remain behind him, patient, quiet, and attentive.
After a spell of tapping his brow, Karl turns toward me, staring deep into my eyes. There is a slight hint in the look in his eyes that he is equally angry with me. Perhaps he thinks I could have handled the situation better in spite of his indiscretions.
“Have you spoken to Andries? Have you found out the motivation of the girl? How could she just change her position all of a sudden?” Karl asks, tapping his temple with a forefinger.
“Okay. You have to calm down.” After a few seconds of silence and Karl finally beginning to breathe, I then tell him the truth. “Yes, I have spoken to him.”
“And?” he asks immediately, dropping his hands on the desk again. “Does he have a hand in her decision or not?”
“Yes, unfortunately he does,” I answer, my tone low. “Andries advised her to do the interview and decline your settlement.”
“That piece of shit. That fucking piece of shit,” Karl spits out, backing away from the desk. His lips quiver, and the pulsing movement on his wrists intensifies.
“Hey! Don’t talk about him like that,” I retort angrily. I spring from the chair, glaring at him. I understand Karl is in a deep mess, but insulting Andries is totally out of the question.
He starts roaming around my office, taking heavy breaths, obviously shocked by my stance. His eyes continue to shimmer with a wet glint. I can see he wants to say something else but just opens his mouth and closes it back immediately. He looks from one lawyer to the other before turning back to me.
“After everything he’s been doing to me, heck, even to you and your business, you are still taking his side?” he asks in a gruff, sad tone. He squints his eyes before covering them with one palm, obviously overwhelmed by the rush of events in his life.
A transient moment of silence comes between us. It’s easy to see the immense influence of Andries on my responsiveness to things. Defending him comes naturally to me, and although Karl looks miserable, I’m still a little miffed at his choice of words in describing his stance on the man I love.
“Speaking of my business…” I swallow past the lump in my throat and take a few deep breaths, before finishing my sentence. “I’m likely going to sell the agency,” I tell him, dropping back down in my chair. “So, if you know anyone interested, let me know.”
Karl takes his hand from his face and gawks at me. Today, it seems, is replete with news that leave him floundered and shocked. He moves forward, exuding a disappointed look. He leans against the desk, finding a bit of equanimity as he stares into my eyes.
“You want to sell it? You really want to give this up after so long?” he asks in a hushed tone.
“Yes. Poppy has been in touch with a few of our competitors to see if they would like to merge.”
“But this is your whole life!” he barks, pulling away from the table. “What has come over you?”
I knew Karl wouldn’t understand my decision, and it’s pointless explaining it to him. So I just exhale loudly and tell him once and for all what he dreads the most, “It’s time to turn the page. I’m sorry I can’t be more useful, but you’re going to have to go on trial.”
Karl heaves a long sigh and dips one hand in his pocket. He pulls out an empty chair and drops down between his lawyers. The lawyer at his right side sits up, seizing the ensuing moment of silence.
“This is exactly what we wanted to talk about,” he says solemnly. “If Mr. Townsend is going on trial, are you going to testify in favor of or against him?”
“I haven’t decided yet,” I retort.
Karl taps the lawyer on his right side, impelling him to sit back in his chair. He leans toward him and whispers in his ear. Karl swivels at me, exuding a faint smile.
“Roxie, we’ve known each other for fifteen years. I’ve always helped you out. You are where you are today because of me. I took a chance with you when you desperately needed help. Can’t you at least do this for me? Can’t you do this for the sake of our history?” Karl pleads. He looks regretful, but I’m hardly touched by the look on his face. If anything, he is simply taking up the appropriate mien for this situation.
“You took advantage of one of my girls, thinking you could get away with it. You are the one who put yourself in this situation, Karl. You only have yourself to blame,” I remind him just as fast.
Karl sits up, clasping his hands together. Instantly, he loses the remorseful look on his face, taking a more calculated expression and tilts his face upward. For a moment, it feels like he is considering moving toward my desk and get closer to me, but instead, he just says, “You were not there, Roxanne. You didn’t really see what happened. It all happened so quickly. I thought she wanted it just as much as I did. She’s even the one that started undressing without me saying a word.”
While he is speaking, Andries’ harsh critiques about Karl comes to the fore of my mind, and I must say, it’s hard to see him in a good light after everything he has done.
“What happened to you? You know perfectly well that you have more to gain being on my side than hers,” Karl proceeds, raising his voice slightly and snapping me from my thoughts.
“That’s your opinion,” I say, springing up from my chair. “I have to leave now. I’ll see what I can do,” I inform, already grabbing my coat to make my way out.
“What if I help you find a buyer for the agency? I know a lot of people who’d be interested,” Karl suggests, wringing himself from his chair and walking in my direction.
He suggestion makes me pause. I know Karl is in a great position to find a good buyer for my agency, but I also know inexchange, he’ll want my testimony to be a positive one on his trial, which makes it hard to accept. There is no way I can testify in his favor without hurting Andries, whose welfare has become a priority in my life.
Unwilling to dwell too much on this thought, I move from my position, adjusting toward him.
