Read Online Love After All by Celeste O. Norfleet - Free Book Online

said.
    â€œAnd now?” Marcus asked.
    â€œNow it does? I need to take care of this, obviously.”
    â€œObviously,” Marcus repeated.
    â€œIs there something you want to tell me?” Jackson asked.
    â€œI, we…” he began, then paused and looked over to his son. “If any of this ever got out, we’d be ruined,” he said, quietly pulling out a crisp white handkerchief and dabbing his brow. Breathlessly, he continued, his voice monotone, subdued. “Everything we ever worked for, everything we have, it’ll all be gone.”
    â€œI realize that,” Jackson said.
    â€œLook, I know that you and I have had our differences and maybe some of that is my fault. You don’t agree with my vision of the future of this company, and that’s fine. But if this gets out…” He paused again. “Do what you have to do, get this finished.”
    â€œI intend to,” Jackson said firmly.
    â€œDo you need any help?” Marcus asked as he awkwardly stuffed the papers into the envelope then slid the package back to his son.
    â€œNo, I’ll handle it. The fewer that know about this, the better,” he said as he pressed the button on his key chain. Both men turned on seeing headlights outside. Then almost instantly a car pulled up. After a few minutes a man, got out and approached the building. “Your appointment?” Jackson asked.
    Marcus nodded. “Yes.” He reached over behind the receptionist’s desk and pressed a button releasing the night security lock on the front door.
    Jackson walked out just as his father’s appointment entered. Both men nodded a cordial greeting and left it at that. Jackson shook his head knowingly. He could feel trouble brewing.
    He got into his car and headed toward the expressway. He took a deep breath and sighed. He was so weary of pulling his father’s butt out of the fire. But maybe this was a good thing. For so long he had played it safe, done the right thing and always what was expected. This small departure from the norm might be just what he needed for him to feel alive again.
    He worked sixteen hours a day, seven days a week. He went from college to grad school to work and ultimately focused all his attention on the development of Daley Communications. Everything he did was of direct benefit to increasing the company’s bottom line. Unfortunately, somewhere along the line he had forgotten what it felt like to live.
    Something his mother had always warned him never to do. His mother. His thoughts rest with the promise he’d made her before she died. He’d put it off intentionally for six months, and just when he was ready to fulfill it he had to put it on hold again.
    A determined grimace pulled across his face. His intention was to clean this mess up as soon as possible with as little exposure as possible. He looked at his watch; it was well after midnight.

Chapter 3
    I t was a fool’s errand and Jackson, exhausted and infuriated, hated wasting his time. A day of travel and a day of waiting for someone who hadn’t shown up had put him in a foul mood. This was obviously some kind of game. One he was already tired of playing.
    But the documents were real enough, of that much he was sure. Witnessing his father’s expression at seeing them told him that they were genuine. The question was, what to do now? He ruled out calling the police since exposure was a major concern and the lack of integrity ran rampant—selling stories to tabloids was everyone’s part-time job.
    He considered hiring a private detective, but again trust was an issue and the lack of privacy and the bad publicity would only add to the already escalating dilemma. Eventually, only one logical answer came to mind—he needed to take care of this personally and that meant waiting to be contacted again, but this time on his terms.
    Mulling over his decision, he walked into the airport’s first-class