Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 67355 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 269(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67355 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 269(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
My thoughts drift to Zora. She’s never far from my mind. Some people would call me obsessed or maybe a little unhinged to carry a torch for a girl I knew in high school but something about her touched the deepest part of me that refused to release its hold on me. That something screams that she belongs to me. To have. To hold. To keep.
I’ve often questioned my own sanity wondering if it was just a silly crush I’d eventually get over but no matter how busy I’ve been over the years building my business or the other women I used as a comparison to her, nothing lessened my need for her.
So I plotted, schemed, lay in wait for the perfect opportunity to finally make my rightful claim. In order for my plan to work, I kept tabs on Zora. I knew where she was, who her friends were, who she dated. I’m not ashamed to admit I made sure none of those relationships lasted. None of those bastards deserved her. Hell, I don’t deserve her but she’ll be mine nonetheless.
It's why I recruited her brother to my company. As Gavin had already pointed out, he doesn’t qualify for the position I hired him for but I needed him to have certain accesses for him to do exactly what I knew he would. When I’d checked out his resume, I noticed there were unexplained gaps that didn’t quite make sense. So I had him investigated.
Turns out he’d left three different companies under dubious circumstances. After some deeper digging from what I could determined he played fast and loose with the books and each time he quit before he could be fired. Turns out, Langston Knight has a huge gambling addiction and each time he got into financial trouble he’d run to his father who could scarcely afford to bail him out.
And this time he played right into my hands. Not only would he have to run to his ailing father for help as he always did. His sister would attempt to salvage the mess he made. But it will be too much. And that’s when I step in.
She’ll have no choice but to turn to me.
Checkmate.
7
ZORA
I’m blinded by the tears welled in my eyes as I wade through the past due bills, collections notices and finally a certified letter from the bank.
A foreclosure notice.
It’s been years since I’ve had a panic attack but the familiar tightness in my chest and shallow breathing makes me aware of how close I am to losing it.
But things only get worse.
I shuffle through the many statements from the hospital and various doctors.
Despite my father’s attempts to sound upbeat during the last few times we’d chatted over the phone, I could hear the undertone of worry and tiredness in his voice. I’d asked him several times what the matter was but like always he’d tell me that I worry too much and that he’s fine.
Deep down, I knew he was lying but all these notices confirm my worse nightmares. No. Even in my dreams, I couldn’t have imagined things to be this bad. The money aside, the healthcare alone was enough to send me spiraling. It was clear my father was sick but how could he have let things get this bad without letting me know?
How had he gotten himself into so much debt? It would actually make sense if it were just the pile of medical bills, but his bank statement told a different story.
I noticed over the past few years, there were huge withdrawals from his savings account way before these bills started piling up. His entire savings was wiped out, several CDs were cashed in and borrowed money from his IRA’s. He’d taken out a mortgage on this house that was paid off years ago. When all was said and done, he’d spent well into the hundred thousands. His retirement money was gone.
If I dig into my savings, I might have enough to pay some of these hospital bills and give enough to the bank to hold off the foreclosure for a few months until I figure something out. But then what? I had some valuable keep sakes from my mother I could possibly pawn but the thought of parting with those items that connected me to her memory sent a gnawing act directly into the center of my heart.
My father has lived humbly most of his life. He used to run a hole in the wall diner in town that supported our family as it had become a big hang out for teens on Friday nights and senior citizens in the mornings.
He made a decent enough living to provide for me and my brother all the things we needed even though we didn’t always have designer labels and fancy gadgets like the rest of our peers, we never went without. And he worked his finger to the bones with a smile on his face, even through the rough times.