Free Book | Forest's Redemption

Chapter 41: Lisa's POV

"And of course the biggest news this past month has been the scandal that's shaken the country's medical industry. We're talking about hospitals conning patients out of their hard earned money, doctors selling patient information in exchange for career favours, doctors performing unnecessary procedures on patients who don't know any better and doctors AND nurses killing people after being blackmailed or being promised something in exchange. And the family that's at the centre of this scandal is the one and only Mitchell family. For those of you who don't know, this family controls ..."

I switched off the TV.

The way Ericsson is going after my family ... it can't just be because Lauren mentioned her scars. It can't just be because she knows we almost cost her her promotion or because she knows we tried killing that sidekick of hers.

She knows.

That's the only explanation.

She knows.

I shook my head. She can't know. It's not possible. If she did, she would have told Greyson and he would have ... Goodness, he'll kill us if she tells him. He'll rip our nails out, beat us, leave us shells of our former selves or even leave us dead in a dump no one will ever find.

Dad liked that man because he thought he was calmer than his father. Apparently David Greyson was not the type to be the bigger person or laugh with his enemies. He made it clear when he regarded someone as a threat and took them out without hiding that he was the one leaving a family name worth billions of dollars, being worth a few pennies.

That wrath of his, his inability to play nice with his enemies, cost him his life. It wasn't a mere car accident that killed David Greyson. His enemies were fed up with being slaughtered by a man whose power, money and influence only kept growing despite their best efforts to snuff it all out.

We thought Lucas Greyson was different. He seemed to be the type to understand that an enemy can be a friend tomorrow and enemies can still be used to your advantage. We thought that until he took over his father's company.

Three major families were trying to rob him of his right to rule the Greyson empire. Those families were shareholders and made his life miserable. They were prepared to drive the company into the ground just to make sure he couldn't get it. He was only twenty three years old at the time, but he already knew how to erase someone's fortune and that's what he did. After a two year long feud with them, people who had enough money to pay someone to wipe their ass couldn't even afford to buy bread.

We thought that was it. They had families. We thought he would at least feel sorry for their wives and kids, but no such luck.

After leaving those three families penniless, they all just died.

Jonathan Watson, the head of the first family, had his corpse found by his wife and kids in the shoebox they lived in. He hung himself; at least that's what the police report said. His wife and their two twenty one year old twin daughters then hung themselves two days after finding their father like that.

That's what we think happened.

Andrew Leahy and his family all got caught in a burning house. He had a twenty six year old son at the time who did everything he could to take out Greyson, but failed. None of them escaped that burning building. The man, his wife and son all died that night.

The third one, Michael Wright, got scared. He and his wife had no kids so they both shot themselves, fearing that Gresyon would get to them next.

Maybe he wiped out those families because they didn't have small kids. That's what we kept telling ourselves.

We were too scared to say it out loud, but we all suspected the cool and calm Mr Greyson actually ordered for those families to get murdered and got away with it.

We couldn't be sure it was him ... We can never be sure that it was him... so we chose to dismiss our suspicions.

But now, in this moment, while reading mountain high pleadings and evidence against me, my family, our charities, our hospitals and our two hundred year old fortune, all I can think about is those three shareholders and their gruesome end.

"No." I dismissed the dark thoughts. "Ericsson doesn't know it was us. If she did, she would have told Greyson and he would have ..."

My breathing was speeding up for no reason. I hit my chest a few times with my fist, but my heart still felt like it was being stabbed.

Am I having a heart attack?

Why is Ericsson going after us like this? How is she doing this? It would take years to gather the evidence she has on us. This is not a case that was built in a few months.This case was built over an excruciating amount of years by a relentless hunting dog that has a score to settle.

We're going to lose everything.

Lauren's disciplinary hearing is about to get wrapped up and it's not looking good. Even James can't detangle the mess she's in. I thought I had everything under control, but maybe dealing with Sandra and Justin has caused me to be distracted. Maybe I dropped the ball.

My head snapped up as soon as I heard the knock on my study room door. The person opened the door without my say so.

"Oh." He looked surprised. "I thought you weren't home." My husband cleared his throat. "Sandra is looking for some inspiration for her newest collection. I told her the house has some pieces and architecture that might help her."

The red head peered her head from behind the door and waved at me awkwardly while my husband held her hand infront of me.

"Hey Lisa." She said softly. "You guys have a really beautiful home. I hope you don't mind Justin bringing me here."

My throat was too dry to speak. All the oxygen in the room suddenly disappeared.

He brought her into our house. He's holding her hand infront of me.

"I'm sorry about everything that's happening to you and your family." She added insult to injury. "I really hope everything works out."

She kept trying to get Justin to let go of her red freckle tainted hand, but all that did was make him take her by the waist and gently slam her body against the side of his own body.

I still couldn't respond. My mouth is so terribly dry.

"My family actually wants to talk to yours about everything that's happening." My husband's husky voice bellowed. "Sandra and I should get going. I won't be home for the next few days."

Speak, Lisa. Say something. Move. Run. Swear at them. Kill her. Kill him. Do something!

But all I did was sit with my dry mouth.

They left. My husband and the mistress he's flaunting infront of me left me alone in my dark study room while read pleadings detailing my family's demise.

I sat on my chair and stared at my door for seconds, minutes and then hours. At least that's what I think. All I am certain of is that I couldn't move.

When did I become this person? When did I become hopeless?

"Phew!" A jovial voice came waltzing inside the study room. "Your husband is a bit too brazen with his lover, isn't he? I just caught them making out in the kitchen. Do they know you're here?"

I can't move. Lisa, please just move.

"Oh, sweets!" He was suddenly caressing my cheeck. "Do you want Sandra dead now or do you still think your husband will choose you?"

I found myself nodding my head. That's all I could do.

"I have to hear you say it, Lisa." His voice purred in my ear. "I can only do it if you say it."

"I, Lisa Mitchell, order you, James Patel to murder Sandra McCarthy. I want her head on a platter within twenty four hours."

"Good." He whispered. "Consider it done."

He started walking to the door. It felt like he was taking hours to leave this room.

"James." My raspy voice whispered.

"Yes?" He turned his head to the side and observed me from the corner of his eye.

"I think we have a mole."

"A mole?" He repeated.

"Yes. Someone close to me and my family has been feeding Ericsson everything we do. I read the pleadings. There are things in there that only someone we trust would know. Someone has betrayed us. I need you to find out who it is and kill them."

"Mmm." He turned around. "How do you know it's not me? I know everything that goes on in your family. I've been by your side for what? Four years now? For all you know, I might be the mole."

He had that jovial smile on his face that he always wears. Nothing can shake up James Patel. Misery and suffering only makes him happy, doesn't matter who is suffering. My family has caused pain to too many people and families to count. We've ensured that he gets to keep that child-like smile on his face that hides the psychopath in him.

That's how I know that he's not our mole. The pain we've inflicted on others is enough for him to remain loyal to us.

"Because you've killed people for me and committed other equally terrible crimes." I responded. "If I go down, you go down. That's how I know it's not you."

His smile widened and he scoffed. "Good point." He turned around and started walking towards the door again. "I get to kill two people now; maybe more. That's always a treat, Lisa! As long as you keep spilling blood, I will remain by your side."

*******************************************

FIVE YEARS AGO

"I'm proud of you, you know?" I held my sister's hand. "This is one of your best plans yet. Better than the time you got people to spread that rumour about a girl having had multiple abortions just because she ... I can't remember what she did, but you ruined her life."

She smiled awkwardly.

Moments like this are rare for me and Lauren. I'm the mean Mitchell sister and she's the warm and loving Mitchell sister. I resent her for that. She gets to be loved while I'm feared, but every now and then the Mitchell gene in her takes over and she produces masterpieces like this one right here.

When she has a stroke of genius like this, even me, mom and dad find ourselves blown away. If she weren't so busy trying to be nice, she'd be better at being Mitchell than us.

"Thanks, Lisa." She muttered. "I really appreciate that. Uhm, so you'll take care of things from your end?"

"Yes!" I locked my arm in hers. "I will keep track of Ericsson and her father the entire day. If things go as you predicted, she will freeze when she sees her dad. That will give him enough time to take her to a quiet area and do what needs to be done. If she tries to scream and struggle, we have people in place who will cause a distraction. The cameras on campus will stop working. Ericsson will be a girl who disappeared without anyone noticing. You just focus on being happy with the man of your dreams."

She nodded and smiled.

I have Justin and she'll have Lucas. Things can't get any better.

Justin and I are going through somewhat of a transition period. He's moody, he refuses to eat dinner with me, he avoids going to events with me, but we'll be over that speed bump in a few months and soon we'll be having a baby and we'll be so happy.

I still can't believe that I married Justin Odewell.

Sandra gave him that ultimatum thinking he would choose her, but he chose me. I won and she lost and now she's somewhere in Europe drawing art no one will ever buy and I'm here, helping Justin get into Congress.

I'm better for him and he knows that.

"Is it weird that I already have our wedding planned?" She asked. "I have the colour scheme, the dress, the food and even the destination picked out. The moment Lucas pops the question, we'll be married in three months tops!"

We both laughed and walked further into the garden.

"What if he starts dating someone else?" She suddenly stopped. "There's no guarantee he'll choose me, Lisa. He might date other people. I can't go through that. If he marries someone else-"

I put my finger on her lips.

"Calm down." I held her shoulders. "After Sandra left, Justin was a mess. He needed someone to help him realise she was never good enough for him. Lucas Greyson might also break down. If he does, he's going to need you to be there for him. While you're taking care of him, he'll realise there's nothing you won't do to see him happy. He won't take you for granted anymore. He won't look at any other woman because none of them will be the woman who helped him mend his heart. He won't date anyone else. I promise. You'll be married within a year or two."

Her smile widened and covered her entire petite face after I said that.

The girl has been pining after this man since she was six or seven years old. She's only ever wanted him. She cried after the first time she visited the Greyson farm. She wanted to stay by his side and she hasn't looked back since that day.

So when Charlotte Ericsson joined their school, it broke her. He left my sister without looking back.

She tried everything to get his attention, but he was long gone. He belonged to Charlotte Ericsson and she belonged to him.

I thought a girl with Ericsson's background would seek acceptance from everyone else because her parents refused to accept her. However, that was never the case. Someone with her background was supposed to be a plaything for men. She was supposed to let them use her so she could momentarily feel like they would give her the love her parents never gave her.

But that's never been the case with her.

She has the confidence of a thousand men. I think it's because Greyson got to her at such a young age. I truly believe that if he hadn't accepted her and treated her like a person, she would have been in some dark smelly apartment right now sleeping with a w***e of a man, trying to get the love her parents never gave her.

I've spent months sending the most handsome, smartest and wealthiest men her way and that girl wouldn't even let them touch her. Anyone who tried touching her, ended up with a broken nose or with red puffy eyes that got pepper sprayed. She also can't be drugged. She's so f*****g careful that it's infuriating. Who the f**k is that suspicious of people?

"We should try to have our kids be the same age." She beamed with excitement. "That way they'll be best friends!"

"Deal!" I wrapped my pinky finger around hers.

"Deal!" She repeated.