Real Love 5 (Love the One You're With) Read online

  “Or what, Kevin? What the hell are you gonna do? Have you forgotten who my daddy is? You mess with me and I’ll have you mopping floors at McDonald’s.” Shiloh sucked her teeth so hard Kevin swore she’d broken a few. “I don’t want you to assume that you’re worth the dust that I walk on. When I resign, it will be because I’m going back to Dubai to marry the man my father placed in charge of a multi-billion-dollar project…not because you told me to…”

  “Earth to Kevin,” Sam said, tapping the wooden surface in front of Kevin. “Brier and Sydney should be walking through those doors any minute. At least look as if you’re interested in the meeting.”

  “We are all partners and have all invested our expertise,” Kevin said. “Why are you acting like you’re afraid of them?”

  “It is because of them we were even considered to share in the partnership,” Sam said in his defense. “They own a greater percentage of the company than we do. That makes their decisions and their cash flow all the more powerful. And remember, it has only been eighteen months since we were accepted into full partnership. Before then we were non-equity partners, excused from contributing capital into the company and no say at the partnership table. So I think Brier and Sydney deserve a little more respect.”

  Kevin scoffed and then spat beneath his breath, “In a few years, my goal is to buy them out anyway.”

  Sam was surprised to hear Kevin say such a thing, because he’d always assumed that as a young, black man, Kevin was satisfied with the lofty status his current position had afforded him. He hadn’t any idea that Kevin had a hidden greed for power.

  “And how are you planning to do that, dude?” he questioned. “The worth of your shares are insignificant in comparison to those of Brier and Sydney. Your offer has to be firm and incredibly irresistible to even be taken seriously.”

  Kevin grew silent as he reminisced on the ultimatum that Shiloh had presented two weeks ago at Hunter’s jewelry showcase:

  “Quite frankly, Kevin,” she’d said in that priggish tone. “I need to eliminate my competition. The Hunter Rose collection is hampering the markets that I’m trying to penetrate with my own unique designs. So, I’ll make you an offer that would be stupid for you to resist.”

  “I’m not interested in anything you’re offering.”

  “Of course you are, or I won’t hesitate to sabotage this little love fest you’ve got going on with Ms. Rose. You know I have the power to make your life a living hell.”

  Kevin wanted to wrap his hands around Shiloh’s puny neck and squeeze the life out of her, but he didn’t want to ruin Hunter’s showcase by causing a scene.

  “I see that you’re back to your old tricks again,” he said, a fake smile plastered on his face.

  “I never abandoned them,” Shiloh retorted, using a hand to press gently against Kevin’s chest. “But my offer is quite simple. Convince Hunter to let my company acquire control of her operations or at the very least, create a horizontal merger of what we both can bring to the table. That way we’ll both gain a larger market share, offering our brand-loyal consumers and distributors a wider and more reasonable selection.”

  “Hunter is a very intelligent woman,” Kevin said. “And she will see right through this deceptive sham of yours.”

  Shiloh laughed. “That is the reason why I’m using you to do my dirty work. And did I mention that you will be handsomely compensated for it? How does twenty million dollars sound? That is enough money to buy all of the shares from Brier, Sydney and Sam, making you the sole owner of that accounting firm. I’ve helped you accomplish your dreams before and I can do it again. I will even tell my father to throw in an extra five mil for good measure. The Hunter Rose collection should be mine and I’m hoping you will agree…”

  Kevin’s gaze settled to his right, as Brier and Sydney took their seats at the mahogany table, looking as proud as two peacocks. They offered Kevin a smile, but Kevin allowed his gaze to linger long enough to determine if their smiles were truly genuine. What if there was some truth to what Shiloh had told him years before... that all of his hard work and sacrifice was not the reason behind his promotion, but the shenanigans of an evil witch who was hell bent on getting her way.

  Now she was offering him twenty-five million dollars to fulfill a long held dream he’d never shared with anyone, except for Sam, of course. Asking Hunter to marry him may have been an irrational move.

  Chapter Three

  Sunday Morning

  The hall that was being used to temporarily host the congregation of El Shaddai Ministries was full to its capacity. A space created to accommodate two hundred people, but it looked as if there were at least an additional hundred, who stood alongside the walls, eventually filling the aisle toward the rear of the building. They didn’t mind the sweltering heat nor the moisture that had soaked through their Sunday outfits. They were too engrossed in what Pastor Drake Beckford had to say.

  With Drake now at the helm of power, El Shaddai was quickly becoming one of the fastest growing churches on the island. It was expected that Drake would succeed Rev. Henderson. He had been a faithful protégé and had developed into a spiritual giant, capable of addressing the tough issues. But Drake now moved on his own merit. He showed genuine concern for the people, constantly reassuring them with words of hope for a brighter future.

  The fire that had practically destroyed their sanctuary in recent months was just a mere bump in the road, because Drake promised to rebuild a much bigger and more glorious sanctuary that would host a fifteen-hundred-seat auditorium, along with administration offices and boardrooms. And although they were looking at about two million dollars to erect such a vision, Drake painted a picture that resonated deeply with the people: As long as their plans were placed into the caring hands of the Lord, nothing was too hard for them to accomplish. Certainly, an inspiring message to comfort a church that seemed to be under constant attack of the enemy.

  However, not everyone was on board with Drake’s enthusiasm or possessed the abundant expression of his faith. Sasha, for one, Drake’s wife of less than a year was having a real challenge just trying to sit still in the sweltering heat. Not to mention that this was already her second service of the morning and she would be staying behind for a third. Sasha felt as if she were losing her sanity and it would only be a matter of time before she snapped.

  Where in the world was her husband going to find two million dollars to build a brand new church? Such an exaggerated dream in a time when the economy seemed to be undergoing a prolonged recession. Many of the people were not well enough endowed financially to give beyond their tithes and offering. The eleven thousand dollars they collected each month was now geared toward a fundraising drive, but when half of the proceeds covered administrative salaries, the high rental fees of the hall, the utility expenses and other miscellaneous overhead, it made Drake’s vision for a ‘majestic’ future seem implausible.

  Drake had failed to mention this elaborate part of his vision to Sasha. Maybe because he knew that she would have stopped him from giving false hope to the people. She cut her eyes away from him as she could feel the tautness in her forehead. Talk about a severe migraine. She would soon have to excuse herself in search of a bottle of painkillers. Moreover, she’d looked away because she did not need any senseless chatter to start about her not supporting her husband.

  “Jeremiah 29:11,” Drake announced with a lively tone. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord. Thoughts of peace and not of evil. To give you a future and a hope! Hallelujah, church! What a wonderful reminder that God is concerned about us and has not left us alone to fend for ourselves. I join in the sentiment of the words of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. ‘We shall overcome. We shall overcome. Deep in my heart I do believe we shall overcome someday. And I believe it because somehow ‘the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice’.”

  Drake paused as the congregation greeted his words with a standing ovation. “Our
sanctuary may have been destroyed by uncaring men,” he continued. “Arsonists, if you will. But on last week we celebrated the Devin’s Cay Police Department for a job well done in apprehending those guilty of such crime. Justice has been delivered to the saints. And although I am saddened by the outcome for our dear brother, Elder John Dewey, I am grateful that our safety has once again been restored. We can now look ahead with joy, knowing that our future will be a glorious one!”

  Lewis had gotten to the hall early enough and managed to find a seat in the middle section, which seemed to be the hottest spot in the entire building. His crisp white shirt was soaked in sweat, but like the rest of the congregation, he was enamored with Drake’s ability to rally to the challenges that the church was presently facing. He was an exceptionally bright young man, who displayed a firm handling of his responsibilities. Well, Lewis thought to himself, all your financial troubles are about to come to an end, my dear brother. Your mentor made certain of that.

  As soon as the crowd began to disperse through the exit, Lewis pushed his way to the front for an audience with Drake and his wife. It was the first time he’d seen Drake up close and he could understand why he’d found favor with the people. Not only was he a good looking man, but he was approachable and friendly in his mannerisms. A genuine look of concern was in his eyes and it comforted Lewis to know that Rev. Henderson had made the right choice when he chose Drake as his successor.

  “I thoroughly enjoyed your speech,” Lewis said, extending his hand for a handshake. “I’ve been hearing a lot about you and I had to come see for myself.”

  Drake offered a smile, accepting Lewis’ handshake. “I don’t know if I should thank you or be concerned.”

  “Mark my words, both you and your lovely wife will be thanking me for showing up here today. My name is Lewis Jackson, Rev. Henderson’s lawyer for over twenty-five years, right up to the time of his untimely demise. I’m requesting a few minutes of your time.”

  Drake glanced at his wife, catching the glare in her eyes. It was obvious her patience had waned and she cared not for a meeting with anyone. She wanted to rest and possibly take a cold shower before the next service began within the hour – that was in addition to her finding a solution to ease her splitting headache.

  “Would it be okay if I met with you alone?” Drake questioned. “I don’t want my wife to endure this heat any longer than she has to.”

  “I don’t have a problem with that,” Lewis said. “But I can promise you, Mr. Beckford, you will probably need your wife for emotional support when I’m done giving you this news.”

  “It’s okay, Drake,” Sasha chimed in after a brief pause. “I’ll join you in the meeting. I don’t have that much time to rest anyway.”

  “Do you have somewhere private where we can talk?” Lewis asked.

  “Certainly…please follow me.”

  Drake led the way to a side entrance toward a small quadrangle. Three decrepit wooden benches and a table were positioned in the center of it. However, the three were more eager to stand than to risk sitting and falling to the ground.

  Sasha gestured to Lewis with her hands open before her. “You have our attention, Mr. Jackson. What is this ‘news’ that requires me to be here?”

  Lewis looked back and forth between Drake and his wife. “You don’t have the slightest idea, do you?”

  “Of what?” Sasha questioned.

  “Of how much Rev. Henderson really loved your husband,” Lewis said, parking his gaze on Drake. “Before his death, he ensured that you and the church would be properly cared for in his absence.”

  “That is comforting to know,” Drake said. “I had intended to inquire of Rev. Henderson’s contingency plan, but I never got around to it. You may have heard of the recent fire at the sanctuary, which almost ruined the entire building. I was in the hospital for two weeks, recovering from first and second degree burns. Ever since then, my wife and I have been preoccupied with trying to keep the church afloat.”

  “I may not be aware of the trials you and your wife have endured, Mr. Beckford. But it gives me great pleasure to announce that your financial woes are about to come to an end…”

  Drake gave Lewis a look of expectation, not really knowing what he was about to hear. He watched Lewis pull out a white envelope from his pants pocket.

  “This document that I’m holding in my hand,” Lewis said. “Is Rev. Henderson’s last will and testament and it outlines his final wishes. Here on the island, it takes about forty-five days for the average will to be probated by the court, so this prevented me from getting to you before then.” Lewis began reading from the document, despite knowing the information by heart. “It says here in article four:

  “I devise, bequeath, and give all of the rest and remainder of my tangible personal property and policies and proceeds of insurance, along with all royalties and dividends, to my son, Drake Beckford, as follows…”

  Lewis raised his head after listing every documented asset and the lucrative returns of Rev. Henderson’s investments. “What this means, Mr. Beckford, is you have inherited the sum of 3.9 million dollars and change. But in addition to this, because Rev. Henderson spent his early years investing in dividend growth stocks. This created a rewarding payout in terms of his quarterly dividends in excess of some thirty-one thousand dollars every three months, now payable to you, Mr. Beckford for rest of your life, or as long as the health of the investment stands.”

  Sasha stared at Lewis as if he’d lost his mind. “Is any of this real?”

  Lewis laughed. “It looks as if you’re the one who needs emotional support. Of course, it’s real. I will need proper identification and your husband’s signature to show that I’ve legally followed the instructions of my client.”

  The shock value had Sasha’s heart beating at the bottom of her feet. “So you’re telling me that my husband is a millionaire? I had no idea that Rev. Henderson had all of this money...or that he had a will.”

  “Unbelievable, isn’t it, how quickly one’s life can change for the better?” Lewis said, loving the effect the news was having on this young couple. “And did I mention that Mr. Beckford also inherits the houses and the cars?”

  Sasha shook her head. “I am in total shock right now… I don’t know whether to scream or to cry or to run…this is ridiculous.”

  She turned to embrace her husband, but he gripped her before she got the chance, squeezing her so tight that Sasha felt as if her breath was leaving her. Drake broke down and sobbed like a baby. His mind conjured up all of the stress that he and Sasha had gone through in the past nine months. The uncertainties of the future, the uncertainties of their marriage, almost losing his life in a fire—all of it came crashing down on him with one realization: God never abandons His children.

  Sasha sat her husband on the rickety bench, moved in next to him and allowed his head to fall upon the softness of her bosom. She could feel his warm tears cascading down her neck, his body jerking from his cries. Soon Sasha was swiping at her own tears. She felt her husband’s burdens being lifted from his life. She knew in that moment their lives were changed forever.

  Lewis rested the white envelope next to Sasha, but before he walked away, he offered these parting words, “Again, congratulations to you both. I don’t know of anyone more deserving of this blessing. However, I see that you are overwhelmed by the news, so I will give you some time to digest it. I will call you when I get back to my office.”

  You never lose by loving. You always lose by holding back.

  Barbara De Angelis

  Chapter Four

  Today Hunter was on site at her main jewelry boutique in the downtown area, which had undergone a massive expansion. In another month, she would open the doors to the new space, which would showcase a larger selection of her designs. It would also house a runway for models, who would display her pieces in front of the media houses, virtual distributors and brick-and-mortar chains who were on the fence about including the Hunter Rose coll
ection in their catalogues. But even if Hunter didn’t penetrate some of the markets she was going after, she would be content with what she had already accomplished. She had established herself as a trusted brand.

  However, there was one jewelry designer to which Hunter was starting to pay attention. Shiloh Bethune, that flirtatious feline who’d tried to seduce Kevin right beneath her nose. Hunter still wasn’t completely over that scene, but ever since she had accepted Kevin’s marriage proposal, Hunter was doing her best to stay positive. It would do no good conjuring up scenarios to stress her unnecessarily. She had a business to run. That thought caused Hunter to reach over onto her desk for a magazine that had Kevin’s face on it.

  She studied his features and was reminded of how attractive Kevin truly was. His ruddy complexion illuminated the glossy cover, right beneath the bold heading, Exquisite Jewelry Designs by Hunter Rose. New Men’s Collection coming this fall. She then studied the oval-shaped pendant that hung perfectly from Kevin’s neck. The photo elicited a smile from Hunter, especially the way Kevin had pulled his lips into a lopsided smirk. He just knew that he was a beautiful man. That prompted her to think of his upcoming photo shoot and the thought occurred that maybe he needed reminding too. So she reached for her cell phone to call him.

  “Hello, handsome,” she greeted. “You have a few minutes to spare?”

  “Hunter,” Kevin called out in a loving sort of way. “I would give you the world if I could. So what is a few measly minutes?”

  “You know just how to win a girl’s heart.”

  “Well then, I rest my case. Talk to me, baby.”

  Hunter suddenly felt all tingly inside over the affection that Kevin so naturally displayed. The man was just too good to be true. “Your photo shoot is this Saturday at ten o’clock in the morning,” she said. “I’m simply calling to remind you.”