Calvin
He’d arrived at the office to find Wil had gone, off out of town without him, and he didn’t know anything about what he was doing. The man was his company’s head lawyer, so he should always know what he was doing. Calvin had been away himself on a fact–finding mission about that company he thought was dummied up, and it had beeh.
He had confronted those that were trying to dupe him into matching a price from another organisation, that just didn’t exist at all. He had walked into that office and smiled at them and stated he’d come in person to show his genuine interest in them and their company.
They’d been happy to hear it until he’d dropped the evidence of their deceit on the table and informed them he’d not be making any dealings with them at all. That he had forwarded all the evidence on to his lawyers and to every other company he knew out there that might be willing to buy them out. So they also knew that they were just scum and liars out to make a buck, and weren’t worth their word.
Then he’d turned and walked out, refusing to hear them out even when they dropped the price right down to below his very first offer. He was no longer interested in buying their company, not even to pull it apart and sell it off, and he certainly didn’t want people like that as part of his company at all.
He’d arrived home a day ahead of his own schedule, and put a call into Wil to see just where he was. Calvin couldn’t see any business meetings on the schedule that needed Wil’s attention. Mostly, Wil dealt directly with the things Calvin was involved in and the lawyers below Wil dealt with all other company and employee business.
The man’s phone was switched off, Now that was unusual for Wil. He never turned his phone off unless he was in court, not even when on vacation, and they usually travelled together all the time. The only reason Wil hadn’t gone with him was because he’d had court to attend already, so he couldn’t. But now, no Wil and no contact with Wil; that was not normal.
He only thought about it for a minute, and put a call in to Anabell. She would definitely know his schedule. He got her message bank “Hi, it’s Anabell Jameson, leave a message I’m in a meeting or a courtroom. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.” He clicked the line closed without leaving a message. It would read Calvin in the missed called log.
lawyer.
It was midweek, and she was likely in her office in a meeting or in a courtroom. She was a divorce
Calvin sighed as he stood in his office, then just turned and walked down to Wil’s office to ask his secretary. Janine smiled up at him as he approached her desk, “Mr Reeves, howe
I help you?” she asked.
“I can’t reach Wil?” he stated simply.
“Ah, yes. He’s out of the office on personal business for the day. Said he’d be back in the office tomorrow
morning”
“Where did he go?” Calvin asked her. He’d talked to Wil only yesterday afternoon. The man hadn’t mentioned that he was taking the day off, or going anywhere. It was odd behaviour to say the least.
“I did not ask, he said it was personal,” Janine told him simply.
“Did you book him a flight out of state?” Calvin asked, now trying to determine if Wil was still in Texas or not.
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13
CH 60
“No, if he left the state or flew anywhere, he organised it himself. I couldn’t tell you, Mr Reeves.” She answered
him.
“Right, when you see him or if he calls, tell Wil that I’m looking for him, his phone was off.” He murmured and
turned to walk away.
Calvin huffed as he got in the elevator. He’d found Wil to be preoccupied a lot over the past few weeks. He’d declined four dinners, two of them because he and Anabell had plans. That was fine, and two because he’d stated he’d had a long day in court and was tired. Something was going on. He was certain of it.
Normally, Wil would come out and have dinner or a drink with him, even if he was tired. Anabell had seen Calvin only twice since the incident with Marilyn, and she’d glared at him both times. That first one she’d grated out, “I can’t believe you would do that to her, what the hell is wrong with you?” and Wil had snagged her and pulled her away from him; that had been when Marilyn was still in the hospital.
Then, just two weeks ago, she’d seen him with Wil, leaving the head office and stated, “Wil, we’re not having dinner with Calvin, I’m not ready for that, he might just get a beating from me still.”
Wil had been caught between a rock and a hard place and Calvin had stated “Anabell, I have apologised, the charges were all dropped.” Trying to placate her himself.
“I don’t think you understand the ramifications.” She’d shot right back at him, and Wil had hurried over to her and shaken his head at her and told her to stop it, it was enough.
Calvin had never seen them argue in public before, never really seen them fight at all, bicker over small things but not get angry like she was now, and he didn’t want to be the reason why they would fight. “Go.” He’d told Wil. “I’ll eat at home.” And he’d done just that returned to his empty apartment, there was nothing more he
could do.
He was not going to come between his best friend and the man’s wife. It had been hard to watch them be so happy after losing Marrin and to be there when they’d gotten married, stand next to Wil as his best man and smile. It was still hard to see just how happy they were with each other at times. Annoyed him greatly, and he knew it was because he’d screwed up his own life. He could have had what they had, if only he’d listened to Wil in the first place.
Calvin let his memories go and headed for his favourite bar, sat down and ordered a drink, swirled the liquid In the glass, his phone in his other hand, as he typed in Marilyn Riddley author into the search bar. There was no new news about her, just what he’d previously read. She’d gone back to her very quiet, unassuming life where no one seemed to know anything about her at all.
He got a message from Anabell “What did you want Calvin? was all it read.
‘Looking for Wil: He typed back.
‘Out of town on personal business, he’ll be back in the office tomorrow.‘ She replied to him.
Thank you.” he sent back and put his phone down to sip his drink. He always tried to be polite with Anabell, trying, and he knew it to win her over once again. She’d liked him prior to all of this, and now she was annoyed and distant with him all the time.
He sat and drank his drink little by little as he accessed his emails. He might as well get a heads–up on his schedule for tomorrow and see what was needed of him. A body sat down in the chair next to him sometime later, and he looked to see it was Wil. “Where have you been? Calvin asked him and turned his eyes back to
CH 60
his phone.
“Nice to see you to Calvin,” Wil stated, and ordered his favourite beer. “To answer your question, I’ve been in mediation with Liam Stevens and Marilyn Riddley”
That drew his attention right back to Wil. “What?” he asked.
“Mm, you can’t be there, so I went on my own and, no, I didn’t tell you because… well, you know the reason why.” Wil stated flatly and nodded his thanks to the bar tender as his beer was put in front of him.
“And?” Calvin asked, wanting to know what it had been about..
“And all her casts are off, she’s not allowed to drive at all, for six to twelve months part of her recovery restrictions due to still having dizzy spells. I saw her get dizzy myself and her lawyer too.” Wil sighed. “From my understanding, she is having to pay for a driver, or call a cab to go everywhere. Even getting her children.
to and from school.” He shook his head.
Calvin sighed heavily himself. “Did you tell them I’ll pay for that?” he murmured. He hated knowing she might
not ever recover from that fall properly.
“Of course I did. Liam even agreed to send me her latest neurological report, as well as the restrictions that are placed on her, and what constraints are affecting her day–to–day life, so it can all be accounted for,” Wil
nodded.
“You actually saw Marilyn?” he asked curiously. “Where, in New York or Virginia?”
“Does it matter, Calvin, and yes I asked that she be present, so I could speak with her myself.” Wil answered
him
“I guess not at this point in time.” He murmured. He wasn’t allowed to go near the woman, kind of didn’t want to either at the moment, see her injured and know it was all his fault. That weighed on him in more ways than one, kind of kept him in line and away from her. “You could have told me Wil.” He stated, “I would have
handled it fine.”
Though a part of him doubted himself even as he heard Wil speak, because as much as he didn’t want to look at her injured, another part of him was also annoyed that he’d not gotten to be there himself. Understood he couldn’t be with that restraining order, but a part of him wanted to be, and he knew it. The woman conflicted him completely.
Maybe it really was just best if Wil dealt with everything to do with her. He’d likely have yelled at her or lost it even, because he was unhappy about the fact that Marilyn, had just up and vanished away from him, when he was just trying to do the right thing for her. It was just like what Marrin had done to him. She’d moved in the shadows and not told him anything at all, and for what? Just to get away from him and nothing more, they had some of the same tendencies were alike even if they didn’t know each other.
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