Chapter 5
1169 Words
Sisterly Reunion.
Getting audience with Martha Winters wasn't that difficult. All Melinda had to do was call Martha's office and pretend to be a financier under a different name.
After all, Maron was looking to take hold in United States of America so Martha was in the mood to meet with people who had the money to invest.
Since there was no secretary, Melinda went straight into the office. And there was her sister in flesh and blood. The same one she had forced Donald to cast out of the house like a used rag.
But she looked so much different now. Sitting behind the big table and in the midst of the decor. Melinda had the feeling that her sister was going to be a powerful competitor soon. And she was the only one who could put a stop to that.
Martha looked up, expecting to see someone she had never met before. Instead, she stared at Melinda. Her sister.
Martha smiled, and shook her head from side to side.
Melinda walked close to the table and they stared at each other for a full minute.
"Still, you haven't changed. Your tricks still stick with you even after all these years."
"Why have you come back here, Martha?" Melinda demanded.
"Oh, I got the letter and I had to leave Canada. Can't blame me."
"You still hold grudges, don't you?"
"Which you put inside of me. And I am glad that you did." Martha sat down and crossed one leg over the other.
"What are you talking about?"
"You made Donald file that divorce, Melinda. Don't think I haven't found out what you did. But you aren't my focus right now."
"Donald is, right?"
Martha just smiled. "If you aren't interested in being a financier, kindly leave my office."
"This is a dangerous game you're playing, Martha. And you might get yourself hurt."
"Not anymore. Right now, I have no feelings whatsoever."
"You don't know the people you're dealing with"
"And you do? Allow me to be the judge of that. Leave. Now."
Melinda put both hands on the table. "As your sister, I am going to ask you to stop whatever it is you plan on doing."
Martha smiled. She wasn't going to listen to Melinda. And she kept silent until the fake financier left.
***
Martha didn't stop at all. She made sure she got in the way of Blackwood Industries at every opportunity she could find.
Back in Canada, her bosses were happy that she was maneuvering deals to Maron, even though they had planned on going with Blackwood. And so, she got all the support that she needed.
All these were possible because of Frank Carter. The man never failed to deliver. And Martha started to have second thoughts about making him just expendable.
"Are you sure Donald isn't suspecting anything yet?" she asked when they met at a bar one evening.
"Not really."
Martha looked at him. "What do you mean by not really?"
"Well, he knows I'm meeting with someone, but he doesn't know it's you yet."
"That's scary. He can't find out. What did you tell him?"
"That I was meeting with a lady and it has nothing to do with business."
She saw the glint in his eye and Martha wasn't sure if the man was getting interested in her or not. Well, that was one thing she would make sure to quell.
She was not Marthailable for any man. But something told her that wasn't going to last for long.
The way she had looked at Donald that night at the ceremony, something fluttered in her tummy. He had grown some muscles and it even made him more attractive. Seeing him with her sister just made the jealousy hit harder.
Martha was going to make his life miserable, she shouldn't allow seduction into her head.
"All right, then. Keep telling him that."
"Anyway, there's another reason why I wanted us to meet," Frank announced. "Something you should be aware of."
"What's that?"
"There is some secrecy surrounding the reason why you even got married to my boss in the first place."
"Meaning?"
"Well, it just doesn't make sense to me. Why get married to you under such circumstances, then get your divorced after months of your marriage?"
"I would not call that a marriage, Frank."
"Fine. All I am saying is that your sister must have had a reason to drug you."
"Well, you were the one with her. Why don't you tell me?"
"I can't because I don't know."
"Then find out and stop making insinuations that holds no water. Gotta go."
It wasn't before Frank pieced the pieces together and found out the truth. After all, he had been a bodyguard for long. It was a shocking one and he knew that Martha would be shocked and devastated. At least, she'd trust him more because he was the only one that she could trust.
They met at the same venue two days later.
"Have you found it out?" Martha asked.
"I have."
"Spit it out."
"What I am about to tell you can be... hurtful, Martha," he ventured.
"I can handle it," Martha assured him.
He sighed. "So the death of your father was planned after all."
That took a while to settle in. It had been long since the issue of her father came up. And Frank Carter was the one bringing it up. Even Melinda avoided talking about him.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You remember Vincent Blackwood, don't you?"
"I do."
"He had dealings with your father. Strictly business, until it went wrong."
"What went wrong?" Martha wanted to know.
"Vincent mismanaged Blackwood shares and the company was close to going bankrupt. I guess it was hatred because he wasn't happy when he found out that Donald was the one inheriting Blackwood Industries, not him.
"So he reached out to your father, who was the head of a conglomerate so that he could sell the shares and save the company. Donald wasn't even aware of this.
"Your father refused and suddenly died, some days later. Then you got married to Donald when you were at your lowest. These are pieces I pierced together and found out that your father might have known about Vincent's dealings and was silenced to keep the secret."
Martha covered her mouth with both hands.
"Then, Vincent met with Melinda and made her drug you. It was easy then. Donald slept with you and Vincent forced him to marry you. Martha, the moment you signed that nuptial agreement, you transferred your father's shares to Vincent's name, thereby saving Blackwood Industries."
"No, that's impossible."
Vincent handed her a document. "Everything is in there. You were next of kin. Then you lost everything. I'm sorry this happened."
Martha could not believe what she was hearing. But the proof was right there and everything suddenly seemed to make more sense.
Her father was murdered by Blackwood, and they were living off her inheritance!
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