Wealth (free and completed)

Chapter 10 - Unease, Tremors

Janus

I wondered if it was a mistake bringing Valerie to the office to meet Andrew. They seemed to have clicked immediately, having fun navigating the hallways together. At first, I followed them with a pleased grin. It was almost like I was surveying my handiwork.

Valerie deserved to have fun outside Briar Hill from time to time, even if it meant wheeling herself in an office space with an attentive suitor. Her grateful smile at being part of something, aside from the gloomy hallways of the mansion, made it all worth it. She should be happy with the office. It was the opposite of Briar Hill’s minimalist but bright look. I knew that she would find the art stimulating.

However, I did not know what to expect between Val and Andrew. Perhaps I thought the two would talk a little and then realize they had nothing in common. Valerie, despite not being able to walk, was a strong personality. Anyone could feel her energy as soon as she entered any room. People’s eyes were drawn to her. It was the case at Tristan James Designs. The moment she entered, the company’s employees turned towards where she was.

It was not the wheelchair. The glow on her face and her almost-white hair were the ones they noticed first. Unfortunately, I also saw what she meant about people going “Oh” whenever they realized she moved around in a wheelchair.

Yet, you could not deny that she had charisma just like her late mother, the film star Laura Foyle.

Then, there was Andrew. He was a nice, hardworking guy. He was handsome, in a way that young women's parents trusted. He was a guy a father would trust his daughter to go on a date with. He had the face that suggested he knew when no meant no. In this case, I was the father figure, and I felt like I could trust Andrew – but I could not trust myself.

After a couple of hours, the two were still bonding. Did Andrew forget that he needed to work? Then again, I brought Val here. What was she supposed the rest of the time? He probably thought he was meant to entertain her.

I went to look for them. As expected, Valerie wheeled herself with no help from Andrew. He watched her almost adoringly. At that moment, I felt sick to my stomach. I felt my cheeks get heated. I had to call Andrew.

Meeting my expectations, he led Valerie to his cubicle. Then, he anxiously met me in my office.

“Yes, sir?” his voice wavered a little. Suddenly, I felt sorry for him. What was it that I needed from him, anyway?

“Oh, it’s nothing much, Andrew. The design looks great but feels a little incomplete. Look at this flap over here. What is that for? Do you mean to take it further to make it an extra pocket, or is it a design thing?”

“I – I was going for a design thing.”

“It’s not entirely bad, Andrew. If there is an extra flap, there should be some use for it. We are doing SangFord. SangFord is about affordable designs that make sense. So, nothing is added to it that does not contribute to the overall use. After all, we are targeting young professionals and middle-class moms.”

“I understand, sir.”

“It’s okay. You have been churning out exquisite designs. I just have a thing for utility. When Chanel introduced the double flap over the single flap, it made sense because it was needed to keep the bag’s structure intact. The material was also softer. Even though Chanel means luxury, it still tries to keep its designs reasonable.”

I saw that Andrew turned pale when I said “reasonable.”

“Hey, Andrew. I’m not saying that your designs are not reasonable. The extra flap looks excellent on the side of the bag, but it may not work with our budget. It does not offer anything extra, but it will cost extra.”

“I will take note of it, sir.”

“You can do it tomorrow, you know. I am keeping you from your date for too long.”

“It’s not that long, sir. I was expecting a whole design overhaul meeting with you. I kind of suspected this was the issue. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

My chest felt heavy at that moment, torn between wanting to keep him here and away from Val and sending him off because he looked so miserable at the moment. I wondered how I could ever navigate being a boss further. I wanted to be fair, but my situation was not fair.

***

“So, how was it? How was Andrew?” I asked as I drove home with Valerie.

“He’s a nice guy,” she said, smiling. I did not know why, but I felt like that smile never fully reached her eyes. There was something on her mind.

After a while, she talked about him with more enthusiasm that I felt I must have imagined the last flicker I saw in her eyes. Of course, I would like to think something was wrong. I felt guilty. I would make it up to both of them. After all, Andrew seemed eager to visit Val at Briar Hill. The weekends would be the best. It would be curious to see the reactions of the rest of the siblings. It did not seem like they expected Val to go out with anyone. They were content with leaving her in the mansion, like a damsel in distress that she had never been.

“Andrew’s nice,” I had agreed.

“So, he was not in trouble earlier?” she asked. “I don’t want him to get in trouble because of me.”

“Why because of you?”

“Well, I was probably keeping away from work,” Val guessed. Her eyes had that faraway look again. I could feel that something was bothering her. I was more certain.

“No. It’s not that. He just has some stuff to fix, but he is a good designer overall,” I said sincerely.

“How well does he know about me?” she asked. It was hard to say what she felt, but she tried to keep her voice emotionless. It meant she was trying to hide something.

“I don’t know, really,” I sighed. “Just as much as everyone who’s read about the Sangsters, I guess.”

“They don’t really know much beyond the public facts. Dad was pretty private. He made sure that very few things from the house got out. Of course, people knew about my mom,” she trailed off.

“Your mom,” I murmured, remembering how I had wondered if my dad had an affair with Val’s mom.

“Yeah, you know. Don’t you? That she’s Laura Foyle?” she asked, her brows furrowed as if she was trying to remember if we had talked about it before. Even I was no longer sure. I knew that knowing about her mother had opened a possible can of worms.

“Yes. I’ve read about her, of course. I tried to find out as much as I could about your – our family.”

We had arrived. The camera whirred to face the car, a red light blinking. Then, the gate opened automatically. Randall said it was a relatively recent addition, about two years after dad’s adopted children arrived at Briar Hill. It was pretty convenient, especially since the butler was getting older.

Before I drove forward, I spied how Valerie flinched at my error. She knew that I still did not feel like a family member. I was surprised when her hand reached for mine.

“Janus, why does it feel like you are trying to get rid of me?” she asked.

“W-what? Why would you feel that way?”

“It was just a feeling. I’m sorry if I got it all wrong. You planned to have Andrew come over during the weekend. Isn’t that when you usually hang out with me, especially if Rafael is not there?”

It was true. I had become used to spending time with Valerie during the weekends. Sometimes, it was a movie in the den, a stroll in the garden, or even some quiet time reading in the library. I had not been at Briar Hill for long, but I knew what she meant. We had settled into a routine. The routine was not even that old, only a few weeks, and I was already pushing her towards someone else.

“No, of course not. Andrew will not be here every weekend, anyway. Or,” I tried to take on a teasing tone, which was just not like me. “is he planning to visit that frequently?”

“What if I say I am not ready to date anyone, Janus? Would you let me have that option?” she asked, her eyes wide and earnest.

I could feel the warmth of her palm on my right hand. I had to untangle it from hers so that I could drive. At least, that was what I told myself. She was startled at the sudden movement. I drove along the long path towards the mansion's garage, which was actually a small, one-story building on its own to the left of the mansion. It could accommodate up to forty vehicles, according to Joseph. Joseph had two, but the other siblings had one each. Rafael also had a fancy motorbike, and, of course, Valerie had to depend on any one of us to get around. All in all, it was pretty tame for young billionaires, but I guessed they had their own vices.

Joseph seemed to be the most hardworking. He dated different women, two of whom were more frequently seen at the mansion. I did not know if I could call that a vice, but I guessed it was. Rafael and Emilie, however, seemed to have gone on the darker edge. I could tell it from Emilie’s constantly glazed eyes and Rafael’s pale and gaunt look. Generally, we kept the peace. The only thing I was not happy about was that the investigation had stalled. Detective Shawna Williams implied that we would find out more from the inside. She suspected that it was one of us. They could not point at me because I was not here at the mansion during the murder. Meanwhile, Valerie would not have been able to do it.

After successfully parking, I finally faced Valerie. She had been watching me for the longest while.

“Okay. But I believe you like Andrew. Don’t you? What’s so terrible about exploring?”

“I -,” she stopped. Then, she looked at me again and then closed her mouth.

She wanted to tell me something, but what was it? I was right. Something was stopping her from thoroughly enjoying her time with Andrew.

“Okay. I’m sorry for taking over like a dad,” I said.

“Do you need to be my father figure, Janus? I have been okay for the past twenty-four years,” her voice was hoarse.

“I will back off, Val. I’m sorry.”

“But I don’t want you to back off,” she said.

She reached for my hand again. This time, it was not just a touch, but a grip.

“W-what?” I asked.

We looked into each other’s eyes. Then, I saw something there that I had feared all along. It was an attraction, one that I was not sure was mutual. Yet, her usually bright blue eyes looked stormy with desire.

It was mutual. Was it? Whatever it was, our lips met. My eyes suddenly closed as I felt the softness give in to me, as she opened her mouth to welcome my tongue into a deep kiss. She reached out for my neck, pulling me closer to her. It was a good – bad? – thing that I still had a semblance of control. I held her shoulders firmly and broke off from the kiss.

“This is wrong, Val,” I said.

The hurt in her eyes was palpable.