Chapter 397 – Beginning with a Daring Encounter

“I need to wash my hands,” she excused herself, and Lucas watched as she walked into the bedroom. He heard the sound of running water a moment later.

Once she returned, she smiled at him as she sat, “Why haven’t you started eating yet? Scared I put something in the food?” She asked as she served some quantity of the oatmeal into a white china bowl and added milk, sugar, and what he suspected to be cinnamon flavor before adding some diced fruit.

“After you warned me about being too trusting, I figured I should be less trusting,” Lucas said, and she giggled.

For some reason, Lucas found himself smiling as he watched her laugh. As annoying as she was, she was charming.

“You have no reason to fear. I mean you no harm. I’m just a bored young lady trying to find little excitement in the short time I have left,” she said as she took a spoonful of oatmeal in her mouth and chewed softly.

The medical doctor in Lucas became activated, and concern crept into his eyes as he watched her with a frown, “Short time? Are you ill?”

“Yeah. It’s terminal. Don’t feel sorry for me. It’s not a big deal. People die all the time. I like to believe that I’ve lived a good life thus far,” she said flippantly as she continued to eat, “You should eat,” she said when Lucas just stared at her.

“What’s wrong with you? How long have you known about it?” Lucas asked, and she dropped her spoon with a sigh.

“Glioblastoma. I found out about it three weeks ago,” she said with an indifferent shrug, but looking at her eyes, Lucas could tell that she was still shaken by the news even though she was trying to sound brave.

Lucas swallowed, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” she said with a forced smile as she looked upward and blinked back the tears which had gathered in her eyes.

“How bad is it?”

“Eat. I doubt you ate before drinking last night. And please do not ask me any more questions about it,” she said as she picked up her spoon and resumed eating.

Harry whistled after Benne relayed everything Barry had just said to him, “That’s what you get when you go sticking your nose in other people’s business when you have a dirty business yourself,” Harry said, and Benne nodded.

“Who knows? Maybe if things had worked between you and Anita, she would have tried to have an affair with me,” Harry said, and Benne raised a brow.

“Well, she’s having an affair with one daughter’s husband, another daughter’s father-in-law. Who knows? Maybe she’s having an affair with the third daughter’s brother-in-law. So it makes sense that she might have wanted to have an affair with your hot best friend,” Harry said, and Benne laughed.

“Well, at least you’re single, and she’s single. Who knows? You both would probably have made a power couple, and you possibly would have fallen for her,” Benne said with a chuckle when Harry scowled at him.

“Yeah, and together we would have duped you of your money and murdered you!” Harry said, and Benne shuddered.

“Don’t joke with something like that,” he scolded, making Harry laugh.

“But do you really think it’s possible that she duped her own husband and killed him? It doesn’t make sense, does it?” Benne asked, and Harry shrugged.

“It doesn’t have to make sense. People do crazy things. And if there’s one thing we have learned about that family thus far, it’s the fact that they are all mentally unstable. I won’t put it past her,” Harry said, and Benne nodded.

“When did all of this happen, though?” Benne asked, and without waiting for Harry to respond, he picked up his phone and searched for Richard Miller on Google.

“He lost his wealth to a bad investment twelve years ago, and he died eight years ago. They were not divorced, just separated,” Harry summarized as he too checked it out on his phone.

“Does that mean she has been involved with her daughter’s father-in-law for over twelve years? That has got to be long before her daughter got married into that family, right? And no one has suspected a thing?” Benne asked in disbelief.

“What’s even more surprising is how they could both have consistently had an affair for that long. It doesn’t make any sense,” Harry said with a shake of his head.

“Unless of course, it is because they have something on each other, and maybe either of them doesn’t want to let go. I’ll place my money on Rebekah. I bet she wants to remain relevant by clinging to Bateman,” Benne suggested, and Harry nodded.

“That makes sense. And her son-in-law? Why get involved with her own daughter’s husband?” Harry asked, and Benne shrugged.

“As you said, people do crazy things. If even normal people can do crazy things, what do you expect from crazy people like them?”

“If normal people do crazy things, then it is expected that crazy people should do normal things. That’s the way it works in mathematics,” Harry said with a grin, and Benne chuckled at the joke.

“All we have to do now is expose all of this and then fire Anita after we are done,” Harry said with satisfaction.

“I thought you didn’t want me to fire her? Weren’t you the same person that said something about not mixing business with pleasure?” Benne reminded him dryly.

“That was until she started showing us just how demented she is. One of the qualifications to be a staff here is mental stability,” Harry said, and Benne laughed.

“So, as Co-CEO, you agree that she is not fit to be a staff here?” Benne asked, and Harry nodded.

“Hundred percent. Let’s fire her after exposing their family.”

“What do you think about getting a popular television host to feature Rebekah and her daughters in a show and exposing it all to them while the world is watching? I would love to make their fall even more colorful.”

“I think it’s perfect. They should have a taste of their own medicine.”

Seeing that she wasn’t going to say anything until he did as she wanted, Lucas pulled away from the table, “Can I use your restroom?” He asked, and she nodded as she pointed him in the direction of the bedroom.

Lucas left, and once inside the bathroom, he reached for the mouthwash he had hoped to find there, and after rinsing out his mouth, he washed his face before returning to join her.

She said nothing and just ate quietly as she watched him eat. After they had eaten in silence for some time, she spoke again, “My doctor said I have less than a year, but the oncologist I consulted said it’s less than six months,” she said with a wry smile.

“I went to the hospital too late. You know, I’ve had this terrible headache for a long time, but I kept thinking it was just a migraine or probably a result of stress, so I just kept popping pill after pill until they stopped relieving the pain, and then I had no choice but to go see my doctor,” she brushed off a tear that slid down her face, and she smiled at him instead.

“I’m sorry,” Lucas said, not knowing what else he could say to her.

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