Chapter 845 Three Months
The tension in the office was thick enough to cut with a knife following Tom's announcement.
"Why is he calling you? Did he find out about your involvement already?" Jeff asked, trying to figure out what was going on.
"I won't know if I don't take the call. Everyone, be silent," Tom ordered as he received the call.
Tom, ever the professional, answered the call with a neutral, "Mr. Rosewood? To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?"
A booming voice filled the speaker. "Mr Hank, it's good to hear from you. I understand my wife works at your company..."
Tom cut in, "Your wife? I'm sure you are mistaken..."
"I am never mistaken, Mr Hank. I wouldn't call you if I wasn't certain," Henry said stiffly, irritated at being interupted.
"My apologies then. Let's assume you are right. I'm not very familiar with my staff. As I'm sure you know now, Mr Harry Jonas is in a better position to help..."
"I don't need the help of your underling," Henry cut in, annoyed that Tom was referring him to someone else when he had personally chosen him for the task.
"He is co-CEO and has equal authority as I do. He is not an underling," Tom said through gritted teeth, annoyed at the insult to Harry.
Harry on the other hand, shook his head at Tom, gesturing for him to be cool and keep his head in the game.
Henry's voice grew colder. "I didn't call to be lectured about the hierarchy at your organization, Mr Hank. I have zero care for it. My wife has been working as your brother's assistant for some time now, under a false identity. I believe you know her as Mia Johnson, but her true name is Vanessa Rosewood. I'm on my way down to Ludus, and I want you to keep her in your custody until I get there. She is not mentally sound and might spew a lot of gibberish. I urge you to pay no heed to her words. Can I trust you to assure her safety until I get there?"
"If I may ask, why is she here under false identity? And she hasn't given us any reasons to doubt her mental capacity. To the best of my knowledge, Mia is very sound mentally," Tom said and a beat of silence followed.
Henry clearly hadn't expected him to question him. "I didn't call to be questioned by you. All I expect is for you to find her and keep her safe until I arrive. That shouldn't be too difficult, should it?" Henry asked and Tom exchanged a glance with Harry and Mia.
The man's audacity was astounding, and if they had not already agreed to go along with Mia's plan, he would have preferred to rough him up a little.
"Not at all. We are happy to help in any way we can, Mr. Rosewood," Tom said, his voice steady.
"I will count on you," Henry said, and the call ended abruptly.
"You almost lost your temper," Harry noted.
"Didn't you hear him sounding like I'm his errand boy or something," Tom said and Harry chuckled.
"That's how he talks to everyone," Mia said apologetically.
"He called me your underling, didn't he, boss?" Harry asked and Tom scowled.
"I would like to lose my fist in his face when all this is over," Tom said and they focused on Mia.
"How did you get to be business partners with a person like that?" Jeff asked the question that had been on his mind all this time.
"That is not important right now. Mia, how did you meet him? I mean, was it an arranged marriage or was it love?" Harry asked and they all frowned.
"What has that got to do with anything?" Mia asked in confusion.
"Maybe nothing. Maybe everything. Indulge me,"
Mia fidgeted under the combined scrutiny of them all. "Well," she began hesitantly, "it wasn't exactly love at first sight. My family… they were having financial problems and at the company was at the brink of collapse. Henry, on the other hand…"
She trailed off, a bitter edge creeping into her voice. Harry leaned forward, his gaze encouraging. "He had money, influence. He offered a way out for you and your family, didn't he?"
Mia nodded, a flicker of shame in her eyes. "It wasn't as simple as that. There were… conditions. He offered them a loan, a lifeline, on one condition – I would marry him."
"So, it was a business arrangement?" Tom asked, his voice devoid of judgment.
Mia gave a small, humorless laugh. "Business? More like a hostage situation. My family practically owed themselves to him. I didn't want to be part of it, but my parents would rather sell me to him than declare bankruptcy."
"Did you ever love him?" Harry pressed gently.
Mia's silence spoke volumes. Finally, she sighed, "There was a time when I thought I did. But love shouldn't feel like suffocation. Love shouldn't make you question your own sanity. On second thought, I don't think there was ever any love between us. At least not from my end. I wasn't in love with him. But I did respect him. At first he was charming, attentive. Everything I thought I wanted. But it didn't take long for the facade to crumble. He became controlling, possessive. Any friends I had, any interests I pursued – he disapproved of them all. He wouldn't let me work, wouldn't let me have any friends. I felt like a gilded cage bird. He would punish me for the slightest offence. He abused me in every way." Mia shook her head.
"When I couldn't take it anymore. I had to escape. I knew I couldn't go back to my family, not with the way they worshiped Henry. So, I took a chance and fled, hoping to never set eyes on him again," she finished.
"Before Henry's proposal to save your family from their financial crisis, did you know him personally? I mean, had he ever shown any interest in you before then?" Harry asked and Mia shook her head.
"Think carefully," Harry said and she frowned as she thought about it.
"Now that I think about it, I think I first met him two years before my family had financial crisis," Mia said with a nod.
"Yes?" Jeff asked and Mia nodded.
"We met at a party years ago when I was still in college, and he tried to talk to me but I blew him off," Mia said with a frown.
"You blew him off? You blew Henry Rosewood off?" Harry asked, to see if she was beginning to get a clear picture of what happened.
"I didn't know who he was then. And I really didn't care to know. I wasn't interested in him or anyone else. I was forced to the party. I had a boyfriend then," Mia said and then looked at Harry.
"We've never talked about that and I really didn't remember that," Mia said and Harry nodded.
"Do you think he might have had something to do with what happened with your family just so he could have control over them, and you?" Harry asked and Mia narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.
"I wouldn't put that past him. He is exactly that kind of person," Mia said, and she rose from her seat.
"I don't want to believe that Henry was responsible for that. I don't want to believe that my family went through such financial problems and I was made to marry him just because I blew him off when I was a teenager," Mia said as she began to pace around the office.
"Is that what you think happened? Is that why you asked her about how they met?" Tom asked Harry, and he shook his head.
"I had no idea something like that happened. I never would have suspected it nor thought of it. It was Jade's suggestion. She said knowing the dynamics of their relationship and profiling him would help us know better how to deal with him. So, at least now we can see that there was more to the reason he married her," Harry said and they l looked at Mia when she laughed humorlessly.
"If there is something learned about him, it's the fact that no one says no to Henry Rosewood. No one rejects him. Often times I would watch him destroy things in blind rage when something didn't go his way. I would listen to him plot on how to take revenge, yet I didn't even know he was taking his revenge on me," Mia laughed humorlessly.
"Can you believe it? All this while I kept wondering how he could treat me so badly. I kept asking myself what I did to deserve such torture— such hatred. I didn't realize he was punishing me for something I don't even remember. How would I have ever guessed that I lived such a pathetic life for the past ten years simply because I refused to talk to a stranger at a party when I was nineteen? Maybe that's why he kept tormenting me— because I failed to remember," Mia said, and her body shook as she broke into a sob.
Jeff looked at Tom and Harry, and when they stared right back at him, he rose to go comfort Mia. He wrapped his arms around her and held her as she cried.
Neither of them said a word as Mia cried, and they waited until she had composed herself, and then she looked from Harry to Tom.
"So, now that we know that, what now?" She asked, and Harry shrugged.
"You tell us. Apart from destroying things in blind rage, what did he do each time he was refused something or rejected?" Harry asked and Mia sighed deeply.
"He ruined it to make sure no one else used it. And even when it was offered back to him, he destroyed it. He makes sure it is useless both to him and to everyone else," Mia said and smiled sadly, "Just like me. That's what he has been doing all these years, and like a fool I didn't even see it. All those miscarriages. It wasn't a mistake. He didn't want me to have his baby." Mia shut her eyes, and for the first time since she miscarried her babies, she was genuinely glad that she had not birthed any child for a person like that.
"You rejected him once again yesterday when you asked for a divorce," Harry reminded her.
"Mia, I don't think we should go with your idea. He might really kill you this time," Jeff said with a frown.
"Not if I kill him first. I won't die by Henry's hand. Never. I know he won't stop until he does what he wants, and now that I know exactly why he did that to me and is after me, I am more determined to win. Tom, when he gets here, deliver me to him. Please," Mia said, and Tom gave her a nod.
"He won't be letting me step out of the house or use any electronic devices, so I will give you a list of the companies he uses for everything regarding the house, including his domestic staff. You can try to buy over whichever of the companies you can, and those you can't buy, you can place some reliable people in them. I will make sure there is always need for a new staff and repairs around the house. Let's have them sent to the house. That way we can communicate through them and I won't be surrounded only by Henry's people. Slowly, I want to take over all he has until he is left with nothing and then I will make him face legal consequences for all he did to me," Mia said with a determined set of her jaw.
"Let's do that. We can start by getting the doctor to be on your side since he is such a trusted friend," Harry said and Mia nodded.
"I promise to make it worth your time and worth every money you spend," Mia promised.
"You don't have to. Buying the companies is business too," Tom said and Mia took a deep breath.
"I don't mind working as one of the staff in the house. That way I can keep an eye on you," Jeff offered and Mia shook her head.
"No. That's too risky. And I'm sure he knows your face. If he recognizes you, it is game over," Mia said and Jeff shook his head.
"He won't recognize me. Not if I disguise myself. I've worked in the entertainment industry long enough to know how to disguise myself," Jeff said and Tom and Harry exchanged a look.
"I don't think that's a bad idea," Harry said and Tom nodded, but Mia shook her head.
"I want to do it. Besides, does he interact with all the staff in the house? I'm sure the place is large enough for him not to notice me at all," Jeff said and Mia frowned.
"What about Bryan? We both can't leave. You are his manager..."
"I'm sure Bryan can manage without me. This is a matter of life and death, so I trust he will understand," Jeff said while Tom and Harry watched them both as they argued back and forth.
"That's the only way I can be comfortable with you doing this," Jeff said and Mia sighed.
"Okay. But you had better make sure the disguise is good and you don't get caught, else I'm going to kill you myself," Mia threatened.
"I will rather kill myself than put you in danger," Jeff said and Tom made a face at Harry, making him chuckle at the mushiness being exhibited by the two.
"Alright. So, what's the time frame for all of this? How long will you need to pull it off?" Harry asked, and Mia smiled, but it didn't touch her eyes.
"Three months."
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