Chapter 89
Because her daughter was behind her all through, Connie had no idea of when she was going down. She heard the sound of someone falling, looked back and her eyes went wide seeing that it was her daughter.
“Vanessa!!!!” Connie called out her name rushing towards her. She got on her knees and began to shake Vanessa’s body.
“Vanessa honey, Please open your eyes, my love.” Connie panicked. “I promise they are not going to do anything to you. Mama will always be by your side. Please open your eyes.”
Vanessa’s eyes were still closed, with her lips slightly parted.
Connie faced her husband “Your daughter is dying. Won’t you come to help out?”
Eric took a glance at Vanessa from where he stood.
“And look what you have done?!!!” Connie yelled at Ludacris.
“You all are a bunch of jokers! She was hale and hearty while typing words behind her keypad, telling lies and defaming innocent sets of people, and then she slumps when it is time to take responsibility for her actions?”
“Don’t be so insensitive! She is pregnant!!!” Connie said then turned back to her daughter, shaking her body. “Please wake up, sweetheart.”
“Somebody call the doctor!!!!” Connie said at the top of her voice to no one in particular. But nobody moved an inch. Mary left earlier, after ushering Ludacris in.
The two security guards stared at each other, not sure if Connie was referring to them.
“This is not the first time I am dealing with manipulative people like you all. Pay for the damages caused or see you in court tomorrow morning.” Ludacris spoke, tucking a hand in his pocket.
“I need not remind you of the consequences involved If she fails to show up in court, right?”
“Have a good day!” Giving them all one final look, Ludacris took his leave.
“What are you still doing? Get the hell away from here!” She lashed out at the securities who instantly took their leave.
Connie turned back to her husband. “Can’t you show some sympathy? No matter what Vanessa has done, you should be able to defend her before that lawyer. You let him ridiculously bully your daughter and have his way?”
“You heard the lawyer. Vanessa was clearly sane when she messed up. She should face the consequences of her actions.”
“And don’t tell me you believe this act she is putting together?” He pointed at Vanessa who was still on the floor. “This is probably what you would do if you were actually the one being sued.”
Connie sighed deeply, running a hand over her hair.
Eric approached the small table by the couch, there was a glass of water on it, he picked up the glass cup and made his way over to Connie where she knelt beside Vanessa.
Her eyes followed his every move. “What are you doing?”
“Trying to get her to her feet so that she can leave my house.”
Eric approached Vanessa where she was laid and sprinkled some water on her face.
“What are you…..?” Connie was about to lash out at him when Vanessa jerked back to life, coughing deeply.
“There you go! I just saved you all from medical expenses.”
Connie glared at her husband, then turned her attention to her daughter. She helped her sit up, then pulled her against her chest, hugging her as she was still coughing softly.
“It’s fine, my love. I am always here to protect you. You don’t need to be scared anymore. The lawyer is gone.”
Vanessa pulled away from her mother’s hug, looking around, only to see that she and her parents were the ones left. Her eyes started to water. “Mama, where are we going to get that amount of money?”
“You better use the right words. What do you mean we?” Eric cut in, glaring at his daughter.
“Of course this concerns me and you. We are a family. All hands must be on deck. We cannot let Hailey bully our daughter.”
Eric shook his head. “This would not have happened if Vanessa had not acted insanely. I don’t have a dime to give you all.”
Vanessa cried harder.
“I know you are angry with Vanessa but we can’t just abandon her.” Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!
“I have abandoned one daughter in the past. Trust me, I will be fine without any kids in my life.”
“Stop being brutal, honey. This isn’t about the money. You’ve got connections. Now is the time to use them. What would people do if your only daughter went to jail? Aren’t you embarrassed about that?”
“Who in their right senses would claim 800 billion? That’s a freaking lot of money!!!! I know you’ve got friends in the judiciary. Call them and let them pull some strings. My daughter must not end up in jail.
“It’s a pity you think I was joking when I said I wasn’t going to get involved in Vanessa’s mess. Yes, I’ve got friends in the judiciary but I am not asking anyone for favors.”
“Why don’t you all start by selling off your cars, designer items, landed properties, and jewelry.”
Eric ignored his wife’s glare as he continued talking.
“Remember you all stole from the company a while back. I think now is the time to put the money to some good use.”
“You are free to mock us but don’t be a coward by running away from your responsibility of helping us. For fucks sake 800,000 is a lot of money. Even if we sell everything, we can’t even raise 400!”
“Then go for the next available option. Turn yourself in in court tomorrow morning. Let the judge find an alternative sentence.”
Connie shook her head. “No. There is no way my daughter is going to set foot that house. You better do something.”
“You should bear in mind that you become her accomplice if you help her escape the law. Vanessa did something terrible and she is going to bear the consequences.”
“I hope you know Ludacris. He is the second–most–paid attorney in the state. I recognized him because he never lost a case. You should spend the night with your daughter because this is probably the last time you both will see each other in a long time.”
Cole stared at Vanessa in shock. He parted his lips to say something but words failed him. He could see Vanessa stare at him intently, waiting to hear what he had to say but the truth was that his head and mind were a mess.
“S….signs of early pregnancy?”
Hailey nodded, not knowing what else to say.
Cole tore his eyes away from Hailey’s gaze, looked down at her belly, then back at her face. She saw tears in his eyes and that prompted her to start tearing up too. “You…you…are you….we are having a baby?” Cole stammered. She could see him trying so hard to hold back his smile but he failed. Despite his teary eyes, Cole still managed to put up a beautiful smile.
Hailey shrugged. “I don’t know. I could be. I’ve been having related symptoms.”
Cole intertwined his hand with hers, still looking into her eyes. “Tiredness, throwing up, the awful taste whenever you eat or drink something?”
She nodded.
Cole heaved a deep sigh.
“How do you feel?” He asked her.
“I’m a mess!”
“Why do you say so?”
“It’s the way I feel.”
“You’re not happy about it? Does it feel too soon?” Cole asked.