Chapter 79
“Hey, wake upp!” Jackson felt a splash of icy cold water jolting him upright from his dreamless sleep and his heart went into a frenzy immediately. He looked up and James was staring hard at him, a bright smile on his face followed by a mocking sneer.
“You’re not eating?” James said and Jackson stared at the cold plate of spaghetti on the floor, even though his stomach growled intensely with hunger there was no way on earth he was touching that. Jackson stayed quiet, he had been locked there for nearly two days and his skin crawled with grime and a bit of fear, but still there was nothing he could d.,
“Okay then” James picked up the food and threw it in a trash bin a few inches from where they stood then when we walked back to Jackson, who hadn’t taken his eyes off him. Jackson mind worked tirelessly, looking for loopholes in a desperate bid to plan his escape. Uncle James had to have a weakness, something that still held his humanity alive. Beneath all those pent up resentment and anger he felt toward his family, there had to be something that held a soft spot in his heart and Jackson was determined to find out, but how exactly was Jackson going to do that?
Suddenly a phone rang and it came from his pocket, it barely even rang before he picked it up
“Uncle James” Jackson said while he was on the call, with a tender voice that still held a bit of thunder in them, to reduce the nervousness he felt. James turned to face him, he held the phone by his side but without ending the call.
“What is it little Jackson” he asked but without the tenderness that came with that endearment, it was a stiff response as if he had been suddenly angered with his contorted in slight irritation.
Jackson gave a pause, he didn’t know what to do, he had no plan whatsoever but he needed to do something, he needed to get out of there, he needed to go back Emily.
“You know I hate my father too” Jackson said, a tad bit of sincerity bleeding unto his voice and this time James turned fully to look at him.
“Why?”
“He’s everything you think he is, he’s selfish and arrogant and truly, the only thing he cares about is the company”
There was silence and Jackson saw it as an avenue to continue “For a long time I wondered why I stopped seeing uncle James, you just disappeared from the scene ”
“Because your father had stolen from me, he had stolen my dream and made it his and then he pushed out, exiled me because I couldn’t bear seeing someone live my dream and I couldn’t fight him because he had everything. He was a Hatton and I was a nobody”
“You know I envy you, to have the courage to revenge, to try and take your dream back. I don’t have such courage and I wish I did, for myself and Ethan”
This time James ears perked up, and Jackson saw that he was fully interested
“I mean we were neglected as kids, dad wasn’t really around and then growing up we had to sacrifice ourselves for the company. I loved my brother growing up, we weren’t so close because I felt he held some sort of resentment towards me because in some kind way I was the favorite kid but I loved my brother until we grew up and we haven’t been the best of friends but when I think about it, it’s my father I blame”
“So what’s all this gotta do with me?”
“We can work together, you want revenge on my father then I’ll help you. You want your dream back? Then I’ll help you get it back, you deserve it, don’t you think?”
“Why should I trust you?” James looked at him with eyes flickering interest but still tainted by distrust
“Because we have the same enemy, and I have better leverage than you” James inched closer now to Jackson where he sat on the floor, still holding his phone by his side but his grip had loosened a bit and Jackson could see it.
Jackson glanced at the door, so quick he made sure James couldn’t notice because everything would have been for naught. The door was far away and locked with stong padlock that only James had the keys to and Jackson wasn’t sure where he hid them, so it would be almost impossible to make an escape. Instead, he aimed for the phone, that way he could signal for help, it was the only chance he had.
“Let me help you” Jackson said again “Tell me, what do you need”
James stayed silent, watching him but it was obvious he was letting his guard and that was when Jackson realized he was just an ordinary man that had festered a lot of anger within him over the years and just needed an avenue to vent it out, and he was going to provide that false security as his way out.
James pulled out a chair from the corner of the room to sit down, Jackson’s heart nearly dropped as he expected him to put the phone back into his pockets but he didn’t, instead he placed the phone on the floor beside him.
“I want everything back, my ideas, my dream, all the money that could have been mine if someone had invested me like they did your father”
“Okay” Jackson answered “We need a lawyer, the best in the country that could prove it was your idea and my father stole it. I could provide one”
James eyes lit up “Really?”
Jackson nodded “Of course, I’m on your side” Jackson kept his eyes secretly on his phone, he needed a form of distraction, he needed to get his hands on that phone.
“I have access to the best lawyers in the whole of America and you don’t have to spend a dime. I’ll cover it and you can have your revenge, it will be all over the news that he was a thief that stole your dreams, and you will get the recognition that you deserve, that’s what you want isn’t it?
James nodded, his weary face lighting up at the promised laid at his feet. He was desperate, he wanted it all. He wanted everything back so he nodded his head.
“How do you we start?”
“Just after you get me another plate of spaghetti” Jackson tried to sound aloof in an attempt to peel off the suspicion from his voice.
James eyed him suspiciously but he stood up anyway and walked towards the door without the phone. The moment he was out of sight, Jackson grabbed the phone swiftly, his hands shaking in fear that he could get caught. He glanced at the phone and it had been on the call, immediately he held it to it ears
“Hello” he said quietly “Who’s this!”
And immediately the line went dead
Jackson didn’t have enough, he quickly tried to dial Ethan’s number because he knew it and he realized it was the same number that had been on the call, quickly he ended the call
“Shit” he said quietly “That was Ethan?”
He didn’t have time, he glanced at the door pausing a bit for footsteps, then he typed out Emily’s number and immediately he sent the location, not wanting to risk a phone call
“Don’t tell Ethan” he sent a quick text and just as he was about to delete the text James emerged and he saw Jackson with the phone. His face contorted in anger and betrayal, he raced towards Jackson, pulling the phone from his hands and sending a hard punch to his jaw.
“You son of a bitch!”NôvelDrama.Org holds text © rights.