“Sir, you have my word, we’ll be in touch,” I guaranteed.
He waited until I was tall on my feet to reciprocate. His grip was tight and firm, communicating his desire of control. I didn’t flex. I couldn’t; I’d put myself in this situation. I waited until he was done and withdrew my hand.
When I turned for the door, Sarah came out into the living room. “Wait! You’re leaving?” There were still tears in her voice. She looked wrecked. “Zoey’s on her way home. Do you want to wait for her?” She and Michael both looked at me expectantly.
I took a deep breath. “No, ma’am. I just got off the plane from L.A. I have my staff in the truck waiting on me. I need to get some sleep. Zoey knows how to get a hold of me. She’ll contact me when she’s ready. Right now she needs you two to love on her.”
They didn’t verbally commit to anything, but I knew they would. Zoey always spoke highly of her close-knit family, specifically how tight she was with her moms. I felt like a damn wolf in sheep’s clothing. I didn’t want to be any more of an imposter than I was.
I walked out and to the car thinking my next move would be calling Chesney to let him know it was time to roll out the plan, starting with his office reaching out to Zoey’s family.
~~~~~~~~~~
October 2007 ~Zoey~
“Do you understand what this means, Elizabeth?”
I broke my trance and glanced up at the tall sandy blond man across the long conference table from me. I must have zoned out again, something I’d been doing since the start of the semester. He wasn’t alone. His team outnumbered my parents and me. This man, however, Stenton’s attorney, Chesney, was a true spectacle. He was extremely animated with his presentation and communication, effeminate even. I hated the way he stared at me from the time we walked in his New York City office. He used too many inflections when he spoke and thoroughly enunciated words for dramatic flair. Chesney used the word honesty and trust way too much. That’s likely where he lost me.
“I would like to say we’re a family, but I won’t give you the illusion of that. We are however, an organization and keep things neat in our camp. I know you are in your fourth year at Princeton, and understand what girls your age do socially, but admonish you: your life is no longer just your own. What you do can affect an entire organization. You must practice discretion.”
Those words were followed by a long gaze deep enough to intimidate me. And it did. Chesney sat with his long index finger and thumb at an “L” shape against his jaw. My timid eyes fell towards the table where there were stacks of papers and pens for signatures.
“Now, with that being said, Mr. Rogers has laid out a list of provisions for you, so I’ll just get started.” He slowly inclined in his chair and gathered a bundle of papers in his hands. “We’ll start with the home at 88 Wilson Street in New Brunswick, NJ with the amount of $289,586.68 being owed on the mortgage, including delinquent payments.” In my peripheral, I saw my Dad twist uncomfortably in his seat. “Said amount will be paid by the end of tomorrow’s business day to Chase Bank. That is what…” Chesney located a document and pushed it towards my parents. “…this form is for. Fill it out completely.”
What? Stenton is paying off my parents’ home? I was so numb, I didn’t know if I should be relieved or offended, but I could sense one thing: My Dad is going to kill me!
Then he went back to the papers in his hand and pushed up his spectacles. “Once all the paperwork has been cleared, there will also be $75,000 deposited into your personal account to pay for any repairs needed on the house. There will also be an additional $5,000 deposited into this account every thirty days for food, room and board for Elizabeth and the unborn fetus.”