Ruthless

by Shelia M. Goss

  He hit buttons on his computer screen so he was able to see the expressions on their faces. Satisfied that they were all on the same page, David continued, “Our stock has fallen ten points, so that’s a challenge to us. I want to see it rise back up to its normal level by this time next week. Any suggestions on what we can do?” he asked.

  Floyd Williams, one eager vice president, responded, “I’m on it, Mr. King. I guarantee it’ll be up by this time next week.”

  David didn’t doubt it.Williams had proven in the past that there was nothing he wouldn’t do to succeed. David overlooked some of his antics, as long as they didn’t affect his bottom line.

  “Mark your calendars for another videoconference. Same time next week.” David announced, then signed off and called Sheba. “How are you and the baby?” he asked.

  “We’re doing just fine. Glad you called. I’ll need to go to Shreveport to handle some business tomorrow. I’ve decided to sell the house, and I need to meet with a Realtor.”

  “Can’t you set that up from here?” David asked.

  “I could, but I want to go through the house and pack up some more personal items. I’ll also determine what I want to keep or give away.”

  “You shouldn’t be doing too much strenuous work. I’ll have a mover get your stuff.”

  “David, that’s fine, but I still need to be there to tell them what to pack or discard.”

  “When do you want to go?” David asked as he scanned his e-mails.

  “Tomorrow morning.”

  “If you can wait until Friday, I can go with you.”

  “David, this is something I think I should do by myself.”

  David wasn’t too happy about her going to Shreveport without him, but he didn’t want to press the issue. “I’ll have the jet fueled and ready to take you tomorrow morning, whenever you’re ready.”

  “Thank you, dear.”

  David held on to the phone a little longer than necessary before placing it back in the cradle. Out of all his wives, he loved Sheba the most. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for her.

  He called one of his pilots and a moving company. With Sheba out of town for the next few days, he would attempt to figure out how to stop his stock from dropping. He only knew one recourse and that was to pray. Pray to God for divine intervention.

  It had taken David years to build up his empire, and he didn’t want to lose it due to the public’s opinion of him. It wasn’t his fault they had all put him on a pedestal. It was true that those who loved you today could easily turn around and hate you tomorrow. His competitors had all jumped at the chance to smear his name even more now that he was in the spotlight.

  Thanks to the school of hard knocks, he had a thick skin.

  David kneeled down at the side of his desk. “Father God, my enemies are camped up around me, waiting for me to fall. Have mercy on me, Lord, and shield me from the accusations hurled my way. Once again, I ask you for forgiveness for my part in seducing a woman who was married. I know you’re a forgiving God and that your mercy endures forever. I promise that now that Uriah’s gone, I will love and cherish Bathsheba for the rest of my days here on earth.

  “Please protect our unborn child and let it be born healthy. If it’s a boy, let him be the man that I could not be. Let him be as wise as Solomon. Let him have my friend Jonathan’s heart.”

  David prayed until sweat dripped from his forehead. He got off his knees and retrieved a handkerchief from his desk drawer. He felt at peace as he wiped his face.

  Chapter 53

  Sheba waved at her neighbors through the untinted window as the driver of the town car drove down the street, heading toward the house she’d once shared with Uriah. Some of her neighbors waved back only after realizing who the woman in the car was.

  Delilah had been stopping by her house to make sure it was secure. Sheba could tell that she had been getting the lawn mowed as well, because everything was just as she had left it. She was eager to start packing so she could close this chapter of her life for good and move on.

  Sadness swept through her spirit as she entered the house and recalled how she had convinced Uriah that it was the perfect house for them. She closed her eyes as she was transported back in time.

  “This is perfect. I can have the big walk-in closet. You can have the closet in the guest bedroom to put all your stuff in,” she recalled saying.

  Uriah’s infectious laugh filled the room. “As much stuff as you have, you’ll probably need that one, too.”

  She agreed. “You’re right. I’ll take that one, and you can put your stuff in the hallway closet.”

  A knocking sound on the front door snapped Sheba out of her memory. “Those were the good ole days,” she said out loud.

  She walked to the front door and opened it without asking who it was. She welcomed Delilah in with a sisterly hug.

  “I’m glad you’re selling. You need to put the past in the past,” Delilah said as they both walked toward the living room.

  “You’re right. I can’t keep holding on to yesterday.” Sheba picked up one of the African figurines on the mantel and held it.

  “I’m surprised your hubby isn’t here with you,” Delilah said as she stood nearby.

  “He wanted me to wait. I thought it would be best if I handled this myself.”

  Delilah said, “I’m looking at you, and there’s something different about you. It’s like you have a special glow.”

  “I’m pregnant.” Sheba wanted to wait at least another month before telling anyone she was pregnant, but now that she was face-to-face with Delilah, she decided to tell her.

  Delilah held up her hands and counted off the months on her fingers. “One, two, three. You two didn’t waste any time, did you?”

  “So what?” Sheba responded.

  Delilah’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oops. I’m always putting my foot in my mouth. I’m happy for you. I really am.” She looped her arm through Sheba’s arm.

  “I’m on an emotional roller coaster. What if ... ?” Sheba’s eyes watered.

  Delilah interrupted her thoughts. “No what-ifs.” Delilah placed her hand on top of Sheba’s stomach and told her, “This is going to be a healthy baby.” Then she spoke directly to Sheba’s unborn child. “Aunt Delilah is going to do whatever she can to help out your mommy.”

  “If you mean it, then I need you to help me pack.”

  “Anything but that.” Delilah laughed. “Besides, you’re filthy rich. Where are the movers?”

  “They’ll be here tomorrow. In the meantime, I need to go by and see the Realtor.”

  “Well, I just wanted to swing by and see you, since you called. Call me later, and I’ll come pick you up and treat you to dinner,” Delilah said.

  “You mean no home-cooked meal?”

  “Please. Don’t get me wrong. I can be domesticated when I want to be, but why be so when you can afford to eat out on occasion?”

  “I sort of miss cooking. David has a cook who takes care of all our meals.”

  “You’re the queen of the house, so if you want to cook, tell her so and do it.”

  “You have a point. I have to admit, though, that I’ve gotten spoiled. I love having people wait on me. It’s like a fairy tale come true. Well, it was up until I lost little David.” Tears started forming in Sheba’s eyes. She grabbed tissue from a nearby tissue box and wiped her face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get sentimental.”

  Delilah wrapped her arm around Sheba’s shoulder. “Let it out.”

  Sheba did just that. She cried a river of tears as she leaned on her older sister’s shoulder. A few minutes later she regained her composure and acted like the moment had never happened. “I’m fine. I better get out of here before I miss the Realtor.”

  Later on that night, Delilah picked her up, and they went to one of the local restaurants. After they were seated, the waitress took their order and then reappeared fifteen minutes later with heaping plates of seafood.

&nb
sp; “I love their stuffed shrimps,” Sheba said as she devoured her fourth one.

  “Me, too, but I’m not eating for two, so I have to watch my girlie figure.” Delilah winked her right eye.

  Delilah and Sheba continued to talk over dinner.

  “That’s her. I know that’s her. I saw her on that blog,” a young woman blurted out to the woman she was with as they passed Delilah and Sheba’s table. They stopped and stared.

  Delilah said, “Excuse me, but do you two have a problem?”

  One of them rolled her eyes. “No.”

  “Then I suggest you keep it moving,” Delilah advised.

  “This was a free country the last time I checked. I can be where ever I want,” the woman retorted.

  One of the restaurant workers walked over to the table. “Is everything okay over here?”

  Sheba responded, “Everything’s fine. Those young ladies were just leaving.”

  The two women walked away in a huff, but not without Sheba overhearing one of them say, “She’s not all that. I thought she would be prettier than what she is.”

  Delilah shook her head. “Haters. Can’t live with them.”

  “But I could sure live without them,” Sheba said as she attempted to enjoy the rest of her dinner.

  Chapter 54

  David missed Sheba but knew that going back to Shreveport to handle the sale of her house was something she had to do on her own. He felt that once she was able to close the door to her past, they could truly move forward in their relationship.

  David looked at the folder on Joyce that Garrett had given him earlier. He picked up the phone and dialed the number written in big red letters on a page inside the folder. “Joyce, I understand we’ve come to an agreement.”

  She sounded muffled on the other end but said, “Yes, we have.”

  “Good. Well, my wife’s in town, and she would love it if you would make a special point of apologizing to her personally about what you’ve done. She would appreciate it, and so would I.”

  “But that wasn’t part of the agreement,” Joyce responded.

  “Consider it a bonus on my part. Now, she’s there for a few days, and I hope to hear from her soon that you apologized. Got to go.” David hung up the phone.

  Garrett’s man had convinced Joyce to stop talking to reporters by offering her a substantial amount of money, but what really did the trick was when they confronted her about her past drug use, which could possibly be the information her ex-husband needed to win custody of her two kids. Once she realized her back was in the corner, she quickly signed the papers stating she would keep silent from that day forward. David stared at her signature and closed the folder. He filed it away in the filing cabinet located near his desk.

  David could have wrapped up his work and called it a night, but since Sheba was out of town, there was no need for him to try to get home early.

  “I was hoping I would catch you,” Wade said as he walked through the door.

  “Have a seat.” David pointed to the chair across from his desk.

  “We need for you to do an interview for Business Week Today. Can you do it as early as tomorrow?” Wade asked.

  “The purpose of this interview?” David asked.

  “Our investors need to know that DM King Media is solid. There’s no need to focus on anything personal. State the facts, and that’ll reassure our investors and advertisers that we’re solid.”

  “Fine. I can do that. But tell me, what do we do about that?” David stood up and walked to the window and looked down.

  Although he was on the top floor, he could still see people standing outside his office building. “They have been out there all day, holding signs and talking to anyone who will listen. I’m trying not to cause too much of a ruckus, because it’ll only bring more bad publicity, but, Wade, I need for you to make sure they are removed from the premises pronto.”

  Wade said, “It’s eight o’clock at night. You would think they would have gone home already.”

  “You would think. But since they are still here distracting others, get them removed. I don’t want to see them when I get here tomorrow. Understood?” David said as he grabbed his laptop and placed it in the case.

  “Yes, Mr. King.”

  “Now that we have that understanding, you have a good night. Don’t work too late.”

  David locked his office right after following Wade out into the hallway. He dialed his driver. “Meet me in the back. I want to avoid the crowd out front.”

  “Yes, Mr. King,” his driver replied.

  David took a long hot bubble bath after he got home. The heat helped ease the tension in his muscles. He moved his head from side to side as he exercised the pressure out of his neck.

  He was drying off when his cell phone rang.

  “Guess what just happened?” Sheba said from the other end of the phone.

  “What?” David responded as he used the big towel to dry off.

  “Joyce stopped by the house and apologized for everything. I don’t know if she was sincere, but she sure groveled. I don’t know what you did, but thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, my dear.”

  “It won’t erase the pain she’s caused, but to see her apologize really caught me off guard. She’s never liked me.”

  “I’m sure she won’t be a problem for us ever again.”

  “I hope not. Because I haven’t always been saved. I would sure hate to resort back to my school training and knock her out.”

  David laughed. “I can’t see you hurting anyone.”

  “Please. I can fight. I don’t like to fight. I never looked for a fight, but if one found me, I did what I had to do. See, growing up, some girls were jealous of me and were always trying to pick a fight with me. One girl tried to slash my face with a razor, and I beat her like her whole family stole something from me.”

  “I better sleep with one eye open. Don’t want you having a flashback moment and hurting a brotha.” David laughed.

  “Ha-ha. I’m just saying. I’m glad she apologized, because now maybe, just maybe, some of this mess will die down.”

  David sighed. “Well, dear, I didn’t want to say anything, but earlier today and well into the night, there were some people outside my office building, picketing. They were saying that they won’t buy the products advertised on my stations.”

  “They are taking this too far. It’s just not right.”

  “I’ve dealt with picketers before. It’ll all go away.”

  “There has to be something we can do. You know what? I’ve been avoiding the press, but maybe it’s time that I come out of the background and set some stuff straight.”

  “Sheba, you have to think about the baby. You’re not to be put under any kind of pressure.”

  “It’s more stressful trying to avoid reporters. If I talk to the press, it’ll be my pick who I talk to.”

  “I still don’t think it’s wise,” David responded. “You don’t know them like I know them. They can be cutthroat. My competitors have found an opening, and that’s through you, my dear.”

  “David, let’s get something straight. You didn’t marry a weak woman. Yes, I let some stuff get me down, but that’s life. I’m not going to sit back and let these people continue to talk about me without doing something.”

  In a shaky voice, David said, “I’m just worried about you and the baby. I don’t want anything to interfere with your health.”

  “I think this is best. Otherwise, I’ll feel like I have no control. This way, I have some control. Then they can take what I say and do with it whatever they will.”

  David still didn’t agree but would support Sheba on her decision. “Fine. Let me know who you want to interview with, and I’ll have it set up. But there’s only one condition.”

  “And what’s that?” she asked.

  “If the reporter asks you something and you feel uncomfortable about it, I want you to take the liberty of getting up and walking away.”

>   “David, I got this. You just set it up. Now, dear, this baby and I are tired, so I’m going to get me some sleep. I suggest you do the same.”

  David prayed that Sheba doing the interview wasn’t a bad call. Sheba was new to the spotlight. He wanted to please her, but maybe he should follow his gut and forbid her from doing the interview. He laughed out loud. Sheba had a mind of her own, so she would get her interview with or without his help. It would be a smoother transition if he helped.

  Chapter 55

  Sheba recited Joyce’s apology to Delilah the next morning, as they ate breakfast at Sheba’s old kitchen table. “She shocked me,” Sheba confessed. “I almost didn’t open the door when I saw she was on the other side of it.”

  “You’re better than me. I would have still kicked the heifer’s behind,” Delilah said.

  “It’s over with. Now it’s up to me to work on forgiving her. It’s going to take a lot of praying for me to do that. I’m nowhere close to forgiving her yet,” Sheba said.

  “The Bible does say we’re supposed to forgive as God has forgiven us.”

  Sheba couldn’t argue with Delilah on that point. “I’m trying to do the right thing. Lord knows I have a lot of wrong I need to make up for.”

  “Sheba, have you prayed and asked God to forgive you? If you have, then forgive yourself. Sometimes we can be our own worst enemy.”

  Sheba thought to herself, Who would have thought Delilah would be the voice of reason? She responded, “I’m working on it, sis. I’m working on it.”

  “Well, work a little harder. I had to forgive myself for what transpired between me and that preacher I told you about. Although I was wrong for pursuing him relentlessly, he still had control over his own actions. I don’t own his actions. I only own up to mine.”

  “Delilah, it sounds like you’ve had an epiphany.”

  “Let’s just say God is working on me. Boy, does He have His job cut out for Him,” Delilah said as she drank her orange juice.