The Confident Woman

by Nikkea Sharee

“Do you need a moment?” Rosetta chose her words very carefully. She could only imagine what she would do if one of her children put her in a position to become shamed the way that Nigel just did.

  “Rosetta, I don’t understand it. I was coming in to talk to you about moving forward with what we discussed previously about the estate, but this is just too much.” Breaking down into a full-blown emotional wreck, Dalia sat back in the chair exhausted. “Why would he do this? I just don’t understand.”

  Rosetta was taken aback herself by what she just heard on the television. “Well these new developments certainly change the level of urgency on the need to protect yourself. If what your former daughter in law is saying is correct, this definitely exposes you as much as your son.”

  “Oh, it’s correct. The only problem is she hasn’t even told the half. I only found out about this rape situation yesterday. The bigger issue is the child. I’m sure she is going to make that public as well. This is one big fucking mess!”

  Dalia seldom used such vulgarity, however, lately it’d been the only way that she could adequately express herself. Her friend understood the desperation in her voice whole heartedly. The events that were unfolding were unprecedented and happening very rapidly. It was as though Vera was intentionally setting dominos in play to fall in a timely fashion. Disgusted by the entire situation, Dalia let out a gentle whimper to accompany her tears.

  “This is it. I have to move. There is absolutely no way I can face anyone with this level of humiliation my son has caused on our legacy. It’s forever tarnished. Money can’t buy our way out of this.”

  “What if it can?” Rosetta said as she finally took a seat behind her desk. She had been standing long enough. Allowed her office to be infiltrated by tears long enough. She had always been a solution orientated person, and if there was one thing her client and friend could use, it was a solution to her problems.

  “How so?” Dalia sat up in attention hoping that there would finally be a light at the end of this very dreadful tunnel.

  “Since our last meeting I had already started working on options regarding your options with Nigel Sr.’s estate. It appears that your husband did include a morality clause for your son. I’m not sure if he foresaw a series of events like those currently unraveling but he definitely added a layer of protection over his estate.”

  “He did?” Dalia could finally feel herself beginning to breathe normal.

  “Yes, it clearly states that in the event that your son found himself in any illegal activities, the estate would default solely to you and your son would have no claim to anything that had previously been bequeathed to him.”

  Dalia sprung up from her seat and on to her feet. “This is amazing news. I can go around him and settle with Vera directly.”

  “Well there is a catch. Right now, all we have are her allegations. She would need to go through with pressing charges in order for the clause to take effect. He must be formally charged.”

  “From what we just saw on television, it appears that we won’t have to worry about that happening. He dug his own grave and it’s deep as hell.”

  “I’ll get started with the next steps.”

  “Thank you, Rosetta. I couldn’t get through this without you.” Dalia started to gather her purse before she stopped, remembering a very crucial piece of information. “Oh, one more thing. I’d like to make some changes to my own will as well.”

  “Okay, that’s no problem. Is everything okay?” Rosetta’s tone took on a different cadence. Aside from what had previously been revealed, there was a slight quiver in Dalia’s voice that gave her reason to be concerned.

  “Well, I don’t want to worry you. It’s just that…. Well, Nigel threatened me last night if I were to go through with interfering with his access to finances through the estate. And I just want to cover all of my bases.”

  “Are you saying he threatened to kill you, Dalia? If so, we need to do more than adjust the will. Do you feel safe?” She was genuinely concerned for her friend at this point. It was no longer what was best for her client. The conversation had taken a turn that Rosetta was not prepared for.

  “I’m sure he was just overreacting.”

  “Do we need to contact the police? Do you want to file for a restraining order?”

  “I don’t think that a piece of paper will protect me. I just want to make sure if anything does happen to me, he doesn’t get his hands on this money after all.”

  Rosetta looked at her friend with a face full of concern. She knew how stubborn Dalia could be. The only thing that she could do to help was follow her wishes and hope that the will didn’t need to be used anytime soon.

  “If you can give me a few, I want to handle this immediately. I don’t want you to leave this office until we have your will updated.”

  Dalia looked down at the time on her expensive watch. “Okay, I can spare another hour.”

  “Then let me get started with the updates right away.” Before she started to type in her computer, Rosetta looked over at Dalia in a final attempt to appeal to her friend. “Do you want to stay with me for a while before the dust settles on this thing?”

  “I wouldn’t think of imposing on you. If anything, I’m going to take a much needed vacation once all the updates are done here today.”

  “Okay, I’ll take that. I need you to stay in touch with me please. There is a lot going on and I know you will be tempted to pull away, but you still have people who care about you very much.”

  “Thank you very much. You are truly an angel.” Dalia took another seat and wiped away at the tears that found their way back to the corners of her eyes.

  28

  The incessant buzzing of Nigel’s phone woke him up from his deep slumber. He was in a room he recognized but knew it wasn’t his home. Still, he had frequented the place so many times it may as well had been his home away from home. A private suite on the top floor of an elite private and very illegal brothel. It was a member’s only venue where one had to be very connected to gain entry. The clientele consisted of politicians, moguls and occasionally an athlete here and there.

  He remained in the room alone after his company from the previous night vacated the premises. His company consisted of three women who worked very hard to make the worries of his world disappear if only for the night.

  The day was anew, his companions were gone and he had been allowed to take up space in the suite for as long as was needed. Solitude was a welcome distraction, but alas it was time to get back to his world.

  “Yeah,” he spoke into the phone with an obvious annoyance.

  Levi couldn’t believe that it sounded as thought Nigel was sleep in the middle of the day. After the news he had to share with him, sleep would be the furthest thing from his mind. “So, I’m guessing you haven’t been watching the news, have you?”

  Annoyed by the question, Nigel responded in kind. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

  Taken aback, Levi began to take pride in what he had to share with the man. “I just text you a link. I’ll hold while you review it.”

  Taking his ear off of the phone and checking the text message to the video link, Nigel’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head. “What the fuck!”

  Levi laughed inwardly. Payback was indeed a bitch. A bitch named Vera. “I assure you this is legitimate. My office has contacted the police department and there is a warrant out for your arrest. As I am not a criminal or family lawyer as I’ve explained to you several times, I’ve emailed you a number of suggested counsel for you to consider. Also, with the revelation of these new allegations, my firm has decided to release your account and sever services going forward. We will be happy to transfer your records to whoever you choose to replace us with as we reserve the right to decline clients with criminal charges. Finally, there are documents that were rushed over to my office by your mother’s estate attorney. As I no longer represent you, I have sent them to your home for review which based on the urgency in which they w
ere sent I suggest you do immediately.”

  Nigel jolted up from his position. He couldn’t believe what was happening. Yes, it was true that he could have been less abrasive with his approach with Levi, but never had he expected for his friend to grow a backbone and drop him at what was about to be his lowest point in life.

  “Wait, Levi, I don’t understand. When can I come into your office to discuss this face to face?” Suddenly his ego was taking blows left and right. He was hoping that somehow he would be able to talk his way out of this mess. His slick tongue had always worked before.

  “Yes, I see you definitely aren’t understanding me though I’m certain that I am speaking perfect English. You are done, Nigel. Our firm no longer will represent you. I suggest you make your way into your office to see the state of your business as allegations like this can easily cause reputational damage to not only you as a person but your business as a whole. Perhaps you should learn how to treat people better and you won’t find yourself in a circumstance like this in the future.” Levi was enjoying every moment of this phone call. While they had known each other for a very long time, Nigel was always surly and Levi no longer had a desire to be friends with the man let alone his lawyer.

  “You can’t do this to me!”

  “You did this to yourself. Our firm reserves the right to choose who we represent and we no longer see the value in your business. You have continuously declined my very sound advice at every turn that could have prevented you from being put in this position. Now you need to deal with it properly. May I suggest turning yourself into the police as soon as possible. It will look better that you face this head on. I wish I could say it’s been a pleasure, but I’m glad to be done with our business and personal relationship. And don’t bother stopping by my office, security has been alerted to escort you off the premises if needed. Good day.”

  The abrupt sound of silence caused Nigel to look at his phone dumbfounded. “He hung up on me!” Shaking his head to make sure he was truly awake, the man attempted to wipe the cold of sleep out of his eyes. A headache came down on him with the force of a sledgehammer. As he scrolled through the dozens of missed calls, text messages and emails, he realized that he was indeed about to deal with a massive crisis.

  Making sure he understood the extent of what was happening, he replayed the video Levi had sent to him. There she was. Vera, standing tall in the most modest outfit that he had ever seen her in. Her face solemn. Demeanor of that of a bruised spirit. She was playing one of the biggest cards she had to play publicly. His temperature rose watching her as she stood at the entrance to the police department in front of a podium and various microphones positioned in front of her face.

  She couldn’t have played this more perfectly. As if she hadn’t already trapped him with a son. He still wasn’t clear on how the DNA test proved the child to be his. Now she was ruining him in front of an audience of millions. Knowing what he knew about his ex-wife, she had plotted this out over years. He didn’t know what would cause her to move now, but he was certain that his decision to refuse the audit of his finances triggered this press conference. She knew he was a public figure and his company was very well known. What she didn’t know was how much of his personal finances were tied up in investments connected to the very business she may very well bankrupt with her antics.

  Looking at the stock prices for his company told him everything he needed to know. The story must have gone viral quickly as his stock had definitely plummeted to the point where he didn’t know if he would be able to recover. This was bad. Very bad. However, none of this was as bad as what he vaguely remembered Levi saying something about paperwork from his mother’s attorney. He already knew what that meant without having to investigate further. If his mother had acted on the conversation they had the prior evening, then he was doomed.

  That would mean that not only was his business about to come crashing down, but his access to his father’s estate also could be in danger. He had to do something and quick.

  Leaving the suite as fast as he could get himself together, Nigel drove in the direction of Herschel’s job. The only way she could prove anything that she alleged at the press conference was with the help of Herschel. Smoke rose from his tires as he screeched into the first parking spot he could slide in closest to the door of the piano store.

  He nearly ripped the front door off its hinges as he rushed to the office he remembered Herschel working in. Shocked to see that the office looked to be vacated, Nigel started to panic. He spun around quickly and headed in the direction of the first worker that he saw on the showroom floor.

  “How can I help you sir?” A woman he had never noticed working there before that day asked. She looked at him as though he was interrupting her by the way he walked up on her so abruptly.

  “Ah yes, there was a man I bought a piano from a few years ago. I believe his name was Herschel. Does he still work here?” The entire time he asked his question his eyes scanned around every crevice of the room. If he spotted him, he would leave the woman mid explanation.

  “Herschel resigned a few days ago. Is there something I can help you with?”

  Nigel wanted to scream. “Uh… No thank you. Did he leave a phone number or forwarding address? It’s very important that I contact him.”

  “Well sir I can assure you that I can assist with any issues you may be having with your piano.”

  “Did I fucking say it was about a piano? I said he sold me one. I just need to speak to him. It’s urgent.”

  The woman looked him up and down from head to toe, slightly taken aback by the way he responded to her. The man looked only slightly familiar to her, but not from seeing him in the showroom before.

  “Aren’t you that social engineer guy? Washington right?” Once it clicked in her head who he was, she immediately wanted to know what was so urgent that he needed to speak to Herschel right away. “I saw that press conference your ex-wife had earlier. If I were you, I would be more concerned with that criminal case you have coming up and less about fixing your piano.”

  Nigel became infuriated. This was what happened when the public was left to speculate on a personal situation. She could not have possibly understood the position he was in and how it was all connected. His anger caused him to want to lash out on the woman further, but the embarrassment of being recognized in connection with Vera’s accusations won over.

  Without saying another word, Nigel left the woman standing there with more questions swimming in her head than he would ever answer.

  Leaving out of the building, he was overwhelmed with anxiety. Never in his life had he felt as out of control as he had felt in that moment. His ex-wife was launching all types of accusations that were destined to bury him. His mother more than certainly was pulling his financial plug. The lawyer was dropping him and his company at a time that he needed them perhaps the most and now Herschel, the one person who could possibly clear him was missing.

  He simply could not take it anymore. There were too many fires burning at the same time. Too many for him to put out at once. Nigel had only known one way to be in life. In control. The thought of not having control of anything in his life scared him.

  As he got behind the wheel of his vehicle, he started to hyperventilate. Attempting to call Herschel he got a message the number was disconnected. In that moment Nigel realized just how alone he felt. He truly didn’t have anyone that he could talk to about what he was going through. It had never been a problem before this day. Growing up a single child who had pretty much been raised in a boarding school he was used to being alienated.

  However, over the years he had created a persona for himself that had become larger than life. Nigel had always been smart, so creating the social media platform that rivaled the likes of the giant three was relatively easy. His father always thought his company was a fool’s errand and even after making a respectable amount of money off of the marketing partnerships fed through the platform, there still wasn’t much respect
that was earned from his parents. In their eyes he still came to them for money, regardless of how much he had made in life. That was only because they threw money at him so easy over the years, why should he stop having access to their money because he started earning money of his own?

  Before his father passed it had never been a problem. His parents equated money with love. It appeared now that times have changed and the love was dead and gone. Replaced with threats to take away access, Nigel’s head spin.

  He wasn’t feeling good. Heart beating, palms sweating, vision blurred, Nigel struggled to see where he was going as he merged into traffic. Now wasn’t a time to deal with his health. He had to try to figure his entire life out and quickly. His next steps were unclear, but his mind was racing trying to figure out an exit plan for his life.

  Before he realized what was happening, Nigel felt a sharp pain in his chest. His car swerved in traffic as he clutched his upper torso. Within moments his car hopped over a median and flipped several times before landing on the roof of the vehicle. His car spun in a circle before stopping. The wheels were smoking and spinning. His lifeless body hung haphazardly from the restrains. However, nothing could save him. Nigel’s heart had stopped from a cardiac arrest.

  29

  Herschel looked on at the news reporting on Nigel’s death. This chapter of his life was now finally closed. The payments had been made to him from Vera more timely than that of her now late husband. Furthermore, with Nigel gone, that would mean he didn’t have to go through with testifying about what happened five years ago.

  Still, he couldn’t help but wonder if Vera had anything to do with the man’s untimely death. He recalled when she was torturing him that at one point she referred to him as her late husband. While he didn’t think the woman was capable of murder, could he be mistaken?

  With that in mind, he hurried to pack the last of his belongings. It was time for him to move far away from the craziness that involved the Washington’s. The only good thing that came from ever meeting them was that he had acquired a half a million dollars between the two of them.