Unforgiving
Patricia Haley
www.urbanchristianonline.com
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Praise for #1 Essence National Bestselling Author Patricia Haley and Her Inspirational Novels
Also by
Dedication
Epigraph
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Reading Guide - MAKES YOU GO “HMMM!”
Acknowledgments
Author’s Note
UC HIS GLORY BOOK CLUB!
What We Believe:
Copyright Page
Unforgiving
by
Patricia Haley
Praise for #1 Essence National Bestselling
Author Patricia Haley
and Her Inspirational Novels
“A must read . . . highly recommend this book . . . promise you will not be disappointed.”
—Urban Christian Fiction
Today on Destined
“Haley engages one with subtle intrigue and touches of comedy.... An intriguing read with a subtle inspirational message woven into the story . . . Riveting.”
—Faygo’s Report
“Haley has a gold mine with this series. If I was a hat wearer, it would definitely be off to her. All I can say to her right now is, ‘You go, girl!’”
—Member of LVAAABC Book Club
“Haley showcases how God’s word can be misinterpreted with greed, lust, and selfishness.”
—RAWSISTAZ on Chosen
“Haley shared how God does choose the most unlikely person for ministry when we think there is no way.... A must read . . . Highly recommended.”
—APOOO Book Club
“Phenomenal . . . Haley did an outstanding job on each person’s outlook and how, without forgiveness, no problem can truly be solved.”
—Urban Reviews
“Haley has hit the mark yet again! I couldn’t put this book down—the characters are believable and compelling.”
—Maurice M. Gray, Jr., author of
All Things Work Together
“The story grabs the reader from the beginning, drawing you in . . . and keeping you on the edge of your seat as the plot takes unexpected twists and turns.”
—RT Book Reviews on
Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
“The perfect blend of faith and romance.”
—Gospel Book Review
“Haley’s writing and visualization skills are to be reckoned with.... This story is full-bodied.... Great prose, excellent execution!”
—RAWSISTAZ on Still Waters
“A deeply moving novel. The characters and the story line remind us that forgiveness and unconditional love are crucial to any relationship.”
—Good Girl Book Club
“No Regrets offered me a different way, a healthier way based in faith and hope, to look at trying situations.”
—Montgomery Newspapers
Unforgiving is also available as an eBook
Also by Patricia Haley
Mitchell Family Drama Series
(listed in chronological story line order)
Anointed
Betrayed
Chosen
Destined
Broken
Humbled
Unforgiving
Redeemed Drama Series
Relentless
Other Titles
Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
Still Waters
No Regrets
Blind Faith
Nobody’s Perfect
Dedication
Unforgiving is dedicated to my special family.
No matter how vast and incredible our connections are, God has uniquely placed each of us in a specific family for a special purpose. Honestly, I won the grand prize when it comes to the family into which I was born and to the husband I married. There’s no amount of money on earth that could ever replace a second with any of you. You have supported, prayed for, protected, and loved me unconditionally beyond imagination. My life is better having been connected to each of you. My soul is happy. I am blessed and count it all joy. Because of you, I have felt the most incredible love of a lifetime. I thank God for each of you.
Soul mate and best friend Jeffrey Warnell Glass
Mother Fannie Haley Rome
In memory of my Father Fred Luck Haley
Big brother Rev. Frederick Lane Haley
In memory of my incredible and much-loved
baby brother Erick Lewis Haley
And youngest baby brother, Freddy Deon Haley
“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
Matthew 18:35 (NIV)
Chapter 1
How much drama and failure could one family handle before crumbling? It was a valid question for Don Mitchell, the man currently at the helm of the renowned DMI family business. He leaned against the windowsill as his back unintentionally blocked the illuminating sunshine attempting to burst into his office. He felt the warmth and yearned to soak it in, but the clutches of DMI wouldn’t allow him or any other Mitchell to absorb the light fully. Plagued with tragedy, bad decisions, and an unwillingness to forgive hurts of the past, the people he loved the most were perpetually wading in a pit of despair. He folded his arms, trying to let God’s grace purge him of the rising unrest in his spirit. For the first time in a long while he was confused about how to proceed.
He wrestled with his thoughts for the better part of an hour before accepting his reality. He turned to face the window, and the sunlight rushed in, bringing clarity along for the ride. Suddenly, his confusion dissipated, as if it had never existed. The answer was simple. It was time to leave DMI and Detroit. There was no question. God had called him to Detroit to help bring reconciliation to the Mitchell family. Everything hadn’t turned out as he’d hoped, but then that wasn’t his problem. God had called him to play a role in the process, not to be the ultimate fixer. That was God’s job alone, and Don was at peace. His season at DMI had passed. He was done, and his next step was to break the news to his mother.
Don went down the hallway several doors to reach her office and found Madeline Mitchell staring into a laptop on her desk. “Mother, we need to talk.” Don plopped into a chair directly in front
of her.
She peered over the reading glasses perched on the tip of her nose and said, “Why do you look so serious? What’s wrong now?”
Such a question in their family was sufficient to stir a hornet’s nest. There was no point in rattling off a litany of wrongs, including the constant power struggle within the family. Don’s mother was painfully aware of each battle, especially since she’d had ample instigation in most. Regardless, he wasn’t there to rehash and toss around blame. The truth was that there was plenty to go around with not a single person deserving to be exonerated.
“I’m ready to go back to South Africa.”
She took her glasses off and bit her lip. “So you’re serious about leaving? You’re really going to walk out of DMI and give up your CEO position?”
“Yep,” Don said. “But this shouldn’t be a surprise. I’ve told you this several times over the past couple of weeks.”
“But I didn’t take you seriously.”
“Maybe that’s the problem. No one takes me seriously when it comes to wanting something for me.”
Madeline reared back and pushed her palms against the edge of the desk. “That’s not true. Nobody forced you stay here.”
That was debatable. For months he’d mentioned stepping down, and his mother had consistently implored him to think about what would happen to DMI if he left. “Doesn’t matter. It’s time for me to move on.”
“Then I guess we have to appoint a replacement,” she said, pulling herself closer to the desk and resting her elbows on top, with fingers clasped. “You’re putting me in a tough spot, because there’s no one better qualified than you to run our company. No one. You’ve been a savior for DMI. While you were away, that half-brother of yours practically drove us into bankruptcy, and our reputation was dumped in the toilet. After the debacle with Joel as the head, you helped us get both our finances and our image back on track.”
Flattery was nice, but Don wasn’t swayed. The only thing worse than not hearing God was ignoring His instruction once he had heard from Him. Don knew God had released him from DMI, and the others had to accept it too. They’d either reconcile or kill each other in the process. Either way, he wasn’t staying around to find out which one they chose.
“You’re talking about me being great for DMI. What about you?” he asked Madeline.
“What about me?” she asked as her eyebrows shrugged.
“You started this company with Dad. Why don’t you take over as CEO?”
“Are you out of your mind? I’m sixty-six years old. I have served my time in hell and on the mountaintop. Don’t get me wrong. I love DMI and what your father and I have built here. You know this is my fifth child, but it has never been my desire to be at the helm—never. I enjoy standing behind the leader and moving stuff out of the way so that person can run this place with a strong hand,” she said shaking her tight fist in the air. “That’s what I do, and I’ve done it well.” Her shoulders relaxed. “Just like you, it’s time for me to press on toward the next chapter in my life.”
Don wasn’t sure exactly what that meant, given that she hadn’t shown interest in anything outside of her children and DMI. “I guess that leaves Tamara.” Don knew his mother would always put him and his sister ahead of Joel, the lone son resulting from his father’s past marital indiscretion.
Madeline’s heart wept as she longed to have her estranged daughter run the family business, but she was too much of a businesswoman to squander their success by letting emotions rule her decisions. Madeline rested her forehead against her interlocked fingers and closed her eyelids. “We know she’s not ready. Let’s face it. She’s doing well as a junior-level assistant, but that’s miles from your corner office on executive row.”
“I agree, but you know she might not understand,” Don replied.
“Who knows? But we can’t worry about her reaction right now. We have to move forward before you leave me high and dry.”
“Never that.” Don chuckled. “Then if it’s not you and it’s not Tamara, my replacement has to be Abigail. She’s already the executive vice president. It’s not much of a stretch to make her the new CEO.” Madeline was eager to interrupt, but Don didn’t give her a chance. “Let me finish.”
She nodded for him to proceed.
“Abigail has been loyal to this family. She worked as an assistant for Dad, an executive under Joel, and as a right hand for me. She’s put up with a lot of hurt from Joel and from me too. She’s been in the trenches with us, and most importantly, I trust her. She deserves this shot.”
Madeline was itching to jump in with a rebuttal. “I don’t question her loyalty. I can also appreciate her disappointment about not landing a Mitchell man, but what did Abigail expect? You might not act like brothers, but you do share a bloodline. Falling in love with two brothers is taboo and destined not to end well. She can only blame herself for the fallout and her wounded feelings. She shouldn’t be upset about both you and Joel having chosen other women, leaving her out in the cold.” Madeline shut her eyelids as her head bobbed from side to side. “I get how awful that might be for her. I really feel badly for her too, but I’m not about to give her the golden key because I feel sorry for her. Maybe you and Joel feel like you owe her something, but I don’t.”
“Come on, Mother. You can’t mean that.”
“Humph. You think I don’t? Abigail has done a great job and has been compensated handsomely. As an executive vice president, she’s making over four hundred thousand, plus a very generous twenty-five percent annual bonus and plenty of other benefits and perks.”
“This isn’t about money.”
“You’re right. It’s about family, legacy, and birthright.” Madeline gently glided the palm of her hand across the top of her head, pressing down any loose hairs. “This company was built to stay in the family. That is nonnegotiable for me, which is why there’s only one choice.” She cleared her throat. “I know you think I’m crazy, but Joel is my choice.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“He’s gutsy, and I like that,” Madeline said.
“You mean more like reckless.”
“I told you last month he’d come to me and apologized for his actions in the past. As much as I’d like to discount his little visit, I can’t. I’m a pretty good judge of character, and I’m telling you he was sincere.”
Don wanted to be impartial and felt like he was. He could easily have reverted to nursing his childhood wounds of rejection, which were due to playing second fiddle to his father’s second family, with baby boy Joel seemingly getting the best Dave Mitchell had to offer. He could allow the hurt to justify his vote against Joel at this critical point in the DMI succession plan. Yet he didn’t have a need for revenge. It wasn’t in his heart. His lack of support for Joel was based purely on merit and a gut feeling. Don wasn’t as easily convinced of Joel’s turn from the dark side as his mother appeared to be. It was true that Don championed reconciliation and forgiveness in the family, but he operated with wisdom too. Joel had made devastating business decisions, like bargaining away two divisions, secretly signing on a ton of debt, and merging DMI with an Eastern religion–oriented company that had conflicting priorities and beliefs. Forgiveness was great and necessary, but it didn’t mean that consequences were instantly wiped away. Clearly, some situations were irreversible. Don was sure of it. Joel had created several such situations, making it difficult for Don to see him as a viable candidate for the helm of DMI.
“Let’s face it. He has the experience and the pedigree. Besides, we can’t overlook the fact that he led DMI through the largest growth spurt we’ve ever had when he took over four years ago,” Madeline added.
“Abigail was here during the growth spurt too.”
“But she wasn’t the leader. Joel was.” Madeline stared at Don. “I like Abigail. You know I do. I appreciate her intellect and her loyalty, but if my children aren’t in the lead role, I’m going with the next best candidate, and that’s Joel. It�
�s not even a close race between the two of them. He’s a Mitchell, and she isn’t. It’s that simple.”
“I’m blown away that you trust him this much, with everything that happened on his watch.”
“I haven’t forgotten, but as you’ve told me too many times, everyone deserves another chance. In Joel’s case, it’s the third, fourth, or fifth,” she said while laughing.
“True, but still I’m going with Abigail.”
“Then, my son, we’ll have to agree to disagree.”
“So what are we going to do?” Don asked with his gaze locked with his mother’s.
“Take it to a vote with the board of directors.”
“You sure you want to go there? Because I have two votes,” Don uttered.
“Whose?”
“Mine and, most likely, Tamara’s. You know how she believes in empowering women. I’m sure her vote will go to Abigail.”
“I don’t want to burst your bubble, but Tamara votes only for herself,” Madeline said.
“You’re probably right, but I’m not worried. I’ll get my votes.”
“You can best believe, I’ll get mine. I’ll go as far as getting his mother on my side, if absolutely necessary.”
“What can Sherry do? She doesn’t have a vote on the board,” Don stated.
“True, but never underestimate the power of a mother. If I’ve taught you anything over the years, you should know that much.” Silence fell over the office. Then Madeline extended a hand to Don. “May the best person win.”
Don stood and leaned across the desk to shake his mother’s hand, imagining the many things that could go wrong. The surge of solace he was claiming at that moment rested on the notion that God had a plan for him and the other Mitchells. He had to; otherwise going to battle against Madeline Mitchell was suicide. “Who’s going to tell Tamara that we’re not recommending her?”
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