Gone Too Far

by Angela Winters

  The money was a headache at times. She had spent the almost eight years of her marriage spending money and nothing else. She had no idea how to manage it, so she hired one of the best to manage it for her. It had taken him almost six months, but Glenn had finally convinced her to make riskier investment decisions. She had been willing to live without the money if she could keep her boys, but now that she had them, she didn’t want to lose the money either.

  “Not only will you not lose the millions you have,” Glenn answered, “but you also stand to make millions more. You just have to trust me.”

  “I won’t trust you,” Kimberly answered. Since Bernie Madoff, no one trusted their money managers. “But I will give you a closely monitored chance.”

  “That’s all I ask. I’ll let you get back to your family.”

  Kimberly said good-bye and hung up. She placed the phone lightly on the table and looked around. Her family. What had become of that? It seemed insane, but there were times when she missed Michael. Even after the hell he put her through, she hadn’t forgotten how happy they had been once. She hadn’t forgotten how he loved her despite knowing about her past and how hard he had worked, although ultimately unsuccessfully, to protect her past from his family. What they had shared at one time, she had been certain was stronger than any problems they could ever have. She was wrong. During the bad times, Kimberly had feared so much, but now all she feared was the belief that she would never feel that kind of love again.

  The phone rang again, and she was hoping it was Michael, telling her he was bringing the boys home from dinner at Chase Mansion with their family. It wasn’t. She noticed the caller ID, and the grind in the pit of her stomach brought her peaceful evening to an end. She wasn’t going to take that call. She wasn’t in the mood to talk about the revenge she was planning for Steven and Janet Chase for trying to buy her children away from her six months ago.

  Carter leaned back on the large, plush, regal sofa in the great room of Chase Mansion, the home that was famous around the world not just for who lived in it, but also for the fact that it was nestled in a decidedly upper-middle-class black suburb rather than in Bel Air or Beverly Hills. He was tired after spending the morning at Chase Law, the law firm that he started several years ago, and spending the rest of the day with his little angel, Connor. He was still getting used to the energy it took to be a dad.

  It was all worth it, he thought as his little princess rolled onto her side and fell on his lap. She looked up at him, rubbing her tiny little nose with her chunky fingers, and yawned. He picked her up and brought her to him, kissing her on her fat cheeks before laying her against his chest.

  Carter had never known he could love like this. After more than thirty years of a father who seemed to have only enough emotion to offer his wife, Carter wasn’t familiar with an affectionate type of fatherly love. Of course, he knew he would love his child, but what he imagined was nothing like what he actually felt. Connor was the sun and the moon to him. He would give his life for her. There was a time when he’d do the same for her mother, but now it was only Connor. She was the only good, pure thing in his life, and he loved her beyond words.

  Carter’s twenty-nine-year-old sister, Leigh, sat down on the sofa next to him with a glass cup of strawberry ice cream in her hand. She looked down at Connor. “She’s tired. You don’t usually keep her up this late, do you?”

  Carter kissed Connor’s head. She now had a full head of soft, curly hair that smelled like lavender. “She’s fine.”

  “Avery’s going to be mad,” Leigh said, “but you don’t care about that, do you?”

  Carter shot Leigh a look. His very pretty sister, the doctor, looked like an angel with her unassuming beauty; soft, tender features; and short curls. But she could, on occasion, be passive-aggressive when telling you how she felt, especially when she didn’t approve.

  “Is that what you came over here for?” Carter asked. “To get on me about Avery?”

  “That’s none of my business.” Leigh looked at the ice cream and wondered if there was whipped cream in the fridge. “I was just stating a fact.”

  “I decide how late my daughter stays up,” Carter said defiantly. “It’s been a peaceful family evening, Leigh. Everyone is getting along. Let’s let this rare occasion last.”

  Leigh laughed. He was right. She was well aware that, in the dictionary, the word Chase could be defined as “dysfunctional family.” Why would they need to discuss battles they had with others when there were more than enough battles just between them? The most constant battle was between Carter and their father. Steven and Carter got along only sporadically, something that existed their whole life but escalated when, after Harvard Law, Carter decided to start his own law firm instead of joining Chase Beauty. Steven, a man who relied on his influence over his children to get them to do his bidding, had never fully recovered from the rejection. They were closer now, ever since Carter and Michael had been in the Chase jet that crashed in Denver last year. They had tried their best to put aside their differences—differences that hit a height when Steven found out that Carter had known all along that Kimberly had been a teenaged hooker and kept it from the family.

  “You forget Michael and Daddy,” Leigh said. “You should know better than to mistake not fighting with getting along. You’re an expert at it.”

  Carter looked over at the bar, where his father was fixing a drink. You could never not notice Steven Chase. He was a powerful, tall, dark man who commanded attention. While his distinguished white temples hinted that he was well into his fifties, he was still in remarkable shape. He carried himself with a unique mastery very few men had.

  And he was married to a woman, standing next to him, of a very rare caliber. Janet was Steven’s introduction to the world of black blue blood. She was an exceptionally beautiful woman who had always looked ten years younger than she was. She was always impeccable, even when she was a mess inside, which was more often than she’d ever admit.

  Carter turned his attention to the floor, where his little brother by one year, Michael, was playing chess with his eight-year-old son Daniel, while Daniel’s twin, Evan, looked on with a discontented look on his face. Six months ago, everyone thought Michael would implode. His life had gotten so out of control that it threatened to destroy the whole family. No one knew what to do. Even Carter was on the verge of hopelessness, despite the fact that he and Michael had been best friends their whole lives and usually helped each other out of their biggest messes.

  Everyone was shocked beyond belief when Michael, whose one and only dream in life was to take over Chase Beauty, resigned from his position on the Chase Beauty board of directors and took an indefinite leave of absence from his position as CFO. This was in response to his parents’ attempt to force him to divorce Kimberly and run her out of L.A. with $20 million and nothing else. He eventually came back within a month, but you could still feel a chill in any room in which Steven and Michael were together. Things had changed forever.

  “If anything good came from Michael and Dad’s drama,” Carter whispered to his sister, “it’s that Michael isn’t under Dad’s finger anymore. His entire existence rose and fell on Dad’s approval, something I warned him could never fully be achieved.”

  “I’m still worried about him,” Leigh said. She always worried about Michael and Carter and their little sister, Haley, who…“Hey, where did Haley go? She was here like five minutes ago.”

  “She probably went back to her new house,” Carter answered as the doorbell rang.

  “You mean the guest house?” Leigh was speaking of the 2,500-square-foot house behind the main house and the pool but in front of the basketball court.

  “Mom’s latest attempt to keep her close,” Carter said. “You know the kid can only stand peaceful family moments for so long. Dysfunction is her energy source.”

  “Hello, everyone.”

  While everyone expected to see whoever had rung the doorbell, they turned their attention in
the other direction as Peter Hargrove entered the room from the back with that always-too-cheerful smile on his face and those constantly ruffled dark brown curls.

  “Well,” Michael said out aloud, “if it isn’t Haley’s first of what’s certain to be a minimum of five husbands. Nice of you to join us, Pete.”

  “It’s Peter,” the young man corrected with an annoyed glance at his brother-in-law. “Is Haley around?”

  “You mean your wife?” Michael asked. “Why is it that I know more about your wife’s whereabouts than you do?”

  “Michael.” Janet spoke sternly as she nodded to her son. “That’s enough.”

  Janet took a deep breath and forced a kind smile as she turned to Peter. “Haley is in the game room downstairs. Peter, have you had dinner?”

  “I ate out,” he answered with his strong Australian accent. He ran his fingers over his unruly hair as he stood looking pleased with himself. He knew he was handsome in the rebellious rich boy sort of way, and his dark skin and half-Australian, half-Aboriginal features made him stand out.

  “Where the hell have you been?” Steven asked, not trying to conceal his disdain for this boy who had forced himself into his family.

  “Out and about, mate.” Peter, dressed in faded black shorts and a Manchester United T-shirt, seemed unaware or unconcerned of his father-in-law’s disdain for him.

  “You wouldn’t have possibly been looking for a job?” Michael asked sarcastically.

  “Don’t need a job,” Peter said with an above-it-all grin as he strode through the middle of the room. “I’m rich, remember?”

  Steven let out a low groan, and Janet placed her hand firmly on his arm to get him to calm down. She waited until Peter was gone before letting go.

  “I’m not going to warn you again,” she scolded. “You must try to be nicer to him.”

  “This is as good as it’s going to get,” Steven answered, taking a quick sip of his drink. “I can’t stand that kid.”

  “Carter.” Maya, the Chase Mansion maid for almost twenty years, stood in the archway to the great room, and with her strong Caribbean accent said, “It’s Avery.”

  Carter took a second before nodding to Maya, who quickly left. Here we go, he thought as he lifted himself off the sofa with his baby in his arms. He ignored the insolent glances thrown his way as he left the room. This was none of their business.

  “No one is happy about this situation,” Janet said, “but I—”

  “He’s happy,” Steven said. “He’s happy and so is Haley. And we’re all supposed to just put up with it.”

  What Steven was having a hard time putting up with was Haley’s surprise husband and his presence in their home. Six months ago, they were embroiled in Haley’s latest mishap, which was getting herself involved in a murder scandal through her current lover, Garrett Collins. It seemed to be solved just before a young man from Australia showed up at the house claiming to be Haley’s husband. It wasn’t until then that Haley told her parents that nine months prior, while spending the summer in Sydney, she had gotten married.

  This was a shock for everyone, even for Haley, who had established herself as the hell-raiser and chief scandal-maker within the Chase family. A significant part of Steven’s and Janet’s lives, and money, was spent repairing the damage caused by their youngest child, now twenty-six years old. Sadly, her involvement in last year’s murder mystery wasn’t the first of that kind, but a hidden marriage had the family floored.

  After regaining their composure, Steven and Janet listened to Haley explain that she had met Peter, an heir to oil billions in Melbourne, while spending a summer prancing around Sydney on her parents’ dollar. Peter’s eighty-five-year-old grandfather had recently died, but Peter’s access to his share of the inheritance, $300 million, hit a snag. Peter was always a wild child and an outcast because of his father’s choice to marry an Aboriginal woman, and Peter’s grandfather thought he could calm Peter down by demanding he be married for at least two years before he could collect his inheritance. They were on month fifteen.

  As Haley explained, Peter, who wasn’t the least bit interested in settling down for real, needed a wife quick and he needed money. Haley had grown tired of Steven holding her trust fund—estimated to be between $12 and $15 million after the most recent stock market crash—over her head and using it to control her. Her disdain for her father, which she made no attempt to hide, led her to the idea that she needed a different source of income. In her own words, she explained, “At least until you both die and I can get more.”

  Once Peter got the $300 million, she would get $30 million for all her help in the ruse, and they would get a divorce. He would have his money, and she would be able to live her life as she pleased without regard for her father’s orders. Steven hadn’t asked if she had gotten a prenup, because he knew she hadn’t bothered.

  “The best way to keep control of the situation,” Janet said, “is to keep her close and keep an eye on him. You don’t want to push him away, because she’ll go with him.”

  “She doesn’t even like him,” Michael said.

  “She likes him,” Leigh added. “They get along at least.”

  “I don’t want to talk about this anymore!” Steven turned and headed for the back patio.

  When Carter saw Avery standing in the marble-floored, well-appointed foyer, he could tell right away that she was angry, but when he got up closer, he could see that she was also very tired. Despite it all, damn her, she still looked beautiful to him. The simplicity and careless elegance of her natural beauty still got to him despite the way he felt about her.

  And what he felt was hate. Avery had broken his heart too many times for him to forgive her ever again. He had tried and tried, but she ripped his insides to shreds and still expected him to hold no grudge. Well, he held a grudge, and he was determined to make her pay for it. He hadn’t wished Anthony’s accident or physical condition, but it was no excuse. He had offered to pay for all of Anthony’s medical needs, including a full-time, top-quality nurse. But Avery didn’t care. Once again, she decided to give in to morals that had no basis in what was right or what was real. His heart paid the price, and his anger had not yet subsided. He didn’t know if it ever would. Avery was his enemy now, because if she was anything else, he would fall for her again. He would redefine their relationship on his own terms before she could ever get a chance to destroy him again.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked harshly, keeping his almost asleep baby close to his chest.

  “I came to get my baby,” Avery said. She could see that all-too-familiar look of anger on his handsome face, those hostile light eyes of his. He never offered her anything else, but she was too tired to care tonight.

  To Carter’s dismay, the sound of her mother’s voice brought Connor to attention. Her head shot up from his shoulder, and she swung around in his arms. Once she saw Avery, she reached her arms out, squealing, “Mommy!”

  “Your baby?” Carter asked. “What the hell does that mean?”

  “That is generally what you call someone you gave birth to.” Avery held her arms up. “Just give her to me, please.”

  Carter didn’t want to oblige, but Connor was not going to cooperate. When Avery was around, no one else would do. “I was going to bring her back soon.”

  “Soon?” Avery wanted to tell him that with the agreement, she was supposed to get Connor back more than two hours ago, but he didn’t care and she didn’t want to fight with him. She had what she came for.

  “Don’t start with me,” Carter said. “I could’ve not brought her back at all.”

  “Are you threatening me again?” Avery asked. “Because I’m not impressed. You’re not her custodial parent, Carter. I am.”

  “Well maybe you shouldn’t be.” Carter felt a sick sense of satisfaction as the expression on her face changed. She was paying attention to him now. “You’re too busy taking care of that husband of yours. Maybe you don’t have time to take care of a baby
anymore.”

  “You’ve been saying that for six months.” Avery tried desperately to control her temper. She knew these were just threats, but just the thought made her want to explode. “And despite what you hoped for, I’m making it work.”

  “That’s a matter of opinion,” Carter shouted just as she turned and headed out the door.

  It made him angry that she could walk away. She had stopped trying to calm him, trying to make peace. She didn’t care that he hated her anymore, and that bothered him. The one thing Carter knew was that, even though she had torn his heart to shreds by choosing Anthony over him yet again, she had still wanted him. He could see it in her eyes and in the jealous looks she shot in Julia’s direction. But he didn’t see that anymore. If she didn’t care that he hated her, then he’d have nothing.

  “Very foul.”

  Carter swung around to see Michael standing right behind him with a disappointed expression on his dark, intense face. He’d been so focused on his anger for Avery that he hadn’t even heard him approach.

  “What are you doing? Sneaking up on me?”

  “How long do you plan on being the apex asshole?” Michael relished the opportunity to be the less dysfunctional brother for a change—at least for now. “You thought things were going to end up one way and they ended up another. You’re the most logical person I know. Logic would suggest you make the best of it. An emotion-driven person, which you are not, would choose…well, what you’re doing. Acting like a vindictive, bitter bitch.”