“It’s nothing like that,” Abraham said, waving off the comment. “You know I made a place for Deborah in MEEG, and I’m sure you’ve noticed I haven’t done the same for Michael.”
“Seems a smart move to me. The man hates us.”
“He doesn’t hate you, Isaac. He hates me. He only resents you. I’m sorry about that, but have some compassion for the boy. You grew up with a mother and a father and all this.” Abraham lifted his arms wide to illustrate the breadth of all his family had. “Michael grew up with a single mother who struggled to provide a good living for them, all the while knowing he had a rich father across town who couldn’t be bothered to help. Neither he nor Deborah had any of the opportunities you had. No summer camps, no private schools, no tutors, no summer trips to Europe and Africa. Of course, they’re bound to be a little resentful of you.”
“A little resentful? What planet are you living on, Dad? Your underprivileged son has been taunting my wife with gifts since the day we were married. Did you know he and Rebecca had a relationship?”
Abraham nodded. “Rebecca told me. But that relationship was over long before Rebecca married you. I don’t see how you can hold it against her or him.”
“I’d agree with you if Michael had left it at that, but he went too far when he started taunting me and Rebecca with gifts. Before I even knew he was my brother, he was rubbing it in my face that he’d slept with my wife. I think that goes a bit beyond being a little resentful.” Isaac rubbed his hand across his head. “You know what, Dad? I don’t even know why we’re having this argument. MEEG is your company and you can do what you want with it. I came back after your accident, knowing Deborah was there, and promised to stay until your return. But I can’t keep that promise if you bring Michael in. You can let him run the company for you or with you, but I won’t work with him.”
“That’s not you talking, Isaac,” Abraham said. “Those are your mother’s words. You’re more generous than your words suggest.”
“Don’t fool yourself, Dad. These are my words. I’m generous but I’m not a masochist, which I’d have to be to work with Michael.”
Abraham studied his son. “I know Michael has hurt you,” he said. “But that was when he was your enemy. You don’t have to be enemies anymore. You can be brothers. That’s one of the reasons that I want to bring him into MEEG, so he won’t have a reason to hate you.”
“Wake up, Dad,” Isaac said. “You can’t snap your fingers and turn us into the Brady Bunch. There is a lot of bad blood between the two families. Neither wishful thinking nor gifting MEEG board seats is going to change that. This is one time the great Abraham Martin is not going to get his way. You’re not going to have your offspring working side by side with you carrying out your legacy at MEEG. It ain’t gonna happen.”
“It could, if you would give it chance. You’re my son, Isaac, my oldest son. You have the inner strength to make it happen.”
Isaac put down his glass and stared at his father. “You don’t get it, do you? I left MEEG because of you. I don’t want to work with you. It took my leaving for me to realize that. I could breathe in my new position, Dad. I couldn’t breathe when I was working with you at MEEG. You sucked all the air out of the room with your plans and expectations. It was too much. I can’t live like that again. I won’t.”
Isaac watched as his dad sank back on the couch. “I had no idea you disliked working at MEEG.”
Isaac shook his head. “You’re not listening to me,” he said. “I can tolerate working at MEEG, but I can’t tolerate working with you. And I won’t tolerate working with Michael.”
“You’re not leaving me too many options. Either you have MEEG to yourself or you’re out—is that what you’re telling me?”
Isaac shook his head. “I’m telling you that it’s fine with me if you, Deborah, and Michael run MEEG together. I won’t stand in your way and I’ll try to rein in Mom when she tries to interfere, though I’m not sure how successful I’ll be.”
“You don’t mean that, Isaac. MEEG is your heritage. I built it for you.”
“No, you didn’t,” Isaac said, walking over to sit on the ottoman in front of his dad. “You built it for you and it’s yours. I’m proud of what you’ve accomplished but I can’t and won’t stand in your shadow any longer. It’s not a healthy place for me to be.”
Chapter Fifty
Saralyn arrived home later than planned. It had taken longer than expected for her to identify the things from the penthouse that she wanted moved to the mansion. She’d miss living downtown but her place was with Abraham. If he wanted to recuperate here, she’d be right by his side, as she’d been for all of their marriage, the good and the bad.
She admitted to herself, though, that these times were as bad as they’d ever been. Her husband was making decisions about her and Isaac’s future without even consulting her. Now that she had him out here to herself, she was sure she’d be able to talk some sense into him.
Mrs. Hall met her when she opened the front door. “Welcome home, ma’am,” the older lady said.
“I’m sorry I missed dinner, Anna,” Saralyn told her, knowing and appreciating how much effort she put into her meals.
“Don’t worry about it,” Mrs. Hall said. “Are you hungry? I can fix you a plate.”
Saralyn shook her head. “I had a sandwich and salad when I was downtown. Where are my husband and son?”
“Mr. Isaac left a while ago,” Mrs. Hall said. “Mr. Martin is in his study.”
“Thanks,” Saralyn said, then turned toward Abraham’s study. She was disappointed she’d missed Isaac because she looked forward to spending time with both her men tonight. Family time had been short in the last few months, since Isaac left MEEG and the relationship between him and his father had grown increasingly strained. She smiled when she walked through the study doors. Abraham sat slouched back on the couch, his feet propped on the ottoman in front of him, head back, eyes closed. Love for him flowed afresh within her.
Despite the doctor’s orders for him to take a break from work while he recuperated, there was a stack of documents on his lap. A closer inspection showed that some of them had fallen to the floor. Shaking her head, she bent and picked up the documents and then collected those on his lap. She scanned them as she headed for his desk to put them away. She stopped when she spotted the name Michael Thomas.
She read the contents of the document then turned toward her still sleeping husband. “Abraham Martin!” she yelled. “Are you out of your mind?” She marched toward her husband as he sluggishly awakened from his sleep.
“Saralyn. What’s going on?”
She dropped down on the ottoman and shoved the document in his chest. “What’s going on with me?” she parroted. “What I want to know is what’s going on with you? You can’t seriously be thinking about making Michael Thomas an officer in MEEG. Tell me I read that document wrong.”
Abraham wiped the sleep from his eyes. “Calm down,” he told her. “We’re not alone in this house.”
Saralyn jumped up from the ottoman, stomped to the study door, and slammed it closed. “Now tell me I read that document wrong, Abraham.”
Abraham sighed. “You didn’t read it wrong.”
She stalked back over to him. “Why are you doing this to me? Why are you doing it to Isaac? Don’t you know what Michael has done to him? Are you trying to push Isaac away?”
“Of course I’m not trying to push him away,” he told her. “Stop talking crazy.”
She folded her arms and tapped her feet. “You’re the one who’s crazy if you think I’m going to put up with this.”
“I can’t talk to you when you’re like this,” he said, but she recognized the dismissive tactic for what it was.
“Oh, no,” she said. “You’re not going to brush me off so easily. You can’t keep making all these unilateral decisions. You should have consulted me before you offered that Deborah a job, before you put her and that mother of hers on the board, and d
efinitely before you did anything for that miscreant Michael.”
“He’s my son, Saralyn.”
“Isaac is your son, too, but it seems you’ve forgotten that in your quest to appease your other children.”
“That’s not true,” he said. “The problem is that you’ve fought me all the way. You haven’t tried to understand what I’m going through.”
She wanted to throw something at him. “What you’re going through? What about me? What about Isaac?”
He sighed. “Why do you have to fight me every step of the way, Saralyn? Why can’t you work with me on this? Throughout our marriage, you’ve always supported me, been there with me. Why does this have to be different?”
“Are you crazy? This isn’t a simple business deal, Abraham. We’re talking about your mistress and her children. This is different.”
He got up and came to her. “It doesn’t have to be,” he said, rubbing his hand down her arm.
She snatched her arm away from him. “Your sweet talk is not going to work this time. You’ve got to choose: them or us. It’s that simple.”
“Don’t threaten me, Saralyn.”
“It’s not a threat. If you don’t stand up for me and Isaac, I’ll have to do it.”
He eyed her. “What are you talking about?”
She might have been angry, but she was not stupid enough to tell Abraham of her trump card. Her husband was a smart man, and if he knew what she planned to do, he might be able to find a way to thwart her. “You heard me. I’ve always stood by you, Abraham. I even forgave you when I first found out about Leah and those kids. Do you know what it took for me to do that, knowing that you’d been lying to me for years? It took a lot.”
Abraham reached for her. “I know, Saralyn. I know.”
She shook her head. “If you did, things wouldn’t be the way they are today.”
He looked away. “They’re my children, too, Saralyn,” he said. “I can’t walk away from them again. What kind of man would I be if I did that?”
“I know you don’t want to hear this, Abe, but it’s too late for you to be a father to them. You can’t make up those years. Bringing them into MEEG is not going to make them see you as their father. You’re a stranger to them, a rich stranger. Why not make this simple? Give them some money—a lot of money if you want, I won’t fight you. Give them the money and let them leave. That’s all they want anyway.”
Abraham shook his head. “You’re wrong,” he said. “Michael told me about your offer. He’s not taking it.”
“What do you mean he’s not taking it? Of course he’s taking it. The boy’s a lot of things but stupid isn’t one of them. He’s taking the money, all right.”
Abraham hated hearing his wife speak that way. “He’s not taking it, Saralyn. I don’t care what he told you. He told me that he’s not taking it. He only said he would so he could throw your offer back in my face. How could you, Saralyn? How could you try to buy them off?”
“I’m not ashamed of what I did. I did it and I would do it again. You aren’t the only fighter in this family, Abraham. I’ll do whatever I have to do to protect my family, my son. You can be my ally in this or you can be my enemy. It’s up to you.”
He reached for her again. “Saralyn—”
“You have a decision to make,” she said, sidestepping him and heading toward the door. She opened it and then turned back to him. “I know this is hard for you, Abraham, but I’m not sorry. You’ve accomplished everything you wanted in life with your charm, your good looks, and your brain. This time it’s going to be your heart that either gets you out of trouble or buries you deeper in it.”
She left the room and closed the door behind her. As she made her way to the stairs, she knew that regardless of what Abraham did, she’d have her attorney file the separation papers tomorrow. If she couldn’t count on Abraham’s love for her and Isaac to stop the nonsense, she’d have to rely on the law.
Chapter Fifty-One
Josette drove around the block where Isaac and Rebecca lived several times before she got up the nerve to pull into one of the visitor spaces in front of the high-rise luxury condo building. She was familiar with the building, as one of Michael’s goals when he “hit it big” was to buy a condo here. At least now she understood the appeal the building had for him. She wondered if he had any goals that didn’t stem out of his disdain for Abraham Martin. Despite everything she’d learned about Michael recently, she still couldn’t shake the notion that she’d made the right decision when she married him. And that was totally crazy. How could it be the right decision when her husband was a habitual liar and, she suspected, a serial adulterer?
Shaking off those thoughts, she headed for the lobby. The doorman greeted her, and she told him she was there to see Mrs. Martin. “Which one?” he asked, with a grin that told her he’d asked the question often.
She smiled at him. “Rebecca Martin, Mrs. Isaac Martin.”
“I’ll ring her,” he said, picking up the phone. “Name, please.”
She told him and prayed Rebecca would see her.
He hung up the phone. “Follow me, please,” he said, leading her to the bank of elevators. He punched the Up button, waited for the doors to open and her to enter, then pushed the button for the tenth floor. “It’s 1002,” he said. “Take a left after the doors open. You can’t miss it.”
“Thanks,” Josette said as the doors closed; 1002, she repeated silently.
When the elevator doors opened, she stepped off and followed the doorman’s directions. She took a deep breath before she rang the bell. The door opened before the first full ring.
“Come on in,” Rebecca said, as if Josette were a friend dropping by for a bout of gossip.
Josette grew uneasy as she began to consider the wisdom of her visit. What did she hope to gain by coming here?
Rebecca pointed to a leather couch. “Have a seat,” she said. “Can I get you something to drink?”
Josette shook her head. Was this the Twilight Zone? It certainly felt like it. She had to get things back on keel. “I didn’t come here for tea,” she said, taking the offered seat.
Rebecca sighed and then sat in the leather chair next to the couch. She folded her legs under her, as calm as she could be. “So why did you come?”
Josette studied this woman she suspected was sleeping with her husband. She couldn’t shake the comparison. They were married to two brothers, and this woman had slept with both of them. Maybe those people on Jerry Springer were real, after all. “You have no idea?”
Rebecca laughed, but it wasn’t a real laugh, more a nervous reaction. “You either came about Michael or about Isaac. They’re all we have in common. So which one is it?”
Josette studied her. She could see why men were attracted to Rebecca. She was one of those women who exuded sexuality and self-confidence without even trying. What Josette couldn’t figure out was how the same man could also be attracted to her when she was so different from Rebecca. Of course, she didn’t exude sexuality now that she was pregnant, but she hadn’t exuded it before. She was more the girl-next-door, while Rebecca was the siren down the street. “I’m here about Michael,” she finally said.
“Interesting,” Rebecca said. “You spend so much time with my husband these days, I thought you might want to talk about him.”
“What are you talking about?”
Rebecca unfolded her legs and leaned toward Josette. “First, you’re crying on Isaac’s shoulder at the hospital, and then you’re crying on his shoulder in his office. It seems to me you should be crying on your own husband’s broad shoulders, not mine.”
“You’re joking, right?”
“Do I look like I’m joking?” Rebecca said. Her harsh tone signaled there would be no bout of gossip. “I take women coming on to my husband very seriously. I’ve been meaning to talk to you about it.”
“You can’t be serious,” Josette sputtered. “What are you accusing me of?”
Rebecca shrugg
ed. “I’m not accusing you of anything…yet. Isaac wouldn’t cheat on me. But I’m sure he’s told you that we’re having problems, and you wouldn’t be the first woman to take advantage of a man when his marriage was on the rocks.”
“Maybe you’re reflecting your lack of morals onto me,” Josette said, unable to believe how quickly the conversation had turned against her. “I am not making a move on Isaac.”
“Actions speak louder than words,” Rebecca said. “Try staying away from him.”
Josette stood. “I came here to ask you one question, but I don’t even have to ask it now. You’re sleeping with Michael, aren’t you? That’s why you see evil wherever you look.”
“I am not sleeping with Michael,” Rebecca said.
Josette studied her. “Why should I believe you?”
“Because I’m telling you the truth. I’m not sleeping with Michael, but I did in the past, long before I met Isaac.”
The truth sent Josette back to the couch with a thud. The truth hurt. But she’d come for answers and she wouldn’t leave until she got them. “How long were you and Michael an item?”
Rebecca leaned close again. “I’m going to be honest with you because I’ve already been honest with Isaac. I started sleeping with Michael before the two of you got married, and I continued sleeping with him for a few months after you were married.”
Josette blinked rapidly. Rebecca’s words pierced her heart. It was one thing to think your husband was a liar and a cheat. It was quite another to know it for a fact. She rubbed her hand across her belly. Thank God for her baby. This child was the only thing keeping her from screaming and tearing into Rebecca.
“I’m sorry,” she heard Rebecca say. “I know it’s not much, but I really am sorry.”
“Sorry Isaac found out,” Josette spat out.
Rebecca looked away. “That, too.” She turned back to Josette. “I told him the truth before he found out. I had to tell him.”
Sins of the Father Page 20
