by Chanel Ivy
It all made sense now. Jackie was the one feeding Mila Muller information about Emma and me. She wanted to get me out of the picture before she even knew we were really sleeping together. I guess once that didn’t work and she saw us in bed with one another, she decided to take matters into her own hands. I guess if you want something done right, you’ve got to do it yourself was her new motto.
“You realize you put two innocent people in the hospital for nothing hurting Emma in the process, right? Jack and Anna could have been killed. You helped with all of that just to get rid of me? You must be off your rocker.” I shook my head on the soft pillow beneath me and rolled my eyes.
“You have no idea the lengths I am willing to go to so I can be with Emma! No idea!” Jackie howled as she pointed the gun at me again.
I decided to shut my mouth before I made the situation even worse. I had no idea what Jackie’s plan was, and if I pissed her off even more, she might just shoot me the second Emma showed up, so I’d be out of the picture as soon as possible.
I heard the door to the playroom giggle, and I wanted to yell out for Emma to run, but Jackie cocked the gun again, pointing it at my head and holding her finger in front of her lips, indicating that I should be quiet or she’d kill me.
Emma opened the door, slowly giggling playfully as she entered. “I got your text, Mia. So, you didn’t get enough of me last night, did ya, babe? Holy shit! What the fuck? Jackie! What are you doing?” Emma froze in place, staring between Jackie’s gun and me handcuffed to the bed.
Jackie started crying almost immediately. “Emma... how could you let this cunt fire me and say nothing? I’ve cared for you from the beginning. How could you let her of all people come between us?”
“Jackie put the gun down, and we can talk about this.”
“No! The only reason you’re even listening to me right now is because I took her, and I have this gun. You won’t take my calls anymore. Did you block me? Every call I make to you goes right to voicemail, and you never call me back. None of my texts show you read them... Why did you shut me out, Emma? Why?” Jackie pleaded.
I almost felt bad for her. She loved someone who didn’t adore her in return, but she was an absolute nutcase, so my sympathy died fairly quickly, considering the pinching from the handcuffs were now starting to open wounds on my wrists.
Emma put her hands up, trying to show Jackie that she wasn’t a threat as she walked slowly towards her. “I had no idea you felt like this for me, Jackie. You never said anything. When you and Mia had that blowup, I blocked your number because you didn’t work for me anymore. I’m sorry I did that. I should have thought about how that would make you feel before I did that.” Emma got within an arms-length distance from Jackie as she continued to cry and pace in a small circle with the gun up by her own ear like she was using it to help her think of what to do next.
“Yes, you should have. But... I should have told you how I felt too. I’m sorry, Emma. Can you forgive me?” Jackie asked, pausing in her erratic pacing momentarily.
“Of course, I can, sweetie. Put the gun down and give me a hug. I’m so sorry all of this happened. How about we forget about all of this and go back to the way things were? Then we can have an honest conversation about us. Would you like that? Would that be okay with you, sweetie?”
Emma was really good at this whole calming the crazy person thing. I wish she was conscious when I was dealing with Mila Muller. She might still be alive today if Emma was coherent enough to carry a conversation.
Jackie sniffled and put the gun down to her side. “Do you mean it? We can forget all of this? You’d let that happen?”
“Absolutely, I would, Jackie. You’ve been taking care of me for years. It’s time for me to return the favor, don’t you think? Let me take care of you. Give me the gun, and we can go sit and talk.”
Jackie paused, thinking it over for a moment. Her desire to be loved by Emma won out over her rational brain because she handed the firearm over to Emma and rushed to embrace her. While Emma was consoling Jackie, Emma slyly took out her phone, and I watched her do something with it before she put it back in her pocket and continued to rub Jackie’s back and brush her hair with her fingers affectionately.
Jackie pulled away from Emma and looked back at me on the bed. “What do we do with her?” she asked, sounding annoyed at my presence in her victorious moment with Emma.
Emma smiled at Jackie and wiped away her tears from her cheeks with her thumbs. “We can leave her here for now. We’ll figure something out, but right now, it’s time for you and me to have a chat in private. Come. Let’s go outside and sit by the pool.”
Emma placed the handgun on a dresser as she escorted Jackie out of the room, shutting the door behind them. Great. I’m stuck here still cuffed, and now my wrists were bleeding. Hey, it could be worse. I could be lying here with a bullet in my brain. Emma was a magician when it came to lunatics, it seemed.
I watched the clock tick by, and it was half an hour before Emma came bursting through the door with the key in her hands. She quickly uncuffed my hands and feet and rushed me to the bathroom to clean and dress my wounds.
“What the hell happened to Jackie?”
“She’s currently being carted away in a strait jacket doped up to the gills. They’re taking her to a mental health facility for an evaluation. I don’t think she’ll be getting out anytime soon,” Emma smiled while she bandaged my wrist.
“Who the hell did you call?” I asked.
“Matt, of course. I knew if I called the police, they’d come storming in here and that wouldn’t be good. Matt knows to be stealthy and find out what’s going on first. Once he realized what was happening, he called the cops and explained the situation requesting medical on standby to take Jackie away. The cops are going to want to take a statement from you, by the way. I’m not going to ask you what happened right now. I’ll listen in when you talk to them next. I don’t want you to have to go through the ordeal more times than you have to,” Emma said lovingly.
“Thanks. I appreciate that more than you know. Hey, Emma...”
“Yeah?”
“I love you.”
“I love you too, sweetie,” Emma replied as she kissed me sweetly.
Chapter 14
I gave the police my statement starting from when I entered my house until when Emma uncuffed me. I left nothing out. I even described the day I fired Jackie for background context and gave them Doctor Jenkins’ information so he could be contacted as well regarding her overall state of wellbeing.
Apparently, the incident with Emma and I led to Jackie flying off the handle at the Surgical Center, screaming at Dr. Jenkins in front of patients and staff. She was immediately fired and started planning her revenge against me on the spot. She was the one who hired the stewardess in the Philippines to leave the phone. And she was the one who called and sent me the pictures.
It all made sense now.
The police also said when they went to Jackie’s apartment, they found scrapbooks with photos of all of Emma’s past girlfriends, including me, but with Jackie’s face photoshopped over ours. It was super creepy. Especially the African American women that Emma had dated in the past. Supposedly Jackie took it as far as darkening her own skin on her face to match the skin tone of the other women to make it look more realistic. She even had some of her better creations hung on the walls in her home and on her refrigerator.
I didn’t want to think about the craziness anymore. As far as I knew, everything was over and done with. The Company was almost dismantled thanks to the work of Matt and Innocence Inc. Mila Muller was gone. Stuart wasn’t an issue, even if that was a bit of a sore spot for me. Ben and Daisy were getting divorced. And thanks to Daisy’s threats against the police, she wasn’t getting out of jail anytime soon. And now, Jackie was in a psych ward where she belonged. Everything could go back to normal, and Emma, Todd, and I could live our lives without the worry of always looking over our shoulders. It felt damn good.<
br />
I just had to get through tonight and this fancy inaugural ball for The Cross Children’s Foundation. I wasn’t one to dress up all super elegant and rub noses with the elite crowd, but I had been getting better at it, I guess.
I just needed to relax and breath. ‘This is for the kids,’ is what I kept telling myself as I stepped into the jewel-encrusted lavender Oscar de la Renta evening gown that weighed a ton.
Emma told me I looked beautiful, and for once, I believed her. She also looked stunning in an Elisse Long satin gown in lilac. Todd and Ben were a sight to behold in their debonair black and silver tuxedos.
The event was a massive undertaking at the largest hotel in Charlotte. Everything was extravagant even down to the ornate table linens and the sparkling golden flatware. Emma said there would be nothing but the best to pry as much money out of the deep pockets of the donors tonight.
Emma asked that I support her by standing just to the right of her on stage when she made her speech. I really didn’t want to be in the limelight tonight.
“Come on, Mia. You have to be up there with me. If it wasn’t for you helping me get through all of my shit, none of us would be here tonight,” Emma begged.
“If it means that much to you, I guess I can spend a few minutes on stage as your arm candy,” I laughed.
Emma smiled from ear to ear and rushed over to Todd, whispering something to him. Those two were always up to something.
Ben caught me by surprise as he grasped my elbow gently and kissed my cheek. “You look absolutely beautiful tonight, Mia.”
I smiled back at him. “You don’t look half bad yourself there, Ben. Thanks for coming and for giving a donation. It really means a lot to Emma, Todd, and I.”
“Yeah, so I heard. Todd is the only sixteen-year-old I know who sits on the board of a charity. You guys must have a lot of faith in him to give him that much responsibility.”
“We do. He knows how important the cause is. Victims of child trafficking is an important issue, and Todd wants to help in any way he can. We’re planning on setting up a photo shoot at the first facility we build for the kids, and Todd is going to be the photographer. He’s very excited,” I smiled.
“I know. He wouldn’t stop talking about it on the helicopter ride. And might I say, Mia... you seem really happy with Emma. I’m glad you found someone who gets you. And I mean that. I know I wasn’t the best husband, and I haven’t exactly been the nicest ex-husband either, but I’m sorry, and I’m really and glad you have her in your life. You seem like you three are in a really good place. I envy you.”
“Aww, thanks, Ben. That’s really nice of you to say.” I gave Ben a quick hug since Emma was motioning me to go on stage with her.
I took a deep breath and swallowed the nervous pit growing in my stomach before I grabbed Emma’s outstretched hand. She led me on the stage with her, and the lights were blinding at first, but when they were adjusted, I could barely tell the room was packed full of people. Not seeing everyone put my mind more at ease.
Emma fixed the microphone in front of her and beamed an enchanting smile at the crowd in front of her.
“Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, colleagues, family, friends, and people who don’t like me so much, but couldn’t be known as the one person who didn’t show up to the inaugural ball for The Cross Children’s Foundation.” Emma paused as the crowd laughed. “I’d like to welcome you all here to the start of a new beginning. Not only for myself, Mia, my captivating partner, and her amazing son Todd. Where’s Todd? There he is!” Emma said, pointing out Todd at the corner of the stage, who stood and soaked up all of the applause like any teenager would. “This is also a new beginning for children affected by a terrible issue we have in this world. One that not many people think is as rampant as it is. Child trafficking. This is a global problem that can take many forms. Illegal massage parlors, sex workers, forced labor, marriage, even the average person who just wants a child for whatever reason, and disgustingly enough... organ removal. One in seven reported runways in the United States is likely a victim of child sex trafficking. Children in the foster care system are particularly vulnerable, and profits from the trafficking of children worldwide are estimated at ninety-nine billion dollars a year. Yes, that’s billion with a ‘B’ folks. Those statistics are as staggering as they are heart wrenching. Sadly, a vast majority of human trafficking cases go undetected. I’m here with you all tonight to bring a new light to this crisis and help those who cannot help themselves. We need to be the ones defending the ones who need and deserve to be protected. The innocent children who had no choice in being bought and sold. The children who had their futures stolen from them for profit by disgusting human beings with no regard for human life. I know you all have deep pockets, so fish out those checkbooks and dig deep people! I’m starting the night off right by donating fifty million dollars to The Cross Children’s Foundation, and I hope that you will follow me on this journey to help build a better future for children who have long since stopped hoping they even have one.”
Emma paused for the clapping to die down before she spoke again. “I would also like to bring some additional happiness to tonight’s festivities by bringing my beautifully stunning partner, Mia, up to the podium with me. Mia?”
Oh, God, no... I froze for a moment, but Emma’s outstretched hand coaxed me forward to stand directly by her side at the mic.
Emma’s blue eyes stared up at me with affection. I found unfettered compassion and comfort in her eyes that made my heart skip a beat every time I looked into them.
“Mia Blackburn, you have changed my entire outlook on life, on everything. You make me want to be a better person, not just for you and Todd, but for everyone. You make me feel like I can be the change I want to see in the world. You are my absolute undoing, Mia. Will you marry me? Will you be my wife?” Emma asked as she moved to one knee, clutching a dark purple box with a ring inside. It was an elegant princess cut diamond with small amethyst stones accompanying the edges in white gold.
All I could hear was my heavy breathing and my heart thumping. Everyone else in the room stood silently watching the romantic gesture unfolding before them. I saw Todd off to the side of the stage, looking like he was going to explode from happiness at any moment.
I looked around at all of our spectators’ smiling faces before settling on Emma’s and replying, “Yes, I will be your wife.”
The End
Bonus Chapters of Her Hostile Takeover
Chapter 1
I’m so excited! It felt like this day would never come. My first day at a real job is going to be great; it has to be. I was finally free from the confines of the classroom and could now enjoy the free life of the boardroom. I could barely contain my excitement as I picked out my sharpest dark grey pencil skirt and navy-blue silk blouse with classic black heels. My clothes felt more like battle armor than clothes to me. They made me feel invincible like I could conquer anything, and today, I was going to kick ass at my new position with Walker International.
I graduated from New Jersey State College two months ago majoring in accounting, and I was going to put my degree to good use, making the money I needed to pay back my student loans. Everyone always tells you to stay in school, get good grades, and your life will be everything you could ever want it to be. They forget to tell you that you are going to spend most of your adult life after school paying for all of the education you needed to get the job you want.
Well, there’s no time for being in the dumps about my financial situation. I’ve got a first day to conquer.
I walked confidently from my tiny rundown studio apartment in Philly to the bus stop and waited as I sipped my coffee. I was in my own little world full of anticipation as I ran through how my first day was going to go when I heard whistling from behind me.
“Hey, pretty lady. Look at those legs, shit. It’s too early to want to work so hard, but baby I’d work that ass until you screamed.” said a husky guy dressed in a wife-beater
and basketball shorts as he grabbed his crotch through his clothes and then slapped his similarly dressed friend on the shoulder.
I ignored his offensive comments as I clutched my purse tightly to my side and squeezed my metal mug almost spilling my coffee.
The second pig spoke up as they both walked closer to me, “Come on, baby. You know you want some of this fine caramel cock in that uptight pussy!”
Just as I was about to reach into my purse and grab my pepper spray, the bus thankfully pulled up. I rushed to get on as the doors were opening and I heard the men making more lewd comments but fortunately I couldn’t understand them.
I looked at the bus driver as I paid my fare, but he was barely paying attention to anything other than the apparently elusive booger in his nose as he dug inside his face with his finger. I was not going to let these disgusting men ruin my day, so I took a seat as close to the door as I could find. I didn’t need to spend one second more than required on this bus with the booger digging driver.
Thankfully it wasn’t a long drive to the business district where my new job as a Staff Accountant with Walker International was waiting for me. I stepped through the doors and breathed in deeply. The smell of corporate America was cathartic after the morning I was having, and the air was sweet with the aroma of fresh muffins and coffee wafting through the large open foyer of the glass and metal building.
