by Kelly Holm
Mila was confused, why in the world would I be named the sole beneficiary for his estate? She wanted to ask but thought it might be better to wait. This is getting better and better, she thought. When he mentioned that she shouldn’t get any crazy ideas of killing him off, she politely laughed, no need to fill him in on that portion of her plan. With him making her the sole beneficiary to his estate, well, that was just the cherry on top, she thought.
“Now, have you given any thought to what type of wedding you would like?” Dr. Blackmore asked as he sank into his plush leather chair and put his arms behind his head and leaned back.
“I’m sorry; did you just ask me what type of wedding I
want someday?”
“Yes, what type of wedding do you dream about? Do you want a big wedding with lots of guests, or a small intimate one with just close friends and family, or maybe just a date at city hall?”
Mila wondered where he was going with this. She thought it was a very odd question, but she went with it. She knew Dr. Blackmore was a little eccentric, and sometimes asked strange questions to get to a specific point. What his point was this time, she had no idea.
“I guess something small and intimate, mainly close friends and family. Something like that, I guess. Why do you ask?”
“Well, so I can make it happen of course,” he said exuberantly.
Mila’s eyes got as wide as saucers, and it felt like her stomach rolled up to her throat and parked. Did I hear him right? Is he seriously talking about marriage? She did her best to control the look on her face, but she knew the initial shock probably showed. By the look on Dr. Blackmore’s face, she knew he noticed and realized she wasn’t following.
“Make what happen?” Mila asked, hoping he would reply with something other than the word marriage.
“The arranged marriage, of course; you did read the contract before you signed it, right?”
“Yes, of course, I read the full contract last night, but I didn’t see anything that talked about an arranged marriage.”
Dammit, she thought, how the hell did I miss that? I thought the rest of the contract was legal jargon, not a clause about an arranged marriage! I thought I read the most important parts, I guess not. I was sure he was talking about partnering our
businesses, not our lives. What the hell am I going to do now?
“Oh…, is this going to be a problem? Here, go ahead and read it. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.” Dr. Blackmore reached into his file drawer and pulled out the signed contract, and handed the section on the marriage clause to her.
Mila quickly read the part about the arranged marriage; it said that by signing this contract, she also agreed to an arranged marriage between herself and Dr. Irving Blackmore. It also said that she would be immediately written into his will as sole beneficiary and would be entitled to several other perks once the marriage was legal.
“This was not in my copy, I would have seen it,” she said, starting to panic as she quickly reread the section.
Mila was flipping out on the inside; she couldn’t believe she missed something that important. How in the hell am I going to get out of this arranged marriage clause, and still be able to move forward with my plan, she wondered. There was no way in hell she wanted to marry this horrible man who killed her mother; she just wanted to ruin him, take his money, and then kill him.
He could tell she was struggling, so he reached into the trash bin and pulled out the folded copy and handed it to her.
“Here’s your copy, please, go ahead and look. I would hate for you to think I'm being shady,” Dr. Blackmore said with a devilish looking smirk on his face.
Mila quickly grabbed the folded contract and paged through until she came to the page that talked about the marriage clause; sure enough, he was right. There it was, plain as day, an entire section entitled Marriage Clause. She couldn’t believe that she missed something so big. She looked over at Dr. Blackmore, who was eagerly awaiting her answer. When she didn’t immediately answer, he tried to convince her.
“It doesn’t have to be like a traditional marriage, unless of course, you decide that’s what you want. I think it would be more of a merger of two amazing people. I think we would make a terrific team. Plus, I can help you skyrocket your career farther then you’ve ever dreamed, and money… well, it will never be an issue. I’m worth well over one hundred million dollars.
“Now, I know I’m a bit older than you, but I think I probably have at least ten to twenty good years left,” he paused and scratched his head, “ok, maybe twenty is stretching it, the sixties were pretty crazy. I used to run with the craziest group of cats when I was living in Venice Beach,” he closed his eyes and smiled as he remembered.
“Awe the good ole days… there was this one cat,” he began, “coolest cat I’ve ever met; he used to live across the hall from me in Venice. Oh, we had some crazy times; John or Jim or maybe Joe; now why can’t I remember his name? Well, anyway, he was a film student, and he wrote the most beautiful poetry I’ve ever read. He wasn’t around too long, he and some of his buddies started a band, and we lost touch. Wonder whatever happened to him…”
Mila wasn’t thinking about his age, but when he mentioned that he used to live in Venice Beach in the sixties, she wondered if he knew her aunt, Millie. She didn’t ask, but she wondered; and this guy that lived across the hall from him, could he really be referring to Jim Morrison? She laughed to herself, I can’t believe the shit I get myself into, she thought. As he continued to reminisce about his glory days, Mila blocked out his voice and tried to think.
She didn’t want to marry him, but she did want to partner their two practices and collect the big checks. The deal was obviously all or nothing, so she knew she either had to buck up and marry this sadistic, conniving, devious man, or forget about
her plan altogether. I so wish there was another way, but he’s got me backed up against a wall, so I either have to shit or get off the
pot, she thought.
Dr. Blackmore was waiting patiently, but she knew he was expecting her to give him an answer. She teetered back and forth, but no option seemed right; but then her mind started to churn. If I marry him, I would be in much faster, making it much easier to take all his money and eventually take over his business. It would also be much easier to kill him when I’m ready, she thought. It was the oldest play in the book; she was actually considering marrying him for his money.
Mila wasn’t proud of herself for even considering marrying him for his money. However, it would solve her problem; she could avenge her mother’s death while becoming wealthier than her wildest dreams. She could hear her mother’s voice in her head, screaming, ‘Stop! You’re getting in way over your head. You’re going to regret this,’ but she wasn’t listening. She was dead set on playing out her plan, and nothing was going to hold her back.
“I think we can work something out,” Mila finally replied, and Dr. Blackmore’s face lit up like the fourth of July.
“I can’t tell you how delighted I am. I think we will make an amazing team, a power couple. I want you to know that I think you are quite intelligent and charming, not to mention very beautiful.”
“Thank you, that’s very kind of you to say; I find you quite charming and interesting too. I’m sorry; I guess I’m still in a bit of a shock. Maybe we could keep the marriage part between us for a while, I just need some time to let it sink in.”
It was becoming quite a day; when she woke up this morning, she had no idea how crazy it would become. Mila never thought, even in her wildest nightmares, that she would have to marry this conniving son-of-a-bitch, just to avenge her mother’s death. Will I even be able to go through with this, she wondered;
but she soon reminded herself that this was just a stepping stone in her plan. If everything went according to plan, by this time next year, Dr. Irving Blackmore would be dead, and she would be in charge.
Dr. Blackmore wasn’t just watching her reactions, he was studying t
hem. He wanted to know and understand her, inside and out. He realized she was caught completely off guard, and had no idea he slipped that arranged marriage clause into the contract; it was really quite brilliant on his end, he thought, and he was very impressed with the way Mila handled it.
“I understand you need some time to process this, but I really think we should think about making this partnership legal within the next few days.”
Shit, I was hoping for a very long engagement… Mila thought.
“Why the rush, if you don’t mind me asking.”
“I want to introduce you to my contacts, but they won’t agree unless you are my wife. They are a very secretive bunch of cats.”
Just then there was a knock on the door.
“Yes, what is it?” Dr. Blackmore shouted.
Nurse Clancy walked in, looking very distraught and nervous.
“Excuse me, sir, I’m sorry to interrupt you and Dr. Thorton, but we have a serious situation that you need to be aware of.”
“Can’t you see we are in the middle of something here?” It was apparent to Mila that Dr. Blackmore was very irritated with the interruption.
“Like I said, sir, I’m very sorry to disturb you, but we have a serious situation that requires your assistance.”
“Fine, give me a few minutes, and I’ll be right there.”
“Yes sir, its room four,” Nurse Clancy said, as she carefully closed the door behind herself.
“Well, as you can see Mila, it’s always something. Why don’t you come with?” The two of them went to room four to see what all the commotion was about.
Chapter 18
As Dr. Blackmore and Mila walked out of his office and towards room four to see what this serious situation was all about, Mila glanced at her watch. Their meeting had run longer than she thought it would, and now she’ll have to reschedule her last two appointments for the day. It wasn’t something she liked to do, but she knew it would be for the best.
“Would you excuse me for a moment, I need to reschedule a couple of patients. I didn’t realize this would run long.”
“That’s fine, meet me inside. This shouldn’t take long, but you’re probably wise for rescheduling,” Dr. Blackmore replied nonchalantly, as he reached for the door.
Mila walked out to the reception area to make her calls and then thought that maybe Sofia could do this for her. She noticed that Sofia was on a call and waited until she was finished before approaching her.
“Sofia, I was wondering if you could help me out with something.”
“Sure, I’d be happy to. What do you need me to do?” Sofia really liked Mila and hoped that one day she might be able to work with her.
“I need you to contact two of my patients and reschedule their appointments for later in the week. Would you mind doing that for me?”
“Is there a specific reason I should give them for having to reschedule, in case they ask?”
“Just tell them that I had a family emergency. They don’t need to know anything else. Here’s the link for my scheduling book.”
Sofia looked at the web address and quickly went to it;
then Mila stepped in and put in her user name and password.
“It’s the same scheduling program we use here. Are you talking about these two patients?” Sofia asked as she pointed to Mila’s last two appointments of the day.
“Yes, and I’m going to apologize in advance for Catherine Long. She’s probably, no, she’s definitely, going to bitch your ear off,” Mila said quietly, as she leaned in for privacy.
“Thanks for the tip, but no need to worry, I’m a bit of a snake charmer of such, I can ‘Sofia-fy’ anyone. By the time I hang up with her, we’ll be old gal pals swapping stories about past boyfriends, and making plans to get together for lunch.”
“Wow, that is an amazing gift, but I still wish you luck,” Mila replied with a grin. She knew just how mean and nasty Catherine Long could get when she didn’t get her way, and she did not like having to change any part of her schedule.
Before walking back to join Dr. Blackmore in room four, Mila took a moment to gather her thoughts. She was still feeling blindsided by her earlier meeting with Dr. Blackmore and wasn’t sure how much more she could take today. Please be a simple fix in room four, she thought.
As Mila got closer to room four, she began to feel a strange sensation in her stomach, like something terrible was about to happen. With each step she took, the feeling got stronger. By the time she was standing right in front of the door, she felt utterly nauseous. Mila waited a moment, and then quickly brushed it off telling herself it was probably just nerves, considering what she’s had to deal with so far today, and reached for the door handle. Just as she was about to grab the handle, to her surprise, it opened, and Nurse Clancy walked out looking very distraught.
“Are you ok, Nurse Clancy?”
“Yes, ma’am I’m ok, I’m just a little shook up, I guess. I don’t like guns,” Nurse Clancy replied, as she quickly walked past
Mila and towards the reception area.
“Guns… what are you talking about?” By the time Mila finished her question, Nurse Clancy was nowhere in sight. What the hell is she talking about, who would have a gun in here? She wondered.
Mila took a deep breath and opened the door. Room Four was the largest of all the patient rooms. It was initially meant for group sessions, with six chairs set up in a circular formation and a coffee table set in the center. Off to the side, was a three-foot wood desk with a tall back chair.
When Mila walked in she couldn’t believe her eyes, Leo was sitting in a chair next to her patient Larisa Bergman! Both were tied up and looked like they may have been drugged. What the hell is going on here, she wondered. Dr. Blackmore was standing by the door next to Lamar, holding a gun pointed directly at Leo. Dr. Blackmore looked infuriated, like he was going to explode.
“This is a pricing list! How the hell did he get this? He would have had to have been in my office,” Dr. Blackmore yelled. He was livid; he didn’t like anyone in his office without his permission.
“What’s going on?” Mila asked hoping to defuse the situation before it got any worse.
She thought that Dr. Blackmore had gone into room four when she went to reschedule her patients. However, he must have gone back into his office to get a gun before he went in. She had never seen Dr. Blackmore in such a state; she was very worried that he would shoot Leo and Larisa.
“Like I was just telling Dr. Blackmore, I found these two snooping around. The lady is a patient, but the dude, I don’t know how he got in, and I found this paper on him.” Lamar handed Mila
the folded piece of paper that fell out of Leo’s pocket when he went down. As she looked at it, her eyes grew very wide.
“I cannot and will not tolerate snooping or stealing. We’re going to have to get rid of these two,” Dr. Blackmore said to Mila very sternly, as he continued to keep the gun pointed at Leo.
“Whoa, let’s slow down and think this through, I think we should discuss this,” Mila said quickly, hoping to alleviate the situation.
“There’s nothing to discuss Mila; our work here is extremely important, and if we just turn our heads and let them go, they’ll go to the press or police and then all our hard work will be for nothing. We have no other option.”
“I doubt they will go to the press or police if you let them go; besides, there isn’t anything to tell, well, except that you have them tied up,” Mila said, hoping Dr. Blackmore would listen to reason.
“Are you kidding me? Open your eyes woman, they could ruin us.”
“I highly doubt that they have any plans of ruining us for testing new medications on patients who agreed to try the medication.” Mila quickly looked over at Dr. Blackmore and raised her eyebrows, tilted her head, and widened her eyes so he would know he should go along with what she was saying; but he wasn’t catching on.
“Mila don’t be naïve; you know exactly what I’m talking about. He
stole a pricing list from my office. I can’t be sure what he knows or what he saw. And this patient of yours, how do you know she isn’t a reporter or something? They’re obviously working together.”
“Mila, untie me, please, this man is obviously out of his mind and very dangerous,” Leo said, hoping Mila would listen.
“Did you really break in and steal something from his office? What were you thinking, Leo? You have to let this go.” Mila was scared, she didn’t know how to fix this, but she knew she had to.
“Mila, do you know this man?” Dr. Blackmore asked, although he already knew she did.
Dr. Blackmore had Mila thoroughly investigated before he prepared the contract; he had to make sure there wouldn’t be any surprises down the road. Finding out that Krystal was her mother was a bit of a surprise, but he felt confident that he could hide that little faux pas.
“He’s my mother’s boyfriend, or I guess, was my mother’s boyfriend would be more correct.”
“I see. So, am I to assume that you’re in on this little scheme of theirs too?” Dr. Blackmore asked as he walked over to the tall back chair behind the desk and sat down, still pointing the gun at Leo’s head.
“No… what? Of course, not… this is just as much of a surprise to me as it was to you. I don’t know why he’d come here and do something like this.” Mila knew she had to play both sides, but fooling a professional, like Dr. Blackmore, was going to be a challenge.
“Mila, you know exactly why I’m here. This man had something to do with your mother’s death, and I intend to prove it,” Leo said, as he struggled to get out of the rope that was snuggly tied around his wrists.
It was becoming more and more evident to Leo that Mila was struggling between helping him and Larisa and keeping herself in good standing with Dr. Blackmore. This can only mean one thing, Leo thought, she’s in much deeper than I initially thought. He knew it was up to him to rescue her, whether or not she wanted it.
