Searching for Eve

Money Talks

Money Talks

Drew

"Good evening, sir." The door greeter said as I approached.

I smiled. "Good evening, Mr. Joseph."

Walking into the lobby, I went straight to the front desk. "Miss?"

There was no answer.

"Excuse me, ma'am?" I repeated.

She had her back turned to me, filing papers. I wasn't sure if she was ignoring me or if she was simply unaware I was speaking.

I looked around for Shaun but couldn't find him. Was he even here yet?

Irritation was beginning to set in. My family owned this building, for God's sake.

After a few more minutes of standing there, I walked straight into the manager's office.

"Andrew, what a pleasant surprise." The man greeted. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Good evening, Uncle Paul. This is, unfortunately, not a pleasant trip. I am on urgent business concerning the family and your staff won't as much as acknowledge my presence."

He nodded. "I will make sure they are chastised in a proper manner."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now, what did you need so badly?"

"I need the Kinsley Room for the next few hours--actually, it's mine for the next two weeks. I'll write a check now for however much it needs to be."

"Andrew, we have important clients com--"

"Move them to another room. Give them a big discount and make sure they get a better room at the hotel. I just need the sound proof room."

"You can have it until next Tuesday at 1 o' clock."

Nine days.

"Deal." I said. "How much?"

"We'll discuss that later."

I nodded in understanding. He was wary of giving me the room.

"Now, who will you be discussing these matters with?" He asked.

"Today will be Shaun. From there, I'm not quite sure. It should just be me most days."

He raised an eyebrow.

After a moment's hesitation, I decided to clue him in on what was going on. He was our dad's brother, and unlike Dad, was someone who tried to care about those around him.

"One second," I said, sighing as I shut the door. "I'll fill you in."

He gestured to the chair across from him. "I would appreciate it. You storm in here, insult my employees and demand my best conference room the week before and during the biggest meeting of the year. So, yes, I think an explanation is in order."

I internally flinched at his outburst. He was mad--and rightfully so. "And I am sorry, sir, but I believe my reasoning behind it all justifies my actions." He nodded, urging me to continue. "You see," I said, reaching into my coat pocket to pull out the crumpled paper, "Eve has disappeared."

He raised his eyebrow. "Our Eve?"

"The one and only. She left this on my bed at some point."

He looked over the note. "And where were you?"

"I was at Stu's. A bunch of us went after the big game to celebrate the win. It's tradition. For some reason, we lost track of time and wound up staying way too late, and by the time I got home, I just collapsed on my bed. The next morning, I woke up, and it was sitting there."

He looked at me and sighed. "So why are you not at your house?"

It was my turn to sigh as I pinched the bridge of my nose. Should I tell him? Why not? I thought. He has a confidentiality agreement. "News of Eve will get out, but if this does, it's on you. Understood?"

"Yes, sir." He said. Despite his position in upper management, I held an upper hand, and he knew it.

"Our lovely father is, as usual, wrapped up in business." I said, looking him in the eyes. "This is nothing new, of course."

"Of course."

"However, this morning, about four hours ago, I went to find our precious mother, the one who actually seemed to care about Eve's disappearance. Come to find out, she was in the cabana with Sebastian, our highly overpaid pool boy, sipping a margarita while they looked a little too cozy with one another."

His eyes widened. "Is it..."

"It's an affair, Paul. A full-on affair. According to my research, which was hasty, it's been going on for about three months."

"But..."

"But what? My sister is missing, one parent would rather read about himself than even listen amd the other is by the pool letting one of our guards have his way with her. I've found all this out this morning. This morning, Paul."

"What are you going to do?" He demanded. "You're still just a bratty kid who gets mad when things don't go his way."

I smile. "Oh, Paul. I've got $34 million and friends in all the right places. I might be a bratty kid, but I can buy my way into anything."

And with that, I threw a check down on his desk. $250,000. "Money talks, Paul. That's the only thing my father has ever been right about."