Consequences

Part 59

His grandmother drew herself up. In reality that should not have been impressive. But despite her slight frame, with temper flashing in her eyes, and her expression stern, she was a force to be reckoned with. Doug did some serious reassessing.

His grandmother stalked up to him, and as he got to his feet, she jabbed her index finger just below his breast bone. "You!" She jabbed. " Are responsible for her current predicament." She jabbed again and then marched away.

"That's nonsense, Gran!" Doug murmured, but not quiet enough to get away with it.

"Nonsense?" She spun around. " No-one is interested in hiring an events organiser who has a reputation as a hooker. And that's a reputation you promoted!"

"That's unfair Gran. I didn't print the article."

"No!" She marched back to face her grandson, tipped her head back, jabbed her index finger in his abdomen and said, "You were worse." Jab. "The idiot who printed the article did not know the woman." Jab. "You did." Jab. "But you abandoned her and left her to face everything on her own?" Jab. "Are those the actions of a man with integrity?" Jab. "A man who clearly was a fair-weather fiancée!" She looked disappointed in him. And that hurt. For he always wanted his grandmother to be proud of him. Always. But she was currently very disappointed and not at all hesitant in showing that disappointment.

"The paper cleared that up." Doug told his grandmother and took a step away. "Charlie wrote a clear piece on the centre and about Marina and Isabelle." He pointed out.

"Yes, and you, Isabelle's fiance believed it so much that he broke off the engagement!" She retorted instantly. "I asked her family to help you!"

"I didn't ask you to." He grumbled as an aside.

His grandmother flashed him a glare. "Maybe not. But I didn't expect you to take that family down." She shook her head, exhaled a long slow breath that was very telling in its silent eloquence. Then she looked at her grandson. "I am very disappointed. Your father would not have been proud of you!" She marched toward the door, flung it open and marched out.

Doug and Ryan had never known their father. He died when both boys were babies. His mother had severed contact with his paternal grandparents and taken the boys away. It was years before Doug had found out he had paternal grandparents. It was when his mother dumped the two boys on her doorstep whenever his mother could not cope. Those fleeting stays had grown as the boys had grown and could find their own way to her home. Though his paternal grandmother had remarried she had taken the two boys under her wing and tried to compensate for the lack of affection they received from their mother.

Doug wanted to punch something. He got up and to the amazement of his secretary, he slammed his office door shut. He paced for several minutes as he wondered what course of action to take. What was he supposed to do now? Eventually he dialed his brother.

"Ryan."

"Hey big bro." Came the standard lightweight response.

"Gran was just here." Doug muttered.

"Oh- oh."

"Cut the crap!" Doug admonished. "She said Isabelle's business has nose dived."

"To be expected." Came the somewhat unexpected reply. It had never occurred to Doug that breaking off the engagement would affect her professional life to that extent. Though he should have guessed given how being engaged to her had affected his professional life.

"Why?" Doug massaged his forehead.

"Come on. She's conned the establishment for ten years. Why would they support her now?" He was tempted to repeat their grandmother's accusation and remind Doug that he hadn't supported her. But his brother's voice sounded strained and Ryan knew that Doug was unusually upset about his part in this debacle. It wasn't in Doug's nature to be deliberately callous and yet by breaking off his engagement that is exactly what he had been. His actions had compounded an already difficult situation for Isabelle.

"Shit. So is she still working at the centre?"

"What centre?"

That was met with silence. Doug knew his brother was baiting him about Doug's deliberate stance on ignoring the reports that emerged about Isabelle and Marina's work at a centre they had set up to help vulnerable women in a part of town that was far from salubrious.

"Oh that centre." Ryan grimaced and rolled his eyes at his poor attempt at sick humour. He sighed. "What do you want to know?"

"What's its current status?" Doug rolled his neck, working the kinks out of the tensely corded muscles. Looked like he had really screwed up here.

"In what sense?" Ryan knew that he was stalling, but he was sure his brother would not want to hear what Ryan knew. Not when while it might not have been causal, there was some relationship between the fact Doug had dumped Isabelle and the centre hitting difficulties.

"How does it operate? How is it supported? Whatever!" Barked Doug in exasperation sensing his brother was prevaricating. Doug wasn't in the mood.

Ryan went quiet for a moment. "Ah." He eventually said.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing." Ryan went quiet as he thought long and hard about how to convey what he knew without leaving Doug with a guilt complex.

"So?" Snapped Doug.

"So what?"

"Don't piss me off Ryan, I'm not in the mood."

Yeah, right thought Ryan. Doug had been in a mood for weeks. "Their lease was terminated. They have two months left." Ryan told him.