The Beautifully Damned and the Eternally Blessed (SAMPLE)

Chapter Ten: Paternity Woes and Big Apple Dreams

Jana's POV

Morrow, Georgia...

"I still can't believe that all of the suspects have accepted the invites," Ellen said to me as she and I were currently getting our belongings packed for the month-long mystery in New York. "You'd think that a few of them might be suspicious of what's going to happen."

"Well, if I know my family better, I bet you that they wanted to refuse and make sure that no one else got the inheritance as well," I huffed as I placed a few of my dresses and business suits in one of the rollaway luggage before grabbing a few of my shirts. "Hell, I bet Dad and Mom wanted to make sure that I got nothing as well. Joke's on them since I'll be overseeing everything regarding the fashion show and this mystery."

"Have you bothered talking to them since you moved out?"

"Nope, and I don't intend to until we're all in New York," I replied. "Thanks to the money that I saved up from various scholarships and grants as well as the bank accounts that I owned in my name, I can manage to get by for at least three months unless I find a good job. Still, I can't let my guard down since my interview at WXIA, exposing my family as liars. I'm not surprised to get a few letters telling me to cease my hate campaign against them. But at least they all got the message- I'm not going to play their games anymore and I'm not marrying that asshole named Asher Lancaster."

"Good to know, but Dad believes that your dad isn't going to let this go," Ellen remarked. "Trust me, girl, when I say that I think that the old dirty bastard is going to try and do something drastic like kidnapping or having you killed. It's bad enough that your parents and Melina aren't in anyone's good books lately. I don't want to think about what can happen if-"

"As long as O'Hara and your dad are around, Ellie, I will manage," I interrupted. "And that Miles guy is going to be there as well alongside our fellow red herrings."

"True," Ellen said after a moment. "Anyway, Tyler had already left today since his boyfriend's in NYC. Alexa and her crew are set to join us tomorrow when we fly out from Hartsfield-Jackson International. The red herrings from Derrick's circle and his associates should already be there. I'm actually surprised that Derrick knew a lot of people from the fashion world."

Smiling bemusedly, I zipped up the suitcase before making sure that everything was all in place. "My brother always said that he had to work very hard to gain the trust of his crew," I replied. "Some relationships were easily gained while others took a lot of work and communication. You know how the fashion world can get these days."

"That's for sure," Ellen hummed. "Anyway, have you read more of Derrick's journal yet?"

I shook my head no. "I've been busy with preparing for graduation and dealing with Dad stalking and nagging me to change my mind that I completely forgot. But with the day after tomorrow being when the suspects arrive, I got to find out more about my brother's life in Atlanta as well as his life in NYC so I can figure out if there's any bad blood between him and any of the suspects."

Deciding that a break was in order, I found the hardcover notebook in the bedside table drawer and took a seat at the side of the bed while Ellen joined me. "Ready to roll, girl?"

"Always," Ellen replied, motioning for me to open the notebook.

***********

June 1st.

Jana, this first entry is mainly the first of many confessions regarding my life in Atlanta and what made it what it was. And this might surprise you the most.

I'm a bastard child.

That's right, sister of mine, yours truly was mainly born out of a torrential love affair between our mother and her chauffer back when Melina was the star of the family (And from what I learned from her former nannies, a spoiled brat). Our mother liked to claim that she was loyal to our father when in reality...the man was a sleaze when it came to his female companions, maids, and even his secretaries who liked to service him (or were forced to when Melania didn't want to do her job to please her man). Melania, on the other hand, came from a religious family that made her vow to remain loyal to her husband and not sleep with anyone else while he got to.