The Business Man's Family (Wattpad version)

Reflections

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Cruz

I checked around the area, and Joe met me in town. He pulled into a parking spot and got out of the car.

"What did Vincent say?" I asked.

"He's not happy, but I advised him not to do anything," Joe answered.

"That buys us some time, but not long," I reasoned.

Joe reached in through the car window and grabbed something. He turned around and handed me a file.

"What's this?" I asked, opening the folder, looking at the information.

"That's information on Richard Hawthorne. It seems that after Vincent bought the companies he owned a percentage in, his wife found out about his affair with Valeria," Joe told me.

I looked at Joe suspiciously.

"The bank foreclosed on his house too," Joe added.

"Why do I have a feeling this has Vincent written all over this?" I asked, knowing the answer.

"Because it does," Joe answered.

I looked at Joe.

"Cruz, a man like Richard Hawthorne, becomes unhinged when someone takes his livelihood from him. If you had an affair with a woman who has a father who wants to destroy you for it, wouldn't you want revenge?" Joe questioned me.

My blood ran cold. "Hawthorne is going after Valeria. He knows that's Vincent's weakness," I said as Joe furrowed his brows.

We got into our cars and drove to the beach house.

********
Valeria

Cameron got up and went upstairs to take a shower. I sat on the couch, resting. Today was a busy day for me. As I sat there relaxing, I heard a knock at the front door.

I got up and made my way to the door. "Who is it?"
I asked behind the door.

"Delivery for Valeria Powers," the person announced.

Delivery? I didn't think Cameron ordered anything. I looked through the peephole to see a delivery guy standing there with flowers.

I unlocked the door, opening it a crack. "Yes," I said.

The guy looked at me, then I heard gunfire, jumping as the guy fell to the ground. My eyes widened as Richard stood there, pointing a gun at me. I slammed the door on him, but he caught it with his foot.

I threw my body against the door, trying to force it to shut and yelled, "Cameron!"

Richard forced the door open as I stumbled backward. He entered the beach house, aiming the gun at me.

"Did you miss me? Because I sure in the hell didn't miss you," Richard said as I stared at him, terrified. "It's funny that Vincent Powers raised a whore like her mother. Like mother, like daughter, although I doubt you fuck like your mother."

I gulped as I stood there, petrified.

"Thanks to you, I lost everything," Richard told me.

"Me? You lied to me. You cheated on your wife. You made bad business deals. How is this my fault?" I pleaded.

"Because you couldn't keep your mouth shut. You went to Daddy and told him," Richard accused me.

"I didn't," I refuted.

"Shut up!" Richard screamed, making me recoil. "Do not lie to me, you fucking whore!"

I winced as Richard waved his gun at me. I felt my body shake as I stood there.

"Now, I'll take something from Vincent as he took from me," Richard threatened as he trained the gun on me and pulled the hammer back.

"Valeria, I thought tonight we could have a movie marathon," Cameron said, coming down the stairs.

Richard grabbed me and held the gun at my head as I whispered. He leaned in and whispered, "Shut up."

Cameron looked up to see Richard holding me at gunpoint. I looked at Cameron with terror in my eyes.

"You don't want to do this," Cameron warned Richard.

"Want to bet? I don't have anything to lose, but you and that bastard have everything to lose," Richard told Cameron, pressing the gun barrel to my head.

"Put the gun down," Cameron said calmly.

Richard pressed the gun harder into my head. I didn't want to die. I started crying.

Richard leaned into my ear. "I told you to shut up. Do as I say, or I blow your head off," Richard warned.

I nodded, closing my eyes as tears streamed down my face.

"Now, I want you to call Daddy dearest and tell him to come here. I want him to watch his whore of a daughter die in front of him," Richard ordered Cameron.

I looked at Cameron, who looked at me and nodded. Cameron pulled out his phone and made a call.

"Mr. Powers, it's Cameron. I know you're angry, but Valeria is at the beach house. She wanted me to tell you that she hates you," Cameron said calmly.

I couldn't hear the other end of the conversation.

"You heard me. You disgust Valeria, and we're a lousy father. You only cared about Lexie and Landon," Cameron added.

What was Cameron doing?

"Yeah, you do that," Cameron said, ending the call. He looked at Richard. "Vincent is on his way."

I furrowed my brows. Oh, God, what did Cameron do?

We stood there and waited for my dad to show up at the beach house. The things Cameron said to my dad broke my heart. I couldn't look at Cameron as I waited for my dad to arrive. The minute Dad walked through that door, my life ended.

I thought about when I was a kid, and Dad would chase after us when all of us got into a water balloon fight in the house. I remembered how Dad would sit me on the kitchen counter, letting me help him stir ingredients in a bowl.

I thought about family trips, bedtime stories, and visits to his office. I stood there, knowing I fought to the end. Cameron looked at me as I stood there, regretting the decision of my involvement with Richard. It didn't matter; I didn't regret coming here and spending my remaining days with Cameron.

I had a chance to fall in love and feel it. It wasn't Cancer that would end my life; it was my choices. I didn't want to leave this world with one more regret. I looked at Cameron, then whispered, "I love you."

Cameron furrowed his brows; then the door opened as gunfire erupted. I closed my eyes, and everything stopped.