Geo felt his blood boiling, while he was standing inside of the elevator on his way back up to his penthouse. Everything had been going smoothly, well not everything. The dinner party had been a complete bust, but he had reassured her that it was a fluke. Tonight they seemed to be getting back on track, and then it all went downhill. She was tougher than he thought.
He had to give her credit for that. She watched him pull out a gun and not one time did she panic. She did exactly what he told her to do without hesitation. Her kind heart was another thing he admired about her. After the Nevermore dinner, Geo had initially thought her tears were because of what the women had said about Carolina, but soon realized she was upset at the way they had spoken about Ronny.
His addle-brained best friend. He had stopped sticking up for his friend long ago, and now hear
He stood up then and sat a silver briefcase in his lap. He opened it. It was full of neat stacks of crisp Benjamins. He looked up at him. “The first installment. Someone will bring you a suitcase every week. We will be in touch.” He turned his back to him and walked out. His bodyguards looked Geo up one last time, then followed their master. He heard the elevator doors close. He stood up and threw the briefcase. It landed hard on the floor and popped open. Money fell out.
If Geo hadn't been meeting with his father today to discuss the family business he never wanted to be a part of, he would have admired what a lovely sunny day it was, but he was pissed and any blossoms of a nice day had been ruined last night. He pulled the luxury sports car into the cul de sac, killed the engine, and quickly got out. He didn’t bother knocking. He just entered the large home. He was greeted by his father’s Housekeeper, Jone. Jone had worked for them since Geo had been a teenager. She was smiling at him, but the smile faltered once she saw his face. She saw the black-eye and the storm brewing behind his eyes. This wasn’t the light-hearted Geo she had come to know over the years. Something was wrong. Opera music filled the house like a sweet aroma, and the smell of baking bread wafted
Carolina was yelling and laughing while the other woman sprayed her and her mother with water from a water hose. Her mother hid behind her. Country music played in the background. It reminded him of a greeting card commercial. Carolina's smile was pure. He found himself just standing there watching them enjoying their playful banter. Then he heard a loud scream. The next thing he knew a water hose was aimed at him. Coldwater drenched his shirt and pants. “Stranger!” the girls yelled. Carolina stopped and looked in his direction. It wasn’t a stranger. It was Geo. It had taken her forever to fall asleep last night thinking about him, and now here he was . He hadn't texted or called to let her know he was coming to visit her
He watched a worried look come over her face. “Have I done something wrong?” “No. No, you haven’t." He rushed on, “It’s just.” He paused. “What? Is it about last night?” She asked him. “What about last night?” He looked at her then with that same look he had last night. “You made me leave. You said you had an urgent meeting.” “Oh, yea, that… well, that may have something to do with it.” “Geo. I really need this.” She confessed. He wasn’t expecting her to say that. He had expected her to tuck her tail and run. He was giving her an easy out, but she wasn’t taking the bait.
She looked up at Geo. “She’s out. She’s had another episode.” “Another episode? Should we call an ambulance?” He asked her. “No. It's a side effect of her new medication. Her Doctor made us well aware of the pros and cons of it. He told me she could end up like this or worse. I kind of didn’t believe him because she has been feeling so great these last few days. Hopefully, she will be fine in a few hours. In the meantime, we need to get her into bed.” Geo thought that was a horrible side effect and wondered if there was any other medication the Doctor could prescribe her. He felt this was his concern now. He could see it in Carolina's eyes. Times were hard for her. She was being brave. She never showed weakness. He admired her more for that.
“Maam, we really should go. Your mother can’t wait.” She knew he was right. She sat back down in the ambulance. He closed the door, and the sirens sounded as they exited her neighborhood. Geo was seeing red. He was so angry with this charlatan of a Doctor. Geo had had his suspicions about Dr. Roberts and his treatment of Mrs. Hilden. He was proved correct when Dr. Roberts informed him that Emily's medication had not been regulated by the FDA or any other legitimate pharmaceutical agents. He also found out the medication was still in the Human trial stages. He had taken advantage of Carolina's mother and countless other patients in their illnesses. He then wondered if her illness was due to an actual illness or the medication this doctor had been pumping her ful
He felt her pain. She had been right. He should have included her when he had confronted Dr. Roberts. “I am having my lawyers look into it. Please, don’t cry. Everything will be alright.” “How do you know that?” She wiped more tears away. “I just know. Let's go visit her.” He suggested, ready to leave the small waiting area. “I can’t." She confessed. "I can’t see her like that. It breaks me down every time.” “It’s o.k., Carolina. If you break down. I will be there to pick up the pieces for you.” He smiled at her. She kissed him lightly on the lips. “Thank you.” She said inches away from his face.
She inhaled loudly and exhaled as if all of her worries had been blown away by it.Geo felt his heart breaking for her. She had been honest with him from the very start and to see her loyalty and love for her mother on full display now was moving. He felt like he didn’t belong here in this special moment between mother and daughter, so he stayed by the door. She was beautiful in her sadness. So fragile. So alluring. He needed to figure out why he was so attracted to her. With every minute he was with her, it was gnawing at him. His phone rang then, interrupting the moment. Carolina looked in his direction then. He pressed the 'talk' button and took the call. “Hello.Yes. Fine.” He hung up.