Chapter 16 A TRIP TO HOLLOWMERE
A few days after Troy reported the land purchase in Hollowmere, I decided to confront my father to find out why he suddenly took an interest in that specific property.
As I walked into my father's office, the file gripped tightly in my hand, I headed straight to the front desk where his secretary sat. The moment she saw me, she jumped to her feet, subtly adjusting her dress before flashing me a polished smile.
"Welcome, sir," she greeted as our eyes met.
"Is my father in?" I asked, keeping my voice neutral.
"Yes, he just returned from his election meeting," she replied quickly. I gave a short nod before walking toward the office door.
I knocked once to announce myself, then stepped inside.
He was behind his desk, his eyes glued to his laptop screen, a frown carved deep into his face. The moment he looked up and saw me, a forced smile replaced his grim expression. He quickly shut his laptop, though I could still see the tension he was trying to suppress.
"Son! It's like I haven't seen you in forever. Come, sit," he said, gesturing to the seat beside him.
"What can I say?" I replied dryly. "My own father has been too busy running for the upcoming governorship election to remember he has a son."
He laughed, but it didn't reach his eyes.
"Oh, Jaxon, you never cease to amaze me. So, tell me, what brings you to my office today?" he asked, setting his reading glasses aside.
"Well, for starters," I began, "why didn't you tell me she is back in town?"
The smile instantly dropped from his face, replaced by a strange emotion I couldn't quite decipher.
"I can see you're still unsettled by her presence," he said slowly. "But Jaxon, she's still your mother."
The way he said it... even he didn't believe it. His voice said one thing, but his eyes betrayed the truth.
"Is that how you've convinced yourself all these years-that she's still your wife? That thing is not my mother. The last time I felt my mother was in that car, just before the accident. And when I woke up... she was gone. Replaced by a stranger with her face."
My voice had grown sharp, almost venomous. I could feel the heat rising in my chest. I needed to reel it in before I said too much.
"Just tell her to stay out of my way-or better yet, she should crawl back to whatever countryside she came from."
I sighed deeply, placing the file down on his desk-my frustration pressed into the movement.
He said nothing at first. Just adjusted his glasses and opened the file.
"Nothing ever gets past you, son," he murmured, a tired smile forming on his face.
"What can I say? I'm a businessman. And considering you've left most of the family business on my shoulders while you chase the governor's seat, it's only right that I stay alert."
I paused, studying his reaction.
"But what I really want to know is-why are you interested in that property? We've expanded our hotels into various cities and towns, but not once have you ever mentioned Hollowmere. Why now?"
I watched him closely, hoping for a slip-some indication that he knew who lived there. The person I couldn't stop thinking about. The one who might hold the missing piece. The one who could help me prove that the woman in our house is not my mother.
"To be honest," he said with a shrug, "your mother wanted it. Said she wanted the land-and everything on it-for her upcoming birthday. I thought it'd be a nice surprise."
He spoke with such disinterest that it irritated me. Why did he keep pretending like he actually cared? The way he treated her-it was nothing like how he treated my real mum.
"I'd like to buy the land from you," I said calmly, as if he hadn't just mentioned it was meant to be a gift for her. For a woman who clearly had something to hide.
"Why? Is it because I'm offering the land to your mother, or because you've finally seen the potential for expanding our business into Hollowmere?" he asked, his eyes twinkling with mischief as he threw me a teasing smile.
"I don't give a damn about her," I replied flatly. "I want the land. I may not know why yet, but I'll figure it out. And when I do, I'll let you know."
"You never cease to amaze me, Jaxon," he said with a light laugh. "Fine, you can have the land-on one condition. You meet up with Silvia. You need a date, son."
The mention of her name made my jaw tighten. Silvia. That name dragged up memories I'd buried deep. My father's best friend's spoiled daughter-too entitled, too talkative, and too interested in me. But if entertaining her for a few hours would guarantee me that land, then I could tolerate her presence. Just once.
"Fine," I gritted out. "But everything about the purchase of that land needs to go through me. Do we have a deal?" I asked, extending my hand across his desk.
"Deal," he said, gripping my hand with a satisfied smile that told me I'd just made his day.
"I was supposed to meet with Mayor Ridge over dinner tonight, so you'll go in my place. I'll arrange for you to meet Silvia once she flies into town at the end of the week."
I gave him a nod of agreement, then decided to ask about the upcoming election-though I could already see it was wearing him down.
"So... how's the election going?" I asked casually, watching his reaction closely.
"It's going fine, son," he replied with a forced smile and a sigh that told me otherwise. His eyes darted briefly to the side-an obvious sign something was bothering him.
"Alright," I said, my tone more serious. "Just make sure to check in with your doctor from time to time. You need to stay in good health if you plan to run this city."
I rose to my feet, and he mirrored my movement.
"You worry too much," he said, resting a firm hand on my shoulder. "Just focus on running the company. I'll have my secretary inform Mayor Ridge of the change in plans."
I nodded silently and made my way out of the building, heading to my car where Troy waited.
"Any show?" Troy asked as I slid into the back seat.
"It turns out she wanted Dad to buy the land in her name," I said casually, resting my head back against the seat.
"Well, that's not surprising. It's obvious she has something to hide. And the young man she kept flying out to meet while she was abroad? He's probably tied to it all. Did you manage to convince your dad?" Troy asked, watching me closely.
"Yes," I muttered, "but it came at a cost-I have to meet up with Silvia when she gets back into the country."
Troy's face broke into an amused grin, that irritatingly smug look he wore whenever he thought something was about to get interesting.
"You agreed to meet Silvia?" he teased, throwing me a sideways glance. "Well, this is going to be fun."
"I wish," I muttered, rubbing the back of my neck. "How tight is my schedule for the weekend?"
Without missing a beat, Troy grabbed the iPad resting on the seat beside him and began scrolling through it.
"You're fairly free on Saturday-after the workers' meeting in Marroway. Then, of course, you have that internal meeting with our department heads at the main branch," he recited.
I groaned, already dreading it. Listening to managers drone on about customer complaints and staff laziness wasn't exactly thrilling.
"Then Sunday," he continued, "you've got a briefing with the head directors and managers. After that, we'll be flying to Brentmere to meet... well, you know who."
He finally looked up at me, but just then, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and stared at the message flashing on the screen-an address. One I immediately recognized.
"Cancel everything on my schedule," I said, slipping the phone back into my pocket. "We're flying to Hollowmere. Dinner with Mayor Ridge."
Troy raised an eyebrow.
"Sure," he replied, sarcasm dripping from his voice. "How difficult could that possibly be?"
But my mind was already miles away. Something about all this wasn't adding up-
And I was going to get to the bottom of it.