Chapter 87. A movement
Oliver Chester
"We still need the new stove," Michelle said behind me. "Can you stop peeking through the peephole?"
"Lilly didn't come home to sleep."
"You know she's seeing that real estate guy."
"But she's a daughter of the house. How can Beatrice and Harry allow Lilly not to come home? It's the roof she's living under, she has to respect it." Just then, the door opened. It was Lilly, wearing an executive-style outfit: blouse, blazer, and matching pants. The navy blue color looked great on her. She glanced at us, then walked in, and I stepped back as if she had caught me spying on her. "Damn, she..."
The knock on the door alerted Michelle.
"Is it her?" I confirmed, looking in that direction. "Open it." I shook my head.
"You do it. Tell her I'm not here." She hurried to the door at the second knock and opened it.
"Lilly, good morning!" she said quite enthusiastically.
"Good morning, is Oliver here?" she asked.
"No, he went for a run to get to know the neighborhood. Do you want me to leave a...?" Lilly interrupted.
"Let's not beat around the bush, Michelle. Do you know what your brother did to me?"
"Yes, I'm very sorry, but Oliver..."
"Then you should put yourself in my shoes. As a woman. Don't you think it's too much for you to move in front of my parents' apartment from another continent after everything he did to me?"
"But Lilly," she interrupted again.
"They're my parents. You know them, you've known them for over four years. Do you think they will praise this move you've made after what Oliver did to me?" Michelle didn't answer. "That's what I thought. So tell Oliver," she raised her voice, and I closed my eyes, knowing why she did it. She knew me well. "To stop bothering me, to stop dragging you into his reconciliation attempt because it's not going to work. Stop wasting your father's money on this because I'm not going back to London, I'm not getting back with Oliver, period."
"Fine, I'll tell him when he gets back from..."
"Michelle, learn to know your brother. He hates running and mixing with people he doesn't know on the street." She paused. "Good day." Then I heard Michelle close the door.
"Wow, I see she's going to take a while to give in," Michelle murmured. I came out of the kitchen and crossed my arms.
"Everything takes time if we want results, right?"
"That's true, but... Lilly is determined not to come back, from what I see and hear. She really hates you."
"That's what she says now. She's hurt and has a broken heart. I suppose she's using this real estate guy to forget me, but I'll remind her how we fell in love."
"Well, I'd say start doing that right away because time is ticking, and we have a deadline."
"I know, I know. But the first step is done... getting closer. We have to get in with the family first; they will be the ones to help her reconsider."
"Well, Beatrice could be the first..."
"No. The first is Leah. She's the direct connection to Lilly. Beatrice and Harry will always respect what she decides."
"They are good parents, though." Michelle fell silent after saying those words, knowing that the tone she used was resentful. Her own parents had always been strict with her. It was a miracle she was even with me in this, as they always limited her. This reminded me why she seemed happy about this trip, about exploring the city, but also how good she was at persuading others.
"Well, what else do you have?" I asked, letting myself fall onto the new couch.
"For now, Leah has told her about our new stay, which is why Lilly came to us. From what I've investigated, Leah works for an architecture firm that's connected to Johnson Enterprises, which is owned by Jackson's brother."
"Wow, you really did your homework."
"Of course, I want Lilly to be part of our family despite everything you've done. I've always thought you two were made for each other."
Throughout the day, I was reviewing what Michelle had found out about Beatrice and Harry. He was the new chief of surgery at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, and she was a cardiologist. I wasn't surprised by their new positions, as they had always loved what they did. There was a lot of passion in their careers.
"Look," Michelle said suddenly. I was in the dining room, so she pulled a chair over and brought the computer closer. "There's a dance next weekend." I read the headline, "Johnson Enterprises Always Taking Care of Their People," and the rest of the article. Jackson threw a big party for all his employees once a year, giving them gifts, dinner, dancing, and fun. Michelle was impressed. "It's a good tactic to keep his employees happy. If they're happy, they work better."
"I see..."
"Yes, and he has a huge conglomerate. Not only is he into real estate, but he also owns several restaurants, not just in the city but across the country," she pointed to another page. "This is where we had dinner, remember? That's why we saw him at one of the restaurants." She leaned back in her chair. "The man really has a knack for business, plus he's teamed up with Jacob."
"Who's Jacob?" I asked, confused. She laughed.
"Sorry, he's Jackson's brother. It's just the two of them." She showed me a photo. "He's the architect."
"The one Leah works with," I murmured.
"That's right. Even though they look different, they have some identical features."
"Michelle," I used a warning tone, as she was getting off track.
"Well, Jacob and Jackson also work in the environmental sector. Together, they do charity work," she paused to show me another page, "as well as other businesses they specify. Their parents are powerful people with a lot of influence in society. They have a long list of family businesses where their two sons are capital partners. In short, they are the best in the country."
"Lilly isn't stupid."
"You're the one who's stupid if you think she only approached you for money. You know her and her family aren't like that."
"And what if they are now?"
"Well, if she thought that way, she caught one of the biggest fish in the ocean. But let's not kid ourselves, who wouldn't with that man?"