Chapter 64 Chapter 64
TESSA: Good, I need everything on Mark and Alex. their lives, also Caroline Rusland, Mark’s wife. I need everything: where she works, where she eats, where she sleeps, her kids, and her parents. Every single thing.
I grabbed the notepad and wrote it down, then turned it toward Jax.
JAX: Are you in danger?
TESSA: No, not yet, but it will get there eventually. That demented bitch showed up at my house, then threw a damn brick with a note attached to my door. Then she went to my work. I’m done playing nice.
TESSA: I’ll show her exactly what her fucking husband and brother did and make her feel the same fucking fear I did.
Fuck me, She wasn't going to ask me; she was going to handle this herself. I wrote on the notepad again.
JAX: Okay, I’ll get all of that for you.
TESSA: Thank you.
After she ended the call, I looked at Jax. “She trusts you. Get Joe on the line and have him get everything. I want you down there with her, in the shadows. Carlo and the others will be with me. Make sure she doesn't know that I know.”
“Yes, boss. I’ll get on that right away,” he said before leaving the office. I took a seat and stared at the phone. She called Jax, not for help; she needed information, she needed the basics. "She got a gun," Jax said. "She was going to be taking lessons, Krav Maga." She wasn't going to be a sitting duck; she was taking the necessary precautions, and she was learning how to protect herself, which made me smile.
I wondered how fast she could learn. I was still smiling when my office door opened and Avani walked in. She walked straight over and sat down, looking at me. She dropped a folder down in front of me. I looked at the folder, then at her.
I grabbed the folder and opened it; the first page was the picture of a woman and her biodata. I looked up at her, and she just smiled. I flipped the papers, and there were about fifty sheets of paper.
“Fifty prospective wives for you, I had them checked myself,” she said with a smile. I closed the folder and dropped it back onto the desk and looked at her.
Growing up, she always managed to get what she wanted, by any means necessary. She was sixteen and had wanted a car; she basically starved herself for a week until she collapsed and was admitted into the hospital. She still refused to eat until our parents relented and got her the car. That was only one of her tantrums.
I kept staring at her. There had to be more to this; she was persistent and doing everything in her power to make sure I got married. This wasn't about me just getting married but about forcing this on me, basically finding prospective wives; something else was happening.
“Get out,” I said, my voice cold.
“I am waiting for you to choose,” she said coldly.
“Get out now,” I said, my voice rising.
She stood up with a huff and walked out, slamming the door. I grabbed my phone and called Joe. He answered on the first ring.
“Mr. Rhyland?”
“Joe, I need someone on Avani—where she goes, who she meets. Her calls, messages, everything.
“Yes, Mr. Rhyland, I’ll arrange that now,” he replied.
“Good,” I replied, ending the call.
Marriage? I never really considered marriage. I was engaged to Clarissa to stop the rumors, and it was beneficial to both of us. It was only for sex; I never intended to marry her, and I made it clear in the beginning, and she said she understood, but somewhere down the line, she had the idea that marriage was possible. That was why I staged the pictures with Tessa to call off the engagement. I never saw myself becoming a family man, having a wife and kids.
Now it was a different story. I could see myself being married and maybe having kids, a daughter with my eyes and my firecracker’s temper. She would be a handful. I leaned back in my chair. Marrying Tessa—that thought took hold of me. Waking up every day and going to sleep beside her every day for the rest of my life. Having dinner with her, raising kids with her. I could see that for me. I stood up; that was it. She was what I wanted, and I was going to make a way to integrate her into my world.
I continued with my day and then headed back to my apartment. I checked in with Jax, and he said she had the information and she was at home. He also said Caroline Rusland was back in Fredericksburg. The distance was about an hour or so. So she was going to Georgetown to screw with my firecracker and then go back home.
My entire week was the same: meetings for mergers, sitting in with the marketing team, and getting updates from Jax and my fucking sister. All week she showed up, and the exact minute I walked out of my meeting, she was there waiting, and all she did was ask if I picked one. When I didn't answer her, she just turned and walked out. Joe didn't give me an update as yet, and I was waiting for that. I wanted to know exactly what she was up to.
I was sitting in my office at home; I had just ended a call when Joe came in. He put the file down in front of me.
“What do you have?” I asked.
He scratched his head, which was a first. I looked at him with a raised eyebrow; he nodded towards the file. I grabbed it and opened it. Her calls were to multiple foreign numbers; one stood out—it was highlighted.
“This number?” I asked.
“A man, however the number is registered under, Théodore Bernard, but we ran a background check and Theodore Beneard doesn't exist.” he replied. I flipped to the next page; it was a string of text messages. I read them, I flipped the page, and I paused. I looked at Joe.
“Am I reading this correctly?”
“Yes, Mr. Rhyland. I saw it too, but wasn't sure. We tracked her movements here in Manhattan; pictures and videos are on the flash drive,” he said, placing it on the table.
“She went all the way to New Jersey. We confirmed it; Ms. Avani Rhyland is pregnant. She is almost two months pregnant," he said. I dropped the file and ran my hands across my face.
“Do you have any idea who the father is?” I asked, hoping he had somehow found out. I looked at him, and he shook his head no.