Alyssa stood firm in a black pencil skirt that stretched over her knees, a blue white stripped and collar shirt neatly tucked in her skirt, the black stilettos made her fast pace seem way less threatening than she imagined it yet she could care less, her braid flickered with each stride she was at home when she noticed Michael was unusually late, a quick call to the school that connected her to the school bus driver later she drove the car to her father's manor her original home. "Hi darling how have you been?"
"Don't hi darling me!" Alyssa spat
"We had an agreement; you stay away from him I come back." If looks could burn Simon would be a little more than a small pile of ashes to be vacuumed and disposed off. He kept his silvery smile on "I do wish you'd be more considerate dear daughter he is after all my grandchild." 'Grandchild my a** if you really cared you'd be more than a mere presence a name in his life, you only even gained interest in me after he was born.' Alyssa wanted to shout at her father yet it was pointless it would only serve to waste her already spent energy, with one last glare she turned and marched out
"See you in a few days!" she heard him say from the study as her high heeled stilettos clanged against the alabaster tiled floor.
"How are you Mickey?"
She asked as soon as she entered the driver's seat of the Prius Michael sat on the passenger side, she smiled sweetly suppressing the great annoyance she felt at her father 'Michael does not deserve that' she resolved inwardly
"Am fine" he replied calmly with a wide smile "Grandpa invited me to a reception on Friday!" Alyssa tried not to let her face distort in anger at those words "Did he now!" she said with a smile as she started the car "You know it's going to be just a bunch of adults talking boring stuff" imitating a bored expression Alyssa backed away from the driveway and turned the car towards the massive gate.
"What's wrong Mom don't you want me to see Grandpa again?" He looked at Alyssa his big doe sad eyes bore into her soul making her heart hurt "Of course not" she said cheerfully careful not to show how somber she actually felt "If you want to then you can come too."
Michael let out a smile Alyssa rarely saw "I want to go and see Grandpa" he spoke so sweetly she lost whatever strength she had to stop him "Then we'll go together" she sighed anger still welling up in her chest at her but feeling helpless to do anything more, she knew forcing Michael to stay home was pointless 'If today was any indication it prooves that my father can get to us at any time.' She glanced at Michael 'He needs to be taken care of and fast' Initially she'd planned to run away when she found out of her pregnancy, she wanted to keep her family as far from the monstrosity that was her father as humanly possible but that thought was immediately extinguished knowing him and the vast amount of resources and connections at his disposal she knew there was virtually no place to hide and if by some miracle such place existed it would only a matter of time before her past caught up to them.
The Bailon dynasty a family of business-crazed people inherited from generation to generation initially started by one man Adam Bailon at the beginning of the 19th Century when he moved from his Saxon origins in England and moved to the New World. He started his own small company dealing in retail business and expanded over the years to a large empire well-known throughout the country with countless assets and connections both within and abroad. Adam during the later part of his life decided he loved his company too much and did not want it to ever fall out of the family devised a prerequisite for his descendants who wanted to inherit what he considered to be his most precious creation not that he did not already have four actual children three of whom he could barely remember their names focusing all his attention to his first born daughter, she'd proved to mirror her father in every instinct business, intelligence and otherwise, he loved her the most especially after she gave him his first grandson. The first requirement is to be the eldest amongst any other siblings if any exist and the second and most important requirement was having a child of their own to ensure the succession line lives on this way he felt he would somehow still control Bailon Inc. through his descendants.
Alyssa being the first born among her three siblings met the first requirement but for years had failed to produce an heir during which her father's affections waned further and further away from her rather focusing on her younger sibling who'd produced grandchildren for him. It hurt but she had long since learned to cope with it preferring to focus on her life and husband.
Her father was not a good man she knew this at an early age when she was the favored one working an internship at Bailon Inc, witnessing firsthand the lengths her father could go to achieve his goals, the lines cut, people betrayed, and silenced.
Once a man from a notorious news outlet had tried to do a segment on an oil rig owned by one of the companies under Bailon Inc. A pipe had burst amid operations causing a leakage that led to the deaths of more than fifty people with many others in serious conditions resulting from the pollution caused by the oil and resultant chemicals and fumes, the whole thing had been covered up tight, but this reporter Edwin Haines if she could remember correctly his name threatened to unveil the entire thing alleging to have indisputable proof of her Simon Bailon's involvement his rant was so loud to gain his interest especially because it would cost the company millions of dollars.
On the day intended for the news report he was nowhere to be seen, after waiting an entire hour the segment was dismissed soon thereafter the news channel faced with several lawsuits on defamation setting the course for its inevitable downfall.
Edwin Haines's body was found a week later after his intended appearance on television in his home hanging a noose tightened around his neck, his face bloated and eyes bulging contorted in a fear-filled grimace tongue sticking out the whole thing ruled a suicide based on a mysterious note the police found stating his guilt over faking several articles he initially wrote. Alyssa at the time accepted it too but deep inside she felt a gnawing doubt that overtime could no longer be ignored after some investigation she confronted her father who did little to deny anything.
"Are you ok?" Liam's voice broke her thoughts a look of concern on his face "Yeah I am just thinking of my messed up family." She poked at the fried rice on her plate suddenly feeling sick at the sight of her father's smug grin, they sat together at the dining room table Michael had finished dinner early and gone to his room. "Is it about your father?" he asked "Yes and no" she answered vaguely,
they remained silent "It's just that I'm afraid Michael may take from him more than I initially thought when I went to that study the look on our son's face" she paused picturing Michael when she entered her father's study for a moment she could see the Simon Bailon in him the resemblance so striking it scared her "What if he's more like him?" she whispered terrified at what the answer may be. Liam moved his chair next to her wrapping her in a loving embrace "Our son is who we raise him up to be and not a reflection of Simon Bailon" he spoke into her ear Alyssa felt her body relax into his her concerns melting away "He does not get to control our lives!" releasing Alyssa cupping her face in his palms "We control our own fates." He smiled reassuringly
"So we take him down?" Alyssa's voice but a whisper "Just like we planned darling" Liam replied with a smile of determination reverberating in his tone letting the rage he actually felt show:
His anger towards Simon Bailon increased tenfold for what the old man was putting his family through but he knew people like that could not be taken down by mere brute force without terrible consequences coming back to bite him they needed to play this careful otherwise they would remain under his thumb for the rest of their lives 'Unless he drops down dead, nah guys like him tend to live a very long life we can't wait that long,'
Alyssa seemed to understand what went on in his mind, without leaving his embrace she grabbed his tie and pulled him into a passionate kiss at least she knew she wasn't alone in this fight.