Filed To Story: The Lingering Kiss of Farewell Novel
“Calm down, we’re not here about you. Let it go, you’d never win that, not even with myself or your mother defending you,”
she was told.
Dinner arrived and was served, and they could get down to discussing why they were actually here in the first place.
“My client has taken full responsibility for the injuries sustained to Miss Riddley, who we acknowledge is not here due to still being in the hospital.”
Wil stated,
“Even though he did not push her down the stairs, or have any intent to physically harm her. Which you all now know, and have heard from or read in Miss Riddley’s police statement, as have I and Calvin. Her account of the events that led up to her falling down the stairs, not even she stated that Calvin pushed her. He simply let go as she demanded of him, unexpectedly, and she lost her balance, then fell was all.”
That was his saving grace, and he knew it. Calvin was glad that Marilyn had not lied about what had happened in that stairwell either. Her statement actually matched up with his. She was it seemed an honest person, not out to take him for everything.
Even when she could have, a simple lie would have seen it go in her favour because there were no witnesses to the events other than him and her. She could have stated he pushed her, and gotten a massive settlement from him, but she’d not tried to do that.
The detective had stated Marilyn had said she just wanted to leave Houston and go back home to Virginia, and live her life as before, peacefully and never have to lay her eyes on him again. The unwarranted pulling at her clothes by him to expose her torso to him. She’d not like that though, and again he couldn’t blame her.
They were here to discuss his accidental pulling of her hair and the way he’d exposed her torso to him. He was hoping to settle both of those here and now, and then get down to the way he was going to support her recovery.
He also now understood just why she had fought so damned hard not to show him her torso. She was hiding the scars on her body, something he’d not known she had. His attempting to get evidence had likely been distressing for her and in more ways than one. She likely wouldn’t have wanted him to know about the scars on her body more than anything else at that very moment.
It was entirely possible in his mind now, that if she didn’t have all those scars, that she might well have just seen fit to lift her shirt up and show him there was no strawberry birthmark on her lower left ribs.
That would have solved if she was or wasn’t Marrin to him, and he’d have apologised and walked away, and he knew it. But he’d forced her hand, and there were now consequences for his own actions. One that had put Marilyn in the hospital and ones that could see her needing medical assistance for the rest of her life.
No one in this room could state he’d done it on purpose now, but he’d fully admitted it was his fault.
“Liam, did you bring up the issues with Marilyn herself?”
Calvin asked. He made a point of calling her Marilyn all the time to prove he no longer saw her as Marrin and had let that go. did, before coming here,”
Liam told him.
“She’s not really interested in pressing charges at all anymore.”
Father?”
Lisa stated, shocked by his words.
Liam looked at his daughter and raised a hand to stall her words, and the argument he knew was going to come from her,
“Let it go Lisa, it is up to Marilyn, not you. Then he turned and looked at Wil.
“I have her statement, just need to type it up formally for yourself and the police as well, if you’ll leave her alone she’ll let It go. I’ll do that this evening and email it to all parties involved. I will need it signed by your client and yourself and a returned copy.”
“That is good to hear.”
Wil nodded and smiled at Calvin, who seemed happy with the way things were going.
They finished their meal and Calvin stood and started the presentation on what he thought was the best possible care and rehabilitation program for Marilyn and her family. He’d printed out the PowerPoint slides of the presentation so they could all see it in full.
In that slide show, there was not only the list of medical staff along with their credentials, but their pictures as well, everything from nursing to physio, massage therapists and psychiatry for her and the children’s well??eing, something he thought they might need after all they’d been through, he stated he wanted that to be maintained.
Then there was a picture of Cliffside Manor, and the lawns and expansive gardens, the view from the cliff itself and many of the inside of the house, and there was a fully documented list of the features the house had.
A home gym to help with strengthening exercises and the regaining of her fitness level. Once those casts came off, there was a home theater and swimming pool for her children to enjoy using while there, and there was plenty of grassed yard for them to play on as well,
“I’ll of course, have a chef and a nanny for meals and looking after the children. I’m not certain what ages the boys are, but there will be plenty to entertain them and proper supervision. There is already a full??ime live??n housekeeper and gardener at the estate.
“There are enough rooms for the physio and nurses that I have on standby to move into the house for full??ime live??n positions, if Marilyn agrees to this, so they can be on hand 24/7, to stay and aid in Miss Riddley’s recovery. I don’t believe I have left anything out.”
He stated
“If I have, please let me know and I will endeavour to include it. I want her recovery to go smoothly.”
Calvin
He sat after his presentation and looked at all three of Marilyn’s lawyers; they were sitting there going over the PowerPoint document he’d presented to them to follow along with his presentation. They should be able to see that he had put a lot of effort into this. He approached this like any business deal; with the frame of mind to win over the one he was targeting
They could also see that it wasn’t just a plan for the short??erm but in place for long??erm assistance. He’d also made sure they all knew that, and had stated during that presentation that Marilyn and her childer were allowed to be there at Cliffside until she was given full diagnosis of good health, regardless of how long it took.
He was watching Liam flip casually back through that document after the presentation even, and the man appeared to be making notes on it. Either Calvin had missed something, or Liam was just being very diligent, and was about to start getting full clarification on some of the things in there for his client. Maybe she had her own list of questions to be asked through her lawyer.
Wil had already told him to expect questions, and Wil didn’t think Calvin was going to get what he wanted either. He had stated prior to this meeting,
“Don’t expect her lawyers to be grateful for this offer, and don’t expect Marilyn to accept your offer of help.”
But Calvin didn’t see why she wouldn’t accept it. He’d not bothered her once, though admittedly he had wanted to go and speak to her near on daily, but had to make himself stay put. He’d not seen the woman in five days, not since the day of the accident.
Wil had stared at him and shaken his head a little and stated,
“Because Calvin, you’ve gone from calling her your ex??ife to stating she’s your ex??ister in??aw, it will still be seen as you have an unhealthy attachment to Marilyn, and that needs to be completely let go of.”
Calvin had frowned at Wil but had nodded
“Til refrain myself and my beliefs then, from coming across in this meeting.”
Now he was doing that, he had not once referred to her as anything but Marilyn or Miss Riddley, kept anything that would sound as though he still had an attachment to her out of his words. Now he was waiting for the verdict. Lisa had closed that document and slid it across the table away from her. She was a no. That was a given, it was clear in her expression and demeanour for the entire time they’d been here.
Liam and Hamilton were still going through it, discussing things quietly, between themselves, pointing things out to each other,
“Mr Reeves, where is this estate located?”
Liam finally looked at him.