Highway scandal(book 1)

Chapter 26

Marissa left the hospital and rode back to the estate. It was already 9:30 am and everyone was up and in the dining hall eating. Including Harvey. Marissa walked inside eyes on her, especially Drake. He knew she covered him and he smiled about it but quickly dropped it when she sat down in front of him. In the spot, Charles should have been in. Sharon notices her face fall.

"Dear are you alright," she asked. Brad reached over to her. She squeezed his hand.

"It doesn't feel right without him," she said. Brad grinned sorrowfully. Drake watched Brad and Marissa. She found a dad in him and he knew that.

"How was he," Harvey asked. He knew she was going to see him. She placed her hands together in her lap. And she felt guilt eating at her again.

"He's okay, but ready to come back," she said. Sharon cleared her throat. And began eating her breakfast. Scrambled eggs and oats. With bacon.

"I'm sorry but may I be excused please," she asked. Brad looked at her. She was not okay. And she would never be.

Harvey was concerned for her. And so was Drake. He looked upset as well. Seeing her upset was very disturbing to him. And maybe that's because he loved her. And he wouldn't love anyone as much as he loved her. He didn't want to bother her because he knew she was still so upset. And he was right to leave her be.

She was trying to sort through everything. All the times she and Drake spent together, her dad keeping Harvey a secret, and her being the initial target because she knew the truth, she blamed herself for Charles too. And it was all too much for one person to carry.

She ran to her room, grabbed her luggage, and made up her name. Though she was taken care of, she couldn't stay here with any of them. She was different from them, she wasn't as brave(she thought) she wasn't as strong. And she wasn't as caring as all of them. She had always been alone and that's the way it should be now. Where would she go? Her apartment hadn't been paid for for weeks and she probably lost all of it.

Brad sits at the table watching Drake and Harvey. And Sharon gets up. Brad looks to all of them. And they look at her. She sighs knowing she's going to leave. And it wasn't her fault. It was his. It was Franks. He put her in this and he's still winning. He broke her spirit. He broke that love she had.

"Even behind bars, he is still winning, so, I will ask all of you to keep strong, for Marissa, and me, because I-" she couldn't finish her sentence. Brad stands and walks to her. He kisses her head. She looks at him with tears.

"She needs you right now, she's had me, go to her," she tells Brad. Drake can't even look at them. He turns to Harvey.

"Listen, you're her brother and you've been watching her, she wouldn't skip town would she," he asked. Harvey swallows and bows his head. And he feared the worst.

"Yes."

Brad walks up the stairs to Marissa's room. Where she had been packing her clothes in her suitcase. He watches as she cries, and cries. Stuffing everything in her case. She finally stopped when she saw Brad standing at the door. Brad knew how bad she was hurting. And he could not take it away but as her nearly found fatherly love grew, his love grew too. And he was so upset with himself. To put her in this position.

"I have to go," she said. He nods. He understands though.

"I know, and I'm not going to stop you, I'm going to help you, you're mother would want me to stop you, but being around him makes it worse for you, so I offer you the deed to my other house in Surf Side if you want it, and it comes with 2 cars should you want those," he said. She widens her eyes in shock. He wants to give her his house. In Surf City. The one Sharon talked about.

"Dad I can't-"

"You can, and you will have your team there, you can work in Miami as anything you want, a lawyer or a detective, a secretary or whatever it is you want to work at, it's yours if you want it," he said.

She smiled knowing that even though they weren't blood he would take care of her as if she were his daughter. And he loved her that much. He smiles at her and grabs her by the shoulders. And he knows how hard it is for her to want to leave, but he knows she needs to get herself straight. She has a lot to deal with.

"Take the house, the cars, and live, not for him, for you, and if you run into each other again, at a dinner or on the streets, then maybe you can try for real, but for now, live for you," he said. She nods.

"Okay, I'll take it, and thank you, I will take good care of everything I promise," she said hugging him. He sighed. Because he knew she would.

He left her to pack. He sent the deed over by fax to the house, leaving it in her name. But he didn't say anything to anyone until she had boarded to leave. Because he knew Drake would stop her. And that was the reason she left to begin with. And she wrote a note for them all.

She needed to get right for herself. And she knew what made her happy. She loves helping people. Not to be a lawyer or a detective but better, she did what her dad would have wanted and stayed clear of those fields. Her heart know what her mind warned her against.

So on the plane, she took out her phone and applied to become a teacher, a professor. To teach law and order to those who would choose that path. She sent her resume to the local university in Miami, with her credentials and waited for a reply. And she waited for a while.

She received an email late that evening after getting to her new home. And she was nervous, much so that she didn't want to look at it. But something in her knew she needed to. One of her head staff entered her room bringing her a sandwich day some water. Her name was Della. She was sweet. Around fifty.

"I'm sorry Miss Daniels, I didn't mean to intrude, I also brought the deed Mr.Williams sent over," she said hanging her the deed. Her name was on it. And she smiles to Della.

"Thank you Della call me Marissa," and she smiled at the woman. The woman nodded. And she left her to her work. She opened the email from the school and began reading.

"Oh my god, I did it, they want to hire me." She said. Happily, "and they added law and criminal law to the new credentials."

She was to come in after the holidays. And things were looking up for her. And she needed this. She would be paid a monthly salary but she already had the money she needed. And now that she was dressing as a woman should, and acting accordingly, she felt ready for it.