Quiet Enlightenment

Part 2, Chapter 13 - Smoke and the Disturbed

CONTENT WARNING: This chapter covers subjects such as death and exploitation. Reader discretion is advised.

As Andrea's uncle sat across from her, Charmaine couldn't help but feel uneasy. After weighing the consequences of staying versus turning around and walking out, she took a deep breath and decided to stay and hear the old man out. After all, her problem was with his niece and not with him directly.

"How have you been, Edward?" she politely said to start the conversation.

"Oh, I've been here and there. I've been mostly here in the Big Apple since I have no family out west anymore."

Charmaine sighed. She was hoping that Andrea wouldn't be mentioned, but it was apparently inevitable.

"You know I won't see a courtroom."

"I'm so sorry for your loss. Even now, I still stop and wonder what happened."

"She took both of us for fools. That's what happened."

The first clue that Andrea was going to steal Charmaine's money was the fact that she got a "loan" from her Uncle without any strings attached. Although Charmaine knew little about Andrea's Uncle, she heard enough from her (at the time) best friend to know that he was a cold, calculating, businessman in his prime.

"Yes, I would have never expected her to do something like that. It's like she snapped."

"I don't know who that woman was, but she sure as hell wasn't my precious little princess. You know what she told me? That she was using the money to go back to college."

It all made sense to Charmaine now. Andrea had no problems lying to her friends, why not her family? After shaking his head, Andrea's Uncle continued.

"Some of the stuff she's done. She's a shame to the family. My father, her grandfather, got his start by opening his first restaurant at the age of twenty-five. The fact that she would try to sabotage his legacy by releasing mice. And hanging around that boy. Disgusting."

"Agreed. I don't mean to digress, but we have some business to discuss." Charmaine said, wanting the man to shut up about his niece and get to business. After all, her son was waiting outside in the December New York weather.

I don't mean to digress, but we have some business to discuss."

"Ah, right! My apologies! You are interested in a partnership, right?"

"Correct."

"While I said that my connections to Oregon were severed with my niece's passing, I want to buy out your restaurant. After all, ten grand of my money is tied up in your establishment. I'm willing to add more to my investment in exchange for control."

"Uh... excuse me?"

"Andrea told me that she wanted $10,000 to go back to school, money that I found out was given to you to start your business."

Charmaine blinked. Was this really happening? Of course, Charmaine never saw a penny of that $10,000. Instead, Andrea used that for the few months that she could stay afloat in San Francisco.

"You are mistaken. Andrea never gave me a penny."

"You, ma'am, are a liar. Andrea gave you the money and you kicked her out of the operation. Why else would she do what she did?"

Charmaine was in disbelief. Even knowing all the horrible things that his niece did, Andrea's Uncle was unable to see that the woman was capable of just "snapping".

"Again, you are mistaken. I'm sorry for taking your time, but I think that our conversation is over."

"WHERE DID YOU GET THE MONEY?" the older man said as he raised his voice. Charmaine wasn't about to answer that she had a sizable fortune from her late husband's life insurance.