DECEPTION

PROLOGUE

PROLOGUE

SHE could not believe what she was hearing. How could Dad not have left them anything? Twisting her fingers nervously, Andrea looked up at her father’s lawyer.

     ‘How could he not have anything? He had five properties plus the one we live in—‘

     ‘All gone Andrea’. Baxter interrupted. ‘He was way too deep in dept. Gambling debts’. He lean forward and looked Andrea in the eyes with pity. She looked away.

     ‘What about the sixty percent shares he has in Lexser’s Industries, the twenty percent on Conroy’s Oil and all the multi-million on the stock market?’

     ‘He had Andrea. He had. They are all gone. The only thing that your father, left in my care is that roof over your heads and Jason’s trust fund’.

Andrea sank deeper into her seat. They had known that her father was gambling but— well, they also knew he was a couple of million in debt but, not everything! How could he?

     ‘who bought him over?’ She suddenly asked taking Baxter off guard.

     ‘what?’ confusion spread over his face.

     ‘I mean, the shares. Lexser, Conroy, all of the rest’.

     ‘Oh!’ Baxter’s face took on a little more understanding. ‘I can’t possibly tell you that’. Andrea frowned. ‘why?’

‘protocols’

‘Shit’

‘Am so sorry Andrea’. Andrea was so surprised to hear her swear. She never did that.

Andrea put herself together, stood up and left. She hurried towards the elevator. Something was definitely not very right. How could her father die of heart attack only two months ago and leave nothing behind? Last she has known, he was one of the richest men in this city. Things had changed pretty fast. Banks turned down their checks, withdrew their credit and debit cards, enormous bills turned up unpaid, four of their properties turned up with new owners, all of his assets gambled away, even his shares in some of the biggest companies in this side of the world— and the damned lawyer Baxter claims they have nothing left to their name except for the roof over their heads and Jason’s trust fund. Atleast, Jason had college money.

     ‘Hey lady, Excuse me. Just a second’

Andrea turned around to see who had interrupted her line-of-thoughts. She stopped by her car.

     ‘hello’. Looking up into the smiling face of the man who had stopped her, she took his offered hand in a brief handshake.

     ‘John Walker’. He introduced. He smile widening.

     ‘Oh! Do I know you? Have we met?. Am sorry but, I cant place the face’ Andrea wondered why he would just walk  up to her and introduce himself.

     ‘I guess we just met. Sorry, I did not get the name’

     ‘Sorry. My bad. It is Andrea Norman’. John waved off her apologies ‘Andrea huh? Nice name. is this the Norman we all know? Cole Norman?’

     ‘Yeah. I guess’. She wasn’t surprise that he knew her father everyone in this city knew him.

‘Am sorry about your father’.

‘No problems. Thanks anyway. I have to go’.

‘Oh sure’. He stepped back to allow her enter her car.

     ‘Um, Andrea. In case, you know if you need anything. Anything at all, I would be willing to help’. He extended his card. ‘Thanks. Mr.—walker’. She collected the card. After a brief glance at it, she smiled at him and backed out of the park.

Bridgerton & Walker. What would she possibly want another lawyer for? They were all too stupid. Couldn’t help their client make a proper decision.