Beneath The Orange Sunset ✔️

Fifty Four

~54~

Good endings make good
beginnings

Eight weeks later

The activities of the following weeks that passed spiralled beyond control. Sebastian Denis went about reforming the Lacroix empire. Maxime had appointed him the next acting CEO with or without the board of directors consent. Since the company's reputation was at risk, they had no choice but to agree. Juliette reclaimed her position as a managing director in a sector of the company. All she wanted was fairness and equality for all members of the family.

There was an upheaval in town concerning the Lacroix empire.
Reporters swarm the company every morning to collect fresh news to feed their various agencies and those who cared to listen.

After a second trial, Emile and Fabien lost the case, Emile was sent to a mental rehabilitation center. She tested positive for ingesting unhealthy amounts of unprescribed hard drugs and was charged with doing drugs and intentionally poisoning and committing murder.

Fabien was arrested for embezzlement. He had also played a huge role in a certain bank fraud which was more criminal than the former.

He was distraught when he heard what his minion had done. He messed up big time. Why would that idiot shoot someone in front of the court house? That was not part of the plan. Even if he had to shoot why not do it more discreetly, like aiming for the right person. That would have prevented problems in the future.

The shooting of Samuel was the tipping point of the case. After the man with the gun was thoroughly tortured he confessed. He also did business with other top politicians. Fabien LaPointe was among those politicians. This was not his first time getting arrested. With a first degree intent to shoot and kill he might be staying longer in jail.

An investigation been carried out on the accident that almost decapitated Maxime, left Hussein crippled and killed Alberte Lacroix, was garnering momentum and if the evidences laid down was incriminating enough, Emile will be convicted for first degree murder.

When Joelene Jacquet had seen Husein at the courthouse, she marvelled at his braveness. A man who survived an accident, lost his memory but still managed to stand up for the truth. What a man! She wanted more.

Antoine gave his father one last respect and visited him in prison. He couldn't forget the look on his face when he told him, Olga was having a baby.

It was no surprise history was repeating itself.

Antoine made a cash withdrawal of one million dollars from the company's account and headed for a quiet state in London. He had a wife and child to support. Maybe in nine months after the baby is born, he will share the news with his brother - he so happened to have betrayed. Maybe he would forgive him when he sees the innocent baby's face. Olga loved the idea too.

Henrietta moved back to Mexico. She needed to take a break. Her experience with the Lacroix family left her with notion that family comes first. You never know when you will breath your last. It would be wise to go see her family and appreciate them one more time. Who knows she might be visiting New Zealand or Australia in the nearest future. France? Not too sure.

Just a week before, Maxime had gone with Sebastian to visit the graveside of his father. It had been a serene day for him. Maxime had gone without flowers. It was too sentimental for him to place a flower on the grave at this time. He wasn't happy. He wasn't going to mourn. Instead he was going to solicit for help.

To pray. To plead.

The doctor's words had been difficult to digest. The bullet grazed Samuel's heart and damaged his lungs, the other had missed his spinal cord by inches and smashed two ribs. Internal damage was at seventy percent. They needed to perform two major surgeries to correct the damaged organs and the chances of survival was fifty - fifty.

Maxime didn't believe them. He'd knelt on his father's grave - empty, exhausted and alone. While he sobbed at some point, Sebastian placed a hand on his shoulder. Then he recalled the dream he had that felt similar. He took that gesture as a sign of answered prayers. He believed in miracles.

Bring Samuel back was all he had pleaded for.