Lost and Found

Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Sol looked coolly at the man he knew had been the instrumental factor in his downfall all those years ago, and now here he was menacing yet again.

                “Parkin!” He acknowledged with a straight unemotional face. Glancing at Amelia he saw shock and possibly fear on her face. Squeezing her hand he tried to make her strong.  Alex had the content look of someone with the upper hand, but from where Sol stood he could do nothing to hurt them, not now.  “What Max thinks of anything is no concern of ours...or yours.”

Alex sauntered further into the room, “on the contrary, I think he’d love to know that whilst he’s been at death’s door in hospital, his daughter’s being fucking the man who ruined this family!” The laugh that followed the insult was bone chilling.

Amelia who had been sat, stunned until this point, was suddenly kicked into life, jumping down from the work surface she squared up to Alex, regardless of the fact she was so scantily clad. His eyes lingered over her bare shoulders and the slope of her breasts before they were covered in the lace of her camisole. Sol must have sensed the direction of his eyes as he nudged him as she spoke.

                “You haven’t even contacted him Alex, so don’t act like caring nephew that you’re NOT! You stand there preaching about my father...I left you dozens of answer phone messages explaining what happened, you didn’t even reply!”

Alex shrugged, “good job really. Gave you enough rope to hang yourself! Wait til he finds out about THIS!"

It was then she saw the greed in his eyes, and realised what his motivation was. “Oh My God! That’s what it is, isn’t it? I thought you were just malicious, enjoying seeing someone else suffer, that the fact your parents don’t give a shit about you , made you want time and affection from someone else’s parents. But that’s not it. Is it? You want to inherit this, his estate...MY inheritance. Don’t you?” He failed to answer, so shaking her head in disgust she turned to Sol, “I can’t quite believe this. Will you wait for me to get changed? I’ll leave when you do. I’m not staying here with this ugly pig!”

Upstairs in the bedroom they’d been using, Sol turned to Amelia as she started to dress, “I’m not leaving you here with him, he’s evil. You need to come back to London.”

Shaking her head she pulled on a sweater, “I have to go and tell my father, I’ll follow you to London afterwards I promise. Leave me at the hospital. I’ll speak to him. If he needs a hand when he comes home I’ll stay at the pub I promise.”

Sol was torn, he really couldn’t not go back to work, on the other hand, this was more important than anything else. Alex had caused chaos in the past, but they were older now, controllers of their own destiny, she was no longer under her father’s control and they were financially independent.  But he had this sick anxious feeling about her cousin the upstart that was Alex. He’d never liked him, never trusted him, and wasn’t about to change either one now.

                “Call in, tell him, I’ll wait...”

She shook her head, “I owe him a proper explanation, I want to sort this out, and I need him to accept you. So go, do your work. Then I’ll follow. I promise! If I need to stay tonight I’ll get a hotel. I won’t come back here, ok?”

There was no sign of Alex when they left the house. But very quickly they’d loaded their bags into Sol’s car, which fortunately started first time. The goodbye at the hospital was tearful and Amelia clung to him, fighting tears, hating that their bubble was bursting.

                “I’ll call you when I get home.” He kissed her lips a final time. “Are you sure you won’t come now?”

                “I have to sort this out once and for all Sol, I love you.”