CHAPTER 106: The Morning After

POV: Avalon Pierce

Avalon Pierce woke up to the sound of his phone ringing. It was 7:15 on a Saturday morning, not exactly the best time to be getting a call. The number on the screen was unfamiliar, which made him wonder if someone had dialled the wrong number or if something was wrong. Either way, he wasn't thrilled about being woken up so early on his day off.

He answered.

A man's voice came on, sounding very formal, like he was reading from a script. "Mr. Pierce," he said. He took a deep breath before continuing. "My name is David Ricks and I'm calling from Henderson Capital."

Avalon sat up.

Beside him Selene stirred but didn’t wake.

He quietly got out of bed and made his way to the study, where he picked up the phone to answer the call.

David Ricks said that Richard Henderson is interested in meeting up. He was thinking maybe Monday would work. Apparently, Richard has a proposal that he wants to go over with Avalon and his wife in person.

“What kind of proposal?”

"He wanted me to keep the details off the phone," I said, pausing for a moment. "But he did say it's about the foundation's next step, and he thinks he can really speed up your schedule and make it happen a lot sooner than expected."

Avalon looked at the window.

“Monday at ten,” he said.

“I’ll confirm.”

He hung up.

Avalon sat in the study for a moment.

Then he went to make coffee.

Selene appeared at seven forty.

Hair scattered and still in the oversized shirt she slept in. The version of her that existed before she decided who she was going to be that day.

He liked that version better.

He’d never told her that tho.

She looked at him at the counter.

“You’re already up,” she said.

“Henderson Capital called.”

She stopped.

“At seven fifteen on a Saturday,” he said.

“What did they want?”

Richard Henderson is looking to get together on Monday, and he's got a proposal that could potentially move things forward quickly for the foundation's next phase. As he handed her a cup of coffee, he mentioned that Henderson claims he can really speed up the timeline, which could be a game-changer.

She took the coffee, standing there processing it.

“How significantly,” she said.

“He didn’t say.”

“That’s either very good or very complicated.”

“Probably both,” he said.

She drank her coffee.

What still caught him off guard about Selene was her thought process - it was as if she'd examine something from every angle, taking her time to figure out what made it tick before forming an opinion. Sometimes he found himself amazed by the way her mind worked, like she was carefully turning over a puzzle piece to study all its facets. Her thinking was a slow and deliberate dance, one that he'd grown to appreciate, even when it surprised him.

“We go together,” she said finally.

“I assumed.”

So basically, Mondays are just for listening, we don't make any decisions or commitments on that day.

“Agreed.”

"I need to know what's expected of us if we accept the Henderson offer, because their money usually comes with certain conditions and I want to be clear on what those are before we make any decisions."

“Also agreed.”

She looked at him.

“You already thought all that,” she said.

I was expecting you to realize it as well.

She almost smiled but turned back to her coffee.

“The weekend was dragging on, and Saturday had slipped away in a familiar haze, just like all the others lately.

She spent the morning working for two hours, tackling her foundation emails and then jumping on a call with Amara to discuss the upcoming Henderson meeting. As they delved into the details, her focus narrowed to the specific Selene project, and for a while, everything else faded into the background, becoming irrelevant as she concentrated on the task at hand. The world outside receded, and all that mattered was the conversation and the plans they were making.

Avalon read Nexus reports that needed his attention. A book he’d been meaning to finish for three months. Nene’s notes one more time not because he’d missed anything but because sometimes rereading something felt like visiting someone.

At noon Maya arrived uninvited with food because Maya had decided uninvited with food was her primary love language and nobody was arguing.

She placed the items on the counter, then turned to look at the two of them, her eyes moving from one to the other.

“How was last night,” she said.

“Good,” Selene said.

“Kofi said you wore the green dress.”

“Kofi was there?”

Maya was busy opening containers when she mentioned that he had arrived late. Apparently, he had caught a glimpse of you standing at the podium. His impression was that you completely owned the room, commanding attention with your presence.

Selene looked at her coffee.

"Maya spoke up, saying 'the comments' - or so it seemed. Apparently, someone had mentioned that you had written down some notes."

“I did.”

“Why.”

“Because the notes were what I was supposed to say,” Selene said. “ Not what I actually wanted to say.”

Maya looked at her for a moment.

"That's what sets them apart," she said, "the difference between just going through the motions and truly embodying it."

Selene looked at her sister.

“Yes,” she said. “ Exactly that.”

As soon as Maya was gone, he made his way over to where Selene was standing by the window, lost in thought.

Just standing.

Looking at the city.

He came and stood beside her.

She didn’t look at him.

“Can I ask you something?” she said.

“Yes.”

“Last night. When I stepped back from the podium.” She paused. “ What did you actually think.”

He thought about what he’d thought.

“That I had no idea,” he said.

She looked at him.

He thought back to how much she had grown, even before they met. “You were already working towards that moment, the one where you became the person you are today. I just happened to be there to see it, to be a part of it.” He gazed out at the city, remembering the journey that had brought you to this point. “You had been building up to this for years, long before I came into the picture, long before the foundation was laid. And I was just lucky enough to be in the room when it all came together.”

She was quiet for a moment.

"Those are probably the most honest words you've ever spoken to me," she replied.

“I’m practising.”

“It’s working.”

His phone rang at four.

He looked at it.

Unknown number. Different from the morning’s call.

He answered.

Silence for a moment.

Then a voice he hadn’t heard in three years.

“Avalon.” Female. Careful. “ It’s Diana.”

He went very still.

“How did you get this number,” he said.

"It wasn't easy, but I had to call. I know you told me not to, but I just can't keep this to myself. There's something going on with Henderson Capital that you need to be aware of. I've been thinking about it nonstop and I have to tell you, it's been bothering me. I know I shouldn't be calling, but I feel like I have to warn you. Can we talk about this?"

Avalon looked at the window.

At Selene’s back.

“What about it,” he said.

“Richard Henderson,” Diana said. “ He’s not what he appears. I’ve been sitting on this for six months trying to decide whether it was my place to say anything.” She pause. “ After last night I decided it was.”

“Say it,” Avalon said.

Diana said it.

He just stood there, frozen in time, for what felt like an eternity after she had stopped speaking.

Then he said: “Send me everything you have.”

“Already sent,” she said. “ Avalon.”

“What.”

"I'm really sorry, for everything. I just am." She stopped, looking down, and that was it.

She hung up.

He stood at the window.

Selene turned around.

She read his face immediately.

“What happened,” she said.

He looked at her.

“We have a problem,” he said.