That One Time by Aja Foxx

Chapter Ten

~ Frank ~

 

"Is that everything?" Frank knew he was a little brisk, but that seemed to be the way of things lately.

"Yes, sir."

My secretary made her exit as quickly as she could. I didn't really blame her. I'd been short with everyone over the last two weeks. I was angry, enraged, and livid. Take any one of those descriptive words and they all meant the same thing. I was pissed.

I was also hurt. I had given my heart to Henry and he'd kicked me to the ground, and for what? More money? Once we were married, I would have given him the world.

He should have stuck it out like Stewart did. He'd walked away from his marriage to Martino with a cool five million dollars, and then gotten another five million from me. He should be living on easy street.

I spent the first few days after kicking Henry out drowning my sorrows in the biggest bottle of booze that I could find. After my mother had dragged me out of it, I swore I was going to devote myself to my work and nothing else. So, here I was at work, except it wasn't working. I still thought about Henry constantly.

The door opened and my father walked in, followed closely by Martino. I turned to face the two men. "Papa, Martino, to what do I owe this visit?"

As if I didn't already know.

"We need to talk, Francesco," Papa said.

"No, we really don't."

"I think you should take some time and get your head together," my father continued as if I hadn't said anything. "This has been a very trying time for all of us, and you need to take some time for yourself."

I rolled my eyes as I said, "No, I don't."

"You do, brother," Martino said. "You practically took Marianne's head off the other day when she didn't get your coffee order right."

"Several of the staff have mentioned how angry you seem to be, son. And while I understand your anger, it needs to be directed at the person who made you angry, not our innocent staff members."

My shoulders slumped. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I do need to take a little time off."

I just didn't want to because every time I was alone with my thoughts, they turned to Henry. I had this big aching hole in the middle of my chest where he used to be.

I wanted him back.

I was starting to think maybe I should have talked to him instead of letting my family handle it. Maybe we could have gone to counseling or something. I know I was grasping at ideas, but I never thought I'd miss him so damn much.

"Come," I said when someone knocked on my office door. The door opened and my secretary stood there. "What is it, Marianne?"

"There's a delivery for you, sir, but you have to sign for it."

I frowned, but waved my hand at her. "Send the delivery person in."

Marianne stood back and a man in stepped in wearing a well know courier service uniform. "Mr. Galeazzi?"

"Could you be more specific, son?" my father asked. "There are three Galeazzis sitting here."

"Oh." The man glanced down at the front a thin, rectangular box he held in his hand. "Mr. Francesco Galeazzi."

I raised my hand. "That would be me."

"Um, I'm supposed to ask for ID, sir."

I glanced at my brother and father before standing and pulling my wallet out of my pocket. I grabbed my license and handed it over. The guy looked it over before handing it back and then handed me a piece of paper.

"Can you sign here, sir? It's acknowledging that you received the package."

Normally, I wouldn't sign it until I knew exactly what I was receiving and then knowing it was all there, but this was a very reputable firm, and one I used often. I signed and then took the package.

"Have a good day, sir," the man said before walking out of the room.

Marianne closed the door as she walked out.

"Were you expecting a package, son?"

I shook my head as I turned it over until I could see the label. "It's from Blakely's office."

I tore the end off of the package and then dumped the contents out on my desk. There were two smaller boxes inside along with a legal file. An envelope with my name on it was taped to the front of the file.

I grabbed the envelope and opened it, then took the paper inside out and started reading it. About half way through, I forgot how to breathe.

 

Dear, Mr. Galeazzi,

As it would violate the terms of the restraining order issued against my client for him to contact you directly, Mr. Henry Warner has retained my services to return these items to you. He wishes for me to assure you that he will adhere to the letter of the law concerning the restraining order you have filed against him. After this, he will in no way try to contact you, any member of your family, or set foot onto any property belonging to the Galeazzi family.

Contained with this letter you will find:

1. The deed to the cottage given to Mr. Warner during your time together. It has been deeded back to you and the appropriate papers filed with the county clerk's office.
2. The title to one metallic blue 2021 BMW 8 Series 840i Convertible. The keys are inside and the car can be found in the parking lot a block from your place of business.
3. A check made out to him for one million dollars.
4. One antique men's ring once belonging to Arturo Galeazzi.

If you have any questions concerning the items I have listed, please give me a call at 555-2323.

Sincerely, Edward Blakely, Esq.

 

"Son, what is it? You've gone past white."

"It's...uh...it's a letter from Blakely. It seems that Henry hired him to deliver this stuff to me." I frowned as I scanned the letter one more time. "Who filed a restraining order against him?"

I hadn't.

"I did," Martino said. "I didn't want him coming around trying to convince you to go back to him or trying to get more money out of you." Martino swallowed hard before saying, "I didn't expect him to give the money back."

"Why not?" my father asked. "He gave back the money I tried to give him when I met him at the gate."

"He's given back the cottage, the car, the money." I picked up the two boxes and opened them. One had a set of keys in it. The other box held my grandfather's ring. I held it between my fingers and stared at it. "And my grandfather's ring."

"He gave everything back?" Martino asked.

I drew in a heavy breath. "Everything except the ring I gave him when I proposed." Why did it hurt so much to know the one thing he had kept was the cheapest item of all? "I think that maybe Henry and I need to talk."

"Do you think that's wise, son?"

"Probably not, but I think we need closure if nothing else."

"You blocked his number," Martino said. "How are you going to get a hold of him?"

"I'll go by his apartment."

"What about the restraining order? If you seek him out, it negates it."

"I never wanted a restraining order, Martino. I don't know why you had one issued. Henry is not some mad stalker."

Martino snorted. "That you know of, but you didn't think he'd be unfaithful to you either."

I couldn't argue with that.

"I still think Henry and I need to talk, even if it's just to resolve all of this." I put all the paperwork—minus the million dollar check—back into the box along with the keys to the car. I was keeping the ring with me. I slid it onto my finger. My grandfather wanted me to have it, so I'd wear it from now on.

I stood and grabbed my suit jacket. "I'm going to be out for the rest of the day."

"Be careful, son."

"I will be." I left my father and brother sitting in my office as I walked out. "Marianne, I'm going to be out the rest of the afternoon. Please reschedule any appointments I had today."

"Yes, sir."

I stopped before I'd taken more than a couple of steps and turned to face my secretary of five years. "Marianne, I need to apologize for my behavior the last two weeks. The breakup with my fiancé is hitting me a little harder than I expected. That's still not an excuse, but an explanation."

"I understand, sir."

"The next time I step out of line, tell my father. He'll kick me back into play."

A small smile graced Marianne's lips. "I'll do that, sir."

I started to think as I continued walking toward the elevator. After everything that had occurred, I had no idea how I was going to get Henry to talk to me. I wasn't about to beg, but I really felt we needed to discuss the situation.

I was adamant that Henry take the money. As angry as I was, I still cared about him. I knew how important his education was to him. With that money, he could attend any university in the country without having to have a job to support himself.

After getting downstairs to my car and getting out on the road, it took almost an hour to get to the other side of town. Traffic was one of the things I truly hated about living in the city. By the time I pulled up in front of Henry's apartment, I was ready to ram the next asshole driver with my car.

I parked in front of his apartment and got out. I noticed the for 'rent sign' in the window as I was going up the stairs. I felt a scream of frustration at the back of my throat. I hurried up the rest of the steps and then stood on the edge of the porch so I could lean over and look into the window.

A lot of furniture was still inside, but no personal items. The place was practically bare. I glanced at the 'for rent' sign, found the number at the bottom, and the called. "Hello, I'm looking for Henry Warner. I came by his apartment, but it's empty."

"Sorry, man, Henry moved."

"When?"

"I don't know, a week ago? The place has been cleaned though, so if you're interested—"

"Where did he move to?" I asked.

"How the hell would I know?"

"What about his mail? How are you supposed to forward his mail?"

"He put a stop on it at the post office."

Fuck!

"Are you sure you're not interested in the apartment. It's a one bedroom—"

I hung up and then dialed Henry's phone number.

Disconnected.

I tried Ryan's phone number, figuring he would know where Henry was. They were sleeping together after all, but it was disconnected as well.

I ran back down the steps and climbed into my car. I drove by his work first, but they told me he had quit last week, no notice. The school wouldn't tell me where he was or what classes he had until I showed them the check and told them that it was meant for his tuition and I was trying to find him to give it to him. They simply told me he had dropped out of school.

I slowly made my way back out to my car and then sat inside, staring through the windshield at nothing. There would be no closure for me. No closure for Henry. No finding out if what we had together was salvageable.

Henry Warner had disappeared.