Chapter 410 – Beginning with a Daring Encounter

“It wasn’t my idea to approach her with the offer. It was Rebekah’s,” Priscilla explained.

“Rebekah? But you own this foundation. Why is Rebekah the one giving the orders?” Benne asked, wondering why she was being so open with him. What did she stand to gain from this?

“She is one of our top sponsors,” Priscilla lied.

“And you’re willing to go against your top sponsor for a new sponsor? Why?”

“I can’t answer that question,” she said, not wanting to say something that might implicate her.

“You do realize that asking her to reject your offer means you don’t want my money? Since Celsie’s job here is the only reason I’m offering to be a sponsor. I will ask her to reject your offer then. Thank you for your time,” Benne said as he made to stand up.

“You don’t get it, do you? I’m doing you a favor here. Isn’t it obvious that Rebekah is up to something? Why would she make such an outrageous offer to the girl in a relationship with her daughter’s ex? A man that her daughter still wants, and I’m sure she also wants you to be her son-in-law,” Priscilla said, making Benne return to his seat.

“I suppose you’d be needing a favor in return?” Benne asked insightfully.

“What I’m trying to say is that I don’t know what she is up to, and I don’t want to be involved in whatever she plans to do,” Priscilla said, and Benne nodded even though he didn’t entirely believe her. She wanted something. He could see it in her eyes.

“What would happen to you if she finds out that you went against her and told me this?” Benne asked, and Priscilla shrugged.

“She will probably kick me out, I suppose,” she said without thinking, and Benne raised a brow.

“She has that much power?” Harry asked quietly, giving her the impression that she was slowly being backed into a trap.

“She has all the power. She owns this place. I’m just a front,” Priscilla confided, and Benne raised a brow.

Interesting. He had thought she was just a sponsor. This new information just made it clear that there was more to the Foundation than he had thought.

“Is there another reason you are giving us all this information aside from the fact that you don’t want to get involved in whatever she is planning? What do you hope to benefit from this?”

Priscilla cleared her throat, “In exchange for the information, I would like you to promise to be my first real sponsor when the time comes that I have to leave here and establish my own foundation for abused girls. Celsie can also work with us if she is interested in helping teenage girls with a history of abuse or sexual-related trauma,” she said, and Benne nodded.

It made sense that she was doing this because of her personal ambition. This just made things easier. He silently thanked Rebekah for whatever she must have done to make Priscilla this disloyal to her.

“I will do that on one condition,” Benne said, and she raised a brow.

“Go on.”

“Celsie is going to accept your offer, but you will communicate every instruction that comes from Rebekah concerning Celsie to me,” Benne said, and Priscilla’s eyes narrowed when something occurred to her.

“This is the reason you came here, isn’t it? You already knew that there was something fishy about the offer. You already knew everything, didn’t you?” She asked, even though she wasn’t expecting an answer. She had been right to not have underestimated these men. They were successful businessmen for a reason.

“Why do you want her to go ahead with it?” She asked in confusion.

“I have my reasons. Just report to me, and help me keep an eye on Celsie. In return, I will become one of your major sponsors after I’ve taken care of this,” Benne said, and she nodded.

As Benne and Harry walked out of the building a moment later, Harry turned to Benne, “Are you sure it was wise to trust her? If she could easily turn on her boss that way, I don’t think she can be trusted.”

“I never said anything about trusting her. She is ambitious, and that is what I trust. We are not going to be doing any business with her. All we have to do is keep Celsie safe until we put our plan in motion. We have one final stop to make before we return to the office,” Benne said, and Harry raised a brow.

“Where are we going?”

“To find someone who is desperately in need of exclusive news,” Benne said in a tone that told Harry that he already had someone in mind. He didn’t need to ask him what he was up to. He knew it already.

“What about the good sister?” Harry asked, referring to Lisa, who was the only sane person in the family.

“If she is wise, she will keep her distance from her family. If she joins them for that interview, she deserves whatever embarrassment she will face.”

Miley sat on the couch which Lucas had slept the previous night, with both legs folded under her as she watched a television show while she waited for Lucas, who was cleaning up, to finish and join her.

She had to admit that Lucas was a welcome distraction. She had been distraught since the moment she heard about her condition, but focusing on Lucas and his own problems seemed to take her mind off hers.

She had gone to get drunk as usual, wanting to go home with a random stranger for another night of wild pleasure, when she saw him. That had been her lifestyle since she found out she was dying. Excessive drinking and sex. There was no reason not to indulge herself and get as much pleasure as she could before dying.

That was one reason she had been keeping the news of her cancer away from her family. But now that Amy had found out about it, she was going to have to tell them herself before Amy did.

She didn’t know what she was going to do. How was she ever going to bring herself to inform her parents that she, their only kid, was going to die in six months or less?

Although the doctors had suggested that she stay in the hospital and receive treatment as that might increase her chances of survival up to a year, but what was the point? What was the point of living for a year if she was going to spend the entire time on a sick bed? She mused with a scoff.

The doctors had also said she would be in a lot of pain if she didn’t receive treatment. But that was merely the physical pain. The pain, anger, and resentment she harbored in her heart at the unfairness of life beat whatever pain in her head.

She wanted to delay the announcement to her family for as long as possible since she knew very well that her parents would bundle her to the hospital if they had to and get her admitted if that would mean a better prognosis.

She wasn’t interested in any of that since she knew they would be doing that for themselves. They would be doing that because they wanted to spend some more time with their dying daughter, not caring if that was what she wanted.

She wanted to be selfish and do something for herself just because she wanted to. Not that her parents were bad or anything, no. On the contrary, they were excellent and supportive parents, and indeed they deserved to spend more time with her. But she also deserved to live longer than this, but she wasn’t, was she? People rarely got what they deserved.

She winced when her eyes twitched with another bout of intense headache. She was at least glad that her doctor had given her such a potent pain relief medication to improve the quality of her life, if not the quantity.

She stood up to take the medicine and saw Lucas, who had been standing by the doorway watching her as different emotions flickered across her elegant face. From the look in his eyes, she could tell he was feeling very sorry for her, and she didn’t exactly like it.

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