The Special Agent: Andrew Pierre

Chapter 8

Andrew called his mom’s number right away. She picked up on the first ring.

“Andrew,” she said quietly into the phone.

Hearing her voice for the first time in a long time made him feel a burst of emotions in his heart.

She still sounded the same, warm, light and comforting. It restored a bit of his spirit and reminded him he wasn't alone in the world

“Mom, how have you been? How is dad?”

“We are alright soon, our bank manager will contact you about the money I mentioned to you and how it will get to your account.”

“How are your wife and your kid?”

Andrew paused, he didn’t know where to tell his mom the truth or not, about Bella.

“Andrew, is something wrong?” his mother asked.

Roxanne knew her son well, his silence meant there was something he wasn't telling her.

There was no use hiding all of that from his mom and he would not want her to get involved with Bella to avoid embarrassment like the one he had faced at Anna’s birthday party.

“Bella and I got a divorce yesterday. She's got full custody of Anna too.” he said, almost shedding a tear. “They hate me now. She has found another man to replace me.”

“I am sorry that happened to you.” She could tell that he was holding back. “It is your father's and my fault, we should not have made that investment. We will spend the rest of our lives here repenting. Please don’t resent us, son.”

One reason why Roxanne and her husband relocated to the countryside was not because of shame but because they could not bear to watch their son struggle. 

They had left out of guilt.

“This is not your fault or dad’s own either. I should have worked harder for them." Andrew respected his parents’ working ethic.

Even when everyone thought their investment was a wrong thing to do, he didn't see it that way. Now it had yielded tenfold more than what they were expecting and it took seven years more than they had planned.

“How about Anna? Do you not intend to fight for her custody?”

“She tore up the presents I got her for her birthday yesterday, saying she doesn’t want to see me again. It is best I leave her with her mother . I wish her the best and I will set up a trust for her future, after all, she is still my kid.”

Roxanne pitied her son. She knew how much he loved his wife and his daughter. He was even willing to spend his trust money on them but there was nothing she could do about his divorce.

Given her son’s nature, she knew he would have made so many attempts to make things right but his wife most likely refused all of them.

“How about you quit your job as an agent and go on a vacation, you have more than enough money to retire now.” His mom asked.

“I recently got promoted to a special agent; a special asset to the service, I doubt they can let me go now.”

“Your father and I are proud of you. Your grandmother also sent her greetings."

“Please extend my regards to them.”

“I will. Your father will call you when he is back,” she assured him, “I have to go now.”

“Okay, mom, bye.”

********

The Beecrofts arrived in the study. Lord George sat in the chair while everyone else stood opposite him. 

This triggered a memory in Olivia’s head; the last time they had gathered like this. It was to discuss her divorce in front of the whole family.

She remembered how she was overwhelmed with shame. Olivia made eye contact with her aunt, Blossom Beecroft. That woman had frustrated her and her mom throughout her pregnancy so much that they had to move out of the manor into a smaller apartment far from the house.

“Blossom,” Lord Beecroft called for her.

“Yes father,”

He handed a card to her.

Olivia’s chest started racing hard, she had not even had a proper conversation with her grandfather in a long time.

They only exchanged a few yeses and nos over business meetings.

“After so much consideration, I have decided to not pick any of the suitors your uncles and aunties have recommended to me.”

May’s frown fell and she heaved a sigh of relief. Just as she thought, her in-laws did recommend some men to her father-in-law. She was so happy that he didn’t give in to their choices 

“An old friend of mine contacted me, her son recently got divorced, he has a kid but no custody,”

“When you marry him, you do not have to worry about his other family. He is all yours, and he will never mistreat you.”

“Father!” May cried. Her father-in-law’s decision was not what she was expecting. “Our Olivia does not deserve this. Why are you giving her away to such a broken man?”

“She speaks as if her daughter is not broken either.” Ian Beecroft made a snide comment loud enough for everyone to hear.

“Olivia needs someone she can rely on if she is going to get married. Why are you giving her to someone who cannot even access his own child? For a woman to stop a man from seeing his kid, he must be a horrible man.” May argued.

Lord Beecroft’s face creased into a huge frown, “If you were this attentive when she first brought that man into this home, we won’t have to do this.” His tone was harsh towards May.

Olivia looked apologetic towards her mom.

“Make the announcement, Blossom.”

Blossom brought out the card, a large smile crept on her face.  “Andrew Pierre of the Pierre family.” 

She announced, and the room went quiet.

Everyone had different reactions,  Olivia’s aunty and uncles were so amazed by their father’s selection. 

When he said he had chosen on his own, they thought he was going to select someone from a great family. They did not expect that he would pick a man from a long forgotten family that had no influence in the city.

Olivia herself froze in that spot; her grandfather had selected someone from a fallen family.

How could he do that to her? She had tried her best to atone for the disgrace she had brought to the family for the past five years since she had started working in the company but this was the ‘I have forgiven you’message she got.

Lord George had a big smile on his face, “The wedding bells will start ringing from now on.  May, do you need Blossom’s assistance with the wedding?”

May was glad that he was at least asking her. If she could get her sister-in-law out of the planning team, maybe she would be able to give her a proper party this time.

“Dad, why do you need to ask such silly questions? You know May and I make the best partners at planning. Don’t involve yourself in us ladies’ business.” Blossom cut in, coaxing her father, who immediately gave in to her antics.

“Alright, I will leave this to the two of you.”

Blossom gave May an evil grin before responding to her dad, “Thanks for understanding us.”