Spilling the beans
Chapter 86 Spilling The Beans
JACE’S PENTHOUSE, NEW YORK. “Are you expecting someone?” Tania asked Jace when the doorbell rang. Jace paused with his caressing of her bare back. “No. And I am not expecting a delivery.” She got up when it rang again. “I will head into the room and put on a shirt. You never know if it’s one of your family members.” He groaned inwardly at the interruption. Since it was the weekend, he only wanted time alone with Tania. She hardly has time during the week due to her schedule at school, and now that she is here, whoever is at the door won’t let them be alone. Dragging his feet, he pressed on the tab and frowned. “Minny?” “Who is it?” Tania inquired, peeking behind him. “I… I, it’s no one important.” He stuttered. She gave him a different look. “She doesn’t seem unimportant if she knows your house. And the look on her face shows that she won’t leave until you attend to her.” Before he could decide if he wanted to open the door, Tania flung it open. “Jace, where the hell is your phone? I have been- Oh-” Minny halted on her ramble when she saw Tania. “I-I didn’t know you had a guest.” She stammered. Tania snorted. “He had his phone on DND. I wondered why at first. Now I see why.” She hissed, walking away, obviously angry. “Jace, I didn’t mean to interrupt. I am sorry.” She said, Jace sucked his teeth and huffed. “You are about to ruin my relationship. But I am quite curious, we haven’t spoken in months, yet you are here at my house. What do you want?” “See, I didn’t mean to disturb your loving moment. But I need to tell you something. And it is essential. Being here is a risk, and I shouldn’t be here.” Minny mumbled, looking behind her. “Alright, come on in.” He opened the door wider, letting her in. Minny settled into the edge of the couch, determined not to get too comfortable. “Please, I want to make a request. Do not overreact. I know you will be super pissed, but to avoid things getting out of hand, don’t do anything we would all regret. It’s about my sister. And I know this doesn’t concern you, and she contemplated suicide once. Even though the one she accused Xander of being the mastermind was fake. But I am very sure she would do it this time around.” Jace could almost guess where it was going. But he didn’t say anything and only nodded. “Sure, let’s have it.” She brought out her phone and showed it to Jace. “I found it on her phone and a contact she has been contacting. Did Xander try to freeze his sperm? Is there a reason behind it?” He gave her a distasteful glare. “You have done enough at this point. I will take it from here.” “Fine. Here are the details that have been sent to you already. And I have deleted them from mine,” Minny mumbled, showing him her phone before standing up. “I will take my leave now.” “You should, thanks.” As she stood by the door, Minny paused abruptly and turned to him. “Can I ask you something?” Jace sniffed. “Okay.” “Did I ever really catch your interest, or was it all just sex for you?” “You know the truth; I don’t know why you want to turn me into the bad egg. You even went as far as cheating on your man with me. I feel guilty now.” “Good for you. Bye.” She said, opening the door to leave. Jace rubbed the back of his neck as he stared at his phone screen. Dawn has lost her mind to think she can mess around with the Jackson family and not get crushed. First, he has to affirm who the asshole is giving her all the information for a meager pay. Dialing a contact on his phone, he paced the room back and forth. “Jay, my man, have you got a minute?” He asked as the call went through. “I need you to help find the owner of a contact and where they work. How long do you think that would take?” A pause. “Fifteen minutes? That’s awesome, bro. I will be expecting a response soon. Thanks, man.” He grinned, ending the call. “What the hell!” Jace exclaimed, losing his footing. He had turned around to find Tiana staring viciously at him. “Why are you looking at me like that?” “How exactly?” She threw the question back at him. He sighed, stretching out his hand to reach for her. “Come here, baby.” Tania slapped his hand away, not looking pleased with him. “You must think I am a fool, right? Why exactly is your ex here to see you?” “I told you before, mama. She wasn’t my ex; yes, we had moments together. But we didn’t date.” “Say that again, and I will split your nose.” “I am sorry.” He muttered with his head bowed in remorse. “I did like her, but we never would have worked out knowing her kind of person. And then I met you.” “So why is she here?” Jace had an amused expression on his face. “Weren’t you eavesdropping?” Tania swallowed hard as her face reddened. “Why-why-why would you even put it like that?” She stuttered. “Because I know you were listening. Perhaps you are scared Minng will take your man away?” He teased, pulling her into him. She pouted, hiding her face in his chest. “I just couldn’t help but wonder what you two had to discuss. So, what do you plan to do?” He shrugged, caressing her thigh. “First, I need the bastard who keeps indulging Dawn before I decide on what to do next.” Just then, his phone message notification beeped. Jay had sent him all he needed to know about the snitch. He works at the Remington Hospital sperm bank. Jace hissed. “His job must be frustrating if he tries so hard to sell a patient out.” “But why would Xander even be near a sperm bank in the first place?” She asked. He gave her a blank look at the reminder that no one was meant to know what was happening. Jace eased himself out of their entangled position to stand on his feet. “Let’s talk later. I need to head out now. See you soon.” He mused, kissing her forehead. Jace dialed Jason, but the line wasn’t connecting. He probably has a patient he is attending to. To avoid prolonging the situation. Jace called the man Dawn was working with Rosario, saying he had a life-changing opportunity to share. Based on the details sent, Rosario appears to be in a lot of debt. Which means he wouldn’t mind doing anything for money. Jace settled himself at the hospital cafeteria, waiting patiently for the man to arrive. Rosario looked happy when he approached the table. “Hello, sir. I am Rosario; you must be Mr. Jackson. It is so nice to meet you. I thought it was a spam call until you assured me you would meet me. Please tell me all about this life-changing opportunity.” He rambled. Jace sneered inwardly. Of course, what was he expecting from an unprofessional like him? “What I meant by life-changing is that you might be spending the rest of your life in prison if you don’t do as I tell you.” Rosario blinked rapidly, dumbfounded. “W.. what a.. are you talking about?” He stuttered. “This.” He replied, showing him his phone. It included the file Minny sent to him and a picture of Dawn. “I am sure you know that lady. And it appears to me you have been engaging in illegalities for her. How nice would it be to have you arrested now?” Fear was evident in Rosario’s eyes, but he couldn’t believe him yet. “Is this a prank? I don’t know what you are discussing; I will not waste my time with you. Please excuse me.” “If you stand up, I will make sure you lose your job and rot in jail. My uncle owns this hospital; all I have to do is rat you out.” He paused to take a close look at the man again. It dawned on him why he had wondered about the face being familiar. Fear gripped Rosario; if the truth of his atrocity came out, his license would be revoked, and his life brought to an end. His hands became shaky as he stared at Jace. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead. “Please, sir, I will do whatever you want me to. I promise not to indulge in the act anymore.” “Tell me something, what exactly does she want you to do?” Jace asked, feeding on his curiosity. “She wanted me to get Mr Xander’s frozen sperm just so she can inject it into her to get pregnant,” Rosario explained. Jace stared with his mouth agape in utter disbelief. “That crazy bitch! You know what? Call her now and tell her you got the sperm. Make sure she meets with you here. I will handle it from there.” “Now?” He inquired as if deaf. “Yes, now. Or do you want to sleep in jail tonight?” “No, no, sir. I will call her now.” “You had better.” ************
REMINGTON HOSPITAL Dawn felt elated as she hurried amidst the hospital crowd towards the cafeteria. She has no idea why Rosario wants to meet in such an open place, but at this point, it doesn’t matter to her as long as she gets what she wants. It’s been long overdue. Her face brightened when she sighted Rosario. She pulled out the chair quickly and settled into it. “I don’t know why you picked this spot. I would have loved to treat you to a better meal.” Rosario smiled tightly. “I needed to get back to work immediately. I hope you don’t mind.” “I do not mind as long as I get what I have desired for a long time. I wired the money to you on my way; I hope you got it.” Her excitement prevented her from seeing the discomforting state Rosario was in. “Where is it?” She asked in a whisper. “It is with me,” Jace responded, standing behind Rosario. “What is he doing here?” Dawn asked Rosario. The man avoided Dawn’s eyes, mumbled an apology, and hurried off, leaving her to deal with her trouble. “W…what are you doing here?” Jace sat on the chair Rosario had occupied and smacked his lips. “I could ask you the same thing. What are you doing here? And why are you asking around about Xander’s health details?” It felt like something pinched her butt as she tried to maintain a composure. “I don’t know what you are talking about.” He snorted. “You see, one thing you should know about people willing to do anything for money is that they never like to go down alone. Knowing what they are getting involved in is dangerous. They go ahead to keep solid evidence. Just like this.” He tapped on his phone, and the call recording between Dawn and Rosario played out. Dawn swallowed hard, feeling something stuck in her throat. “I…I still don’t know what that is. Plus, it is easy to forge a voice this day.” “It’s understandable if someone can forge your voice; it’s nothing close to being special anyway. Are you saying it is your clone who came to meet with Rosario now? Or do you intend to deny ever knowing him?” “I-I-I” “Shut your trap, Dawn! Goodness! You irk me. I have never liked you for many reasons known to you, too. But I never thought you were this bad. Why would you stoop this low to ruin someone who has been nothing but nice to you? I didn’t realize it was a crime not to want someone. First, you tried to bring the new company that lots of money has been spent on, all in a bid to ruin one person. You claim to love my brother. Instead, you are just a selfish bitch looking out for herself.” “That’s enough!” Dawn gritted, tightening her fist on the table. “So what? Now that you know what I have been up to, will you rat me out to your brother? Why are you all acting like what I intend to do is some big deal.” Jace didn’t seem surprised by her attitude. “So, you don’t think you deserve to spend the rest of your life in jail for this?” “Why? Why do I have to go through such humiliation? None of you knows what it feels like to love someone. Xander is the love of my life, and not even you can stop me from making him mine.” “I knew you wouldn’t back out easily. Please permit me to read out your offenses to you. I have every evidence to ruin your career, and I will make sure the only thing Xander has for you is sheer hate. I am sure that would hurt more than anything. You breached a medical code and can spend years in prison for fraud. There are your recordings, and one I just made now is your admittance to the crime. For the sake of old friendship, I will advise you to put in your resignation letter and stay the fuck away from my brother. If you don’t do that, I will call the hospital officials now, and they will get you arrested.” Dawn’s nose twitched as she glared at him. “You will do no such thing. I know you are lying.” Calmly, Jace played the recording to her and showed the transactions between her and Rosario. Every call record was enough to have her convicted of medical fraud-an accomplice in the least. If Xander finds out, that would end everything for her. She can endure any hostility from everyone but not from Xander. It will wreck her too much. Knowing Jace, he would gladly humiliate her. It would be best to do whatever he wants now and seek a way out later. Going to prison doesn’t sound precisely like fun. “Fine! I will send in the letter. As long as you promise not to tell Xander.” She said. “Type out the letter and send it to Xander’s mail plus that of the HR.” He said, not bothering to validate his promise. “I will get you for this, Jace.” “Don’t you think it is dangerous for you to be making threats? You see, I can imagine Xander being lenient with you. Just wait until our mother hears about this. You are a dead meat, so that you know.” At the mention of Venus, Dawn stiffened in her seat. Coming face to face with that bitch of a woman might put her in q distorted state. She unlocked her phone and typed as briefly as she could. The first time she typed up a resignation letter was to get her off the back of her ex. Now, it’s repeating itself. Jace saw her pause on the typing and snatched the phone from her. He read through briefly and nodded in satisfaction. “This isn’t so bad. So here you go.” He mumbled, sending it to the respective mails and handing it back to her. “Now that we have agreed to terms, let this be the last time I would see your face. Now, if you will excuse me.” Without sparing her a glance, Jace walked out of the hospital. He let out a subtle sob when he got into his car. It had taken all of his patience not to smack life out of Dawn. His brother has been through so much already. Jace feels so disappointed in himself for holding a grudge against Xander for so long. It’s bad enough that his situation deprives him of so much. Having someone as nuts as Dawn on his radar will only cause him more pain. Inhaling sharply, he leaned into the car seat and stared blankly for a few seconds. Reaching for his phone, he called Tania. “Hey, baby.” He mumbled into the receiver. “What do you want?” She bites back coldly. “Do you think giving me an attitude is necessary? I told you this is a family affair.” “Family affair, Jace? That means you do not have plans to make me a part of yours.” “Tania!” He drawled in frustration. “Can we not do this, please? You know I will never hide anything from you. But this is clearly out of my control. Why are you doing this to me?” Tania made a distinct sound on the other end. “Well, I decide whatever it is I want with my anger. And now I do not want to speak to a man who keeps secrets from someone he claims to love.” “So what are you driving at?” “Until you are ready to tell me what Minny came to tell you at the house. Whatever we share will be on hold.” “What the fuck, Tania? What has that got to do with our relationship?” “Because I will always have the thoughts in my head, and if you keep them away, there is no way I will stop myself from nosing around. To avoid that, you either tell me or I stay away. It shows you can’t be trusted.” “Tania, if this is a joke, you had better stop it. And I hope you are back home because I am returning now.” “What home? I am on my way back to school. You know what to do if you want to talk to me badly.” She didn’t let him give her a response before ending the call. Jace thinned his lips, trying hard not to let out an ear-piercing scream. Instead, he tossed the phone in the backseat and punched hard at the steering wheel. 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