Beyond Revenge

Beyond Revenge

By

Doris E. Davis

When you embark on the journey of revenge, dig two graves.

—Confucius

Copyright  2013 Doris E. Davis

All rights Reserved.

ISBN 9781301518340 for the EPUB format

Smashwords Edition

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Prologue

Palm Beach, Florida

The limo pulls into the expansive driveway at the Chase mansion. Cameron Randolph Chase, head of world-famous Chase Enterprises, leans forward, grabs the seat in front of him and his shoulder bag in one quick movement. He exits as Louis, his driver, opens the door. Cameron walks briskly to the entrance and enters the foyer. As soon as the door is closed behind him, the phone rings, jarring his homecoming mood.

Irritated at the annoyance, he snatches up the phone impulsively without thinking before James, the butler, has time to answer it. Cameron whispers curse words as he picks up the phone hastily. His hello is uncharacteristically harsh. He has no intention of talking to anyone now. Whoever it is on the phone is interrupting his homecoming.

Moments later, a shocked Cameron Chase puts the phone down in disbelief after hearing unbelievably bad news. The physically fit tycoon’s face is now ashen.

Nauseous and feeling faint, he steadies himself against the phone table and glances around the foyer. He hurriedly makes his way to the guest powder room and splashes water on his face, trying to quell the nauseous feeling that is growing stronger. He moves over to the toilet and leans over it with a strong urge to throw up. Nothing happens, only a dry heave, so he moves back over to the sink, splashes more water on his face, grabs a guest towel, and dries off. Nothing seems to help.

Cameron notices a dish of mints, grabs one and pops it into his mouth. Beginning to think a little clearer now, he shakily dials his PR man’s number. He wants to make sure he’s up to date and to tell him he’ll be available for a full statement later. The news will be all over in a matter of minutes.

Chase Enterprises’ PR man has been waiting for this call, having already heard the news. He knows exactly how to deal with the press hounds.

That taken care of, Cameron now needs a drink in the worst way. Putting the phone down, he turns around to face his wife, Catherine, who has opened the door and now stands in the doorway of the powder room.

Well, hello there! How was the trip? You’re home earlier than I expected. Had to use the bathroom quickly, huh? Did I hear the phone ring? I didn’t hear a word from James. Catherine is talking too much and too fast, she knows. Her words are passing right over Cameron’s head, as he doesn’t respond to any of her questions. He just stares blankly at her. It all happens quickly, but for Catherine, it seems far too long.

She hesitates, realizing something is terribly wrong. She stops talking abruptly and simply stares back at Cameron. This is so unlike him.

Cameron? Catherine’s voice is now high-pitched. There is no response. He has not offered her his usual greeting and kiss after being away for a week.

He doesn’t speak, just mumbles something and gives her a quick, stiff little hug, then opens the door and walks on down the hall toward the den. Cameron’s uncharacteristic silence increases Catherine’s fears. She hurries down the hall behind him.

Cameron goes immediately to the bar and begins fixing a drink as if nothing is wrong. Catherine knows better. He turns and speaks softly to the worried look on Catherine’s face.

You want a drink, my darling? Cameron tries to sound normal, but Catherine knows it is an act just for her.

No, I had James fix one for me after I came in from the pool. What’s the matter, Cameron? You’re acting strangely. You know, I know you—you’re upset about something. You might as well tell me. Don’t try to hide anything from me. I know you like a book. What is it? You phoned that the trip went better than expected. So what is it?

Hell just came to earth, Catherine! Cameron sinks wearily into an overstuffed leather chair, lifts the glass to his lips, and gulps down the drink. He takes a deep breath, trying his best to relax. He knows he can’t keep anything from Catherine, as she just stares at him, eyes opened wide with alarm. Yet, he just sits there, not saying anything except Hell just came to earth! He repeats it again and again.

A terrified Catherine finally shouts, What are you talking about? What hell? Oh my God, is it Charles? Has he…? Cameron? What has happened, Cameron? Tell me, and tell me now! Catherine screams it out. She rushes over to Cameron and kneels down in front of him, eyes filled with terror.

Oh God, no, Cameron! Please, tell me it’s not Charles! she screams again. Her body shakes violently, and she begins sobbing uncontrollably, fists pounding hysterically on Cameron’s knees.

No, no, no! Cameron raises his voice emphatically. It’s not Charles, Catherine! Catherine looked up at Cameron, eyes brimming with tears. Calm down, my darling. Cameron strokes her hair, then puts his drink down on a table by his chair, lifts the shaken Catherine to her feet, and takes her in his arms. She falls into his comforting embrace. He knows she has concerns for their son, Charles. He is her baby, even though a grown man.

Catherine has been through a lot this past year, with all that has happened in the family. It was far too much for ordinary people to endure. Yet, Catherine, no ordinary person, has endured more than her share of ordeals. Cameron has kept things from her, but he knows that things will come out in the open now. How is she going to take this news? He releases her and reaches for his glass, lifts it, and drains the glass. He needs it straight now. How in hell is he going to tell her? He thinks about what he will to say to her as he returns to the bar and pours himself stiff bourbon.

A visibly shaken Catherine, thinking that something has happened to Charles, is ready for that drink he’d offered. She knows it is bad news but is genuinely relieved to know it doesn’t have anything to do with Charles. It is something else.

She doesn’t know the half of it. Cameron fixes Catherine a drink and asks her, now that she has calmed down considerably, to sit down.

He then begins telling her about the hell that has come to earth.

Chapter 1

Palm Beach, Florida

Cameron Randolph Chase inherited Chase Enterprises at the age of twenty-five when his father, Randolph Palmer Chase, was killed in an airplane crash. His mother died a short two years later. Cameron knew disappointment and heartache early in life, with the loss of both his parents. He was their only heir.

Cameron had begun working in his father’s business as soon as he was old enough. After earning his first degree in business, he continued his education and received a master’s degree in finance. Afterward, he returned home and worked closely alongside his father, who taught him every aspect of the business and was pleased with how quickly Cameron learned. It was always expected that he would take over the business at some point. The intense training was necessary. His father was impressed with Cameron’s ability and flare for business.

The sudden death of his father came as a shock. Cameron’s grief was coupled with his mother’s illness. Cameron realized he could not sit around and grieve about things he had no control over. He buckled down and attended to the business of Chase Enterprises. Sadly, his mother, stricken with cancer, died two years later.

Cameron’s mother had always played a dynamic role in the business alongside his father. After his father’s death, she had continued investing, buying companies, planning, scheming, and setting future goals for Chase Enterprises in spite of her weakened state during the last year of her life. She steered Cameron through an unusually smooth transition period. She was confident in his ability to handle the business, even though his time had come quicker than expected. She confidently turned the business over to him several months before she died.

The empire depended on him to keep it going strong. It was a huge responsibility, but Cameron relished every task before him with a passion unusual in one so young. Over the years, Cameron proved himself more than capable to run the business, with his extraordinary talent and business acumen.

Cameron was a man of passion not only in business but also in his relationships with the many women in his life. While in college, he was a co-ed heartthrob. He was good-looking, smart, intelligent, and sexually appealing. There were many romances. Women fell in love with him easily, but Cameron managed to discontinue relationships whenever things became too serious. He would always leave them and go on to pursue new and more platonic relationships. Some relationships would eventually become hot and heavy. If they turned into a problem or became too serious for him, he simply ended the relationship. It was this same strong passion in his personal life that spilled over into business at Chase Enterprises.

Catherine Ashby, who became his wife, was different from the many flighty college girls he had known. An independently wealthy woman in her own right, she was not so easily impressed with his passionate advances or his accomplishments. She was wise and smart in her own right. She stood her ground, voicing strong opinions and challenging him when she disagreed with him on any subject. He had never known any woman like Catherine. From the New York Long Island Hampton area, her father was a wealthy publisher. Catherine had a career in journalism and worked for a New York newspaper when they met. Her independence intrigued Cameron.

It didn’t take Cameron long to fall deeply in love with her. She was like no other woman he had ever known. After a year they planned a wedding, the social event of the year in the Hampton area. Once married, the happy couple moved to the Palm Beach mansion where Cameron grew up, and they immediately became part of the social set. Cameron was ready to settle down after his youth of sowing wild oats. Catherine was there for him, the perfect mate he needed to share his life.

All was well in his private life and in his role as CEO of his father’s mega company. In the years that followed, Chase Enterprises continued to set records in the business world.

Cameron and Catherine had one child, a son, Charles, their only offspring. He was the mirror image of Catherine in more ways than just appearance. Charles became interested in Chase Enterprises, just as his father had, and followed in his footsteps, learning about every division of the company.

It was not long before the company branched out into the world of filmmaking.

The film company began when Cameron and his wife hosted a party for the Florida Citrus Growers. It was part of Chase Enterprises’ PR campaign with Florida businesses. Invited friends watched the shooting of scenes for a commercial at the Chase estate. One scene showed a pretty girl diving into the pool. Quick scenes of her swimming and ending with orange juice being poured in a glass were followed by a close-up of her drinking the juice and commenting, A day without Florida orange juice is like a day without sunshine. It was shortly after that experience that Cameron became interested in filmmaking. He made the decision to buy out the film company and build it into a film company second to none. Charles, who had returned from college, met Cheryl Reynolds, who was the star of the commercial, and a romance ended in marriage a year later. It was a happy time for the Chase family.

Known for finding companies willing to sell, Chase Enterprises bought struggling companies and built them into lucrative divisions. Cameron’s grandfather and father would have been proud of Cameron carrying on in the same Chase tradition. Chase Enterprises, already a strong entity, grew into a multibillion-dollar business. Filmmaking was one of the more interesting subsidiaries and had become a major division. Once the film company was acquired, Cameron set out to make it one of the best, if not the very best.

Cameron knew that for a company to succeed, outstanding creative and intelligent personnel would be the key to success. He had learned from his father and grandfather before him to surround himself with talented people. They had considered it the most important secret to success. He searched everywhere for the very best he could find and had succeeded with flying colors.

The film company Cameron bought was renamed Artscape Film Productions. Cameron discovered talented filmmaker Mack Mercer, a huge find for the company; his movies were highly successful. It was Mack who brought the film company into national prominence, producing and directing blockbuster movies. In Artscape’s seven years in operation, Mack won Academy Awards three consecutive years for best movie of the year.

Thus, the company his grandfather began in the late fifties continued to grow and expand under Cameron’s leadership. His father had turned the company into a giant in the business world. Cameron continued and built the company into a mega giant. He was smart and ambitious and worked tirelessly. The company continued to achieve phenomenal success on an international level.

Jerry Alexander was the newest addition to Chase Enterprises. Mack had seen him work in a Hollywood studio. The young man was continually showing he had it in him to become another great in the film business. Cameron had read his resume and, like Mack, had been impressed with his early accomplishments. Jerry Alexander did not disappoint. His background was exceptional. Mack had said as much when he introduced him to Cameron.

Jerry had graduated with honors from high school and elected valedictorian. He had earned a scholarship to college, which was just the beginning. Filmmaking was Jerry’s field of study. Cameron admired him for accomplishing so much, when he had hardly enough money to live on in those days. Jerry had told them that he had always wondered how he ever made it. He had worked hard, believing that one-day there would be opportunities for him to grab. During those hard times, he had to work to pay for his expenses, and yet he had graduated with honors.

After college, he attended film school and worked for a company in Florida and began building an impressive resume. It turned out that he was uniquely talented. A Hollywood movie company invited him out to Tinsel town to help work on a movie, and he was excited to take the opportunity. During that period he had learned a lot. Experience, as the saying goes, is usually the best teacher. It looked as though things were heading in the right direction.

Jerry always knew what he wanted to study, as he had been intrigued with movies and how they were made ever since he was a young boy. He possessed a creative talent and made the most of every advantage that came his way.

At last Jerry’s dream came true. He had succeeded in landing a job with one of the largest movie production companies in Hollywood, Artscape Film Production Company. Mack was proud of his new ingénue.

So it was that Jerry Alexander became part of Artscape Productions. Cameron Chase had no way of knowing then how Jerry Alexander would change his life forever because of something in Cameron’s past that was long forgotten.

When Jerry’s mother was hospitalized, Jerry took time off from work and made a trip to visit her at a hospital in Miami. While Jerry was there she asked him to go home and get a book she had been reading. It was on her nightstand, she told him. He would wish later that she had not wanted that book.

When he’d looked for the book that fateful day, something stood out. There on the nightstand beside her book was a journal. Curious, he picked it up. He had not known that she’d been keeping journals. There were more journals on the floor. He guessed she’d been reading them and reminiscing before she became ill. When he looked closer at the journal she’d apparently been reading, his eyes spotted the date. The year was 1982, the year he was born!

He quickly turned the pages of the journal, his curiosity getting the best of him. Thumbing through her writings, a legal-sized envelope fell to the floor. He picked it up and, looking inside, found a typewritten letter. To say he was puzzled by it would be an understatement. It shocked him, and he had to sit down, feeling as though he might faint. He read it and then read it again:

Dear Isabella,

I’ve contacted my attorney, and a check will be forwarded to you to do what you need to do. I would advise you to not have the baby. You are too young to be tied down with a baby. I heard someone in my office say that in time you can forget about it. I know it will be difficult for you, but it’s probably the right thing for you. I’m so sorry. I wish you all the best. Cameron

Who was this Cameron? Cameron? Then it suddenly dawned on him. Could it be Cameron, the Cameron Chase who owns Chase Enterprises? Was he the baby the letter was referring to? Did his mother consider not having him? Of course, it had to be!

He read on, his curiosity building as his stomach felt queasy. His eyes landed on an entry that made him feel like he was reading something much too personal. It made him feel uncomfortable, but he couldn’t resist.

Was it about her life as a barmaid? No. There was more here. He guessed he should just close the journal and put it back where he found it, but he couldn’t. No way! He had to find out about this Cameron.

There was a Tuesday night entry. He read:

Tuesday: I came home tonight from the bar so tired. I did get a lot of tips. That was really good. A lot of guys tip big. I guess they have a lot of money. Some of them flirt with me. Jake says not to take anything seriously. They’re just in to relax and enjoy a drink with their buddies. I’ll sign off now. My feet are killing me.

He continued to read, filled with curiosity. After all, it was the year of his birth! And what about that letter?

Wednesday: One guy got real fresh with me tonight, and Jake came over and told him off. These guys get a drink or two and sometimes more, and they forget to keep their hands to themselves. This is the part of this job I don’t like. I’ll try to forget about it. I’m signing off. Got to wash clothes and iron what I’m going to wear tomorrow.

Entries like this went on and on. There was nothing special about working at a bar. His mother had worked at a bar, and guys were fresh with her. So, what was new there? He couldn’t help but chuckle a little. For the most part, guys who flirted with pretty girls were usually out for one thing when they were drinking in a bar. His mother was so very young then and terribly naïve. She had told him a little about how she had worked as a waitress in a bar. It meant nothing to him then. Young girls got jobs where they could get them. She chose to work at a bar. She never mentioned meeting a man, but then she probably had her reasons.

Friday (Jerry wondered what happened to the days left out, but he read on): I know I didn’t write for weeks, but I’m in love! I met the nicest guy last night. I’m so embarrassed! He didn’t try to flirt with me, just asked if I could join him for a drink when I got a break. I said I could if Jake let me. Jake did. Jake said he thought he knew the guy, that he was nice. We talked, and he drank a lot, I thought. He left a big, big tip. Would you believe he left me a hundred-dollar bill? I thought it was a mistake, and I told Jake he must have made a mistake, and I was going out to tell him about it. Jake told me it was quitting time anyway. So I left right behind the big tipper. The man said, he meant to give it to me. I thanked him, and he asked me to help him to his hotel that wasn’t far away. It seemed harmless enough. So I walked with him. It was an expensive-looking hotel, and I went with him up to his room. He said he’d had too much to drink and thanked me. I think I’m in love. We sat and talked. I learned his name is Cameron. That’s a pretty name, isn’t it?

Jerry had the strong feeling that he should simply close the journal. This was private stuff under the heading: Too Much Information! God, I hope you ditched this guy, Mom! He couldn’t help but read on:

Before I knew it, we were in bed. I stayed all night! The next morning he was gone before I got up. This man was my first experience with love and what it felt like! He left a card with his business phone number on one side. On the other side was a note. It just said he’d call me. I can’t wait! It’s the beginning of our affair, and I can’t describe how happy I am. He’s so nice to me.

Jerry sat still for a moment, stunned. My God, Mom! You went to bed with this guy, just like that? And this man is the wealthy, more-money-than-God Cameron Chase? My God, Mom!

Did she know who he was? Did she even ask who he was? Did she know he was married?

Saturday: No word from Cameron. I guess he’s busy. Oh, well, maybe tomorrow.

Jerry quickly scanned through the next entries. There was nothing about a Cameron. It was all about work, tips and stuff like that. He continued flipping through the pages of the journal, and another entry shouted out at him.

Friday: I went to a doctor that Jake told me about. And I couldn’t believe it. I’m pregnant!

Jerry stood up and began walking around the room, his hands shaking. His mother was pregnant? She had been pregnant with me! She had written