Chapter 78 - Beeswax, Ice Cream and Benches

                                    

                                          
Becca
My father knew of Charlotte Mayfair's sudden death and that her son-in-law, Rupert Wentworth, took temporary control of CM Enterprises in her place. It was all over the news, after all.
What the news and my father remained ignorant and uninformed about is the huge struggle for power that still has Charlotte's legacy and empire wrapped in a dark, impenetrable cloud of strife and intrigue. Nobody at the centre of that struggle wants details to become public knowledge because every party is hoping to gain the upper hand and win the final battle for control of it all.
One thing I'm eternally grateful to Charlotte for is that she'd insisted on keeping Willow out of the limelight. Willow's grooming to become the heir to CM Enterprises, along with all discussions about her upcoming betrothal to James Radley and other forged alliances, always took place in confidential board meetings behind closed doors.
The plan was to have a type of débutante ball for Willow once she graduated from high school. During this lavish affair, Charlotte was formally going to introduce Willow as her sole heir and successor and announce her engagement to James.
Until that day, she wanted to keep Willow in the shadows, away from public scrutiny, away from news reporters and other external influences and especially out of reach of any of their rivals.
Her plan worked beautifully in both Rupert's favour and our own. When he expelled us from our home, there was no media coverage or public outcry about the injustice of it all. Willow was a shadowy figure named Charlotte; nobody was quite sure who or what she was, except for the board members and business partners who were currently so busy fighting their own battles that they had little time to spare a thought for the girl many of them had fixed their future hopes on. Hopes, which were dashed by the disappearance of the last will and testament that would've solidified Willow's position as heir.
It worked in our favour because we were able to disappear unhindered into obscurity. At first, I did not expect to be able to get away so smoothly without being pursued by power-hungry people hoping to use loyalty to Charlotte and, by implication, to Willow as a weapon in their game and make my daughter their pawn. I did not want Willow to remain trapped in that viper's nest, and I never got the impression from her that she wanted to be there either. It was fear of pursuit that made me hesitate to contact my father and Beth.
At least, at first.
After the first desperate flight or fight instincts started to fade, I was left dazed with no clear idea of what to do or where to go, and I floundered. I became lost in despair; surviving and staying united with Willow and undetected by everybody who suddenly seemed like our worst enemies became an obsession.
All thoughts of seeking help from the people I loved got drowned out and locked away, becoming a very distant drone as I struggled day after day just to keep a roof over our heads and food in our bellies.
The attack on Willow broke me out of that stupor and made me call Beth. I called her and not my father because Beth felt closer. We'd remained in contact as much as I dared, while I had virtually no contact with my father and feared that I had lost him forever.
I now know that it was never a possibility.
Beth was beside herself when I called her, and not just because of the horror story I told her about Willow's attack. She'd seen the news and was trying to get hold of me to hear what was happening to me and Willow in the wake of all the turmoil, as there was no word on either of us to be found. She could not reach me on my phone.
I'd bought pay-as-you-go phone cards, as our previous phone numbers were tied to contracts we could no longer afford, and I also did not want to be found by people I never wanted back in our lives. I wrote down the numbers I didn't want to lose; I just never called them.