Chapter 358 Puppet
Inside Priscilla's office at the She Can Heal Foundation building, Rebekah Miller had a satisfied smile on her face as she sat back on a couch and sipped from a mug of tea while she listened to Priscilla, who was giving her the details about her meeting with Lucy the previous day, as well as Lucy's phone call a moment ago to accept the deal.
"I knew she was going to accept the offer. It was too good to be turned down after all. She is quite an ambitious young lady, don't you agree?" she said, and Priscilla nodded in agreement.
"So it appears."
"I will draft out the contract terms and send it across to your email. Get her to come down here and sign it as soon as you can," Rebekah instructed.
"Yes, I will," Priscilla said before leaning forward, "But if I may ask, why did you insist that we approach Lucinda Perry? And why that much of a hurry too? No offense, I understand that her story was quite touching, but I think there are other ladies with even more pathetic stories than hers who could have benefited more from the money we are offering her. She has a good job, and from what I saw, she is doing well for herself. She also has Thomas Hank, so what's so special about her that you had to make us do this?" Priscilla asked, trying to understand Rebekah's intention since it still didn't sit well with her that she had approached Lucy in that manner.
Priscilla had been more than surprised when Rebekah called and asked her to reach out to Lucy with that outrageous offer, she had wanted to ask questions, but Rebekah had said she would stop by the office to get the feedback hence she had gone ahead to do as she was told, as usual, hoping to get answers from Rebekah when she met her in person.
Rebekah's smile faltered since she hadn't been expecting Priscilla to question her. She pushed the cup away from her and sat forward in an intimidating manner, "Other organizations are going to want to work with her as she's still under the spotlight at the moment, so I figured we get to her first. It would bring the foundation more exposure and also more sponsors," She said with a light shrug.
Priscilla looked at her, unconvinced, "Until now, we have never really been interested in such things so..."
"You might be the CEO in name, but I hope you haven't forgotten who owns this place and who keeps the foundation running financially. You should know better than to question my decisions," Rebekah said with disapproval, and Priscilla's hands balled into a fist on her lap as she looked at Rebekah, who was seated across from her.
"I just want to be sure that you are not trying to do anything that might affect..."
"And what if I am? Are you going to get in my way?" Rebekah cut in challengingly, and Priscilla decided that it was time to take a step back.
Nothing good would come from provoking Rebekah. As annoying as she was, and as much as Priscilla hated feeling like the woman's puppet, establishing a foundation had only been a pipe dream until she met Rebekah, and Rebekah offered to help her. Since then, Rebekah had brought her all the money and sponsors she needed to fund her work while taking the backstage.
That was how Priscilla got the fame she now had, and that was how she got the money she needed to sponsor the kind of lifestyle she had always wanted. She knew where she was coming from, and she didn't want to go back there.
"There is no need to get cranky, Madam. I wasn't trying to challenge your authority or anything. I know better than to do that. If you say we should do this, then we would. You are the one that truly owns this place after all," Priscilla said with a pacifying smile, and Rebekah smiled at her with approval.
"Good. Try not to forget that I can throw you back to the gutters where I picked you from if you start growing wings," Rebekah said with a cold smile.
"I'm well aware of that. All I'm asking is that you let me know exactly what your plan is. We both know that there is no way you are spending so much money on that girl without having some sort of plan. What if your plan backfires? I need to know what I'm getting into so that I can act appropriately, especially since you do not want your name involved in it," Priscilla insisted as politely as she could while holding Rebekah's gaze.
There was no need to let her in on her plans. The only person she could ever really trust was herself. She didn't want to be disappointed by anyone else, so it was best if she used her without letting her know just what she was doing for her.
"Can you at least let me know why you want her?" Priscilla pleaded when Rebekah said nothing and just kept staring at her with narrowed eyes.
"Quit this foolishness, Priscilla. I already told you all you need to know. There is no other plan," Rebekah said and then glanced at her phone when it vibrated with a media text message notification, and she picked it up.
Her lips twitched in a secretive smile when she saw the text from Adam, her daughter's husband. Attached to a short clip of him stroking his engorged cock was the text, 'Why are you late? I'm waiting at the penthouse already. I miss you so much I think it is going to explode.'
Her eyes glazed over with lust as she looked at the photo, and she bit her lower lip as she felt the hot fingers of lust clench her lower abdomen, and her feminine core pulsated with longing.
"If you say so," Priscilla said, and Rebekah cleared her throat and then put her phone away when she remembered that she wasn't alone.
"I'm late for my next appointment. I need to leave now. Make sure you do as I've said if you want things to keep going smoothly for us all," she said as she quickly stood up.
"I will," Priscilla said as she stood up and escorted her out of the office. Maya stood up immediately as they walked past her desk, but Rebekah didn't spare her a glance.
"You don't need to see me off, I'm in a hurry," she said dismissively, and Priscilla gave her a nod as she watched her walk away.
Once Rebekah disappeared from view, Priscilla returned to meet Maya, who was standing beside her desk, which was positioned outside Priscilla's office.
"Did she tell you why she wants Lucinda Perry to work with us?" Maya asked, but Priscilla shook her head.
"Not exactly. I don't exactly believe anything she said," Priscilla said and went on to tell Maya about their conversation, and Maya sighed.
"I'm not sure I'm comfortable with this. It is one thing for her to use the foundation for their money laundering, but this involves a person. A lady like those we are trying to help," Maya complained.
"I understand how you feel. I feel the same way too. We just need to be careful and try not to get on her bad side at the same time," Priscilla said as she headed for her office, and Maya nodded in understanding.
Away from there, Tom pulled into the parking lot in front of the building that housed the foundation just as Rebekah stepped out of the building.
"Isn't that Rebekah Miller?" Harry asked, and Tom looked in time to see her get into her car.
"She's the one," Tom said, and neither of them made any move to get out of the car until they watched her car disappear from view.
"Even if we didn't already suspect that she was involved in this, she just told us so herself," Harry said, and Tom nodded.
Without saying another word, they both got out of the car, adjusted their suit, and headed for the building.
Once they arrived inside and Maya saw them, she quickly rose from her seat since they were men that needed no introduction. Harry Jonas was known since his face was one they had seen on the papers and every news relating to I-Global enterprise. Thomas Hank, on the other hand, was a face that was still fresh on the first pages of newspapers and magazines ever since he revealed his identity that weekend.
"Good morning, sirs. What can we do for you?" She asked nervously as she glanced at the door to Priscilla's office, hoping this had nothing to do with their offer to Lucinda Perry.
"We want to see your boss," Harry demanded in his authoritative tone as he stepped forward out of habit.
Maya cleared her throat, clearly disconcerted by this unexpected visit. She dared not tell them they couldn't meet Priscilla since no prior appointment had been made for this meeting, not when they had barged in on Lucinda Perry the way they had done the previous day on Rebekah's instructions. Something told her that their presence had to do with that, and it made her feel very anxious. She really hoped they were not in trouble for doing something they didn't even know about.
"Excuse me for a minute," Maya said as she quickly walked away.
Once she got into the office, she rushed over to Priscilla's desk, and Priscilla looked at her in shocked confusion when she saw the worry in her eyes.
"What is the matter?"
"Harry Jonas is here with Thomas Hank to see you," she whispered, scared that somehow Tom might have a magical hearing ability to hear whatever they were saying.
Priscilla's heart skipped a beat, "Thomas Hank?"
Maya bobbed her head, "I don't know what he wants, but I suspect it might have to do with our visit to his girlfriend. What are we going to do? I don't want any troubles," Maya said, and Priscilla's brows pulled together.
"Trust me, and let them in."
"What if..."
"Relax, and let me handle it. If it's about Lucinda Perry, then this might be the opportunity we need to take over completely and get rid of that controlling bitch. Let them in," she instructed as she straightened her shoulders and sat up.
Maya nodded and took a deep breath before returning to join Tom and Harry, "She is ready to see you. You can go in," Maya said with a polite smile, and both men walked into the office with Maya following behind them.
Immediately they walked through the door, Priscilla stood up with a welcoming smile on her face, "Today must be a great day seeing as distinguished gentlemen like you chose to grace my office with your presence," she greeted with false confidence, and both Tom and Harry flashed her a smile.
"I'm Harry Jonas, and this is Thomas Hank, CEO of I-Global enterprise," Harry said politely, and Priscilla smiled as she stepped away from behind her desk, extending a hand to Harry.
"I must be living under a rock if I do not know who you both are. I am Priscilla Peters, and this is my assistant, Maya Adams," Priscilla said as she moved away from Harry and turned to Tom.
"We hope you don't mind us barging on you this way," Tom said politely as he shook hands with her while observing her closely.
She waved a hand dismissively, "Of course, I do not. I don't mind people like you coming to see me. It's an honor to have you here. Please make yourself comfortable," Priscilla said as she led them to the comfortable settee in her office.
"Would you love to have tea or coffee?" She asked as she sat down opposite them, and both men shook their heads.
"No, thanks. We are fine. We just want to talk," Tom said, and she nodded as she turned to Maya.
"You can excuse us," she told Maya, who gave her a nod before walking away.
Now that they were alone, Priscilla sat forward as she looked from Tom to Harry and then back again, "So, to what do I owe this pleasure?" She asked, looking at them with calculating eyes.
"If you know us as you said, then I'm sure you know why I am here," Tom said flatly, his eyes hard as he looked at her.