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Dionysus

CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

“Do you have anything to do with this?” Cecily asks, entering my office at the station.

She has Joseph by the hand and is holding out a phone.

“ Babas !” my son says, letting go of her and coming running to hug me.

After kissing my boy and pulling my woman close with my free arm, I look at the screen that she shows me. “Yes, it was me. I went after his business. Almost like taking candy from a baby. He’s been evading taxes for years,” I say, without paying much attention to the news that both Jodelle, Cecily’s stepmother, and her husband have been arrested for cheating on their income taxes.

Cecily pulls back a little to look at me. “Because of me?”

“Because of me, actually. You are my woman. An offense to you is an offense to me too.”

“But you didn’t even know me at the time!”

“Why do you care, Cecily? I did society a favor.”

“I don’t care, but I wondered if you’ll want revenge on anyone who hurt me.”

I go to a closet where I keep toys for Joseph and take out a box of cars. In all my offices, I keep games and toys. After I settle my son on the floor, I head to where she is. “What is this conversation really about?”

“I just wanted to know.”

“Did anyone hurt you, besides your stepmother and that stupid Peyton?”

“Never mind. It’s nonsense. I think you’re right. I’m absorbing too much of the Greek personality and becoming cruel.”

I smile because I don’t know a more compassionate human being than Cecily. I could tell she was worried about her father’s ex-wife. As for me, I won’t lose a night’s sleep over it. It’s a shame that jail for fraud is all he’ll face.

Her phone rings, and when she looks at the display, she looks upset. Then she shows it to me.

“Don’t answer.”

“I can’t run away from my problems, Dionysus. What can she do? It’s just a phone call.”

“You shouldn’t be upset.”

“I’m pregnant, fiancé, not sick.”

She moves away a little to answer it. I check where Joseph is and see that he is still where I left him, surrounded by cars.

I walk towards Cecily, not disguising the fact that I’m listening to the conversation.

It doesn’t last long, and from her answers, it has to do with Peyton’s mother’s arrest.

Cecily hangs up, her lips pressed into a thin line.

“What was that about?”

“What do you think? She wanted you to intervene and help Jodelle.”

“Even if I decided to do so, which I have no intention of doing, there’s nothing even a good lawyer can do. Your stepmother has no way of escaping justice. Sean Carlson, her husband, has been cheating on his income taxes for over a decade. Jodelle, from what I can ascertain, helped him launder money, not just serving as a sort of third party, but actively as well. Both will be convicted, I have no doubt.”

“I wasn’t going to ask you to intervene. If they did what you are saying, they deserve to be arrested until they pay off their debts. I don’t know how this type of punishment works, but I once read a report that talked about so-called white-collar crimes. People tend to think that these types of offenses—embezzlement of public funds, tax evasion—aren’t as bad as homicide and assault. The political scientist interviewed in the report explained why not.”

“Yup. While in crimes against life itself, the victim is a single person, in the case of embezzlement of public funds, for example, thousands can die, as hospitals are no longer built and other benefits aimed at the general population are lost. Ultimately, they are even more lethal than common crimes.”

“What about Peyton, what will happen to her?”

“She will be punished too.”

“You don’t need to do anything, Dionysus. I’m sure she’ll end up condemning herself on her own.”

“I don’t work like you, Cecily. I don’t give an enemy a second chance.”

Cecily

“Cici, where are you?” Elina asks on the phone.

“At home. Why?”

“Don’t go out on the street today.”

“I was getting ready to go to the bank.”

“Honey, you don’t read the newspapers, do you? Odin just asked me to let you know because he can’t seem to reach Dionysus. He’s in a meeting at the family bank.”

“What happened? You are starting to scare me!”

“Calm down. It’s nothing that serious.”

I sit down, my legs feeling weak. A thousand different scenarios run through my mind.

Two days ago, the press officers released news, along with official photos of us—me, Dionysus, and Joseph—about the engagement.

Today, I am determined to tell him the whole truth about the past. I can’t delay it any longer. I have to stop being a coward.

“Tell me, please.”

“Did you say you’re going to the bank? Maybe you should. Your stepsister sold a report with a bunch of nonsense about you in it, including that you tricked Dionysus into having a baby. She said you left Kansas determined to find a rich husband no matter what.”

“Oh, my God in heaven!”

“Calm down. Dionysus will never believe something like that. Odin has already contacted Zeus and is taking measures to neutralize the article and try to contain the damage. If you are going to meet Dionysus at the bank, don’t go without his bodyguards.”

“Thanks for letting me know, Elina. I’m leaving home now.”

“For my peace of mind, keep your phone on, Cici.”

“I will. I’ll let you know as soon as I get there. I know Dionysus won’t believe her, but I need to talk to him in person.”