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Life's Illusions - 10 years on - Chapter 42
In the three years since Pierre had returned to Montclair he had settled in the house on Avenue Montclair.
Every Monday he helped Piers complete the weekly figures at The Inn, but other than that his life was on hold.
He'd transferred his shares in Guardian back to Juan as soon as divorce proceedings were underway, ignoring Juan's request that he keep them, he'd instructed Sebastian his solicitor, to inform Juan's solicitors, no compensation was required.
And so when the divorce proceedings were finalised, Pierre Alonso Caswel-Thorn returned to being Pierre Alonso Bowles-Cruz, he'd finally cut all ties with Juan.
Aly and Bo watched with sadness, but there was nothing they could do.
Pierre exuded an air of happiness to fend off questions, but no one was fooled by the mask, it was easy to see the deep rooted sadness, and as time went on, the slow withdrawal, as if he were just marking time.
In Torremolinas Guardian had continued to be the success Leo had predicted.
Josef and Juan had created an almost unachievable benchmark for every other company in their field, few were ever able to even come close.
But for them it lacked any satisfaction, to them it wasn't a fantastic success, it was simply something they were good at, something which occupied their time.
Juan had never entertained the idea that anyone could permanently replace Pierre, he'd had a couple of very brief flings, they'd all failed quickly, none had second date status, only one had left a lingering reminder, and that was nothing to do with the person he'd been involved with, but its result, now he preferred to pour his energy into work, sometimes seven days a week.
For Josef it was a similar pattern, he still remembered the day Carry came into his office three years earlier, her eyes streaming tears, demanding to know if the rumours were true, had he hurt Pierre.
When he hadn't been able to look her in the eyes she'd slapped him, hard across the face, before turning away and walking out of his life.
He'd never seen her again, she didn't turn up for her shift at Guardian, when he went to her apartment it was empty, she'd gone.
He could have found her, after all, by the very nature of their business, it's what they did, but he didn't try, he couldn't say why he chose to let her go, he just did, but the sadness, the sense of loss, had never gone away for either brother.
That day had been momentous in the sum of all that happened.
Rick had come to Josef's office and apologised, telling Josef he couldn't work there anymore, Pierre and Carry had been good friends, he felt he was being disloyal if he didn't make a stand in their favour, so he was leaving, and true to his word, Rick was employed by their closest rival before close of business that same day.
Sofia had hurt them both deeply, not only had she quit her job, she'd moved out of the family home, telling her Poppa, she didn't want anything more to do with them, for Josef this was a particularly hard blow.
Reece had watched his family fall apart, hurting, but unable to stop it happening, when Sofia left he thought it would be for a few weeks, but as months turned into years, she never touched her trust fund, never came back, he resigned himself to never seeing her again.
Josef was the only one who knew where Sofia was, he could suffer anything else, but not knowing if his little sister was safe, that was never going to happen.
For Sofia, despite her deep aching regret of leaving Torremolinas without telling her dear Poppa where she was, the years had been kind to her, living in a large house just outside London, she was married to a successful investment banker, Justin Sherwood, they had two children, twin boys, and she'd insisted they be named Joseph and John.
Life was going along for all of them, without any bumps, until the day Justin Sherwood tried to beat the lights on his daily commute to work.
He was squashed, completely, utterly, beyond recognition, by the biggest lorry ever seen on the British highways, as Sofia would say later, that was typical of Justin, just to see if he could beat it, only this time he didn't.
It wasn't his road traffic accident that caused her problems, it was when Justin's co workers tried to balance his accounts at the investment bank he worked for, suddenly alarm bells started ringing.
There was almost ten million pounds sterling deficit on the clients account.
In Montclair Pierre was scanning the world news when he gasped.
The photograph in front of him, it was unmistakable, she'd hardly changed in three years.
The headlines screamed out.
'Sofia Sherwood, accused of colluding with her husband to defraud millions from clients'.
As he read, and re read the article, he learnt she was under house arrest but would inevitably face trial as a co conspirator, with a possible sentence of up to twenty years jail time hanging over her.
Pierre immediately called his Grandfather.
Leo was surprised to be informed he had a call from Pierre, he knew his grandson was all but a recluse in Montclair.
"Pierre, my goodness it's like a breath of fresh air hearing from you, are you well?, is there something you need?".
Pierre was aware that his Grandfather had tried countless times to contact him, sadly Pierre had never responded.
"I am well Gramps, and I'm sorry I've never called you back, until now when I do want something, it's Sofia, she's in trouble, it's all over the news, I need to know where she lives, I have to help her".
Leo was saddened, he knew what he was about to tell Pierre wouldn't please him.
"Josef and Juan already tried, she rejected them, refused to meet, won't speak with them, refused any help from them, I'm sorry Pierre, even if you have her address, she won't see you".
Pierre wasn't being put off.
"I don't intend giving her the opportunity to reject me, I intend to turn up on her doorstep, I know Sofia, she won't turn me away, but I need her address, do you have it?".
Leo wasn't surprised at Pierre's response, this was the old Pierre showing himself, and it was refreshing to hear.
"Only Josef and Juan have that information, I could call them but I don't know if they'll give it to you".
Pierre thought for a moment, it had to be done, it was the only way, he'd have to make a sacrifice.
"No Gramps, I'll do it myself, thanks for trying to help me, and I really am sorry I'm such a bad Grandson, I'll try to do better in the future".
Pierre's next call was to Guardian's HQ in Torremolinas.
"Could I speak with Juan Caswel-Thorn please, tell him it's his ex husband Pierre Alonso Bowles-Cruz calling".
Pierre realised he was shaking, he could hardly stop the receiver from banging against his face.
When Juan's voice came it almost left Pierre unable to speak, he closed his eyes as the tears fell down his cheeks, he listened, drowning in that soft voice.
"Pierre, if this is the only time I'll ever hear from you please make it last, I still love you, I always have, I always will, you have to know what happened that day was an accident, I could never hurt you, I'll do anything for you, talk to me Pierre please, don't hate me".
It took Pierre a few moments to compose himself, but still, it was obvious to Juan he was crying.
"I need Sofia's address, I know she rejected your help, I intend to help her, I'm not going to take no for an answer, will you give me her address, or do I need to ask a rival company to obtain it for me?".
Pierre could hear the shakiness in Juan's voice, he knew he wasn't the only one crying.
"I'll give it to you, but I don't think it will do any good, she'll not speak to you, she's made it plain she wants no help from any of us, I'll send it to you by email, will you let me know if you need anything, anything at all, please Pierre this is killing both of us, Josef is in bits, I'm begging you, call me, day or night, I'll do absolutely anything you ask, I love you Pierre".
Those last few words proved too much for Pierre, he let out a sob as he replied.
"Thank you, I'll keep you informed, and I've never hated you, not then, not now, goodbye Juan".
True to his word, Juan sent Sofia's address in England by email.
Pierre called PJ.
"Uncle PJ I need a favour, I need a plane to get me to England, I'm going to see Sofia, I know she's rejected help from the family, I'm banking on the hope she won't reject me, if I'm face to face with her I don't think she will, but I need to get into England without the press knowing, if she's forewarned I think she'll pull up the drawbridge, it has to be a complete surprise".
PJ had been surprised to hear from Pierre, he was as aware as everyone else how much of a recluse the boy had become.
"Pierre I'm not sure it would be of any help, Sofia won't even see Lenny or me, she's adamant, no help, no contact, from family".
Pierre wasn't about to be put off.
"With respect, I'm not family".
It was said with such force PJ felt as though he'd been slapped in the face, but he understood why Pierre was bitter, Juan was his Grandson, and yet, even PJ had been angry with Juan and Josef, he still was if the truth were known.
Pierre had built a wall over the last three years, and right now he was in danger of breaching it for the sake of Sofia and her boy's, PJ could forgive almost anything for that sacrifice.
Pierre took PJ's silence as a precursor to refusal.
"Please Uncle PJ, I'll promise you anything, just help me to get her out of this mess".
PJ heard the pleading, and in truth he was thankful, but he also saw an opportunity to fix another problem.
"Yes Pierre, I'll have one of my planes at Nice within the next two hours, it's at your disposal until you tell me you no longer need it, and Pierre, I may just hold you to that promise
He breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thanks Uncle PJ, you have my promise, anything you ask".
A little over three hours later Pierre was on his way to London.
As soon as he arrived he went directly to the cheapest car hire company he could find.
He'd brought an old scruffy jumper which he put on over his own shirt, donning an old baseball cap, he looked every inch the scruffy backpacker.
"I'm touring on a budget, I need a car for a week, but it's got to be cheap, if it costs to much I don't get to eat".
The assistant laughed.
"I've got cheap, it's a bit battered but it goes, just depends how fussy you are".
Within the hour Pierre was driving towards Sofia's address in a battered old car, little better than a death trap, which was spewing more smoke than the 'Flying Scotsman' ever did, it had one rear wing painted a different colour to the rest of the rusting bodywork, the steering responded badly, the unbalanced wheels delivering a bone trembling vibration through the steering wheel, and only one of its original four hubcaps was still in place, but it was perfect for his plan.
As he neared Sofia's address he stopped at a Pizza restaurant, ordering three large Pizzas in a variety of combinations, he stood back by the front windows of the takeaway whilst the food was being prepared.
Unseen by the staff, he peeled one of the takeaway restaurants advertising stickers from the window, careful to roll it up and hide it in his pocket.
Returning to his battered little car he placed the Pizzas on the front seat, then carefully applied the advertising sticker to the inside of the rear window.
Standing back, he was pleased with his effort, now he was a Pizza delivery driver, stand by Sofia, dinner is on the way.
At the address Juan had given him he could see a single policeman guarding the main entrance of the driveway but no police cars.
Pulling up he leaned out of the window shouting to the policeman who was sheltering from the light rain away from the entrance.
"Pizza delivery for Sherman, is that you or the house?".
The policeman laughed.
"That must be the house, I don't eat that crap, on you go".
Pierre gave him a thumbs up and a cheeky smile as his little car drove on towards the house.
Okay so far thought Pierre, now for the big test, would she let him in or send him away?.
At the door Pierre rang the doorbell keeping his head down, face hidden by his baseball cap as the door opened.
He recognised her voice straight away.
"You're mistaken, I've not ordered Pizza, you must have the wrong address, what name and number are you looking for?"
Pierre still didn't look up but his reply brought a gasp from her.
"I'm looking for my dear friend Sofia, and I'm not taking no for an answer, I'm here to help, are you going to let me in?".
Pierre looked up, showing his face, Sofia was just staring, tears running down her cheeks.
"Pierre, oh Pierre, come in, you know I wouldn't send you away, I would have always welcomed you".
Within moments Pierre was inside and they were hugging.
"I had to speak to Juan to get your address, I'm sorry, he and Josef know I'm here, so does your Poppa and Grandfather, your Gramps gave me his plane for as long as I need it, I'm determined you know, I'm going to help you, I don't know how yet, but I will".
Sofia was still crying but at just that moment two small boys toddled into the hallway, they were shy and hung back, unsure if they should come any further until Sofia spoke to them.
"Come here boys, I want you to meet one of Mommies best friends in all the world, if ever you need help, this is the person you go to, I would trust him with my life and with yours as well, this is Pierre, and these Pierre are my twin boys, Joseph and John".
Pierre couldn't help it, what he said came out as an involuntary blurt.
"You still love them, after all this time".
Sofia answered him.
"Yes, but I still don't know if I can forgive them, that's the problem".
Pierre wanted to lighten the mood for the sake of the boys.
"Okay so who's hungry for some pizza, I've got three different ones here".
The boys made enough noise for Sofia to start clapping her hands.
"Okay, okay, into the kitchen, wash hands and let's eat".
As the boys were eating, Sofia and Pierre picked at bits of pizza and talked.
Sofia was adamant, Justin didn't steal anything, he wouldn't, he was an honest man, a fool, a jester, a whiz with the markets, a wonderful father, but never a thief, Sofia had hoped it was all a stupid computer error, but the police had shown her evidence, the money was definitely missing, everything they'd found pointed to Justin, they reasoned she must have known, she didn't see how she could fight it".
Pierre asked to speak with her solicitor, Sofia called him.
Phillip Crawley had listened to Sofia and agreed to speak with Pierre.
"Phillip, thank you for agreeing to speak with me, unless I'm mistaken, the evidence the police are relying on, which lays the blame at the door of my friend and her late husband, it's contained on one or more computers?".
Phillip Crawley confirmed what Pierre had said so far was correct so Pierre went on.
"Again, I'm assuming the police have possession of those machines, we will need to have them examined, I want you to apply for access to them, I'll provide the expert, it will be someone with the required credentials, they will insist on having their experts there to monitor the examination, that's acceptable, can you let us know once that is set up".
Phillip queried what Pierre expected to find if the police experts hadn't found anything in their favour.
Pierre was rather graphic and made sure the boys didn't hear his reply.
"Phillip, I have an expert who, if by chance you were a computer, could stick his finger up your arse and tell you everything which had passed that way since time began, believe me if there's anything those machines are hiding, he'll find it, I just have to convince him to help us".
Pierre's next call was to Torremolinas, the HQ of Safety Inc.
Please ask Rick Jackson if he will take my call, tell him it's Pierre Alonso Caswel-Thorn that was, now Pierre Alonso Bowles-Cruz, his long time ago friend".
Pierre waited, nervous the Rick might reject his request, after all it had been more than three years.
"Pierre, is that really you, what's this about my long time ago friend, you are, you will always be, my friend, it's wonderful to hear from you, but I'm no fool, so what do you need my friend?".
Pierre was overjoyed.
"Rick, I'm sorry, I cut everyone off after that day, I was hurting to much to let anyone near, I still am, it's never gotten any easier".
Rick, shushed him.
"You don't have to explain Pierre, now go on".
"You're right Rick, I do need you, Sofia is in trouble, I need someone to examine a couple of computers which the police are holding as evidence, they've already examined them, they allege there's proof on them showing that Sofia's late husband embezzled nearly ten million pounds sterling, I want someone I can trust too find out if they're right, because, besides Sofia insisting her late husband was an honest man, there's no sign of the missing ten million pounds".
Rick was silent for a moment, then.
"Okay, where are you and how do I get there?".
Pierre let out a sigh of relief.
"Thanks Rick, I've borrowed my uncles plane for the foreseeable future, I can have it in Malaga whenever you can manage".
Rick laughed.
"I borrow a mates bike, you borrow your uncles plane, how the other half live eh".
They both laughed.
"Seriously Pierre, I'll drop everything for you, let me have a nights sleep, have the plane at Malaga, ready to go, at nine o'clock in the morning, tell the police I'll be bringing an assistant, his name is Milo Jacobs, they can obtain a comprehensive and certified list of all our individual qualifications and accreditations from the company's web site, if they need hard copies I'll have my secretary fax and mail them".
Neither of them said anything for a moment, it was like being back there three years ago, instinctively Pierre knew Rick was thinking.
"Gut feeling Pierre, guilty or not?".
Pierre was silent for only a moment.
"Not, I trust her Rick, so did you, you were vindicated back then, nothing's changed in that respect".
All Rick responded with was.
"That's good enough for me, see you tomorrow my friend".
Pierre called the pilots and gave them his instructions.
Next he had to do something he really didn't want to do, but not only had he given his promise, he had to get Sofia to agree he could do it.
"Sofia, I have to update Juan and Josef, your Poppa is worried sick, he deserves to have his mind put at rest, he's suffered the most from all this, he never did anything to anyone but he's been caught in the middle, can I at least call Juan and brief him?".
Sofia nodded but she added.
"I don't want them here, I want no contact with them".
Pierre dialled the number he still knew off by heart, it only rang three times.
"Pierre, please tell me you were successful, Josef and Poppa are here with me".
Pierre felt the tears rolling from his eyes.
"Yes, I'm with her now, I've instructed the solicitor to obtain permission for us to examine the computers, I'm flying in an expert, well actually two experts, tomorrow, Sofia says he's been set up, she's adamant he was a good honest man, I believe her".
Pierre could hear talking as Juan explained, then.
"Who's your expert?, as if I couldn't guess".
Pierre didn't take the bait, he was determined not to get drawn into a discussion.
"Your guess would probably be right, Ricks flying in tomorrow, with his assistant, a guy named Milo, that's all I can tell you at the moment, I'll bring you up to date when Ricks had chance to examine the computers, goodbye".
As he cut the call, Pierre wiped his hand across his eyes, Sofia didn't miss it.
"You still love him Pierre, why have you never tried to mend the fences?"
Pierre was silent for a few moments before he replied.
"It's true, I still love him, I've never hated him, but like you said, I still can't forgive or forget, it wouldn't work, now how's about I help get these little monkeys into bed, then you and I can catch up with a glass of wine while you tell me all about your Justin".
And so they chatted late into the night, neither wanted to end this day because tomorrow might shatter all of their dreams, what would they find on those computers, was Justin the man Sofia thought he was, or was he guilty, as the police and his employers said?".
TBC ARB Allan
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