Chapter 12: Chapter 12
There were many things Morgan expected of Anthony Manson, from misdemeanor to trying to get around their contract and getting money in illicit ways. Which, to be honest, he even knew that Anthony was trying to find ways to do it, but couldn't because of his vigilance.
However, he would never have expected his partner to die so suddenly.
Sitting in the hospital waiting room, with a dejected Charlie snuggled in his lap, Morgan stared at the door where the emergency room doctor had just exited, after breaking the news that Anthony had died after a massive heart attack. In fact, he was already dead before they even got an ambulance out of the mansion.
With his head aching from the whole situation, Morgan searched his memory for any indication that Anthony could be sick or feeling the least bit bad in the last few days, but he didn't find it. He looked the same as he always had: obsessed with his work and ready to squeeze every penny out of anyone who careless around him. Of course, heart attacks could happen at any time, but still, he didn't even know that Anthony had any heart problems and now, so suddenly... He was dead.
And Charlie had lost her last blood relative.
Feeling his heart sink as he laid her cheek against his shoulder, while occasional sobs made her body shudder, Morgan held her tighter, wishing he could stop all that pain from getting to her. However, as all he could do was stay by her side, as he had promised earlier, he just kissed her forehead, eager to comfort her in some way.
"It's going to be okay, I promise…" he murmured into her hair, almost inaudibly.
“What the fuck…” Charlie wailed, curling her hands into fists against his chest. “I know I always called him names and complained about his personality, but… I never wanted him to leave me. We never even had the opportunity to be a real father and daughter..."
"I know, honey..."
"I think a part of me always wanted that, someday, magically, he would care, although I don't want to admit it even to myself..." Charlie vented against her neck, her voice breaking "I mean, how I could just tell my grandfather that I wanted to be close to the man who had married my mother just for her money and cheated on her the entire pregnancy until she died alone in childbirth while he was wasting away his wealth of the Fosters around? I always knew what kind of person he was. Not just because of everything my grandfather told me, but also because he never called me. He never asked about me, he never came to my birthday parties, he never visited me... I was just an unwanted child he was forced to have to secure a fortune." She swallowed, bitterly "Even when I was very young, I knew that Anthony didn't deserve to be called a father..."c
“You had your grandfather." Morgan kissed her temple, while pressing her even tighter against his chest "That's all that matters."
"Yes. Aiden Foster was the best father I could have had." he heard her murmur sadly. "That's why I never wanted anything to do with Anthony and kept my distance from him as much as possible. Which was also what he wanted from me, by the way. Maybe if Grandpa hadn't died and I'd been forced to live with him until I was twenty-one, the two of us still pretending the other didn't exist . Maybe I was still secretly fantasizing that one day he'd decide he wanted to be my real dad. But, now... That's really never going to happen."
"I'm so sorry Charlie..."
"Is it so terrible that I'm feeling this way?" She suddenly lifted her head to stare at him, her brown eyes guilty. "Sorry for what we could have had, instead of truly missing the man who, at least in blood, was my father?"
“Of course not, Charlie. Dying suddenly doesn't redeem Anthony for all he's done to your family and all the years he's neglected you. It's not wrong not to feel love for a person who was never even kind to you. So don't feel guilty. Just let the feelings come without thinking too much about them." he advised, hesitating for a moment, before also admitting, "As you know, I also had a close relationship with my father. And when he died in that heart attack when I was 20... I felt just like you. We didn't have happy memories together that would make me miss him specifically, but it hurt so much to know that we would never have the opportunity to even build that kind of memory again. And, just like you, I felt guilty about it. Until I realized there was no reason for me to feel that way. It's okay to mourn the father he never got to be for you or simply the fact that a human life was lost." he mused, kissing her temple again "You don't need to force yourself to feel a love that never had the opportunity to grow between you two."
"How do you always know what to say?" Charlie sniffed, looking a little more comforted.
"Well, I'm 34 years old, I've lived enough. In fact, considering today's world, I could already be a grandfather and have five grandchildren." he joked, making her give a smile, small, but still sincere. However, it quickly dissipated when something seemed to occur to her.
"Morgan... What will happen now..." she bit her lip, distressed "Now that I... Am alone?"
"You are not alone." he assured, determined "I'm with you and I'll make sure you have everything that's yours. You're still a year away from receiving your grandfather's inheritance, but a large portion of your father's estate is rightfully yours, and I'll hire the best lawyers in the country to make sure you get every penny and every estate. And then after that you just have to decide how you want to live from now on."
"I've spent so long wanting freedom... And now this..." Charlie sighed, looking angry with herself.
"Do not think like that. For now, just try to rest, okay? As soon as Anthony's body is released to the morgue, I'll take you home where you can try to get some sleep and cool off while Samantha and I sort out all the details of the wake and burial." Realizing the possibility of being alone in the mansion only seemed to disturb her even more, Morgan hastened to suggest something else "Or, I can designate someone else to take care of this in my place and spend the night with you and Sawyer, if it makes you feel better."
Although her face was still red from crying, her expression brightened a bit and a small smile made her lips lift slightly. Taking a few deep breaths, she seemed ready to accept his proposal, when a familiar voice sounded nearby, scandalized.
"What do you think you're doing, you brazen ?!" With the sound of high heels echoing on the marble floor, Samantha approached the two, glaring at Charlie with perfectly made-up eyes and an expression that gave no indication that she had been hysterical next to her husband's dead body just a moment ago. a few hours ago "Your father just died and here you are, throwing yourself at Mr. Sullivan, like a whore?"
"What do you think you're doing, Samantha?!" Morgan snarled, possessed, before Charlie could react "Charlie just lost his father and you come to insult her like this? How can you be so insensitive?"
"Well, I just lost my husband and nobody came to sit me on his lap..." Mrs. Manson responded dismissively.
"Listen well, Samantha...!" he growled dangerously, hugging Charlie even tighter to his chest, to protect her from the stepmother's look of pure contempt "For three years I was more conniving than I wanted to with the way you treated Charlie, because I didn't want to disrespect Anthony inside his own house, but that's enough now! I will not allow you to be offended or upset in any way from now on. Therefore, I am no longer advising you as I used to. I'm saying: Leave. Charlie. In. Peace." He spat out each word slowly, not wanting to leave any doubt as to how serious he was. "Or look what happens when I get really mad."
"Oh, of course, defend the poor little orphan..." Samantha did not seem to be intimidated, crossing her arms over her chest "I bet she is already planning a thousand ways to take every penny that is rightfully mine, now that Anthony is no longer more here to defend the interests of the Manson's. And to think you always made a point of telling him you'd always be a Foster and never use his last name for anything... I bet that's what made his heart so weak over the years!" she accused. "I hope you're satisfied…!"
"That's enough now, Samantha!" taking Charlie from his arms and sitting her in the chair next to him, Morgan stood up, taken by anger "You went too far...!"
"Morgan, wait!" Charlie suddenly appeared in front of him, putting himself in front of Samantha, while she pressed her hands against her chest, stopping him "No, don't do that. She's not worth it." after directing a disgusted look at her stepmother, she let her head fall towards his shoulder, visibly exhausted "Can we go? All I want right now is to get out of here"
“Of course, dear." he accepted immediately, surprising her by lifting her off the ground, nestling her in his chest, before snarling one last time at Samantha "That hasn't over yet! And if you think you're going to be able to harm her, then she's very wrong.".
Not giving her the opportunity to respond, Morgan turned and hurried through the hospital corridors, solemnly ignoring the curious and surprised looks of those around her, while Charlie hid his head against her neck, though he could tell, just by the look of it. warmth of her soft skin, that her cheeks were flushed.