Contracted To Love

Chapter 10

After Alfred left his office, David worked fast. He had his assistant call Jean and set up a meeting later that afternoon. He was determined to handle everything before he got back home that evening. He had to do make sure that he saw that gold-digger and put an end to his vices that very day.

He could hardly get anything done as he waited for Jean to arrive. He’d already done everything he needed to do before Jean got there. Thanks to the friends he’d made over the years, David was able to pull major strings, getting Jean’s accounts frozen. He also no longer had access to Andrea’s educational fund. Basically, the only money he had was the money he’d worked for. David knew that interfering with his finances was the poke he needed to get Jean to meet him. If ever there was a reason, this was it.

The two hours he’d been waiting for Jean to arrive felt like forever but David knew that once he was there, it was going to be worth it. He was standing by the window when his assistant knocked on the door and announced Jean’s arrival.

David looked up, a proud smirk on his face as Jean-Phillippe walked into his office. He didn’t know why but as soon as he saw Jean, David thought that he was a little small to have such a big reputation. A bad rap but big all the same.

“Please, have a seat,” David said as he looked at Jean. “I must say that it’s interesting to finally meet the infamous Jean-Phillippe Lavoisier.”

“I know who you are, David Favre. You married my ex-wife,” Jean said and David nodded.

“I did. Best decision I’ve ever made to have a queen like Michelle in my life.”

Jean exhaled loudly.

“Why don’t you tell me why you called me here? I know you have something to do with my accounts suddenly being frozen.”

David laughed.

“You’re badly mistaken. I have everything to do with that, because I don’t know what you know about me but I generally frown upon my wife being used by a low life like you.”

“What the hell do you want with me?” Jean hissed and David grinned before he got a file from a drawer in his desk.

“Everything is well detailed in this dossier but, in short, you’re going to sign over full custody of Andrea to Michelle as well as the deed to the house you live in. After all, it is hers.”

“What…?” Jean shook his head and stood up. “Never! I would never give up my daughter!”

He tore the pages in the dossier and David sighed loudly.

“You do realize that I made copies of that, right?” he asked in a cynical tone.

“You’re holding my money hostage to blackmail me into giving up my child?” Jean asked, sounding surprised.

“Well, to be quite honest, Michelle paid for your house and your mistress’ house in Las Vegas. So, I will also need you to sign that over as well. The two of you can live with your parents in the condo that you also bought with Michelle’s money.”

Jean looked scared.

“How do you….” he started.

“How do I know?” David shrugged. “I’m David Favre. There’s very little that I don’t know.”

“But no one knows about Tiffany…”

“Well, I know everything about Tiffany. And your company, the accounting firm that you should have told the judge about because your financial situation changed. You knew that information would have changed the dynamics of your custody agreement. So, you kept it a secret and let Michelle suffer every other weekend when you kept her from her daughter.”

There was a long silence before Jean spoke again.

“What do you want?” he asked again as he sunk in the chair.

“I want to see justice served. Give my wife her property back and her daughter.”

“But that house is my home,” Jean pleaded. “And she bought it after we got married. I got it fair and square.”

David shrugged.

“Perhaps, but I have friends who could make documents disappear.”

Jean gasped silently and clenched his fist.

“My accounting firm?” he asked in a small voice.

“That’s all yours. I want nothing to do with it.”

Again, silence. The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Hell, you could hear the thoughts of both men in there.

“So, Michelle… she decides what I get to keep?” Jean asked and David nodded.

“Yes, you’re entirely at her mercy now. But I can tell you this with certainty, the days of you getting a check every month from her are over.”

He knew the look on his face meant business. Besides, it wasn’t like he had to show he was so macho to Jean. His actions had already shown him that. Right now, he had Jean-Phillippe Lavoisier exactly where he wanted him. David Favre was in control and he knew that Jean knew it too. That thought made him happier than he could ever explain.

Jean tossed the pen on the desk and looked up at David.

“I know that you’re full of judgmental thoughts right now but you have no idea what it’s been like for someone like me. Someone who grew up with nothing,” he said and David shook his head.

“What could you possibly mean?” David asked.

“You grew up with a silver spoon in your mouth,” Jean hissed through gritted teeth. “I’m quite sure that you don’t know what the price of a loaf of bread is. Or the price of gas.”

“Does that mean that I don’t work as hard as everyone else?” David wondered out loud.

“If what you do is called work, then maybe. But you and I are exactly the same,” Jean went on and David smiled scornfully.

“And how, pray tell, might we be the same?” he asked.

“You profit from hundreds of thousands of people but I only chose one woman. One woman who, like you, was also born privileged. Everything she gave me hardly put a dent in her net worth.”

David shook his head and laughed.

“First thing, you and I are nothing alike. You’re a conman and I’m a businessman. Sure, there are those who may say that those are two sides of the same coin but I disagree. Secondly, you don’t have a problem with rich people. You have a problem because you don’t work hard enough to be one of us. So, I can confidently tell you that Michelle’s money was never the issue for you. If you were man enough then her assets, her status would have elevated you, but let’s face it, how could that happen when you were never a real man to begin with?”

*****

As soon as Michelle got home she burst into the house, almost slipping on the floor.

“Mrs. Favre, quidado!” Valeria yelled as Michelle practically raced into the house. “You will hurt yourself.”