Beyond Sight Ch. 02

He was glad that despite his grandfather's old world views, the man had listened to Tomas a little. He'd been at least sensible enough to install a state-of-the-art security system in the house. Though it was a great system, it needed a new upgrade, which Tomas would handle over the course of the next few days. Olivia stepped outside and bolted for her jeep, starting it up the moment her ass hit the seat.

Tomas then reactivated the system before locking the door behind himself and joining his lover in her vehicle. Once he was belted in, Olivia pulled out of the driveway, and they were on their way. Tomas was sitting on pins and needles, hoping to get there ASAP. He didn't know why, but he felt he needed to get there now. He watched the landscape blur on by as they left the suburbs and took one of the main highways into the heart of the city.

"Calm down, Tom!" Olivia joked. "We'll get there when we get there, so there's no sense in worrying about it. The traffic is good and we're almost there."

"I know, it's just.... last time something like this happened, I lost everything," he said somberly, with a tinge of bitterness. Olivia didn't know all the details for sure, but she knew Tomas had been thrown out of his home when his dad had died. All because his greedy and narcissistic stepmother believed she was owed everything that was supposed to go to Tomas.

She disallowed herself to speculate or to get emotionally riled up by such a callous bitch. The exit she needed to take was coming up, so she got into the lane and decelerated. Once they had peeled away from the highway, it was a short drive away, maybe four blocks before they arrived at the office building.

"Mr. Starling said there was an underground parkade for guests, just around the side.... right there!" Tomas pointed to Olivia. She saw the ramp heading down below the street, so she signaled and when the oncoming traffic cleared, she moved. Heading down, there were several gates in the way which Olivia approached. Once they neared one, the mechanized arm raised up to allow them through.

Driving on in, Olivia didn't have to look very far to find an open parking spot. Many of the stalls were empty, as maybe half the occupants of the office building weren't in despite it being a Monday. After lining her vehicle up within the lines, Olivia killed the engine and the two of them stepped on out. Locking her car, she and Tomas walked hand in hand towards the elevators.

Arriving at the doors, Olivia pressed the button, and they waited for the car. It pinged its arrival, and they walked on in, Tomas pressing the button for the thirty-third floor. The doors closing, the ride up was uneventful, and the elevator dinged maybe ninety seconds later. Taking a deep breath, Tomas stepped out with Olivia, was greeted by a sight he would rather not have seen.

Standing right there in front of him were four people, three of whom were women, and one was a man. Judging by the man's well-tailored attire, his blue eyes and dirty blond, well-groomed hair and beard, Tomas assumed that the man was Hugo Starling. The woman to his right was dressed in a simple white blouse and black pencil skirt, with what appeared to be a headset around her neck. It was a logical guess she was the receptionist for Starling, Ross, and Daniels.

The other two women present, Tomas knew well, more than he would have liked. The younger of the two was Sabrina, his older stepsister. She stood a little taller than her mother without heels, nearly five foot eleven. Sabrina had raven black hair, brown eyes and was of mixed heritage, being half black, half Brazilian. She had the figure of a full-on buxom woman, with a massive rack and hips to match her bust. Sabrina stood with her mother when they wrested away all that should have been Tomas' and he never forgot nor had forgiven that betrayal.

Looking past her, he looked straight at her mother, Vanessa, who was a pure Brazilian woman, with the looks and the attitude to match. Her beauty was marred by the intellect of a shrewd and cunning manipulator, combined with all the emotion of a jackal. They were both mother and daughter, as Vanessa's looks were of near mirror quality to her daughter's. The biggest difference that set them apart was the fact that Vanessa was bigger in hips, but much smaller in the chest, looking like she was barely a proper B cup.

Tomas fumed in anger and rage at their intrusion into his life once more. He'd more than had his fill of these two callous vipers and would be glad to throw them out. No one had quite noticed him or Olivia yet, despite all the bustle and hustle of the office, as the four of them were in a shouting match at the moment. Vanessa was clearly upset as she seemed to want something of Hugo, but he wasn't budging on it the slightest. The secretary looked slightly nervous as she seemed afraid that fists might fly.

Tomas smiled slowly as he devised the perfect way to get their attention. Not long after his grandfather had taken him in, Tomas enrolled in the local Air Cadet Corps. He wanted to build the confidence he needed to step up to both bullies and bitchy women, like Vanessa and Jessica. With his fellow cadets, he learned how to be a steadfast and confident young man, something that served him well in his high school and University careers.

Of all the things he learned in the cadets, his favorite thing was learning what he dubbed his 'Command Voice'. Whenever he used it, it would boom across the entire cadet hall so loudly that even the Cadet Squadron Commander was startled by it. He prepared himself for a moment and waved his hand at Olivia, showing her he had this.

"ENOUGH!" he boomed, the volume and timbre of his voice enough to cause the glass partitions in the office to reverberate slightly. All eyes snapped to the source of the voice, Hugo and his secretary looking relieved at his arrival and subsequent intervention. Vanessa and Sabrina looked both shocked and slightly frightened by the sound of it.

After glancing at him, Tomas could tell that the man he had become in all the years since he'd seen them last had an effect on them. His size and his musculature clearly intimidated Vanessa, she even shrank away a little from the scowl on his face. Sabrina was... confused. Almost like she couldn't believe the dorky little boy who had been her stepbrother couldn't have possibly turned into this Viking-like man.

Olivia stood proudly at his side, looking up at him with a sense of wonder, on how he had stopped the argument with a single word. With a start, both Sabrina and Vanessa looked at Olivia as though they were unsure of what to make of her. Sabrina's look of surprise quickly turned to a look of judgment and condescension. It was as though she was looking at Olivia and deeming her unworthy of standing next to an Adonis like Tomas. Sensing another conflict brewing, Tomas spoke quietly, but with conviction.

"What are you two doing here?" his voice conveyed all the threat of a bared knife, ready to strike at a moment's notice. The effect of his voice wasn't lost on the people present and smiling silkily, Vanessa responded to him.

"We are here at Dimitry's request, dear Tomas. It wouldn't be otherwise."

"Liar! There is no way that my grandfather would invite you here after his death," Tomas said warningly.

"Actually," Hugo interrupted, "he did."

"WHAT?!?"

"I have the letter right here that expressly tells me to invite Ms. Vanessa Melo to attend the unveiling of the will," Hugo stated as he produced a letter. He then handed it to Tomas, who snatched it out of his hand. Tomas' eyes read through the letter, and he could tell that it was Dimitry's handwriting. The script and syntax of the letter was precise, so Tomas could tell that it wasn't a forgery.

"Was there anything else that he said?" Tomas asked bitterly as he handed the lawyer the letter back.

"This letter also details that the viewing of the will could not happen without both Mr. Tomas Brykonov and Ms. Vanessa Melo. A fact I was trying to tell her before you arrived, sir," Hugo stated while flicking a venomous glance at Vanessa. Tomas took some solace in the fact that Mr. Starling clearly didn't like Vanessa either.

"There is also the fact that the viewing of the will is for the two of you only. So, those who have accompanied you will have to wait here," the lawyer said with a sense of finality. Vanessa looked like she was about to protest, until the secretary cleared her throat, catching Vanessa's attention. She was back behind her desk, standing almost like a drill sergeant would, with her hand resting on the telephone.

Knowing the secretary would likely call security given the chance, Vanessa had no choice but to comply with what Hugo was saying. With a sour but resigned look on her face, Vanessa replied, "Well, are we going to view the will?"

"This way please," Hugo gestured as he led the way to one of the unused meeting rooms. Tomas used his ability to see if there was any deception that might have been stirring in Hugo's mind. Finding nothing but the sense of a man doing his job, he followed him. "Rachel, show these two young ladies to the lounge, please. I won't be long."

"Yes sir," the Latin woman replied. Catching the attention of both Olivia and Sabrina, she led them from the bank of elevators in the opposite direction. Tomas and Vanessa didn't go far, maybe forty steps, before Hugo steered both into an empty conference room. He bade the two of them sit and they did, glaring daggers at each other.

"Your grandfather was an odd and eccentric man, but he was very interested in making sure that his will could not be misinterpreted. So, he made it a video will, to ensure that his exact words and emotions could be conveyed properly," Hugo said as he clicked away at a laptop. He then pulled out a portable drive and plugged into one of the USB ports.

"That sounds like him for certain. He was always one for delivering a message straight up in person or over the phone," Tomas remembered.

"Indeed. Here it is now," Hugo said as he finished loading up the relevant video file. The file came up on the screen right in front of them. Once it played, Tomas and Vanessa saw Dimitry on the screen, sitting like he would have done in one of his classes, when he still taught at the University.

"Hello. To all parties concerned, welcome to the viewing of my last will and testament. I have done a video will so that there will be no mistakes in the division of assets amongst my surviving relatives," the wild and grey-haired old man said on screen. His accent, despite being immersed in North American culture, still hung thick in his speech.

"I, Dimitry Alexander Brykonov, being of sound mind and body, do bequeath a total of twenty dollars, to Ms. Vanessa Melo. To my only surviving relative and grandson, Tomas Kristoph Brykonov, I leave every other worldly possession I own. My house, the cars, everything in my bank accounts, now belong to him," he said with absolute clarity.

"With these legal proceedings out of the way, I have a final message for both Ms. Melo and Mr. Brykonov. To Vanessa, you are little more than a lowly suka(bitch) who snuck into my son's life like a thief in the night. You only get the twenty dollars, which I have entrusted to Mr. Starling to hold because that is all that you are worth, you muzhchina yest shlyukhu(man eating whore)! This, of course, is simply my personal opinion of you."

Vanessa looked as though she was going to explode in a rage. That Dimitry had made a video will was enough to ensure that she'd get only what he decided she would. There was no way she could use any legal maneuvering to cheat Tomas out of his inheritance this time! Not only that, but he'd also insulted her and stated that it was his opinion of her, robbing her of the chance for any kind of defamation suit!

"Mr. Starling, if you could conclude the business with Ms. Melo," Dimitry stated, addressing Hugo directly.

Without another word, Hugo paused the recording and reached into the inner pocket of his suit and pulled out a small billfold. Opening it, he pulled out a crisp twenty-dollar bill and set in front of him, pushing it towards Vanessa. She looked at the note as though it was a pile of dog shit that she'd been given. She huffed for several minutes before snatching the money off the table.

"Now that your end of this business is concluded, you may leave now, Ms. Melo," Hugo said to her.

Though he had kept his face neutral, his voice was smiling, and she knew it. She looked ready to burst because she was so angry, but Hugo's hand rested on a nearby phone. His posture carried the threat that Rachel was very willing to enact. Which was to call security and have her and her daughter escorted from the premises and his look dared her to give him an excuse.

Hmmphing to herself, as though the men sitting in the room were beneath her, she strode out of the room. She carried herself with all the arrogance of a woman who believed herself to be a queen, but was little more than a maid. Tomas was more than happy to see her go and turned back to Hugo, whose face went to a self-satisfied smirk once she was out of eyeshot.

"That was your stepmother, I assume?" the lawyer asked Tomas as he viewed the direction she had departed with distaste.

"Yeah. A real piece of work, eh?"

"You got that right!" Hugo snorted as he tapped the keys once more, playing the paused message.

"Now that the unpleasantness of Ms. Melo has been dealt with," Dimitry continued. "To Tomas, my grandson, and my malen'kiy volk(little wolf). I hope that the lessons I have tried to teach you have stuck with you after all these years. There is much that you will learn about everything I have left behind, and I hope you put it all to good and proper use. I only wish that your father and mother could have seen the fine young man you have become."

"I have always been proud of you, Tomas. You always did me proud even though I had to kick your ass sometimes!" Dimitry chuckled onscreen. "With everything I have left you, I hope you fulfill your dreams, do what is needed of you and follow the path that is yours. I love you, syn(son). Poka my ne vstretimsya snova(Until we meet again)."

With that last comment, the video ended. Tomas had teared up again at Dimitry's last words and was keeping it together. Breathing slowly, Tomas worked to calm himself. Without a word, Hugo stood up and grabbed a box of tissues, offering them to Tomas. Smiling at the gesture, Tomas plucked a few tissues out of the box and dabbed at his eyes, clearing away the tears.

"Take your time and when you're ready, we can go over to my office, and I can give you the package that your grandfather left for me. There are also some documents that require your signature so we can complete the transferal of assets to you," Hugo said sympathetically.

"Thank you," Tomas said gratefully.

***************************************

Olivia Kristensen sat in the lounge, enjoying herself a cup of coffee and a croissant. Or she would have been enjoying it if it wasn't for the icy presence of Sabrina. Despite neither of them saying a word to each other, you could tell that there was no love lost between the women. Sabrina kept looking at Olivia as though she was lesser than she was, something Olivia picked up on.

Although Olivia could have said something to the woman, she decided against it. Olivia had dealt with self-centered and stuck up, bitchy types like this before. They often looked down their nose at you and did their best to ignore you like you weren't there. Bitches like this knew you were there, but acknowledged that you weren't. It made their realities seem more palatable if they could pretend you weren't there. More often than not, they were the sort who wouldn't even respond if you tried talking to them in any manner.

The only way to deal with these types was to beat them at their own game and refuse to acknowledge them like they were doing with you. The lack of interaction and acknowledgment of their existence was enough to drive them off the deep end. Girls like this could not stand to be ignored. It was working, as Sabrina looked like she was losing her patience with Olivia. Sabrina then opened her mouth until the door to the lounge opened, admitting Vanessa, followed by Rachel.

"Sabrina, let's go," she announced gruffly.

As Sabrina leaped to obey her mother's command, Vanessa took a good look at Olivia and narrowed her eyes, scowling. It almost felt like she was being evaluated and the results in question were not favorable. Then, with a dismissive sniff, Vanessa turned on her heel and left, with Sabrina following close behind her. The receptionist, Rachel, followed right behind them and got behind her desk.

With the lounge being almost right next to the cluster of elevators, Olivia could see both women board an elevator a few minutes later and leave. With them gone, Olivia heaved a sigh of relief, glad to be out of their presence. Rachel appeared to have the same inclination as she got up from her desk and walked into the lounge.

"How do people like that even exist in real life?" Olivia wondered aloud.

"Tell me and we'll both know," Rachel said in reply. Her voice was high for a woman's, almost girlish but deep enough to know you were speaking to an adult.

"I'm glad I'm not the only one who sees them as a total waste of space. How anyone would even breed with that woman is beyond me," Olivia continued. Rachel then snorted a laugh as she was fixing herself a cup of coffee.

"You make a very valid point, but I guess some people can be easily deceived," Rachel pointed out as she turned around and leaned on the table's edge. "I've known people in my time around who've been strung along and never even knew they were being played."

"Ditto. I've been played once or twice myself. Never pleasant at all when you find out that everything you thought you knew was a lie," Olivia said, remembering a painful memory of her high school days.

"The only real thing you can do with people like that is to cut them out of your life and carry on without them. Life is too damned short to be wallowing in self-pity. Self-pity is how they win. Deny that from ever taking root and you will be a better person for it. All while sticking it to them and their bullshit," the receptionist replied, before taking a sip of her coffee. Olivia smiled then, seeming to have found someone who thought along the same wavelengths as she did.

***************************************

Tomas was seated in Hugo's office several minutes later, after taking a moment to compose himself. Hearing that final message from Dimitry was heart-wrenching for him, as he had been a surrogate father figure since his dad had passed on. Hugo was busy fishing around in his desk drawer before he finally found what he was looking for. Pulling it up, it was a very large file folder, which he promptly placed on the desk in front of Tomas.

"This here is a comprehensive list of all Dimitry's financial assets. In the last several years, he had made some significant investments in the stock market. Most of them making him a tidy sum," Hugo informed him.

"Really? This is the first I've heard of it."

"Dimitry was both eccentric and secretive. He didn't want you to know about any of this until after he had passed on. Dimitry made sure that everything was in order a little over a month ago, cashing out everything he'd earned and pulled together over the years. He had it all deposited in a singular account that only you could access," Hugo continued on.

"How much did my grandfather leave me, out of curiosity?" Tomas asked.

In response, Hugo pushed several sheets of paper at him and tapped the third one in the row. Tomas pulled it from the grouping and studied it for a moment before his eyes widened. He was set to inherit thirty-seven million dollars from his grandfather! His mouth falling open, Tomas couldn't believe he didn't know about all this money!