Good Ally
In the living room, Jason sat at the end of a three-one sofa. His mother sat directly opposite him and Mr Wellington sat in the middle of the two knowing Jason's issues with women. He was sure, he would react the same way around Jane whom he was meeting for the first time.
"Is it okay to have a moment with my son?" Jane asked calmly. "Alone," she added.
"No can't do," Mr Wellington rejected the request immediately.
"It's okay, Dad," Jason said calmly, assuring Mr Wellington he would be fine.
"Can we use your office?" Jane put another request across making Mr Wellington frown.
"Jane, don't push it," Mr Wellington snapped.
"It's fine, Dad," Jason accepted making Jane smile inwardly.
Mr Wellington had no choice, but to allow Jason and his mother to use his office. He was worried about how Jason would feel around Jane, and again, he was wondering why Jane wanted to speak with Jason alone.
Inside Mr Wellington's office, Jason sat behind Mr Wellington's desk and offered the seat in front of the desk to Jane. Jason kept his hand off the table. In his hand, he had a picture of Julia and his baby covering his phone screen which he was looking at.
A day Earlier - Women's Detention Center
An officer knocked on the prison gate of Mrs Hawardl. She shifted her gaze to the gate and looked at the officer with the expression, 'What do you want'
"You have a visitor?" the officer said and Mrs Haward stood up.
She walked to the gate and looked at the officer in the eye.
"Who?" she enquired.
"A woman," the officer replied. "Give me your hand," he said and Mrs Haward just obeyed giving the officer her hand.
He quickly put a handcuff on her before letting her out of the prison. He led her down the hallway and exited the main gate. He took her to a room and Mrs Haward frowned seeing Jane sitting behind a round table with a smile plastered on her face.
"What do you want?" Mrs Haward said immediately she sat down.
"I have a proposal," Jane began and took off her dark shades.
"I can get you and your son out of this place, and restore you to your former glory like nothing happened if you help me destroy my husband. I only want my son. Last I checked you are good at getting rid of unwanted husbands," Jane said with a smirk.
"And what made you think, I want to do that?" Mrs Haward questioned.
"No one wants to stay in prison and besides, you also have a granddaughter. Fiona, had James's baby a day or two ago," Jane said smiling, and Mrs Haward's eyes widened.
"I also know you want revenge on the Wellingtons," she added.
"What do you need help with?" Mrs Haward asked.
"You raised my son, Jason," Jane said. "Teach me how to win him," she added and Mrs Haward smiled.
"Jason reads people. You must look truly grateful and make your weakness in the situation evident. Most importantly, let your purpose of helping be evident in your submission. You will earn his forgiveness. Don't push. Give him space and show your support. You will win him over," Mrs Haward said.
"Sounds easy," Jane said.
"It does but it is not easy. One mistake, and he will find you out. He only trusts his wife Julia," Mrs Haward said.
"Whatever you do, make sure you don't touch Julia. Protect her. If you win Julia's love, Jason's love is just a click of a button," Mrs Haward added.
Back to the present
Jane recalled the meeting with Mrs Haward and organised her presentation in her head before she started to deliver it.
"I know your father may have probably told you how you got kidnapped, and my death, and you have the rest of the story. I know you are wondering how come I am alive all this while, and no one knew," Jane began, but Jason kept his eyes fixated on the phone screen he was holding under the table, even though he was listening to her.
"I was young, just twenty-seven when I had you. Your father was just an ordinary man. He had just landed an opportunity to manage an International project whose contract was worth billions of dollars, for his Construction business. A friend in the government sector worked this out from the inside for him. This is how his company was listed among the big companies. With the quality of his work, he got the contract. He had yet to do the paperwork. That was when Mr Taga, Benjamin's father decided to pull a fast one on him. He felt the project should have come to him and not my husband had he not pulled a fast one on him. I am not sure what my husband did, but that was what Mr Taga had against him," Jane narrated with her eyes fixated on the table as if playing the event in her mind as she narrated it.
"I went out with my friends and we had a few drinks," she said and paused for a few minutes. "I don't know how and what happened," she said her voice wavering with sadness. "When I woke up, I was in bed, and a man was sleeping next to me," she said and broke down in tears.
Jason's gaze shifted to her, hearing her cry. He saw her wipe her tears with her handkerchief. She folded her lips briefly and continued her story after a minute.
"Shock and scared, I tried to get out of bed, but the door was pushed open, and Mr Taga strode in. He was holding his phone in his hand, and he had a sinister smile plastered on his face. 'Get out' he said to the man in bed with me, who had just woken up, and the man just rushed out of the room in his boxer shorts grabbing his clothes from the floor. Mr Taga shifted his gaze to me, and I asked him what he wanted with me. He told me, I had two options. It was either, I stage a kidnap for you and fake my death or he will destroy my husband with my infidelity video," Jane said in tears.
"I knew what the project meant for my husband, and it was going to be a life changer. He gave me forty-eight hours to make a decision. Trying to figure out the best decision to take, I found out about Steven Strong and Debbie Fynn. I plotted your kidnap, knowing your father would pay the money and get you back. I also visited a friend who helped me with medications which will make me look sick. I was counting on your father to unearth the truth. I didn't know Mr Taga had a different plan for me," she ended her narration. "I am so sorry, Jason," she added.
Jason just stared at the woman sitting in front of him across the desk. She had blue eyes just like him.
"I wanted the best for my family, but my plan didn't go well," Jane said sobbing.
Jason knew the Tagas'. The little he found out about them, made him aware of how cunning they could be. They will tell you one thing and do another. He felt sorry for his mother. Jason returned his gaze to Julia and his baby's picture on his phone which he was holding under the table.
"Please forgive me," Jane pleaded. "For all those years, Mr Taga had me kept in his basement, dungeon. That day, you rescued your wife, that was when I was also freed," she said, and Jason raised his eyebrow.
"For twenty-four years, she was kept in Benjamin's dungeon?" Jason thought staring at her expressionlessly.
He wondered why Mr Wellington never mentioned Mr Taga had his mother kidnapped too.
"I can understand your situation, and you did what you did because you thought it was the best. I will forgive you for that reason," Jason said, and Jane couldn't contain her joy.
"Jason, thank you so much. I thought like your father, you will never forgive me. Thank you so much. This means a lot to me," Jane said, clasping her hands together appreciatively.
"I have forgiven you, but I would need time to decide whether or not to make you a part of my life," Jason said and Jane's face fell.
"I appreciate you, for forgiving me. That alone is enough for me," Jane said and Jason nodded.