EPILOGUE
He could not get her away from her Bridell crew.
Every time he turned around, she was right back at that table, laughing and talking with Gramps and Tess and Miss Helen and her manager from Maylene’s and a few other friends and coworkers from that town.
William sent Max to get her. And then Bobby. And even Tess. But none of them returned with his bride. After finishing a business call, he even got out of the limo and went back into the ballroom at his mansion where the reception took place.
He saw Joy first, as she continued to laugh it up with her hometown people, and he stood there and let it all soak in for a moment. That young, vivacious woman was now his wife. She had changed into a gorgeous form-fitting white lace dress that fit her like a glove, but he knew she fit him like a glove even better.
On the surface she was way too young, and too unsophisticated, and too unlike him and his background and breeding that they seemed like an unlikely pair. But nobody could have been better-suited for him than Joy.
Then he saw Max. He was laughing it up with executives from Skeffington and had apparently forgotten his assignment to get Joy out of that ballroom and into William’s limo.
And what about Bobby, he thought. He was tasked with that same assignment. He saw Bobby, standing on the other side of the entrance, leaned against the wall. He had been partying so hard with all those different ladies who wanted to be next to him that he was now stoned. He was smiling that Bobby smile and swaying with the music.
William smiled, too, when he saw those dark shades Bobby wore. Shades, he knew, that concealed the true state of his high. William went over to him. “I thought I told you to bring me my bride.”
“I thought I brought you your bride,” Bobby said.
William directed his face toward the Bridell crew. When Bobby saw that Joy was still over there laughing and talking, he grinned again. “Oops. My bad.”
William laughed and looked around. When he saw Cory, he called him over.
“Sir?”
“Make sure Mr. Latham does not drive home. He’s done for the night.
Cory laughed. “Yes sir. I’ll be sure to drive him home personally.”
That was what William loved most about Cory. He took charge. He got things done.
It had been nearly six months since that so-called victim admitted that Mike Castling had cooked the entire harassment allegation up himself, and that he, the “victim,” was promised money to go along with the scheme. Mike was fired on the spot and the so-called victim was booted out of JEP and lost all hope of ever getting a position at Skeffington for going along with that nonsense. Cory went on to graduate at the top of his class and was now a very successful junior executive with the firm.
“Again, congratulations, sir,” Cory said, shaking his hand. “You chose very well.”
William laughed. “Thank you for your approval, young man,” he said, and then looked at his watch. Time was up. They had to go!
William walked over to Joy and her Bridell crew. Joy was telling them the story of when Maylene’s was robbed by two twelve year old boys who just wanted some of that chocolatecake. Joy sat them down and let them eat the whole cake. They developed severe diarrhea like everybody else that ate that cake, and they spent the night in Juvie with little-to-no toilet access. According to Joy, Maylene dropped the charges. It was punishment enough.
“Darling, hate to interrupt,” William said, “but we have a flight to catch.”
“But I thought y’all were flying on your plane,” Gramps said.
William smiled. Gramps was everything and more he could have hoped for. He walked Joy down the aisle and he stood in the breach for William’s parents and Joy’s mother when they did not want to disrupt the vibe by inviting them. But one thing he still would not do: move to Chicago. Even in William and Joy’s neighborhood.
“Nope,” he said. “After all y’all went through and y’all rich? I can only imagine what I’ll go through if I move here. My stank ass will be shot dead by Tuesday if I move to this town. No thank you. I’m fine right where I am. Born there. I’ll die there. No thank you very much.”
It was his bluntness that William adored. And he was right, it was William’s plane. “But airspace has to be reserved, Gramps,” he said. “And our reservation is almost up. We must leave immediately.”
“Alright alright,” said Joy. She’d never had more fun in her life. Her friends and coworkers were there. Gramps was there. Tess was there. AndWilliam.
She looked at William as he stood there looking gorgeous in his white-and-red tux. She still could not believe how blessed she was to be his wife. “My honeymoon beckons,” she said to her friends and they all laughed.
After hugging all of them, she saved Tess for last. She moved to Chicago and stayed with Joy until she could findher own place. But instead of going into the junior executive program the way Cory had done, she became the assistant director of William’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion program. It was, in fact, a position at Skeffington that was higher in rank and pay than Joy’s.
Tess still couldn’t get over that little fact as the two friends hugged. But Joy found it inevitable. “You’ve always been better than me,” she said. “You deserve it, Tess. Don’t you ever think you don’t deserve it.”
Not that Joy was complaining. Thanks to William, Joy was now a huge shareholder in Skeffington. And if something were to happen to William, Joy would inherit the entire corporation and everything else he owned. She had nothing to complain about.
