The Art Of Revenge (Thalia Nash and Brandon)
67

Brandon's Pov

My body was like a roller coaster for the past two days; one minute I was up, the next I was down and in diapers. The good news was that Nestor had returned, which meant I didn't have to endure Thalia wiping my butt.

The old me would have liked every minute of it, but the new me was humiliated and disgusted by the situation.

I only wanted Nestor to do it; he wasn't objecting, and I even allowed him to stay in the house so that Thalia wouldn't have a chance. It had always been Nestor's dream to live with me, he was just too proud to say it.

Yes, even though it hurt, I was going to let the disease drain me of my life without accelerating it.

The slap she gave me jerked me back to reality; yes, I duped her into agreeing to have Josh's baby and made sure it didn't appear like I was forcing her.

But, in retrospect, I changed my mind and attempted to stop her at the last minute and even Nestor's intervention yielded nothing.

She was insistent and persuaded that a baby would magically heal all the sh*t that Josh put her through but she was attempting to make it appear as if I forced her and she had no option.

I decided that crying over spilled milk was pointless, so I left her alone. I spent most of my days outside the beach with Nestor playing chess, despite the fact that he was terrible at it and I was always winning. However, the sun and wind were always soothing to my dying skin.

Thalia had not gone to work in two days and had not apologized for the strong smack she had given me, which I could still feel every time I touched my cheek. I raised my hand and touched the cheek.

"Are you okay?" Nestor inquired. I was seated in my wheelchair, a blanket slung over my shoulders and a drip bag dangling from my arm like a dying ninty-year-old man. A chessboard was placed on a table, and I had just won my fifth game.

"Make your move," I said.

He offered, "Ain't you tired? Maybe we should go inside."

"No, I'd rather be outside," I replied.

"You won't be able to hide from Thalia indefinitely, and you two are just wasting the precious little time you have left with," he observed.

I bit my dry cracked lip and asked "Did you get f**ked in Spain?”

He seemed astonished; I had never inquired about his personal life in all the years I had known him. It was never a concern of mine. I never bothered to inquire because, in my opinion, he only hung out with me because I had saved his mother.

But there he was, changing my diapers and bathing me without even asking for anything in return. I had recently written by Will which I had given him to file and hand to my lawyer and I only left him diapers and I was sure he had read it but he did not confront me.

"No, I didn't; I received a call from my mother just as I was about to do so, and I had to drop everything," he responded with his usual blank expressionless face.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," I retorted. "So you'd rather be here changing my nasty diapers, than getting the f**k of your life?" I smirked.

"Yes, there will be plenty of f**king once you are gone," he mocked with a smile and made a move on the chessboard.

I gave out a fake smile and solemnly said, "You don't have to be here just because I saved your mother; you owe me nothing."

"Not all families should be built on blood," he responded.

I gritted my teeth, we weren't going to talk about family, so I glanced up at him and told him to play. Speaking of the devil that I was ignoring, Thalia stepped out of the house walking towards us, "Who is winning?" she inquired.

"He is and he isn't exhausted," Nestor responded and made a move that cost him the game for the sixth time.

"Now it's my turn," Thalia said to Nestor and requested him to move without my consent. I did not remember inviting her to play; I even doubted if she could even play.

"What are you afraid of? Are you scared of a pregnant lady!" She inquired as she proceeded to raise the board, I chuckled. But I made sure my gaze was concentrated on the board rather than on her, I was stil uneasy around her.

I was going to allow her to play, and let her initiate the game. I planned on only playing one game with her after I beat her, but to my surprise, we moved on to game three and she won all three games. My expression of surprise was priceless.

As she stood up, she exclaimed, "You are playing, a nine-time high school champion, plus a two-time Havard chess champion. Did you ever do a background check on me?" she inquired.

I looked at her even more surprised; she was right; when I initially looked her up, my major worry was to make sure whatever tale she had told me was real; I had never paid attention to her life prior to marrying Josh,

"I checked you up and I'm quite aware that you are Chess champion," Nestor responded. The fool was supposed to update me before she sat down and embarrassed me, so I raised my eyes to meet him.

I tossed the board aside and requested him to take me back into the house. Her disappointment was visible on her face. Nestor shifted his gaze to her as if awaiting her opinion.

"Brandon, I miss you, please don't ignore me, I'm sorry I hit you," she cried out.

"It's okay, I'm just tired, all I want to do is lie down on the bed," I lied.

"Okay, then, I'll wheel you," she gazed at me and stood up. She stepped forward and began rolling me back. I didn't object since I didn't want to appear petty.

Because of the awkward silence, I spoke up first; "Victor discovered my surveillance equipment, he knows that we've been watching them," I explained.

She came to a halt in front of me and took a step forward. "When? How? so you're not going to know what they are up to?"

"I have been completely blind since morning," I said and recommended that she work from home. I could see she was pondering something as she stared at me with her arms folded. It was entirely my fault; I should have anticipated the consequences when I invited Josh and Jessica to the party.

Victor was a clever old man unlike his stup*d son, and it was only a matter of time before he connected the dots between what was happening to them and with my pattern of destroying my enemies.

"No, I'm not going into hiding; what's the point of bringing them down if I'm going to be afraid of them!"

I reminded her that Victor would go to any length to reclaim what she had previously stolen from him.

"I know, but he can't just walk up to me and shoot me. How likely is it that he'll alter the paperwork?"

I groaned and responded, "I have no idea, it's all up to Josh." I waited for her to respond, but she looked away.

"So, in a nutshell, he'll control sixty percent of the company, while I'll own forty percent," she explained, reaching out her hand to shake mine. "We did it, Brandon, you got me something," she said with a smile.

I smirked and motioned for her to remove her hand. "Brandon, you accomplished something that no one other person could do in months."

"My board of directors wants those shares, and I must deliver them, yours is the sixty percent."

"What happens if? Anyway, don't mind me," she tried to ask but stopped halfway. We both kept quiet waiting for the latter to talk.

Noticing that she was not going to complete her sentence, I spoke; "Anyway, don't bother, but I'm going to continue sabotaging Gentex; Victor needs to be occupied before he touches those shares, I declared and ordered Nestor, who had been too quiet to send out the message.

"Brandon, I think we should focus on your health and your child right now," she declared.

"You can do that, but I'm not going to give up my hobbies," I retorted. She began to say something, but Nestor cut her off.

"I've sent the message, I believe Brandon, needs some rest," he suggested. She glanced at him but moved out of the way as he wheeled me inside and helped me up the bed. She entered the room, and I motioned for her to take a seat next to me. She walked over to me and sat.

I said; "I finished drafting my will yesterday, and Nestor has kept it safe somewhere to be presented to you after I pass away," I explained.

"I hope you have not left anything for me?"

"Why would I do that? I have left something for my unborn son," I said, almost startling her. She hurriedly stood up and turned to face me, but I interrupted her.

"Please, Thalia, don't fight with me any longer; it's my dying request; can't you at least fulfill one of my many wishes I've had since I met you?" I enquired. "But Brandon...."

"You can let the child come and decide whether or not he or she wants it."

"But why are you unable to give it to Nestor?"

"I left him something," I said, expecting Nestor to reveal what I had left him, but he only stared at us with his hands in his pockets and his typical blank expression. I started wondering if he was men**ally ill or anything.

I glanced at Thalia, expecting her to respond, but all she did was look away. She finally said, "Brandon, I can't, I don't deserve your money."

"Thalia I secretly contacted my doctor months ago after I outlived the month I was given because I thought I was going to live, I thought I was going to see the baby, his first steps, first fight, the day he would run away with my jet, so I gathered the team, but months later, they still have no treatment or cure," I confessed.

She turned to look at me, surprised, before turning back to look at Nestor, who only looked away. "Brandon, I'm very sorry," she said as she clasped my hands.

"It's fine, I was just hoping, it's not a crime, but anyway, I'm starting to feel it, even breathing has become tough, it'll be time soon, and the baby getting everything is my final wish," I explained.

"You are very manipulative," she chuckled as tears streamed down her face. "You know if I say no, you will probably ignore me until your last breath," she stated.

"I can't help myself, no matter how hard I try; everything was always going to be yours the day you consented to accompany me to the house for revenge."

She brought her eyes to mine and made a request of her own: she wanted me to see the baby before I died, and she wanted me to know the gender of the baby. If I was going to bequeath my riches to the child, it was only right.

"All right, is the scanning machine still in the house?" I posed the question.

"No," she suggested, "let's go for a drive; I'll drive."

"We can consult a physician, Thalia," Nestor protested.

"No, Brandon has been cooped up in this house for three months like he's in prison, get him ready," she said as she rose from her seat. I had some energy left in me, so driving all the way to the city was not a bad idea.

I consented, and Nestor got me ready while Thalia got ready in the other room and excitedly joined us. Her sass was energizing to watch. Hating each other would not prevent me from dying or replace a cure, as Nestor correctly pointed out. I was going to leave her with pleasant memories of myself.

"I have an idea about your wealth," she said. "Let's bet, if the baby is a boy, I'll accept the inheritance, but if it's a girl, you'll have to write a new will."

I stared at her for a minute then said "No, if it's a girl, you take the inheritance, you will probably raise her brainless and she will need the money," I answered quickly.

"But, you've always had your heart set on the boy?" she inquired, perplexed

"That doesn't mean I'd put my money on my boy, or maybe you don't believe I'd be correct," I said, motioning Nestor to exit the room.