Page 3 of The Tempo of Truth
I had gotten used to moving around freely and without fear.But that didn’t mean the intuition I developed while living in the public eye and while trying to survive the family infighting vanished.
The moment I stepped off the private jet the company sent for me, I felt an eerie sensation of being watched.I knew my return was going to bring out the press and all the attention I loathed growing up, but this was a different vibe.A shiver shot down my back, and every protective instinct I possessed came to life.I was instantly on alert and felt my fight-or-flight response speed up my heart rate and prickle along my nerves.I remained hyperalert and uneasy the entire ride from the airport to the brownstone where I lived when I attended high school.My Uncle Win bought two buildings, side by side, when he moved me to the city after my grandmother died.He and my Aunt Channing raised me in the familiar location.The second building was kept for visitors and staff but mostly stayed empty, so I had a place to stay when I was back in the city.It felt like returning to my home when the prewar building came into view.I never considered going anywhere else when I decided to move back, even though there would be no privacy or peace living next to my aunt and uncle and all my unruly cousins.I craved that chaos I’d missed out on for so many years while living overseas.
However, I could do without my current suspicion and paranoia right out of the gate.It made me feel like I was back to being an insecure teenager who did everything to earn the love from the adults around her, only to be disappointed time and time again.
Instead of going directly to the brownstone, I had the driver drop me off at the Halliday Inc.offices.The skyscraper was towering and imposing.I thought I would feel safer surrounded by endless glass and steel marked with my name and filled with people who needed me to remain in one piece.I did feel much better inside the building until the police officer who arrived to take my complaint immediately wrote my concerns off and belittled my fear.
I cleared my throat, and my tone was frosty as I replied, “Yes.The Halliday family employs a private security staff, but I arrived earlier than planned and didn’t want to hassle anyone to set up a protection detail.I’ve been living a low-key lifestyle for the last several years.It’s going to take some adjustment to get used to having my every move monitored.I’ve always hated being followed around, even if it was for my own good.I thought I could make the drive from the airport to my home without an armed guard since it wasn’t common knowledge that I was coming back to the States.I was hoping to surprise my family by showing up a day earlier than expected.No one should be aware of my arrival, which makes someone following my car from the airport to the office even creepier.”
The cop hummed and rolled a coin he was playing with between his fingers.“As I mentioned, Ms.Halliday, there is no indication anyone followed you for malicious reasons.The security in the building looked at all the video footage from right before and right after your arrival, and there was nothing suspicious.No red flags.Same with the airport.There was nothing that appeared alarming in anyone’s behavior.I got here minutes after your call and saw nothing out of the ordinary when I arrived.I want to take your concerns seriously, but there isn’t much to go on.”The coin stopped traveling across his knuckles as he paused to give me a sympathetic look.“It’s been my experience that victims of serious crime tend to be jumpy and more sensitive to the environment around them than an ordinary citizen.It’s been a long time since you were in the city.Maybe you’ve forgotten what the sights and sounds are like.It makes sense that you see imaginary enemies around every corner with the type of childhood you had growing up around here.”He shook his head and gave me a wry grin.“Everybody dreams of being rich, but from what I’ve seen, all that money leads to a different set of problems, like the one you’re experiencing now.”
Familiar disdain crawled along my skin.I hated it when people talked about me like I was a fictional character in a novel.As if all the horrific experiences I endured—my parents’ murder, my father coming back from the dead then nearly dying again, my paternal grandmother being a legendary figure in high society and an unrepentant serial killer, my maternal grandfather kidnapping me and planning to hold me for ransom, and the unending speculation that I might end up exactly like the cold, ruthless, and mentally ill adults in my life—were entertainment and not horrors I was lucky to survive.
“My past trauma has nothing to do with what happened today.Someone was following me.I know it.”I sighed, “I think anyone in my position knows when they’re unsafe.”My gaze shifted to the most important thing I brought back from Europe.Something I would give my life to protect, and the reason all my senses were sharp and honed to detect danger.
The police officer followed my line of sight and offered a sympathetic sigh.“All I can do for you today, Ms.Halliday, is take a report and note your concerns.If you give me a list of whoever you think would benefit from having you followed, I’ll jot that down as well.Once you loop your private security staff in, have them reach out so there are double the eyes on the situation.Maybe once you have some time to settle in, things won’t feel as scary and overwhelming, and you’ll see it’s all business as usual.”
It was one of the most blatant brush-offs I’d received in my twenty-six years.When I was growing up, I often faced the idea that people with means weren’t allowed to have any sort of difficulties.Things like worrying about the safety and security of your loved ones were concerns for the average person, not for the wealthy.
I waved the officer on his way while rubbing my temples.I felt a headache starting to form, and the jet lag, which had been threatening since the plane landed, finally settled heavily on my neck and shoulders.I was annoyed that my simple surprise was more than likely ruined, and I was beyond frustrated that my return home after being away for so long was tainted by someone trying to pry into my life.I’d looked forward to coming home and being close to my family after such a long separation, but the reunion did not begin with a bang.Instead, shadows from my past and unpleasant memories from my youth collided with my recent fears to make this homecoming feel like a huge mistake.
Resigned that my welcome home was anything but welcoming, I moved to pick up my precious cargo, intent on visiting the CEO’s office to see if I could get a ride across town with my Uncle Alistair.I knew he would be in his office because the daily operations hadn’t been handed off to me yet.I was far from ready to step into his shoes unassisted.Uncle Alistair wasn’t as imposing and scary as my Uncle Win, but he had enough clout as the head of Halliday Inc.that no one would dare stalk or threaten him in his unguarded moments.I needed to figure out how to show my own style of ruthlessness to build a buffer most people would be unwilling to cross.
While I desperately needed room to spread my wings and be someone other than Winnie Halliday, who didn’t know life outside of a gilded cage, I found that leaving the safety of the nest felt exciting and new.And obviously, learning to fly with untired wings was a great achievement.But returning home, even under the shadow of having my privacy and secrets unveiled before I was ready, still felt the best.I would always be my most authentic self when I was surrounded by the people who loved me unconditionally.I loved that they gave me the opportunity to grow into a woman everyone—but especially my mother—could be proud of.Secretly, I knew that my mom was the only one who would have fully appreciated the crazy detour I’d taken on my way to ending up exactly where I’d started.She was someone who’d followed her heart no matter what.It was the best, but also the worst trait I inherited from her.
When the elevator doors slid open, before I could take a single step forward, I found myself wrapped up in a warm hug—one that was careful not to squish the bundle in my arms.My uncle smelled expensive and looked like an actor from Hollywood’s golden era.Everything about him was lively and cheerful.Uncle Alistair exuded positive energy.The fact that he was so bright made it glaringly apparent that he only had half Halliday blood in his genetic profile.My other uncle was saddled with enough doom and gloom that no one would dare question his lineage.Together, the two of them were perfect opposites and managed to balance one another out flawlessly in both business and personal matters.
The hug felt as much like home as the brownstone I had yet to return to.
“I wanted to come down as soon as reception said you were in the lobby waiting for the police, but I couldn’t get away from the meeting I was in.The time difference made it impossible to reschedule.What’s going on?Does it have anything to do with why you’re here a day earlier than you’re supposed to be?I double-checked the flight manifest on my way down to make sure I wasn’t mistaken about your arrival time.”
He always spoke fast, like he was afraid there wasn’t enough time for him to say everything that was on his mind.He was a busy man, one who took an empire and grew it beyond the gates of the Halliday kingdom.He was considered a visionary these days, not just my grandfather’s bastard son.His business acumen and foresight were going to end up in the MBA curriculum for Ivy League schools sooner rather than later.But to me, he was the fun uncle—the one who busted me out of private school and took me to baseball games.He was the one who made sure my life had color and adventure in it.He taught me how to make friends and never made me feel silly for longing for simple things, like my first kiss or a date to any of the formals my school made mandatory.While my Aunt Channing insisted I be allowed to have moments of being a typical teenager, my Uncle Alistair taught me how to have fun within the confines of the life I was given.I often viewed him as my friend rather than a guardian, even more so now that I was an adult and had the responsibility of showing the younger generation of Hallidays that life didn’t have to revolve around guarding billions and making business deals that shook the stock market.There was room to follow whatever it was they were passionate about.And while perfection was nice, it was bound to be unattainable, so one had to learn to live with their inevitable mistakes.And in some cases, those mishaps might become an essential part of your life.
“I decided to fly in a day early and surprise everyone.I bribed the flight crew to keep the last-minute change hush-hush.”It didn’t take much work since the plane belonged to the company, and the company was about to belong to me.I was going to be their boss in a matter of months, so no one balked when I adjusted the trip at the last minute.“The flight details must have leaked while I was in the air because I swear someone was following my car from the airport all the way here.I didn’t want to go straight home and deal with a bunch of reporters at my doorstep before I even get the chance to move in.I called the police, but they were no help.I was hoping you could sneak me home.”I adjusted my hold on the weight in my arms.My uncle watched the motion with tender eyes and offered to take him off my hands.I shook my head and clasped the bundle even tighter.I didn’t want to pass my most treasured possession off to anyone else, even someone I knew would handle him with the same reverence I did.The reason I was so worked up about being followed was clasped tightly to my chest, and he was blissfully unaware of the waves that were about to be made once the world found out about him.
“Of course, I’ll take you across town.Do you want to give Win and Channing a heads-up that you’re back?You can still surprise them and the kids.”
It was summer in the city, so none of my little cousins or my half-siblings were in school.The reason I chose to come back when I did was to give myself and Lowe a chance to settle in and familiarize ourselves with things before the new school year started.It was a bonus that all the kids in the family would be around to fill the days with laughter and mayhem before classes started.There wouldn’t be a moment to think clearly within the whirlwind of adolescence, let alone worry about taking big steps and experiencing scary firsts.
I sighed and shook my head.“I’m tired.Being spontaneous never really works for me.It’s better to let them know we’re on the way and subtly suggest they save the ambush of affection until after I get rid of this jet lag.”I quietly asked, “Will you have security look into whoever might have followed me from the airport?The police aren’t taking me seriously, but I trust my instincts.”I earned them the hardest way possible, after all.
“Absolutely.Now that you’re back, you’re going to need your own security detail twenty-four seven anyway.If you thought scrutiny was intense when you were an heiress, wait until you see how unrelenting it can be when you’re a CEO.”
I used to hate it, but now I was older, more mature, and more than anything, I had something precious to protect.I wouldn’t object, even if it meant having an armed guard shadow me wherever I went.
Especially after I saw the headlines and trending stories the next day, and all of them had various clickbait titles in bold, explosive fonts.My name was splashed across every social media platform, and a hashtag with #HallidayHeiress had millions of hits.My arrival back in the city was enough to set off the feeding frenzy and get the gossip mill grinding, But the blurry picture of me carrying a little boy with curly, black hair and sleepy, dark eyes as I entered Halliday Inc.was the image that immediately went viral and was likely why someone had risked it all to follow me from the airport like a deranged stalker.
Now, everyone under the sun knew that the heiress who dropped off the map during her sophomore year of college appeared back in the city with no warning, and she had a child.My son washugenews, even if no one knew his name or who his father was.
Lowe Halliday was the type of story that sent the internet into a meltdown.
Soon, everyone and their brother were salivating to uncover the identity and origins of the adorable little boy I was holding.Could he be the new heir to the Halliday legacy, even though he was dressed in a faded and well-loved soccer jersey like a normal five-year-old?
Everyone wanted to know the story of how I, Winnie Halliday, suddenly became a CEO and a mother.Unfortunately for the curious masses, I wanted to tell Lowe’s father that he had a son before I started letting the rest of the world speculate about my questionable choices.
My biggest secret, Lowe, was going to change Kyser Kent’s life when he found out about him.I knew none of us were ready for the impact the truth was going to have once we all had to face it.But the time had come.Keeping Ky in the dark no longer felt like I was protecting him.It started to seem like I was punishing him for a crime he didn’t even know he committed.
Ky
