Chapter 99: Clean

Chapter 99: Clean "So, you mean you have a son?" Stefan asked when Jamal continued the tale and told him that Abigail had gotten pregnant five years ago. Jamal nodded. "Wow! This all sounds surreal. Grandfather must have been happy to know he’s a great grandfather now," Stefan said, and Jamal smiled ruefully. "I think the circumstances surrounding his birth and all has trumped the joy in all our minds. Remember the lost kid at the airport?" Jamal asked, and Stefan raised a brow. "Don’t tell me that was your son?" He said, and Jamal smiled before nodding. "Yeah. That was my son, Josh. He’s so cute and smart," Jamal said, a note of pride in his voice as he thought of the smart kid he had met earlier. "You’re something, Jamal. As usual you were right to listen to your instinct," Stefan said, and Jamal smirked. "Who knows? Maybe she just might be your favorite podcaster, too. At this rate I wouldn’t be surprised by that," Stefan joked, and Jamal laughed. "That would be too much, wouldn’t it?" Jamal said, and before he could think about it further his phone began to ring. He took it out and smiled when he saw it was his stepfather, Matt. "Hey, Matt," he greeted cheerfully as he received the call. Because of the nature of his job, being a high demand actor, he was almost always away for long durations, and the few times when he was home, Jamal was away with his grandfather taking succession lessons, they didn’t really get to bond much, but whenever they met, they got along pretty well. "Jamal, how are you doing? I just spoke with your mom and she told me about Dawn. How are you doing?" Matt asked, sounding concerned. "I wasn’t okay at first, but I’m feeling much better now. I think I might need some acting lessons from you," he said, and Matt chuckled. "Sure. Anything you need. I’ve been told everyone is meeting next weekend to talk about it. I’ll make sure to be there. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to let me know," Matt said, and Jamal hesitated for a moment. "There’s actually something bothering me," he admitted. "What is it?" Matt asked, concerned by the change in Jamal’s tone. "Have you heard anything from my Mom about the cartel? Are they bothering her again?" Jamal asked, his voice low. "What cartel? Does that still exist?" He asked, taken aback for a moment and then it clicked in his head, "Why would they bother your mom again when your Dad is no longer in the picture?" He asked, surprised that Jamal would ask. Seeing as Matt knew nothing about it, Jamal decided not to press further. Mari had after all asked him to keep it to himself. "I guess I was worried for nothing. The thought just came to me," he lied. "Well, don’t let it bother you. Your mother is not the helpless lady she was twenty years ago. She is a successful lawyer and businesswoman now. She is part of the Jonas family, connected to the Hanks, the mother of Jamal Jonas, and she is married to me. I’m sure anyone would think twice before coming anywhere near her," Matt assured Jamal, and he smiled. "I guess you’re right. Thanks, Matt," Jamal said, relieved to a large extent as he ended the call. It would be easier and wiser for them to get his aunt Andy directly, then to try to get her through his mother. As he set down his phone he looked at Stefan who was staring at him with a serious expression. "So, I’m thinking, if Genevieve’s father is everything you have said, I think we should do a better job covering your tracks as Pete. What if he decides to investigate you privately seeing how much he is trusting you?" Stefan said, and Jamal nodded. "You have a point." "I will arrange a meeting with the real Pete before I leave and find a way to work things out with him, so that your background would check," Stefan said, and Jamal smiled. "Some times you can be quite useful," he teased, making Stefan chuckle. "What about other times?" Stefan asked, and Jamal laughed. "You know the opposite of useful. So, how was your day with Genevieve? What did you learn about her?" Jamal asked, changing the subject. Stefan hummed. "Hmm. She is... interesting." Jamal’s brow arched, "Interesting?" He asked, wondering why Stefan would choose that word. "Yeah. She tries her best to be honest. She is lonely. She has low self-esteem. She hates being Dawn but doesn’t have a life outside being Dawn. I just think she would have been a better person had she had a different father. That’s what she believes," Stefan explained, and Jamal eyed him with interest. "You like her," he stated, not asking. Stefan shrugged, "I don’t know if I like her or maybe I just feel sorry for her. She isn’t innocent, I know that, and she knows it too. But I still feel sorry for her." Jamal sighed but didn’t say anything for a while. "Did she try to seduce you?" Jamal asked, and Stefan raised a brow. "How did you know?" Stefan asked, surprised. Jamal shook his head, "Her father seems to have asked her to do it. He wants her to marry me." Stefan frowned, "What kind of father does something like that to his own daughter? I mean, how can he ask her to seduce a man? She felt so embarrassed when I turned her down that I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her despite my disappointment. I know she has done lots of terrible things, but I can’t help but feel sorry for her," Stefan confessed. Jamal nodded. "Me too. I’m beginning to actually wonder if she’s his daughter myself. I find it strange that he doesn’t want to leave all he owns to her. If you were in his shoes and you went this far..." "I can’t be in the shoes of such a person," Stefan corrected, before Jamal could go further, his nose wrinkled with disgust. Jamal chuckled. "I’m just asking, does it make sense to you that he would do all of this just to hand it all back to Abigail?" Jamal asked, and Stefan shook his head. "Maybe Genevieve isn’t his biological daughter," Stefan said thoughtfully, "she said he never really showered her with any affection and she always felt that he loved Abigail more than he loved her." "If Genevieve isn’t his daughter, why then would he take everything from Dawn and give it to Genevieve only to want to give it back?" Jamal asked reasonably. Stefan sighed. "Who knows what goes on in the mind of a deranged monster?" "Do you think Genevieve can actually be good? Does she have it in her?" Jamal asked, and Stefan shrugged. "Honestly, I think she can. But I can’t vouch for her. Humans will always be humans," Stefan said and Jamal nodded. "So, can you keep chatting with Genevieve until this is over? I think she likes you..." "Likes you, you mean?" Stefan asked, and Jamal shook his head. "It’s not just the name she likes. It’s the person. If the Jamal she met was someone disgusting I doubt she’d like him," Jamal said and then continued, "I think we might need her on our side to get her father. She knows him quite well. I believe she’d have all we will need to deal with him," Jamal said, and Stefan held his gaze for a moment. "You want me to get it out of her?" Stefan asked, and Jamal shrugged. "If you can." Stefan sighed, "I’ll see what I can do." Before Jamal could say anything else his phone rang with a call from the Bug Sweep and he received it. "I’m done. The car is clean," the man informed him, and Jamal let out a relieved sigh.