Stolen Identity: Mute Heiress

Chapter 367: Young Aunt

The doorbell rang loud and sharp, cutting through the quiet room.

Jamal groaned and turned his face into the pillow. The sound rang again, longer this time.

"Oh, come on," he muttered, his voice thick with sleep. "Who is doing this?"

He forced his eyes open and blinked at the light spilling through the curtains. His head felt heavy. His body felt warm and lazy, like it didn’t want to move at all.

The doorbell rang again, angry and persistent.

Jamal rolled onto his back with a sigh and reached for his phone on the bedside table. The screen lit up, bright and accusing.

He frowned when he saw the time was past 11 a.m.

"What?" he whispered to himself in disbelief as he squinted at the screen.

His frown deepened when he saw several missed call notifications staring back at him.

He had three missed calls from Stefan, and four from Tom. The last call was from Tom. Just two minutes ago.

Jamal groaned louder and dragged a hand down his face. "Damn."

Beside him, Dawn stirred. She shifted closer, her brow creasing as she slowly woke.

"Are you expecting anyone? Who’s at the door?" she asked softly, her voice sleepy.

Jamal sat up and swung his legs off the bed. "It’s probably Tom," he said. "He’s likely here to pick you up."

Her eye flew open and she pushed herself up on one elbow. "Already?"

He nodded. "Yeah. It’s past eleven. You should go freshen up. I’ll get the door," Jamal said as he stood up and picked up his shirt.

She nodded slowly and slid out of bed, grabbing her robe as she headed toward the bathroom.

Jamal wore his shirt, ran a hand through his hair, and walked toward the living room.

"I’m coming," he muttered when the doorbell rang again, loud and impatient.

Jamal opened the door to see Tom standing there with a glare in his eyes and a scowl on his face the moment his eyes landed on him.

"Where the hell is your phone?" Tom growled.

Jamal flashed him a sweet smile. "Good morning to you too."

Tom stepped inside without waiting for an invitation. "I’ve been calling you all morning. Why do you have a phone if you don’t know how to answer it?"

Jamal shut the door and rubbed the back of his neck as he followed him. "Sorry. We had a late night. I was asleep."

Tom looked around. "Why didn’t you go to work?"

Jamal raised a brow. "Because I just woke up. I couldn’t have gone to the office in my sleep, could I?"

Tom turned and gave him a long look for a second, then shook his head and walked farther inside.

Jamal gestured toward the couch. "Can I get you anything? Water? Coffee?" He nodded toward the hallway. "Dawn is freshening up."

"I don’t want anything," Tom said shortly.

Jamal nodded. "How’s my Lucy?"

"If you’re asking about my wife, she’s fine. If you’re asking about someone else, I don’t know who that is," Tom replied and Jamal chuckled.

Before Jamal could respond, his phone buzzed in his hand. He looked at the screen and groaned when he saw it was Stefan.

He answered the call. "Good morning, Stefan. Sorry I missed your calls. I just woke up."

There was a pause. "I take it you forgot you have a meeting this morning with the marketing and finance department?"

Jamal swore under his breath. "Damn it. Yes. I did."

Stefan sighed. "I’ve handled everything else you were supposed to do this morning. But you need to get here for the meeting. Everyone is waiting and I’ve been stalling. This meeting is important."

"I’ll be on my way," Jamal said quickly. "Give me a bit."

"Please hurry," Stefan said, then hung up.

Jamal lowered the phone and scratched his head slowly.

Tom shook his head. "Should I be worried that you’re becoming irresponsible? At this rate, are you even getting any work done?"

Jamal exhaled. "I’ve been getting things done for years. I’m allowed a short break. Just this once. Things will settle."

Tom studied him, then nodded. "Fair enough. But you should know that you need to have a balanced life. It’s a good thing that Stefan is so reliable and capable. What always works for Harry and myself is giving each other a heads up. And you see how I made Harry my Co? That way he can easily stand in for me when I’m not there. I can slack off when Harry is there, and Harry can slack off when I’m there..."

"You taught me that already. While I was in Westend, Stefan covered for me, remember?" Jamal reminded Tom.

"True. Still, I want you to figure out a way to balance your life. You need to have a well rounded life. Give your family your attention, and also not slack behind in your business."

"Yes, sir," Jamal said, bowing his head in mock respect. "By the way, I never got to thank you for helping Mari and her family."

Tom waved it off. "There’s nothing to thank me for. We’re all one clan. What affects one affects everyone."

Jamal smiled. "I’m proud to be associated with Thomas Hank."

Tom snorted, but a smile tugged at his mouth. "Go to hell."

Jamal chuckled. "There’s something else I wanted to talk to you about."

Tom raised a brow. "Go on."

"Dawn has a friend who helped her a lot," Jamal said. "I’d like us to reach out and thank her."

Tom’s brow lifted higher. "Who? And how did she help Dawn?"

"Her name is Dr Diana Rosewood," Jamal said. "She’s the doctor who chose not to carry out the surgery on Dawn’s face. She helped her get the hyperrealistic mask instead and also let her secretly meet with a speech therapist in her office."

Tom blinked. "Dr Diana Rosewood?" he asked, wondering if Jamal was referring to the person he thought.

"Yes. Her husband is Shawn Rosewood. You should know him. The business Mogul."

"Diana did that?" Tom asked, a little smile tugging on his lips. "Small world indeed."

Jamal looked surprised. "You know her?"

"You could say that," Tom said. "Not personally though."

Just then, Dawn walked into the living room. Her hair was neatly tied back. Her face was fresh.

"Dr Diana said the same thing when I told her about the Hanks," she said, smiling. "She said it was a small world. Good morning."

Tom turned to her. "Good morning. Did she say she knew the Hanks?"

"No," Dawn replied. "She said she had friends connected to the Hanks."

Tom smiled. "That would be Mia and Jeff."

Jamal frowned. "Why are you smiling like that? I perceive a story behind your smile and questions."

Tom chuckled. "Maybe one day I’ll tell you. But for now, I’m here to take my young aunt home."

Both Jamal and Dawn laughed at that.

Tom held out his hand to Dawn. "Ready?"

She took it. "Ready."

Tom glanced back at Jamal. "Why are you still standing here? Aren’t you late for a meeting?"

Jamal cursed under his breath. "Right."

He spun around and hurried toward the bedroom, then rushed back out, grabbed Dawn’s face gently, kissed her, and said quickly, "I’ll see you later. I love you."

"I love you too," Dawn said, laughing.

Tom shook his head with amusement as Jamal ran off again.

They stepped outside.

At the car, Tom opened the door for Dawn. She smiled. "Thank you."

He closed the door gently and went around to the driver’s side.

As they drove off, Tom glanced at her. "You have therapy by three. That means we have some time. What do you want to do?"

She thought for a moment. "I’m hungry. I’ll like to have breakfast or lunch first."

He smiled. "I think I know just the place. Do you have a sweet tooth?"

"I do," Dawn said with a grin.

"Then Ray’s bakery is perfect for a brunch. So," Tom said, "how are you settling in?"

"I’m okay," Dawn replied. "I’m doing fine."She hesitated, then added, "I’ve thought about the interview. I want to do it. But I want Genevieve there too."

Tom raised a brow. "I was going for small talk, but I guess you’re not one for small talk," he said with amusement then asked. "Why do you want Genevieve there?"

"She was harassed at the club last night and I didn’t like it. I want people to hear us both and understand that she was a victim too. And I’ve forgiven her."

Tom nodded slowly. "I see. We can make that work."