Rushing to catch her flight, the businesswoman noticed a beautiful homeless woman with a baby. Taking pity on them, she handed over the keys to her lake house.
«I’m flying out for negotiations for three months. Live at my place for now.»
Due to difficult negotiations, the woman returned only after six months. Remembering the woman with the baby, she drove to the lake house and turned pale at what she saw.
Althea Vance ran a family business she had inherited from her father. At just 25 years old, the weight of the entire company had fallen on her shoulders. She had dedicated her life to work, and as a result, she had never started a family of her own.
She only had her mother, who frequently reminded her of how important it was to find a beloved partner, and this irritated her to no end. Althea parked her black sedan in the driveway exactly at 11:40 at night. She leaned her head back against the seat and closed her eyes for a moment.
The day had been grueling. Negotiations with vendors had dragged on until evening. Then she had to deal with a crisis at the warehouse, and after that, another two hours went into reviewing quarterly reports.
Fifty-five is an age when the body no longer forgives such marathons. She looked at her reflection in the rearview mirror. Her dark brown skin showed signs of fatigue, there were faint lines near her temples, and her usually sharp, professional hairstyle was slightly frayed at the edges.
Thirty years ago, when her father handed her the reins of the company, she looked completely different. She was full of energy, ambition, ready to move mountains. Now, every day felt like a battle she had to win just to keep the business afloat.
Althea got out of the car, pulled her briefcase from the trunk, and headed for the front door. The house greeted her with dim light in the hallway and silence. No, not complete silence. From the kitchen came the low murmur of the television.
Kicking off her heels and hanging up her coat, Althea walked into the kitchen. As expected, her mother, Beatrice Vance, was sitting at the table. A cup of half-finished tea stood before her, and her gaze was fixed on the TV screen, which was showing some health program.
«Almost midnight again, and you’re just getting in from work,» Beatrice said without even turning her head. Her voice sounded tired, but the dissatisfaction in it was unmistakable. «When will you stop torturing yourself and finally breathe? Do you not understand that at your age, rest is important?»
Althea felt something tighten inside her. Every evening it was the same thing; every time, the same words, the same reproachful tone. She walked to the bar, took out a bottle of red wine, and poured herself a glass.
«That’s enough, Mama,» Althea’s voice came out louder than she had planned. «I hear these lectures every single day.»
Beatrice finally tore her eyes away from the television and turned to her daughter. Her face expressed genuine bewilderment.
«What lectures? I’m just worried about you. You work like you’re cursed. You give yourself no respite. And have you ever thought about why things turned out this way?»
Althea interrupted her, taking a large gulp of wine. The alcohol burned her throat, but she didn’t stop.
«What do you mean?» Beatrice straightened up in her chair, a look of wariness appearing in her eyes.
Althea set the glass on the table and crossed her arms over her chest. It was as if a dam had broken inside her. All the words that had been piling up for years, all the grievances and unspoken accusations came flooding out.
«Does it not matter that it was you and Daddy who made me this way?» Her voice trembled with accumulated emotion. «It was you two who separated me from Julian, claiming he wasn’t good enough for me.»
She grabbed the glass and took several more nervous sips. The wine was already starting to take effect, loosening her tongue and removing her filters.
«Julian?» Beatrice asked, surprise reflected on her face. «My God, Althea, that was over thirty years ago. He was a simple student without a dime in his pocket.»
«He loved me!» Althea shouted. «He genuinely loved me. But you and Daddy convinced me that I deserved better, that he wasn’t good enough, that he had no ambition.»
«We wanted a better life for you,» Beatrice began, but her daughter didn’t let her finish.
«And the next suitor was Daddy’s competitor,» Althea continued, her voice becoming increasingly cracked. «Too ambitious, you said. ‘He’ll strip us of everything, take over the company.’ And then it was ‘wrong age,’ or ‘need to think about grad school,’ or ‘career is more important.'»
She sank onto the chair opposite her mother, tears glinting in her eyes.
«And then I had to take over the company,» Althea’s voice dropped to a whisper. «Daddy died, and everything crashed down on me. When was I supposed to meet men, when all my time went into keeping the company at a respectable level? When I was grinding for fourteen hours a day, just so I wouldn’t ruin what Father built?»
Beatrice sat silently, pressing her lips into a thin line. Her fingers nervously picked at the edge of a napkin.
«Don’t blame us for everything,» she finally said, steel entering her voice. «We always did everything we could for you. Your father built this company from zero. We wanted you to have a future.»
«And where is this better future?» Althea laughed bitterly. «Where is it, Mama? I am fifty-five years old. No husband, no children, no grandchildren that you want to babysit so badly. Only a mother who constantly drives me crazy with her moralizing.»
«Don’t you dare speak to me like that.» Beatrice rose sharply from her chair. Her face had paled, and her eyes flashed with anger. «Don’t you dare. I am your mother.»
«So what?» Althea stood up too. «Does that give you the right to control my life? You ruined it, Mama. You ruined it yourself.»
«You are guilty!» Beatrice shouted. «You missed your time. No one forced you to slave away for days on end. Other women somehow managed to work and start a family.»
«Other women aren’t carrying a multi-million dollar business on their backs,» Althea snapped. «Other women don’t live with parents who think no one is worthy of their precious daughter.»
«We just wanted you not to make a mistake.»
«A mistake?» Althea laughed hysterically. «I made a mistake anyway, Mama. I made a mistake when I listened to you. Julian now owns a chain of restaurants in three cities. And remember Marcus, Dad’s competitor? He has two grown children, a successful company, and a happy life. And I… I am alone.»
A heavy silence hung in the air. Beatrice sank back onto the chair as if her strength had left her.
«You are being unfair,» she said quietly. «Father and I worked all our lives to give you the very best. Education, the company, this house.»
«I didn’t want the company!» Althea screamed. «I wanted to love and be loved. I wanted children. I wanted to wake up next to a person who holds me, not next to a stack of documents.»
«Then why did you agree to lead the company?» Beatrice looked at her daughter with a challenge. «No one forced you.»
«How did you not force me?» Althea felt the tears finally break through. «Daddy lay in the hospital begging me not to let the company fall apart. His life was in this business. And you… you cried every day saying that if I didn’t take control into my own hands, we would lose everything. That Daddy’s life would turn to dust. How could I refuse?»
Beatrice turned away toward the window. Her shoulders were trembling.
«I didn’t know you thought that way,» she whispered.
«Of course you didn’t know,» Althea answered wearily, wiping her tears. «You never asked what I wanted. You always knew better.»
Althea finished the wine and placed the empty glass on the table.
«I need to sleep. Important meeting tomorrow.»
She headed for the kitchen exit but stopped at the threshold without turning around.
«You are right about one thing, Mama. I missed my time, but it happened not only because I decided so. It happened because you and Father didn’t let me live my own life.»
Althea went up to her room, closed the door, and leaned her back against it. Downstairs in the kitchen, the light was still on. She realized she couldn’t change her mother’s mind. Beatrice always believed she was right.
Arguing or explaining anything was pointless. This fight, like dozens before it, would change nothing. Tomorrow morning, they would speak coldly and stiffly again, pretending nothing had happened.
As always, Althea woke up with a heavy head and a bitter taste in her mouth. The wine yesterday had not been the best idea, especially before an important work day. She looked at the clock. Seven in the morning. She needed to get ready.
Coming down to the kitchen, Althea discovered her mother wasn’t there. Usually, Beatrice got up early and by this time was already sitting at the table with a cup of coffee and the newspaper.
The kitchen is empty today. She’s probably offended after yesterday, Althea thought, pouring herself coffee from the machine.
Guilt gnawed at her from the inside, but she quickly suppressed it. There was no time to deal with family dramas right now. Negotiations with new investors were ahead, and she needed to prepare. She ate a hasty breakfast, left a short note for her mother on the table—We’ll be back late—and drove to work.
The office met her with the usual bustle. The receptionist reported on calls. Elias Thorne, her chief of staff, brought a folder of documents for the upcoming meeting. Althea immersed herself in work, trying not to think about yesterday’s quarrel.
It was around two in the afternoon when a call from Martha flashed on her phone. Althea frowned. Martha, the housekeeper, usually didn’t disturb her over trifles.
«Yes, listening,» she answered, continuing to scan documents.
«Ms. Vance!» Martha’s voice sounded alarmed, even frightened. «Mrs. Beatrice is missing!»
Althea froze, not immediately comprehending what she heard. «How do you mean, missing?» Her heart gave an unpleasant lurch.
«I can’t find her anywhere,» Martha spoke quickly, incoherently. «She wasn’t in the kitchen in the morning. I thought she was still sleeping, but when she still hadn’t come out by ten, I went to check. The bed is made, she’s not in the room. I searched all the rooms, the whole house, looked in the yard. I ran out to the street and called her, but Mrs. Beatrice is nowhere.»
«This is all I need.» Althea stood up sharply from the desk, dropping the folder of documents. Papers scattered across the floor, but she didn’t care. «Martha, are you sure you checked everywhere?»
«Absolutely. I even looked in the basement and the garage. Her phone is lying on the nightstand in the bedroom.»
«I’ll be there soon.»
Althea hung up and pressed the intercom button. «Elias, come in immediately.»
Her assistant appeared in seconds, apparently sensing the anxiety in her voice. «Yes, Ms. Vance?»
«Elias, I have unforeseen circumstances.» Althea was already gathering items into her bag. Her hands were trembling slightly. «My mother is missing. I need to handle the search immediately. Reschedule all meetings.»
«Missing? How?»
«I don’t know.» Althea cut him off sharply. «The housekeeper says she hasn’t been home since morning.»
Elias Thorne had been with Althea for ten years. In that time, they had become not just boss and subordinate, but almost friends. He saw her tense face and understood the seriousness of the situation.
«Ms. Vance, can I help with anything? Maybe organize a search party? Or go with you?»
Althea thought for a second but shook her head. «Not yet. If I need your help, I’ll call.»
She grabbed her bag and coat and practically ran out of the office, leaving a bewildered Elias standing in the middle of the room.
On the drive home, Althea replayed all possible scenarios in her head. Where could her mother be? Could she really have been so offended by yesterday’s words that she decided to leave? But where?
Braking sharply at a traffic light, Althea dialed the number of Elizabeth Barnes, an old friend of her mother’s.
«Hello,» answered a cheerful female voice.
«Mrs. Barnes, it’s Althea. Is my mother with you?»
«No, Althea, honey. Why? Did something happen?» Weariness appeared in the woman’s voice.
«No, everything is fine,» Althea lied, not wanting to raise panic prematurely. «I just wondered where she went. Maybe she called you today?»
«No, dear, Beatrice and I spoke the day before yesterday. She invited me for tea next week. Is something wrong?»
«No, no, everything is good. Thank you.»
Althea hung up and dialed the next number. Valentina, another friend, also knew nothing. Moreover, she was surprised by the call.