The Billionaire Shade

Bridget sat on the sofa in her mother's office staring at the picture in her hands. It was a gold frame that had been positioned on the table for the past two years.Her mother stood poised as usual, standing in front of an auditorium and holding a plaque with both hands. Bridget could remember clearly the day the event had taken place because she had been present.It was the award ceremony held by the women's rights advocates where her mother had been one of the top contributors.She sighed as she remembered being so proud of her mother and her impact on the lives of women through the organization. And she had personally requested the picture frame from one of the photographers that covered the event, as a gift to her mother.She lifted her eyes from the picture and gazed toward the window. The gold blinds had been pulled slightly, revealing a view of the road below.The restaurant was situated in a busy environment right in the middle of town. Bridget could see a line of vehicles

The sound from the television filtered into her ears and Bridget opened her eyes.She had left it on, having dozed off while watching a late-night soap opera. She glanced at the wall clock and sat up, threw out the bed covers, and ran to the bathroom. She had promised Janet a ride to the mall by 8 am, and she had barely an hour.Running a brush through her teeth, she turned on the tap, her mind going back to the meeting with her mother's attorney and the staff of Fanny's restaurant the previous day.Losing her remaining surviving parent was enough pain to deal with, but the knowledge that she might be losing the family's restaurant as well was too much to bear.There was just no way she would allow those greedy Harrisons to take over an establishment that her family has worked so hard for more than twenty years.No, her mother could not have signed away the restaurant with her eyes closed. Not after everything that had taken place ten years ago.She shut her eyes briefly and reopene