He ends the call on her and she can't even believe it. He called and just went on to talk about Duke without even asking if she is fine. She had to go back to work within weeks of her father's death and all he cares about is that she listens to the phony she got married to.She picks up her phone again and calls Duke. He knows what he has done and what he has put her through and that's why he picks up at the first call. " You know, I underestimated just how far you were willing to go for this. " She points out. " Good job. "" I am sorry, Melody, but I didn't have another choice. " He defends himself. " You weren't listening and I told you it's important. "" And the first thing you thought to do was to call my grandfather?" She fires. " Melody, he is the only one that you listen to. " " You know, this just makes you hate me even more. "" That's totally fair, I get it, but I promise that it will be worth it. You haven't told me what you want. "" I don't want nothing from you, D

Duke almost laughs, but he keeps the handshake solid and doesn't break eye contact with this man. " Barrett?" He says under his breath. " Well, that explains a lot. " Ansel laughs, but he doesn't let go of Duke's hand, Duke doesn't mind. " It's a good thing that your memory doesn't fail, you do know who I am. "" Of course. " Duke blinks. " Had an encounter with your father. "" Of course you did. " Ansel nods. " You left him dead and headless."At this point, Duke takes his hand back. " What can I do for you, boy?" Duke asks, he is not fazed by Ansel's presence. Ansel chuckles and rubs against his nose. " You know, where I come from, we are heavily influenced by culture, and one of our many beliefs states that a headless corpse in the ground is the same as taking a shit in the face of the gods. " Ansel says. " It's a curse. "" I still don't know what that has got to do with me. " Duke shrugs. A waiter is walking past them with a tray of champagne, he picks one of the glasses

Melody wakes up with the bright light of day shining into her eyes. She shields it away as she stands up to her feet. Her brain feels clogged and it takes a few seconds for her to register that she is in Duke's house and his bedroom. She sighs, glad that she is not shuttering, as she remembers the event of last night. She has the biggest scare of her life, she can still taste the fear on her tongue. She is wearing Duke's shirt, she stands to her feet and goes to the bathroom. She relieves her full bladder and then washes her face. She returns to the room, she is still the only one in the room. She slowly walks to the door and opens it by a crack, she looks around, but no one. She walks down the stairs, the television is showing the news. She peeps and sees Gwen in the kitchen, she is humming a song. Melody rubs her hands over her arms as she walks into the kitchen, Gwen's face bursts into a smile when she sees her. " Oh, ma, good morning. " She bows. " Good morning." Melody

Ansel has a big smile on his face and he waves to all of the seated people in the room and forcefully shakes hands with a few. Duke is fuming where he is seated, he hates that Ansel is not kissing the wall as he is being put under arrest. Ansel goes on to sit and even puts his legs on the huge table, his men stand behind him with huge frowns on their faces. " This is Ansel Barrett who just donated fifty million dollars to the military museum." The president goes on. " Such a generous young man. "" And not just that. " Ansel interrupts. " I am ready to donate another fifty million to any ten high schools of your choice. I want high school to be a place of fun for youngsters, I have always hated high school. "" Wait, is this a fucking joke?" Duke looks around. " I thought it was funny, but this man is now with his dick on the table. "Ansel turns like he hasn't noticed Duke the whole time, and is just doing so. "My friend!" He beams. " I didn't think that we would meet so soon, no

Duke wakes up to his phone loudly ringing beside him. He has never wanted to throw the phone across the room just to ease the anger in him. He sits up and pushes his messy hair away from his face as he reaches for the phone. Whosoever that person is, they should have known better than to call in the wee hours of the morning. He blinks, fully awake when he notices that it's no other than the president himself that is calling him. He sits up and swipes the call, different thoughts go through his head as he does this. Has national security been bridged? It has been weeks since he went to work and he has had this sense of impending doom since Ansel showed up. "Hello, Mr. President. " He gulps air. " General Duke, good morning to you. " The president sounds cheerful for someone who is supposed to be bearing bad news. " Is everything okay, sir?" Duke looks out of the window. " It's so unusual for you to call this early. "" Rest your mind, General. " The president chuckles. " Everyt