Chapter 17

Maeve's POV

"Was it also your idea that Michael and I would become friends? That we'd have an one-night-stand and I'd end up being pregnant with his child? Or was it also part of your plan that I'd get into the car accident? Not only risking mine but also the life of my unborn child?"

"Maeve now you're overreacting!"

My hands raised up in defense. "I'm sorry, I'm just trying to find out what is real and what's not..."

Carmen's face softened. "Maeve" she spoke softly. "You earned everything yourself! If you weren't qualified enough you wouldn't have gotten the opportunity to work with Michael in the first place! You earned it because you are good enough! You had nothing! We left you nothing and you managed to get your life together, I mean look at you! You've become such a strong and beautiful woman!"

While she was trying to praise me my eyes started watering. "Where were you when I had the accident?"

She started walking over to me and as she stood directly in front of me, she grabbed both my arms.

"I would've stopped him, please believe me. I remember the call I got from the hospital. I was devastating, I immediately confronted your father but he just shrugged his shoulders, he called it 'collateral damage'... Believe me, Maeve, I would've left a long time ago, but I was just so scared... I'm happy it's over now..."

She hugged me tight and my first instinct was to push her away but then all these time she hugged me as a child and teenager flashed my eye. She was always there when we needed her, she tried her best and maybe she knew all along how dangerous my father was. Maybe that's why she preferred him being at work, or on a business trip, maybe she was scared that he might hurt us.

Although he never physically hurt us, he never showed his love for us either.

And then my arms wrapped around her body too and for the first time in a very long time I felt the warm embrace of a loving mother. Although she couldn't protect me, she somehow tried everything in her power for me to stay safe, to stay out of all of this.

But she failed. And failure is part of humanity. I failed my family too and I paid a huge price, that nearly cost my life. It made me who I am, as harsh at it sounds, I am who I am today because of all the things that happened in my life.

And I could walk around being angry at everyone that somehow was involved in all of this or I could try to accept that I cannot change the past.

"I missed you mom" my voice was weak and only barely above a whisper.

"I know, I missed you too" her hand softly stroke my hair. "I want you to come back."

I let go of her and looked at her before asking "what?".

"I want you to be part of this family again..." she repeated.

It's true, I heard her correctly but I wasn't sure what that meant. By now I've accepted that I will never be part of this family again, simply because that's how things always have been in my family.

My mother must have sensed my confusion. "A few months ago, I was told it was about time to make a change."She looked over at Michael and smiled warmly.

*****

My mother and I had a lot to discuss and a lot to catch up on, so for the rest of the afternoon we did so.

We talked about my recovery after the accident, my fall-back into drug addiction, the wedding, the story of how Michael and I actually got together and through it all she listened carefully.

"Mrs. Harris" there was a knock on the door before a man in suit walked in, pointing at his watch.

My mother looked over to the man and nodded before turning her attention back to me.

I've known this procedure since my childhood, it was time for her to go, so I smiled weakly at her before slowly getting up from my seat. But she held my hand and pulled my back down.

"With the papers I sent you, you are lawful holder of half of our family's business, but it's up to you what you want to do with it" she spoke.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You have different options here. You could either refuse, which in every case isn't a great idea. You could keep your share and be a still holder, meaning you have absolutely no risk but also no say in anything... or..." she paused.

"Or you could take your rightful place and help me leading all of this. I'd love to have you here."

My eyes went wide, I wasn't aware that she actually wanted me to.

"Think about my offer" she told me before she informed us that she needed to leave and that she'll be back in a week from now. Michael invited her to us for lunch when she'll be back, so until then I have to decide what I want to do with my heritage.

Michael's POV

We just passed the gates of Neverland. Maeve was quiet the whole ride back home, I don't blame her. She has a lot to think about now that her mother wants her back in the family.

Maeve has always been a thinker, she'd spent a lot of time in her head, figuring things out instead of saying the first thing that crossed her mind. She tends to overreact and she's well aware of it. I remember her always being outside when something was bothering her, she once told me that her thoughts feel trapped inside of four walls.

"Stop the car" I instructed and the vehicle came to a halt soon after.

Maeve, who has been looking out the window for the majority of the ride, looked over at me with a puzzled look on her face as I reached for the door handle and opened it.

"Come on, we'll walk the rest" I told her and reached for her hand. She gave me half a smiled before accepting my offer.

Soon after Maeve was outside, the car pulled away before we started walking next to each other in the direction of our house. It wasn't a long walk and since it was starting to get dark outside I thought it might be romantic.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked while scooting a little closer.

She shook her head. "No."

So we kept walking in silence until she decided to share her thoughts.

"I feel like everything I ever achieved was fake... I feel like a failure and what my mom is offering me is crazy considering all I ever achieved was because of her pulling some strings... I don't think I can run a small business, let alone run a worldwide company... I don't think I can do this..."

As I listened carefully to what she was saying, a song, that I wrote a little while ago popped up in my head. I initially wrote this song after Maeve told me that she will be able to walk again one day and I remembered being so inspired by her that I turned that feeling into a song, maybe it'll help her now.

"If you call out loud, will it get inside?" I started singing the first words and waited for her reaction. She had a skeptical look on her face, I continued nevertheless.

"Through the heart of your surrender, to your alibis

And you can say the words, like you understand

But the power's in believingSo give yourself a chance!"

By grabbing her hand, slightly pulling it, I made her whole body turn to face mine. With only a short distance between us, I continued singing.

"Cause you can climb the highest mountain, swim the deepest sea

All you need is the will to want it and a little self esteem

So keep the faith

Don't let nobody turn you 'round

You gotta know when it's good to go to get your dreams up off the ground

So keep the faith, baby, yeah

Because it's just a matter of time

Before your confidence will win out

Believe in yourself no matter what's it gon' take

You can be a winner but you got to keep the faith!"

(A/N: Keep the Faith is my favorite Michael Jackson song ^^)