The Other Side of Goodness by Vanessa Davis Griggs Page A

said.
    William continued. “We’re talking about the woman who says she was once friends with your daughter Paris?” William grunted. “The one that looks like she’s barely twenty-five?”
    â€œWell, she’s twenty-seven, same age as Paris.”
    â€œAnd she really thought she could just come up in here and threaten you with something like a child? A child she’s claiming is almost nine?” William shook his head as he chuckled. “Well, sir, I suppose I’ve heard just about everything now.”
    â€œWilliam, I’m telling you: She’s going to be a problem.”
    â€œNot with that lie she’s not. We’ll bust her before she can get started good with something like that,” William said. “Although I will admit that it does have some possible political fallout woven in there. Her putting something like that out in the public is damaging, even if it’s not true. She would have done better though to have a younger baby she was trying to blame on you. But it’s not like I’ve not had something like this to have to squash before. You remember that woman, about three years ago, who claimed you were the father of her child and threatened to go public if you didn’t pay her to keep quiet?”
    â€œI remember her.”
    â€œYou remember that she was lying through her teeth. But she thought you would pay her hush money just to not have a scandal on your hands to deal with. When I finished digging up stuff on her and presenting her with those facts, she was giving money to you and your campaign to keep her business under wraps.” William nodded. “I’ll just put my folks on this little lady, and we’ll shut down this noise right now. Gabrielle Mercedes Booker picked the wrong money tree to try and shake.”
    Lawrence leaned in. Placing a hand over his fist held up by his elbows, he set his chin on it. “William, this situation is a tad bit more complicated than the past situations have been. And this woman has let me know that she’s willing to fight if she has to.”
    â€œSo she’s willing to fight. I’m trembling in my boots. Well, tell her to bring it! Apparently, she’s never come against anyone like me and you. Let the games begin!”
    â€œShe says this eight-year-old child is in need of a bone marrow transplant. She’s merely trying to find a matching donor for the child. That’s it.”
    â€œWell,” William said. “There are ways to go about accomplishing something like that without trying to blackmail a government official for help. I hope you let her know you weren’t falling for this type of extortion, no matter how noble the cause.”
    Lawrence sat back against the chair and stared up at the ceiling.
    William leaned in. “Hold up.” He held his hand up in the air. “Is there some remote possibility this child really could be yours?”
    Lawrence swiveled his chair away from his desk slightly. “It’s possible. I don’t believe it’s true though. But I’m not going to sit here and tell you there’s no possible way.” He turned back and faced his friend.
    William cocked his head to the side. “ You were with her ? Some nine years ago? You slept with a girl who is young enough to be your daughter? A girl who was your daughter’s friend? What was she . . . eighteen years old at the time? And you slept with her?”
    â€œCan you keep it down,” Lawrence said, glancing at the closed door.
    â€œMattie’s not out there trying to listen in on you. Mattie worships the ground you walk on. She thinks you can do no wrong.”
    â€œBut still, I don’t want any of this to get out,” Lawrence said.
    â€œOkay, so do you want to tell me everything so I’ll know how to proceed in cleaning this mess up?”
    â€œDo I want to tell you everything?” Lawrence chuckled a little. “Not