Chapter 153

Robert’s debts soared to astronomical heights. It was amusing how easily it played out. He kept tabs on Robert, often popping up on him at unexpected times. Robert plotted against his nephew. He wanted to take Stewart Industries over and it use it as his own personal piggy bank. Robert had some connections in Singapore from his time there, and it proved useful.
However, when left to his own devices, Robert proved to be a touch dramatic.
***
“Hello, sir,” Robert said over the phone, sounding too much like an overstuffed peacock. “I have something for you that I think you’ll like.”
“Do you?” he yawned.
“Yes! I found a way to get money from my nephew. I think you should come see it.”
He perked up.
“Really? I’ll be right there.”
He had to admit he was intrigued. What scheme had Robert concocted? Mistake number one was that Robert had done whatever he’d done in his own home. It was an ostentatious mansion, the typical display of wealth that all of those little dick energy men made. Big homes, expensive cars, flashy jewels. That bawdy lifestyle that was meant to make them feel like more than they were. It was even more humorous because the Stewarts were old money. Robert should have known better.
He was escorted to the second floor, to an elegant room. Robert sat at an ornate desk which was across from a large painting. It was gorgeous landscape of a mountain range. It was the nicest thing he’d seen in the house. It was serene and for a moment, he felt the vitriol within him vanish. However, he knew that there was a camera hidden somewhere in that painting. It was Villain 101. Robert was going to need to step up his game. Despite how much he wanted to look at the painting, he kept his back to it.
Next to Robert, was a woman tied to a desk. A woman he hadn’t seen for a long time.
Her eyes opened wide, she opened her mouth to scream, but a slight shake of his head stopped her.
“Who is this?” he asked.
“This is Will’s wife. I thought that if I kidnapped her, I could ask for ransom.”
He threw his head back and laughed.
“You don’t pay attention, do you? That’s his ex-wife. Their divorce was everywhere in the society pages. She’s not the one he wants,” he said looking right at her. Her eyes were crazed. A frenzied desperation looked at him, and he knew. She was exactly who he needed.
“Oh,” Robert looked like a chastised child.
“Hey, don’t be too disappointed. This is a good idea. Just the execution is wrong. You can use this woman to finesse your plan. I’m going to take her with me and coach her. But first, you need to apologize. She’s done nothing wrong, except fall prey to your stupidity.”
“I am deeply sorry, Miss,” he said as he undid her bindings.
“It’s okay,” she whispered. She followed Ghost out of the room. “What are you doing here?”
“Ouch, is that how you greet me? Before you would have thrown yourself at me.”
“Go to hell!” she spat at him.
“Mmm, feisty,” he grabbed hold of her face and placed a rough kiss on her. “That’s fucking hot.”
“Get off of me!” she pushed him away. “I’m not who I was! You won’t hurt me again!”
“You sure aren’t,” he looked her up and down. “I’m not here to hurt you. I want to help you.”
“How could you help me?”
“I can help you get what you want.”
“What do you know about what I want?” she cried. “No one knows what I want! No one cares!”
“I care,” he caressed her face. As predicted, she melted into his touch. Love starved and lonely, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. He pushed her away.
“There will be plenty of time for that later,” he winked. “But now, let’s catch up.”
***
He took Grace to dinner than night, and she spilled everything. Just like he knew she would. She cried about Will and how thought he loved someone else. She laid her shattered heart on the table for him. Her soul was damaged, and her mind was warped. In her manic ramblings she mentioned Will’s girlfriend and the plan finalized in his mind. Grace continually sought him out, reaching towards him for any sort of affection. But all she did what talk about Will.
***
“I just fucked your brains out,” he scoffed. “And you’re still talking about Will.”
“He hasn’t touch me at all,” she said, her eyes seeing something that was far away. “He thinks he loves that bitch, Emma. She tricked him, you know. She trapped him with a baby. That should be my baby.”
“Are you even listening to me?” he asked, sitting up in the bed.
“I tried to remind him. It’s me. I’m the only one,” she sniffled. “He’s so confused, but I can’t give up on him. I just can’t. I know he loves me.”
“Grace,” he was getting annoyed with her. “I am talking to you.”
“It’s that stupid bitch, Emma’s fault. I can’t wait until I can get my hands on her. Will would do whatever it took to get her back. Even if I told him it meant he had to leave her.” She sat up and gasped. “Or I could kill her and take their baby and Will and I could be a family.”
He grabbed her face and made her face him.
“Say that again.”
“I’m going to kill her,” she repeated.
“Not that. The other thing.”
“Will would do anything to make sure Emma was safe.”
“God,” he roughly pushed her face away and pinned her to the bed. “You’re sexy as fuck when you’re being evil.” He pushed himself into her. “You’re so bad, I love it.”
“You love me?” Grace said, her voice breathy. “Oh, Will… I knew you did.”
***
Grace was completely broken. All she cared about was getting Will back or being relevant to him on someway. He was getting tired of it but knew exactly what to do about it. He would make sure that Grace got exactly what she wanted. The first step was to get kick Will off of his throne. The higher they are the harder they fall right? It gave him a spark of excitement. It was close to what he’d been chasing for so many years. That high. They only thing that brought him an emotion, the downfall of William Stewart.
Robert hopped on the “I-hate-Will” train and wanted revenge. Will had closed in on some of Robert’s shady dealings. He’d warned the man about getting sloppy, but his warning hadn’t been heeded. Which was fine. It only gave him more pawns in the game.
***
“Let’s go over the plan one more time,” he said, back in Robert’s study. Grace and Robert sat across from him.
“I’m going to message Will and say that I want to speak with him. I’ll send him photos of that whore and his baby.”
“And…” he prompted, using his hands to coax more out of her.
“And I’ll say that he needs to come if he wants to keep them safe.”
“Good. What else?”
“I’m going to get into the backseat of his car and leave the drugs there. Then I’m going to call the police and get him arrested.”
“Perfect. Robert, what about you?”
“I will plant the drugs in his office, and whisper in the board members ears. He’s already unpopular from what I’ve garnered. It won’t be difficult to have him ousted. I should also be able to delay his bail being posted.”
“Initiative, I like it. All right, everyone. Let’s get to work.”
***
The plan had worked, and Will was removed as CEO of Stewart Industries. It gave him immense pleasure to watch as Will was handcuffed and dragged away. From then on, he was always in the shadows. Always watching, always waiting.
Robert kidnapped a woman named Jessica Royce, the daughter of the building contractor he had scammed. She was the one who had indirectly put Will right in his path. He was careful not be seen by the hostage. She was a fighter and he had to admit he felt bad for her.
But she was yet another pawn and ultimately didn’t matter to him. No one mattered. People were a weakness. Loving someone put you at risk to be hurt. To be powerful, you had to become a void, a black hole where emotions to go die. He thought about Grace and what needing to be loved did to her. She was a crazed of the elegant, sexy woman she had been. Even when it was him pummeling into her, she only saw Will. That was fine. The deeper she fell, the more useful she would be.