Chapter 20

-Jared-

Alison really was the obsessive type. Even when I tried to steer the conversation elsewhere, she would return to the starting point, her hunger not satisfied. But I couldn't tell her the truth. That would be giving the woman exactly what she wanted. She had become... a source of comfort, almost. Torturing her had its appeal, but it also meant I wanted to be around her. My intentions may not have been noble for wanting to be in her presence, but it still implied I wanted to spend my time with her, something I would never admit to Alison.

I told myself it was familiarity. That was why I resorted back to it. It was human nature to do so, and Alison and I had a long history together. Despite the pain we had inflicted on one another, we were still familiar with each other, and that notion made us constantly return. But how was I going to explain my reasons if I couldn't be fully honest with her?

"Maybe it's time I took off," I said and pushed off the chair.

She rolled her eyes and pointed at the door. "Yes, go! I've told you to do so from the beginning."

"You know, for someone who is obsessed with me, you certainly don't want me around much."

"If we were on a deserted island, I wouldn't even wear clothes and would ride you all day long, screaming my love for you. But this is not a deserted island, and I'm still Alison Brown. What would I do with a loser like you around me?" she inquired, putting on her well-practiced mask as she flipped open her laptop.

"You always were so good at that. Switching from one personality to another. But it's good to know my presence still disturbs you."

"It does. So I'm guessing you're coming back despite my confession regarding my feelings for you?"

"We both know I am," I stated.

"Just not to my office."

"Yes, your office. Someone should keep tabs on the boss too," I teased before turning away from her.

"Jared, not my office!" she yelled.

"I will see you soon, Mrs. Brown."

"Screw you!"

"You get to do that later," I said as I walked away, a tiny smile on my lips, which I quickly forced away.

I walked out, turned, and was about to go down to the elevator when I glanced behind myself. I didn't mean to retrace my steps, but I did, glancing into the office where Alison sat. I had watched her for a long time before I made my move, and yet, this time seeing her from afar felt different.

Maybe because we had moved past the contract, I had gotten a chance to see beyond the fa?ade. But as a throat cleared, I turned my head to see the assistant further away, noticing how I was peeking into Alison's room. I gave her a little smile before I continued onward, but it was obvious from the way she looked at me that she had noticed the expression on my face.

"She has some free time Thursday, space between meetings," Maddy informed me as I stood by the elevator. I turned my head, but she was smiling as she focused on her computer.

"What time?" I asked.

"12 o'clock, but you only have 15 minutes."

"All I need," I said, before the doors dinged open and I walked in. That assistant I was starting to like, I concluded, and as the doors closed, I found myself smiling once more before I descended to the ground floor and walked through the lobby.

The sun was still high in the sky outside, and I wondered what I should do with the rest of my day before I worked tonight. Astrid had sadly kept me to herself this weekend, and I hadn't been able to do much work. I should be trying to get closer to these men, to annihilate them one by one. Maybe I should start with Cal or Rick? It was hard to make a decision.

They were all scumbags I wanted to cut to pieces, but these men were tightly intertwined. If I took out one of them, the rest would grow alarmed, and it would be much harder to get to them. No, I needed them all in one room, but when and how?

It would be much simpler if they all lived together or if I could secure them a private room in their club. However, the last time they gathered, not everyone was present—Alison's father and a few others were missing. Yet, something about her father unsettled me. He concealed his true nature remarkably well. I would never have suspected he was involved in such sinister activities. Unlike the others, who emitted a distinct creepy vibe, Alison's father appeared entirely ordinary. However, it was precisely those seemingly normal individuals who often posed the greatest danger.

"What to do?" I mused to myself before I got a text, seeing Astrid was asking me when I was coming back.

I didn't answer her but put my phone away, gazing at the parking lot, and then realizing what I could spend my time on. If I was going to get close to Alison's father, I knew the best way in, and it wasn't through his daughter.

I pulled out the number her mother had given me at the party, telling me I could call her anytime. That woman certainly exerted herself to get her claws into you by any means possible, and she answered me quickly. Once I mentioned who I was, she eagerly welcomed me over.

I put the phone away before getting in my car and driving to her house. She beamed at me in a way she had never done before. There was a time when Callie would have rather used me to cross a dirty pool of water, me as the bridge, than smile at me. This time she acted overly happy. She showed me around the house, which had been dressed down after the party, but was still as extravagant as it could get with these people. When she was done showing off her wealth, we sat down and she ordered some coffee and snacks.

She was sure to be a good host for me, but I was merely interested in what her husband was doing. However, I was also wondering how much she was aware of. Maybe it was a team effort? I hadn't read anything about it, but I wouldn't underestimate a woman like Callie.

As I was leaning back on the couch with a coffee in my hand, I couldn't help but notice she took hers Irish, slipping a little extra into the mug before taking a sip. She was very subtle. You wouldn't expect her to be a drunk, but Alison hadn't been lying to me. Her mother had a problem.

"So, Jared, I barely got to ask you many questions about what you've been up to in the last few years. My daughter seemed to want to keep you mostly to herself," she chuckled. Though Alison and I hadn't spent much of that evening together, it was the only connection Callie could come up with.

"Working," I replied.

"I can imagine," she said, gesturing to me. "Did you find funding for your education?"

"Secret family member," I teased, making her chuckle in that overly light tone that made me feel like the funniest man on the planet.

"I worked my way up to the top," I revealed.

"Without an education? That is impressive," she exclaimed. "My husband is a bit the same way. You know he wanted to study art? Of course, his father made sure he didn't make such a foolish choice."

I couldn't quite see how it was comparable at all. He did indeed obtain an education, though he employed it for purposes far beyond merely establishing his own company. However, perhaps an education in art wasn't so distant from what he squandered his dirty money on. After all, there were numerous explicit paintings of women, suggesting he had always been a predator.

"Um, how is it similar?" I inquired.

"Well, he also started from humble beginnings," she clarified.

How I yearned to correct her, as it appeared we held vastly different interpretations of what constitutes a "humble beginning". Her husband had been bestowed with so much due to family wealth, as had she. They were all products of affluence.

"I see," I murmured.

Callie smiled at me as she sipped her coffee before noticing the band on my hand.

"Married?" she inquired.

"Yes."

"But your wife didn't come to the party?"

"She's not the social type," I lied.

"Kids?"

"Not yet."

"Oh, trying?" she questioned, appearing happy. But I knew if it wasn't for the way I appeared now, she wouldn't have wanted me to reproduce.

"Yes," I replied.

"How wonderful. There is nothing better in this world than kids. You know I absolutely adore my Alison. It's such a shame she hasn't yet gotten pregnant herself. I know she would be an excellent mother," Callie said, and I could almost believe her if it weren't for everything I had learned from Alison. I knew then where Alison got her great acting skills from because I was looking at the master.

"I'm sure it will happen," I lied, knowing only something divine could get Alison pregnant.

"Yes, of course," Callie agreed. "Oh, maybe your kids will go to school together like you two did!"

I tried not to feel a sour taste in my mouth imagining that scenario.

"Perhaps."

"You two always were so close. You know, my Alison could never stop talking about you. Sometimes I did wonder if there was something amiss with that girl, but you know how powerful a girl's crush can be," she chuckled, sipping more of her coffee. I realized it was loosening her up a bit, yet I also felt annoyed. The way she spoke of her daughter made me sick.

"Really? I never noticed she liked me."

"No? Well, you boys rarely see the subtle signs," she teased.

Subtle signs?I mused inside myself. Alison seized every opportunity to inflict pain upon me. What subtle signs did she reveal? Then, a memory surfaced. When the new girl displayed interest in me, Alison"s cruelty intensified. Were there other instances?

Alison mentioned the car incident, and she did rescue me from the football players who had abducted me. Yet, deciphering her motives required the skills of a mind reader. I concluded that subtle signs were non-existent.

Alison was a privileged child accustomed to having her desires fulfilled. Despite this, my anger diminished somewhat in Callie"s presence. Growing up without a mother had been a challenging experience, yet I found myself uncertain about whether I would trade that absence for a woman like Callie.

"We had other things to think about," I continued the banter, and she chuckled.

"Of course. I remember you were quite artistic yourself. Do you still draw?" she inquired.

"Sometimes. Rarely anymore. Life gets in the way."

"I'm sure you are very busy."

"Much like your husband. Is he around?" I asked, gazing around the house.

"No, he loves the office more than his home," she sighed.

"Late nights?"

"When doesn't he have those?" she retorted.

Late nights, I thought to myself. We knew what that was code word for, and I nodded a little.

"Do you ever go to see him in the office?" I inquired.

"He likes his privacy."

Privacy, the word echoed in my mind.

"He doesn't work from home, ever?" I inquired.

"Sometimes, but even then, he doesn't want to be disturbed," she explained. I tried to remember the tour around the house. Maybe if I came back after nightfall or maybe at dinner, I could find something. Nightfall might be too risky, considering what the devil in this house did for a living. Dinner would provide excellent cover, and I would be invited into the house.

"Well, you have all this thanks to him," I said, with a teasing tone in my voice.

"Oh, don't get me wrong. I love my husband and everything he has provided for us."

Why wasn't she a politician?I thought to myself. While the words were obviously rehearsed, she delivered them with so much sincerity that I was close to falling for it.

"Of course. Your love always shone out of the two of you. You're a great team and wonderful parents," I lied.

"Oh, stop it. It takes hard work, as I am sure you know with your own wife."

I felt my stomach turn even thinking about working together with Astrid. My best weapon against her was simply to avoid her, or she would try to get me naked. While other husbands might appreciate such behavior from their wives, I certainly wasn"t one of them, nor would I ever be. Each aspect of Astrid"s beauty only served to repulse me further.

"Yes, it does," I agreed.

"I sure do hope you will have a little one on the way soon. As I said, there is nothing better in this world than raising a child."

What a load of crap, I thought. Not that the words didn't hold truth for many people, but they were utterly fake coming from this woman's lips.

"Yes, a blessing," I murmured, hating every moment I was trapped in this house. Soon, Callie began chatting away about herself and the dinner. She reassured me that her daughter would be attending too, as if that held sway. It almost felt like Callie feared she had made a wrong decision by not trying to matchmake the me and Alison. But of course, I had gotten the stamp of approval now, and that changed her view of me.

Regardless, nothing was going to alter my course of action. I remained determined to dismantle this entire family. Alison should count herself fortunate she hadn"t followed in her mother"s footsteps, becoming a housewife dependent on her husband. Once her father"s deeds were exposed, numerous truths would surface, and Alison would likely have little left if not for her own efforts.

As the day grew late, Callie led me to the door, but I knew it wasn't going to be the last time I came here. I looked forward to the dinner, knowing the many important people who were going to attend. As I reached my car, I noticed several texts from Astrid urging me to come back so we could resume working on conceiving a child. She emphasized that she was only a few days away from her period and that we needed to seize every opportunity for intercourse. I rolled my eyes in frustration. I felt like nothing more than a cow, being milked for breeding purposes, and I had no desire to return home. Instead, I longed to escape elsewhere.