Emma tried to look away, but it was too late. Spencer called her over. “Emma!” he called. “Don’t go. Come here.” Emma reluctantly walked over. “This is my friend,” he said to the woman he was arguing with. “I’d like to speak with her. Can you leave us?” “But I…” “Please, just go.” The woman glared at Emma, but said nothing else and left. Emma felt a surge of disappointment. Spencer had always seemed so sweet, but it turned out he was just like Will. “Sorry I missed you at the final,” he said. “How about grabbing a cup of coffee or something now that I have you? “Oh yeah, sure,” Emma agreed. She was reluctant to go with him. But she had no reason to say no. “Great, I know this great spot. It’s right down the street.” “Okay.” “Sorry I used you like that just now,” he said as they walked. “That was my ex. She, um, cheated on me and now is trying to get me to take her back. I saw you and figured I could use you to get away from her.” “Oh
Will arrived to his hotel room after another day of battle. Things in Italy were worse than he feared. He didn’t intend to stay as long as he had. The memory of Emma, and how had been that night stayed with him. He couldn’t wait to get back and have an encore performance. Any other business trip would have found him with a different girl in his hotel room each night. There was only one girl on his mind, and it was strange to him. Their “relationship” had taken twists and turns he hadn’t anticipated. Not once did he imagine things would happen the way they did. *How interesting.* He looked at the clock and saw it was time to call Emma. As he waited for her to answer, a small smile crept over his face without his permission.“Hey,” she answered. He could hear that she was messing with something. She sounded distracted. “How did it go?” “It was amazing. The judges really liked me.” He had expected a rapid fire, mile long babble, complete with minute details. She seem
It was well past midnight when Will got home. Emma laid in her bed, trying to sleep but her eyes would not close. It was clear that he was trying to sneak around so as not to announce his arrival. She felt too drained to deal with him, and hoped he would just go to sleep. But to her surprise, Will crept into her room and into her bed. She closed her eyes and pretended to sleep. Will snuggled up behind her, and hugged her. Had Emma not known about him being with another woman all day, she would have found the gesture to be sweet. But she was just irritated with him. He pulled her closer to him, and kissed her neck. She yelped in surprise when he kissed a sensitive spot at the base of her ear. She felt him smile against her skin now that he knew she was awake. “I’m home,” he breathed, and continued to kiss along her neck. He started to undo her pajamas, and that was too much for Emma. He had the audacity to try and be intimate with her when he was out all day with someone else
Will’s eyes shot daggers in Spencer’s direction while his arms tightened around Emma. She tried to wiggle free, but Will’s held her in a vice grip. “Again, I’m sorry about him,” she apologized, but her tone was angry. “Drive back safely.” Spencer didn’t say anything, his eyes shocked as he looked back and forth between Will and Emma. After a few moments a knowing smile stretched across his face. He chuckled, but the sound was awkward and forced. “Be good to her,” he said to Will. His voice was light and conversational, but will could detect the veiled threat beneath it. “You can go now,” Will glared at him. “Bye, Emma. I’ll see you later,” Spencer said, ignoring Will. He got in his car and drove away. Emma wedged her arms in between her and Will and shoved him away from her. “What the hell was that about?” she shouted at him. “Why were you there all day?” “You have got to be kidding me!” Emma yelled, but realized they were still outside. “Insid
Will and his mother walked in. Julia Stewart wore the same sour look she had at the wedding. She glared at Emma. “Well, well, well. If it isn’t the little gold-digger herself. Ava, wasn’t it?” “Her name is Emma,” Will answered, his fists clenched at his sides. “And will not speak to my wife in that manner!” “Don’t raise your voice at me, I am your mother!” “You haven’t been my mother in a long time,” Will’s voice was dark. He was angry, but Emma detected a heavy sadness as well. Julia crossed her arms and scoffed, but had no rebuttal for him. Will ignored her presence and took his place at his grandfather’s side again. “Pop, I spoke with the doctor. She said that you’ve not been well for a while. Why didn’t you say anything?” Will went from an enraged, wounded man to a scared, and caring grandson. Will hated to show any weakness, but Emma knew there was one weakness he could never hide. And it was how much he loved his grandfather. “What good would that
Conrad’s funeral was massive. Emma and Will were wiped out physically from moving. Conrad had given them his home, and Will made arrangements for them to move in as soon as possible. Every important person the city attended, as well as the press. Will had closed all offices of Stewart Industries for the occasion so that the employees would be able to attend. Emma stood at his side, greeting guests as they walked inside the funeral home. “Thank you for coming,” Will said robotically as people walked past him. Even as Alex and Sabrina walked in, he didn’t seem to notice them. Emma did her best to be the dutiful, supportive wife. She was worried about him. All he did was work. Meals went untouched, and he wasn’t sleeping. He looked worn and thin, like he could fall over at any moment. When her mother died, she was young. But losing someone you love hurts at any age. There was nothing she could do for him. He refused to cry, or talk about it. He was drowning in his grief
Of course. Of course, he was with Grace. He told her he needed to be alone. But it was so he could be with Grace. Why did she let this continue to happen to her? “Emma, you just say the word and I will end him,” Sabrina continued. “Girl, I swear to God, I will end him so hard that no one will even know he existed.” “I may take you up on that. Let me call you back.” “I’ll be here,” Sabrina promised and hung up. Emma sank into the couch and let her head fall into her hands. She grabbed one of the cushions and screamed into it. “I am such an idiot!” she yelled into it. Rage, betrayal, and jealousy churned within the pit of her stomach making her feel sick. He could have told her that he wanted to see Grace. Why did he have to lie? Now she looked like to stupid pathetic wife of a rich playboy who was getting cheated on. If he had just told her the truth, she wouldn’t feel so bad. “Oh, stop lying to yourself,” she yelled at her herself, and hurled the pillow acros
Emma was processing the fact that she had won a prize in the contest. It was more than she could have hoped for. Her phone rang, and she answered. “Congratulations!” Spencer cheered. “I just saw the contest results, and I saw you placed! Everyone in the industry is going to want you now.” “Thanks,” Emma smiled despite herself. “I think I’m still in shock. Getting to the final was great enough. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would place.” “I told you! I’m going to try even harder to get you to work with me. You’re the hottest new architect around. Let me take you to lunch to celebrate, and hopefully sell you on the idea of working here.” “Sure, that sounds lovely.” “Great! I’ll take you to this amazing place downtown. Dress nice. It’s on the fancier side.” “Spencer, that’s too much!” “Nonsense! You deserve it! Besides, you shared your homemade cake with me. I could never repay that.” “Okay,” Emma laughed. Send me the address, and I’ll
Six months later “Stewart Industries Landmark building construction was completed today. The twenty-story building boasts retail, commercial, and event space. The impressive building has already become a hallmark of the city with a silver tower as its crown. Glass windows glisten in the sun. And anyone in the city can enjoy the gorgeous public park that surrounds it. It is a gorgeous and shining collaboration of the best and freshest minds in the city. William Stewart has named the structure, ‘The Conrad Tower,’ in honor of his beloved late grandfather. The city awaits now for the building to open and for all the new opportunities it will create. This has been Susanne Winters for Channel 16 news.” They all cheered and toasted the completion of the building, gathered around Will and Emma’s living room. “Here’s to The Conrad Tower!” Will raised his glass. “And to all the people that helped make it possible! I wouldn’t have been able to do this without you all. Thank you.” They raised
The high from the success of the show had worn off, and Will felt himself spiraling. His pulse quickened; a sheen of cold sweat sprouted on his forehead. He held it together the best he could while around others. But alone, with nothing but his memories to accompany him… it was always the worst.As he arrived home and prepared himself for another lonely night, he was greeted by something unexpected. A large truck was parked in front of his home. Men moved in and out of it, bringing things inside.“…The fuck?” he muttered as he parked his car. “Excuse me,” he called out to them. “This is my home. What are you doing here?”“I hired them,” a voice said from the doorway of the house. He looked over towards the familiar voice, not daring to believe it. But there she was, bathed in the light from inside the house. “Hi, Will. I’m sorry if I startled you, but I w
Their days were filled with appointments. Every time they turned around, there was somewhere to be. Will had been discharged and had the company to take care of. With the building finally underway, Stewart Industries was thriving again. It was a rare moment that he got time to himself. And even when he did, everyone else was busy with their own hectic lives. Will floated around his giant, empty home. He went to work, came home, did his physical therapy exercises, and went to sleep. Alone. He found, in recent days, that alone was not a good place for him to be. Nightmares plagued his sleep, and he jumped at the slightest noises. Monsters had moved from under the bed and in the shadows to inside his mind.He hated it.Emma hadn’t been able to make good on her promise to move back. Things were hectic, and no one had time for anyone anymore. It had been almost two weeks before he saw anyone. They all called and messaged each other, but it wasn&rs
Will’s recovery was slow. The doctors had informed him that taking that bullet as such close range did a lot of damage, but it was the reason he wasn’t dead as nothing major was hit. He wasn’t out of the woods yet and would need a good round of physical therapy. The medical staff agreed that he needed to stay in the hospital for at least a week so they could monitor him. Emma and Alex fussed over him, making sure he listened and did everything according to the doctor’s orders.On the fourth day, he was restless and just wanted to leave. Alex was in the room with him, telling him off for not listening.“You’re being a brat,” Alex scolded him.“I just want to get out of this bed,” Will whined.“Try getting out again, and I’ll break both your legs.”“How very Mafia of you,” Will smirked.“Shut up,” Alex swatted at
Chaos exploded around them. Shouts and screams filled the air as Captain Whitlock ordered that Ghost be apprehended and an ambulance be called. Ghost dropped his gun and raised his hand in surrender as his fantasy came to life right before his eyes.“Beautiful!” he said over the din. “It’s more beautiful than I could ever imagine.”“Shut up,” Captain Whitlock spat as he wrenched Ghost’s hands behind his back. “You’re going to go away for a very long time. They may even make a case for the death penalty against you.”“I hope they do,” he said with a contented sigh. “I’ve done all I have ever wanted to do.”“Take this vile piece of shit. And read him his rights. This arrest needs to be perfect. I swear if this fucker gets out on a technicality, I’ll fire the lot of you!”An officer took Ghost a
Will turned around and the world moved in slow motion around him. About ten feet away from them, there he stood. Ghost. Denis. The man responsible for all the pitfalls in his life stood ten feet away from them, the sunlight glinting off the barrel of an ornate silver gun. How could he have been so careless?“Surprise,” Ghost sang.“How…” Will began to ask.“How did I get so close?” Ghost finished. “Without anyone noticing. Hmm…” he used the gun to scratch his temple for a moment and then pointed it back at them. “I’m the monster in the dark. The one under your bed. The one your parents warn you about. Oh wait… your parents wouldn’t warn you about anything. They’ve been trying to sacrifice you to the darkness for years,” he said with feigned contrition.“What do you want?” Will asked. His eyes darted around, looking for
They really thought they were smart, huh? They thought he would fall for their little traps. However, he couldn’t deny that they had presented him with the perfect opportunity. Will was serving himself on a silver platter. It would be so easy to just take care of him then. His ultimate fantasy could play out the way he’d always dreamt of. The very public murder of William Stewart was just something he couldn’t pass up.What reason was there even to hide anymore? They had revealed his identity. Everyone knew who he was. So, what purpose did the shadows serve him anymore? Perhaps it was time to come out into the light and end this charade. His last card against Will had been used up. He’d run out of games.“Let’s play,” he chuckled, loading his gun. “No plans. No backups. This is it.” His heart raced with elation as he envisioned a bullet ripping through Will. Hearing his loved ones cry as his body crump
The interview was a smash. The city was on high alert, and Ghost’s name was on everyone lips. The few times Sabrina went out, it’s all she could hear anyone talk about. She couldn’t help but feel a little proud. Captain Whitlock received dozens of calls and tips. Many people said how they knew Denis, and how there was no way he could be Ghost.Others said that they’re surprised they never saw the signs. Some offered clues and places that Denis used to frequent. He traipsed the city, following these clues. Most led to nothing. Just traces of an old that Ghost himself probably wouldn’t recognize. But there was one call…“Um… hi. Is this Captain Whitlock?” It was hesitant man’s voice.“Yes, how can I help you?”“I’m calling about Denis Ratcliffe.”Captain Whitlock received so many of these calls he was numb to them.
Will let the water wash over him as he tried to steady his frenzied heartbeat. The truth was that they were terrified. For Ghost to be so brazen as to just waltz into the police station and open fire did not bode well for any one of them. It was clear that Ghost was just as ready to end this as they were. He leaned his forehead against the cold tile, letting the rhythmic beating of the water of against his back soothe him.Soon enough, a shower wouldn’t be such an event. At least not the ones he took alone, anyway. Steam rolled off of skin as he emerged from the shower. Emma had laid out some clothes for him. Just a white t-shirt a pair of gray sweatpants. He laughed. Now that he was free and clean, he wanted to hold his baby.He went downstairs, back to the dining room where everyone was gathered.“Where is Lizzie?” he asked.“Right here,” Emma said. She stood behind him, holding a