There was always something to ruin the moment. The message made her stomach turn. Her blood turned to ice, and she wanted to throw up. She sat up in bed and furiously replied. *What do you want? How did you get my number?* A response came quickly. *We need to talk. Meet me on Saturday. The Hotel Belmont, Room 719. 3pm.* *No,* Emma typed back. Grace was crazy. Why was she doing this? *I won’t go.* *You better come. It’s about Will and his family.* Emma didn’t reply. *This is stupid,* she thought. Grace was not in her corner and nothing good could possibly come from meeting up with her. But her curiosity was getting the better of her. Nobody knew about Will and his family better than Grace. “Fuck,” she groaned. “Why is this my life?” Whenever she let herself believe things might work out between them, she’d get another sign. “Listen to the universe, Emma,” she said to herself. “It’s obviously trying to talk to you.” The water stopped running. Em
Emma left her father in the morning, and arrived home. Will was waiting for her. “Come with me,” he said. “We’re going somewhere.” “Ugh,” Emma protested. “Why?” “Come,” he insisted. Emma rolled her eyes, and remembered what she said to herself last night. *Just play the part, Emma.* “Fine,” she acquiesced. “Whatever.” She followed him out to his car, and hopped in. Will drove in silence, and Emma’s head leaned against the window. There were many things she’d rather be doing. Hunting for a job topped her list. While Spencer’s offer was tempting, it still didn’t feel right. Winning opportunities through favoritism might be okay for the wealthy elite. Emma was determined to earn her place, to work for it. She zoned out during the drive, the hum of the car settling her frazzled mind. “We’re here,” Will’s voice pulled her from her trance. “Where?” she said, but looked out and was surprised. Will had brought them to the hotel they went to when they fir
The decision not to go see Grace was easy to make in the moment. As she lay cuddled in Will’s arms, there was no need for anything else. If she left, the spell would be broken. But, part of her wanted to go and see what she had to say. Moreover, Emma wanted to confront Grace herself. *If you love him at all, you’ll come*, was Grace’s message the morning of their meeting. The sunlight streamed in on both of them, framing them in golden light. She looked at Will, and realized she’d never really seen him asleep before. Every trace of pain, and egotism was gone. He didn’t have to pretend to be the master of the universe. She leaned back down and faced him. *If you love him at all, you’ll come.* The message flashed in her mind over and over. It was easy to love him when he was like this. When he was sweet and sexy, it was impossible to resist him. When he was kind and vulnerable, it made her heart ache. She did love him despite every alarm bell going off in her mind telling her
The next couple of days were tense. Will hadn’t come home at all. He immersed himself in work during the day, and at night he was nowhere to be found. She felt like a bubble in an open field inside of that mansion. It was beautiful and vast, and she did not belong in it. She just floated around inside. Nowhere seemed suitable to land. Memories of Conrad lingered everywhere, triggering her guilt. He was probably rolling over in his grave at the state of them. The housekeepers and attendants kept their distant, and were very good at minding their business. But the house had eyes and ears in hidden places. She was certain they knew what was going between them. “Are you coming home tonight?” Emma asked, calling him after two nights of being gone. “No,” he was short with her.“Have you been with Grace at the hospital?” Emma had a feeling she knew where he was. She just hoped she was wrong. “Of course, I am. She needs me. She’s not well after you attacked her. Are you even so
It’s like they were stuck in some sort of torturous cycle. One of them was always to mess something up, and the other wouldn’t be receptive enough to listen. It was so stupid. Why did they continue to do this to each other? Emma’s thoughts were interrupted by her phone buzzing. It was Will. She took a deep breath and answered. “I need to talk to you,” she said as a greeting. “Did you come to the hospital to verbally attack Grace?” he asked. “I went there to find you. Instead, I found out that you were with her the day you came back from Italy. Why didn’t you tell me?” “Are you still stuck on that day? I thought we talked about this!” “No, we talked about you seeing her after the funeral and then about the day you two were having lunch. We never talked about why you left me waiting around for you like a fucking idiot when you got back!” “Is that why you attacked her?” “She just told me about it! And for the last time, I did not attack her. She set me
By the next morning, Emma’s decision to leave Will was final. All that was left was to put her plan into motion. She arrived at their mansion, taking it in. Soon this would no longer be her home. Perhaps then the guilt of betraying Conrad would leave. She would no longer be partaking of his generosity. That should assuage her shame. “Good morning, Mrs. Stewart,” one of the housekeepers greeted her. She cringed at the name. “Would you like to have some breakfast prepared?” “Yes please. Would you prepare two portions for me to take with me? I’d like to bring some to my father.” “Of course. I’ll get started on that immediately.” “Is Mr. Stewart home?” “No ma’am.” “Okay. Thank you.” “Of course, ma’am. I shall go prepare your breakfast now.” The housekeeper went towards the kitchen and Emma went into her room. Will wasn’t home. Good. She could do what she needed without him prying into her business. First on the agenda was to secure her own income. L
Will was surprised when he saw Emma’s father’s room was empty. “Excuse me,” he stopped a nurse that was walking by. “Yes sir? Oh hello Mr. Stewart.” “Hello. Where are my wife and my father-in-law?” “Oh,” the nurse’s face went pale. “Mr. Wells was discharged earlier today and she… took him home.” “Discharged? Why wasn’t I informed of this?” “My apologies. We assumed you knew. After Miss Emma fainted…” “Fainted?” Will yelled “What do you mean she fainted?” “I’m sorry,” The nurse shrank away. “She fainted earlier and refused any medical follow up. She insisted she was fine. Shortly after that, she had her father discharged and said she was taking him home.” Will ran back out of the hospital towards his car, not listening to the rest of the nurse’s explanation. He had to find Emma. He called and called and called but she didn’t answer. “Dammit, Emma. Where are you?” he asked the sky. He kept calling. The calls continued to be unanswered.
Persistent knocking erupted at Emma’s door. “What in the hell?” Emma wondered. Her father had gone to sleep, and she was nursing a headache from last night. The banging at the door wasn’t going to help either of them. Emma answered the door was surprised to find Will standing there. He looked awful, as though he hadn’t slept in days. “How did you find me?” she asked. “Are you kidding? You think you could just disappear on me?” “What do you want?” Emma sighed. “We need to talk.” Emma wanted to send him away. She wanted to turn away and walk out of her life. But they did need to talk. To resolve things once and for all. “Fine. Daddy just went to sleep. I have some time.” She stepped aside, making space for him. “Come in.” Will looked around the apartment as Emma led him to a cozy couch. “This is small,” he commented. “It’s more than enough for Daddy and me. Did you come here to insult my apartment?” “Why did you leave?” “Really?” E
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