I yank the tie from around my neck then fling it across the hotel room. Nighttime Dallas glitters on the other side of the windows. The meeting went down the toilet fast. The rezoning I need is a no-go because of blah blah blah, but I know what’s really going on.
There’s political pressure to thwart me. Just as there has been every step of the way.
Fury and restless energy rage through me, and I pace, unable to stay still. The continued interference is delaying my plans, and I hate delays.
I’m worth seven hundred million bucks. This project is going to create thousands of jobs. But that isn’t enough to smooth things over.
Elizabeth.
She has to be the one in my way.
Is this some new gambit to destroy me because your pathetic attempt to paint me as a rapist failed?
I think back five years. The threatened prosecution never materialized. But then the accusation was groundless anyway. Probably somebody in the DA’s office saw the light. Or maybe Granddad stopped them. After all, he did make me his sole heir a month after the clusterfuck blow-up with Elizabeth. Shaw Construction was a medium-sized company back then, but it had some pull with local politicians and the police.
My phone rings, and the screen flashes Liza.
Jesus. I still have her fucking number in my contacts.
Anger coalesces, sharp as a lance point. I want a fight. What better target than the woman who keeps fucking with my life?
“You little bitch,” I hiss into the phone. “Do you think your pathetic games can stop me?”
Her breath hitches, then I hear something that sounds suspiciously like a muffled sob.
What the hell?
She didn’t call to cry…
Then it hits me—it’s a choking titter. Tension grips my body. The giggle starts small, but grows in volume and hilarity until it becomes a full belly laugh.
Fury explodes like a volcano. A need for violence surges, and I grip my phone. “You fucking bitch—”
She’s laughing so hard, she starts hiccupping, her breath skipping harshly.
Before I can pour out the rest of my outrage, she hangs up.
My grip on the phone grows knuckle-white. My whole body shakes, air sawing in and out through my mouth. All the vicious words I want to say cause my throat to ache, and it’s all I can do not to throw the phone.
Instead, I reach for the empty crystal tumbler and hurl it against the wall, shattering it completely.
“Fuck! Fuck!”
I rake my hair, breathing hard. I pace, trying to rein in the frantic energy swirling inside.
Five more years.
That’s how long it should take to finish building my empire.
And then I’ll bring her to her knees.
——