Chapter 18: The Puppet Master

Marcus's POV

I sit in my apartment nursing a scotch, still thinking about the look on Elena's face when she read that inscription.

The way her eyes got all soft and vulnerable, exactly what I need.

My phone rings and Cassandra's name flashes across the screen…

 I answer on the second ring.

"Tell me you're making progress," her voice is sharp, impatient.

"I'm exactly where I need to be," I say, swirling the scotch in my glass.

 She's falling for it, falling for me, it's almost too easy.

"Don't get cocky," Cassandra snaps, "Alexander is already suspicious.

I saw him at the office today and he looked like hell, you need to move faster.

"Rushing will blow everything," I lean back against the couch.

"Elena needs to feel like this is real… like I'm her savior, that takes time and careful planning."

"We don't have time," Cassandra's voice goes cold.

"Alexander fired his investigator, he's watching surveillance footage obsessively, he knows something is happening."

"Good," I smile, "let him watch, let him see his wife choosing me over him, that's the whole point isn't it."

Cassandra is quiet for a moment, "You sound different, you're enjoying this."

"Why wouldn't I?" I say, taking another sip.

 Watching Alexander Harrington lose control is exactly what we wanted, the man deserves everything coming to him.

"Just remember what's at stake," Cassandra says, "the marriage contract has a fidelity clause.

 If she appears to cheat, if there's even a hint of infidelity, Alexander loses everything in the divorce, the company, the assets, all of it.

"I know the plan," I say, standing up to pour another drink, "I've read the contract a hundred times.

 Elena just needs to be compromised enough that when this goes public, there's no question about what happened."

"And she's falling for you?" Cassandra asks, "genuinely?"

I think about Elena's face tonight on that balcony, the way she looked at me when I said she wasn't invisible… 

"She's lonely, desperate for attention, for someone to see her as more than Alexander's wife.

Yes…she's falling, hard."

"Perfect," Cassandra's voice takes on this satisfied tone, "I've been feeding photos to the press, the lunch date, you visiting the Connecticut estate, it's building the narrative we need.

"What about Alexander?" I ask, "what's his next move?"

He his acting exactly as we needed him to

We both laugh out loud!

"He really doesn't understand how psychology works does he, every time he pushes, she runs further."

"That's why this is going to work," Cassandra says.

"Alexander thinks marriage is about control, about ownership, he has no idea how to actually keep a woman."

"Unlike me," I say, and I can hear the smugness in my own voice.

"Don't get attached," Cassandra warns, "Elena is a very profitable job, but still just a job."

"I'm not attached," I lie smoothly, "I'm playing a role, giving her what she needs to hear.

It's all calculated."

"Good," Cassandra says, "because Alexander will be in Japan for four days starting Monday, business meetings he can't miss, that's your window…

 That's when you make your real move."

"What kind of move?" I ask, even though I already know what she means.

"Take her somewhere romantic," Cassandra's voice is like ice.

Somewhere the paparazzi I've hired can get clear photos, make it look intimate, make Alexander see exactly what he's losing.

"I can do that," I say, my mind already planning.

 There's this restaurant in the Hamptons, very exclusive, very public.

"Perfect," Cassandra says, "and Marcus, when you're with her, make sure she feels like the most important person in the world, make her believe you're falling for her too."

"That won't be hard," I say, thinking about how easy Elena is to read, how desperate she is for affection.

"One more thing," Cassandra adds, "I want you to start asking about the foundation, about her work, get her talking about finances."

"Why?" I ask, curious now.

"Because there are some interesting irregularities in Harrington Enterprises' charitable donations," Cassandra says.

Money that should have gone to Elena's foundation but disappeared, if she starts asking questions, if she finds those discrepancies, it adds another layer to our case.

"You want her to think Alexander's been stealing from her foundation," I realize.

 That's brilliant.

"It's not just thinking," Cassandra's laugh is cold.

He has been stealing, through his father's old contacts, laundering money through charitable organizations.

 Elena just doesn't know it yet.

And when she finds out," I continue the thought, "she'll be devastated, betrayed, and she'll turn to me for comfort.

"Exactly," Cassandra says, "every piece is falling into place.

 Alexander is self destructing, Elena is vulnerable, and you're the hero in her story.

"What do you get out of this?" I ask again, because I still don't fully understand her endgame.

"Alexander Harrington took something from me years ago," her voice goes hard, bitter, "something I can never get back, so I'm taking everything from him, his wife, his son's affection, his company, his reputation, everything.

"What did he take?" I press.

"That's not your concern," Cassandra cuts me off, "just focus on your part, and do a perfect job..

"Consider it done," I say, and I mean it, the Harrington family deserves this.

Alexander with his cold control, his manipulation, treating Elena like property.

"I'll send you Alexander's detailed schedule," Cassandra says, "every meeting, every movement, so you know exactly when to strike."

"Perfect," I say, finishing my drink.

 Anything else?

"Just don't screw this up," Cassandra warns.

We're too close now, one wrong move and Alexander could turn this around.

"I won't screw it up," I promise, "Elena trusts me, she's opening up, sharing things she's never told anyone.

 I've got her exactly where we need her.

We hang up and I sit there in the dark, thinking about tonight, about the way Elena's hand felt in mine.

 The way she looked at me like I was saving her, this is going perfectly, better than planned.

I pull up the photo I took earlier when Elena wasn't looking, her on the balcony with the city lights behind her, wine glass in hand, that sad beautiful smile on her face.

 Tomorrow will be perfect for another plan…

That's when everything falls apart for the mighty Alexander Harrington.

I pour myself another drink, raising the glass to my reflection in the window.

"To the Harrington family," I say out loud, "may they get everything they deserve."

My phone buzzes with Cassandra's text, Alexander's schedule for the next two weeks, detailed down to the minute.

 I study it carefully, planning my next moves.

Elena has no idea what's coming, she thinks I'm her friend, her confidant, maybe even something more.

She has no idea she's the weapon I'm using to destroy her husband, and by the time she figures it out, it'll be too late.

Can't wait for tomorrow to come ….this is fun 

 I'll be there, playing my part perfectly, and she'll fall even deeper into this trap we've built.