THE FIRST MOVE ON THE CHESSBOARD

LUCIEN

When Enoch had come to me with a business proposal, he had said he would give anything to get a contract from us. His meeting with Theo had been nothing but him putting himself out plain for me to use as I pleased.

"Tell Mr Vexley that I can give him whatever he wants; all I need is his stamp of approval on this contract." Theo had relayed his words to me, and quite frankly, I was not in the least bit shocked. The man had a track record of being that way.

"So what do you want to do?" Theo had asked me that evening while we sipped whisky together in the minibar. "You have been waiting for a long time to take our revenge; is this finally going to be the time you do?" Theo was concerned about me.

I had poured my entire time and energy into creating a brand around my name, not because I had the need to be rich but because, to punish those who made my life a living hell, I had to be on top of them and have them crawling back to me.

"Ask him to give his daughter to me," I say and Theo's head flips to me like it was a rotating disc. He thought that he was hiding his disgust for his daughter from the public but the truth was that everyone could see how much he hated her. It was not a surprise to me, seeing how he had treated my family.

"Sir, I do not think that would be a good idea."

"I need her," I say. I don't know why I need her but I am sure I would find use for her in my grand plan to get back at her father and I am very sure I can utilise her pain as well for my advantage. She hates him and she knows him as well so who better to help me out?

"Sir, you can very well..."

"Theo, I do not need you to advise me," I say with a wave of my hand as I twirl the whisky in my hand gently. "I know what I am doing and I have a plan," I add.

Theo takes a deep breath and agrees with me: at the end of the day, my word is the law. "Just tell him to hand her over to me, as my wife and I would hand over the project to him."

Theo had reported how excited he was to do so. It was strange because even though everyone wanted to do business with Vexley, they still stayed away from me personally as much as they could. The rumours about me were not in any way friendly either. He was even so eager to send her away that he promised to make it within two days.

Theo had gone to pick her up, and when he dropped her off downstairs, he came up to inform me. "What is she like?"

"Quiet and a bit calculating," Theo responded.

"Anything I might need to know?"

"Nothing for now," he said. "I have asked her to come down for dinner."

"And you think it's safe for her to see my face?" I ask because only a few people have seen me as Mr Vexley, and I wonder if she was ready for it.

"If you want to set your revenge plan into motion, then you must earn her trust. Even though she seems to hate her family, I doubt she would easily turn on them as you think," Theo replied. This was one of the reasons I had kept him close to me. He always knew exactly what to say, and if not for him, I might have jumped into many risky situations without calculating the risk. My plan for revenge might just have been a failed attempt with me behind bars and Enoch thriving in reality.

"You are right," I say, taking out a cigarette and sticking it into my mouth. I light it and puff out some smoke into the air.

"Is there anything else you would want me to do?"

"Proceed with the contract with Mr Thanore as usual, so he does not suspect a thing," I say. I have to make sure he does not see what hits him when I strike. He celebrated today, but in a few months, he wouldn't even be able to tell why he was alive. I smoke a cigarette for a while before going to take a shower to cleanse off the smell from my body, and then I go down for dinner.

I hear footsteps approach the dining room where I sat. I sit still, as I know that the first meeting between us has to go well; otherwise, this marriage would have been a fail. She stops in front of me, her hands fly to her mouth and from underneath, she whispers. "You are handsome?" in a questioning manner.

I am thrown aback by her question or statement; I shift in my seat because I do not believe that should be on the top of her worries now. I blink multiple times and a smirk crosses my face. "You seem to be disappointed," I say and she shakes her head.

"I mean, that was the least of my worries because I definitely did not care what you looked like, but you looking good makes it a tad better," she says, the words rolling off her tongue. I wonder if Theo was being sarcastic when he said she was quiet. She seemed to have a lot to say. "I mean, don't get me wrong; I am not saying that changes anything; it's just a shock," she finished, and I took a deep breath.

"It seems you were expecting me to be a beast?"

"Well, according to the rumours," she paused as if she was considering her words. "Yes, I expected you to be a scared man with everything wrong," she added.

"You seem to like rumours and tales," I say with a tilted head. "Why not sit?"

"Here?" She points to the chair by my right and as I was about to shake my head in disapproval, she pulled the chair out and settled herself into it; her unfamiliar but sweet scent catches my nose.