planning

Conrad's POV

My eyes scanned the empty road carefully. There was no room for mistake, not even a bit. The media couldn't catch me and I sure as hell wouldn't let Adeline do either. If everything had to work out in my favor - being careful was my first savior. 

When I was sure that there was no watching, nothing lurking in the shadows, I crossed the road into the empty car park. I found his car there, just as we had rehearsed. The door was open already and so I easily slid it. 

He turned to look at me, locking the doors and fogging the windows. “You have everything with you?” He asked immediately. 

Somehow it seemed that Devon was even more threatened by this situation than me. He had been the one to give me the suggestion as soon as the news of Adeline's press conference made its round. But this, it had been all me. 

I opened the documents, one by one, displaying them on the dashboard as it should all be arranged. The phones that had been planted alongside this were also inside the file. “It's all ready. Let's go through this once again" 

He nodded and we began. 

I showed him the first document. “This is my phone where Adeline and I exchanged messages." I showed him the phone I had purchased a few years ago as my back up plan, one I now needed. One thing I had been taught was always - make sure to expect the worst. 

He nodded and I continued, “Adeline had knowledge of the legality of my foundation and everything in it” I showed him the fabricated messages. 

"Here's the conversation we shared about it. She knew this entire time, none of it was news.” 

"And we have the others to back that claim up?” It was a question that I was eager to answer. 

I shifted the phone and brought out the documents. "She signed these papers on the one year anniversary of our relationship. None of it came from pressure but love” they were just as fake as the messages but all i needed. 

"According to her signature here, the terms, she knew very clearly what she was getting into. She knew the state of my foundation and proposed to help” I continued. 

Devon smiled, "Good, that's perfect. These though need to be laminated. We can't have them thinking they were newly made” he advised. 

I was happy he had done so. Even the slightest mistake was enough to make ruins of the story we had. There was no way in hell I would let that happen. "Alright, I'll note that down. But make your copies as well” I shifted them to him. 

I showed him the last document, "Here are the bank transfers, these are real enough. Her name is clearly shown here, with the remarks she made. With this, the public will know that she willingly did everything she did” 

Devon looked impressed and satisfied at the same time. When he met my eyes, there was a glimmer in them but it didn't surprise me. I was sure I had that same glimmer in my eyes at that very moment. 

"Now, you've given something through the live  but there has to be more. So what exactly is the full story? Let's have it. We can't make any mistakes, not even one. Nothing that she can pick and use to work on” his face changed as if he had suddenly thought of something, "What if she goes to court?”

His question didn't surprise me. It was one I had asked myself severally. "We have our people within them. Once the thought makes its way, I'll file for a case first. She can't get ahead of us”

He sighed, "Why don't you file for one now?” He asked. 

I looked away then, not sure what to respond. Yes, everything had been a lie but if I filed a case, I would be putting her behind bars if we won. At least I didn't want to do that just yet, something held me back. "Let's get back to making our story” I said , changing the topic and hoping he would take the bait. 

He gave me a long look before nodding, "Alright then, go ahead. What is the story” 

Relief coursed through me before I began. "First of all, we start from the fact that within the relationship, she wasn't exactly the best. She had mood swings, one you must testify to” I looked at him but he shrugged, he knew already. 

"She wasn't so stable from the beginning and as time went by, she became less and less so.” I showed him a few papers, "Here are the sessions we booked with a couple's therapist” . They were fake session receipts one of my very close therapist friend was willing to forge for me. Not for free of course. By the time the deal was done, I was short three million dollars. 

"Excellent idea there. They'll definitely believe that” he looked impressed, a hilarious concept to me although nothing was funny. 

"And then when she found out about my cheating” I was willing to take the brunt of the backlash for that. If there was any other way to spin the story, I would have but clearly there wasn't. "She went even more insane”

My hands tapped the phone, "There's a recording in here of her telling me that she would make sure she destroyed me. She would bring my empire to its knees and then she would enjoy watching as I crumble" I smiled, impressed at myself as well, “Further proof of how crazy she was, now add jealousy and anger to that.”

“They'll think she lost it, made this plan with her uncle to frame you and is trying to destroy your image. Instead of the damage being on you, it'll be on her." Devon said exactly what I had thought. 

“We might have to prove a few of them, but I think most of them are good. What do you think?" I asked him. 

He nodded, "It's much more than good. It's absolutely excellent. That was perfect planning and we must stick to this story,” he looked at me carefully, "all of us” he said again. 

His implication wasn't lost on me. He was right, everyone had to be on the same page. Even the slightest change of story could cause too much confusion and the public would hop as far away as they could. 

"I know,” I simply said.  

He decided to let it go, "Alright then. The live was excellent. Everything went just as we had planned it to. So many of them believe us. Our likes shot up from five hundred thousand to two million. We got a few requests from notable businessmen, especially her father's enemies" 

The idea began to bubble up joy in me. It was excellent how all of this was working in my favor. People were now coming to meet me. My foundation was finding its way into the spotlight. Besides her money, she was giving me something else, even as she left. 

I couldn't help the smile on my face.  "Good, I can't believe it. We're really doing it”

He nodded, "Yes we are”