Chapter Four: Target Practice, the hunter and the prey

ZOE

I stared at the last picture the entire board had taken together before my mother was bundled to prison based on a lie.

I stared from one man's face to another, the rage inside of me mounting as I observed that they were all smiling, looking untouchable in their various tuxedos.

After my mother's rejection of my choices, I thought I knew hatred, but this was a new discovery. I didn't even know any of the five men staring at the camera before me personally, but I already hated each and everyone of them.

They had ganged up against an innocent woman just so they could have the company to themselves.

The guts to perpetrate such an act. Did they have no conscience at all?

The doorbell rang, the shrill sound interrupting my hate spell and wiping the look of disdain off my face.

I opened it, and hugged Tristan as soon as I saw the familiarity of his smile.

“Well,that's strange. You rarely do hugs.” He kissed my bottom lip possessively as he slipped out of his coat.

“How are you? You called me in the middle of hooking up with a married woman who has always wanted me, but I left it for you.”

I smiled exhaustedly.

“Does that mean you'll do anything for me?”

He shrugged as he kicked off his shoes.

“Maybe.”

Tristan and I had done countless contents together to the extent that we were mistaken as a couple by some of my subscribers.

But deep within me, I knew I couldn't be in a relationship with Tristan. He was a creator, and so was I.

We were the type of people that didn't believe in “settling down.” At least, not yet.

I placed a cup of coffee in front of him as I racked my head for the best way to present my dilemma to him.

“What's up, Zoe? You don't call me to your home and treat me like a guest. Something's eating you up.”

I shrugged as I sipped from the porcelain cup I had poured my own share of coffee into. I looked into the steaming liquid for a moment, as if I was trying to get the courage I needed from it.

“My mother is in trouble, Tristan.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“Your mother? The same woman who threw you out of her house three years ago?”

I had to admit, I had painted my mother in a bad light after we split. What other choice did I have? I was young and needed support, which she refused to give. I was hurt.

“She's in prison, Tristan. For something she didn't do. She's innocent.”

His mouth was shaped into an “O”, a move that told me he didn't know what to make of the information he had just received.

Without waiting for his input, I slipped into my bedroom and returned with my iPad.

On the screen were the six members of the board, my mother included. Underneath the picture was an article that spoke about my mother's crime.

I watched Tristan read slowly, twirling the coffee in his cup. When he was done, he shook his head in disbelief.

“They ganged up against her, Tristan. All of them. “ I paused before adding, “ But she can go scot free during an appeal trial if she has concrete evidence.”

He looked at the picture again, then back at me.

“What are you going to do?” He glanced at his now empty cup, then back at me. “You sound as if you have a plan already.”

“It was my mother's plan, actually,” I smiled, “But I don't see how it's going to work. Apparently, she wants me to use my modelling to get evidence from each of the men.”

Tristan glared at me.

“You want to use sex to get the required evidence from them? From five men? How possible is that?”

I chuckled nervously as I returned from the kitchen with the coffee machine as I refilled his cup and mine.

“You…you don't have to do this, Zoe. It…it's dangerous. These men may have power, connections. They can do anything to protect their image. You're a speck in the matrix…”

“I've never heard you sound so concerned about me before.”

I laughed, a sound that came from a place of worry and anxiety.

“I mean…you can't pretend you don't see the danger. I know you want to help your mother, but I need you to be logical about whatever decision you're going to make…”

“I'm doing it,” I chimed in without waiting for him to finish, “I’ve hated my mother for the past three years, but I admit it's time to let that hatred go. I cannot sit back and watch her waste thirty years of her life in prison over a crime she didn't commit.”

He sighed, and for the first time, I noticed he was holding his cup with both hands, something he rarely did.

“Alright, I respect your decision, but I need you to be extremely cautious. The business world can be a cruel and brutal place, especially when finances and reputation is involved.”

I smiled brightly at him as I crossed the distance between us and nibbled at his ear before dabbling in a kissing fest with him.

“What was that for?”

“For supporting my decision. And also trying to desperately prove that you care for me.” I chuckled as I stared at the iPad, now sitting next to him on my couch.

“So…what do you do now? How do you get these men to notice that you exist? And how are you sure they don't know that you're your mother's daughter already?”

“First things first, I'm going to start with the weakest of them all.” I tapped on the iPad as I clicked on one of the men's names.

“This is Zachariah Hunter.” I showed Tristan the picture of the first man I had clicked on, the picture of a balding man in an expensive suit that desperately tried to hide his deficiencies.

“He went to the seminary for a bit, left for undisclosed reasons, was a shy man in college, finished and got married. He's not from an exceptionally rich family and will be the best option to start with.”

Tristan nodded before asking the question that had been troubling me all day.

“Yes, yes. The problem is how do you get this man to notice you exist without rousing suspicion? How do you become a part of his life without making it look like a plan?”

I swiped on my iPad, revealing my mother's G***l account.

“Even though my mother is no longer a part of the board, she still receives notifications and has a schedule of the company's events.” I sighed anxiously as I pointed at the most recent email. “There's a gala happening this weekend organised by the company, and I'm certain the entire board will be there.”

Tristan nodded supportively as he watched me lay out my plans before him, before asking the obvious and most important question.

“How do you get into the gala?”

I smiled as I showed him a picture of a dark haired woman which I had saved.

“That is where Lexi Maxwell comes in. She's supposed to be an attendant on that day. However, I believe that if I can double or triple whatever pay she's supposed to receive on that day, she'll let me fill in for her…”

Tristan's eyes widened as I finished speaking.

“You…you've really got it all worked out, haven't you?”

I swallowed hard as I avoided the worried look in his eyes.

“Let's pray it works out, Tristan…I hope it does…”

How was I going to possibly introduce myself to Zachariah Hunter without rousing suspicion?