Aiden

I didn't want to be in their company, but I didn't have an option. William needed to be warned and shown where he belonged. I made my way to the east wing. Only an Olympic-sized swimming pool divided the two wings. They were, as predicted, together. The mother and son were seated on a sumptuous couch imported from France. The fact that Will had a black eye and swollen lips gave me great pleasure. I gave a nod to the two bodyguards who had taken a step back.

Fiona looked at me with disapproval and then pointed towards Will.

"I heard you smacked Will for a tart."

I cautioned Fiona, "You heard right, and you will not use that term for her again." Uncomfortably, she bristled.

"I caught him in the act of assaulting one of my employees. I had advised him to avoid Reiner group personnel. He's lucky he is not in jail." I addressed Will, who was grumpy.

"I didn't assault her; we hooked up, and she requested me to kiss her under the mistletoe; it was just a miscommunication." Will lied.

I clinched my fists, desperately trying not to break his jaws.

"Will, I'm done with your lies. I was present when it occurred. You are not permitted to participate in any official meetings or events. If I discover you have disobeyed, I will evict you from this home, leaving you penniless."

"You can't threaten Will like that. I am sure there is a misunderstanding, that girl must be lying. Why would Will resort to assault? Women flock to him all the time. It's a trap! Will is being framed." Fiona said with such conviction that I couldn't help chuckling.

"Is it a ruse? Isn't it true that you, of all people, would know everything there is to know about traps?" I burst out laughing.

Fiona locked her gaze on me. There was a sensitive nerve there that I had touched. When the mother-son duo fidgeted uncomfortably, I said, "You can join him when I throw him out." I smiled with delight.

"You.....you won't....your father's will expressly states that if you kick us out, you will lose everything." She stated her case.

"Right! and what makes you think I am solely dependent on my inheritance? Since I am managing the business and made it grow I haven't invested and moved it all into my name? Unlike you, I am not dependent on my dad's paltry shares. If I wish, you would be out on the streets, homeless within a blink of an eye." I loved to see the colour drain out of their faces.

"This will be brought to Mr Reiner's attention," she stated stiffly.

"Go ahead," I smirked, "I'm sure Grandpa will agree with me."



They looked at me with trepidation; I wasn't about to kick them out, but it was the only way to keep William under control.

Will murmured, albeit hesitantly, "I......I won't disturb your workers again."

"Good. Now that we have agreed, I have more important things to attend to. Goodbye." I got up and left without giving them a second look. Hopefully, I wouldn't have to deal with them anytime soon.

*****************

Fiona moved towards her son, who was blowing on his cigarette, after making sure Aiden and the guards were out of earshot.

"Will,  you should know better than to touch your brother's women. We are totally at his mercy, why did you irk him?"

Will shifted his gaze to his mother.

"Don't worry mom, as long as we have the 'evidence' and the old man is in our control, Aiden cannot throw us out." He said and took a long drag of his cigarette.

"You seem to forget we don't have the 'evidence' anymore. You accidentally destroyed it while showing off in one of your stupid orgy parties." She said testily.

"Isn't it true, though, that the old man is unaware of this? We won't have to worry about anything as long as we can keep him convinced." He shrugged his shoulders.

"You're a complete moron! He's cunning as hell, despite his age! It won't be long before he figures out our ruse, and then there'll be nothing we can do to save ourselves from Aiden. That's why I'm always encouraging you to keep a low profile and stay out of Aiden's way. I've made a lot of sacrifices to get here, and I'm not about to lose it all because of your foolishness. Do you follow me?" Fiona said, her teeth clenched.

Will lean back and huff away.

"Dammit! Will, you stink like a skunk, throw that rubbish away and shower for the love of God. " Fiona snarled and added fiercely.

"You're also dressed like a whore! Why don't you seek the advice of an image consultant?" Will retorted angrily and scurried out before his mother could continue to criticise him.

He wished his mum wasn't so dense at times. Aiden's odds of discovering their tiny white lie were nearly nil. The old man wasn't going to last long. Senior Reiner was still under the assumption that the evidence against his dead son was being kept hidden.
Unless his foolish mother shouted it out of panic. Aiden had no idea, and Will wouldn't be surprised if his 'grandfather' kept the secret till the end of his life. He wouldnt want his favourite grandchild to hear about their late father's scandals. He could have used it to blackmail Aiden if his mother had been wise enough to create a few copies of the original to keep as insurance. Aiden would go to any length to restore his late father's and family's good name. Pay them, make him the CEO, whatever it takes. If only his obnoxious mother had made copies of everything!

William's inflated ego would never allow him to acknowledge that he had burned the recording. Aiden was still in Europe when William dropped his cigarette on the tape on the coffee table. It resulted in a minor fire, which obliterated vital evidence.

They couldn't afford Aiden to figure out the truth, so Fiona had been bluffing to the senior Reiner all along. He was far too intelligent for their ruse to work on him. Before he paid up, he'd demand to see the evidence. William's attention was drawn back to his mother. He wondered whether he despised her more than the Reiners for turning him into the person he was.
Fiona was already a heavy drug user when she gave birth to Will, so it's no surprise that he turned to drugs shortly afterwards. Despite his mother's addiction, he was born without any medical ailments, which was a miracle.

He was clean for a couple of years while he was in his teens, but with a mother like Fiona, it didn't take long for him to fall back into drug use.
He decided that the lull that the drug afforded him was enjoyable, at least until his next fix.
He had only a passing acquaintance with his late father, who was never around and never showed any genuine interest in him when he was growing up. Aiden was the centre of attention for everyone. The golden child! His father died soon after, making him unpopular with the older Reiner, but William didn't seem to mind. Reiners were fucked! He was going to send them all to hell when he got what was rightfully his. He would also screw that bitch Sydney, because of whom Aiden almost broke his nose. Will was sniffing cocaine in one of the dingy pubs an hour later; it was his go-to spot for his 'fix.' He had no effect from the marijuana. His drug of choice was still cocaine.

"Have you had a bad day?" He was awakened by a familiar voice. His foggy vision was fixed on Marilyn as he turned towards the voice.

What was the odds of running into his brother's ex?

He has often bumped into Marilyn at several parties. He was also aware that she liked to get her "fix" in one of these seedy joints, away from the prying eyes of the media and of course Aiden. She had her eyes on Aiden for years!
"I wasn't expecting to see you here, to be honest. It appears that my brother hasn't been paying enough attention to you." Will grinned.

She inhaled deeply and gazed at him through her heavily lidded eyes.

"Says who? The one who got his nose broken by Aiden for assaulting a puny employee." She replied.
"Is it your intention to make fun of me? Why are you rubbing salt in my wounds because your guy assaulted me?" Will locked his gaze on her.

She sat down next to him in the chair.

"No, I've come to make a proposal."

"Really? I assumed the only proposal that would pique your attention was receiving a ring from my half-brother." He made a caustic remark.

"Yes, but in order to do so, I'll have to destroy an adversary who also happens to be our common foe."

"All right, I'll listen."

"Sydney Rosbak, the girl who landed you in hot water. If you agree, we can build a partnership to accomplish what we set out to do." She stated it with a knowing smile.

"Continue, I'm listening," he said quickly.