The Switch

Chapter 9

A couple days later, William was, as usual, in his office. He hardly went home nowadays. His eyes had ugly sacks under them, from lack of rest, or rather insomnia. He scratched his chin, and clasped his hands together. He began breathing in and out deeply, as if he was meditating. In fact, he was merely trying what he thought would work to avoid raising his blood pressure. High blood pressure right now would not bode well for him. His wife, his only daughter and the company.

The security details he had called that night, had all refused him. They all cut the call on his ears without hesitation, immediately after telling him they would unfortunately have to decline for reasons best known to them.

He immediately knew that Mr. A and his employer had gotten to this people and were powerful enough to ensure that they would not accept a security job from him.

Someone as powerful and influential as that was after him and his family. They were a target. His beautiful trouble-making daughter, Caroline, especially. Such a realization really put him on edge, especially since he knew that he could do nothing about it.

Going to the cops was not a valid option. Who among the many commissioners was not controllable by money?

He knew because he used to take advantage of their greed then too. Now, it had come back to bite him in the ass.

As he looked through the company statistics in his tablet, he felt his heart rate rise again. 

His heart ached. He grabbed his chest and drank a glass of water. The pills in his desk still untouched. To be sincere, he did not know why he still had not taken even one of those pills that were supposed to help with his deteriorating health.

He looked up to the ceiling, speaking to a God he never believed in.

"Just let me die painlessly." He said.

As soon as he spoke these words, right on cue, his secretary ran in, politely and yet, with urgency. For some reason, perhaps it was tiredness at life, William wished it was a news bad enough to straight-up give him a heart attack that will take him away for good.

"Sir, it's your wife!" Roman, the secretary said, extending the phone to his boss.

William groaned, and received the phone. If she was going to give him a heart attack, it would most definitely be a slow painful one.

"I'm busy!" That was the first thing he said to his wife.

The response he got was not the usual scoff and berating he was very used to. His wife, Katie Taylor, sniffed audibly. Her voice shook as she spoke.

"Will… William, Caroline… Caroline.. She had an accident. My baby had an accident. It's all over the internet, William. It's all over the internet!"

William paused, expecting to feel his heart give way for the grim reaper.

Nothing!

"I will be there in five minutes!" He yelled into the phone and threw it at the secretary, who caught it without any issues, and immediately ran after his boss.

Within minutes, they had arrived at the hospital where quite the drama ensued.

When William discovered who had been killed as collateral damage. He chose to let Emma take the fall for Caroline without hesitation. After all, who would pick their niece over their own children?

The next day, after going to give a simple, well-planned story at the police station and greased the palms of all officers, he went back to the hospital briefly to check on his daughter, and to ensure his wife was not being over-dramatic again. Only after he had seen the state of both wife and child, did he go to his place of work.

Later that night, he closed earlier than usual, so he could check up on the only two women he had in his life.

"Go home." He said to his secretary. His intention was to give himself time as he drove to the hospital to think things through as thoroughly as possible. Work, Personal life, Wife, his daughter that had just killed someone with her idiotic drunken driver skills, the poor Emma that was currently facing the consequences on her bed-ridden cousin's behalf. 

William had no idea what plans the grieving dangerous, billionaire father had or if the cover story had successfully fooled them and shifted agro from his family.

He drove slowly and cautiously, feeling anxious and apprehensive. He still had not forgotten about the mysterious Mr. A and his anonymous employer. He reached out his hand to the dashboard and feeling with his fingers felt something that should not be there. He pulled that something out. It was a furled piece of paper. Exactly like the Mr. A's contract.

"What the f…"

The car screeched to a stop. He had parked by the side of the road. Not properly, but not too shabbily either. He came out of his car in a rush and took a couple rapid steps away from it, while keeping his gaze on it.

He watched his car for a brief moment. Opening and locking it with his key a number of times. The contract was still in his hands. He looked at it.

"Is the bomb in here?" He asked rhetorically, not expecting any answers. After all there was no one with him. Even the road was not as busy as it usually was.

He stared at the 'bomb' for a long while. One minute became two, two became three.

He just stood there, engrossed in his own thoughts.

He opened it.

Five minutes later, he was on call with Mister A.

"I will sign the contract…." He said. "No, it is Emma…. Y

es, Emma Taylor… Where do we meet?"