Mandy

Upon waking, I squint to see who is in the other bed. It appears to be Liv. I slink out from between the sheets and pull on a robe before cracking the door open to the other suite. Trey appears to be gone and everything is quiet. Maybe she and Trey had that talk after all. If so, she is going to be venomous again today. I glance around the room. Trey’s bags are still here, but his briefcase is gone so he must have already left for his meeting. He has been careful to keep that briefcase close to his side.

Liv is still sleeping, so I close the door before turning on the TV and calling room service for coffee and an almond croissant. My favorites. It’s almost eight o’clock, so I click to find CNBC or CNN Headline News, not thinking about the fact that it’s actually the middle of the night in New York. It only takes a few seconds for me to realize that I only have access to the European versions of my favorite channels. I toss the remote onto the bed and turn to spot Trey’s cologne bottle sitting on the desk. Yum! I spray a bit of it into the air, close my eyes and simply inhale the amazing scent. If there is such a thing as sex in a bottle, this is it.

“What are you doing?” Liv startles me. I was so lost in the moment that I didn’t even hear the door open.

“This cologne is just amazing. Doesn’t it drive you crazy?” I quickly set the bottle back where I found it.

“It used to,” she replies lazily, rubbing her eyes. “Trey’s dad was killed this morning,” she adds, not showing the slightest hint of emotion.

“Really! Oh my God, what happened?” I ask, completely shocked by the news.

“Nobody knows at this point. Apparently it was a sniper or something like that,” she adds walking over to the mirror and running her fingers through her hair.

“That’s horrible.” I gasp in disbelief. “How is Trey?”

“He’s fine, but he seemed like he was in shock. I know they have been fighting a lot the last few years, so hopefully he won’t have to deal with a bunch of guilt.” She glances at the counter and picks up a note pad. “Hmm, I thought maybe he had left me a note.” She tosses it aside and heads into the bathroom.

A few seconds later the shower starts, so I wander over to see what is on the note pad. It has the symbol RSTZ at the top of the page and it looks like instructions on shorting the company stock. My boss would kill to get his hands on this, I think as my mind goes back to the reason why I’m here in the first place.

This could turn out to be the greatest day of my boss’s life. His long time nemesis was killed last night and now his oldest son has laid out his insider trading plans in black and white. I lay the note pad down in the light and take a picture of it with my phone. Dad will be thrilled to hear about Victor as well. Karma can indeed be a brutal bitch.

A knock at the door nearly gives me a heart attack. “Room service!” a voice immediately announces. I place the note pad exactly how it was sitting before Liv picked it up and proceed to answer the door. I’m not so sure I need any caffeine after all.

Trey

The World’s 35^th Richest Man, Shot Dead is the headline that greets me as I fire up my MacBook Air. I don’t even know why I’m still here. None of this even matters anymore. The article goes on to talk about Dad’s illustrious career and how he built a $12.2 billion net worth by consolidating the telecommunication and cable industries through out the northeast corridor. $6.1 billion is more money than I will ever need.

“Trey, I just heard the news.” Jürgen says, entering the conference room with out-stretched arms. “I’m so sorry buddy. We can put all of this off for a couple of weeks.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it. I think I’m still in shock.” A shiver races down my spine. “I heard that the pictures they showed on TV were pretty gruesome.”

“It’s probably a good thing that you didn’t see them,” Jürgen replies, placing his hand on my shoulder. “There is going to be all kinds of speculation and they are already referring to you as the rebel of the family.”

“That’s what sucks. Dad was a ruthless, money driven ball-buster, Tyler is turning into a mini version of him and the media makes me out to be the bad guy.” All I can do is shake my head.

“TMZ needs someone to talk about, why not you? You need to get a little crazier though. You’re a little boring for a rich, young bad boy.” He laughs and shakes me by the shoulders.

“Now with Dad gone, maybe I can live a little. Being an Addison hasn’t been as easy as everyone thinks,” I confide. “Although, it may have just gotten a whole lot easier.”

“Do you still want to do this?” He points to the report that I had given him the previous day.

“Sure. I was doing all of this primarily to prove Dad wrong, but I really do see the potential in what you guys are doing. I might even increase my stake by a couple hundred million if you’re okay with that.” I return a slap on the shoulder.

“Of course! You’re my favorite shareholder.” He picks up the research report and waves it in the air. “Just keep bringing me these and I’ll do the rest.”

Leaving his office I know for a fact that I will never deliver another report. There is no longer any reason for me to operate in the gray area. There is a fine line between competitive intelligence and corporate espionage. I know I probably crossed the line on this one. I was getting a little desperate. There will no longer be any need for me to skate so close to the edge.

Mandy

Thoughts keep running through my head as I sit in the limo waiting for Liv. I wish we could’ve spent more time here. I never really got to see much of the area except for the incredible views from the hotel. Victor Addison is dead and I have proof of Trey’s plan to short Restolza stock. I also have a picture of the insider report that he got from Jake Winters. I only wish I would have had more time with it. If he follows through with the stock trades, we will have a cut and dried case against him. I can’t believe he would do something so stupid. Since everything has moved to electronic trading, it’s easy to trace who buys or sells a big chunk of stock. He will be totally screwed.

“Trey just called,” Liv relayed as she slides into the back seat. “He’s already at the airport, so I packed up his things for him.”

“That’s good. Are you going to be okay flying sober?” We each had a couple mimosas with lunch, but that is nothing compared to multiple margaritas.

“I’m nervous as hell, but I don’t want to be sick again. I have to meet Trey’s entire family when we get there.” She gives me a horrified look.

“Here, try one of these,” I reply, giving her one of my muscle relaxants. “I use them whenever I get muscle spasms in my back. It will take the edge off and help you sleep.”

“Are you sure I should take it after having cocktails with lunch?”

“You’ll be fine. It will just make you sleepy, which is what you want, right?” I assure her.

“Yeah, I guess so.” She pops it in her mouth, tips her head back and swallows it. I don’t know how people can do that. I always feel like they get stuck in my throat.

“All your bags are in the trunk,” the limo driver says as he takes his seat. “Do either of you need anything before we go to the airport?”

“No, we’re good,” I reply for both of us. I want to get Liv on the plane before that pill kicks in. She’s going to get awfully drowsy since she’s not used to them.

This time the driver takes us through downtown instead of driving along the lakeshore. It gives me a chance to see all the incredible, old buildings that have stood here for centuries. “Aren’t these buildings amazing?” I ask Liv as we weave down the street. “The architecture and the amount of detail that went into each one is breathtaking.”

“Yeah, but I hate how they always smell so funky. I guess I’ve gotten spoiled on that new smell.” She pulls a nail file from her purse and begins touching up one of her nails. I find it unfathomable that she would rather fuss with a hangnail than take in the beauty that is all around us. I get a sudden urge to open the sky roof, so I can stand up and really take a look around. But I refrain.

“And here’s the ghetto.” Liv looks up from her nail work and sighs. “No matter where you go, they’ve always got one.”

I think the word ghetto is an over exaggeration. There are rows of large apartment houses and off in the distance you can see there are dozens of smaller houses. It is obviously where many of the service workers live. Many of them don’t have cars, so it makes sense for them to live close to downtown. Liv obviously has no appreciation for who they are or how they live, but who does she think is cleaning up the room she stayed in last night? I really hate when someone thinks they are better than others, just because they were born into a wealthy family.

Trey

I head straight back to the airport so I can return a half-dozen calls to family and friends. Everyone who hadn’t seen it on the news the night before was finding out about it now. Luckily I had gone in and disabled my Facebook notifications, as there were hundreds of messages and posts. I do appreciate their condolences, but it’s getting harder and harder to read them and maintain my composure.

Finishing up the last call with my aunt, I turn my attention back to what had been on my mind earlier in the morning. I had been thinking about Ray Gray ever since dinner last night. That name didn’t make a bit of sense to me. So I type “Ray Gray Lynchburg Tn” into Google to see what I can find. Who do I find instead? Rayfield Grayson Jr. Holy shit! That name is a blast from the past.

I instantly type in “Mandy Grayson Attorney San Francisco” and the first link right at the top brings me to Amanda Grayson, a Staff Attorney for the SEC. My stomach immediately drops. I knew all along there was something suspicious about her, but I never imagined it was something this big. This is going to be an interesting flight home. I glance out the window as their limo pulls up. I stuff my laptop back into the bag and take a deep breath, trying to quickly figure out a gameplan. I definitely need a cocktail.

“I’m so sorry to hear about your Dad!” Mandy throws open her arms and comes over to me immediately upon entering. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I think the shock is finally starting to wear off.” Standing with my arms around her, I feel completely conflicted. Part of me wants to keep holding her tight, while the other part wants to get right down to interrogating her. She is putting up the most impressive façade I have ever seen. If I didn’t know better I would think that she actually cares about me and that is what makes her so dangerous. I decide to go with the passive approach and give her a pat on the back. “Go grab a seat, I need a large glass of bourbon.” It’s too early in the day for scotch.

“I’ll bet you do,” she replies, giving me a sincere look of sympathy. She hits me once again with those incredible blue eyes. It must be the contrast against her dark hair and tan skin that makes them so amazing.

“How are you doing?” Liv asks me as she boards the plane.

“I’m doing okay, how are you?”

“Well, I’m a little too sober… so I’m nervous as hell.” She bounces up and down flailing her arms.

“Here, have one of these.” I hand her a glass filled with Woodford Reserve.

“I wouldn’t do that,” Mandy counters. “I gave her a muscle relaxant on the way over here.”

Before I could take it back or even say a word, Liv guzzles the whole thing. “God, that’s harsh!” She cringes at Mandy and then turns back to me. “I’m already starting to feel better, though.”

“Well, you better sit down, girl.” Mandy shakes her head. “Because you are about to feel a whole lot better.” Liv throws her purse in the overhead compartment and plops into her seat.

“Next time someone offers you straight bourbon, you might want to sip it instead of slamming it.” Mandy tells her with a pat on the shoulder.

“I was desperate,” she replies, still gagging and cringing from the taste.

“Get ready for takeoff,” I tell both of them before heading to the back of the plane. “I need to make a quick call.”

Mandy

Just minutes after getting settled, Liv’s head is already starting to bob. “You might as well sit back,” I tell her, reclining her seat to a forty-five degree angle. “You are going to be out cold before we even get off the ground.”

“Thank you Mandy,” she replies sweetly while cuddling with a large pillow.

She definitely is a much nicer person when she is under the influence. I’m staring to wonder how much she drinks prior to yoga class. Then it occurs to me that maybe she is only on edge when she is around Trey. I glance back at him and he is already absorbed in a conversation with someone. He sure seems to be taking his father’s death in stride.

Settling into my seat, I can hear that he is talking about the Swiss biotech company that he has been meeting with. He is telling someone that he plans to increase his stake in the company and advising them to do the same. If he does that, along with shorting stock in the other company, he is going to be committing two felonies. The U.S. trades will be instantly flagged in our system, since we are already monitoring him. If only he had turned out to be like his dad, then I would have the pleasure of watching him fry while being a hero at the office. After getting to know him, I don’t know if I can actually go through with it.

I close my eyes and sit back in my seat wondering what, if anything, I should do. Maybe I can give him some type of subtle warning. I pull a copy of the Wall Street Journal out of my bag and begin searching for an article about two Americans who were just convicted of Economic Espionage for selling trade secrets to a Chinese firm. I lay the paper on the tray table next to me with the headline of the article exposed. I lay back and close my eyes once again.

“I’m going to refresh my drink. Would you like anything?” Trey’s cologne drifts into my consciousness.

“Something light and refreshing would be nice.” I open my eyes to see him gazing down at me. “Do you have any chardonnay?”

“Of course. I’ll see if it’s chilled,” he replies with that charm of his before strolling to the front of the plane and bending over next to the wine fridge. He looks back and flashes the label in my direction after pulling out a bottle.

“That’s perfect!” I reply, not having a clue. He has impeccable taste in everything else, so I’m sure I can trust his taste in white wine. My palate can’t tell the difference between a ten-dollar and a hundred-dollar bottle anyway.

“Liv, would you like a glass?” he asks with a chuckle. I glance over at her and she is out cold. Two mimosas, a pain pill and a big glass of bourbon are going to make for a quiet flight home. Good deal.

“Here you are.” He hands me a glass and takes the seat right next to me. “The next time you fly with me, there will be a personal chef and a flight attendant.” He reaches over and clinks his glass against mine.

“Next time?” I raise my brows and give him a sideways glance. “That’s quite an assumption.”

“You’ll be back.” He gives me a confident grin. “I guarantee it.”