I could feel the sun beating down on my face and it felt good. It was a beautiful day and only getting better. I was sitting in the rooftop café for the higher level executives of my company, Smith & Ward where I was a senior analyst. This stuff came so easily to me that I was working myself up the ladder in record time. Yesterday, I caught a huge error that saved the company millions of dollars and I was feeling good.
I closed my eyes and took in the day. Rose Lee, the senior VP who I reported the mistake to would be there any minute. I always show up to everything early. I like the time before to relax and do some slow breathing. It helps lower my anxiety and make whomever I meet with less intimidating so I’m able to handle myself with confidence. It’s a trick my mother showed me. It has never failed.
I opened my eyes and looked over to my right where I saw movement. There he was. Keeping a hold of myself, I let my breath move slowly through me so that I wouldn’t react. Just twenty feet away from me was the CEO of our company and the grandson of the man who started this whole thing, Christopher Ward.
He was a celebrity in many ways, not just because of the scandalous rumors about his family but also because he was incredibly attractive. He had rugged good looks with Armani style. It was a hot mix; I had to admit. His eyes were his best feature, though and when they settled on me. Then they stayed there.
I tried not to let myself squirm but I wanted to. Those blue eyes were striking and I don’t know any woman who they wouldn’t have an effect on. I wanted to quickly look away but I knew that was the wrong way to play this. I smiled and held his stare.
I was told this lunch was happening as I was leaving work last night and so I knew I had prepared one of my better outfits, a curve hugging, white button up and a black pencil skirt. My dark brown hair was pulled up at the sides, showing my face and the sun had been beating down on me so I imagine my green eyes were quite noticeable.
Christopher didn’t smile back. I wasn’t expecting him to but he did hold the stare for a long time until somebody tapped him on the shoulder. I never broke the stare and I was proud of myself because I wanted to. I wanted to badly. I took a drink of my water and kept my breathing slow and steady.
Rose Lee walked in and I waved to let her know where I was. She saw me and smiled. I glanced over at Christopher to see if he was looking at us but he was now giving his full attention to the two men he was with. It was for the better. I had to concentrate on being my confident self with Rose.
“Hello, Alison. How are you? You must be feeling incredible.” Rose sat down in her tailored striped suit with a wide leg pant. Her jacket and the top of her pants snugly fitting around her toned body. Her hair was in a perfect ponytail and her makeup was subtle but flawless. Her dark brown eyes were lit up and I knew she had news.
“Hi, Rose! Yeah, I am feeling pretty good. I’m not going to lie.” I smiled and let out a little laugh.
“Good. You should be. I’m about to make you feel even better but first, let’s order. I’m starving.” Rose waved the server over with a grace and elegance that I filed away in the back of my mind to practice. She had a real confidence to her. She didn’t have to try and I knew that this thirty-year-old, attractive woman would be on the board before she was forty. There was no doubt. She was immaculate in every way.
I felt myself start to bubble up with glee but I controlled it. I couldn’t show how excited I was. I had already assumed another promotion was going to follow my breakthrough but I still felt like jumping up and down in excitement. Instead, I just ordered my salad and sat there as cool as a cucumber, like Rose.
I looked over at Christopher’s table for just a second. He was very focused on the men he was sitting with. There would be no way he would break his concentration to look at me. I had learned a lot about men in my 27 years and knowing that they can only focus on one thing at a time was a valuable lesson.
“So, as you know, you have saved this firm a lot of money. Not just with your catch yesterday but with your work as a whole. I have gone over your history with us with one of the Managing Directors, Bradley? I don’t know if you know him. Anyway, we both agree that you are a huge asset.” Rose paused as she took a drink of her water.
“Thank you.” I was positively bubbling but sat very still and nodded in affirmation and appreciation of what she was saying with a slight smile. Confidence. Nothing could break my facade.
“So, with that, I won’t beat around the bush. I would like to congratulate you on your new role as Vice President.” Rose beamed and somehow stayed cool and classy. I made a note to study her more.
“That is fantastic news, Rose!” I stopped myself before saying “thank you” again. I had already thanked her and I didn’t want to show too much appreciation. I had to give her just enough to show I was grateful but not so much that I gave an air of feeling like I didn’t deserve it.
“As it is Friday, you will finish out the day as normal and on Monday we will move you into your new area and get you started. HR will probably take up most of your day but you know that whole drill. Now, let’s order some wine.”
“I have absolutely no problems with any of that.” I laughed and we clinked our water glasses while Rose motioned for the server.
I felt myself almost involuntarily look over at Christopher again after the server left with our wine order and realized it was because he was already looking at me. The men he was with were talking amongst themselves. Aha, so he had a break in focus and could now put it on something else. He was putting it on me. Again, I kept my composure but inside I felt giddy. This is exactly what I wanted. Everything was going my way.
He didn’t look away when I noticed him staring. Those eyes could easily put me in a trance. I made myself keep my gaze, as well. We both played a game of staring chicken and I finally smiled at him in a cool and composed manner. Again, he didn’t smile back.
He was playing the same game I was. Keep up the facade. I got this sense that we were both doing some very similar control techniques. Or was this just his natural state? Considering where he came from, that was possible. One of the men got Christopher’s attention and he pulled away with a smirk. Well, a smirk was something. I would take that.
“So, Alison, one of the first things I would like to do in your new position, is invite you to a fundraiser our firm is throwing tomorrow night to raise money for cancer research. It’s a great place to hob knob and with you being such a rising star, I highly recommend you attend.” Rose didn’t seem to notice my little staring game with Christopher. If she did, she just ignored it. It was hard to tell with her. She was a tough one. It’s why I liked her so much.
“Thank you, Rose. I have every intention of being there.” I smiled and made plans to go shopping for a sexy yet classy dress the next day before meeting my stepbrother for lunch.
Our wine arrived and we made a toast to my new position. Rose and I had developed a mutual respect for each other and I think she was happy to have another cool and composed (or so I appeared) woman join her in the higher ranks. I was looking forward to working with her more, as well.
The rest of the lunch was lovely and we chatted about all the things that would open up to me in my new role. I hid my excitement but it was bubbling up and I would have to do a strenuous workout tonight after work to let a lot of this energy out. I couldn’t bring it with me to the fundraiser. I had to stay reserved. I had to get a billionaire to notice me. So far so good.
As we were leaving, I snuck a glance over my shoulder to get one more look at Christopher. He was talking to one of the men and didn’t seem to notice us leaving. As I started to turn back around, he glanced up at me. We locked eyes for the third time that day and I saw a little smile form as he was talking. It lasted a second. He looked back at his lunch partner almost immediately but it was a moment and I felt electricity go through me. That was a real smile. It wasn’t a smirk. It was real and it was involuntary. Yes, he was exactly like me, appearing to be in control but a mess on the inside.
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
The next day I woke up to a million texts from my stepbrother, Mac. I had texted him the night before about my promotion and then turned my phone off as I hit the gym for a night of the treadmill, yoga and the rowing machine.
I wore myself out getting all that pent up excitement out of my system. Somebody who liked to stay in control of themselves at all times needed some sort of outlet. Mine was the gym and I could stay there for hours. It helped keep my energy under control but also gave me a great figure, which helped me in many other ways as well.
I wasn’t always like this. My mother was a very soft and kind woman. She raised me to be soft and kind, as well. I was on track to be just like her. Everybody said we were like twins. She was gorgeous with her long, thick dark brown hair and her light brown eyes. She had cheekbones to die for. I never saw myself as pretty as she was but everybody insisted.
When she married Robert Dunn, the man of steel in the finance world who was the CFO of Smith & Ward, everybody said that she melted his heart and he was a softer man after that. Of course, the Ward family considered that a weakness but my mom always told me that Robert was always a kind man, she just had to remind him of that.
They were such a great couple. My father had died when I was five and it ripped our lives apart. Luckily, he had done fairly well and money wasn’t a concern. However, it was hard learning to live without my father. I don’t remember much about him but I do remember that he was always there and spent a lot of time with us.
After my mom’s initial grief, she busied herself with raising me and devoting her time to working for non-profits and charities. That’s when she met Robert. He had come to a charity function on behalf of Smith & Ward. My mom was hard to miss and he took an immediate interest in her. At first, she wasn’t interested. He had a reputation of being very cold and my mother was completely the opposite.
He eventually wooed her by showing her the real him, showing her that it was all an act so that he would be taken more seriously. People are much less apt to screw you around in business if they think you are tough as nails. I had learned that well myself and used my memory of him as an inspiration.
Matthew Ward, the son of the founder of the company Bradford Ward, had grown up with Robert and they were like brothers. Matthew was the COO of the company at the time and on track to take over for his father. He had an air about him, though. An air of entitlement that was not an act. He had never been told no and he wanted to keep it that way.
That’s when things started to go bust. Matthew took an interest in my mother. He didn’t care that she was married to his supposed best friend. When he decided he wanted something, he didn’t care who he hurt. She rejected Matthew’s advances for a while, not saying anything so as not to cause trouble. But then it started to get out of hand.
Matthew started to get threatening and my mom realized she had to say something. After she had told Robert, he got so upset and angry and confronted Matthew. They had a heated exchange and Robert started to realize that Matthew was a sociopath with no consideration or compassion for anybody else.
I remember the tension that had been building at home. My mom was miserable and Robert was always angry. Then disaster struck, Robert was visited by the FBI and told that he was under investigation for illegal stock trading and that records indicated that my mother was implicated in the case as well. The media was tipped off and all sorts of stories started appearing about Robert Dunn and his scheming wife.
There was a lot of crying in our house during that time. I was thirteen and it was a difficult situation for me to comprehend. All I knew was that my beautiful, sweet mother was being destroyed and I didn’t understand why. Lawyers and investigators came in and out of our house. A lot of assets and bank accounts were frozen. It was a tumultuous time but it was about to get much worse.
One day, not long after I turned fourteen, I was sitting on my bed, listening to music as I was trying to concentrate on my homework. Concentration had been hard to come by lately with everything seeming to crumble all around me. Mac, who was seventeen at the time came running into my room, tears streaming down his face.
Our parents had been in a car accident and neither one of them survived. At first it seemed like it was their fault and they were driving carelessly. It was even reported that there was suspicion of drunk driving. It was eventually found out that their brake lines had been cut in their car. Their reputations had been ruined and their car had been tampered with, causing their death. It didn’t take a genius to figure out who was most likely responsible. Unfortunately, that man was very powerful and couldn’t be touched.
Mac went off the deep end and became very dark for a while. He moved in with his mom while I was sent to live with an aunt I barely knew. He would visit me every Saturday and either take me to a movie or take me to lunch. Sometimes we would do both and I loved those days. He helped keep me sane and he is the one to bring up a plan for revenge.
By this time, I was fourteen and starting to understand the world a bit better. I was so angry at how unfair it all was and I hated the Wards with a fiery passion, a feeling Mac and I shared. It was not hard at all to recruit me into his plan for revenge. It was a very long game and required patience. Something we were both willing to have for the retribution we sought.
Our original plan was to go after Matthew himself but a few years later, he was implicated in the murder of a high-class call girl. The evidence was too great against him and he couldn’t throw money at this one. It really looked like he was going to go to prison. Then he disappeared and was never heard from again.
We had a feeling that his father, Bradford helped him, so we included Bradford in our revenge plans. Then he died of a heart attack. It looked like we were never going to get the revenge we so desperately wanted, something we had begun revolving our lives around. Then, it was announced that Christopher Ward, son of Matthew, grandson of Bradford would be taking his grandfather’s place as CEO. Bullseye. We were back in business.
It didn’t matter that Christopher was the same age as Mac and had nothing to do with what his father did to our parents. He was part of that family and had to be just as bad as the rest of them. The tabloid stories about his epic parties and ruthless playboy status seemed to confirm everything. He was a trust fund baby through and through, which made him a perfect target.
Revenge is what helped me get through when I thought all was lost. My mother’s death sent me into a tailspin that I don’t know if I ever really found my way out of. That’s when I started needing to control everything in my life. I was so laid back and down to earth before my mother’s death. Now, I didn’t know what I was. I never let myself get that deep into my psyche. I was afraid of what I would find.
I sighed as I finished my coffee and looked at my phone. My stepbrother was not letting up. He had never learned how to control his emotions. His father’s death made that even worse. It was a good thing he was able to live off the money he made from selling an app a few years ago. He was handsome enough and did well socially but he could fly off the handle at a moment’s notice and that had made a few people cut him out of their lives.
I was not one of them and I never would be. We lost our parents together and there would always be that bond. Sometimes it was more of a burden but other times I didn’t know what I would do without him. He was my biggest influence after I lost my mom and one of the main reasons I was as successful as I was.
I cleaned my breakfast dishes and got myself ready for some dress shopping and lunch with Mac. I texted him that I would see him at our usual spot and turned my phone off. He was having one of his days and I didn’t want to hear my phone go off every minute.
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
“Did you start without me?” I sat down in the chair opposite Mac and put my Saks bag underneath.
“What’s that?” Mac asked as he popped a piece of calamari in his mouth and watched me stow away the bag. He was always so nosey.
We hated each other when our parents first got together. I was eight and he was twelve. He would call me a baby and at first, I would retaliate with all kinds of names an eight-year-old could think of. My mom heard me one day and took me aside. She didn’t scold me or yell at me. That was never her style. She told me that Mac was upset over his mom leaving them and he was using me to let out his anger. She showed me that responding with compassion was a better way.
Of course, that didn’t always happen. I was eight, but I never forgot what she said and I have since used that as a tactic to turn people around if they didn’t like me or trust me. As we got older, Mac and I calmed down with the name calling and we just kind of existed in the same house. Four years was a big age gap and he became a teenager while I was still playing with Barbies. It wasn’t until our parents’ death that we bonded in any sort of way.
“It’s for tonight. I was invited to a fundraiser!” I stole a piece of calamari off his plate and smiled as I put my menu to the side. I already knew what I wanted. Mac and I had been coming here for years.
“You what?” Mac’s eyes lit up with excitement.
“Yep, and I have no doubt that Mr. Trust Fund will be there.” I didn’t tell him about the unspoken exchange between Christopher Ward and me. I don’t know why. I just didn’t want to.
“This is fantastic! Did you get a sexy dress? Are you ready? Do you have a plan?” A lock of light brown hair from his messy chin length mop fell in front of Mac’s face. He excitedly brushed it away as he quizzed me.
“Where’s your man bun?” I smirked, ignoring all his questions. I knew that drove him crazy.
“Alice. Come on. We have to make sure everything goes perfectly tonight!” Mac was the only one who called me Alice. He came up with it after our parents died. He said that I was Alice in Wonderland to help me with my grief. His Wonderland analogy was always helpful. We were both about to embark on a great adventure and he was the Cheshire Cat.
“Mac. Don’t worry. I’ve got this. I think you know by now that I know what to do. I’ve done everything right so far, haven’t I?”
“Just do what you got to do but be careful. We need this guy to trust you.” Mac squinted his eyes at me, something he always did when he got serious.
“Relax the eyes, dude. I’m Alice, remember? I know Wonderland like the back of my hand at this point.” I smiled in a sarcastically sweet way. Mac did not look convinced.
“Just be on top of your game. You’re up against the Jabberwocky now.”