“Oh, Alison. You look spectacular!” Nancy walked around me as she straightened something on my dress here and pulled some fabric a certain way there.
Nancy was getting me ready for my dinner with Matthew and I was not as nervous as I had been that morning, I had to give her that. I was actually kind of looking forward to it. I was preparing myself for making him think that the brainwashing was starting to work on me. It wasn’t of course and I couldn’t overplay so I had to be strategic about it. It was definitely having an effect on me. Not enough to actually brainwash me but enough to annoy the hell out of me.
She had made me envision Matthew in all different favorable ways throughout the day while I was supposed to imagine Christopher as an uncaring and unfeeling monster. It was not my favorite part of the day and it did unnerve me a bit every time Christopher’s name was mentioned but overall, I made it through unscathed.
“Thank you, Nancy.”
My name is Alison Bishop. I work at Smith & Ward. My name is Alison Bishop. My mother’s name was Anabelle Bishop Dunn. This is not working on me. This is not working on me.
“Okay, sit down, I’m going to do your makeup.” She seemed very giddy and pulled the chair from the desk up. “I’m actually quite good at it!”
“I’m sure you are. I don’t doubt it.” I sat down in the chair almost in a trance.
She brought out the makeup from the bathroom and had me face the brightest lighting in the bedroom. Starting off with foundation, the makeup application began. Of course it was also mesmerizing in and of itself. I’ve always found somebody else putting my makeup on relaxing. I had no doubt she knew this as many women do. This was another opportunity to try to condition me some more.
I heard tales of all the wonderful things Matthew did for children when he lived in Thailand. I heard about how much he wanted to be a good person but his father created all these demons in him and he tried to work on them as much as possible but they still came out sometimes and it always bothered him. T
Of course Christopher was another story. He joined his grandfather in terrorizing people, including Matthew and anybody else who got in their path. Sometimes, they would just choose somebody just to have a little fun. A lot of those actresses and models he was with in the tabloids left the relationship traumatized. He only cared about himself and money, everything else he wanted to destroy.
The whole time she did this, I went over resistance exercises in my head. Reminding myself who I was, who Mac was and who Christopher was. I also reminded myself of my studies in brainwashing. I would pinch myself when I could and I tried to think of a happy memory but Matthew’s face kept entering my brain.
I stood up and looked in the mirror when she was finished. My hair was down and left a little wavy. Nancy did my makeup perfectly and I had to say that it suited me more than when I did my own. The black dress that went mid thigh and had a mesh top, hugged my curves and looked quite nice on me. She brought me a pair of Jimmy Choos to complete the outfit.
I took in her praise. Throughout the day, she had told me how tired I looked and how straggly my hair was. She had said that I might be a little pretty but I’m nothing like the models and actresses Christopher had been with. This made me want her approval even more. To have her doting on me and saying how great I looked after all the criticism, well, it was definitely preferable. I understood it was another tactic but I was human.
My name is Alison Bishop. I work at Smith & Ward. My name is Alison Bishop. My mother’s name was Anabelle Bishop Dunn. This is not working on me. This is not working on me.
When all was finished, Nancy held out her arm for me to take it and for us to walk arm in arm. It was a way for her to keep the touch and love bombing going and also a way to make sure I didn’t try anything when we were walking to the dining room. It was so strange how I knew all the tactics she was using and yet it still worked on me.
“Let’s go, Mrs. Ward.” She stopped and smiled at me as she went to open the door. I had come to accept being called Mrs. Ward but unbeknownst to her, I pretended it was because I was married to Christopher. I smiled as I took her arm. It would have been a smug smile if she had known but I let myself feel the smugness on the inside.
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
“Look at you!” Matthew stood up from the dining table and greeted me as Nancy unhooked my arm from hers. He was wearing a pin striped suit and his hair had been cut shorter. He looked quite handsome, I both hated and loved to admit. He grabbed my arms and widened them so he could see me but still hold onto me. “Wow, you look as stunning as somebody like you can look.”
Normally, that would have made me defensive or sarcastic. What kind of a compliment was that but I beamed and thanked him even though part of me inside was in a rage. That part of me was screaming that they were trying to break me down and build me up without that confidence I was so proud of. I quieted that rage and pressed on. There would be even darker things to contend with this night, I was sure.
“Thank you. Nancy was a huge help.” I looked over at Nancy and forced myself to smile.
“Well, our Nancy is irreplaceable that’s for sure. Thank you for watching out for our girl.”
“Thank you, Mr. Ward. I’m only doing my job. I’ll leave you two to your night.” She nodded her head at Matthew and they gave each other a look that I noticed but didn’t react to.
“Please, sit.” Matthew gestured to the beautiful marble table next to him. It was a black marble with cherry red wooden chairs. I sat in the chair next to the head of the table where Matthew had been sitting. “I have something for you.” He took a tray that had a cloth over it. My stomach turned, I hoped it wasn’t more tabloids.
When he took the cloth off, though, I looked up with dread in my stomach that I tried to hide behind a smile. There were three jewelry boxes.
“I know you aren’t quite up to level of the beauties that my son or I usually go for but these will dress you up and make you more of the stature befitting a Ward.”
I clenched my teeth as I kept my gaze on the jewelry.
Do not respond, Alison. Do not respond. Do not give him ammunition.
He held up the box with a beautiful diamond teardrop necklace that had an emerald in the pendant hanging from a chain made of diamonds. I put my hand on it. I had never seen so many precious jewels in one place. The earrings and bracelet matched
“These are very beautiful, Mr. Ward. I don’t know what to say.” Every word I said was true.
“Don’t say anything.” He put the necklace around my neck, gently and almost sensuously. He did the same with the bracelet and earrings. I felt a chill and a feeling of disgust at his touch but I kept my forced smile.
The jewelry felt heavy on me. It’s presence constantly made itself known. It felt like shackles and almost like a feeling of security all at once.
“So, I hope you like escargot. It’s my favorite.” He pushed a button on his phone and several men in tuxedos came out with some plates for us.
“I’m just happy to have something with nutrition in it.” I found myself blurting out. Matthew shot me a look and I looked down at my food.
“Are you complaining about the menu? Because if so, we can stop now and you can go back to your room.” His eyes narrowed.
“No, I’m sorry. You are very generous, thank you.” I felt like a child again. I was really getting tired of that feeling.
My name is Alison Bishop. I work at Smith & Ward. My name is Alison Bishop. My mother’s name was Anabelle Bishop Dunn. This is not working on me. This is not working on me.
He looked at me for another minute with his eyes still narrowed. I continued to look at my food. He made me so nervous. He scared the hell out of me to be more precise. I finally looked up at him as I could feel his gaze still on me. Once I looked up, he smiled approvingly.
“Nancy is very, very good. I’m impressed. Very good girl.”
He took my chin in his hand and lifted it up so I would look at him. I didn’t turn away; I could feel myself wanting to shake and I tried to keep it under control as he stared at me. I forced myself to smile, nervously and he caressed my cheek. I closed my eyes and tried not to puke.
“Yes, very good girl, indeed. This is going to work out, quite well.” He opened his napkin and laid it in his lap and gestured for me to do the same.
I looked at the escargot in a delicious looking buttery sauce and my mouth watered. I remembered the first time I had them with my mother, she laughed when I spit them out as she told me that they were actually snails. My brain almost had a zapping feeling as I realized that I was eating dinner with the man who killed her. This time I had to hold back my body wanting to shake from anger.
We ate our plates and then had the help take them away. He poured me glass of wine as we waited for the next course. If I closed my eyes, I could almost imagine being back in the real world, back at Christopher’s. I tried to stay in that place in mind so I could get through dinner.
The rest of the dinner was delicious, I had to admit. A beautiful endive salad and a veal medallion with a raspberry and mushroom creation that had my taste buds confused in the most delightful way. I had a couple of glasses of wine and let myself sink into the tipsiness. I enjoyed the dinner and I tried to forget who my dinner companion was. I tried to forget about my situation and about the idea of escaping. I just tried to be in the moment and focused on survival and what I needed to do to placate this sociopath.
He seemed to enjoy watching me. I would look over at him and see him staring at me pretty much the whole meal. It was not attention I enjoyed. I would immediately look back at my food and I concluded that showing him my nervousness was probably not the best in terms of how he would assert his sadism onto me but it was good to make him think that there wasn’t much resistance in me.
“So, we should talk about how you’re going to help our mission.” He smiled as he put his napkin on the table and took a drink of wine.
“Yes, I am very curious; I have to admit.” I grabbed my class and savored the silky red wine. I was all ears about this next part.
“You have a way in that none of us could ever have. You have pull with Christopher. Now, I know, he is an uncaring monster and you are starting to see this now. It’s not that he cares about you but he does think he owns you. He sees you as his possession and we can use that but we have to use it fast before he decides to throw you away like he did the rest. He may have already. We can only hope he hasn’t.”
I shivered. Everything he was saying was cutting me and making me nauseous at the same time. This man was diabolical.
“How can I help if he doesn’t really care about me, though?” I had to play into their narrative.
“I’m so glad you asked.” Matthew’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “If he knows I have you, and he does, he will want to take that ownership of you back. By the time I let you go back there, I’ll have already made you see the light, which I believe you have already started to see, no?” He looked at me sternly and I nodded slowly.
“I see that Christopher isn’t necessarily who I thought he was. I see that you are more complex than I gave you credit for.” It was all I could give him without puking but it seemed to satisfy him. He nodded approvingly.
“So, he’ll see that you’re on my side and loyal to me and then it will all be about winning against me. However, once he has turned you against me again, he will discard you, probably make it so that you are never able to work in finance again. That’s why we have to send you back as a decoy so we can implement the rest of our plan and stop him from hurting anybody else again. Then you can come back here and I’ll put you in an esteemed position in the company.”
“But, I thought that…Mac told me that you said you would go down with the ship? There shouldn’t be a company left to work in, no?”
“Alison, I’m going to tell you a few things about your mother. This will be difficult, so stay strong for me, okay?” He stood up after he saw me nod with fear in my eyes. “Your mother was a beautiful woman. This, you know. She was also a very good actress. She had a lot of people fooled, including your stepfather. Robert was my best friend until she came between us.”
He turned and looked at me, his eyes full of fake sadness.
“She seduced me and made me fall in love with her. It tore everybody’s world apart. My wife who was already on the edge from the way my father and little Christopher was taunting her at the time, went completely crazy. Robert was ready to bring the whole firm down by disclosing his own wrongdoings that made it seem like the rest of us were complicit.” His head dropped as he continued. “I still fell head over heels. The rape story was something your stepfather came up with and they set out to ruin me.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I didn’t believe what I was hearing. Was he actually trying to make the case that he hadn’t done anything wrong and didn’t have anything to atone for? My rage was seething at this point. I started to visibly shake this time as I couldn’t control it.
“This must be very hard to hear. I understand but I think it’s important to know these things before we move forward.” He looked at me. “My father, as evil as he was, was fiercely against any Ward having a bad name, so he is the one who caused the car crash. When I found out I had lost Anabelle, even though I knew she didn’t really care for me, I still loved her and I was devastated.” He stared at the wall with a faraway look on his face.
It tried to absorb what he was telling me. I was full on crying out of grief and frustration now.
“When were you planning on telling Mac this? Why haven’t you already?”
He looked at me and smiled.
“Your brother is a different kettle of fish. You’re both similar in so many ways but require different kinds of handling I intend on telling him very soon. As soon as the next phase of the plan is implemented. Don’t worry, you won’t have a chance to see him before then.”
I sat there in shock. What was happening? A feeling of helplessness swallowed me whole. I had tears streaming down my face.
“You are ruining your makeup.” Matthew looked at me nonplussed as he continued. “Now, since my father died, we can’t get revenge on him. However, because Christopher and he were so close, Christopher is basically a clone of that monster, we can get revenge on Christopher. He wants to own you because you are the daughter of the only woman I have truly loved. He wants to make sure that he keeps your family destroyed. You are a remnant of his beloved grandfather’s work. He takes pride in that. By the way, I have another surprise for you.” He looked almost giddy as he took his phone out and sent a text. Minutes later, the double doors to the dining room opened and Igor walked in.
“Igor?” I stood up. Was Christopher with him? I didn’t know what was real anymore. I never would have pegged Igor as a mole. This was all too much. I grabbed napkin and tried to dry as much of my tears as I could. They were pouring down my cheeks by this point. “Why, Igor?”
“Miss Bishop. Is good to see you.” He smiled confidently.
“What are you doing here? What’s going on? Is Christopher here?”
“Of course not, Alison. He is one of mine. I’m most proud of this one. He has helped us tremendously.” They exchanged nods.
“I don’t…how? You…seemed so genuine in your loyalty.” Confusion filled my brain. I knew what they were telling me but it was so difficult to take in. I felt like I was in a movie.
“He has had extensive training. He is the best of the best. I got to him early enough, as I did most of my son’s team and he has been our most trusted resource.”
“Thank you, Mr. Ward. You are very kind. There is one thing that you are wrong about, though…”
As soon as he said that, Mac ran into the dining room, interrupting him.
“Alison!” He ran over and hugged me.
At first I was still in a state of shock and then I felt Mac’s arms around me and melted, letting my arms hold him back in a long hug, a full on sob wracked my body. It felt good to feel his familiar presence in this insanity. It felt real. I almost felt like we could both disappear and leave all of this confusion and espionage and things that real people weren’t meant to get involved in.
“Igor, this man is not supposed to be in here. Mac, how did you get out of your room? Igor, please escort this man back to his room or have one of your goons do it. Mac, this is a private dinner. You were told that.”
Mac’s face twisted in a white hot rage. He turned around and looked at Matthew.
“I’m not going anywhere, Matthew. I’m staying right here and I’m taking my sister out of your clutches.”
“Mac, did they give you extra drugs?” Matthew laughed heartily. “Do you not understand your position right now? Igor, get Nancy. I’ll let you off the hook if it is some strong stuff.”
“Igor, you know what to do.” Mac’s hands were in fists and he started to walk towards Matthew. I was scared he was going to do something he would regret.
“Mac! Please, don’t.” I tried to pull him back but he jerked his shoulder out of my hand as soon as I grabbed for it.”
“Mac, relax. You have a lot of pain and drugs to contend with. You aren’t in your right mind.” He took his phone out again and sent another text, most likely to summon Nancy.
“I’m more in my right mind than I have ever been, you cretin. I heard the conversation in here. I heard everything while I was working on a computer in the control room.”
“Let’s just wait until Nancy gets in here. She told me she was going to talk to you while Alison and I ate. Did she not come see you?”
“No. She didn’t.” Mac’s jaw was clenched as he spit out the words and his hands were in tight fists. I had never seen him so angry.
There was a knock at the door. Everybody looked startled because of the tension that had been building up. Matthew smiled and looked relieved.
“That must be Nancy. Igor, please let her in.”
“If I may, Mr. Ward. You never did let me finish before.”
“Finish what, Igor? Please, just let Nancy in.” Matthew furrowed his brow and looked annoyed.
“I tried to tell you earlier. You were wrong about one thing.”
“Igor, we can finish after you let Nancy in. Nancy! Can you hear me, just come on in!”
“I will open door, Mr. Ward. But before I do, you should know what you are wrong about.” Igor walked towards the door and put his hand on the knob.
“Okay, okay, what is it Igor?” Matthew rolled his hands in a gesture for Igor to get on with it.
“You said Mr. Christopher Ward is not here. I must tell you, that you are wrong about that.” As he said that, he opened the door and Christopher stood there confidently. He walked in, actually strode in is more like it and smiled at his father. His hands were in his pockets and he looked pretty smug. I shouted out his name in delight. I had never been more happy to see him.
“Alison. Are you okay?”
“She’s not yours anymore, Christopher. I own her now. What are you doing here?” Matthew looked quite confident and not shaken up by this twist at all.
“I’m here to stop you, Dad. I’m here to let you know that you aren’t the only one who has spies. Igor?” He motioned over to Igor who waved in more guards from the open door.
They all had either a gun or a stun gun and behind them came a tall man in his late fifties, wearing a bright FBI vest, holding a piece of paper. He walked in front of the guards and looked at Matthew.
“Father? This is Agent Jackson from the FBI. Agent Jackson, this is the infamous Matthew Ward.”
The man had a serious look on his face and looked around the room before stopping at Matthew.
“What the hell is going on? I was cleared of all charges!” Matthew was now starting to look a little worried.
“We found evidence of tampering with our records, Mr. Ward but that is only a small part of the purpose of this warrant that I present to you now. I have agents going through and searching the premises now.”
Matthew backed up and anger flashed in his eyes. He looked around for an escape route. Guards and a few FBI agents with bright vests who let themselves in covered all the exits.
“You’re toast, dad. They’ve got Nancy and there is so much evidence in her room alone of kidnapping, illegal drug dosing and brainwashing, human trafficking and murder.” He looked at me and I could see the relief in his eyes. I wanted so badly to go to him but I was frozen in place. “I also now have tons of proof that you killed that call girl and that you killed their parents.” He motioned to me and Mac as he mentioned our parents. I felt a strong yearning for my mother to be here and see this justice. “Did you really think I wouldn’t know what you were up to? Your ego does you in again, Matthew Ward. Say goodbye to your freedom. This one’s from Mom.” Christopher looked shaken but full of relief and a few tears were welling up in his eyes. This all must have been so difficult for him. I wanted to go to him and console him.
“Ha! Do you really think your mother would want this? She was a conniving bitch and would have helped me if she hadn’t destroyed herself with drugs.”
“That’s a lie! But it doesn’t matter anymore, father. Your lies don’t get to me anymore. You can lie all you want in prison. Have at it.” Christopher smugly backed up, leaving room for the FBI agent to start doing his thing. However, before that could move forward very far, Mac made a move.
“Christopher, back up.” he came in between Matthew, Christopher and the FBI agent with one of his arms holding something at his back. “He’s mine, Christopher. We agreed. Matthew Ward, you are such a liar. You take no responsibility, you have no remorse for what you do to people!” Mac pulled out a gun he had slid in the back of his jeans. “You need to be put down now! Just like you promised, Matthew! I don’t care if your guards kill me. You have been a stain on this world for far too long!” Mac’s eyes were wide and crazy. He was full of anger and hate. I was terrified of him in that moment. I was terrified for him.
“Mac, we didn’t agree to this. Mac, be careful. You can have him in court, Mac. No, please don’t do it this way.” Christopher put his hands up and tried to stop Mac but he was also very aware of the gun.
Mac took the gun out and aimed at Matthew, unlocking the safety.
“Mac! No!!” I yelled out as the guards and FBI agents raised their weapons against him.
Mac’s arms started to shake and tears streamed down his face. Like sister like brother. He pulled the trigger. A clean shot went through Matthew’s forehead. Matthew’s face had a look of shock for a few seconds before his body collapsed and blood pooled on the floor around his head.
The guard didn’t take long to respond. Mac was shot several times before Igor and one of the FBI agents called a cease fire. He fell down and I was sure he was killed. I screamed in terror that I had just lost my brother.
“Mac!” Running over to him, I collapsed next to his body. His eyes opened and looked at me.
“I’m sorry, Alison.” And then his head banged against the floor.
“Mac! No! God no!” I held him in my arms, getting blood all over me. Looking up, I saw Christopher coming over and I was balling. “Christopher, what happened.? How did this happen?” I collapsed on my brother as it was all finally too much for me.
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
Mac and I were taken to the hospital. When I woke up, they had a hard time keeping me still as I kept wanting to go where Mac was, so they had to put me out again. They tried to use hospital restraints but I freaked out so badly that they decided against it and used drugs instead.
When I awoke, Igor was sitting next to my bed.
“Igor? What are you doing here?”
“Miss Bishop. So happy to see you awake. I…have been sent to make sure you’re okay.”
“Where is Christopher? Is Mac okay?” I pulled the covers off of me as I started to get up. “I have to see if Mac’s okay.”
“With due respect, Miss Bishop. I have orders to not let you leave your room.”
“Are we really going to do this again, Igor?”
“Miss Bishop. I insist.” The tone of his voice let me know that there would be know faking my period this time. He had a steel resolve. “Your brother is alive and you can see him later. For now, you stay and get rest.”
I begrudgingly got back into bed, feeling quite weak and knowing it was futile. It angered me, though and I ignored him the rest of the day in protest.
The doctor came in in the middle of the day and I immediately asked about Mac.
“Miss Bishop. I’m not his doctor but from what I understand, they were able to operate on him and remove most of the bullets. He is in ICU and it is touch and go for now. We have to talk about you, though.”
“Whatever. I don’t really care what happens to me now. Nothing is ever going to be the same again.” I folded my arms and felt the tears come down again. I couldn’t lose Mac. Then I would have lost everything.
“Miss Bishop, your mental state is concerning and I’m recommending that you go to a psychiatric hospital for a week or so. We believe that you have been put through too much trauma and that unresolved grief and PTSD is exacerbating the problem. We need to keep you monitored.”
“Do what you have to do. I really don’t care. I just want to see my brother.”
“Doctor, if I may. Would you be able to let her go see her him? She is physically capable to walk. Would this be possible?” Igor interrupted to try to help me. I didn’t know how to feel about that but I was grateful for the idea.
“It’s not a good idea, Sir.” The doctor wrote a few things in his chart and looked like he was ready to leave.
“Doctor, if I may again. My boss is Mr. Christopher Ward and I am understanding that he gives much money to this hospital. He is the one who gave me orders to ask this permission.” Igor’s face was very serious but he stole a quick glance at me and smiled just slightly.
“I will go see what I can do.” The doctor’s eyes widened and he left quickly.
“Thank you, Igor.” I softened a bit. The gratitude I felt at the ability to see my brother overrode any other emotions at the moment.
“It is orders, Miss Bishop.” He smiled at me and grabbed my hand. I smiled at him, grateful for his presence all of a sudden. We sat there and held hands together as I relaxed in the knowledge that Christopher was looking out for me. Everything was going to be okay.
As I made my way down the corridor, following the doctor with Igor in tow, I realized that we had just freed ourselves. We were free of Matthew Ward and we were free of our revenge. This was a new start for both of us.
I walked into Mac’s hospital room and saw him hooked up to all kinds of tubes. Christopher was there. Of course he was. He could go anywhere he wanted to and he chose to see my brother. My heart swooned for him.
“Christopher.” He turned around, saw me and smiled. We hugged and he filled me in on Mac. He was still critical and would be in the ICU for a bit. They had him in an induced coma until he stabilized but the consensus was that he would be okay.
My knees gave out and I had to sit in a chair. We sat there the rest of the day, watching Mac and just being together again. He filled me in on him finding a way to communicate with Mac when he was laid up in the hospital bed so that Nancy wouldn’t know they were talking about anything important.
Mac had realized that Christopher was a victim after his time there. The stories they told of Christopher that were meant to turn mac against him, actually served to make somebody as strong willed as Mac to see what Christopher had been put through as a child and being a part of that family.
He realized that he had to get Christopher on board, so he talked Matthew into the plan of being beat up by one of his guards so that he could show up at Christopher’s without looking suspicious. He got a note to Christopher through Igor without Nancy seeing.
Christopher used Igor to get Nancy out of the room so he and Mac could talk. He had been using Igor as a double agent, making his father thing that he had gotten Igor to betray Christopher. He used that connection to make Nancy feel secure that she could leave the room for a while.
During that time, Christopher and Mac started plotting on how they would bring Matthew down with the knowledge that Mac had of everything going on there.
I was relieved to know that I wasn’t crazy and had picked up on some underlying thing going on between them. I was also in awe. The two of them together were pretty powerful. Christopher agreed and said he was going to try to talk Mac into working for Smith & Ward when he was better. I laughed and wished him luck on that one.
In the evening, I finally became too tired and had him walk me back to my room.
“Alison, I’m so glad you’re safe.” He sat there and held my hand after I crawled into bed. I smiled as he continued. “I’ve really enjoyed having you at my place this whole time. I mean, I didn’t enjoy the reason but I enjoyed you being there. I…hope you’ll consider staying longer after you get out of the hospital.”
“I had already planned on that. You aren’t getting rid of me so easily, Mr. Ward.” I squeezed his hand and all of a sudden he jumped up and climbed in bed with me. I yelped in delighted surprise.
“Not our usual luxury accommodations but I couldn’t go without holding you much longer.”
I nuzzled my head on his chest as he pulled me in tightly. That’s how I fell asleep that night and that’s how I woke up. I was home.