Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run

Simon was still miles from Palm Bay when his phone buzzed. Michael's name flashed on the screen.

"Simon, I talked to your grandfather already. There's a position for you in the next city over-a Vice President spot. They need someone, and you're the perfect fit. Do well, and you can come back early next year."

"Are you kidding me?" Simon slammed on the brakes, heart pounding, face set hard. "Who said I wanted to be banished to another branch?"

"Grandpa already agreed. He'll probably call you himself soon."

"I said I'm not going!" Simon's voice was sharp.

Michael's tone turned icy. He knew exactly what Simon was thinking. "This is about Clara, isn't it? I've heard the rumors. You're making a fool of yourself for a woman you used to look down on-letting everyone laugh at you. Didn't she already shack up with some male model? Who knows what she's up to these days? Doesn't it disgust you?"noveldrama

That last jab sent Simon over the edge. He flung his phone at the windshield, hands shaking so hard he could barely hold the wheel. His vision blurred red, jaw clenched so tight he could taste blood.

When the light turned green, he floored it. But as he passed the old school he and Clara had gone to, he slammed on the brakes, unable to drive past. The frustration inside him was a storm, threatening to tear him apart.

He reached Palm Bay in a haze, barely remembering the drive. He'd been waiting outside for ages, ignored by everyone, but now, staring at the big iron gate, he lost it—slamming the gas, ready to smash through, anything to break the silence.

But just as he sped up, the gates swung open. A car rolled out. Dylan's car.

Simon braked hard and rolled down his window.

Dylan's car crept past. Through the open window, Simon caught a glimpse of his profile.

He shouted, "Dylan! Did you lock Clara up?"

Inside, Dylan didn't even look up from the papers in his lap. Clara had been shadowing him for days, but she was finally asleep-he was only now able to head to the office.

He ignored Simon completely, which only made Simon's blood boil. Simon spun his car around and tailed Dylan.

Dylan pulled up outside Ferguson Corporation.

Simon started to follow, but a delivery truck roared toward him, screeching to a stop just inches from his hood.

Simon went pale. For a second, he thought he was about to be totaled.

He looked over in time to see Dylan getting out, transferring smoothly into his wheelchair. He hadn't said a word, but Simon felt the warning loud and clear.

Simon's fists clenched at his sides. He scoffed through gritted teeth. "Dylan, locking Clara up won't change anything. Grandpa's already picked out your fiancée."

Dylan just rolled away without so much as a glance, that cool indifference making Simon feel even smaller.

Simon sat there for ten minutes, debating whether to chase after him, when a black sedan pulled up and stopped right in front of his car.

The window slid down, and Aaron's pale face appeared.

"Simon. Get in."

Simon didn't like him, but after what happened at the old mansion, he knew Aaron's situation was worse than his.

He climbed in, scowling. "What do you want?"

Aaron, now completely iced out of Ferguson Corporation's inner circle, just shrugged, a dry laugh escaping him before it dissolved into a cough. He grabbed a tissue, wiped his mouth.

"What do I want? You really think threatening Dylan with Grandpa is going to work? He only pretends to respect him. Dylan owns over half the company now. Grandpa has no real power over him. And honestly, I think something happened between Grandpa and Dylan. Why else would Grandpa let him get away with everything?"

Dylan was Walter's youngest son, the one Mrs. Ferguson nearly died to bring into the world. By the time he was three, everyone in the city knew he was a prodigy. Under all that attention, Dylan had never let anyone down.

But Aaron couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

He remembered meeting Dylan as a kid-there'd been a hint of warmth in his eyes, a natural elegance. That was long gone now, replaced by pure ice.

Aaron dabbed his mouth, bitterness twisting inside him as he thought of how far he'd fallen.

The photo-the backup-his last bit of leverage over Dylan, gone, destroyed. But that only proved that anything related to Clara was Dylan's greatest weakness.

Dylan might not care about the mess Aaron made, but Aaron was determined to show him just how much damage he could do.