30. The Ultimate Gambit
30
The Ultimate Gambit
N icole stood by the front window, watching the clock. Listening out for any signs of the man who had made her life hell. Cars passed by, not one of them William’s. Still, she kept watch. It was better than turning her head and paying attention to Spencer and whatever he was doing in his office.
In a few minutes, she would be stuck in a room with the two men she most wanted to drop dead. If this wasn’t her only shot at getting the upper-hand on William, she would’ve left already. But this was it. If everything went according to plan, then this was the last time Nicole would have to deal with William and Spencer. That’s what kept her pushing forward.
The end was near, and Nicole couldn’t be happier.
“You sure you gave him the right time?” Nicole questioned loud enough for him to hear her, her eyes remaining locked out the window.
In the corner of her eye, she could still make out Spencer’s frame. “Yes, I did. I know how important this is to you. I wouldn’t make a mistake like that.”
Nicole didn’t have the energy to argue with him. Her heart and mind were too heavy with other matters. She was about to have her last stand off with William and was going to need to save all her strength for that.
“Nicole?”
“What?”
“What’s your backup plan if this doesn’t work?”
“This will work.”
“What if it doesn’t?” Spencer came to stand next to her, getting more into her line of vision than she wanted him to be. “Is that a possibility you’ve considered?”
Nicole was past confiding in Spencer. He didn’t need to know more than he already did, so she shrugged, keeping her gaze trained out the window. Spencer stood closer than she preferred. She could feel his body heat and smell the scent of his cologne. She was trying her hardest not to become affected by his proximity, but her heart was pounding in her chest.
This wasn’t how things were supposed to be between them. She should’ve hated him. Be disgusted by him. Yet she found herself feeling a longing ache for him that she never felt before. When Kyle left her, there was no deep pang of loss inside her. His leaving her wasn’t hard because he left her a long time before. His body had simply caught up with the rest of him.
There was nothing there worth mourning. With Spencer, Nicole could feel herself grieving for their what-could-have-beens. The nights she dreamed of spending cuddled up next to him, wishing the world would stop existing, were gone. Their honest judgment-free conversations, her favorite thing about being with him, were a thing of the past.
Nicole so desperately wanted to live in a time and place where she could press herself into his chest. So he could hold her and whisper everything was going to be okay. She never needed comfort or reassurance from another person. Never felt the desire for it. Until him.
Nicole would never forgive herself for developing feelings for a private investigator. It didn’t matter she didn’t know. The damage was done, and her heart was left feeling the consequences of it.
Spencer touched her shoulder, the lightest and briefest touch she had ever felt from him. She didn’t know what was worse. Her desire to lean into his hand. Or the fact she could tell the difference between his usual firm caresses and the tender touch he gave her now.
“I know you don’t trust me. You don’t want to have to be doing this with me by your side. I’m not going to pretend I didn’t earn the way you’re treating me now. But no matter what happens today, I want you to know that I’m always going to be in your corner. If this fails and we’re left to find another way out, I’m with you. All the way. You’re not alone.”
Her voice cracked as she asked, “Why are you telling me this?”
“Because I don’t want you to hurt further, Nicole. I can’t undo the pain I’ve caused you, but I can try to limit the amount of it you feel in the future.”
He let his hand fall, bringing it back to himself. Nicole had the urge to take it into her own, but she didn’t act on it. She couldn’t afford to make another false move. She remained still and silent, not knowing what else to say or how else to act.
Saving her from further conversation with him was William’s arrival.
“He’s here,” Nicole notified Spencer, watching him park his car. “I’m going to go unlock the door.”
“I’ll do it. Element of surprise, remember? If he sees you, he’ll know this is a trap.”
“Yeah. You’re right. Sorry.” Her nerves were getting to her. No con felt as big as this. The stakes were high, and she was playing a game with a man who was determined to win at all costs .
“Don’t be sorry. Be your best. William Harrison is no match for you.”
“I know he isn’t.”
“Then prove it.” Spencer pointed to his office. “Go.”
She listened, leaving the door open a crack so she could hear them as they approach. “William, hi,” Spencer’s voice said from a distance.
Nicole stilled her shaking hands by holding onto Spencer’s desk. Her palm hit the edge of his laptop, waking it up. The view on the screen was the paused video of their illegal sex tape. Something about seeing the thumbnail of the video William recorded without their consent subdued Nicole’s anxiety. Anger took its place, and Nicole used the anger to steady her.
“After that voice message you left me, you could’ve left the refund and suits at the penthouse. We could’ve avoided seeing each other again.”
Their footsteps were right outside the door. “I hear you, but if I did that, I wouldn’t have gotten to see your reaction to this.”
Spencer pushed open the door to reveal Nicole. She stood in front of his desk, looking every bit of the woman who had tricked William into trusting her five years ago. He stared between the two, a scowl on his face.
“Surprise, William.”
His glare stayed fixed on her. “What is this, an ambush?”
“You would know all about ambushes. Wouldn’t you, William?”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “You have a lot of nerve, Nicole. You really think you can intimidate me?”
Nicole was confident as she walked away from the desk and stopped in front of him. “Everything coming your way you’ve earned.”
“Do you hear yourself? You’re a con woman. You deceive people for a living. Are you really acting like you hold the higher ground?”
“When I conned people, I did it to their face. I didn’t hide in the shadows while I let my henchman do my bidding for me.”
William faced Spencer. “You aligned yourself with a woman who speaks of you like this?”
“She can speak of me however she wants. She’s not wrong. You hired me to be your henchman. I was just the last to know.”
Spencer’s composure impressed Nicole. Him taking a step back and letting her lead this seemed to come easy for him. William was not as impressed by his response. “I can’t believe you rather side with her. I would have paid any number you wanted to keep this place running. Now what are you going to do? Pray another multi-millionaire walks through the door and hires you?”
“No, I’m going to move on. Get a stable job and not rule my life based on money anymore. Unlike you, I’m not so obsessed with it.”
“Obsessed with money?”
“You have to be,” Nicole interjected, shifting William’s focus back onto her. “Otherwise, why hold this grudge against me for stealing from you? You never loved me. You loved how I fulfilled your dream of having a gorgeous woman parade around for you like some trophy wife, but you never really loved me.”
“Did you listen to any word I told you when we last met? You ruined my relationships with friends. Many of whom were industry contacts. Wison has lost out on a lot of deals because of you. Not to mention, you’re responsible for my mother disowning me before her death.”
“You say that, but I don’t recall ruining anything. You forget I was there. I knew Annie. I knew your friends. Your relationships to them were already damaged before I got to them.”
William’s face reddened. “You don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“See. This is what I mean. You have such an ugly, violent reaction whenever you hear the truth. Your friends felt like they walked on eggshells every time they tried to advise you on a matter. And your mom, ugh, poor Annie. She tried her hardest to support you, but it wasn’t enough. You blamed her for things that were out of her control. You made her feel bad for things she had no business feeling bad over. When it came out that you tried to sleep with your stepdaughter, it was just the final straw. They were looking for a reason to cut you out.”
“No, no, no. Shut up.”
“Why? Afraid of hearing the truth? I understand it can be quite bitter, but it’s for your own good. Your inner circle hated you. They only stuck around because you were a tech wiz. When they found out you were a sexual deviant, they saw the writing on the wall. No matter how much of a genius you are, they found working with a man bound to be hit with a sex crime wasn’t worth the risk.”
William shook his head without stopping, avoiding looking Nicole in the eyes. “And with your mom? Well, after Annie found out, she couldn’t deny it anymore. Money had either made you into a monster, or revealed you always were one. You may have been her son, but she saw you for what you really were. She wanted nothing more to do with you. If she were still here, she would know she made the right choice.”
“You’re a fucking bitch. A fucking lying whore,” William spit out with venom. Empathizing his point by shoving his finger in Nicole’s face.
Spencer slapped it away before Nicole got a chance to. He shoved William back by his shoulder, putting himself between the two. “I made you a promise if you went after her again, I would kill you. Call my bluff by taking another step toward her and I’ll let you choose how I do it.”
William stepped back, recognizing Spencer wasn’t kidding. “This is what she does. She provokes. She taunts. If I’m a monster, it’s because of her. She did this. Everything is because of her. She’s evil. ”
“Call me whatever you want, but at least I don’t hide behind a camera and a hired hand. You’re pathetic, William.”
“A camera?”
She lifted the laptop screen and pressed play on the video. The sounds of the love-making between her and Spencer filled the space, but it didn’t phase Nicole. She focused on William’s reaction. How it went from confusion, to disbelief, to settling on muted anger.
He took a deep inhale as he smirked. “I knew it. I knew I had it right when I said you were developing feelings for her.”
“Are you seriously acting as if this is your first time seeing this? It was your camera hidden inside your penthouse.”
“I’m not denying those things, but I didn’t go out of my way of capturing that. If I was going to allow an employee of mine to stay in a place I was renting, you better damn believe I will have cameras around. I needed to ensure you weren’t stealing or damaging the property. That’s where this video came from. Not me trying to get back at you. Though I can’t say I’m upset that I have proof that you’re as much of a backstabber as she is.”
“I owed you nothing, William.”
“As I owed nothing to you when I put those cameras up. I’m glad we could reach a place of understanding there. I’ll take my refund now. You can keep the suits. You’ll need them on your job search.”
Nicole almost laughed at how William thought he was in control here. It had been a long time since he felt this weak and small. It was time to remind him of his place. “You’re not walking out of here. Not without agreeing to our conditions first.”
“You think you have power over me? Nikki, I can dig up that recording of you admitting to Spencer that you’re a con artist and have you in cuffs by tomorrow. If anyone has power over someone here, it’s me over you.”
“Wrong again.” Nicole smiled snidely. “You can’t use that video. If there even is one. Pennsylvania’s Wiretap Law makes it illegal to record private conversations where the individuals involved didn’t give consent to be recorded. Did you give consent, Spencer?”
“No, Nicole, I did not. Did you?”
“Nope.” She popped her lips. “Go to the police with that recording and you’ll be implicating yourself. Which bodes well with our case against you.”
William narrowed his eyes. “Your case?”
“Did I say against you? I meant you and Wison. You used your company’s product to record revenge porn of your ex-wife and her new boyfriend. Obsessed much?”
“You’re trying to prove I’m what, exactly? Still in love with you?”
Nicole took a seat on Spencer’s desk, crossing her legs, and getting comfortable. “More like obsessed with me.”
William’s laugh bolted out of him. A laugh that would have made the Joker envious. “Good luck trying to prove that.”
“I think I have a pretty strong case for myself. My attorney agreed. What with this not being the first time you’ve come after me.”
“What are you talking about?” he asked, his low voice barely hiding the rage behind his words.
“Last year, you came to Philadelphia to crash my wedding shower to my ex-fiance. You got into a war of words with my daughter, scaring her enough to make her fall and sprain her ankle. I know you’re getting up there in age, but surely you remember.”
“I thought I was invited by you. I have screenshots of my conversation with you.”
“You mean with the person who was impersonating me? No court is going to consider those screenshots proof. In fact, they will see the messages as proof you were still pining over a woman who left you years ago. Coupled with my guests’ accounts of your erratic behavior and the scary language you used with my daughter, I think the judge will agree. The stalking and the revenge porn are just the cherry on top.”
William was losing control fast. “You’re crazy. Do you know how crazy you sound?”
“Do you know crazy it looks for you, a man who built his company and life in Sacramento, to drop everything to come to Philadelphia and stalk his ex-wife? Not once, but twice in two years.”
“One incident from last year is not enough to say I’ve stalked you.”
“You’re right. Good thing I have more than one incident. Maya’s coworkers can contest to you being the one asking to see her after her show last month. Lily Lane can also back up that you ordered flowers from them to…”
Nicole picked up William’s order receipt from behind her. “To give to your wife. From the research Spencer has done on you, Will, you haven’t remarried. So I have to assume you were referring to me. To a jury, it would look like you’re trying to win me back. Or you’re so delusional you somehow created a fantasy where we’re still together. Either way, you’re the one looking crazy.”
“You think this little stunt of yours is going to make me forget how much of a fool you’ve made me look?”
“I say you’re doing a good job of making a fool of yourself without my help.”
He shook his head. “I’m done. You and Spencer deserve each other. I’m out.”
William turned, and Spencer stepped in his way. “You’re not going anywhere until we come to an agreement.”
“What the hell do you want from me? Extort me of money?”
“No,” Nicole said, standing. “I want your assurance that you will never come after me or my family again. You will not stalk us. You will not threaten us or blackmail anyone close to us. You will leave us alone or Spencer and I will move forward with our case. We’ll sue you and your company. Take you for all that you’re worth, get you replaced as Wison’s CEO, and publicly wreck your image until it’s in complete ruins. Is that what you want, William?”
He glared at her, and she glared right back. They had a stare off, the room thick with tension. Nicole knew the moment he gave up. His petty need for revenge wasn’t worth his livelihood or public image. “You win. I’ll leave you alone.”
“Not just me, but my entire family. As well as Spencer’s. We never want to see or hear from you again.”
“Do you think I want to see either of your faces again? I’m not actually obsessed with you, Nicole. Maybe with getting back at you, but don’t mistake that for love. I’m not in love with you. I hate you. Have ever since the day you left me and despised you the day I found out the truth.”
“The feeling is mutual.”
“I’ll leave both of you and your families alone. You’re not worth losing everything I’ve worked my life for. But while I get to move on from this with a clean slate, you two are stuck in the mess you created for yourselves. I never asked Spencer to fall in love with you, but I’m glad he did. I can imagine the moment you found out the truth about him being a liar. You must have felt something akin to how I felt the day I discovered you for the con you are.”
“Did you feel betrayed and disgusted?” William asked, looking her right in the eyes. Nicole held his gaze, but wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of an answer. He took her silence as a yes. “Good. The con got conned. I couldn’t have written a better ending for you than that. Good riddance, Nicole.”
William turned his back to her, snatching the envelope of cash out of Spencer’s hands and left.
Nicole could feel Spencer’s gaze on her, but she didn’t face him. She had just bested her toughest opponent. It was a victory hard won. She should’ve basked in it. Glowed in it. Yet for someone familiar with what winning felt like, Nicole never felt more like a loser than when she left Spencer’s office, too scared to look at him.
Too scared to say a word. Too scared to admit William might’ve been right.