Chapter 3 A New Game Plan #2
Aunt Willamina was already there, closing the distance quickly as she made her way into the kitchen. She looked hard at Greg while setting her purse down on the table. She didn’t rush. She never did. Her presence filled the room without needing to.
“Tessa,” she greeted calmly, then her eyes shifted back to Greg. They lingered there for a moment longer. “…Gregory.”
Something in the way she said his name made it clear—she already knew this was going to be another tough dilemma to solve.
She’d used his full name which was only used when he was in deep trouble.
Tessa moved first, getting up to go hug her.
“Thanks for coming over so quickly.” She lingered for a second, then moved out of the way.
“When you say now, child,” Willamina replied gently, “I don’t ask questions. I come.” She hugged Tessa back, then looked back to Greg. “So… tell me why your spirit is this heavy.”
Greg let out a breath, then pushed back from the table to get up and hug her.
“It’s a long story,” he said pulling out one of the kitchen chairs for her to sit down.
After getting Aunt Willamina seated, he sat back down, elbows resting on the table, hands clasped together like he was trying to hold something steady. “…I lost Carry,” he said.
Willamina didn’t react immediately. She simply crossed her arms then leaned back for a moment. “Is that so?” she asked, then leaned forward, folding her hands in front of her. “Start at the beginning,” she said, “and don’t leave out any important details.”
Tessa stepped in, as she sat back down at the table. “He tried to propose,” she said plainly. “She walked out before he could.”
Willamina’s eyes flicked back to Greg—sharp now, but still controlled. “And why did she walk out?”
Greg swallowed once. “Because she thought… she thought everything happening around her—Alice, the pressure at Pimico, Veronica going public—” he shook his head slightly, “—she thought it had nothing to do with her.”
“And whose fault is that?” Willamina asked, not harsh—but direct.
Greg didn’t hesitate. “Mine.” That answer sat there. Color flushed his cheeks.
Willamina gave a small nod. “Good. That means we can work with it.” She shifted slightly in her chair. “Now tell me the part you’re not saying.”
Tessa glanced over. “There’s more,” she added. “Security pulled something.” That got Willamina’s attention and she leaned in her eyes demanding to know more.
Greg leaned back slightly, dragging a hand across his face before dropping it back to the table. “Millard Calput,” he said. “On camera. Inside the building.” That landed, hard.
Willamina’s posture changed—subtle, but immediate. “Inside?” she asked. “Inside where, Greg? You have to tell me everything if you want my help boy.”
Greg nodded. “The Pimico garage corridor. He wasn’t alone. Keith thinks it ties back to Lance Marsden.” He paused, then added, “Flight records. Multiple passports. International shipping—Asia, Mexico… fentanyl derivatives laced with something else.”
Aunt Willamina put a hand up, stopping Greg dead in his tracks. “Greg Garrelson. You are going to have to be clearer than that. I need details,” she insisted, leaning in.
“Sorry,” he answered sheepishly. “It’s just so much, and I’m still processing it all.”
Willamina leaned back slowly, her eyes lowering for a moment. “Do you have anything that I can read through since you are having issues in communicating all of this?” Greg looked up and his eyes cleared. He grabbed his tablet then opened up a few tabs.
“Here. It’s all right here in these reports.
” He handed it to her. “Maybe this will work better than me trying to explain it all.
She took the tablet and started reading through it all.
Her eyes went wide as she took it in. She took a deep breath as she read on, then a slight gasp as she processed it all.
When she looked back up, there was something colder there now. Sharper.
“…And this all happened,” she said carefully, “at the exact moment your relationship with that girl collapsed.” Greg didn’t answer. He didn’t need to because his eyes said it all.
Tessa crossed her arms again, watching her. “That’s what I said. It doesn’t feel random anymore.”
“No,” Willamina replied quietly. “It isn’t.” She turned her full attention back to Greg. “You’re looking at this like it’s one problem,” she said. “It isn’t. It’s three.”
Greg frowned slightly. “Three?” he asked slightly confused.
“One,” she lifted a finger, “you mishandled that girl’s heart.” A second finger. “Two—you have another woman positioning herself to take advantage of that mistake.”
Greg looked dumbfounded for a moment. “That’s only two.”
A third finger. “And three…” her voice dropped just slightly, “…you have something moving around you that is far more dangerous than either of those.” The room went still.
Greg sat there, absorbing it. “…So what do I do?” he asked again, quieter this time—but more focused. Willamina didn’t answer immediately.
She studied him for a long moment—like she was measuring whether he was ready to hear it.
Then—“You stop reacting,” she said. Tessa shifted slightly, listening even closer now.
“You do nothing emotionally until you understand what you’re standing in,” Willamina continued.
“Because right now, if you run after Carry, you will speak from guilt… not truth.” That hit and Greg was taken aback.
“And if you move against this… whatever this is,” she added, gesturing at the tablet, “without clarity—you make yourself a target before you even know the rules of the game.”
Greg leaned forward slightly. “So I just sit here?”
“No,” she said firmly. “You prepare.” That changed the tone.
Tessa nodded faintly. “That’s what I was trying to tell him, but I wasn’t sure how to go about preparing for this.”
Willamina continued, eyes still locked on Greg. “You let Keith and Brick do their jobs. You gather information. You separate what belongs to your heart… from what belongs to this very dangerous situation.” She leaned in slightly now. “And then—when you move,” she said, “you do it with purpose.”
Greg’s jaw tightened slightly. “And Carry?”
Seconds ticked away in silence. Not long—but deliberate.
“When you go to her,” Willamina said, “you go with truth. Not desperation. Not confusion. Truth.” She held his gaze.
“Because if you go to her any other way… you will lose her completely.” That landed harder than anything else so far.
“You hesitated in the office when you should have run after her, so now the game has changed.”
Tessa exhaled slowly. “So step one is… what?”
Willamina didn’t take her eyes off Greg. “Find out who’s really pulling the strings,” she said. The pause filled Greg with dread. “Because I don’t believe for one second that boy you named is the one in charge.”
Greg’s eyes narrowed slightly. “…Neither does Keith,” he admitted.
Willamina gave a small, knowing nod. “Good,” she said. “Then you’re finally asking the right question.” The room settled into a different kind of silence now. Focused, not broken anymore. And for the first time since the hallway—Greg didn’t look lost. He looked like he was starting to think.
Morning light filtered through the tall windows, spilling across the polished hardwood floors in long, clean lines.
The house was quiet—intentionally so. No staff moving about.
No music. Just the soft clink of porcelain against glass.
Veronica LaFayette sat near the windows at the small table of her breakfast nook, one leg crossed over the other, a cup of coffee resting lightly in her hand.
She wasn’t looking at anything in particular—just out into the distance, like she was replaying something over and over until it settled the way she wanted it to.
Across from her, Aunt Janet Reed stirred her coffee slowly, the spoon making a soft, rhythmic sound against the cup.
She hadn’t said anything yet. She didn’t need to. She was watching. Waiting.
Veronica ultimately broke the silence. “…She finally took it,” she said quietly.
Janet didn’t look surprised. “Of course she did.”
Veronica’s eyes shifted slightly, but she didn’t turn her head. “It wasn’t hesitation,” she added. “Not really. She fought it for a second… but once she made the decision—” she gave a faint, almost impressed exhale, “—she committed.”
Janet gave a small nod, setting her spoon down. “That’s because you didn’t give her a soft option.” She took a sip of her coffee. “Those girls you have working for you did their jobs well. You gave her an exit.”
Veronica finally looked over at her. “I gave her a choice.”
Janet met her gaze evenly. “No,” she corrected gently. “You gave her a way out of something she already believed was broken.” That landed in an unexpected manner as Veronica showed a sense of shock.
Veronica composed herself then leaned back slightly in her chair, crossing her arms loosely now. “She believed it because Greg made it look that way.”
“And because you made sure she saw it that way,” Janet added without hesitation. “I’m sure that Cassie, Wendy and Katie all had a hand in building her doubts.”
A faint smile touched Veronica’s lips—but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I didn’t lie,” she said.
“No,” Janet agreed. “You didn’t.” She tilted her head slightly. “You just… controlled what she saw.” Veronica didn’t respond to that. She didn’t deny it either. Silence settled for a moment before she spoke again.
“He had a ring,” Veronica slowly let out.
Janet’s eyebrow lifted slightly. “Did he now? How intriguing.”
“I saw it,” Veronica said, her voice quieter now—but sharper. “I stopped in his office on Wednesday to sign some paperwork. I could see it. Not clearly. But enough.” She looked down into her coffee for a moment. “I’m sure he was going to ask her.”
Janet leaned back slightly, studying her now. “And how does that make you feel?” That question hung there longer than expected. Veronica didn’t answer right away.