He sat blindly gazing at the TV screen, the images nothing more than a blur of color as they whizzed by. As usual, the sound had been muted as he sat staring off into space, his mind reeling.
For hours now, he remained perched upon the sofa, endlessly contemplating his options. Obviously he had thought about it many times before and even devised various plans in his mind. Each had initially seemed flawless but the coming of each new day never ceased to bring about a glitch in the plan’s mechanism. There was always something that he had overlooked, something that he had callously brushed aside or even important things which he hadn’t paid enough attention to. He was taking absolutely no chances here. Everything had to be perfect. One false move and he would be blown out of the water. He couldn’t let that happen. This was far too important to him. It was his life now.
Idea after idea raced through his mind, but none seemed good enough. Each was too risky, too complicated or even too simple for his liking. With a sigh he reclined against the hard couch as the wheels continued to turn inside. He remained pensively thinking for a few moments and suddenly his eyes snapped open.
Sheer brilliance, he mused to himself, a small sigh of contentment escaping his lips. It was perfect. Simple but not too simple and just complicated enough to challenge him. As his eyes darted excitedly about the room, there was a devious glint to them. In them could be seen the same intense fire that uncontrollably filled him whenever he thought about revenge.
Springing from the sofa he anxiously made his way over to the desk, which was home to his computer. Hastily he opened the top drawer and pulled out a worn North Hempstead telephone directory. Excitedly, he carried it back over to the sofa and sat down with it. “Brilliant,” he whispered to himself as he thumbed roughly through the pages. “Absolutely brilliant,” he said again, a wicked smile spreading slowly across his face.
Swearing under his breath, Nick swung his legs over the side of his large bed. Mustering all his strength, he finally struggled to his feet. He was absolutely exhausted after a long night of dancing and drinking.
Stretching his arms sheepishly, his eyes fell upon the Manhattan skyline as it peeked through his curtains. With a sigh, he walked over to the window and pushed back the curtains so he could absorb the view. He felt his body cringe involuntarily as his eyes fell upon the building which had been dubbed by many as “The Carter Empire.” It was a building that he had come to both love and loathe at the same time.
The building, owned and built by his father, was home to international conglomerate Carter Enterprises. His father had struggled for years to establish a name for himself and within the past 10 years, Carter Enterprises had become ubiquitous to the business world.
For the past two years Nick had worked there dutifully, under the watchful and critical eye of his father who dreamt that eventually his son would take over. The life that Nick led at Carter Enterprises was one not of choice, but one of obligation. He despised the stuffy staunchness of his colleagues and the flirtatious attitudes of unappealing women who were forever trying to worm their way into bed with him merely because of he was the boss’ son.
Nick respected and admired his father greatly which was the sole reason he had agreed to work there. In reality, he was acutely aware that his true calling did not lie in the realm of the business world. He suspected that his father was aware of this as well, but refused to let it become a reality. He insisted that Nick continue to work there and always maintained that after a few years Nick would grow to love his job.
With a tired sigh, he turned away from the window and glanced around the room. Momentarily, he felt an awkward twinge of loneliness, but he quickly brushed it aside. Admittedly, he often got lonely but this was a far cry from the life that he had been accustomed to for so many years. His former years had been spent under the watchful eye of his parents. Determined to see him succeed and excel, every single move he made was scrutinized under a microscope so to speak. It was only until two years ago that he had realized that his independence, his very being, was being sorely compromised and that he had to get away. Much as he loved his parents, moving away was the best decision he’d ever made. Now he was free from their stifling rules and regulations, lectures and pep-talks.
The life that Nick now led, was one of spontaneity and excitement and he loved every second of it, even if it was incredibly lonely at times.
Mumbling to himself, he read each name aloud as his eyes skimmed the page.
Turner.
He paused, a devilish grin forming upon his lips as he read the familiar name aloud. Placing a finger next to the name, he quickly grabbed a nearby pen and paper. 555-0226 he scribbled messily. Immediately, he snapped the thick book shut and hastily shoved it back into the drawer.
Adrenaline coursing through his veins, he lunged for the nearby cordless phone, snatching it up quickly. His hands shaking with excitement, he quickly dialed directory assistance. Tapping his foot, he waited anxiously for the operator to pick up.
“Directory Assistance. How may I help you?” a pleasant voice chirped.
“Yes hello,” he said smoothly. “I’ve been trying to locate my cousin for some time now and I’ve finally managed to get a hold of her phone number. We haven’t seen each other in years and I’d like to surprise her. I was wondering if you could help me find out her address,” he asked, his voice calm as he lied easily.
“I’ll see what I can do. What’s the number?”
“555-0226.”
“One moment please,” she said. As he listened carefully, he could hear the clicking of the keyboard as she went to work. Holding his breath, he waited impatiently, his eyes squeezed shut.
“Sir?” she inquired, his eyes immediately snapping open.
“Yes?”
“The address you’re looking for is 26 Pembrook Avenue.”
“Thank you very much, “ he said, an evil smile spreading across his face as he hung up.
26 Pembrook Avenue. He scrawled the address on the paper in bold capital letters. “Thank you very much indeed,” he whispered to no one in particular as he sat back in his chair.
Kicking back the covers angrily, she rose from her bed. Wearily she glanced at the clock, wincing as she realized how late it was. It was almost11 o’clock now, but she hadn’t been able to sleep since last night. She’d drifted off to sleep around midnight but was rudely awoken by a vivid nightmare an hour later.
Even though her body had unwillingly adapted to it, the lack of sleep still frustrated her. It had been impossible to get a good night’s sleep these past few months. He was everywhere. He lurked about the dark shadows of her room and his frightening memory lived on in his mind. His sinister smile was even there to greet her whenever she closed her eyes. It was impossible to escape him.
With a sigh, she gazed around her empty room, contemplating what she was going to do today. Not that there were many possibilities. Her new lifestyle didn’t exactly afford her any. Since she’d moved away from home, she’s become a recluse. The only time she stepped out was when it was absolutely necessary or when she felt suffocated by her lonely walls.
Because of her insomnia, it was next to impossible for her to maintain a steady job. Frankly it didn’t bother her in the least though. She was extremely weary of working in such close proximity with others. Besides, she didn’t need a job. Born into an extremely wealthy family, everything had been handed to her on a silver platter. Life’s trials and tribulations had always been non-existent until now.
Yawning, she exited her room and headed towards the kitchen. Quickly, she busied herself with fixing a cup of coffee. As she carried the steaming mug back to the table, her eyes unwillingly fell upon an untouched envelope. It had been there for days and as usual, she was less than enthused at the prospected of having to open it.
Although she and her parents weren’t on speaking terms, each month they sent her a cheque for just enough to pay her rent and have some left over for herself. Jessica took this money, because she had to and not because she wanted to. Without it there was no way she’d survive. She supposed that in a rather twisted way, it was her parents way of letting her know that they still cared. She wholeheartedly suspected though that their hearts weren’t always in it and sometimes they sent the cheques only because they felt they had to.
Fingering the envelope gently, Jessica felt the same faint glimmer of hope that these monthly envelopes aroused within her. Each time she opened one, she hoped against her better judgement that there would be an accompanying letter. She wasn’t asking for much, just maybe something asking her to call or something telling her that they loved her. She knew that she was dreaming though for it was only now that she truly began to understand just how cold hearted her parents could be at times.
She opened the envelope carefully, her heart speeding up as she did so. She held her breath as usual, hoping against hope. After a few moments she exhaled slowly and with hurt obvious in her eyes, she threw the cheque back onto the table. There was no note.