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“Good, you're slowly catching on to what is going on,” he asserted and gave an approving nod. “Now imagine if Filbert had everything he wanted taken from him. You had everything he wanted. Wouldn't it make sense if he came back for revenge and collected everything you had built, just the same way you had collected his?”
I refused to believe it but it made a lot of sense. No wonder he wouldn't bend to my will. How was I so stupid as not to notice the similarities between them? True, Bruce was bigger than he used to be in medical school, but I could have at least caught on to what his face looked like.
“So, he was playing with me all this time?” I asked myself, chuckling dryly.
“I wish that was the end of it,” he said with a look of despair on his face.
“What do you mean that's not all?”
Just how much more is Bruce going to hurt me?
“Remember, I said there was an organization moving around?” he asked. “Well I found a member and they talked. Turns out that your good old Henry and Carol were bribed. Clark too, maybe. They were told to place someone in the organization to spy on you as the chairman, so they could take over the second hospital you had built along with the other ones.”
“No, please, tell me you're lying,” I demanded as I covered my face in shame.
“If you don't believe me, there is only one person we can ask to confirm the truth,” he said.
I was scared to call Bruce. Maybe I could call him, and he would admit that everything was a lie… that he only heard about what would happen from someone else and didn't participate in any way at all. That would explain why he was surprised when I asked him if he had any idea about what had happened.
****
Bruce was called to my office. Alex was there as well.
“Tabitha I've been looking forward to apologizing…” he started to say.
“Philbert, that's no way to ignore an old friend of yours is it?” Shawn asked him.
When I saw the look of fear on Bruce's face, I knew he had failed the first test before I had asked him anything. My heart started to shatter.
“Bruce… were you planning to overtake me from the beginning?” I asked.
I looked at him. The strong man I knew seemed just as helpless as I was.
“Tabitha…”
“Please Bruce…” I pleaded. “Don't lie to me. Tell me why you met me that night. Are you really working with the same organization that Mom killed one of its members?”
Alex was shocked to hear about murder but he controlled himself.
Bruce took in a deep breath and exhaled. “There is nothing to lie about anymore. Back in medical school, I was jealous of you. Even after graduating, the jealousy didn't leave me. A group of people reached out, telling me to get back at you.”
You should have lied, Bruce. I didn't know hearing the truth would hurt this much.
“I was skeptical, but I accepted the offer. I came here with the intention of making you fall in love with me, increase my reputation among your staff, befriend the board and have them hire me as a member. Then I'd break your heart at the end of it all,” he confessed.
“Oh, God no,” I held my head like it was about to fall off. “Please, tell me it's a lie.”
“I'm sorry,” he apologized, “but I mean it when I say I didn't intend to hurt you this badly. I didn't know I was going to be the chairman of the board. I didn't know I was going to fall in love with you as well. I revealed what I could tell you, but I was afraid that something like this would happen.”
“If you were truly afraid…” I started. “Couldn't you remember what I told you while on the swings? I'm not a monster. You could have just told me everything, rather than making me believe in things that were never meant to be. How am I supposed to react?”
“I'm sorry,” he apologized. “I didn't mean to.”
“Considering how your original intention was to break her heart after everything was done, I don't think you can say you didn't mean it,” Shawn asserted. “Tabitha, just give the word and we would have him arrested immediately. Along with the traitors posing as your board members.”
I stared at Bruce. His eyes told me he was ready to accept whatever punishment I would give to him. I had heard everything. So why wasn't I angry with him anymore?
“Bruce,” I said. “I never want to see your face around me anymore. Use your authority as chairman and fire those three snakes. Appoint Me back as the head. Then you can leave.”
