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Malcolm Fielder was doing his morning workout on his Peloton bike as his mind sailed across the Miami Beach skyline. He was lucky he’d gotten into the condominium complex when it was first opened. It had almost tripled in value. He thought about his mother’s chastening him for his extravagant lifestyle. In this particular case it had paid off. Now, with plans in place to continue that lifestyle, he was rather proud of himself. Or at least his ability to make money. Shady money. But wasn’t that how most people made their millions now? If it wasn’t hiding it from the government, it was crazy tax shelters, or hostile takeovers. Even inflating one’s worth was a way to get people to invest in projects. It was one scheme after another. Less than a handful were ever caught and even fewer prosecuted. With his elaborate plan it could be years, even decades before any of the foundations gave way. He would be long gone before paramedics arrived at the scene. It gave him a bit of a thrill thinking about a family sharing a holiday meal and having no clue they could be sitting on potential quicksand. His greed was only matched by his evil nature.
After his workout he strolled into the lavish master bathroom with the six-foot ultramodern shower stall. One wall was made of natural stone and the others were clear glass. He turned on the tower of shower heads, each with variable pressure. The pulsating water hit all the right spots on his back. It was relaxing and invigorating at the same time. When he was done, he placed a lush Turkish wrap around his waist and phoned his assistant.
“How are the plans coming for tomorrow night?” he asked.
“All set, sir. Hors d’oeuvres, champagne, and a playlist of cool jazz for your sound system. The caterers will arrive at four, as will the servers.”
“Perfect!” Malcolm almost had an erection thinking about the lavish party he was going to throw for his posh friends on his new yacht.
His assistant continued. “The yacht has arrived and is docked as per your instructions. And the Aston Martin dealership is expecting you around two o’clock this afternoon for your test drive.”
“Perfect!” Again a tingle. He would ask the dealership if he could keep the car over the weekend. And why wouldn’t they allow it? He was dangling the fine sum of three hundred thousand dollars in front of them. Well, not exactly all of it. He would make a down payment and finance the rest.
“Will there be anything else, sir?” his assistant asked.
Malcolm could barely manage his delight. He would be fashionably late for his own party, arriving in the Frosted-Glass-Blue Aston with Glacier Blue interior. It was a beauty. He’d paid the marina director extra money to get a berth close to the parking lot and a parking space close to the pier. “Just be sure you’re on time to greet the guests. And when you see the Aston pull up, make sure you announce my arrival.”
New York
Zoe checked her watch. It was already past noon. She made a list of things she needed to do before the weekend. Kyle sauntered in and plopped down her tickets to La Traviata as he whistled the melody of “Brindisi.” He pirouetted and left. Zoe called out, “Bravo!” He turned and took a bow. Zoe could always count on Kyle to keep the mood light.
A few hours later Kyle made the announcement, “Company!” as he ushered Izzie into Zoe’s office. Zoe was genuinely happy to see her friend. It was the one thing she was looking forward to. Working at REBAR had taken its toll since she’d discovered what had been going on. And then there were all those calls and texts from Mason. A good friend would be the distraction she needed.
“Hey!” Zoe shouted and gave Izzie a big hug. “So, so happy to see you!”
“Ditto!” Izzie said. “How are you doing?”
“Meh.” Zoe shrugged.
“We’re going to fix that.”
“I sure hope so.” She lowered her voice. “I don’t know how long I can keep up this front of pretending I love my job.”
Izzie winked. “I hear ya.” She cleared her throat. “There’s something you and I need to do.”
“What is it?” Zoe looked concerned.
“I’ll tell you while we are on the way. I’ll leave my stuff here,” Izzie said.
“Where are we going?” Zoe asked.
“You’ll find out. Keep your shirt on.”
As they walked out, Zoe placed her hand on Kyle’s shoulder. “Why don’t you wrap it up? It’s the weekend.”
Kyle spun around in his chair. “You’re aces, boss!”
Izzie looked at Kyle. He reminded her of the actor who played Jamie in the Progressive Insurance commercials. “Did anyone ever say you looked like an actor?”
He propped his hand on his fist. “You mean like Chris Hemsworth?”
Zoe tried not to laugh. “I can’t see you throwing lightning and thunderbolts!”
“You’ve never seen me dance!” He batted his eyes.
“I still think you’re handsome even if you aren’t a Norse god.” Izzie chuckled.
“You girls have fun! Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” He gave them a finger-flutter wave.
