Revenge - Chapter 40 – Part 1 of 2

Revenge

By Karen Singer

Chapter 40 – Part 1 of 2

Steve was so tired he almost didn’t get out of bed Monday morning, which means he almost didn’t go to work.  He was tired, and his entire body hurt!  Damn crazy Diane had been crazier than ever!  Before he went into the bathroom to shave, he sat on the side of his bed and took another good look at the chastity device she had locked onto him.  He had tried very briefly the night before, but he hadn’t been able to get it off.  He spent another two minutes trying again.  He suspected that if he had more time, he could get out of the stupid thing.  But just then, he didn’t have enough time.  If he didn’t hurry, he’d be late for work.  And being late for work when a promotion was on the line wasn’t good.  Still fuzzyheaded after his long weekend, he headed for the bathroom to get ready.

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Two large white SUV’s pulled in and parked in Ruth’s driveway.  Ruth and her husband watched as an army of men got out of them.  “Mr. and Mrs. McGruder?” one of them asked as they opened their front door. 

“That’s us,” Ruth’s husband confirmed.

“Are you all ready?”

“I think so,” Ruth nervously agreed.

“Let us get your bags for you,” the man offered.

 Because of the young kids, it was nearly half an hour before Ruth and her family left for whatever safe-house they were supposed to be going to.  Ruth had no idea where it was or what it would be like. 

She had checked one more time for an answer from the Sorceress, but again there had been no answer.  And now, as she had agreed, she and her family were leaving.  According to what little she had been told, her access to communications of all kinds would be strictly monitored and limited – for her family’s safety.  She had her laptop with her, but she didn’t know if she would be allowed to use it.  She didn’t even know if wherever they were going would have internet service.  Just like she didn’t know where the safe-house was.  Just like she didn’t know what the Sorceress had decided about Steve.  She was going to have to wait and see.

As they rode out of the driveway in one of the big SUVs, the other one stayed.  She had no idea what the people from the security company were doing inside her house.

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At exactly ten o’clock on Monday morning, a courier arrived at the executive offices of Hudgens Technology.  The package he delivered was addressed to the President and founder of the company, Gerald Hudgens, but it was signed for by his personal secretary.  The package was marked, urgent and confidential. 

“What the hell is this?” Gerald Hudgens asked when his secretary brought the package in.

“I don’t know.  A courier just delivered it.  It’s marked for you and it’s confidential.”

“What now?” Gerald Hudgens muttered as he grabbed the package from his secretary.  She made a hasty retreat from his office.  Hudgens opened the package.  There were two pieces of paper inside.  He read the top one.

Mr. Hudgens, 

You and your legal team are to be present at the offices of the Feinbaum law firm at two o’clock today to discuss a case of sexual discrimination against one of your employees.  Currently, the base price that will be set against your company is fifty million dollars.  Failure to be there will cost your company an additional ten million dollars over and above all other penalties decided. 

I highly recommend you heed this notice and attend.

Hudgens looked at the signature.  It was signed by some lawyer he didn’t recognize the name of, not that he would.  And it was a woman to boot.  He didn’t bother looking at the second page that had been in the package.  Sexual discrimination?  He had a legal department to sort out those trivial details.  And fifty million?  Somebody was dreaming, and obviously they were on drugs.  He called his secretary and handed her the package.  “Send this down to legal,” he told her.  “Let them deal with it.”

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Mel sat in Dick Feinbaum’s office and looked at her watch.  “Ten minutes after two,” she said.  “I don’t know if I’m surprised or not that they didn’t show.  Well, Ruth just earned herself another ten million dollars.  Now we’ll have to see how they react to tomorrow’s package.”

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Susan stared at her computer.  She needed to email Ruth with an answer, and she needed to do it today.  But she still didn’t know how to answer.  She sat there for almost half an hour before she finally began typing.

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Late in the afternoon, one of Ruth’s toddlers screamed, and at almost the same time, so did his younger brother.  There was no real reason for them to scream, they were just excited.  Ruth’s two toddlers were decked out in bathing suits and life jackets, as were Ruth and her husband.  And now Ruth and her husband were peddling a paddle boat away from the beach on the edge of a beautiful mountain lake.  Behind them, two security guards were staying on shore.  Two more were taking another paddle boat and would stay a discrete distance away.  There was one more security guard back at the lovely lake house that had been rented for them.  After arriving at the house and seeing what the area around them had to offer, Ruth wasn’t sure she ever wanted to leave.

She had managed to get the Sorceress’s email shortly after they arrived when one of their security people had deemed it okay.  But the answer from the Sorceress had basically said she wasn’t sure yet.  She would have to wait until the time actually came to decide.  So there was really no answer.  But in the meantime, Ruth was determined that she and her family were going to have a great time vacationing at the lake.

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“Holy shit!” the chief legal officer exclaimed all too loudly.  He stared again at the paper in front of him, the second page of the package that had been delivered early that morning.  And now it was almost time to go home.  He picked up both pieces of paper and ran for the executive offices upstairs.

He didn’t bother stopping at the secretary’s desk.  He didn’t bother knocking.  He barged in as fast as he could, brandishing the papers in his hand.  “Did you see what’s in here?” he asked Gerald Hudgens.

“What are you talking about?”

“This sexual discrimination case you sent down to me.”

“It’s sexual discrimination,” Hudgens replied.  “That’s what I pay you to handle.”

“But you didn’t look at what’s in here?” the lawyer asked incredulously.

“Why should I?”

“Because the crazy allegations in here could get you and half the officers in this company sent directly to jail!”

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It was nearly five thirty when the phone rang.  Andrea, Mel’s assistant, answered the call.  When she heard who it was, she nearly laughed.  “I’m sorry,” she replied, “but Melissa has gone home for the day.  Please try again tomorrow.”  With that she hung up the phone. 

She quickly got up from her desk and went to Mel’s office.  The door was open.  “They just called,” she said as she walked in.

“Good!  I was beginning to think they wouldn’t.  What did you say?” 

“Just that you’d gone home for the day and they should try again tomorrow.”

“Good,” Mel replied with a smile.  “I have no doubt they’ll call early tomorrow.  And then we’ll see if they show up at our meeting tomorrow afternoon.”

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As soon as he got home from work, Steve stripped naked and sat on his bed, his goal was to try to remove the damn chastity device that crazy Diane had locked onto him.  He fussed, he pushed, he pulled, and he prodded.  At times, it hurt.  But ever so slowly, he finally managed to get the damn thing pulled off of him. 

Relief!  He breathed a big sigh as he rubbed himself.  The witches were bad enough, but when you added crazy Diane on top of them, things were so much worse!  He headed for the shower, praying he could have a nice quiet, normal, evening!

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“Where’s Ruth?” someone asked the head of the HR department Tuesday morning.

“I don’t know.  She wasn’t here yesterday either.  And every time we called, we got no answer.”

“That’s really weird.  Ruth is always here.  I sure hope nothing’s happened to her.”

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If it wasn’t for her kids, Ruth would have gladly slept late.  But kids, no matter what the situation, had to be tended to.  Oh well.  They had decided to take a nice nature hike with the kids today – to wear them out!  The sooner the better.

According to what one of the security people had told her yesterday, the company hadn’t shown up at the discussion, and her lawyer had added another ten million dollars to the pot.  As far as Ruth was concerned, she was happy right where she was for the time being, and it would be nice if the company didn’t show up for another several weeks.  Ten million dollars a day or not.

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Andrea answered the phone.  She wasn’t the least bit surprised to find out who was calling.  “Yes sir,” she replied.  “She’s in.  One moment please.”  Instead of calling her boss, she got up and went to Mel’s office.  “They’re on the phone,” she said.

Mel smiled, noting that Andrea wasn’t leaving.  She picked up the phone.  “May I help you?”

“What the hell is this business of sexual discrimination, who the hell is slandering us with it, what the hell is all this really about, and where the hell do you come off with fifty million dollars?”

“Actually that’s sixty million dollars now.  Since you didn’t show up yesterday, an additional 10 million was placed as a penalty on top of the amount it was originally going to cost your company,” Mel replied firmly but calmly.  “If you’re not at the meeting in the Feinbaum offices at two o’clock today, it will cost you an additional ten million.  And the rest of it, I won’t discuss until then.  I do suggest you show up.  Mr. Hudgens and your legal staff will all be required to be there.   If not, as I said, the amount will go up by another ten million dollars.”

“That’s ridiculous!”

“No, it’s the way we’ve chosen to deal with this.  Has our courier arrived yet today?”

“Courier?”

“The same company I sent with a package yesterday.  Has today’s package arrived yet?”

“Not that I’ve heard.”

“Then I suggest you take a good look at what’s in there.  And hopefully, we’ll see you at the Feinbaum offices later today.  Good day.”

Mel quickly hung up the phone and looked to Andrea.  “I bet they show up this time.”

Andrea smiled.  “I bet they do too.”

--- §§§§§§§§§§ ---

At exactly ten o’clock, the same courier arrived at the Hudgen’s Tech executive offices.  This time he was greeted by several lawyers waiting for whatever he had for them.  They signed for what he had and he was dismissed in almost record time.  The chief legal officer hurried straight into Gerald Hudgen’s office to open the package. 

This time there was only a one page note…and a small USB storage device.

Together, Gerald Hudgens and his chief lawyer read the short note.

Mr. Hudgens,

You and your legal team failed to show up at the Feinbaum offices yesterday, so the overall amount for this action is now set at sixty million dollars.  I suggest you listen to a few of the recordings I have included in this package, and I strongly suggest you and your team are at the Feinbaum offices at two o’clock this afternoon.

Gerald Hudgens noted that it was signed by the same female lawyer.

“I checked her out,” the chief lawyer said to his boss.  She’s not actually part of the Feinbaum firm, but she does do contract work for them.  From what little I’ve found out, she’s kind of a major league player in the legal business world.  Evidently, she’s got quite a reputation, and so does the Feinbaum firm.  They’re the company that all the big corporations use for mergers and take overs. 

“Do you think this could be some kind of maneuver for a takeover?” Hudgens asked.

His chief lawyer shrugged.  “Could be.  From what I understand, some of the corporations that specialize in that kind of thing use dirty tricks all the time.”

“Shit!” Hudgens muttered.  “That’s the last thing we need right now.  A takeover!”

“There were five different…supposed…transcripts in the things they sent yesterday,” the lawyer noted.  “Was any of that real?”

Hudgens looked at him for a moment before answering.  “I hope not,” he replied guardedly.  Although he knew for a fact that they appeared to be all too real.

The lawyer picked up the USB device.  “She said there’s audio files on here.  Maybe we should listen.”

Hudgens grabbed the device from his lawyer.  “I’ll listen.  You make plans for us to be at that meeting this afternoon.  We’ll get to the bottom of it then.  Somebody is trying to make up junk and slander this company.  As you said, maybe a takeover is in the works.  But this afternoon, be prepared to pound them hard about what this is really all about.  Sexual discrimination?  Don’t make me laugh.”

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