The Con
Chapter Two: Being the Primary
"I'm here with Nathan Scott, the heir to Scott Corp. It's great to have you here Nathan, and so far from your native North Carolina."
Nathan gave a fake smile as the fake interviewer flashed him an even faker smile. He hated fakes. Still, his father's business image was at stake here, and while Nathan would like nothing more than to flip Henrietta 'I'm a Serious Reporter' Ward the bird, he had to sit and smile like a good boy.
"It's great to be here Henrietta," he said with a charming Scott smirk that had the perma-tanned interviewer fluttering with pleasure. Nathan wanted to laugh at the predictability of it all. Next she would ask how he coped with the pressure of being the heir to a multi-million dollar corporation at such a young age.
"Scott Corp. is a multi-million dollar corporation that specialises in property. Now, tell me Nathan, how do you cope with the enormous pressure of knowing that one day, the company will be yours, and at such a young age too?"
See? Totally predictable.
Nathan gave a (false) good-natured laugh and rested his chin on his hand. "Well, I don't like to think about that just yet, but I know that my father has done a good job getting me ready to take over the business and when that day comes, hopefully later than sooner of course" - annoying little titter from Henrietta - "I just hope that I can do my dad proud."
Nathan wondered for the millionth time why it had been so important to his dad that he even come up to New York to film this stupid interview for Business Plan, a stupid new TV show that offered - and Nathan was reciting the blurb here - 'all the new and exciting news from this great country's top industries and corporations.'
Why would people even care? If he didn't have to, Nathan wouldn't waste all of his time on business. It was dumb and it was stupid, and truth be told, Nathan wasn't completely sure he wanted it. He certainly didn't waste any of his spare time on it. As son as he had a break or a holiday, Nathan would focus on far more worthier pursuits, such as Basketball or girls.
Of course, telling this to the only person in the world that Nathan didn't want to disappoint was a completely different matter. Dan Scott didn't take rejection lying down, and on top of that, Nathan would never reject anything he said.
Which was why he was in this stupid studio with a stupid coiffed blonde reporter.
"Good answer," Henrietta laughed like she was talking to a puppy, all the while she fluttered her fake lashes. "Now, I know that you have an older brother, so why were you chosen to be the heir to Scott Corp. and not him?"
Nathan rolled his eyes. Yet another predictable question.
"Um, my brother isn't quite as interested in the family business as me, so naturally I was chosen."
"Hmm, and what do you do within the business now?"
Nathan took a deep breath. This was going to be a long day.
"Wow, what a hunk."
Haley lifted her head from the book she was reading. "Huh?" she asked, not really confident that what Taylor had said would prove to be all that important.
"I said what a hunk," Taylor repeated, lying on her stomach on a hotel bed and eating an apple.
"That's what I thought," Haley muttered, returning to her book and shaking her head in disbelief. "Have you thought any more about what I said?"
Taylor bit her lip as Haley brought the conversation up again. Of course she hadn't thought any more about it. She had adamantly refused to. "Um… yeah?" she tried.
Haley's head shot up from her book. "You're lying! Taylor, I don't want to do this any more, just please, please let me go!"
Taylor sighed. The truth was, it was a big bad world out there, and Haley wanted to go back into it. She wanted to throw everything away and dive back into the inhumanity and day-to-day evil that was life. Taylor wasn't ready to let her. Haley hadn't been to college, and as a result every single employer she'd had since she was sixteen thought that they could treat her like crap. It had been the same for their parents, only they didn't even have anything left. They'd died when Haley and Taylor were too young to really understand. Nevertheless, it had jaded Taylor enough to know that life wasn't fair. It was crap and it was dangerous, and Taylor didn't want Haley to go back into that.
Suddenly she had a brain wave. She rearranged her face into one that resembled worry. "It's just… I need you Hales."
Haley put the book down and raised her eyebows. "Yeah, and I need to break away from whatever it is that we're doing. We're ruining lives Taylor! We're…"
"No, I mean… I mean that I really need you Haley. I," Taylor broke off and took a deep breath, sure that her eyes were watering. "I got a call of them last night…"
Haley's eyes rounded like saucers. "What?"
Taylor knew that she would think she was talking about the drug lord that had got them into this mess in the first place. Playing on Haley's compassionate side was always a risk worth taking. Taylor hated herself for it, but she needed to protect her little sister. She was all Haley had in the world and she had to take care of her.
"They want more money Haley. I didn't want to say anything because I didn't want to worry you…"
"But you said you'd paid them back. You said everything was okay," Haley said, her calm voice betrayed by her wild eyes.
"Yeah well, they're not exactly the fairest people in the world Hales. Look, two more jobs and they're fully paid."
Haley bit her lip and Taylor looked at the floor to hid the smirk she was wearing. She'd fell for it. Taylor had won.
"One job."
Taylor looked up. "What?"
"One more job. That's it. One job and I'm done."
Taylor opened her mouth to protest but Haley cut her off.
"We'll just have to make it a big one. Over a million, not $300,000 like last time."
"Haley, it's too risky. People with that much money are too suspicious."
"And I'm the primary," Haley said. Taylor raised her eyebrows. Oh this was going horribly, horribly wrong.
"Haley, you're not ready to be the primary."
"Why not? Besides, you're much better at seduction than I am, you'll love being the secondary."
"Haley, I can make men fall in love with me, that's why I'm good at being the primary. Three months Haley. Not many women can get a man to propose in three months."
"And I'm one of them, right?"
"That's…" Taylor broke off at the look of hurt in Haley's eyes. She took a deep breath and shrugged. "Is there any way I can change your mind about this?"
Haley gave a little smirk. "Not a chance. Now hurry up and choose me a rich bachelor."
"Him?" Haley asked, looking at the decrepit old guy that stared back at her from the laptop screen. "You have got to be kidding me."
"Haley, he's worth a lot. Besides, older guys are easier to charm and this one doesn't flash his money about so you can pretend you know nothing about it. It's always more attractive when you don't come across as a gold digging whore."
Haley rolled her eyes. "Who else have you got?"
Taylor looked like she was about to protest, but instead clicked the mouse key and another image appeared on screen. Haley only got a chance to glimpse it briefly before Taylor tutted and pressed the mouse key again to reveal yet another decrepit old guy.
"George C. Har…" Taylor started.
"Go back. Who was the one before that?" Haley asked.
Taylor shrugged. "Just a little eye-candy. Trust me Hales, theres no way either of us could pull this guy."
"You mean me, right?" Haley said, hurt evident in her eyes.
"No, I mean either of us. Haley, he's hot, 25 and rich. Do you know how many girls a guy like that can pull? And besides, he is nowhere near ready to settle down. Trust me on that one."
"I want that one," Haley said adamantly. Half out of the fact that it would piss Taylor off no end, and half because she wanted to prove that she could be a primary. More than that, she wanted to prove that she could be a good one.
"Haley, no."
"Look, I won't negotiate on this, okay? I want out but I'm doing this damn thing to save your ass, so we're doing this thing on my terms. Or do you not think that I can do it?" Haley's voice and eyes were challenging.
Taylor sighed. "Honesty Haley, I'm not sure you can be the primary without falling for the guy…"
"What?" Haley yelled, furious.
"I'm just saying that you're too innocent, too trusting."
"I can do this Taylor, and I will do it. Trust me on that one, okay? Now where the hell does this guy live?"
Taylor gave a resigned sigh. If this was the only way she could protect her sister from going out on her own, then she'd have to do it. "He lives in North Carolina Hales. Tree Hill, North Caroline."
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AN; I know it seems like the Naley is a long time coming, but I think its in the next chapter if I can stop myself from rambling like I usually do. Seriously, who would have thought that cutting down my word count would be the challenge::sigh::
Anyway, please R&R because I seriously LOOOOOOOOOOOVE your reviews. They inspire me so much - and I tried really hard to say that without sounding like a cornball. Did it work? Probably not :-P
Anyway, lots and lost of rainbow coloured love
Conaleigh xxx