Here is the next chapter to Change my Heart. No Tony or Abby in this chapter, but it is vital to the storyline progression. Please remember to review in order to see what continues in the love story of our lovebirds.
Chapter Ten: Deals going south
Teradyne was the center of attention not only at the world headquarters office in Santa Monica, but also in New York City. Wall Street was abuzz that the technology developer was preparing a pitch the United States government to create a new weapon for the military.
Teradyne was slated to make billions of dollars...and Justin Hammer was completely aware of it. As a former uncle to the Wickford children since the death of his half-sister Angela.
Dinner and candles were sitting on Hammer's desk as his half-nephew was sitting across from him. They were dining and discussing how they would approach the deal that was coming.
"Very lovely dinner Uncle Justin," Alec Wickford said to him. "I thank you for inviting me."
"Anything nephew," Hammer said in his usual business facade charm. "We are soon to be partners and this was the least that I could do for you." He wiped his face and placed the napkin on his desk. "Now, you are certain that you can get the paperwork signed and ready for the announcement. I do not want to be made a fool of."
"I assure you uncle...I mean, Mr. Hammer," his nephew corrected himself mid-statement. "My government resource is pushing the deal through in favor of Teradyne taking the contract. Then our IPO will soar to over three-hundred a share at debut after the announcement. By then, the paperwork will be signed and my sister will not be around to contest."
"I am not one to condone violence against family," he stated. "She is my half-niece and the only girl born to my beautiful sister Angela, but she is the one that lead to my sister's sudden and tragic demise."
"I promise you Uncle Justin," Alec began his plea. "I have someone who is working on that portion of our arrangement..."
Justin was quieting him. "Ah, the less I know the better. Plausible deniability in the event that people start questioning our deal." He took a sip of the wine. "Have you had some yet? Came from the Hastings Villa in Napa Valley. A premier blend."
Wickford took a drink. "Very smooth," he replied.
"As I want this deal to be," Hammer replied. "You have one week to get this deal through. This deal is worth a potential starting figure of three billion, that is billion with a B, dollars. If you cannot obtain 100% control of the company, I just may have to," he rambled while mimicking scissors cutting with his fingers.
"No Uncle, I mean Mr. Hammer," Alec pleaded. "I can get this done."
"You better...or maybe I will take on your sister as a partner and we'll cut you out. Think about it."
Alec walked out of his half-uncle's office and toward the elevator. He reached into his suit pocket and pulled out his cellular phone.
The glass elevator would allow him to still talk without losing reception.
The line picked up.
"Why do you call me yet again?" the Mandarin answered.
"Because you failed me the first time," Alec shouted in anger. "What did money go to pay you for? I wanted her dead, not maimed."
"That is not my problem, young Wickford," the voice retorted. "I did as I was requested to do. It was her champion who saved her."
"So you are saying that a mere mortal can defeat you. Tony Stark is nothing but a drunken playboy with a fancy suit of armor. I would assume a man of your caliber could take of him."
"A man of his caliber exhibits bravery and loyalty to the ones he loves," the assassin told him. "Love is a powerful emotion."
Alec had reached the parking garage where his car was. He could not be discussing his business while in the building.
"I do not care," he roared.
"So, you know my price," the Mandarin said.
"No, I will pay more this time," Wickford told him. "This time, you keep Iron Man busy. I will take care of my sister."
The assassin was quiet at first, but then said, "I accept."
Alec closed the phone and directed to his driver. "Drive. I want to go home, now."
The driver put the car in gear and they headed toward the airport.
Isle of Corsica
Across the vast waves of the Atlantic, through the Rock of Gibraltar, and passing over the glistening Mediterranean Sea the Isle of Corsica rested far off the coast of France.
The vast island was filled with mountains, sparkling beaches, and vibrant day and nightlife. The coast was filled with fresco hotels and manors that showed the classical Genoa style while surrounded in lush gardens.
Surfers filled the water, riding the waves that crashed into the lush white sand beaches; filled with tourists.
From the city of Calvi, a moped rider raced across the stucco path from one of the many restaurants. The young lady rider breezed through the city streets to the mountain pass.
As the rider scaled the mountain, she arrived to a gated access to her master's estate. The guard allowed her to pass with a wink of her eye. She continued upward through the circular driveway and parked.
"Bonjour Mademoiselle Angelique," one of the guards greeted her.
"Bonjour," she replied.
Angelique took the food satchel through the kitchen to the balcony where citronella torches lined the edge that overlooked the bay.
Her helmet was removed and she pulled out her hair tie.
She looked down and saw a surfer coming back to the sand. He toweled off his body and hair. He was very strong and built.
She walked down the wooden staircase to the beach to reunite with the man she loved.
Andrew was always a thrill seeker. Hiking, mountain climbing, racing performance cars, and everything in between. It was during one of his races in Monaco that she went down and greeted him.
And it went from there.
"Bonjour darling," she greeted him. Her English was okay, but she still had her strong French tongue and accent. "How were the waves?"
"Decent, but good," her boyfriend replied with a kiss on both her cheeks.
"Dinner has arrived," she told him. "Let us go and enjoy it." He took her hand and headed up to the house.
Once they got to the top, he took a smell of the bag.
Angelique pulled the bag away and gave him a love tap on the hand. "You shall wait till you are cleaned up," she told him.
Andrew came and kissed her once he pulled her into a tight vice. "Then I shall clean up," he told her before he headed inside.
The youngest Wickford brother walked into his luxury home from the veranda from an afternoon of surfing. His girlfriend Angelique headed into town to pick up dinner for them to enjoy. They ate out often, barely using their kitchenette, but it was good to be loaded.
On his way to the bedroom, he kissed his fingers as he always did and put it to a large painting on the wall. The hand was put to the cheek of a young girl as he passed.
It was his quirk of offering his sister some love even though he could not see her; due to the bastard whose face had been sliced open with a letter opener.
He had been off to college at Stanford earning a law degree, but like any college freshman, he got involved in the party scene.
Andrew never thought that his eldest sibling Alec would use that to have him disowned.
Alec or the bastard has he was known by in this house had set him up to be arrested for drug possession and the intent to sell. He was kicked out of college, his fraternity, but worst off, his family.
He had heard about his poor sister. How she had nearly been killed when her condominium in Santa Monica, California had nearly burned to the ground.
It often crossed his mind that their bastard brother had something to do with her death, but he did not have the evidence he needed to prove it.
Once showered and clean, Andrew was returning to the the veranda for his beachside dinner with his girlfriend when he was accosted.
"Hey Andy," Simon, his hacker friend who lived with them, shouted as he slid across the floor. "I got it."
"Got what?" he asked.
They were in Simon's bedroom that also served as his office of computer excellence. He was the best hacker around Corsica and he was in his employ.
"I finally broke through all the firewalls of the Teradyne Technologies infrastructure," Simon was talking his geek speak. "Once I got through I was able to copy the hard drive and download a trojan that will allow me to receive data pockets of every download, file save, calendar appointment..."
"Whoa, just pretend that you are talking to someone who knows a little bit more about computers than Betsy Ross," he told the hacker. "Did you find something or not?"
"What did I not find?" the hacker said and passed him a folder.
Andrew opened the folder and saw a bank statement. "Bank statement. So what?"
"So what? Do you see the two large deposits that were made. One four weeks ago and another just yesterday afternoon. Those are six-figure amount transfers from the Teradyne Tech account to your brother's account to several bank accounts. Finally got it narrowed down to a bank in China. Want to know who owns that bank account?"
"If you know who does."
"The bank account has a false name, but it has been linked to several mass murders and assassinations attempts by one they call The Mandarin."
"These crazy killers and their code names," Andrew said. "What is his mode of death?"
Simon gave him another folder. "Read this. It is going to be the diary on all things The Mandarin. And you may want to go and get your sister."
Andrew's attention was suddenly drawn back to the picture.
His hacker brought up the picture on a computer screen. "Because this picture was taken at the Breakside Tower condos on the night the fire broke out and nearly killed your sister."
His blood began to boil. He had the proof he needed. Alec was attempting to eliminate the last member of his family. Only instead of being banished, he was trying to kill Abby.
Dinner was cancelled.
Oh yay! Andrew is on his way to rescue his sister. Let's see if a double team can truly stop the Mandarin. Please review!