Magnetic Forces of Love and Conspiracy
Written by BansheeGirl
A/N: Yes, I know it's been a while but I've finally gotten the fourth chappie written! Yay! Go me! Read on, and please review once you're done! Thanks a bunch!
Disclaimer: See chapter 1 or 2 if you're really interested in a disclaimer for this ficcie!
Magnetic Forces of Love and Conspiracy
Chapter 4: Coming To Blows
A sly smile of satisfaction transformed on Jessie's face. "Excellent," she spoke, the single word suddenly making James rethink his assumed poise.
"Why do you ask… exactly?" He asked, and Jessie felt the beginnings of the thrills of triumph seep into her being at the noticeable uncertainty in James' voice.
She paused for a moment, as if intentionally subjecting James to an additional slice of suspense. Her cherry-painted lips finally opened to at last start to answer the question James had been asking himself all day. "You see James… Paramount Corps. has been looking for new ways to… well, 'expand' its earnings. Not surprisingly we've discovered that a successful means of achieving this is by investing in the tourism industry."
James nodded cautiously, indicating that he was at least following her cause thus far.
Jessie continued. "We currently have ownership of several beach resorts, as well as a number of forest getaway lodges. But now…" Jessie appeared almost unable to control the smirk on her face as she carried on with her explanation. "Now we're looking for something a little… different. We've actually been conducting some exploration into the area of alpine resorts."
"Alpine resorts…" James repeated after Jessie, trailing off as he drifted into his own train of thought. He still could not understand what this had to do with him. An alarming possibility briefly entered his mind, but he discarded it after quickly affirming the sheer impracticality of the idea.
The woman before him spoke on. "You know. Skiing, snowboarding, toasty open fires in on-site five-star cabins. That sort of thing… And you know what? It seems that your beloved Fieldsville is the perfect location for… well, the perfect alpine resort."
James recoiled at Jessie's sudden mentioning of the very idea he had abandoned as utterly ridiculous only moments ago. He quickly launched into an anxious, yet valid reasoning. "Ah, well… I'm afraid your 'exploration' isn't very thorough, Jessie. The Fieldsville village settlement takes up most of the available construction area in our pocket of the mountain range. You'd have no space to build any of your resort."
Jessie stared down at James. She held that demeaning gaze, and began to speak in such a contentedly wicked tone that it sent chills down James' spine. "Oh, but that is where you are wrong, James. We know very well that the village settlement takes up most of the available construction area. And that's why we're going to demolish it so we'll have all the space that we need."
James felt like a ton of bricks had suddenly fallen down upon him. Did he hear right? Did she just say that her company was going to demolish Fieldsville? His Fieldsville? James felt like things were suddenly spinning very much out of his control.
"What! Demolish Fieldsville!"
Jessie nodded calmly.
"You can't be serious! Four-hundred people live in Fieldsville!" James cried angrily, his voice rising. "There has been no discussion or agreement about this plan with our council. Where can you have gotten permission to bulldoze down an entire town!
Jessie continued to remain unfazed about James' distress over the proposal, nor the supposed immorality of her plan. "Legally, Fieldsville is actually a parish of Saunders City. So really, there was no point in conferring with the Fieldsville Council, because it was just as easy to negotiate with the Saunders City Council. And they've happily agreed to the proposition… of course they're now contracted to receive a portion of financial profit with the construction of the new alpine resort… but that was to be expected."
James fumed. How could Jessie sit there so coolly as if she were talking about a simple matter like the weather? His anger boiled even higher as he realised that the crimson-haired woman openly showed signs of actually enjoying turning so many peoples' lives completely upside-down.
"You bought the Saunders City Council over? This is ridiculous!" He struggled to find words powerful enough to stop someone destroying the place he now called home. "Some people have lived their whole lives in Fieldsville! And… and now you're just going to destroy the place? What is going to happen to everyone?" He yelled furiously, yet Jessie did not flinch at all.
She reached back over the desk and retrieved a very large binder. Pulling herself back toward the front of the desk, she handed it to James and began to speak, "You will be able to find all the details in there. I suggest you provide copies of the files within the binder for the other residents of Fieldsville. But basically, the Saunders City Council will provide the families of Fieldsville with a sum of money in exchange for compliancy with our plan… the money should be enough to purchase a modest townhouse or apartment in Saunders City. That said… anyone who is not compliant will have their houses demolished regardless, and will not receive any money."
James looked down at the folder in his hands, dumbfounded. He absentmindedly flicked through it, the figures printed on page after page appearing as nothing but a blurred recipe for utter chaos. He glared back up at Jessie. "What, so we get absolutely no say in this whatsoever?"
His ex-colleague shook her head condescendingly in reply, revelling in James' obvious feelings of powerlessness.
"Your money cannot replace our homes!" James exclaimed, "We love where we live, and by destroying four-hundred peoples' houses you are destroying four-hundred peoples' livelihoods as well!"
Jessie sighed. "Well, I'm afraid that's just too bad James – the plans are already well in motion for this resort to go ahead. The demolition is planned to take place in six months time – and if any of your people are still remaining in Fieldsville by then, they'll be levelled along with your precious town."
James gaped at Jessie, disgusted with her obscenely cold-blooded attitude. "Jessie, this is crazy! Just listen to yourself! You're booting four-hundred people out of their homes just so your multi-billion dollar company can make a little bit more money! How selfish can you get?"
The woman simply smiled patronisingly at James as if she were listening to the tantrum of a three-year-old child. "Frankly James, I really don't care."
James slammed the binder he had been holding down on the chair beside him, and rose up so that he and Jessie stood facing each other. He roared, "You cannot do this!"
"Oh, but I can," Jessie articulated in a smooth voice that oozed the power that made her statement so very true. "And now, if you don't have any further questions I shall summon Michael to come and accompany you out." She reached behind her to press a button on a small panel on the face of a telephone sitting on her desk.
"-Wait," James pleaded one last time, and Jessie let her hand pause over the button before slowly pulling it away. She crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows, signalling that she was actually willing to listen to James.
James ran a hand through his lavender hair, inhaling deeply as if trying to calm himself somewhat before making his last plea. "Jessie… this isn't some sort of twisted way of getting back at me for… you know, what happened all those years ago… is it? Because if it is-"
"-Do not flatter yourself by assuming that I am pathetic enough to waste my time on anything that specifically involves you," Jessie hissed, stepping up to James so that they stood eye to eye. Her eyes narrowed in a resentful glare. James attempted to hold the glare, knowing that she would only see him as weak if he looked away. Yet as those cold sapphire eyes bore into him, it was not long before he turned his head away in defeat.
Jessie promptly hit the button on the front of her telephone to page Michael, and walked around to sit back in her chair. A few awkward seconds passed before a rapid knock sounded against the outside of the office door.
"Come in Michael," Jessie ordered, and the large oak door swung open, "Please escort Mr. Morgan back to the foyer so that he may leave."
Michael looked to James with a sly grin plastered across his face. "I trust everything went well, Mr. Morgan?"
James shot a foul look at the man before snatching up his binder from the chair where he'd left it. Without another glance at his ex-partner, he stormed out of the door that Michael held open.
Michael winked at Jessie before closing the door, leaving the scarlet-haired woman alone in the office.
Jessie stared tiredly down at her desk. For the first time in a long while, she felt a strange yearning to curl up into a tiny ball and cry.
Oh yeah! Aha! Alright! Fourth chappie in the bag! Smiley faces all around! Hope everyone liked this instalment… I know that it was a little… uh, tense? But hey – angst and confliction and all that kinda stuff is what makes a great story, right!
Anyway, please leave me a review on your way out – constructive criticism and suggestions are also welcome! I've got two weeks off school at the moment, so hopefully I'll have the time to write several more chappies very soon!
Just a big thankyou to everyone who has reviewed this ficcie so far! I do love you all so very much! Teehee!
Till Next Time,
BansheeGirl.