A/N: Hello peeps! Update time again! Part two of you know who (Voldermort anyone?) ;) Thank you SO much for the feedback! I love reviews and people's thoughts on the story because its great to share Arwen love with other Merlin fans all over the world. Special shout out to the 'Guest' reviewer who wrote a great interpretation for Arthur's a** like behavior, I couldn't have put it better myself so thank you! The story is coming to an end soon, but there's still a bit more mileage to go yet so I hope you can all join me for the ride.
P.S: FYI, 'Pandadol' is a common brand for over the counter pain medication. Its Pacific region speak for Asprin, Aadvil, etc...I realised that I've used it in my story a few times and it may be confusing 'cos I don't think you can get it in Europe, or the Americas so yeah, sorry 'bout that.
P.P.S: Also, muchos apologies for the awful spelling and grammar errors in the last chap! I tried my best to get them all so I was a bit annoyed at myself for not getting 'em all. My bad!
Enough gassing! Onwards...
Chapter 42: The One With Agravaine Part II
Gwen rushes into the Staff room, scanning the group near the tea table. Mrs. Riggs is already moving towards the other exit so she rushes to catch up with her.
"Mrs. R? Hi..I was wondering if we could talk. It's about…what you told me the other night in the Art Centre..See, I want to help my friends at PI as much as I can..and I thought…well maybe you would be able to help", Gwen speaks quietly, as Mrs. Riggs looks at her, then nodding, she follows Gwen back to her classroom.
"Mrs. Riggs, did Ygraine ever talk to you about her adoptive family?" Gwen asks when her friend is seated.
She taps her finger to her mouth, deep in thought.
"She was close to the parents. They loved her and treated her like a biological child. She told us that they'd always wanted a daughter. They had a son..Well, you know their son. From what you've told me, and from what I've read and seen on TV, he also grew up to be a complete scumbag. But there you-"
"Wait..Sorry..What do you mean? Was he a nasty person to Ygraine when they were young?"
Mrs. Riggs shakes her head and sighs.
"It was a long time ago…and I don't know if I can remember much, or if it's helpful to you now, but I'll try. Let's see…The brother…Agravaine Du Bois…Yes, I do remember him being here once or twice. He never cared for her artistic talents or pursuits. And he was very embarrassed about her wanting to be around people from her past. Us common, poor folk. Stuck up git! Thing is, he had this…unhealthy obsession with her. I mean, she was his sister for all legal purposes – even if they weren't blood related but the way he looked at her like…well like he was in love with her or something ghastly like that.
One day, back when she was still engaged, we were here, going through our financials to see about holding a large fundraiser for this Centre, and he showed up all angry with about her accepting Uther's proposal. They came in here to discuss it in private, and she kept asking with him to lower his voice, but it was no use, we could hear them yelling from the car park. Ygraine told him to stay out of her life, that he was disturbed and evil and she wanted nothing more to do with him. He was pleading with her, saying that the two of them were meant to marry when they got older. That this was why she was adopted in the first place. Some complete rubbish about "keeping the bloodline strong". Then Ygraine told him that his theory didn't make sense because she is not of his blood anyway, that it was wrong, and to let her be happy – with Uther. He got even more angry and started ranting about her fiancée Uther, saying he was a playboy, and nothing but a jumped up rich brat, playing at being the boss in his father's company. It was a really nasty row and because we were afraid he might hit her or something, I marched in and told him to clear off. Ygraine was very upset and crying. Oh, he was a horrid, bitter man even back then, and like I said; a complete arsehole now. Poor Arthur…It's terrible when you think of it; I mean they're family and all…"
Gwen bites her lip in surprise, struggling to keep her excitement hidden.
She thinks back to the conversation with Merlin, and the other guys.
The night Agravaine did his press conference a few days ago…
Gwen, Morgana, Elyan, and Merlin sit in front of his laptop screen, chatting to the others. Most of the conversation has been about where they all are with their information gathering – that and a full five minutes of colorful conversation about what Agravaine can personally 'do' with the company now that he has it.
Gwen has been quietly listening, absorbing all the dreadful things Arthur's uncle has been able to do right under his nose. Something doesn't sit right with her about this whole thing and she knows she has to bring it up now.
"Guys, after hearing about all the things you've uncovered about Du Bois, something still doesn't make sense. Okay, so his MO is somehow coming in and buying up dying companies. How does he do it? I know you're all still working on that, but like Lance said; the guy loves failure and desperation and the fact that he can destroy other people's dreams, like he's some sort of –"
"-Devil incarnate!" Gwaine shouts out as he takes another huge bite of his burger from his screen.
Lance snorts, "Hah! That is too good a nickname for him", he spits out.
Morgana sits up straighter and chimes in, "-Yeah, but…in this case, why is he going to extremes with this particular company? That just so happens to be his brother in law's? PI is Uther's whole life. Arthur's too now. Gwen and I have been talking and she reckons there has to be some particular reason…A specific motive like -"
"Him being a smug bastard who loves to win and will stab anyone in the back in order to get what he wants?" Elyan chimes in from behind Merlin's chair.
Merlin nods slowly, and then looks over at Gwen with a new found appreciation. This whole fact finding thing has been an exhausting process, and it was beginning to feel like they're all going around in circles.
"No! I think Gwen's right. Its personal..It has to be. It's like he's obsessed with bringing his own family down", Merlin nods his head in her direction.
"Yeah alright..sure, 'Dysfunctional Families Part 2', but the question is, what is the fixation?" Percival shrugs.
Gwen bites her lip and inclines her head.
"I think I have an idea..But, there's one person who may be able to help us along with that theory. I'm going to see if I can try to talk to her about it tomorrow".
Back to present day…
As Mrs. Riggs leaves the room, Gwen pulls out her cell phone to call Merlin with a triumphant grin on her face.
"I think I just found out Agravaine's Achilles Heel", she says when he answers.
Arthur has a headache. It's one of those pounding, ever present despite the Panadol type of aches. He has hardly slept for the past few days. Okay make that a few weeks – since he ended things with Gwen. Sleeping is not really an option when things are so royally screwed up now.
Arthur's POV
If there was a way…If you could go back…What would you do differently? Would you have noticed? Like, the little things..The way he spoke and did things…How he was always smirking like he knew something the rest of you didn't…Arthur…You can't blame yourself forever. Why not? I caused this. I let my guard down. I…I let him in and my judgment failed me. Now, the company I have waited and killed myself to lead one day belongs to that man who unfortunately is related to me! My uncle. Sad really…No, what's sad is you sitting here, reminiscing, feeling sorry about it. It's done. You are now at that 'Crisis management phase'. Thank you for quoting Management Studies 101 to me again. Well it's true. You need to recharge. Sleep. Eat. And Please Shower. I don't smell. Um…yeah you kind of do. I will. When I get back. I need to hurry up and get over to Merlin's anyway. Well you need to rest. I know. Your father is depending on you. I know. You have people in your corner. I know…and for that I am eternally grateful. Good. So don't...don't give up. Not yet. I keep thinking about what Merlin said…the other night. About Guinevere…She was coming over to his house. She was…out and she left to come over. Because she wanted to help…Because she cares…You sound surprised. You shouldn't be. I'm not…its Guinevere…She cares…She is-
The loud buzzer jolts his thoughts and he walks over to answer it. Since the media maelstrom hit a few days ago, the apartment security and doormen have been on high alert.
"Sorry to disturb you Arthur but…there's a young woman down here who is demanding to speak to you. She said she's not leaving 'til we let her in. What would you like us to do with her?"Colin's worried tone comes through.
Arthur's heart lifts and he smiles despite everything.
Arthur's POV
It's her! Guinevere came to see me. She…came. Should I let her in? No you shouldn't. Really?! No you idiot! Of course you let her in! You want to see her. Do it!
"Send her up please Colin", he replies quickly.
A few minutes later, he hears a knock on his door and he hurriedly smoothes down his hair, taking a quick whiff of his clothes. Then grimacing because he has no time to shower, change or even deodorize, he opens the door.
"Gui-" he stops abruptly as he stares at the lady standing in his doorway.
"Oh Arthur! I just got in from London and I came straight over. This is truly truly awful!" she rushes up to him and pulls him into a tight embrace.
Arthur has no choice but to hug her back, masking his surprise while he's at it.
"Uh…thanks. Thanks…Mithian", he replies finally.
Across town at Merlin's house, Elyan, Gwen, Morgana, and Merlin are gathered in front of a screen, talking to the others. Elyan had texted everyone earlier that afternoon to say they had to meet up tonight. That he had something they could use. No one says much as Gwen fills them in about her theory and conversations with Mrs. Riggs.
Silence.
"Okay, can I just say what everyone's thinking right now; that this whole story is a little too much like a Virginia Andrews best seller? And they say rich people are one dimensional and care more about their dogs, and wearing tweed then the real world. No offence Morgs", Gwaine puts in and everyone laughs, as Morgana scowls at him.
"It makes a lot of sense now. The way he has been relentless in pursuing PI..All his research…how patient he was..You've got to hand it to him; he does evil and revenge well", Lancelot muses.
"We know he has done all this stuff – falsifying documents, reports, figures, etc..But how has did he do it-", Percival stops when Elyan cuts in excitedly.
"With Help."
Silence.
"Yeah El? You're gonna have to say more than two words here. I happen to be smarter than the lot of you put together and even I need more than that", Gwaine quips as they all watch Elyan walk closer to the screen, pointing to his laptop.
""He had help. Another person in PI who had access, time, and knowledge of the company, the Pendragons…"
"I finally got around to going through all the sound files and-"
"El, we did that already. There was nothing much going on. Like you said yourself last week, the Snake is really clever not to do his dirty dealings in the office. So we have squat-"
"On him yes. But then I listened to the last convo he had with the person we think was Jena again. After he hangs up, there's this sound. Same one twice actually. It's a bit hard…but you can hear it…Here, let me play it…"
They all hear a muffled noise after Agravaine hangs up the phone with Jena. Just before he gets up to leave there's another muffled noise. It's someone coughing. Barely audible, but its there.
Merlin frowns and thinks I've heard that cough before…
"I know who it is! We all do!" he half shouts.
It's silent for a moment before everyone starts talking at once.
"That little shi-"
"All this time and we never-"
"I say we take everything to the IFCB-"
"-No 'The Times'!"
"SHUT IT!" Merlin shouts and it works.
"I think it's time to tell Gaius and the Pendragons what we know", he declares.
"Definitely. Where is Arthur anyways? Thought he was going to be at yours too?" Lance looks over at Gwen quickly while asking.
"He was coming but Mithi-uh..he had a visitor…This is great news though, and he'll want to know about it straight away! If I call him now, I'm sure he'll be right over", Merlin glances at Gwen to see how she's handling that bit of news. Gwen smiles slightly and shrugs, trying to look as casual as she can while opening a packet of crisps.
The noisy sound she makes when she opens it almost drowns out Morgana muttering under her breath something about "Boring and boringer". Whatever that means.
Gwen's POV
So Mithian's back in town…and she's over at Arthur's…Who cares right?! He knows loads of people and they may want to visit him. And they know each other…Yeah true. They 'know' each other..Oh stop it! Don't think about it. New day remember? Right! It doesn't matter anyway, you're doing this to help them – you care about all of them. You're going home soon anyway. School tomorrow. And you've got that fieldtrip with your Fifth form class to prep for. Yep. Better make tracks soon. It sounds like you're avoiding him. I am not. I have other things to do! The boys can handle things from here on in. Okay then…
By the time Arthur arrives, Gwen and Elyan are long gone and the others have already signed off their online conversation so it's just Merlin and a barely responsive Morgana (who even though she's promised to treat Arthur civilly, sometimes 'slips up'). Excusing herself, citing wedding stuff, she leaves them alone.
"Soooo…what happened to you earlier?"
Pause.
"Oh er..yeah sorry, I was trying to get ready to come over but Mithian stopped by..To show her support, see how I was doing I suppose and-"
"Support! Yeah okay..", Merlin snorts under his breath.
Unluckily, Arthur hears him and frowns.
"Something you'd like to say Merlin?" he asks sarcastically.
"Look…you're a free agent, do what you like. Or don't. It's just…you must know that she likes you right? As in more than the lets-do-a-merger-together way of liking someone?"
Arthur shrugs and tries to look indifferent as he takes a seat, and because he's starving, helps himself to the open packet of crisps that Gwen left behind.
"Maybe…But Merlin..My priorities have somewhat shifted..and to be honest, I am not ready for anything…not yet".
"Okay.."
Another pause.
"Wait…The other night…you said…you said Gwen…was..um..out on a date?"
Arthur's POV
Can I just say you sound like you're 17 right now? I do not! Yeah you kind of do… And you hate that you even asked right? Maybe..But I can't help it. If Mithian hadn't stayed so long, you could've still caught up with her tonight..Maybe…But she doesn't want to see me. She's moved on. How do you know? Merlin's quiet about it. So? So since when is he quiet about anything? Okay, I see your point. Early days mate. Early days.
Merlin sighs and shrugs uncomfortably as he joins Arthur at the table.
"Mate…You and she are no longer together. You can't expect her to just…I don't know. But!", he tries to make his voice sound brighter as he notices Arthur's face fall momentarily.
"I don't think it's serious...It was just one date. But yeah…like you said; bigger stuff at stake and all that", Merlin desperately tries to change the subject back to what they were talking about before.
Arthur finishes off the last chip then looks down at the empty packet. Its Gwen's favourite type. He tries not to think that less then half an hour ago, she was sitting here, probably in the same chair, eating these crisps from the same packet…
Arthur's POV
Okay this is clearly getting ridiculous! What is? You. This. What did I do? Do you know how many other people on the planet eat this type of potato chip? Hundreds of millions! Um, actually…What?! Well, it just that…It wouldn't be 'hundreds of millions'…More like a few million people-Fine! Whatever! Just…focus okay?! The company first! Huh? Repeat after me; the company first! Company first…Good.
Clearing his throat and throwing it in the bin, he nods at Merlin to begin and he quickly fills Arthur in on everything, taking note to talk about his mother and Agravaine's relationship with a lot of tact. He watches as his friend's face turns from crimson to white as he struggles to keep his anger in.
"That bastard! I can't believe he…Bastard!" Arthur spits out as he slams his fist on the table.
Then he runs a hand through his short messy blonde hair, tapping his fingers on the table once more before he speaks again.
The expression on his face is…surprisingly the way he looks when he is at work; focused, professional, and like he's got a plan of attack.
"Merlin? I do believe it's time to beat Agravaine at his own game", he says with a roguish grin.
Mathieu Stewart hates almost hot coffee. If he had to pick a pet hate (just one), this one would be right up there. Well directly underneath the worst pet hate which is being a nothing, dogsbody assistant. That was the top of the top on his list.
He had come to the nearest coffee place after his boss had dropped that bombshell on him early this morning. He is still reeling from that and thought coffee would do the trick to calm him down. Now coupled with the crap coffee he has received, he wishes he'd just gone home instead. Mentally curses the lady at the counter for her useless coffee making skills, he hunts around for a coffee cup lid and finds that they've not even put a new stack out yet.
Before he can say something nasty to the staff about it, the person next to him extends a coffee lid in his direction. He looks up to say thank you but something about the man stops the words from coming out of his mouth.
He is a tall, solidly built man, wearing a crisp black suit, with dark sunglasses and sporting a shaved head.
"Hello Mathieu", his voice is low and pleasant enough, however, there's an odd quality to it. Sort of like a menacing undertone.
Mathieu moves back a bit, and a feeling of unease goes through his head as he thinks through his options.
He is pretty sure he's never met this chap before so he could pretend he's someone else and leave, but judging by the stranger's physique, he's willing to bet he could easily keep up with him if he did go.
He settles for fake 'at ease' behavior instead.
"Sorry Mr. …? Have we met before?" He hopes his voice sounds more firm then he feels.
The big man grins wolfishly down at him again and moves closer until his lips are close to Mathieu's ear.
"Let's just say we have…mutual connections. Now, you and I are going to have a little chat. So please get your coffee and follow me outside nice and slowly", he replies in that low voice again.
Mathieu swallows hard and fights down his increasing anxiety.
"And if I don't..?" he asks faintly.
The man lets out a laugh that sounds like a cross between a cackle and a growl then pulls out his phone, showing Mathieu a picture of his beloved Pekinese dogs Peter and Paul in some sort of cage, in a room he doesn't recognize. It's definitely not a room in their luxurious flat uptown.
Mathieu looks at the man in fright and he smiles calculatingly.
"They're safe – for now. So? Shall we?"
He is about to answer when his phone rings. Without even looking down he knows it's his Boss, Agravaine. The man is insufferable. If Mathieu doesn't answer, he'll just keep ringing until he does.
He is thinking of how he can alert Agravaine of his predicament when the man reaches out and grabs the phone with a casual, "I think I'll hold on to that for now".
Then he repeats himself, "So? Shall we?"
Mathieu has little choice in the matter now and he follows him out of the busy café. His panic attack continues to build up as he watches people rushing by all around him and just as he is reconsidering the option of doing a runner, the man suddenly pulls him into the alleyway where a grey van is parked.
Before Mathieu has time to ask what is happening, another man, this one wearing a ski mask jumps out of the van and pulls him in, then shoves a cloth bag down over his face as someone else starts up the van.
He hears door slam and the van begins to move.
"Where are you taking me?! Who are you?!" Mathieu shouts in terror.
From somewhere in the van he hears the man talking, presumably into a phone.
"Its me…Yeah, we got him".
Mathieu has no idea how long it's taken them to get to their destination. He can't see anything with the bag over his head, and none of the men answer his pleas so eventually he falls silent with only his fear for company.
After a time, the vehicle stops and he is forcibly pulled out of the van and guided along, where eventually, they stop and shove him down onto some sort of seat.
When the bag is taken off his head, it takes him a moment to adjust to the dimness of this room. He is seated on a chair in some sort of shadowy room…there are no windows or doors that he can see.
Suddenly someone switches on two spotlights, directly trained onto him and he holds his hands up to adjust to the brightness. He rubs his eyes, then thanks his lucky stars he's not dead. Yet.
The man from the café is seated in another chair across from him, with one leg crossed over the other. Behind the seated man he can see two tall, masked men standing on either side. Bodyguard stance and all.
It's enough to make the fear come back to him tenfold.
"Where..? Where have you taken me?" his dry throat makes his voice sound like he is croaking instead of speaking.
The man smiles and leans back in his chair.
"Somewhere where we can talk undisturbed. Mathieu…You and I are going to have that talk now", he replies.
Mathieu looks up at the guards again. They look like statues. Statues with muscles that could crack someone's skull most probably.
"What…What are we going to talk about? Look, I think you have the wrong guy! I don't make a lot of money! I am not a member of the royal family! Or in any organized crime family! I'm just someone's assistant and-"
"Mathieu relax…You must watch a lot of cop shows to be thinking all of that! If I wanted to kill you, believe me you wouldn't have made it out of that café. ..I don't want your money either…", the man waves his hand in the air as if he's bored to death with the whole affair.
Mathieu lets go of his fright for a tiny second as he shakes his head in confusion.
"On the contrary I do believe you are being unusually humble about your scope of influence and status within a certain Fortune 500 company you work for", the man continues, all the while watching Mathieu's face turn even whiter.
"I don't know anything…I just organize the Boss' schedule and-"
"Mathieu…Do you have any pet hates? Things that annoy the hell out of you?" the man asks him.
Mathieu takes a deep breath, willing himself to calm down. He is trying to figure out who this man is. Maybe a freelancer hired by someone who lost a company to Agravaine in the past…Damn Agravaine Du Bois and all his dirty, evil deeds! Why must he pay for them?! Maybe the man will accidentally let slip who he's working for…
"I er…I don't like…queues..", he finally replies shakily.
The man nods his head energetically as if this is the most interesting thing he's ever heard.
"Exactly! Do you know what really gets to me? People lying. You see, I hate it when someone lies to me. Especially when I ask them things so nicely in the first place. It tends to make me very angry. You look like the sort of person who doesn't lie Mathieu…Is that true?"
Mathieu nods mechanically.
The man looks pleased. The way a great white shark does before it devours half a school of smaller fish.
"Good. I thought so. Let's try this again. If I ask you something about your work at PI, will you be able to answer honestly this time?"
Another shaky nod.
"Lovely. Now…How long have you been working for Agravaine Du Bois?"
Mathieu blinks in surprise and takes his time before answering.
"Uh..almost six months…Since the CEO left for health reasons and-"
The man sighs dramatically and crosses his arms, giving Mathieu a pointed look.
"What did I say about lying Mathieu? I really hate having to resort to violence but sometimes it does get results. Boys!" he calls as one of the statues comes to life and moves closer towards Mathieu. The masked man is holding a cricket bat in one hand.
Mathieu looks at him in sheer terror and lets out an involuntary shriek, trying to cover his face with his hands.
"Please no! Don't hurt me! I'll tell you! I'll tell you whatever you want to know! I'm not a bad person! I just helped him is all! Please! Tell whoever you work for that I don't know what he did at other companies! He had people in there, who did stuff so the companies would get into trouble and fall! But I have nothing to do with them! I only know what he did at PI! Please!"
The masked man stands directly in front of him and swings the bat up, standing in position.
"Are you saying Agravaine Du Bois is the man behind the PI problems? Mathieu…You need to tell me more…Or else, my associates will be staging a one dayer in here soon..", the man drawls from his chair.
Mathieu's voice is high pitched and quivering.
"It was Agravaine! He approached me almost two years ago! With a proposition to help him! He is the one who did everything! I just helped – only a little! Please! I'm telling you the truth! I swear!"
The man holds his hand up and the masked man walks back over to his corner with the bat.
"What exactly did you do to 'help' him?" he asks Mathieu who is on the verge of having a heart attack.
"He wanted to take down the company. Something about 'finally having the last say'. That this was his way of making things right and that he would make Uther and his son pay. He had this…unhealthy hatred for them, especially the old man. He would boast about the way he had paid off senior staff from other successful companies to falsify and create chaos in their respective companies so they would fall and he could easily come in and buy them out. It was different with our company though. He even managed to coerce Uther into signing some agreement he drew up when the man was half dead with all the chemo drugs and the cancer. He told me that years ago, he inherited more shares so he now owns 40% of the company but he needs at least 50% to demand formal dismissal so…he falsified the documents, forging Uther's signature to show the Board a letter that was supposedly written by the CEO. The real letter that Uther signed was an official document instructing that he wanted to sign ownership over to Arthur in twenty four months time. He signed it when he was really sick. That's how Du Bois got Arthur out! The merger fell through because he changed the final merger documents, and there are other documents too – ones that he altered and then leaked to the IFCB!"
Mathieu pauses and glances at the man who hasn't moved from his chair except to give him a slight nod. Encouraged, and slightly heartened by the fact the masked man is now resting on the bat in his corner, he takes a deep breath before continuing.
"I know everything about the company. I could tell him who the major players are, and which Board members could be easily swayed. I…I set up those meetings, and gathered all the paperwork. I encouraged Uther to reach out to him seeing as they're family and convinced him that he could help groom Arthur. I told Du Bois about Uther's illness, and about Arthur's behavior and attitudes towards work and his friends. I also told him about that dodgy reporter from a tabloid who had already been used by Vivian Olaf and was easily swayed into working with him. She helped by doing more of his spying on Arthur and his girlfriend. I was the one who would email her the leaked info from an internet café close to my flat so no one could link it back to PI if they ever checked…But I didn't know he would go this far! I never wanted to do anything illegal! I didn't sign up to commit fraud! I just…I just wanted to not be a Nothing! I have been Uther Pendragon's assistant for eight, long, painful years! I work 80 hour weeks for that…megalomaniac and does he ever say 'thank you' or 'job well done Mathieu'?! No he doesn't! I deserve recognition! A promotion! Some respect! But I got nothing! And Agravaine Du Bois promised me a directorship job if I did this. But he lied! And when I told him that I didn't realize it was going to come to this where Uther and Arthur would be forced out of their own company, he turned on me! He even threatened me saying that if I ever told someone what he did, he would tell them it was all me! That he had photos of me removing files from the CEOs office and Jena kept all the emails I had sent which could be linked back to me, and it would be his word as a mighty Du Bois, CEO of a multi-billion corporation against mine".
The man sighs forlornly and gets up, looking at Mathieu.
"Unfortunately, as much as it sounds like your story could be true, without black and white proof that what you say happened Mathieu…sadly, my Boss has instructed me to ask these nice gentlemen here to fini-"
"It's true! I can prove he forged that Board documents!" Mathieu bursts out.
The man cocks his head to one side and moves closer to him.
"Go on…", he invites.
"I…I saw him put the original document in his safe..the hidden one in his townhouse. It's in his kitchen, behind the splash back tiles near the cook top…He thought I didn't see him closing it, but I did!"
"Scouts honor Matty?" the man asks warningly.
Mathieu nods his head hard.
"I swear! On Peter and Pauley's lives! It's there…The original! In his house!"
"And where is your lovely Boss today then?"
"He's at Brighton City! He's not due back to the office 'til after lunch tomorrow…Why?"
The man smiles and then stands up. The two other men switch the spotlights off and then they all walk towards an apparent door.
Mathieu squints and tries to focus now that it's darker again.
"Wait…Where are you going?! Please…Let me go! I promise I won't say anything..I won't say a word!"
The man turns to him and then switches on the main light.
"For your sake I hope so", he finally speaks. Menacing tone and all.
Mathieu looks around the room, and realizes he's been sitting in a room that looks like a cellar of some sort.
"You're not going to…hurt me? I'm…free to go?" he asks uncertainly.
The masked men laugh and the cricket bat guy shakes his head, and opening the door, all three of them exit the room leaving Mathieu sitting there.
The sunlight coming into the room illuminates his phone and bag which have been left sitting on an empty crate near the door.
A few minutes pass before he has the courage to get up and walk to the still open door, and grabbing his things, he is finally able to run.
Two hours later, across town, two masked men enter the kitchen of an exclusive town house.
After successfully removing the outer layer of fake tiling, they find the safe, right where the assistant said it would be.
One of them pulls out his cell and dials a number.
"Got it. Fortunately its one I've worked on before so it shouldn't be too hard though I wish I had more time to work on it…Yeah, it's a five digit system…It one of those safes that can be self programmed and changed as you please…How long? Give or take two hours..We'll call you back when we've made some progress".
The two men get to work on cracking the safe and after five minutes, the man's phone rings.
"You want us to try it? Um..sure we can do that…Hang on a mo…", the man puts the phone on his cheek as his friend tries the number that he recites back to him.
"CLICK!" the safe opens with a loud sound.
The two men hi-five each other.
"We did it! Twenty minutes", he answers the caller before hanging up.
The following day Merlin and Gaius watch as Arthur paces up and down the corridor nonstop. His blonde hair is messier today and the dark circles under his eyes are evident despite his expensive suit. Finally Merlin's had enough.
"Oi! If you keep walking up and down you'll be doing them a huge favor and giving these floors a much needed polish! If that's not your thing then please sit down! You're doing my head in Arthur!" he hisses in a stage whisper evoking a strange look from the receptionist.
Arthur half groans but complies, sitting next to Gaius who murmurs something that sounds suspiciously like "Thank goodness, he was making me dizzy".
"Gaius..? Do you think this will work?" Merlin asks quietly.
The older man glances quickly at Arthur who is now squashing his hacky sack between his fingers and not even listening, and then looks at Merlin.
"I hope so Merlin. I sure hope so".
Merlin is about to say something else when the door opens and someone comes out to take them through to a conference room.
A short, stocky, middle aged man with graying hair seated with three other people stand up when they enter and he comes forward to shake hands with them all before offering them a seat.
"I must say, I was quite surprised to receive a call from you regarding your company Mr. Pendragon", the older man says, studying the young man across the table.
"Mr. Haig, in light of the recent investigations you're conducting of our company, I have pertinent information that I need to share with you immediately so thank you for agreeing to see us on such short notice", Arthur replies, before opening his brief case as Merlin pulls out his laptop and loads up the sound files.
Jeff Haig has been in this business long enough to know when someone is blowing hot air. After studying the young Pendragon for a few moments, he nods and leans back in his chair.
"The IFCB is only interested in facts and evidence so I hope you're not here to waste our time or to interfere with our investi-"
"Then I suggest you have a look at this", Arthur pushes a thick file across to him and the older man opens it and reads the first few pages in silence.
Merlin can hardly stand the tension filled silence and when he glances at his friend, he can see he is also barely holding it together.
"Hey Arthur…", he whispers, nudging him.
Arthur leans closer so they can talk quietly.
"How could you have possibly known what the right combination to Du Bois' safe was?"
Arthur smiles faintly and shrugs.
"26654…", he muses.
Merlin still doesn't get it.
"Yeah…but how…?"
Arthur's smile is proud, and he looks at Merlin knowingly.
"Achilles Heel.."
Merlin tries to rack his brain wondering where he's heard that reference before...That's it! Gwen had used it when she had called to say…
"Your mum! So those numbers are..? Her-"
Arthur nods, "Her birth date…The man was, is…fixated".
Jeff Haig has stopped reading. He looks up. His poker face well and truly gone and now replaced with confusion and astonishment.
He nods at the three of them and then gestures down at the papers.
"I think you'd better tell us exactly what's been going on there", he finally speaks, "From the beginning please".
Two days later…
"Mathieu where are those briefs I asked for?! For God's sake man, how long does it take you to get the most basic thing! Does no one here know how to do their jobs?! I shall have to fire the whole lot of you and bring in competent people!...Mathieu?! Are you there?!"
He does not get a response from his assistant so Agravaine slams down his phone. He had just arrived back after lunch today to find the office eerily quiet and the PI staff, usually scared to even breathe in his presence; today, most of them had stopped and stared at him in the most unnerving way. As if they were all about to mug him or something. Not only that but Mathieu was not at his work station today and this was a problem for him, because until the heat died down and he brought in his own people, Mathieu was the only one who was able to work with him.
Swearing in frustration he wrenches his door open and strides out to find his assistant and give him a piece of his mind.
In the main reception room, he finds quite a few staff standing around talking excitedly with none other than Merlin, Gaius, and Arthur Pendragon, as well as three people in suits that he doesn't know and the Director of the IFCB, a straight laced holier than thou type called Haig.
The room falls into a hush and Arthur moves to stand up as Agravaine strides right up to him.
Pulling his cell phone out, he speed dials a number.
"Yes. I need your men up here immediately. There are three trespassers on the premises that I want gone from here. When? Did you not hear me?! I said immediately! If you have a problem carrying out this order, you will all find yourselves unable to work anywhere in this city. Now!" he barks into the phone.
Then smirking at Arthur he sweeps one arm in the direction of the lifts.
"Gentlemen, you seem to be lost…Or maybe suffering from dementia seeing as how you were all terminated from this company not too long ago. Aside from Mr. Haig and his associates at the IFCB, the three of you are banned from this building. You have three seconds to-"
"Your days of giving orders and empty threats are over Agravaine. In fact, where you're going, you're going to need to save some of that energy to use there", Arthur's voice is hard and it cuts through his.
Agravaine frowns slightly, and then replaces it with a smirk.
"Really? And why is that? Pray do tell", he asks, folding his arms condescendingly.
Mr. Haig steps forward.
"Since we discovered you have been committing fraud here at Pendragon Industries. Not to mention forgery, and misrepresentation of-"
Agravaine's mask drops and for a moment, panic registers in his eyes, before he regains his confidence.
"That's absurd! I demand to know who has been making this ludicrous suppositions?!" he huffs.
Then he looks at Arthur, Gaius, and Merlin who cannot help grinning audaciously at him.
"Haig! You can't be serious?! You are really going to take some tattletale story from these three? I'm sorry Arthur if you cannot understand that you are just not cut out for any real work involved in running a successful business and well…we all know your father is practically at 'Death's Door'…Your own useless advisors have led you to your demise. And you have no legitimate input as far as this com-"
"I do now. It's over Agravaine. We have proof", Arthur thrusts a folder in front of Agravaine and he stares at him for a moment before taking it and opening it to look at the contents.
They all watch as the colour drains out of Agravaine's already pale face.
"This is…this is doctored!" he sputters with indignation, "Obviously! Haig! You can't possibly believe I would..Could! Do something as conniving as steal a company in a way as obvious as this! Honestly! This is the stuff of movies! Me, forging the CEO's signature to get rid of his son..Surely! I know this is the work of you Merlin! You, that old fool standing with you, and that gang of…scoundrels and riff raff that Arthur insists on employing! You bunch of-"
"Well you were right about one thing; as someone with a lot of time on my hands, I had to use my investigation skills for good use, so I did that – so did Gaius and the others. We – and the folks at the IFCB have since discovered a string of other fraudulent practices you have committed while you've been at this company, and just this morning, we heard from Mr. Haig here, that the IFCB are getting more substantial claims from other companies that you 'rescued' as you so 'movingly' put it in your ridiculous speech to the media the other week", Merlin cannot resist the retort and he is rewarded by the look of panic coming back into Agravaine's eyes.
No one speaks, and then Agravaine turns to Arthur.
"Arthur…You are my nephew, you must know I would never do anything to jeopardize our family! I only did this so I could one day give it back to-"
"Save it Agravaine. The only family I have is my father, my friends, and all the people who work here – for my company. You have fooled me long enough and you will do so no more".
He turns and nods at Haig who beckons the three suited men over.
One of them reaches into his pocket and pulls out handcuffs.
Agravaine's eyes widen and he looks down at them.
"What are you doing to me?!" his voice is louder and nowhere near as arrogant as before.
"Agrvaine Du Bois, I am arresting you on charges of conspiracy to commit fraud, extortion, and suspicions of financial misappropriation-"
"What?! No! You…You can't do this! They could've just made up that so called proof! You don't understand, I cannot go to jail! There are some really bad people in there and…I can't be safe! Stop!" Agravaine loses his cool altogether and starts to struggle, drowning out the rest of the Detective's reading of his rights.
The second police officer grabs his other arm to keep his steady, and with the third officer following behind, they try to lead him away.
Agravaine thrashes about harder and turns towards Arthur.
"Arthur? My boy..? You can't do this! Please…! I can't go to prison! I can't! There are some men in there, some of them used to work for those companies that I destroyed! They'll…they'll kill me! You need to tell them it was all a misunderstanding…Mathieu was the one! He did all of this! He set you up! You must understand, I only wanted to protect Ygraine! I knew she would have a hard life with Uther! I just wanted-"
His voice trails off as he notices Uther Pendragon enter the room. He is greyer, clearly still on the road to recovery, and not walking too fast, but everyone present can see The Dragon's expression and supremacy is definitely here today.
He walks right up to Agravaine and shakes his head slowly, his eyes burning with fire.
"You always were a sad, sick, little…cock!" he states.
Merlin exchanges a shocked look with Gaius who nods and several other PI staff (all crowded in the reception area watching) laugh out loud.
"Your sister – because that's what she was, you imbecile, was afraid of you. Afraid of what you'd become and she wanted nothing to do with you and you-"
"No! That's not true!" Agravaine protests loudly, his eyes wild with anger, and misery at the mere mention of his beloved Ygraine.
"She loved me! She would've…given time! If you hadn't come along! When you met her that day at the park! You ruined everything! You never even loved her! You and that child…Wasted! And look at how you grew up Arthur! Look at who you became?! Another Uther! And now, because of me, you're both alone in life. And you always will be!"
Uther's arm moves too fast for anyone to notice and he punches Agravaine square in the face, knocking him down and the agents stumble along with him.
The other people in the room clap and cheer as Arthur and Merlin look at Uther with surprise.
Arthur steps forward to join his father and puts a hand on his arm. Uther nods, his chest heaving with anger.
The police officers get him up, and Agravaine winces as he tries to staunch the blood coming out of his nose.
"Arthur..? How could you..?"
Arthur hands Agravaine a tissue and leans closer to him, so only he can hear.
"It's nothing personal Uncle, besides, you know how the old saying goes; I always get what I want…"
Agravaine glares at him and starts shouting again but the officers have had enough and they drag him out of the room, with Haig giving them a farewell nod and following them.
Silence.
Then Uther turns to his son, Gaius, and Merlin.
"Thank you…All of you", he says sincerely, looking at them.
"That was a good punch Uther", Gaius remarks with a wry grin.
Uther grins back, "Well, I have been wanting to hit the bastard since I met him over thirty years ago. I suppose there's no time like the present and all that", and then, he hesitantly puts his hand out to shake Arthur's.
Arthur impulsively pulls him closer until they hug tightly.
When his father finally moves back, his eyes are suspiciously bright, but swallowing hard, he laughs.
"Well! This whole thing has pretty much worn me out! I'm off home; I trust you three have got things under control? The Board meets to discuss all of this tomorrow so I'll be back then. Don't disturb me unless the place is burnt down alright? Everyone..", he turns to acknowledge the other staff who are now all buzzing with animated chatter, "Back to work please. We do have a company to run".
Everyone cheers and disperses as Gaius follows Uther out of the room, leaving Merlin and Arthur standing there grinning madly.
"Merlin, I do believe you aren't really that useless after all", Arthur quips.
His friend rolls his eyes and laughs, punching him lightly in the arm.
"Ditto mate. Ditto".
A/N: Sorreeee folks! That was long! But hopefully I did an okay job of it and we all agree that The A-Man had to go so... :) Thank you so much for reading it and please drop us your thoughts if you have time. Next chapter up soon xx IslandGem.