"Oh my God!" Cayenne exclaimed as the flames behind her grew in size. "The park's on fire!"
Nathan and Mimsy watched as Cayenne panicked, realizing the magnitude of what had just happened. The chaos continued to unfold as people in the park started running away from the spreading flames. Nathan's plan was working, but Mimsy couldn't help feeling uneasy about their actions.
"Uh, boss?" Mimsy asked nervously. "Will Cayenne make it out of this alive? I don't want her to get hurt or anything."
Nathan smacked Mimsy with a right hook and then shook his fist. "Shut up, Mimsssyyy!"
Mimsy was practically panicking. "But boss, I'm serious!"
Nathan paused for a moment, contemplating Mimsy's question. He looked at Cayenne, who was now surrounded by chaos and danger. As he watched her struggle to find a way out, a flicker of intrigue crossed his face. Nathan's eyes narrowed as he observed Cayenne's predicament. They could leave her and the audience for dead, bolstering the number of reasons Central Park would be torn down to make way for Bitsy's future district... or they could leave the Singaporean pop star alive, ensuring that the same thing would happen regardless.
Nathan ominously smirked. "Don't worry, Mimsy. I'm sure Cayenne will figure a way out of this mess..." His voice trailed off as he continued to watch Cayenne navigate the chaos. He knew that she was resourceful and had a strong will to survive. And besides, leaving her alive (albeit barely) could potentially serve their purpose just as well.
Nathan leaned back against a tree that hadn't been affected, crossing his arms and watching Cayenne's every move. He knew that her survival could potentially add another layer of chaos to the situation, further solidifying Bitsy's plan to demolish Central Park. As he observed Cayenne's desperate attempts to escape, a twisted satisfaction filled him. This was just the first victory they'd achieved in their grand scheme, and Nathan couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement at what lay ahead.
Somehow, Nathan and Mimsy had managed to get away from the fiery chaos without anyone noticing them. That was probably an advantage if ever they'd heard of it. With Owen and the other park employees distracted by the fires that had been set, this gave Nathan and his friend/lackey enough time to head back to the Brandenham Hotel and report their progress.
"Good news, Bitsy," Nathan began to speak. "We've managed to do some damage."
Bitsy seemed to perk up. "Oh my God, really?"
"Really. We set some trees on fire using the C-4 and napalm you ordered online."
"Oh good, I knew I wouldn't have to pay any shipping fees for nothing."
"Hold on, Bitsy, there's more. Cayenne also got second-degree burns over what I think is 25% of her body."
Bitsy feigned concern. "How unfortunate. Then again, that's the risk I was willing to take."
"I sure hope she gets better though, right, boss?" Mimsy asked.
"Shut up, Mimsssyyy!" Nathan then quickly composed himself and focused his attention back on Bitsy. "Can we say now that our practice run was a success?"
"Of course we can. Now hopefully, we can work out the finer details in time for Election Month. Oh God, if only Whitney were here so she could see what I'm willing to do to honor her."
"I know what you mean, Bitsy. I'd do anything for Mimsy, too."
"Of course you would. What I wouldn't give to have that kind of loyalty that Mimsy gives you..."
Kayla found herself becoming upset upon being informed of what had happened in Central Park earlier today, especially with Cayenne. These people were willing to disfigure a perfectly innocent pop singer for the sake of land development? She knew that their plans for Cayenne were not great, especially when Bitsy roped her into tricking Cayenne into coming in the first place, but she didn't seriously consider that the Central Park deal would leave Cayenne with burn scars over part of her body and with a possible roadblock in her career. Now, though, it seemed like Bitsy was heading towards the point of no return. If Kayla didn't stop her adoptive mother soon, then there was a chance that the Central Park deal would leave her with blood on her hands.
Kayla knew she had to sabotage this plan somehow, but she wasn't sure how this would pan out. She knew it was only a matter of time before Bitsy noticed that something had gone wrong, so she had to do the job covertly. She still hadn't exactly processed the decision to do this in the first place, but with a little bit of clarity and time, she hoped that a solution would come to her soon.
For now, she decided to have a talk with Rabbi Cartman's oldest child Eileen at the synagogue where he worked. Like Molly and Cole, Eileen had also come home from college on summer break. While she was home for the summer, she decided to help her parents take care of little Hackelm while they were busy with other things in life.
Kayla arrived at Rabbi Cartman's synagogue and found Eileen sitting in a pew behind the mechitza, texting someone she knew on her iPhone. Upon seeing Kayla, Eileen looked up and smiled.
"Oh, hey, Kayla," Eileen greeted. "How have you been?"
"Not well, Eileen," Kayla replied. "I'm not sure I want to be part of Bitsy's Central Park plan anymore."
Eileen was a little taken aback by this, though in hindsight she shouldn't have been surprised. "Oh... what's got you wanting to back out?"
"Cayenne's got second-degree burns on 25% of her body from when Nathan and Mimsy lit those trees on fire. Mimsy seemed bothered that someone I really admire got hurt, but Nathan just seemed perfectly fine with it. What the hell am I supposed to do?"
"I'm not sure, to be honest with you." Seconds later, a figurative light-bulb lit up over her head. "Wait, Bitsy's been working with both the Russian mafia and the yakuza for this plan to bulldoze Central Park, right?"
"Yeah? Bitsy hired the Russian mafia so Dimitry's construction crews could bulldoze the park when everything was said and done, and she hired the yakuza to actually damage the park and have people killed to justify it being demolished."
"Well, what if you were to call off the plan by telling them that Bitsy's changed her mind?"
"You mean, lie to them?"
"Yeah, exactly. You just have to lie to Dimitry and his gang about what's happening, and then that should be enough to have them abandon their part in the scheme."
"Are you sure that could work?"
Eileen shrugged. "I mean, crazier things have happened. Besides, if you're worried that Dimitry will eventually figure out that he was deceived, you could always block his number on Bitsy's phone or something. That's how I helped one of my friends get out of a toxic relationship."
Kayla had to think about that for a minute. "Maybe... I guess I'm just worried that I'm taking too big of a risk. I mean, this is my adoptive mother we're talking about. This might make her double down on the plan more."
"So? Even if it does, I think it'll be worth it in the end."
