Ace lazily folded his arms behind his head as he laid in bed next to Sedusa, the background hum of the TV playing in the background. Wordlessly, she reached over toward the nightstand and grabbed a pack of cigarettes, pulling one out and lighting it as she held it between her red lips.
"I was that good, huh?" He teased her.
She rolled her eyes. "I've had better," she said as she inhaled and watched the smoke cloud disperse. He frowned.
"You know those things'll kill ya, right?"
She gave him a knowing look before turning her eyes toward the multiple empty packs on his side of the bed. "Seriously You're lecturing me?"
"Whatever," he rolled his eyes and held out two fingers as a universal signal. "Let me bum one, will ya?"
She sighed before taking another one out of the box and placing it between his fingers before lighting it.
As Ace idly took a puff, he couldn't help but feel a sense of vindictiveness. His eighteen-year-old self would be sick with jealousy if he could see him now. Mayor of Townsville, living in a mansion, and Sedusa herself in his bed and at his beck and call.
Arturo will come around and see that this was all for the best. He could never stay upset with him for long.
His thoughts were interrupted by the phone ringing. He looked over at it in annoyance.
"Ugh, who the hell would be calling at this hour?" he groaned.
"Maybe it's the president offering you his position," she quipped. "Or the police telling you they're coming to behead you in the street."
He rolled his eyes and scowled. "Well whoever it is, they can wait until tomorrow. I ain't in the mood to deal with bullshit right now."
After a minute, the phone stopped ringing and the person on the other end left their message.
"Mayor Copular," said a voice that immediately caught Ace's attention. "This is Charles Ingleberry of Ingleberry Industries. I would like to set up a meeting with you as soon as possible. I know we've had our differences in the past, but I believe that I have an offer that will benefit us both. You may contact me at 555-2422. I will be waiting for your response."
"'Mayor Copular,' eh?" Sedusa teased. "Well well well, it sounds like you're winning someone over. And a CEO no less."
"Yeah, I'll bet the bullet I put in him really charmed his socks off," he took another puff.
She raised an eyebrow. "Do I even want to ask?"
Ace shook his head. "Nah, but I'd check his pockets for knives before you get too close."
Sedusa sat up, the sheet over her bare chest falling to the wayside. "Regardless, it seems like he's willing to let bygones be bygones for the moment. Wouldn't be a poor idea to hear him out at least," she said. "I don't know Charles well, but I know he has influence, especially in Townsville. If he's planning something, the last thing you'd want is to get ambushed."
Ace snorted. "Please, what can he do to me?"
"Well for starters, he could run a public campaign against you," she said. "He could refuse to sell his products to anyone who supports you. He could certainly try and sue you for shooting him. But even if he doesn't do any of that," she leaned toward him, a mere few inches away. "You could lose a potential powerful ally. And you need all the help you can get right now."
Ace mulled it over in his mind. "I'll sleep on it," he said. His eyes fell onto her chest and smirked. "Though if ya wanted to, say, seduce me to seein' your side of things, I could give ya an answer by tonight."
Sedusa barked out a mocking laugh. She took another puff of her cigarette before leaning over and putting the butt on the ashtray.
"You can sleep on it," she quipped. "I can put up with a lot, but cheese like that is where I draw the line."
"Oh come on," Ace said. "It was a joke-"
"Let me know what you decided in the morning, and we'll go from there," she said. She reached over to turn off her lamp.
"Until then, I'm going to get some sleep."
As Ace lied there with the lights off, the smell of cigarette smoke laid thick in the air.
After he and Billy got home, Arturo spent the rest of the night lying in bed staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep.
How could I have been so stupid? He wondered bitterly. Thousands of dollars taken right out from under his nose, just like that. It was stupid of him to take the money in the first place; he should've waited to talk to Ace alone. But at least he could've justified it if it actually helped Isaac's family in some way. Now, it was just gone.
It was only a matter of time before Ace figured out what happened, and then he was going to freak.
He lied in bed like that for hours, even after the sun started to rise and shine through his window, even after he started to hear the others get up and start to go about their days.
"Hey Billy," he heard Ace's voice in the hallway. "Where's Arturo? He's usually up by now."
"Uhh… Arturo?" Billy asked, his voice doing that weird pitch thing when he was nervous. "Billy don't know what you're talking about."
"Arturo? The short little Mexican guy? The one who lives here?" Ace said matter-of-factly.
"I… uh," Billy hesitated. "Knock knock!"
"What?"
"Nobody's there! Goodbye now and don't come back!" He heard Billy's thundering footsteps run off and Arturo couldn't help but roll his eyes.
I don't know what else I expected, he thought to himself.
"Well, that's not suspicious at all," Ace muttered to himself. Arturo heard him walk over and start knocking on his bedroom door.
"Hey, Little Buddy!" he yelled. "Wake up, I need to talk to ya!"
Arturo felt his stomach jump. He got out of bed and walked over to open the door.
"Hey man," he said, yawning as if he just woke up. "What's up?"
"It's past noon," he remarked. "I asked Billy where you were and he got real dodgy, so I just wanted to make sure you ain't dead in a ditch or somethin."
"Nope, I'm alive as you are, man. Alive and breathing," he laughed nervously.
"You ain't still mad about the Isaac thing, are ya?"
At the mention of Isaac, Arturo felt his stomach drop. He sighed. It was now or never.
"Speaking of Isaac…" he started. "You think we can find a place to talk?"
"Ten grand?!" Ace exclaimed. "You stole ten fucking grand from me?"
Arturo flinched as Ace towered over him, yelling loud enough he just knew everyone in the house could hear every word he was saying. They were both standing in what Arturo assumed was the former mayor's home office judging by the desk and shelf of books.
"Look man, I'm sorry! We'll figure something out, alright?" Arturo said. "We still got some cash left."
"That ain't the point!" Ace snapped. "I told you I'd get to helpin' pay back your little friend and his folks, but no! You just had to go and do whatever the fuck you wanted!"
At this, Arturo felt his face get warm. He balled his hands into fists by his side. "The only reason he's dead is because of us! Because of your plan! And you acted like you didn't even care!"
"Don't you dare try and pin this on me, alright? You're the one who fucked up here!" Ace ran his hands over his face and through his hair, tugging on it as if he wanted to rip it out.
"I've had a lot of shit to deal with lately, and now this whole mess is just a cherry on top of the shit sundae. So yeah, forgive me if some kid I met once or twice ain't my top priority. And it ain't like it even did any good. The old broad didn't even want the fuckin' money."
Arturo sighed, trying to calm himself down. "I was just trying to do the right thing," he said.
Ace snorted. "What? Did you think she was just gonna fall at your feet in gratitude after what happened? No! Her fuckin son just killed himself! You shoulda learned from Snake's mistake; there's just some shit you can't come back from and trying to fix it is worse than pointless."
At that point, Arturo felt a lump starting to grow in the back of his throat. "I'm going out," he said. He started making his way through the door when he heard Ace call back towards him.
"Yeah? Well, I won't wait up for ya. But you better not touch another cent of my money or I'll kick your ass into next Wednesday."
Arturo swallowed, and walked out the door. On his way out he heard a loud crash and a furious scream.
"Hey Mom," Ivy greeted her mother as she answered her phone. "How are you?"
"Oh Ivy, I'm wonderful!" her mother said, practically beaming. "More wonderful than you could possibly imagine."
"Really?" Ivy said, smirking to herself in bemusement. She poured a spoonful of cream into her morning coffee. As she stirred, she asked wryly, "I'm guessing they let you out early?"
"It's so much more than that," her mother said. "After we got home, your father and I had a chat about the situation with Sanford-"
Ivy sighed. "Mom," she said. "Why did you tell Dad?"
"Well, he didn't give me much of a choice, dear," she said. "But it's all for the best."
"Really?" Ivy asked, incredulous. "How?"
"Well, once I told him our side of the story, the danger that Sanford is in, how much it would hurt me to lose my son," she said. "He agreed to help us get him out. He said he was going to contact a lawyer as soon as possible."
It was a good thing Ivy hadn't started on her coffee yet, otherwise she would've choked on it.
"Wait, what?" she balked. "Really? Dad agreed to help him, just like that?"
"Well, it took some convincing and he still doesn't condone his actions," her mother explained. "But yes! He promised he would help. Isn't that great?"
Ivy tried to speak, but found that she was lost for words. The fact that her father all the sudden wanted to help now after everything he's done… well, she didn't quite know what to make of it.
"I mean, that is great," Ivy said. "Dad holds a lot of power in town. He could hire a great lawyer, make sure Snake gets out as soon as possible… but are you sure you heard him correctly?"
On the other line, Ivy could practically feel her mother's cheerful energy deflate. She sighed.
"I know he hasn't always been hard on you and Sanford," she said. "He's been hard on me too. But he wouldn't lie to me, not about this. In fact," she started. "He told me he called his lawyer the previous night and is waiting to hear back to set up a meeting."
"That's good, Mom," Ivy assured her. "I… having Dad on board would be really helpful. Just… don't get your hopes up, okay?"
There was silence on the other end, and for a second Ivy worried that her mother had hung up on her.
"I'll keep my eyes open, dear," she said after a few minutes. "If he falls through on his promises, we'll think of something else."
At this, Ivy felt the tension leave her shoulders. "Thanks Mom," she said. "It's good to finally be on the same side again. I missed you."
"AHHHHH!" Ace screamed in the now empty office. In a fit of rage, he smacked the row of books next to the Mayor's desk, sending them all flying on the floor.
That little asshole! That fucking traitorous bastard!
First, Snake threw him under the bus to try and save his own skin, and now fucking Arturo was going behind his back and stealing from him?!
He took off his sunglasses and held his face in his hands. Stupid, naive, selfish ass.
"What the hell is going on?" Sedusa asked as she and Billy walked into the office.
"Arturo," Ace snapped.
"What?"
"Fucking genius thought it would be a great idea to walk around town with ten grand and got his ass robbed."
Sedusa raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Fantastic," She brushed the hair from her long blonde wig behind her ear and sighed. "So, what are you going to do?"
"I don't know, alright? I just found out one of my best friends is an idiot and a thief. You gotta give a guy a second to process that shit." His face fell back into his hands, not wanting to see either of them.
"Uh, boss?" Billy asked meekly.
"What?"
"Arturo told Billy he was trying to be good," he said. "He said money would make the mean lady happy after he did something to make her sad. But it just made her mad. Billy didn't know money could make anyone mad."
Ace let out a long suffering sigh. "Yeah? Well, he also made me mad," he said. He pulled himself into a standing position in an effort to give himself some more dignity. "In fact, he pissed me the hell off."
"Billy didn't mean to make the boss mad," Billy said. He hesitated for a second before asking him, "Where did he go?"
"He stormed out."
"Is he gonna come back?"
Ace snorted. "I don't know man. He's an adult; if he wants to leave, I ain't gonna stop him."
Billy was quiet for a second before he responded. "Are you mad at Billy too?"
At this, Ace raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Why would I be?"
Billy shuffled his large feet, like a kid about to admit something that could get them in trouble. "Because Billy lied."
Despite his sour mood, Ace had to stop himself from laughing. "No you didn't Billy. You might've tried to lie, but you're too dumb for it, which is why I like ya."
At this, Billy started to look confused. "But Boss-"
"Why don't you go grab me a beer, yeah? I could use a drink."
Billy looked like he was about to say something, but instead he just said "Yes Boss," before leaving the room.
"Look," Sedusa said, rounding in on him. "I know you're upset about your little friend, but there's an obvious solution to this," she said. "And its name is Charles Ingleberry."
Ace moaned, and leaned with his back to the desk. "Charles Ingleberry can suck my dick."
"You need more money, and Charles has a lot of it," she said.
"You don't even know if he's offerin' any money."
"He obviously wants something from us, and knows we're gonna want something in return for it."
As Ace hesitated, she drew closer towards him and rested her hand on his arm.
"It's just a meeting, not a contract signed in blood," she coaxed. "You don't have to like the man to make a deal with him. If he's offering up something good, it could help us out. If you decide you don't like what you hear, show him the door and never speak to him again."
Despite the fact that he was wearing a jacket, he could still feel the warmth from her hand through the sleeve. Her touch was gentle, somehow soothing and electric at the same time. And as much as he knew he should pull away his body remained as still as stone.
"Fine," he said, looking away from her. "I'll agree to the damn meeting. If for no other reason than to hear that uppity bastard call me "Mayor Copular."
Arturo sat on a park bench as he mindlessly listened to the chatter of crickets, feeling sorry for himself. He had seen Ace angry before, but never that angry at him. He had always been one of his best friends, his protector, but these days it almost felt like he could barely recognize him.
He looked around in bitter nostalgia at the dark shadows surrounding the playground with the only light coming from the few street lights off in the distance. Back in the day, he, Ace, and the rest of the gang had spent countless nights here to get away from the stench and filth of the dump. As long as it wasn't raining, snowing, or freezing cold, they'd find any excuse they could to come here instead of going home.
"Look guysss, it'sss the conssstellation of Andromeda!" Snake had eagerly gestured to one night.
It was shortly after Billy and Grubber had joined them, and a good year or two before the Powerpuff Girls came onto the scene to keep Townsville in line and shoo them and those like them away from public life. On that night in particular, they had all been in good spirits after managing to swipe their largest haul from Malph's to date.
"The constellation of what?" Ace asked.
"Andromeda! Ssssee those ssstars up there that kind of look like a big H?"
They all looked towards where he was pointing to. Ace lifted up his sunglasses.
"I don't see any H's man, maybe youse need to get your eyes checked."
"It's there, trussst me," Snake insisted. He turned to look towards the others for backup. "You guysss seesss it, right?"
"Uh… kinda?" Arturo offered weakly as he squinted at the sky.
"PBBBPPTT!"
"What's a consolation?"
Snake sighed. "It'ssss a constellation Billy," he corrected. "I readsss thisss book all aboutsss them in school. Andromeda was a princesss who'sss mother got cursed by Poseidon-"
As Snake continued to tell the story, Ace rolled his eyes and leaned over, whispering in Arutro's ear, "And he wonders why he got beat up in school."
Snake had paused mid sentence to glare at them. "I heardsss that, Ace."
"Yeah? Well maybe you can catch this."
He grabbed an empty soda can off the ground and tossed it at Snake, laughing as it bounced off his head.
"Oh, you thinkssss that'sss funny, do ya?"
He retaliated by chasing Ace around and threatening to pour the rest of his soda on top of his head, and before long all five of them had had a full blown food fight, going to bed drenched in chocolate, high fructose corn syrup, and whatever else from head to toe.
"I still can't see what Snake was talking about earlier," Arturo whispered to Ace later as he looked up again at the sky. "It's all just a bunch of dots to me."
The rest of them were already out. Ace and Arturo had taken refuge on top of the playground while Billy and Grubber slept on the ground beneath a tree. Snake, for some reason, decided to sleep on the slide.
"Man, who cares?" he said as he turned toward him with a lazy look, lifting his sunglasses to rub his eyes.
"The only people who think about stuff like that are nerds and folks with too much time on their hands. If you want my advice, focus on real shit. Stuff that really matters."
"Like what?"
"Like that," Ace pointed towards a neighborhood off in the distance, all filled with identical, perfectly maintained houses that were larger than any home he had ever stepped foot in.
"One of these days, we're gonna strike it rich and live in one of those, and we won't be worried about no damn stars a billion miles away."
Arturo's thoughts were soon rushed back to the present as he heard a pair of voices arguing in hushed voices off in the distance.
"Look, I brought the hundred you asked for-"
"And I said I ain't givin' you shit 'til you pay back the interest you owe!"
A pair of hushed voices interrupted his thoughts and he looked over toward the direction it came from. He was surprised to find Cherry, the stripper he had met a few weeks ago, speaking to a man he didn't recognize.
"Come on Carl," Cherry hissed under her breath. "This is all I got. Can't you just take it and be done with it?"
"Look honey, you'll do as I say if you want to get your shit. Of course," the man grabbed her, licking his lips. "If you wanna come back to my place and give me a private show, I bet we can work somethin' out."
"Hey!" Arturo sprung up from his bench. "Lay off her man! She told you she's not interested!"
The pair looked up in surprise at the outburst, though the man's expression turned into a sneer. "Get outta here kid, this ain't none of your business."
"I said, leave," he hissed in a low tone. He walked straight towards them and stood up as tall as he could.
"And what are ya gonna do if I don't?" The man looked him up and down. "Bite my ankles?"
Arturo pulled his pocket knife out of his back pocket and flicked it open. "I can do a lot more than that if you test me. I've been fighting with assholes like you for half my life."
The man's eyes widened, and he slowly started to back away. "Look, this is all a huge misunderstandin-"
"Like hell it is," Arturo stepped forward and raised the blade up to the man's stomach. "Now get the hell out of here, and don't come back."
In response, the man took off, leaving him and Cherry alone.
"Thanks," she said. Her pale skin was flushed from adrenaline, and her hands shaky.
"Are you okay?"
She shrugged. "He's not the first dickhead I've dealt with, and I doubt he'll be the last."
Arturo frowned. "Can I walk you home at least?"
She shook her head. "I'll be fine. It's not far and I know where to go if I run into trouble."
"It'll be more for my sake than yours," he coaxed. "The longer I can avoid going home, the better."
Cherry raised an eyebrow. Wordlessly, she started to walk off towards what he guessed was the direction of where she lived, and nodded towards him as a signal to follow.
"You're Arturo, right? From the Gangreen Gang?" She asked. "Aren't you all living in the old Mayor's mansion or something?"
"Something like that," he said. "Me and Ace got into a fight."
"Ah," she said, nodding along. "I suppose taking over a city is stressful work."
"Hey, I didn't even want to take over. That was all Ace-"
"Look, you saved my ass tonight, I'm not going to harp on you. And I mean, as long as you don't start bombing people like your friend, I don't care anymore," she shrugged. "The way I see it, I'm still waking up to do the exact same shit I did before."
"Hey," Arturo flashed her what he hoped was a friendly smile. "If anyone gives you trouble, just send them my way and I'll introduce them to my little friend," he flashed his pocket knife and began stabbing at the air, mimicking a knife fight.
Cherry rolled her eyes, but smiled nonetheless. "I never pictured my knight and shining armor would be even shorter than me."
"We can work as a team. You can kick them in the nuts and once they're down, I'll stab them in the eyes. Besides, everyone knows the shorties are the feisty ones."
She laughed. "Can't argue with that."
A chilly breeze blew past them, and Cherry pulled her thin jacket closer to her body.
"Here," Arturo took his own jacket off and offered it to her.
She looked at him in bemusement. "You really don't have to do that, you know."
"I don't mind. Here," he slipped the jacket over her shoulders, and she smiled.
"Thanks," she said.
A few short minutes later, they arrived at the front of Cherry's apartment building. It was old, with chipping paint on the sides and rusty trash cans by the side of the road.
"Well, here we are," she said. She pulled Arturo's jacket off her shoulders and handed it back to him.
"Keep it," he said, shaking his head. "I got others."
"You sure?" She asked. "You're not gonna have your friend come and arrest me for stealing, are you?"
Arturo laughed, feeling his cheeks start to warm despite the chill. "No man, it's yours. Seriously, keep it."
The old, dim street lights gave her red hair a halo of light. She smiled, her brown eyes soft and warm.
"I… I guess I should be heading back myself," he stuttered. "Hopefully Ace has calmed down enough to not try and kill me in my sleep."
"I mean, if you don't want to go back home yet…" she trailed off. "You could crash at my place for the night."
Arturo's face lit up. "Yeah?"
"Sure," she shrugged. "My couch is a pull out and it ain't the most comfortable thing in the world, but it does the job."
"Thanks," he said, his heart beating loudly in his chest. "You'll be much better company than Ace. Better looking, too."
"I wouldn't count on that," she said. "You haven't seen me in the morning yet."
"I'm sure I can manage," he teased.
They stood there for a moment, staring at one another. His eyes fell on her plump pink lips. He leaned in towards her and wordlessly tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and leaned forward, until he felt her back away.
"Come on," she stepped back, her eyes cast down. "Let's get inside before we freeze to death."
Arturo tried to keep the disappointment off of his face.
"Sure," he said as casually as he could. He allowed her to lead the way inside and to her apartment. As they walked together, Arturo felt her fingertips brush up against his. She looked back at him shyly.
He gave her hand a light squeeze, and a hint of a smile was visible on her face before she looked away.
Maybe I should get kicked out more often, he thought to himself.
"Boss, Arturo didn't come back," Billy announced as soon as Ace stepped into the kitchen the next morning. "Billy stayed up all night long waiting for him, but no Arturo. What if he doesn't come back?"
Ace groaned, still not fully awake. "Billy, he's fine. He's old enough to look after himself."
"But Boss-"
"Look, I got a meetin' in a few hours and I need you there in case Snake's dad needs some sense knocked into him," he grabbed a Red Bull out of the fridge, thinking bitterly about seeing Charles Ingleberry again.
"Uh boss? Why is Snake's dad coming over?" A moment later, his face lit up. "Does that mean Snake is coming over too?"
"What? No," Ace said. "Snake's in jail, remember?"
"Oh," Billy deflated.
"C'mon, find somethin' to eat and then go take a shower. You stink," Ace changed the subject. "If this deal falls through because you stunk him out, I'll throttle ya."
"Okay," Billy said, still depressed. As he walked toward the fridge, Ace took the can and headed towards his bedroom. He wasn't exactly pleased with the situation himself, but he hoped at least something good would come from it.
After he downed his Red Bull, he continued to get ready and waited for The Great Charles Ingleberry to grace him with his presence.
"When is he supposed to be here, again?" Ace asked Sedusa.
"Around three."
He looked at the clock on the wall and frowned. "He better hurry the hell up," he snapped. "I don't got all day to wait around-"
Just then, he heard a loud, prickly knock at the door.
"It's about damn time," he muttered. "Billy, get the door."
When Billy opened the door, a man appeared in the doorway. Charles, with his son's familiar green skin and tall, lanky build was immediately recognizable.
"Mayor Copular," he nodded curtly. He turned his gaze toward Sedusa. "And you're his lawyer, Justine St. Claire I presume?"
"My reputation precedes me," she smirked. She walked over to him and held out her hand in greeting. "It's a pleasure to meet a tech titan such as yourself."
Charles nodded tersely and shook her hand.
"Why don't we all take a seat and get down to business?" Sedusa gestured towards the couch.
After the four all took their seats, Ace rounded it on Charles.
"Alright, so what's all this about?" he asked.
"I'm looking to talk to you about my son, and his upcoming trial." he said.
"What about him?" Ace asked. "You want to be the one to pull the switch yourself? See him fry with your own two eyes?"
Charles pursed his thin lips in frustration. "I'm not the fool you take me for. We both know you'd never let him get executed; I've seen the way you look at him, as much as it makes me sick to my stomach. Nor do I want you to execute him. But, I do want him out of the way," he said. He shifted his weight and sat straighter.
"My wife and daughter have always been close, and my daughter can be very… convincing when she wants to be, for better or worse. And right now, my wife has gotten it into her head that she owes Sanford something, that he should be free after committing a triple homicide. I think you and I can both agree that would be a very poor idea."
Ace stared at him blankly for a moment before barking out a laugh. "I'm sorry," he said. "You came here to tell me to keep Snake in jail?"
"He needs to be locked up in one matter or another," he said. "Now, my daughter claims that he did that awful business with City Hall because he believed he was saving her life. That's the angle I'm going to tell my lawyers to go with, as ridiculous as I think it is. But, he must stay locked up, and locked up for good. That way, he will be kept off the street, you will get to keep him as your scapegoat-"
"And you'll get to play hero for saving your son from certain death," Ace shook his head. "I knew you were a piece of shit man, but wow," he said. "You've really outdone yourself."
Charles smiled wryly. "I guess you could say we're both using this situation to our advantage."
Ace scowled. "What do ya want me for, then? I ain't no lawyer or judge."
"No, but you have influence, and you can make sure that this trial comes to a proper conclusion," he said. "I'd also prefer it if you kept any negative comments about my business or my… familial issues out of the public eye during any press conferences you have."
Ace snorted. "And what do I get in return for this?"
"Well, I can't support you directly of course. But I can support your term financially, make you connections under the table," he said. "I could write a few checks to a few local journalists to make sure they portray you in a positive light. Or, as positively as possible considering the circumstances."
Ace sighed and threw his head back, rolling his eyes to himself.
"Alright man, you got a deal as long as you can tell me one thing. No bullshit."
Charles raised an eyebrow. "I'm listening."
"Why?" Ace asked. "Why are ya doing all this? If you somehow got Snake free, your family would be at your feet thankin' ya. You'd be hailed as dad of the year. Everything you ever did, all that bullshit you pulled would be forgiven. So why do ya want to keep him locked up?"
Charles was silent for a moment, giving him a hard look. "You're not a husband or a father. You wouldn't understand," he said.
"Try me."
Charles took a deep breath before staring directly into his eyes. "A man has only two things in this world that are of any value: his career, and his family. He must protect these things at any and every cost, and anyone who threatens what he has must be dealt with accordingly."
He sat up straight and crossed his legs. "The day Sanford ran away from home, he didn't just cost me a son. My wife was a wreck, and broke down every single time she saw his bloody mugshot on the evening news. My daughter was never the same either; going from being a bright, happy child to someone who could barely look me in the eye overnight. I can't tell you how many business deals I lost because of the Ingleberry name being dragged through the mud. My shareholders and employees never looked at me the same way again. And now, with Sanford back in our lives, I risk losing it all again, this time for good."
"So to answer your question, Mayor Copular, the reason why I want Sanford locked away is simple; his freedom threatens what I have worked my entire life to build, and I will not let anyone, not even my own son, take it from me."
Lunartyk: Lol thanks, haha! I try to keep things interesting lol. And no worries, you're good!
spookychibi: Thank you! :D Yeah, HIM can be sneaky lol. And yeah, Ace and Sedusa's past definitely comes up later on in the story
Thanks to everyone still reading! Sorry it's been a while since the last update, I had some real life stuff that ended up being kind of a mess. Anyway, leave a review and let me know what you think of this chapter :D