Read Story: SEASON 2 EPISODE 99

Hiro Tanaka was after me. Roger VanCamp was on the loose and had a benefactor who had helped him escape. My brother was still out there somewhere, and he hated me.

And then there was Amber Bell, who was capable of murder, according to the information Chloe and Psalter had acquired. Whoever she was working for had it out for me and had a flash drive belonging to my grandfather— one with unknown information on it.

So far, I’d been trying to keep to the shadows and travel in relative obscurity. I’d seen how far that got me—nearly killed. Perhaps what I needed was to have more eyeballs on me. It would be harder to sneak up on me if I were standing in a blazing spotlight.

Besides… it was time I started doing things with my money other than buying jets and castles.

“That’s not all,” I said. They both looked back up at me.

“What can you tell me about philanthropy?”

Over the next half hour, we discussed various charities and organizations that I could establish. Erin would have been helpful for this piece, but I was sure Charity would loop her in later.

We decided on a few different avenues—I would start a couple of foundations for medical research, provide accessible healthcare for underserved communities, support housing for veterans, and establish about half a dozen others. Charity promised to work with Erin to make it happen, and Julia offered her expertise in ensuring the right people were aware of the endeavors to drum up support for them. I knew that part of the reason to do this was because I was playing games with other wealthy assholes, but honestly… the thought of helping all those people…

I felt my soul getting lighter by the minute.

“The last order of business,” Charity said, “is that Karly Titus wants you to help her develop a movie.”

“Yeah,” I said, taking another sip of coffee. “Erin showed me her notes on that. Something about some missing workers at a ski resort? Sounds like a cheap thriller. Not sure about it.”

Charity shook her head. “No… that’s what it used to be. It’s actually better than you think, but she’s setting it aside for now. She has a new project she wants to work on that she thinks you would be really interested in.”

Julia looked like she was on the edge of her seat. Obviously, Charity had waited for her to arrive before telling me this bit of news.

“What is it?” I asked, doubting it after reviewing the brief notes on the other screenplay. It might as well have been set on Crystal Lake.

Charity’s eyes flashed. “It’s about you!”

***

Friday, September 13th, 12:52 pm

A wave of nostalgia hit me as I stepped onto the floor of the Marduke building where I used to work. Eight hours a day, five days a week—so much of my life spent under bad lighting and worse management.

Like most people, I had a few good memories scattered through the drudgery. But being back made it all feel deceptively golden. Nostalgia was a liar. I remembered hating this place—yet some part of me still wanted to run my hand along the edge of my old cubicle like it was sacred.

I paused by my old spot, mostly hoping to see Gerald. I’d lucked out with him—quiet, generous with coffee refills, and patient as hell when I was new. But he was out sick.

In his place, I found my replacement: Jeremy. Charismatic, eager, full of questions. He spent ten full minutes grilling me about the job and why I’d left. I smiled, nodded, and looked for exits.

By the time I reached the supervisor’s office and knocked, I’d already exchanged greetings with half the floor and ducked three different questions about Bobbi and Gina.

“Come in!” a familiar voice called through the door.

I found Natalie behind her desk, and the moment she saw me, she broke out in that wide, bright smile again. It felt like the first spring thaw after months of winter.

“Marcus!” she said, standing from her office chair and circling her desk to stand beside it, just a few feet away. “I’m glad you came!”

“I told you I would,” I said, closing the door behind me.

“I know. It’s just that with everything… I wasn’t sure if you would.”

I sighed. “Yeah…”

And that was the giant elephant in the room.

After what happened at my grandfather’s—no, my vacation home—Natalie had withdrawn from all of us. She locked herself in a guest room, skipping meals, skipping the pool, skipping me.

Meanwhile, I ended up in a goddamn foursome with Helen, Bobbi, and Erin.

She was probably crying herself to sleep while I was getting off in the master bedroom.

The next morning, we were two of the first ones up. It started tense and awkward, but the silence eventually broke, and we began to talk. Really talked. We both admitted the feelings were still there, but that we were so raw after everything.

So we agreed: friends for now. See where things went.

And then I vanished for a month.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I was just so caught up in everything… if it makes you feel better, my mom is mad at me, too. I think I only called her once.

“I thought you were still mad at me,” she said, unamused as she looked up at me with those big brown eyes.

“I told you I wasn’t.”

“I know, but just disappearing like that after what happened… it didn’t feel great.”

Part of me wanted to remind her that being ditched for my brother hadn’t felt great either. I decided on restraint.

“You could’ve texted me more, too,” I pointed out.

Natalie winced. “I felt so bad after what happened… I guess I was afraid to text you. I thought about doing it several times, but I couldn’t.”

“I get it,” I said. “But I’m here now. Can we just pick up where we left off before I left?”

“And where is that?”

That was a loaded question, and one I wasn’t ready to answer, so I decided to pivot. I closed the distance between us and placed my hands on her shoulders so I could make sure I had her full attention.

“How are you doing?”

It took her several moments to answer. Then she said, “I’m… doing okay.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” she said. “It still hurts when I first wake up, but by the time I’ve had a shower, I’m usually better. It’s been over a month. I’m healing.”

I eyed her skeptically. Natalie had been quite a mess before I left. If I ever got my hands on Tyler, I would waterboard him in my pool before throwing him off the roof of my apartment for what he did to her. She was too good a woman to be treated like that.

My brother didn’t know what he had lost.

I did, though.