Phire walked into the office of ESTY dressed in a pair of jeans, a matching jacket, with a color tee underneath and a pair of low heel boots. Her hair was in a ponytail and a backpack was hanging from her shoulder. “Hi, Lawrence. I see you are looking better. Oh, Lauren is here too. This is perfect.”
“You certainly know how to dress down.” Lauren glanced at her with a smug look. “Shouldn’t you be off doing wedding stuff? Don’t you get married on Saturday?”
“What is it, ten years between your ages?” Lawrence asked with a nod of he head. “You have someone more your age on the side. After you have a brat or two with LT, you can have a claim on his fortune, then run off with your real lover. Money and all.”
“No, as you indicated, we do not have that kind of intelligence to do long range planning. So, you look a little bruised up there, Lawrence. Are you feeling okay?” Phire asked as she placed her backpack on the chair in front of Lawrence’s desk.
“He got into a bar fight, of all things,” Lauren replied from her position behind her brother’s chair. “My brother’s condition is not your concern, but he is right. Your people just have babies then expect people like us to take care of you and them.”
“Us…correct me if I’m wrong, but it was your father running around having babies with woman other than your mother,” Phire replied. “He or your mother is the reason you have a rather low opinion of people like us. If I had time to really examine where your misplaced judgment comes from, I would dig deeper. However, as you said I’m getting married in two days and I don’t have time to play with the two of you today.”
“Play?” Lauren chuckled then took a seat in front of the desk. “I believe your boyfriend is the one into games. If he had stuck to his toys rather than interfering in our lives there would be no reason for this meeting tonight.”
“Yes, the meeting.” Phire moved her backpack then sat across from Lauren. “Thank you for indulging me.”
Lawrence smiled as he sat forward. “Your call indicated LT was willing to put a stop to the claims against ESTY.”
“Yes, about that.” She pulled a pen like device out then pointed it at Lawrence. A red light flashed.
Lawrence’s body jerked back into the chair. He looked down in shock. “I can’t move my hands.” He jerked around. “I can’t move at all.”
Phire then pointed the device at Lauren. “That was the point.”
Lauren’s body did the same. “What the hell?” She screamed. “Help…help.”
“Oh, there is no help for you.” Phire pulled her tablet from her backpack and placed it on the edge of the desk. “Ohhh…you look upset,” she taunted. “I bet LT’s grandmother felt the same way when you poisoned her.”
“You can’t prove we did that,” Lauren stated.
“I don’t have to prove it. All I have to do is think that you were involved. That alone puts your life in danger. But you know, as much as I would like to kick your ass, I have to think of LT. If I harm you physically you would claim that LT was involved and try to sue him thereby getting exactly what you wanted in the first place…money.”
“I demand that you undo…whatever you did and let us up,” Lawrence ordered.
“You are not in a position to demand anything.” Phire shook her head.
Lauren screamed again. “Help! Anybody, help.”
Phire stood. “I keep trying to tell you no one is out there to hear you. Your doing, not mine. See you thought you had me. So you sent everyone home early so there would be no witnesses to our meeting. Thank you. There are no witnesses to what I am about to do to you.”
“This is ridiculous.” Lauren was frantically moving around.
“You two are ridiculous and I’m tired of trying to keep the doors open between you and LT. Now don’t worry. I’m not going to physically hurt you, so stop with the wiggling.” Phire turned on her tablet. “I’m going to hurt you where you will feel it for years to come. I’m wiping out your trust funds.”
“You can’t do that,” Lauren laughed. “Do you think our accountant will give you access to our accounts? I think not.”
“No, I don’t think he will either. That’s why I did not bother to gain his cooperation.” She pushed a button on the tablet.
Lawrence and Lauren turned towards the television monitor on the wall when they heard it click on.
“That…that’s,” Lawrence began to stammer out, “that’s all our account numbers.”
“Very astute of you, Lawrence. LT will be happy to know at least you are on top of something that has to do with the family. It’s sad you are not as concerned with your siblings as you are with your money. Well, I’m going to put you in the same fate you intended for them. One good turn deserves another…right. Let me think, which one of you pissed me off the most.” She pushed a button. “That would be you, Lauren.” A list of numbers appeared on the television screen.
“How in the hell did you get those account numbers?” Lauren gasped.
“You really have to stop underestimating me. I’m just saying, you have no idea what I am capable of. I mean, case in point, both of you are bound to a chair. You don’t see what is keeping you in the chairs. If I were you, I would be scared shitless wondering what the hell…right? But not you two. As soon as your account numbers appeared you are frantic with fright.”
“Are you some kind of hacker? Did you hack into our accounts?” Lawrence yelled out.
“Yes, I did hack into your accounts, but I am so much more than just a hacker. I have the power to make your lives disappear. When you came for me, but hurt my sister Opal in error, I had another plan for you, not as drastic, but you would not have been happy.” She shook her head. “Then you came after Ms. Natalie and well…I decided you needed the full monty.”
“Oh she was only sick for a day. If the heifer had stayed out of our business it would not have happened,” Lauren snapped.
Phire glared at Lauren. “I hope you have some skills. You are going to need a job.”
Phire pushed a few buttons to see the bottom line to the first account with Lauren’s name on it. “Not bad,” she said then pushed a button. “Nine figures gone with the touch of a finger.”
“This is some kind of trick.” Lauren’s voice shook with uncertainty.
“If thinking that helps you deal with this loss, by all means use it,” Phire said as she went to the second account with eight figures in the balance, then pushed a button. Lauren groaned as a zero appeared in the balance.
“Stop this,” Lawrence yelled. “Why are you doing this?”
“This is what you have done to your brothers and sisters. You stripped them of their inheritance. I’m only doing to you what you did to them,” Phire explained. “I can understand your nervousness, because I am sure this next account is going to generate questions from Lauren.” She pulled up the last account to show the balance.
“What the hell?” Lauren’s head jerked around to glare at Lawrence.
“I can explain,” he quickly stated.
“Hell, Larry, there is barely a hundred grand in that account.”
“The business at ESTY has been slow. We’ve been bleeding money from all directions,” he tried to explain.
“It’s only going to get worse,” Phire stated as she pushed the button leaving a zero balance. “There. I feel better already. Now, it’s your turn, Lawrence.”
She pulled up four accounts listed under Lawrence’s name. Each of the accounts had at least nine figures in the balance, with the exception of one. “You know I’m going to zero them all out. Even your account in the Cayman Islands is being stripped.” Phire pushed a button zeroing out three accounts. “This ESTY account is going to remain where it is, however, it now has a trustee.” She closed the tablet. “You will receive a salary and benefits matching your new position. All financial authority has been stripped from you.”
“You don’t have the authority to do any of what you are claiming here,” Lawrence chuckled. “I must say you put on a convincing performance here but that’s all it was…a performance. When I am free of this…restraint, my first call will be to the district attorney to file charges against you for false imprisonment. If one dime is missing from either of our accounts I will add embezzlement to that.”
“That would be true if LT had not just acquired 51% of ESTY.”
“What?” Lauren screamed out as she glared at Lawrence. “Can he do that?”
“Technically, but there is no way our investors would sell to him,” Lawrence replied.
“A number of them thought that since you sold your shares it was in their best interest to do the same.” Phire closed her backpack then walked towards the door. “Oh, I should tell you, Gia was named the CEO of ESTY. I suggest you find a way to work with your siblings. They are all now a part of your Board of Directors. The Carlton London Law firm will be in touch first thing in the morning.”
Lawrence tried to jump up in anger. “You cannot do that. That is my father’s company.”
“It’s their father’s company also,” Phire replied. “Now it belongs to all of you. Learn to share, Lawrence. As for you.” She looked at Lauren. “If you are nice, Gia might…might give you a job.”
“They are bastard children. There is no way the court is going to allow you to get away with any of this,” Lauren shouted. “Our lawyers will have you behind bars before the night is out.”
“Oh no. We can’t have that. I’m getting married on Saturday.” Phire smiled. “I hope you two will be free by then and can make it.”