Gerald's eyes blazed in fury as he banged his hands dangerously on the table, separating them from each other. "I rather remain in this hole than be at your mercy or listen to your petty orders! You can't make me do your bidding!" He growled at her.
"Tsk, tsk!" Aunt Elsie twitched her nose in disappointment, unmoved by his rage or threats. "Then what would happen to Ciara? I told you; that your reaction and obedience will determine Ciara's fate, didn't I?"
"What are you going to do to Ciara?" Gerald demanded, his heart beating against his rib cage. He couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to her. "Tell me what you want, and I'll do it. Just don't hurt her."
Aunt Elsie's lips stretched into a thin smile, she was loving the desperation in Gerald's eyes -he's the perfect pawn in the game. "I'm glad to see that you're willing to cooperate." She said, satisfaction evident in her tone. "You're a smart man, Gerald, I think we can work well together."
Gerald hated the way she was talking to him, as if he was just another pawn in her game. Sadly, he wasn't aware he was -if only he knows!
"All I want is for you to help me run the company." Aunt Elsie's voice was calm and measured, belying the threat that lay beneath her words. "I'm taking over as CEO and
I need someone I can trust to be my right-hand man, someone who knows how the company works and how to keep things running smoothly. Someone who can keep secrets."
She leaned forward, her eyes boring into Gerald's. "I know you're capable of doing that. I saw what you did with the company before, how you kept everything running like a well-oiled machine." She uttered, her gaze still locked into his eyes, as if she were trying to use a compulsion on him.
"I need that again, but this time on a larger scale." Aunt Elsie continued. "I want you to help me expand the company, to make it even bigger and more powerful than it is now. I want to make it a global empire, and I know you can help me do that."
She paused for a moment, letting herwords sink in. "But in return, I need you to be loyal to me. I need you to keep my secrets, and never betray me. If you decide to betray me, I can't guarantee what will happen to Ciara."
Gerald felt sick to his stomach and confused as well, he couldn't find the right words to reply to her with. Ciara's aunt is trying to keep him in a tight spot where whatever decision he makes will eventually hurt Ciara.
The situation was a classic catch-22. If Gerald refused to help Aunt Elsie, he would be betraying Ciara by putting her in danger. But if he agreed to help Aunt Elsie, he would be betraying his own conscience and values -completing losing the trust Ciara had in him. He felt like he was being forced to choose between the devil and the deep blue sea.
"What if I refuse, eh?" Gerald finally asked, his voice trembling. "What if I can't bring myself to help you?"
Aunt Elsie's eyes flashed with anger. "You can't and wouldn't dare, would you?" She blurted out sharply, but Gerald stared back at her defiantly. "Fine, do what you want; have your own way -and I'll do what, I think, is the best."
Gerald was skeptical about what she meant by (the best', he did not like the sound of it a bit -and he perfectly understood what she meant by herwords. "You wouldn't dare, old lady!" He growled, anger flashing in his eyes. "You won't...!"
Aunt Elsie laughed hysterically, venom visible in her laughter. "Let's see if you will still be capable of making threats when I release this tape to the internet. You know what that means, don't you?" She smirked, mischief sparkling in her eyes.
A chill ran down Gerald's spine. He knew exactly what she meant. The tape she was referring to was the one he had made of her husband's siblings confessing to various crimes. If it was released to the internet, it would not only ruin his reputation, but likewise Ciara's as well -and himself as well.
"You wouldn't do that!" He protested, his voice shaking in rage. "You wouldn't release that tape. It will not only ruin me and Ciara -it would ruin you as well."
"I'm willing to take that risk." Aunt Elsie replied, her voice cool and calm. "After all, I'm doing this for the sake of my niece. It would only make things right -and we all lose at the end! Doesn't that sound just right, eh?"
Gerald's blood ran cold. He could feel his body trembling with fear and rage. "You wouldn't!" He said, his voice raw and hoarse. "You're a monster! You're willing to hurt your niece just to get what you want."
Aunt Elsie smiled, her eyes glinting with malice. "I'm simply a woman who is willing to do what it takes to get what she wants. I have no qualms about hurting anyone who stands in my way." She said, her lips curled up in mischief. "Isn't that the same thing Ciara did -eliminating my husband and sending her uncles to prison? It won't hurt if I trail through the same part too."
Gerald's heart was pounding in his chest, he could feel the bile rising in his throat. He knew this woman was in for no jokes, she meant every part of her threat -and she's ready to stop at nothing until she gets what she wanted!
The room was silent for a moment, the tension was thickly hanging in the air. It was like a stand-off, with Gerald and Aunt Elsie both sizing each other up. Finally, Gerald spoke, his voice low and dangerous. "I won't let you hurt her." He said, his eyes blazing with anger. "I won't let you take Ciara down this path."
Aunt Elsie's eyes narrowed. "And what will you do to stop me?" She challenged, a sly smile playing on her lips. "You think you're in any position to threaten me? You are being delusional if you think you are, Gerald! Snap out of your trance, there's nothing you can do while being trapped in this hole!"
Gerald's shoulders dropped in disappointment, realization hitting him hard. She was right! There is little or nothing he can do to either protect Ciara or stop this woman, he's been trapped and sadly under her mercy too!
Aunt Elsie could notice the trepidation in his eyes and decided to hit him while letting his guards down. "I'm sure you wouldn't want anything to happen to Ciara, but her safety would be jeopardized if you keep on being stubborn." She added. "It wouldn't cost me a dime to harm her, you know she's vulnerable and prone to attack at this moment -she wouldn't be able to protect herself!"
The words echoed in his head as he negatively imagined what will happen to Ciara if he kept proving stubborn and hard to get -to protect her, he will have to pay the price by betraying the trust she had for him.
"I can't guarantee you with my words at the moment." He started, his voice calm as still water. "This came too sudden, I can'tjust decide without thoroughly thinking it
through. I'll implore you to spare me some time before notifying of what my decision is."
Aunt Elsie's anger melted a little as she stood up, returned the video recorder inside her bag, and seized it by the handle. "Fine..."She stated simply. "I'll give you time as you requested -I trust you will make a nice decision, since you wouldn't want harm to befall her!"
With that, she left without biding a goodbye as she hastens her steps away, leaving him at the warder's mercy.