Chapter 119
Bob was furious. Crystal and Andrew had managed to turn the tide on the bad press against them. All the work that Bob and Lisa had done to get people focused on Crystal’s criminal past, for naught.
Bob paced the length of his apartment. He hadn’t spent a lot of time there since he and Lisa had gotten engaged. However, with Crystal and Andrew dating, Lisa had insisted on spending more and more time somewhere other than the mansion.
Crystal.
Bob nearly growled as he stared at the gossip article about her and Andrew on his phone. With this second attempt on her life, Crystal had gone from an ex-con and potential murderer to a poor shooting victim. Meanwhile, Andrew’s approval ratings were soaring back up as word spread that he had sacrificed himself to save his girlfriend.
How could all of Bob’s attempts to silence Crystal have backfired so spectacularly? Bribery, kidnapping, murder, they had all failed. Now, he was running out of options.
With Crystal coming so close to revealing the full truth about her manslaughter charge already, Bob only had one choice left to keep her silent. He just needed Lisa’s approval.
“Bob? Are you home?”
He looked to the door as Lisa entered, her purse slung over one arm and a bag of takeout food dangling from the other.
“I got Korean barbecue,” she continued.
“Sounds delicious,” Bob replied. He took the bag from her and kissed her gently on the lips.
“Sorry I took so long. Traffic was a nightmare up by the hospital.”
“It’s all right. You weren’t gone that long. How’s your father?”
“He’s stable. They said that the silver will slow down his healing abilities a bit, but he should heal within a few days.”
“That’s good. Did they catch the shooter?”
“Yes, he’s in custody now.”
Bob decided to test the waters.
“And Crystal?”
Lisa sneered.
“That skag is fine.”
She removed her sunglasses and tossed them onto the dining table, revealing her bloodshot eyes.
“She would not leave the room the entire time that I was visiting, insisted that she had a right to be there. And guess what? Father backed her up!”
Lisa shook her head, her ponytail whipping back and forth until it nearly hit Bob in the face.
“I told Father not to date her,” she said. “Now, look at him, held up in some hospital with a bullet wound.”
Bob set the food on the table next to Lisa’s sunglasses.
“You did all you could. We did all we could,” he said.
“Did we?” Lisa asked.
She pinched the bridge of her nose and sniffled. Bob reached out to embrace her, but she backed away from him.
“You told me that you were going to take care of it,” she said. “Why didn’t you take care of it?”
“I tried, but I was working under some restrictions…”
“Because I would rather not go to prison for murder!”
Bob sighed.
“I told you, sweetheart, nothing would be traced back to us.”
Lisa shook her head and turned her back on Bob.
“It doesn’t matter now, anyway. She has her hooks deep into Father, and the more that we try to break them up, the closer that they seem to get. The only relationship that’s being ruined is the one between Father and me.”
Bob tried to put on a sympathetic face, even though Lisa’s back was to him.
“I know. I’m so, so sorry. I wish that I could take away the pain for you.”
“There’s nothing we can do. There’s nothing you can do.”
Bob’s hands curled into fists momentarily, but he released the anger just as quickly. It was not the time for him to drop the mask, not yet.
He walked up behind Lisa and placed his hands on her shoulders. He massaged her neck, trying to loosen her up for what he wanted to propose. As he felt her giving in to the rhythmic motion of his thumbs, he decided to proceed.
“You know, none of this would be happening if your father weren’t the Alpha King,” he said.
She moaned as he hit a particularly tight knot. Her eyes closed as she began to relax.
“What are you talking about?” she asked.
“Crystal wouldn’t be interested in Andrew if he weren’t the Alpha King.”
“He would still be rich and handsome.”
“Perhaps, but he wouldn’t be as rich, and he certainly wouldn’t have the power that he has now.” Bob pressed down on the knot, causing Lisa to moan again. “Do you think that she would be interested in him if he couldn’t help her get away with half of the shit that she does?”
“Well, maybe not…”
“And if he thought that he lost the Alpha King position because he was dating Crystal, do you think that your father would want to see her anymore?”
“I doubt it.”
Bob leaned down and said in Lisa’s ear, “Then it’s settled. I’ll run for Alpha King against Andrew.”
Lisa’s eyes shot open, and she whirled around to face him.
“No, you will not!”
Bob backed away from Lisa, his hands raised up by his shoulders.
“That’s the only way that we can guarantee that Andrew will lose his Alpha King position.”
“And you will take on that burden instead? No, I’ve seen the toll that it’s taken on my father. I won’t have that happen to you, too.”
Bob cautiously approached Lisa and stroked her cheek with the back of his hand.
“Lisa, I appreciate your concern, but I can handle it. Besides, I won’t be on my own. I’ll have you by my side.”
Lisa glanced down at their feet.
“What if people don’t approve of us, like they haven’t with Crystal and Father? What if they attack us, too?”
“You aren’t Crystal. You have a spotless record, and you’re well-liked by everyone that you meet.”
Bob grabbed Lisa’s chin and forced her to look up at him.
“We aren’t them.”
Lisa stared into Bob’s eyes.
“If someone comes after me, will you take a bullet for me, like Father did for Crystal?”
Bob hesitated.
“Of course, sweetheart.”
Lisa continued staring at Bob, examining him for something that she could not quite pinpoint. Finally, she gave up and wrenched her head out of his grasp.
“It’s pointless to discuss this, anyway,” she said. “Father’s too popular, especially with the new perspective on his bravery and nobility after he saved Crystal. Even with Crystal being an ex-con, Father would beat any opponent by a mile.”
“Not if your mother’s family give their support to someone else,” Bob countered.
Lisa’s eyes widened.
“You want me to ask them to betray their alliance with my father?”
“That alliance was broken when your mother died.”
Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, but she nodded in understanding.
“So long as you approach them, they won’t say no,” Bob continued.
“All right, I’ll talk to them, but do you really think that will be enough to make Father lose?”
Bob shook his head.
“No, but I have an answer to that.”
Lisa cocked her head at him. Bob dug out his phone and began to dial.
“First, we have to stir up a little more controversy.”
