The Real Mastermind

IGNACIO GARCIA

The plan I spent a lot of time and resources orchestrating actually worked. It was a risky move. I had to be careful and make sure my inside men had everything right. The swap of the security men was the hardest but we were able to crack that one too.

And now Victor Montes’ daughter is under my captivity.

Turns out the little heiress asks a lot of questions. Aside from her astonishing beauty, that is.

I'm trying so hard not to focus on her blue eyes and breath- taking face. That shouldn't be any of my interest when I have a very important plan in motion.

I've been under the bush for a long time and now that I'm at the top, I must get what I want by hook and crook. I'm currently the head of the syndicate since I’m Ramon’s eldest legitimate heir and he can’t rule from the position he is in right now. I know the Montes were involved in that. However, my father is not the main reason for my plans. I’ve been onto the Montes for years and now the timing is just perfect. My position makes my ducks align better than I thought.

That doesn't mean my father doesn’t deserve someone fighting for him. The fact that he's at a disadvantage right now doesn’t mean that his empire should also crumble. I've been handling syndicate business for weeks now, since his absence.

“All you have to do is cooperate, little heiress, and this will be over before you even know it.” I tell Venus, Montes’ only daughter, whom I've abducted from her wedding. Looking at her, part of me feels better that I saved her from making the worst decision. Renato doesn’t deserve this kind of beauty.

Deep down, I know that I shouldn't have that kind of feeling, but I can't stop admiring the beauty galore before me. I try as hard to kill it before it conjures up more. She's the daughter of the man I want to destroy.

“What am I cooperating with?” She asks.

Don't you ask too many questions? I've taken a picture of Venus in her wedding dress and sent it to Victor right before I call him.

“If you even touch a strand of hair…” he starts barking as soon as the call connects.

“Easy old man.”

Does he even know who he's talking to?

I've taken enough precautions that my calls can never be traced.

“I'm the one making demands, remember? Well, especially because I'm seated next to your precious heiress right now.”

The sighs on the other side of the call are enough to tell me how I've hit the perfect nerve.

And now this is going to be interesting.

Venus is quietly listening to our conversation as I ordered her to.

I don't intend to make Victor have it the easy way.

He deserves a miserable ending for… well for everything.

That call was just the beginning.

I haven't introduced myself yet, but I'll have to preserve that for later.

Like I said, he's not going to have it easy.

__________

I'm in my home office when my right-hand men, Jose and Luca, walk in.

“What's the situation at the church?” I ask.

“Everything has been taken care of, no collateral and no clues to find us.” Luca reports.

“So what's the next plan?” asks Jose.

Initially, I had the intention of taking away the most valuable thing in Victor’s life. His daughter.

Give him a taste of his own medicine. But now, I have a different idea to make that man's life miserable. I try so hard to convince myself that I'm not going to kill Venus for some other reasons I don't want to talk about.

“Change of plans.” I say leaning back in my seat.

“We're not going to kill her.”

The two men before me shoot me with confused looks.

“What?” I probe.

“But why?” Luca raises his shoulders in question.

“That's the plan you've been focusing on for weeks now.”

“Because I have better plans.”

They know better than to argue with me right now.

“I know exactly why you changed your mind.” A voice at the door interrupts our small meeting. We all shift our attention towards the door. “You really have a talent these days, Amanda.”

She walks in and makes herself comfortable on the couch.

“Yes, I know Venus caught your eyes at first sight.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” I feign ignorance especially because I know exactly where this conversation is headed.

“Come on brother, you might be good at hiding things, but I'm your sister.”

I want to walk towards her and staple her mouth with the stapler that’s staring at me from my desk.

But she's right, she's my sister.

However, she's right about something else that I can never admit, even if it kills me.

Venus is charmingly beautiful.

It was the first time I was in a one-on-one conversation with her.

I had to hold everything in me not to get lost in her. She would catch me staring and what would that mean?

But that doesn't change anything.

She's still on the other side of war and she's the one thing that will make my plan align itself so perfectly. I would never admit anything. Not when Luca and Jose are staring at me questionably like they're trying to make sense of Amanda's words.

“Don't worry. If I wasn't straight, I would surely...”

“Amanda,” I narrow my eyes towards her.

She doesn't look sorry about what she's said or what she's about to say. Tolerating this would make me a hypocrite. So I change the topic to what's more important.

“I want to make a deal with Victor.”

“Are you serious? Asks Jose.

“What deal?” Adds Luca.

“Do you want to ask for her daughter's hand in marriage? Isn't it soon? You just met the girl.” Amanda’s response takes the cake.

I ignore it anyway.

“I just don't want to make it easy for Victor. After all, I have his precious heiress. I'm the one with the advantage. I can make any move with my cards. Every move will make him sweat in his pants."

.....

After the chat with my men and my sister, I head back to Venus.

I find her pacing around restlessly.

“You should preserve that energy for something important.” I tell her.

“Oh yeah? What for? You're going to kill me, anyway.”

She stops pacing and sits in bed.

“Actually, I'm considering keeping you alive, little heiress.”

“Would you stop calling me that? I'm not as little as you think.” She snaps.

“Ask your father about that.”

She gets up and closes in on me.

I try so much not to ignore the impact that has on me or the strings of emotions that are threatening to arise.

What's wrong with me again?

She's just a woman, and she's on the other side of war. But I also like the courage she has, to get close to me. That doesn't mean she's not a little heiress.

“You should get your sources right and stop blaming my father for things he hasn't done.”

She looks up at me.

And what does she know about her father's sins?

My hatred for him didn't start yesterday, definitely not last week. I vowed to make him pay years ago.

And the time has just come. Nothing can stop me. Not even an alien looking at me like she wants to strangle the life out of me- though her courage comes out in a very cute way.

“So what are you going to do with me, if you're not going to kill me?” She asks as though she's finally cooled down.

“That will depend on what your father has to say about the deal I want to make with him.”