The plan to the plan 2

A disgraceful secret that should never see daylight, that's what he thought when he found out. Blood related or not. Hate or not. This was a secret that only belonged to the family, and he made it his priority. He didn't want the shame to taint Linda's world, but so it seemed she already knew, and not only that, his aunt also knew - and soon, so will the entire world.

The shock on her face only deepened his shame. How could he be family with such distasteful people. Incest was a taboo subject in the city, yet they made no effort in concealing their affair. His eyes darkened in embarrassment, "No, of course not, I only found out recently through Casey, and that is what you want to use?", he looked at Linda with concern, "You know this will also affect you in the process, right - Global Tech??". This was exactly why he needed it to be hidden, for her sake. 

She went back to sit next to him and smiled, "No...I think we can take a small blow, besides, I already have a mitigation plan written up. I wanted to prepare for the day it ever came out...". 

He was shocked. She knew all this time, and not once did she look down on him, instead she came up with a plan to minimize damage, yet, there he was doubting her.

No doubt it was him who made her snap at everyone. She spent time on her physical training and he should have continued to trust her - not discourage her at the last minute. Looking at how far ahead she was. It showed everyone just how far she was willing to go for the truth.

He was proud of her, he has always been, it was just that one second where he faltered and underestimated how much his trust meant to her, "Alright, I see no reason why we can't use it - so when do we release it?". He had to show her he trusted her.

"The sooner the better...", she looked at Jackie, "You know what to do...and make sure it doesn't come back to us...especially you..."

Jackie nodded, "You know how I roll...in 30 minutes, this will be on every news outlet and billboard", not only did she send it to major gossip outlets, she also manipulated the search algorithm to make it #1 on trending. She even hacked into the billboard in front of the hotel, "That will keep him busy for the next few days.", she turned to them, "I will also jam the signal to make sure he leaves. The only way for him to do any damage control would be to leave the hotel - Kim sent communication devices", she pointed at a black small case on the table, "You need to head there now. The second he leaves, you guys have to be in and out in two hours, okay? Not longer than that.".

Linda smiled proudly, "and I thought I was the only one who thought that far ahead."

Jeremy sighed, in 30 minutes, his family's dirty laundry will be aired out to the world. Could he really survive it? Could Linda remain untouched by all this? The very thing that could buy them time is the same thing that had the potential to damage their reputation.

Linda saw the concern that engulfed him, "Trust me. I prepared for a moment like this. Not only will you come out unscathed, but you will be a hero of this story...is the least I can do for you. You willingly entered a war with your uncle for me. You chose my side despite knowing the repercussions and now you let us use what could be the most damaging tool for my selfish needs. For that, I will look after you to the extent of my power. You are my person now and I will show you how far I go for those who mean the world to me."

His heart melted. Her words provided assurance he never knew he needed, with a smile, he pulled her into his chest, "Why did I even doubt you?".

She chuckled softly, "I am glad you see your mistake. You can make it up to me after the mission", he nodded with a smile. Little did Linda know that he would also go the deep end for her too...

Meanwhile, Tony anxiously called Maggie to his office. It was just an hour before the meeting with his nephew. Just an hour before he turned his world upside down and reduced him to the useless puppet he once was before falling for Linda. A lifeless dog that lived for his treats and compliments - the boy who would do anything to please him. Anything at all.

Unaware of the plan that was cooked two blocks from them, Maggie has been extra nervous about the day, if things go wrong with Jeremy's plan, she would be in danger for sure, and not knowing the full plan only made her more wary. 

"I heard you met up with Jeremy two days ago...should I be worried?", Tony suddenly said, throwing her off. She never knew she was followed, could it be that he knew about the plan, was that the reason she was sitting in front of him at that moment? 

She ran her eyes through the faces of the guards who remained nonchalant, keeping watch of him in that office darkened by the closed blinds, she's never seen him so rattled before - it pleased her. She found herself wanting him to suffer even more.

Suddenly her nerves were gone. She needed to protect Jeremy's plan. She wanted to repay Tony in full for all the torture he put her through, "Of course not sir. Actually, his aunt is the one who called me. She heard about what happened at the gala, and she wanted me to apologise to him and Linda, but she didn't show up. She wanted nothing to do with me.", she dropped her face feigning disappointment.

He squinted his eyes, "Alright...give me your phone...", he said indifferently but his actions depicted his mistrust.

She handed the phone to him and he began scouring every inch of it, but to his dismay, he found nothing profound, not a single trace of betrayal. "I see you are telling the truth...but this is odd, if you guys already met and you apologised, why would you want to meet here again? Because the entire reason for him to come would be for his apology?"

Her nerves flickered again, what excuse could she give now, "Sir, I-"

"Sir! Is it true? Are you this shameless person?? It's not true, right?"

His disgruntled hotel manager bursted through the door with her face covered in disgust. She had never spoken to him before and always appeared timid around him, but not only did she dare to utter a word, she disrespected him in front of his people.

"What the hell did you just say to me? Little girl, do you have a death wish?"

She frustratingly opened the blinds unveiling the billboard screen in front of the office displaying an unsightly scene that sent shockwaves throughout the office. Even the guards that once remained silent as statues suddenly held faces of contempt. They all glared at him, anticipating his response, but even in the face of all the noise, his concern was for Victoria.

"Vic- Victoria! Oh No! I need to call her!"

"So..it is true...", one of the guards, disappointedly muttered,

"Stop messing with me and hand me the phone??", 

His manager tossed her staff card at him, "Wow! I quit.", and behind her followed a few of his guards,

"After all you have done. Shed blood and all - this is where you draw the line? Hypocrites!"

Maggie was flabbergasted at first but it soon became clear whose doing it was. Pleased with the results, her mouth curved up into a smirk that unintentionally caught Tony's attention,

His face darkened with horror as he lunged at her, "You knew this would happen...didn't you?? You know who is responsible, I saw you smirk...", he slapped her so hard across the face her she fell to the white tiled floor, "You sly little bitch, you will tell me everything you know or I end your puny life right at this second..."