Tangled Webs

Las Vegas, a place where the past is buried under a surface of glitter and excess, has a way of pulling up ancient ghosts when you least expect it. Six years have passed since that terrible night in the diner, and my life has been an ongoing struggle between my needs and obligations. The neon lights of the city tonight seem more oppressive than brilliant, throwing long shadows across the road I am compelled to follow.

My heart thumping, I am standing in Henry Carter's elegant, high-rise office staring out the vast metropolis below from the window. The deep, dark tones of luxury—mahogany furniture, soft rugs, and a breathtaking view of the Strip—rule the space. For all its grandeur, though, it is a cage and I am imprisoned in it.

Henry's voice pierres through my satisfied reverie. "So, Wilson, I assume you know our most recent visitor rather well?"

Turning to face him, I try to hide my discomfort. You mean Emma, right? I've heard. Are you personally interested in her? I had no idea.

Henry grinned, cold calculation shining in his eyes. Oh, it goes beyond simply personal. You see, I have set up Emma for a contract marriage. a clever approach to make sure I have influence over your supposed biggest weakness.

My gut starts to plummet. "Contract marriage?" Working with Emma?

Henry nods in appreciation of my response. Indeed. She also helps me to tighten the noose around you even if she thinks it's all about securing her position and safeguarding her children.

"Emma runs children?" My voice showing my amazement, I ask. And why should you be entitled to run her life?

Henry's smile gets more broad. " She, as you would have predicted, has twins. But you see, Wilson, I find that keeping Emma close accomplishes several things. It guarantees, first of all, your increasing investment level. And two it confirms my power over you.

My head leaps. Emma's coming back and her relationship to the twins imply that things have changed. Suddenly in danger are the last six years of my life, which have been marked with difficult efforts to move on and hard-earned successes.

The following several days blur of anxiety and uncertainty. Emma and the twins had me totally absorbed. I chew at her knowing she's back in Las Vegas, caught in a marriage to Henry. The stakes are higher than they have ever been, and my quest for the truth is pushing me toward the brink.

To cover my more covert actions, I choose to visit the recently opened Sinclair charity clinic. My head of security, Frank, looks worriedly at me as I stroll through the glass doors.

"Everything OK, Mr. Sinclair?" Frank probes with a sharp eye.

Lowering my voice, I continue, "I need you to run a background check." On Emma Larkin and the twins. I have to know everything—where she has been, how she is currently relating to Henry.

Frank gives a nodding glance. I'll start on it straight away.

That evening, I sat by myself in my penthouse with city lights flickering outside my window. Though my ideas are a jumble, a sharp knock at the door shocks me out of contemplation. Frank is clutching a file.

He hands me the paperwork and says, "Mr. Sinclair, I have the information you asked for. "It is broad; here's a summary."

My heart pounding, I open the file and quickly go over the papers. Emma had been beneath the radar, consulting a tiny but respectable company. Matt and Nate, the twins, had been registered in a top private school. She has obviously been striving to create a life free from the tumult of our past for them.

However, there is more. Emma recently married Henry with great planning. The contract marriage was, in fact, a strategy of safeguarding her children and securing her position. The data also shows that Henry has been using her to control me, so his interest in her was not only personal.

My head spins with choices. The twins are caught in the middle; Emma is back in my life, linked to Henry by this forced marriage. I have quick action to do.

I set up to see Emma at an inconspicuous, neutral venue—a quiet café far from the Strip's flash the next day. Early I arrive, tense in my nerves as I wait for her.

My heart leaps a beat when she at last walks in. She still is unquestionably gorgeous, although she seems older and more worn. She makes me run through old emotions I thought I had buried.

I say, standing as Emma approaches. "Thanks for coming to see me."

She sits with an apprehensive but focused gaze. Wilson is I had no idea you would show up.

I had to, I said, seated across from her. "I have to find out what is happening. Henry... he's reaching me using you.

Emma's expression gets stiffer. "I am aware." I did not, however, have options. I owed it to Matt and Nate's protection. Wilson, they are my universe. I could not risk their being revealed.

"Is that the reason you married him?" I probe, trying to control my feelings. "Because you felt you had nothing else to choose?"

She nodded, suffering evident in her eyes. indeed. Still, it was not just about me. Henry assured the lads of a safe future. At the time, I felt that was the best decision available.

My voice softened, I said, "I understand." Now that I know, though, I can be helpful. We can work out how to handle Henry.

Emma looks at me, a flutter of hope in her eyes. "What do you suggest"?

The entrance of the café swings open before I can reply; Henry walks in surrounded by two of his guys. His eyes fix on us, and I sense the frigid gratification in his view.

"Emma, I didn't know you were out on a social call," Henry replies, his voice full with contempt. And with Mr. Sinclair, no less.

Emma stands up clutching her purse; her face turns white. Henry, this is not what it appears to be.

Henry's troops move to encircle us, their faces incomprehensible. "I advise Wilson, you should go. Emma and I have affairs to go over.

I get up and face Henry. "I have nowhere to be headed. Not until after a suitable conversation.

Henry flashes annoyance in his eyes. "Fine. If that is your preferred way of playing it.

Emma's hand closes tightly around mine as Henry and his troops get close. " Wilson, kindly, be careful."

Henry's soldiers begin to close in before I can reply, and I get an adrenaline surge. The situation is rapidly getting worse and the stakes are higher than they have ever been. Curiosity aroused, the customers of the café are beginning to whisper.

Henry laughs and moves in closer. "You see, Wilson, I knew you would be arriving crawling back. But right now, you are handing me exactly what I need.

I understand our confrontation is merely starting as the stress approaches a breaking point. The game has changed and the boundaries separating history from present are erasing. Henry Carter's power plays entwine Emma's effort to defend her kids and negotiate her feelings for me.

And one thing is absolutely sure as Henry's men get ready to evict us: this is only the beginning. The actual fight is still to come; the decisions we make today will shape our futures collectively.