Chapter 6 Secrets Unveiled

• Secrets Unveiled
• The air seemed tight as Rosy stood in front of me, her eyes blazing with rage and resolve. "You thought, Leonard, you could throw me out like garbage from yesterday? You assumed you might wed me and then ignore me without any repercussions?"
• Fear hammering in my heart, I stepped back. Rose, please, let's discuss this coolly. Never did I aim to hurt you."
• She laughed, her voice full of scorn. Wound me? Leonard, you took me down. It's my turn to bring you to your knees now though."
• She would not listen to the reason I tried to offer. From me, what do you want?
• Her laughing was shiveringly real. Leonard, I want everything, obviously. I want the facts to surface. I wish the world knew who you truly are."
• My blood was icy. Say what?
• I am aware of your mysteries, Leonard. Regarding your past and father, I am aware. I am aware of the bargains you have struck and the lies you have said."
• Panic rushed over me like a wave. How on earth could she be aware of my father and my relationship to the underworld.
• I said, attempting to sound assured, "You're bluffing."
• Rosy, though, merely grinned—a knowing, nasty smile. Am I? Really, Leonard, are you willing to take that chance? Really, do you want to jeopardize what you've worked for?"
• She was not lying, I knew. She wasn't scared to use the evidence and leverage she possessed.
• Gritted teeth, I answered, "Fine." Want what?
• Her smile got bigger. Leonard, half of everything please. I want your power, your money, your reputation. And I'll make sure everyone knows just who you are if you decline."
• All I could do was agree. There was no way out of the corner Rosy had me backed into.
• It was clear to me as I watched her triumphantly leave that this was only the start. Rosy was a formidable woman, and I had a sense that our paths would recross. I will be prepared next time though.
• I knew I had to move fast as Rosy turned to go. She could not have destroyed what I had laboriously created. How, though, may I stop her without running the danger of being seen?
• My head buzzing with possibilities, I ran back to my office. To be sure Rosy couldn't carry out her plans, I had to find a means to neutralize her threat.
• But the door sprang open and Rosy, her eyes burning with rage, stormed in as I sat at my desk trying to think of a strategy.
• Her voice was like ice, she yelled, "What do you think you're doing?"
• Though I was trying not to panic, inside I was. Rosy, I'm not doing anything. Just trying to work out how to settle this amicably."
• She let out a hard, sour laugh. Gently? Between us, Leonard, there is no peace. Not in light of what you have done."
• Trying to take some control of the circumstances, I got up. You want what specifically from me, Rosy? Merchandising? Influence? Get even?"
• Arms crossed over her chest, she grinned. Everything said before, Leonard. I want justice, though, basically. For what you've done to me, I want you to pay."
• Anger shot through me. 'What have I done to you? Who misled and lied to me was you. The one that ought to pay is you."
• Rosy's gaze grew narrow. That's what you genuinely think, Leonard? Or are you only attempting to shift responsibility off of yourself?"
• Fists clenched, I tried to keep my rage under control. "I'm not avoiding anything, Rosy. All I'm doing is attempting to put things right.
• She wasn't, however, buying into it. Correcting the record? Leonard, this cannot be fixed. Not after all you've gone through for me.
• She was right, as I knew. I had done harm that could never be undone. All the same, I had to try.
• I responded, "Fine," a frustrated, tight voice. You want me to do what?
• Rosy gave a chilly, calculated smile. Leonard, I wish you pain. Same way you've caused me to suffer."
• Her remarks hung heavily in the air as she turned and left my office.
• I had no idea Rosy was one step ahead of me when I sat in my office thinking about the dangerous game I was about to play. She was making her own plans, driven by a fresh resolve to reveal every secret and every aspect of my existence, while I was planning.
• Rosy grabbed up her phone and typed a message to her most reliable confidante with a steely resolve.
• She wrote, "We need to dig deeper," determination shining in her eyes. "I want all the information there is to know about Jenny. Every little detail and secret. Nothing is forbidden.
• And when the message was sent, putting Jenny's life in the crossfire of Rosy's unrelenting quest of retribution, the stage was prepared for an encounter unlike any other.
• I had no idea, as I got ready to take on my old foes, that the worst danger of all was already hiding in the shadows, ready to strike when I least expected it.
• An enigmatic person watched every word spoken outside my office as Rosy sent her message. They vanished into the night, a spooky smile on their lips.
• Jenny, meantime, sat by herself in her flat, her phone ringing with an incoming call, oblivious to the tempest that was building all around her. She answered, feeling as though she would drop, to be met by a voice full of hate.
• Jenny, you are able to flee but not hide. One way or another, your secrets will come to light.
• Jenny was suddenly cut off from the call, and she knew she was now caught up in a web of treachery and peril much beyond her worst fears.
• And a character from my history materialized from the shadows in a far-off area of the city, their eyes shining with retaliation as they planned their next move in the play that was Secrets Unveiled.
• A voice from the shadows shivered down their spine as the figure from my past entered the poorly lighted alleyway. "Well, if it's not Leonard's former buddy who has turned enemy. What makes you play again?"
• The shape stiffened as it recognized the voice of an enemy long since gone. "My goal is to wrap up what we started here and now. Leonard's rule expires tonight.
• They slid into the night, a trail of doubt and approaching peril in their gaze.
• Jenny, meanwhile, felt she couldn't take on this menace by herself, her nerves flared and her senses sharpened. She prayed for assistance from an unexpected ally while shakily dialing a number she never imagined she would have to call again.
• A voice that sounded both surprised and suspicious answered the phone. Jennifer? You want what?
• Jenny begged, her voice tense, "I need your help, now more than ever. "I fear for my life as Leonard's secrets come to light."
• Danger was already at her door, though, as a loud collision shook her flat before she could continue.
• Jenny was heart-pounding aware that her only chance of survival lay with an unknown ally and the unknown destiny that awaited her in the shadows.
• As the figure from my past stepped into the dimly lit alley, a voice echoed from the darkness, sending shivers down their spine. "Well, well, well, if it isn't Leonard's old friend-turned-foe. What brings you back into the game?"
• The figure tensed, recognizing the voice of an adversary thought long gone. "I'm here to finish what we started, once and for all. Leonard's reign ends tonight."
• With a dangerous glint in their eyes, they vanished into the night, leaving behind a trail of uncertainty and impending danger.
• Meanwhile, Jenny, her nerves frayed and her senses on high alert, knew she couldn't face this threat alone. With trembling hands, she dialed a number she never thought she'd have to call again, praying for help from an unexpected ally.
• As the phone rang, a voice answered, filled with equal parts surprise and suspicion. "Jenny? What do you want?"
• With a sense of urgency in her voice, Jenny pleaded, "I need your help, now more than ever. Leonard's secrets are unraveling, and I fear for my life."
• But before she could explain further, a sudden crash echoed through her apartment, signaling that danger was already at her doorstep.