"You've heard a lot about Red Lion Aviation," I say with a sigh. "You've heard that I don't think it's a viable company to invest in and this has called my judgment to lead the company into question. In fact I'm facing a No Confidence vote right now."
The people in the conference room are still. They're enraptured. Lorna looks like she might faint.
"Well, one of the interns at Kane Price did a little digging on Red Lion Aviation and they sent it to me," I say, pulling open the file.
Here's where I get to tell you everything, Gorgeous.
"Oh, and the intern that did this? Her name is Becca Lowell, and I love her," I say to the camera.
"Now I just heard a few gasps. I know what you're thinking. He's in love with his stepdaughter. His investment sense is skewed. He was caught fucking a reporter. His judgment is terrible," I say with a smile. "But let's really look at the facts, shall we?"
Now I turn my head slightly so it looks like I'm looking directly at the camera.
"To my Board of Directors," I say with declarative strength in my voice. "Becca is absolutely right. Red Lion Aviation flies planes nowadays, but they're only flying one to two flights per day. And they're all empty. Their profits are through the roof because they're getting investors left and right. And those investors are getting paid their returns based on new investments."
I see the people in the boardroom stiffen. They know what I'm describing. A ponzi scheme.
"But they have some very interesting employees," I say, not quite done. "They hired a woman a year ago who already had a job. Can we move the camera a bit?"
I see the camera swivel and there, sitting next to me, is Stacy Sawyer.
"Say hello to Stacy Sawyer, everyone," I say with a grin and I see consternation in my boardroom. "She was fired from this network earlier, but she didn't mind. Because she got a pretty big bonus from Red Lion Aviation."
I look to Stacy. "Tell us what it was for Stacy," I ask.
Stacy takes a gulp. I found her in Toronto after Becca handed me the file showing that Red Lion Aviation had hired her earlier in the year and had released her from employment shortly after the whole thing with her at Market Pulse.
"My job was to seduce and catch Mason Kane on camera in a compromising situation," Stacy says, looking into the camera like a pro. "To cause him embarrassment and call his judgment into question."
"Thank you, Stacy," I say with a wide grin. I can see on my laptop that people are starting to look at Lorna in the boardroom.
"And who hired you, Stacy?" I ask, knowing the answer full well, but deciding to play it out.
Stacy nods to me.
"I was hired by Lorna Lowell," she replies. "Who is the majority shareholder and CEO-at-large of Red Lion Aviation."
Now there are gasps in the studio as well.
"That's right folks," I say to the camera and the studio staff. "This shit is pretty big. So, Stacy was hired to fuck me on camera and get me into a situation. She was hired by none other than Lorna. Who then came up to me and tried to get me to repair my image by investing in a ponzi scheme that would have kept her criminal enterprise going on forever."
I pause for a second to let it sink in.
"But wait," I say with a smirk. "Let's just say that's all true, which it is. I still have the issue of being married to this woman and fucking her daughter, right?"
I pause for a moment. I can see the amount of consternation in the boardroom. I put the laptop on mute, but people are standing up and backing away from Lorna who is sitting crumpled in a corner, defeated.
"Well, I did some more digging there after I found Stacy Sawyer, and you'd be surprised what I found," I say and look to my left. "I'd like you meet a man I met in northern Canada. His name is Daniel Hoover, and he's the supposed late husband of Lorna Lowell."
Now I see Lorna perk up and look at the screen. It's not bad enough that she lost her Kane Price gambit.
Now she's going to lose everything else.
"Daniel Hoover is the biological father of the woman I love who is carrying my child, Becca Lowell," I say. "Many years ago, he was forced to fake his own suicide to get away from his horrible wife. He's been living quietly in Northern Canada, but when I mentioned to him that his daughter needed help, he was more than willing to come to New York with me. Say hello, Daniel."
Daniel is a lot more nervous than Stacy was. But he manages a, "Uhm, hey Becca. Hello, everyone."
And that's it. There are too many people in the boardroom yelling and shouting and screaming according to the camera on my laptop.
I had called the cops earlier and the last thing I see before it gets too crowded are two uniformed NYPD officers enter the boardroom.
I only have one last thing to do now.
"Listen, America, I'm sorry, okay?" I say to the camera. "Even if it was a trap, I should have controlled myself better. My enemies knew just how to manipulate me. But I'm not cheating on my wife with her daughter because I'm not married. And I did smell out a ponzi scheme and hopefully end the career of an international financial criminal like Ms. Lowell. But despite all that, I want you to know that I'll be trying to do better."
And the last bit.
"Because the final thing I have to say to the country is this. After everything I've gone through, I'd gladly do it again. Because I met the love of my life in the process. And her name is Becca Lowell," I say and give a long pause. "Thank you."
The producer cuts the taping and I swear to God the entire studio starts clapping and cheering.
I stand up and take a moment to bask in the adulation.
Back in the day, I would have fucking loved it. Maybe even fucked Stacy again.
But now, there's only one woman for me.
And I need to get to her right now.
194
Becca
It's utterly unbelievable what's going on. Actually, unbelievable doesn't even begin to describe what is going on.
Mom-Lorna-is sitting at the front of the conference room, her eyes on the television as it's playing Market Pulse. The anchors that took over are understandably stunned. For a full few minutes they did nothing but just replay sections from Mason's little speech that seems to have broken Wall Street.
Trading has been light, apparently. It seems traders don't know what to do so they've been sitting on their money and not buying or selling anything with the exception of one company.
Kane Price.
That's right. The stock has climbed up nearly 34% since Mason started talking. It really started to climb once he left.
He sent me a text about ten minutes ago also. Told me that he was on his way.
People that have been trying to leave the conference room have been stopped.
"No one comes in or out until Mason Kane gets here, folks," the detective from the NYPD says as he stands at the door with two uniformed officers.
No one has approached Mom since Mason started talking. In fact, they've given her a wide berth.
It's not every day that someone is accused and proven to be running a company that's conducting a ponzi scheme at the international level.
I'm just trying to process all this information.
I never had a clue that it was so big.
"How did you end up working for Red Lion Aviation?" the anchor is asking Stacy Sawyer on television. She stayed back after Mason left. She said she was there to answer any questions, but just between you and me, babe, I think she's just trying to capitalize on the situation and resurrect any sort of public image that she had.
"Well, I was approached by representatives of Ms. Lowell one evening," Stacy says slowly. "It turns out I had gone out with a few girlfriends for drinks after work one night and I was talking to some guy. I don't even remember who. But the next thing I knew was that whatever I had drunk had put me to sleep and when I woke up I was naked on a bed with three men having sex with me. They were filming it."
"And so it was blackmail?" the anchor asks her. She nods, tears coming down her face.
"I think now that I was set up," she says and the anchorman nods sympathetically as she continues. "They offered me a lot of money if I cooperated. And if I didn't they threatened to destroy my career. There was only one thing left to do."
I don't know what to believe at this point, but I have to say that it does sound in line with what I've seen this woman who once claimed to be my mother do.
That leaves one question remaining that I need answers to.
I start walking the length of the room toward Mom.
Unlike before, where no one could recognize me, this time everyone is watching me as I walk forward. People that are standing around talking in hushed voices part for me as I walk up to her.
Mom looks up at me.
She's been crying.
Her whole body seems defeated.
But there's still no love in those eyes. No remorse. Rather a regret at having been caught.
"Did you know he was still alive?" I ask her, my eyes searching her face.