Morning all. It looks like we have made it to mid-week. It feels like this week has been evaporating before my very eyes. So much to do and the hours just keep slipping away. Still items are getting checked off of the to do list so that is something. And the next item on the list is the morning writing prompt? Are you ready to wake up your brains and start another day? Not sure I am, but lets have a go with it anyways, shall we? As always, 15 minutes on the timer and away we go.
Not my best. Not completely hopeless, but I’m not sure how interesting I am going to find this when i search back through my prompts for story ideas. But who knows, perhaps in a few months it will reach out and grab me, or be something i need to fill in a gap in another story. So for now it goes into the file of 2021 writing prompts to possibly be dug out later.
Wednesday, June 30th: The temptation proved too much.
The temptation proved too much. Resistance lasted only a short while and then Sean found the forces too much to resist. The arguments against such vindictive action were weak, much weaker than the litany of reasons for enacting vengeance that rang out in his head.
He was cautious in his movements though. He knew that he would only get one shot, one chance. He had to move carefully and not spook his prey.
The dummy corporation was easy to establish. To it he added layers and layers. It was easier than he thought it would be, his efforts assisted by several others who knew of the situation, were willing to help him out in order to curry future favors with him and who had a host of dubious skills and acquaintances at their disposal.
The shell corporation he created had layers of protection and would take someone sparter and more involved than Michael Buchannan to penetrate. In the decades he had known Michael there had never been one time where he took the effort to look beneath the surface of anything. Still Sean was careful. There was, in the end, more than just his own vengeful feelings at stake.
Once the corporation was established, he began setting up a corporate history. He wanted files, notes, records that let the company look established. While Michael never looked deeply, he knew even he looked for a basic history stretching back more than five years.
To be on the safe side, Sean gave the faux company a backstory lasting more than ten years. In the websites corporate files, ones that weren’t available to the public but could be hacked by someone with minimal skills, Sean added corporate tax returns, and policies that stretched back into the past. While he doubted Michael would look, he knew that the Buchannan Company had several people who could take a peek if they so desired.
Sean wanted his bases covered.
Only when the company looked both legit and established did he begin the whisper campaign. Here it was not only a network of friends, but a network of others Michael wronged that assisted him in his plans. There were many and they were more than willing to assist.
Sean was surprised by the number of people Michael managed to cheat and scam over the years while incurring no repercussions. The number both startled and saddened him, but in that moment it was useful and he used it as he would any tool.
Gradually rumors drifted to Michael’s ears. A corporation, ripe for the fleecing. Easy money. Easy prey. It didn’t take too long for him to come sniffing around. It started with general e-mail queries. Sean answered these, keeping a polite tone and showing a slight interest but not much. Slowly Michael grew comfortable and increased his visible interest in the company. In the e-mails, Sean allowed himself to slowly take a greater interest.
When the time came for an in face meeting, Sean hired an actor to play the part of CEO, knowing that his own face would be recognized.
Ten til Midnight 