A Tangled Web Ch. 03

Dan took a deep breath before responding. "Just a little while longer," he thought.

"How did you find out Maggie knew what you'd done, and why did you assault your wife?"

"Look, the bitch had it coming to her. You don't destroy your husband's property without being taught a lesson. However, I didn't mean to hit her as hard as I did. Fortunately, the only family she has left are her parents, who are big religious kooks. They'd never let her get away with filing charges against her husband. They think it's the husband's job to discipline the wife when she steps out of line."

"As to how I found out, that's the best part, Danny boy! Even after you told your slut wife everything, her first thought was to warn me and reveal your collusion with Maggie. You thought you could tell Cindy everything, and she'd return to your arms? What I gave her was so much better that she came running to me the second you left. Talk about game, set, and match! I've achieved total victory, buddy. You sure you don't want to come over here and suck my cock to congratulate me?"

Dan bristled at Cindy's new betrayal and realized his marriage was over. He now knew Cindy was responsible for Bruce's attack on Maggie and his being held at gunpoint now.

"Oh, wait, I'm wrong. There's one more thing I need to do to you and your whore of a wife."

Bruce turned around a laptop on the table in front of him so that Dan could see the screen.

"I've got this contact on the Dark Web whom I've paid in Bitcoin to upload to hundreds of porn sites a video of Cindy fucking me and degrading you. Soon, the whole world will know you are a cuck and just how inadequate you are. With the press of a key, my message telling him to proceed will be sent."

No longer able to suppress his rage, Dan shouts, "I deleted your videos, motherfucker!"

"Oh, yes...thanks to your loving wife, I checked my account and saw that. You know, it really was terrible to take all of that from me. I don't suppose we could negotiate something for you to give them back? Maybe I'll even agree to stop if you do."

"Rot in hell, motherfucker! You ARE done!"

"I'll take that as a 'no.' Well, so unfortunate for you. You see, you didn't delete my best video. One of the many I took at your home when I was fucking Cindy in every one of her holes, in your marital bed. The audio of her orgasming while telling me how much better I am than you is crystal clear. It's amazing how good the video and audio recordings are on these new iPhones!"

Dan began to panic quietly and whispered, "I need you to come now!"

"I'd show it to you, but you'll have a lifetime to view it from anywhere," Bruce said as he made a theatrical point of reaching over the back of the laptop to hover his finger above the "enter" key.

"Anything you have to say first? Do you have any feelings left for Cindy to spare her this shame and limit the destruction to only you? Would you let me film me fucking you in the ass if I agree not to post this video?"

"Fuck you." A dejected Dan said, barely audible across the room.

"No, the offer was the other way around. Okay, I guess that's a 'no.'"

Bruce pressed "enter" and looked back at Dan in triumph.

"Okay, NOW I've won. There's nothing left but to wait for you to off yourself."

Just then, the door bursts open with shouts of "Police! Police! Show me your hands!"

Bruce dropped the 9mm and raised his hands, a shocked look on his face.

"Bruce Webb, you're under arrest! You're being charged with physical assault, rape, drugging a person for sexual intercourse, drugging a person with the intent to cause bodily harm, multiple charges of recording without consent, obtaining controlled substances under false pretenses, prostitution, operating an unlicensed business, and now...false imprisonment and blackmail. You have the right to remain silent..."

Bruce was read his rights as he was roughly pushed to the floor and handcuffed. As Bruce was escorted to the door, the officer paused to allow a tall raven-haired woman with a large envelope to step forward. As she handed it to him and said, "Bruce Webb, you've been served." The process server stepped back before she snapped a photo of the delivery, and Bruce was led away.

Dan had planned to smirk and offer a few choice words about the SEC investigation and fucking Maggie as Bruce was escorted away, but all he could think of was the video now propagating on the internet. Soon, Detective Alvarez came over to check on Dan.

"You did great, Dan. You got him to say a lot of things that will help the DA's case."

"But the video! It's out there now for all to see."

Alvarez laughed, "Yeah, that was a close one. By the time we realized what he was doing, I knew there was no way to get up here in time to stop it. I saw the internet cable box on the outside wall of the apartment complex and pulled every wire out! I'm sure the whole building is going nuts trying to figure out why their internet is down. But basically, Bruce's message never got sent, and we now have information on a Dark Web suspect to pursue.

Dan was so overjoyed, and he shook the detective's hand. "I don't know how I can ever thank you for all you've done."

"Don't worry about it. It's my job. Besides, I know what it's like to have an unfaithful partner, and I only wish I'd been able to get this kind of satisfaction. I guess I'll have to settle for living vicariously through you."

******

When Dan left the apartment, he headed straight to the hospital to check on Maggie. He felt better now that Bruce was in jail, and he had helped with the case to keep him there. A nurse was leaving Maggie's room when he arrived.

"Hello, gorgeous!"

"Ha, ha. Very funny, Dan! Don't make me laugh. It hurts."

"But you are gorgeous, and I'm sure the plastic surgeon will have you better than ever before long!"

"Well, he is the best one in Chicago!"

"Really, how did you get him or her?"

"It was Jack Webb's doing. We've always been close. Even before his son did this to me, he had offered me whatever money and support I needed. He's such an ethical guy, and I think it breaks his heart how his son turned out."

"Jack did ask me whether you'd meet him. He seemed really worried about you."

"Worried I'm going to sue his company, no doubt."

"No, Dan, Jack's not like that. He's the most ethical man I know. In fact, everyone says that... ask around. If there's anyone who can get you the best endocrinologist, it's him. Please meet with him, for me?"

"Fine, I'll meet with him. But, wait, who are you calling?"

"Jack, it's Maggie. Yes, thanks for asking. I'm holding up okay because of the medical team you assembled." Dan couldn't hear Jack's end of the conversation, but there were lengthy pauses between Maggie's responses that Jack must have filled.

"You know, I'm sorry everything has turned out the way it has with Bruce. You have been a great father, and he doesn't deserve you."

"Say, Jack, I have Dan Caddel here with me, and I talked him into meeting with you."

"Dan, could you meet him in his office tomorrow at 9 AM?"

"Um, yeah. I can probably make that work."

"Okay, Jack, it's all set. Thanks again for everything you're doing."

******

After hanging up, Jack's phone rang again. He thought it was Maggie calling back until a voice on the line announced the call was from jail.

"Dad, thank God I've reached you. Unfortunately, I've been arrested for the stuff related to my affair, and I need you to post bail and assemble a legal team."

"Yes, Bruce. I've heard about the charges, Maggie's divorce petition, and the SEC investigation of you for insider trading. It seems like you've got your hands full."

"What SEC investigation?"

"Some of your college frat buddies reportedly dumped shares of Foundstone stock before it was public knowledge we'd lost a big contract."

"Oh, great, just what I need. Can our in-house legal team take care of it?"

"Well, they could try...assuming you were a Foundstone employee. However, as of this call, you are not. I'm firing you for the long list of unethical and illegal things you've been charged with, chief among which is your harming my beloved daughter-in-law."

"You can't be serious! I'm your son!"

"No, you're not." Bruce thought he was being disowned and did not understand the full weight of Jack's statement.

"Bail me out, and we'll talk about this. Remember, you were on board with all of it."

"No, I'm not bailing you out. And I was never on board with any of it. I asked lots of questions, and you assumed I was on board. Even that was after you'd done most of it."

"Father, bail me out!"

"Goodbye, Bruce."

Jack hung up the phone. Bruce's call did remind him he was overlooking something. He looked through the recent calls on his phone and found the one he was looking for.

"Eric, this is Jack. It's about Bruce."

Jack proceeded to tell Eric everything he knew, including the charges filed against Bruce. He told him he would not pay Bruce's bail but wouldn't object if Eric decided to post it. They both recognized that Eric's interest would be tough to explain, so Jack permitted Eric to tell Bruce he is his father.

Before the night was over, Bruce learned that the only parent he's ever known wasn't his and that the man had seemingly cut him off from everything.

"How did I go from being king of the world to losing everything in the course of one afternoon?! Bruce thought.

******

Even though it had been a very long day, Dan had one more stop to make. He called Cindy to tell her he was on his way home and prepared to talk. Cindy didn't yet know of the events from earlier that day, only that she hadn't been able to reach Bruce on his cell phone.

When Dan arrived home, he rang the doorbell and waited for Cindy to open it. Sure, he could have walked right in, but he wanted to make a point. After a moment, Cindy greeted him in the lingerie he had bought for their last anniversary and had the lights dimmed in the house.

"Mmm...if my damn dick worked better, I might be tempted to fuck her before dumping her." He thought. A goodbye fuck sounded appealing.

"Cindy, put some clothes on. I told you we needed to talk, not fuck."

Cindy couldn't hide the disappointment she felt that her plan to seduce Dan had failed. She went upstairs and put a robe on before returning to the family room.

Dan poured himself a bourbon and asked Cindy if she'd like a drink. She asked for her favorite martini. Once she had taken a sip, he started the conversation.

"Cindy, I know you weren't honest with me last night, and it almost cost two of us our lives."

Cindy gasped, nearly choking on her drink. "What do you mean?! I didn't lie! What happened?!"

"Well, Cindy. You did lie. Not exactly about the relationship questions I asked...although a case could be made that you lied through omission...but I mean the promise I asked you to make me before we left. You'll recall, I said that any hope we had of saving our marriage depended on you not contacting Bruce, and you promised that you would not."

Cindy sat quietly...panicked about what was coming.

"Shortly after your call, Bruce went home and brutally assaulted Maggie—nearly killing her. She's still in the hospital."

"No! No! I made him promise not to hurt anyone!"

"Well, I told you just how bad a guy he was, and your betrayal left Maggie and I both unprepared for Bruce's response. Today, I met with Bruce only to find him holding me at gunpoint. Telling me how much more you loved him than me. He was gloating that even after I told you everything, your first act was to call him and betray me again."

"Oh, no, Dan! I was trying to protect you both. I wanted you to both know everything so you'd be prepared and better able to defend yourselves."

"Well, that almost got both Maggie and I killed. We did not know he knew what we did. How is that an even playing field, Cindy?!"

"I don't know...I guess I didn't think it through."

"But I learned that some things you said he did weren't true."

"Oh, which things didn't he do?

"Well, there were no videos, or you would have shown me them."

"Oh really? You believed that without having even asked me for proof? Here, let me show you all 161 videos where you are the star! Cindy, I'm SO glad to hear there are NO videos! Because Bruce told me he posted a video on hundreds of porn sites of you being a whore in our marital bed with our wedding rings drowning in your cum-filled cunt. Thank God there were no videos because that would have been mortifying, I'm sure!"

"Oh God, Dan!" Cindy desperately tried to think of how to search porn sites for a video of herself but came up blank.

"Well, Cindy. I told you yesterday that I thought there was a 90% chance our marriage was over. After I poured out all the evidence and clarified your choices, your new betrayal increased that percentage to 200%. I will be filing for divorce tomorrow. My attorney is already preparing the paperwork."

"No, Dan! You can't divorce me! You love me and need me to start your family!"

"I loved you with all of my heart, Cindy. But you have destroyed any hope that I could trust you again. I can't live a life with a partner I don't trust."

"Maggie has already served Bruce with her divorce petition. So maybe you can continue your relationship with him."

"Did you hurt him? I haven't been able to reach him all afternoon."

"No, not me. The police were a little rough, though, when they took him down to the station. I can't believe how many charges they filed against him. It must be a record! I'm sure they'll want to talk to you soon."

Cindy put her head down and sobbed.

"I screwed everything up, didn't I?" Dan wanted to console her as he had so many times before, but he felt a righteous anger rise and overwhelm him.

"Yes, I think that's the understatement of the year. You lied, cheated, and humiliated me, and then lied again when you knew all the chips were on the table. It got Maggie beat up and me almost killed, you heartless bitch. I can never, ever forgive you. Go be with your man for the days he has left outside prison. I don't know if you can wait for the love of your life for 30 years until he's out, but I'll give you some friendly advice. Prison might turn him gay by then, and you'll have waited for nothing. He already seems to have some tendencies in that direction. Your choice, though."

With that, Dan got up from his chair and walked out the front door, leaving Cindy crying inconsolably again.

"Damn. I forgot to get any more of my stuff. Oh well, tomorrow's another day," he thought.

******

Dan arrived at Foundstone about 15 minutes before his scheduled meeting with Jack. Having worked for a competitor for so long, he knew he would be uncomfortable waiting in the lobby for an extended period.

Dan was ushered into Jack's office promptly at 9 AM.

"Dan, Jack Webb, so nice to meet you. Please, have a seat."

"I want to talk to you about two things. First, I want to apologize to you on behalf of Foundstone and as Bruce's father for what he has done to you. Please know that I would never have tolerated any of it had I known, and that Bruce is no longer employed here. My main concern now is your well-being. I understand that Bruce drugged you with hormones that negatively affect your health. If you allow it, I have arranged for the best endocrinologists and physical therapists in the Midwest to examine and treat you."

"Well, I can't say I'm sorry to hear Bruce is fired. Although I don't know if that means much since he's almost certainly going to jail for a while. As for the medical support, I am open to the offer, but how do I know you're not just offering this to keep me from suing Foundstone?"

Jack laughed, "You're welcome to sue. I wouldn't blame you one bit, and it won't change anything I offer you today. But I think you'll soon see that you'll just be suing yourself."

"That brings me to the second thing I wanted to discuss. Dan, I'd like you to join Foundstone. Your reputation and talent precede you, and you are exactly who this company needs. The most talented man, and the most selfless woman, I know both sing your praises. And that's not to even mention the praise many of our former clients heap on you."

"Dan, I'm offering you the position of Vice President of Foundstone. Since I've not had a VP since Eric Tangle left years ago, you would be next in line to take over the company. You'll be making a minimum of $850,000 per year plus benefits, and, with your talent, I expect the figure will be much higher than that."

Dan was speechless. Never in a million years did he expect this kind of offer. It's more than anything he and Cindy could have dreamt of. But, wait...that thought brought him back to reality.

"Wow, Jack. I certainly wasn't expecting this when I came here today. But, fortunately, I have also been counseled by people I trust about the quality of your character."

"I'll accept on one condition. Except for the medical care, none of this takes effect until after Cindy signs my divorce petition."

"We have a deal. Welcome aboard, Mr. Vice President!" Jack said as the two men shook hands vigorously.

******

Over the next few months, Dan and Maggie dated and became exceptionally close. While Dan certainly had trust issues after his marriage to Cindy, it was impossible for him not to trust Maggie. After all, she had withstood torture to protect him. She had even maintained her vows to Bruce under the most challenging circumstances. Even her parents agreed that she had fulfilled her role as a faithful wife after they saw Maggie's injuries and the charges against Bruce.

Within a year, Dan and Maggie were married. They bought a new home just outside the city with a large yard and six bedrooms. They were both hoping Dan would fully recover and they could start a family.

Despite the more senior position, Dan was home more than he ever was at MW Designs. Jack wouldn't hear of him leaving Maggie alone and made sure to usher him out at 5:30 PM each night. Dan had never been happier. There was a time when he thought he'd lost everything, but now he knew how little he'd ever had.

"In life, sometimes you find yourself in a tangled web. But that's okay if you're the spider and not the fly," Dan thought.

******

Epilogue

Ten years later, Dan and Maggie had several kids of their own, Jack (8), Beverly (6), Daniel (3), and Margaret (1). They did almost everything together as a family. Dan and Maggie were as in love as when they first married and still had a very active sex life.

For several years, MW Designs focused on keeping the contracts they had when Dan left and only pursued a few new ones. During that time, Eric Tangle realized he needed to develop a personal life, and he started to date. Eventually, he fell in love and has been happily married for the past three years. Eric wanted to devote time to his marriage, so he was happy to sell his company to Foundstone and retire.

Jack Web announced he'd be retiring at the end of this year, making good on his promise to turn the company over to Dan.

Bruce received a 35-year sentence and wasn't even eligible for parole for another 12 years. No word on whether he was dominating or being dominated in prison.

Cindy spent time with many men but never remarried, as none lived up to Dan. Her biggest regret was that she lost out on children. She knew she would go to her grave regretting that she ever cheated on Dan.