Wire-Pulling Pt. 03 (End)

"Don't worry, Mom. I'll never make you leave," I said, looking up into her eyes. "I love you. And I will love this child with everything I have. I swear, I'll make sure it has the best life. I'll make damn sure it'll be happy, and healthy, and has everything it needs!"

I turned my head to press my ear against her stomach. I heard Mom release a mixture of a laugh and sob as she placed her hands on my head to press it into her. I guess she couldn't decide whether she wanted to tell me off for trying to hear anything, or encouraging me to try.

I didn't care. I was happy.

Epilogue

We truly got the perfect reversal of Dick's divorce scheme.

When he filed against Mom, he had pulled some favors and managed to receive his divorce decree in mere weeks, completely circumventing the mandatory sixty-day waiting period before a filed divorce can go to court. I had been worried about the new and impartial judge dragging this out by insisting on that waiting period when Mom's lawyer counter-filed after having the previous decree voided. As it turned out, though, the judge simply overturned the earlier decree instead of creating a completely new case, and since Dick's original filing was now more than sixty days ago, we could just go ahead. So, while Dick sat in jail, unable to attain what he would call 'proper' legal representation, the judge let Mom's lawyer present all the evidence of Dick's abuse, illegal activities, and schemes.

It did not take long for the gavel to hit the little wooden disk on the judge's table as Mom was awarded fifty percent of everything Dick had to his name. I had been all too happy when accompanying her to the bank to open the needed accounts with a bank he hadn't worked for (and didn't have their systems compromised by some malware), so she could eventually receive those funds. On paper, that left Dick and Mom as multi-millionaires. In reality, however, neither of them could access the money yet because, as soon as the judge unfroze their marital assets, the FBI swooped in and froze them again to stop Dick from hiding money away.

Obviously, neither Mom nor I were particularly eager to pay Dick off and move into his mansion in Austin. I was actually still thinking about what the best course of action would be when Mom simply but sternly informed me that "I will not allow my children to ever set foot in that house again!". And, since neither Mom nor I expected Dick to come out of this mess on top, she would put his jewel of a home on the market as soon as possible. I laughed, knowing full well how much I looked forward to his conviction and what would come afterwards.

Honestly, I greatly enjoyed this new side of her. She absolutely loved it when I made good on Doctor Walker's suggestion one day and slipped her a note with her safe word. She didn't even ask about it when I saw her cheeks become a little rosy as she nodded and said "I understand, Son".

A few hours later, I tied her to the bed and fucked her till she screamed bloody murder in her orgasms. But she didn't use the safe word, so I simply kept on tormenting her with a plethora of toys whenever I needed a break until, eventually, she simply passed out. It was the next morning, when Mom had visible trouble walking but still did her best to serve my breakfast, that I realized she would never use a safe word with me. Maybe it was just who she was, maybe her submissiveness was still too big a part of her personality, or maybe it was simply a matter of pride for her to endure it all so I could enjoy myself however I wanted. But I understood. And I decided to take it easier from now on, especially with my little sibling growing inside her. In return, I absolutely loved every time she simply dipped her head into my lap as we sat in front of my TV and started sucking me off. She made it a point to swallow every last drop before gently working on me until I grew hard again so she could repeat the process for hours on end, sometimes swallowing four loads in succession.

But, outside the bedroom, she had turned into the perfect image of a dutiful wife and caring mother. The weekly sessions with Doctor Walker really worked wonders and were worth every penny!

Yes, Mom insisted on compensating her for the good work she did. She also insisted on compensating Bill for the work and support he and my colleagues had given us. She insisted on handing the check to Bill in person and, when he tried to refuse, she grabbed both of his hands with hers, and surprised me.

"Thank you for taking care of my Paulie, Mr. Carter. Truly, from the bottom of my heart, thank you!"

By the end, she was teary-eyed but refused to let go of Bill's hands until he accepted the money. I understood where she was coming from. My mind wandered to that day months ago, when Tim and I sat on his couch with a beer in hand and speculated about Bill's true motivation for helping us so much. I am still convinced that, without this man's help, neither of us would be where we are today. Maybe we wouldn't even be around anymore. We owed him big time. And we owed him more than just money.

Naturally, Mom stayed with me in my now maximum-security apartment for the duration of Dick's prosecution. The various law enforcement agencies were tight-lipped about all the things they uncovered while investigating him, but their eagerness to keep us safe from any attempts to silence us told us everything we needed to know.

One of the best days of my life was the day Mom took the stand to deliver her testimony. I saw Dick's eyes widen as they fell onto the massive bump her belly had turned into, before they darted upwards and hung on her subdued but still happy smile. Then, when Mom actually spoke in a firm and confident voice, it looked like Dick was about to explode. I think seeing the woman he had abused and put down for so many years being content with life, while he himself had been locked up and was facing total ruin, was more than he could handle. And I greatly enjoyed it!

However, the best day of my life came a few weeks after Mom's testimony: The birth of my baby brother and son. Yes, I know how fucked up that sounds. No need to tell me. But he was perfect in every way: Healthy, beautiful, and loud. Curiously, I was nervous about accompanying Mom into the labor room to hold her hand while she delivered the newest member of our little family, but they seriously didn't care. Like, at all. I like to think that having a supporting character next to the screaming woman was more important than asking questions, but I have the sneaking suspicion that, thanks to our different last names, they never even knew that I was the pregnant woman's son.

In the end, it took almost a year for the final verdict in Senator Anderson's case to be passed. Mom chose to stay home and take care of little William. Yes, we named him after his godfather, Bill. The grumpy old guy liked to act as if it didn't really faze him, but, on the day we presented the little guy to everyone at a company picnic, his wife smirkingly whispered to me how she caught Bill reading up on how to childproof a home and browsing through child toys on Amazon. Apparently, he would take that duty very seriously.

The verdict was devastating for Dick. Of course, the murder charges didn't stick, as there was no proof of him actually killing anyone. However, the dash-cam video I took when visiting Perfect Edge Consulting, showing someone talking about the murder of Steven Carver, was damning evidence. Combined with the proof I had of Dick paying that consulting firm just days before Carver made his move on Mom, as well as the proof I had of the tempered evidence photos he used, everybody and their grandmothers were now convinced that Dick had Carver killed. So, they still charged and convicted him of Conspiracy to Commit Murder and Fraud. To my surprise, the investigation by the treasury department led to additional charges for money laundering and embezzlement.

Dick was officially done, and it was all I could do to not start dancing in the middle of the courtroom when I heard the guilty verdict. Though, there was a little dancing when I got home that day and delivered the good news to Mom. Right after she broke down in tears when the burden of the looming threat over our heads had finally been lifted. The very next day, Mom received her share of the divorce settlement. Not a minute too early, as it turned out, because whatever was left of Dick's assets was then seized to return the money he had embezzled and pay off claims of his other victims. It took very little contemplation on my part before I decided that I wanted to be the one who informed Dick of this little development.

The drive up the Wynne Unit took merely an hour. I spent more time waiting for Dick to be brought into the visitation room, where he stopped in his tracks upon seeing me before his expression turned sour. Nonetheless, he quickly squared his shoulders and made his way over to my table.

"Came here to gloat, boy?" he asked with an amused huff, trying hard to seem like prison life had nothing on him.

"Actually, yes, I am," I smiled while his eyes narrowed, though he remained silent. "Mom just got her divorce settlement. Gotta say, you did well for yourself. I'm gonna make sure she'll use your money to enjoy her life to the fullest," I chuckled, and his expression turned dark.

"Oh, yeah. Don't you worry. The slut will get what she's got coming. I'm not as powerless as you think, boy. I'll be out of here in a few years, don't forget that."

"Oh, I never would!" I nodded. My widened smile visibly irritated him. "Don't you worry. I'll be waiting for you. And I'll keep tabs on you until the day comes." I said all that in a calm and composed tone. This, in combination with my never-waving smile, got to him. Or, more accurately, what got to him was the fact that he couldn't get to me. I enjoyed myself immensely, to be honest. "And about you being powerful... I think it's safe to say those days are over, don't you, Dick?"

He started grinding his teeth while balling his fists when hearing me use the nickname he abhorred so much.

"I mean, we didn't even get to sell your house. The treasury department seized whatever assets you had left after Mom got her millions from your accounts." This was it. This was the moment I had been waiting for. My grin widened as much as his eyes while his fists relaxed and his mouth fell open. "Oh, you haven't heard yet? They took everything. Even the accounts you thought were untouchable because they're with offshore banks. Turns out, all they needed were the passwords for your online banking."

"But... how..." he stammered. My grin was now so wide that my cheeks actually hurt. I must have looked like a Cheshire Cat when I leaned forward to whisper the next part.

"You know that malware your friends placed on the banks' systems? They didn't tell you during the trial because it was irrelevant... but that same malware was also on your home computer. I know that because we were the ones who found it in the first place. I'm sorry to say, the report my colleagues handed to the DA's office also included all of your financial records."

"You bastard!" he growled, now with fire in his eyes.

"Oh, don't be a dick, Dick," I laughed while dismissing his insult with a lazy wave of my hand. "It's not my fault you trusted the wrong people. You have nobody to blame but yourself. Though, I thank you for finally taking your leave. We'll make sure to toast to you tonight."

"You and that useless woman you call a mother better enjoy it while you can, boy. I hope you have fun raising that bastard child. I hope she enjoys looking at Carver's child every day."

I'm sure the low tone he used was meant to sound threatening or insulting, but the quivering in his voice made it impossible to take him seriously. Though, I didn't like hearing him insult Mom and it caused my grin to vanish. Initially, he took that as a little win as he enjoyed finally getting a reaction out of me, but, when he felt the murderous lust I now exuded, he downright paled.

I had to hand it to Doctor Walker. The fact that Dick's head was still structurally intact despite mouthing off about my mother in front of me, was a true testament to how effective her therapy sessions were.

"You think?" I asked in a less than amused, though still composed, tone. "Let me tell you what we see when we look at my little brother. We see the end of your legacy, Dick, and the start of our new life. You lost everything. You lost your senatorship, your wealth, your power, your influence, and your esteem. You lost every single supporter you ever had. And now your wife got pregnant by another man. When you die, nobody will mourn you. You leave nothing behind and have nothing left to offer anymore."

He deflated. He tried to protest at first, but I could see it in his eyes: He knew I was telling the truth. I still wasn't done, though.

"And yes, you won't have to worry about gangs in here. But we both know, there's still a pecking order in prison. Of course, this is a white-collar joint, so there are no pedophiles around you could use as a shield, which means that you, my dear rapist and child abuser, are at the bottom of this pecking order. And now that you no longer have any funds to buy favors and make friends in here... I wonder how you'll cope between making boxes and license plates for the next... what was it? Twenty years?"

He was done. He knew it. I knew it. He lost, we won. His life had turned into shit.

"As I said, I'm gonna keep tabs on you, Dick. I look forward to hearing about all the wonderful things you'll experience in here, with nobody willing to help you."

And with that, I got up from my seat and left him sitting there in his misery as he slowly realized just how fucked he truly was, looking like a broken remnant of his former glory. Bill was right. This was highly therapeutic! Even if I didn't literally murder him, I did kill his character.

It was enough.

Mom knew I visited Dick, but she never cared about the details of our meeting. She was too occupied with enjoying the pleasures of her new life to care about the man who ruined her old one. One of those pleasures was Tim's mother, who had become a close friend to Mom. I guess they bonded over shared interests and experiences as they both had relationships with their sons after getting rid of the failures they had for husbands.

So, this is how, one afternoon a few weeks after Mom received all that money, we found ourselves in Tim's living room, happily chatting away, when the topic of our future living arrangements came up.

"I'm still unsure, to be honest," I said. "There's no way we're leaving town, that's for sure. There's no way we'll move away. But... other than that? No clue."

"Well, I might be able to offer you some options," Tim chimed in, causing me to look at him in surprise.

"You? No offense, Tim, but since when are you in the real estate business?" I chuckled.

"Oh, about two years now," Ava supplied. My chuckling stopped instantly.

"For real?"

"Yeah," she said while Tim shrugged.

"How did that happen? Where'd you get the money from!? As far as I recall, you started working for us because you needed money for textbooks! How did that turn into you having money to buy real estate!?"

For some reason, this question caused Tim to share a look with his mother who, after a second of contemplation that consisted of studying Mom, gave him a curt nod accompanied by a smile. My eyes darted back to Tim, who took a sip off his beer followed by a deep breath.

"Well, it all started on Thanksgiving two years ago, when I finally got to slap the shit out of my dear brother..."