Mark lay watching Elisa sound asleep, lightly playing with her tiny fingertips and wispy blonde hair; a family trait that had eluded him altogether. For a fleeting moment he wondered how his and Sydney’s daughter would look. Obviously brown in complexion, he imagined, with Sydney’s hypnotic doe-eyes and mischievous twinkle, his height and contoured nose, and her pouty mouth. Mark wiped those thoughts out of his head just as quickly as they’d come. He had his directive straight from the woman herself. There would never be even the slightest possibility of children. Any flicker of hope had been dashed by her calloused words.


How I am going to begin? Mark thought aloud. He was prepared for her angry however he wasn’t prepared for her hurt. She had absolute trust in her assistants. Unbeknown to her, they had become a part of her; an appendage that once severed would still be felt. For one of them to betray her would likely cause her to question everyone’s loyalty. Even his.


Sydney came into the bedroom twisting her hair into a bun.


“Leave it down,” Mark asked quietly.


“I thought you were asleep,” Sydney said, climbing into bed. She turned on one side, cocooning Elisa between them.


Gently he stroked along her jaw line, trying desperately to formulate his words yet found it increasingly more difficult to deliver the blow, for this he felt a sliver guilty.


“Are you okay?”


He nodded. There was no easy way to tell her.


Mark stroked her arm. “Have you ever heard of a controlled burn?”


“I’ma need you to start speaking English.”


“A controlled burn are fires that conducted during the cooler months to reduce vegetation buildup and decrease the likelihood of serious more destructive fires from occurring. These fires are overseen by fire control authorities to ensure everything goes as planned. They delineate the intended time and place the fires begin using firebreaks; cleared areas to contain the fires so they won’t get out of control.”


Sydney looked blankly at Mark, praying he’d continue because she didn’t have the foggiest idea what he was talking about.


He stared straight into her eyes and sighed. “It was me. I leaked the news of our relationship to the Doms.”


Sydney heart dropped. “What?” she muttered, clearing finding it difficult to take it all in.


“I leaked the news. I used my network of Doms and Dominas to trigger conversation to seemingly random Doms and I have been orchestrating the entire operation since the very beginning. It has been well maintained and supervised.”


Sydney was at a lost. “You withheld information from me. I…I thought we were in this together.” She gestured between them.


“I’m sorry but I couldn’t tell you,”


“What do you mean you couldn’t tell me?” Her voice filled with confusion.


“I couldn’t tell you because I needed your muscle,”


“My muscle?” she interrupted. “These are my guys. They’re my responsibility.”


Mark shrugged in submission. “You’re right. They are your responsibility however if this news would have broken while we were away from home, then the situation would have been catastrophic and then where would they have did? I was looking out for everyone’s best interest. But I need your muscle.”


“You could have asked me for it, then I would have prepared Charles and Lee for the backlash.”


Elisa stirred and Mark rose from the bed. Sydney followed him to the small settee across the room.


“This is exactly why I couldn’t tell you. Do you see how you react? You have to be in control. You have to be in the middle of the action.”


“That’s where I should be especially when my guys are being thrown to the wolves.” She said in muted frustration.


“Your guys were never in any danger. My people were watching over them from a distance,” Mark smiled and cupped her face. “You would have launched a full blown attack.”


Yes!”


Mark shook his head. “That’s not good for business and it would have played right into the Doms fears. We would have appeared to be daring them to rise up. Your method was reactionary. Mine was proactive; kill the problem by flushing out anyone who posed a real threat and deal with them accordingly.”


Sydney slowly begin to see his point. “So you used my guys to “deal with them accordingly”. Do my guys know it was you?”


“No, but they reacted the way I’d hoped; in our absence, they organized themselves and have all but cleared our path. As far as outsiders are concerned, your men acted alone. My Doms had nothing to do with enforcing our prerogative. My hands are clean, we flushed out the flame fanners, and all of the power players were talked around and now we have their unwavering support.”


His actions made sense. She never would have seen it coming. He’d gotten one over on her. “ How did my team pull it off.”


“One Charles received word of the rumor, he contacted your assistants who in turn exiled Greta thinking she was the leak, as we expected. Once she was off their radar, she was free to concentrate on rumor control and supplying feedback to my guys in the field, thereby assuring all the correct Doms were of the list. Your girls called on Charles who in turn brought Lee to the table.”

“Wait, back up. What list?”


“Based on field information supplied by my team, Charles and your girl compiled a list of Doms that appeared to be stirring up trouble. Lee handled the less easy to convince Doms while Charles and your girls worked the diplomatic side….leaving my guys the ability concentrate on rumor control at the lower levels.”


“You’re so sneaky”. Sydney touched his hand resting on her cheek.


“Thank you,”


“My gang protected me,” Sydney realized. “They pulled it off for me.”


“Yes they did and a lot faster than I’d given them credit for,”


From the look in his eyes she knew there was more to this story. “What is it?”


This was the part of the conversation he wished not to have. He released her face and sat back on the settee, angling to face her. “I’m sorry to have to tell you but one of your assistances names made the list.”


Sydney hoof a breath as though she’d been hit in the stomach. “What? That can’t be right. My girls would never turn…”


Mark placed a hand on her leg. “Sydney, it’s true. If you need proof, I can have Greta send it to you.


“No,” Her voice dropped to barely a whisper. “If our intelligence is correct then I need no further proof. Are Charles and Lee aware of her involvement?”


“I can’t imagine so. Greta only just found out.”


“Which one betrayed me?”


Mark's stomach turned in knots. “Number 3,”


Sydney closed her eyes, pinched her lips. “Figures, I’ve been watching her for months. I’m glad she has disgraced herself. She’s finished. I have my other girls,” she laughed. “What do I need with four assistances anyway? I can’t fold my own clothes now.”


“What with you and folding clothes?”


“It’s like Christmas every time the dryer stops—I’ve never had to do it for myself.”


“So you’re not upset?” Mark asked.


Sydney smile and shook her head. “I was preparing to let her go.”


“You’re not upset with for keeping this plot from you?” He asked with caution.


“No. I pride myself on acting according to logic not emotion but had I been included, my emotions would have gotten the better of me. From both a business and personal aspect, your decision to exclude me was the right thing to do. I would have done no different. Thank you.”


“You’re my responsibility. It’s my duty to protect your interest.”


“I have never doubted you. The day I told you about my parents, you said if you don’t want me to leave then I should stop pushing you away. I knew then that you wouldn’t abandon me unless I sabotaged our relationship,” Her chin quivered slightly. “I won’t go down that lonely road anymore.”


Mark caught a sharp breath, his eyes skirted the room. “Do you feel that?”


Sydney sat perfectly still and followed his gaze around the room “Dad?”


Mark stood. No, it’s not him. I know how he feels; this isn’t him.”