Page 76 of Corruption
“Ever heard the excuse parents give for letting their young boys bully the girls?”
“I’m not sure which excuse you’re referring to.”
“Why young boys grab the girls’ pigtails? Is it starting to ring a bell?” he pushed.
“Not really.”
“You were taught nothing as a child, were you?” Vince asked.
“I thought that was quite obvious,” I snapped, my irritation with the conversation mounting.
“They pick on the girls because they like them, and young boys have brains that are close to animal brains. They don’t know how else to get their attention,” he finally explained.
At first, I didn’t give much thought to his words and continued to focus on a distant spot on the wall. But slowly, the realization of what he was trying to convey began to dawn on me. I turned slowly to Vince, who arched an eyebrow and gave me a ‘come on’ look, as I took my sweet time grappling with the truth of his words.
“Noo…” I whispered, elongating the word as the idea seemed so unfathomable that it bordered on insanity to even consider.
“You didn’t see the look on her face when you talked about love and marriage because your face was all the way up in her pussy!” he snapped.
“I’ve been working hard on getting her to desire me!”
“It wasn’t desire, Jared,” he growled.
“Fine! I wanted her obsession too! I told you I’m working on getting her to admit it!”
“Denial is an ugly thing, son. But why does it matter if the girl liked you from the beginning and simply didn’t know how to express her feelings? Wouldn’t that be an advantage for you?” he questioned.
“No, because that would mean…” I trailed off, unsure where I was even heading with this. My mind struggled to reconcile Vince’s words because they seemed unbelievable. Alison was a cruel person, and she had always been. Perhaps she had a romantic side, but genuine love was beyond her capabilities. She couldn’t have possibly been obsessed with me since our childhood because that was Alison Brown! She had made it clear that I meant nothing to her, that I was beneath her. No, Vince must have lost his mind. He was likely just angry because he believed I had lost my focus, and that was all.
“Mean that your plan doesn’t make sense at all because her feelings aren’t something you created but are genuine?” he asked.
“I’ve tortured her for two weeks now. I’m certain she hates me even more. She might enjoy what I do to her, but it’s only because she’s been neglected for years by her husband,” I defended.
“But would it really be such a problem if her feelings were genuine? You’d have something to manipulate, to work with. Consider the possibilities, but don’t allow yourself to become trapped in them,” he cautioned.
“It’s not true. It can’t be true. Even if there’s a small part of her that genuinely wants me, it’s because I created it.”
“It would be a powerful revelation if that were true. Perhaps that’s why you’re terrified it’s not, because it would once again place Alison in a position of power,” he remarked.
I groaned, rubbing my eyes in frustration.
“Even her feelings would be beyond your control and manipulation, because they were always there,” he observed.
“I’m growing weary of all this,” I snapped, turning to him. “I forced her to sign that damned contract! I forced her to surrender herself to me repeatedly in the most debased ways. She loathed every moment of it, even if she also derived pleasure from it. But she hated it, and she despises me, even if I’ve turned that hatred into a twisted form of love.”
I stood up, the chair scraping loudly against the floor, but Vince wasn’t finished. He leaned back in his chair, looking up at me with a calm demeanor, though I sensed the storm beneath the surface. He was clearly irritated despite his outward calm.
“And if her love is genuine, then signing her name, yielding herself to you, and claiming to hate it all wouldn’t be true. Everything you’ve worked for, your attempts to alter the power dynamic between you two, would have been in vain, because you had her from the very start. You didn’t shift a thing. You didn’t coerce her into anything she didn’t secretly desire, and that would make you the loser once again.”
“Shut up!” I yelled, loathing every word that spilled from his lips. I grabbed an empty plate and hurled it toward the distant wall, where it shattered upon impact. However, Vince simply watched me and my outburst, maintaining his composure. He leisurely sipped his wine as I stood there, feeling as though my anger had truly ignited into a blazing fire beneath my skin. It burned.
“Terrifying, isn’t it?” he asked, gazing up at me. “Because we both understand that love is pain for us, and Alison has done nothing but inflict pain upon you. That means you might actually accept her love. You wouldn’t have a clue about handling chocolate and flowers. It’s pain. Love will always be pain for us, and that’s why she draws you in. She provides you with precisely what you crave.”
“Then, if all of this is true, why haven’t you stopped me? You know you have the power. You know I’ll do whatever you tell me to!” I yelled, desperation lacing my voice. As Vince continued to speak, his words made more and more sense, and it frightened me. I felt like I had lost control, like everything was slipping through my fingers. I had believed I had the upper hand, but suddenly, it felt like I was once again bowing to Alison. I couldn’t accept that, so I had to deny it. I had to find flaws in his theory, because accepting it would mean everything had been in vain.
“Because the look in your eyes didn’t concern me. I knew you needed to go through this. I knew that, if necessary, I could pull you back from the edge. But tonight, I saw the look in her eyes. The way she gazed down at you, the faint smile on her lips as if she couldn’t wait for you to continue. There was no resistance, and I don’t think there ever was. She wants it, she wants you, despite what she yells at you. She’s just scared to admit it, because do you really think the people in her world could ever accept someone like you in her life? Yet the thing is, the more we deny someone something, the more they desire it. Son, I think her obsession started long before yours, and that’s why I’m worried now. Yours stems from anger, hatred, and the desire to destroy those who hurt you. That doesn’t concern me because I understand that. Hers comes from desire, love, and the yearning to be with someone she’s not allowed to have. That worries me because I can’t comprehend it, and because history has shown us that people have done foolish things to obtain what they desire. I thought I knew her, but she’s far more complex than you ever let on,” he cautioned and pointed at me. “But maybe that isn’t surprising when you never noticed it yourself.”
“But you still aren’t telling me to stop. Tell me to let her go. Tell me to tear up the contract, expose all her dark secrets. Let her return to a life in ruins. Tell me to end it now!” I demanded, believing I still held some power and control in this situation. However, Vince calmly finished his wine, placing the glass down with a sound reminiscent of a judge’s gavel delivering a verdict.
