Touching the Heart of Ace

??Baby! He is eating ??my?? cutlets!??

?? You said you are full.??

??I am full, ??now??. I wanted to take it for lunch tomorrow.??

Really? Really Robbie???!!!

??I will make you fresh in the morning.??

??But...??

??Robbie. Enough!??

I patted Jason on his back. ??Want some more???

He nodded enthusiastically. I put the last one on his plate. ??How about I make a few more, eat slowly, Jace.??

??Love you, Dave. You make the best food. I feel like I haven??t eaten in ages.??

??Yeah, you eat like that too.?? Robbie snarled.

??Robbie. Stop it! Eat all you want, Jace, I will make more.?? Robbie should stop picking on Jason, the poor guy was hungry. Was that a crime?

I turned around just in time to Jason sticking his gross tongue out to Robbie. ??Jason!!! BEHAVE!??

I huffed. I should have just taken them out for dinner than trying to make them happy with my cooking.

??Baby, I want one too.??

I frowned. ??Robbie you are full.??

??I am hungry now, I want your delicious cutlet.??

Then they started competing to compliment my cooking, until they were screaming at each other. So, I started cooking two, four, six then I stopped counting. Twin groans came from the living room of Robbie??s penthouse as I did the dishes.

??I can??t breathe.??

??I can??t move.??

I wished if I could pull up one ounce of fuck to give but oh well!

??Angel!!! Rub my chest.?? I face palmed! Why???

??Dave, my stomach is aching, press here.?? Jason screamed as I rubbed Robbie??s chest.

Then Robbie wanted me rub his back and Jason was having a headache.

So, I locked them out of the bedroom demanding them to rub each other down. They were now sulking in the living room watching some kind of sports!

I could not believe these two were the one who made a business tycoon faint in the conference!

They were together working like a well-oiled engine during the meeting, but could not stand each other out of business.

It was not funny; I was having a headache.

The back stabbing asshole Moretti was behind all of Robbie??s business related issues. He had the nerve to accuse me of framing him... which was true but... he had no right to call me out on that. Well, that made no sense.

He started spitting and calling names when I did not raise to his anger.

??I am only showing you the evidence, sir. I know nothing else.??

??Evidence!!! This is your evidence??? I do not know any hackers!!!??

??Kid, how do you know this is your hacker. It could be anyone. The information in internet and computers are like throwing dust to the wind.??

??No, sir. It is not like that.??

??WHAT!!! YOU THINK YOU KNOW EVERYTHING!??

I sighed. ??Related to this issue? Yes.?? I glared right back! I was bluffing but he was scared and fear was a good offensive strategy. He would dig his own his own grave if I could rile him up with a simple question.

??I would use the analogy of walking through wet sand. We feel like it is not decipherable to know the source of hacking because normally there would be so many foot prints. But when we can eliminate unneeded, unfitting footprints and follow then we can reach their ??residence?? for lack of better word. Then it is like searching their home, and even if we do not know how that person looks like if he is not home, we can have all the evidence of his activity and then... we wait... for the person to come home, if he ever comes that is. If he is smart, he will not come back. Then we don??t get the person but we know who he is and what he did. Are you following me??? I winced, slightly at lose. It was difficult to explain without adding technical terms and this was all I could bring up.

I felt small.

??That is very... insightful, Kid. Please tell us more. So, you know the ??place???

??Yes, sir. And I found who he was having ??conversations?? with and how much he knew about all of you.?? ??All of us??? Charles squeaked.

?? You know it, Sir.?? That man was no innocent. I had no idea why Jason wanted Moretti on the burning end.

??YOU!!! TAKE YOUR COMPUTER SHIT ELSEWHERE! I DID NOT DO IT!!!?? Moretti was sweating like a pig.

??I will break your finger if you don??t take it off his face.?? Robbie talked looking at his nails. ??Ace, come here. Sit next to me.?? I gulped; almost ran to him and sat next; almost behind him.?? I was not shaking only because of my will power.

??Since it is your first time and you are panicking to cover your stinking ass, I will let this go. But Mr. Moretti, one more time you shout at him or raise your finger pointing at him, there will be no warning.?? ??You! Brantley! You believe this kid! Over me? We have been together in this for so long! And... and... you believe him??? You are joking! I have no idea what happened at that firm. I swear to God.?? ??I am not telling you did that yourself, Mr. Moretti.??

I knew that man wanted to shout at me again but he was scared of Robbie. So, I continued. ??But you hired a hacker gave him all the sensitive information, authorized him to do whatever it takes to burn Robert??s empire to ashes. And it is not the first time.??

The man was turning white.

??That is all I know. So, we have our reasons to believe it is you. You can start explaining yourself. If it is not you, I still have another four names; but you are the primary suspect.??

Absolute silence. Robbie was still busy with his nails.

??Like I said, I visited a residence, found some names and evidences but there was no one home. So, now I am trying to put faces to the names I got. Either you can start talking and let Robbie... excuse me... Mr. Brantley take the final decision or we could involve F.B.I and wait for them to put ??wanted?? posters up. At this point, I strongly suggest the latter, Mr. Brantley.??

I wanted to smack the sly smirk off Robbie??s face. How could he think naughty at this moment!

I thought I cracked him but then Moretti started shouting. Thankfully not at me. I wished if I knew what he was talking about. He started asking and demanding other members to remember what he had done for them in the past.

He shouted at Robbie too. I thought he was talking in tongues. Was that how others felt when I talked computer stuff so passionately? Now, I felt bad!

Moretti started saying something that happened a few years ago.

?? You know, what happened then? 14% loss was calculated as 145 % loss and he lost everything. Every fucking thing! I was there! To pick him up. I believed him when he said it was an error. No one should forget what happened two years before that! Did you forget it Brantley! Oh, you were not Brantley then. Yet, I opened my arms for you.??

?? You are right, Moretti, no one is doubting you. Brantley is confused. We know you are innocent. Of course Brantley remembers the time he was not Brantley. Your trust will be paid back. Give him time.?? Charles was throwing sweet words but I knew he was enjoying Moretti was under the bus.

Jason started laughing.

Was everyone was as confused as me. They were! Thank God! I did not enjoy being the only stupid one.

??So funny, right, Robert???

??Yeah, man! Classic.?? Robbie chuckled still staring at his nails.

Uuuuhhh... okaaay... Where did I miss the joke?

??Who are you? Get out.?? Moretti demanded Jason.

??Who am I Robert???

??Oh, I forgot, meet Jason Andrei Philip, my prot??g????. Will be our C.E.O after he completes his internship.??

Jason snorted. ??You might want to sit, old man. Your shit is going to hit the fan.??

??Brantley, I do not understand.??

??We don??t either.?? Jason stood up stretching his arms and yawning. ??Come on Dave, I am hungry. Robert, you are paying!??

??What the hell! I don??t understand. What is happening??? Moretti undid his tie.

??Okay, answer this and I will answer you. Deal??? Jason asked the jumpy man but did not wait for his answer.

??How many of you knows a Bob Brent? Please raise your hands.??

Jason, Robert, Charles and I raised our hands.

That was when Moretti fainted. Like a log...

... and I was confused as ever. I thought Robbie would help him when he lost the balance. But he merely let that old man fall on his feet unconscious.

??I expect 80% of the profit and then we shall talk.?? Robbie threw that to a shaking Charles and took me to an ice cream parlour to treat me for the good job.

That was when I got the full story. Bob Brent was Robbie??s alias when he first started the business. He thought he would start a new life with a new name but the fate was against him. His first business took an unexpected turn and he lost quite some money and his name. Name was everything in business world.

So, Robert fell back to his original name and tried his luck again after gaining some more money. The point here was no one knew about this story of Bob Brent except his close family. Charles knew Robbie was Bob Brent but did not know about the story.

Moretti accidently claimed that he knew the incident and Charles joined his business board only after another three years. So, both of them knowing it without Robert revealing anything was the punch line that all of us missed.

The rest of the investors would hunt them down and eat them alive.

They were so thick as blood brothers through whole ordeal and I was so happy seeing them getting along.

??How did you find out, Jason???

??I talk to people, Goose. I knew Sergio Moretti was not someone to trust. Robert knows it too, but we cannot simply throw someone out the board. Robert wanted him gone for some time. You showed us a window, I opened it, and Moretti kicked himself out.??

??Thanks, Jackson, I owe you one.?? Robbie patted his back.

??I cannot wait to take over Robert ffing Brantley??s business.?? He patted Robbie right back.

Aaaanddd, now they were back to enemies.

Kids!

I felt a hand creeping behind my hand.

??Baby...?? Robbie whined.

I ignored him.

??Angeeeel.??

??What???

??I hate him.??

??Good. He hates you back.??

??We don??t need him.??

??Well, I need him. You can deal with it.??

He huffed. ??Send him away.??

??Robbie, he is staying here and that is final.??

??But he ate my cutlets.??

??Say ??cutlets?? one more time, I will only make you oatmeal for breakfast.??

Robbie promptly fell back to bed.

??Sooo, will you come back to the conference room tomorrow.??

??I thought we dealt with it.?? I turned around. What did I miss?

??Well, I want to fuck you on the table while you scream Mr. Brantley.??

??WHAT!!! Get off!!! Robbie!!! You bastard!!! I am not doing this with Jason here. Stop... you... you can??t... aaah... just...??☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐