The Last Option
Chapter Seventy Two: Hunter Hunted

Now Bernard only had to get the fish out of the water. Rebecca Hicks had fallen completely into his trap, and now he had to be very careful that she did not replace out the truth. He had to continue playing his role as a dying millionaire, and since she hadn't been completely honest with him, now he would be the one who would be wary of getting involved with her, but not for long so that she would not give up on the plans that he knew now she had for him. He frowned and pretended to be genuinely confused.

"Hicks? What the hell do you mean your last name is Hicks? Are you related to-?"

"Yes, I am the sister, or I was the sister of Nathan Hicks, the man you were going to do business with in New York and who was unfortunately murdered in a kidnapping attempt."

Now it was his turn to feign indignation and annoyance.

"Who did you think I was?" he asked her, pretending to be offended for having hidden her identity from him. "Some kind of gold-digging crook looking for rich women to take advantage of? I didn't even know you! And now it turns out that you are a billionaire? I already suspected something like that because you don't even work, but honestly I wasn't interested. I wasn't interested in anything in your life. Holy God!"

"Please don't feel bad, Bernard. I didn't do it with bad intentions," she tried to justify herself. "I'm just doing it so I don't draw attention due to what happened to my brother. You don't know how terrible it is to live with the uncertainty of knowing if you will be the next victim of a kidnapping."

"And what made you change your mind? Why are you telling me now that you are the sister of the person who was going to be my business partner?"

"I don't know, maybe because we are in the same business, and I wanted to somehow resume what Nathan and you were planning."

"Could it be that the reason is because you now know that I am dying? That's why? Do you want our companies to come together before I die? So your company will be bigger and more solid, and I will be three meters underground." Rebecca could not replace a coherent argument to refute what he was accusing her of, and she decided to be honest with him. In her own way.

"You know? Yeah! I'm thinking that everything you've done so far shouldn't be lost in time, or fall into the hands of those who didn't want to work as hard as you did to have everything you have now. My brother was just like you, hardworking, intelligent, full of energy, everything that Southern Hilltop Gold is today owes to him, to his efforts, and to my father's efforts. My brother died wanting to have a son to whom to give everything, and to whom to leave everything. I felt very sad when I saw him in his coffin and thought that his last dreams did not come true. Maybe if they hadn't tried to kidnap him today he would be doing what you refuse to do, he could have had a son and he would be sharing with him the fruit of his life's efforts. Maybe today he would be very happy."

Deftly, Rebecca brought tears to her eyes and turned toward the lake, her back to him.

"I didn't know you thought that way," Bernard said quietly. "Excuse me for being so insensitive."

"Life is unfair, you know?" Rebecca continued with a shaky voice. "My brother died without having what he so longed for. And now I know you, that you are about to suffer the same fate. It's not fair!"

She now burst into tears. Bernard couldn't believe that a person could be so manipulative. He moved closer to her and put a hand on her shoulder. She placed one over his, not daring to look at his face.

"Please, Becca, forgive me," it was the first time he had called her that to give her the feeling of more intimacy between them. "It's just that I feel so confused and at the same time deceived. I am not assimilating well all this that is happening to me."

She took all this as a good sign and kept pretending to be sad for her brother and in a way for him.

"I didn't mean to fool you," Rebecca said, trying to wipe away her tears. "Please understand that I didn't want to be exposed because of my last name. I know it sounds silly, and you might think I'm being paranoid, but once my last name was made public because of what happened to my brother, I panicked and decided to get away from the city where he died. I felt panic and fear; I didn't want what happened to him to happen to me."

"I understand you and I ask you again to forgive me. Don't keep crying, please, or you will hurt me too. You already saw that I cannot have strong emotions. Okay?"

"I can't help feeling that way about you either," she told him. "You are pretty much the mirror image of my brother, and I would be so sad if you ended up like him, with virtually no legacy. He didn't leave anything for me to remind me of him day by day either."

"He left a strong and solid company. Is that nothing to you?"

"I mean a family, nephews to be more exact. A man like him was lost forever. My last name is getting weaker every day and it won't be long until it's gone."

"And you haven't thought about having your own family? So you could have your own legacy."

"Of course I've thought about it! But nothing more than imbeciles, womanizers and playboys have come into my life. Why do you think I'm alone now?"

"I'm sorry to hear that. I'm sure that at some point the right one will come along. You just have to be patient."

"I've been thinking about that a lot, you know? And sometimes I'm afraid that, as they say, the train will miss me and it will be too late for me."

"But what do you say? Please, you are still very young. You shouldn't think that way. I, on the other hand, it is true that I no longer have hope. Maybe I should resume negotiations with your company. You are right when you say that all my effort should not be wasted. Your family seems to be the ones to run the business of my company."

Rebecca thought she had him in her hands, and decided to take the risky next step.

"I can see that you are a sensitive and good man," she said, turning back to him and partly wiping away her tears. "You deserve to live your last days being loved and cared for. You deserve someone who cares about you, and makes you feel good. Someone who will be by your side when, well, when whatever happens has to happen. Without thinking, as you said, about the problems. Live life simply. And since I'm alone too, I don't know, I thought maybe you and I could be something more."

Bernard moved a little closer to her and took her hand.

"Are you proposing to be my girlfriend?"

She pretended to blush. Bernard didn't know how she could do it, but she actually did blush. Unless she's not faking it.

"You know?" she now changed from blush to excitement drastically. "We should get married!"

Yes, she was faking it.

Bernard pulled away from her gently, feigning surprise and showing some disbelief at what he was hearing.

"What did you say? Get married? We barely met three days ago!"

"Think about it, Bernard. As I told you, you need someone who is dedicated to you and makes you happy. We would look for treatment alternatives for your disease, so that you can live a few more years and enjoy-" "Enjoy what?"

"Enjoy the children that I could give you, and a family."

Bernard thought for a few seconds about Rebecca's words.

"But to enjoy that it would not be necessary to get married," he finally said. He had to play his cards right, so that she would think that he was not interested in her money, as she was in his.

"It is true, but if there is no family, part of your patrimony would be lost, and it would not be fair or correct."

"I replace it incredible that you are asking me this, here and now. Truly amazing."

"It's true, I think I went crazy. I shouldn't have said all that nonsense. I let myself be carried away by feelings."

"I don't blame you. Like me, you have gone through painful losses, and it's logical that you feel identified with my situation."

"Forget it then. I think I overdid it a bit. Could you forgive me?"

"There is nothing to forgive," Bernard pulled her close and hugged her. It was the first time he had done it. "And I really appreciate you thinking of me that way. You are a very sensitive and kind woman."

Rebecca thought her prey was getting out of hand, but she decided to give herself time to truly win him over, and then convince him to marry her. She wasn't willing to let him go, so she would be very patient with him.

For his part, Bernard knew that a woman like Rebecca Hicks would not stop trying to marry him to gain access to his fortune, so he let her think at times that he did not agree to the marriage. He was truly amazed, and somewhat horrified, at the level of manipulation and greed from this woman. She was a very dangerous woman.

They continued to walk around the Burj Khalifa until night fell. They had dinner and talked pleasantly about many topics and they dedicated themselves to getting to know each other better. When they returned to the hotel, they decided to stay a while longer contemplating the Dubai fountain and its light show, inviting romance. At one point she was charming, and she flirted with him at every turn.

Bernard thought that he should give her ambitions a little hope, and suddenly and without much thought, he took her by the waist and kissed her softly on the lips, surprising her. Despite her surprise, she did not resist, and also gave herself to the pleasant and soft contact of his lips with hers. When they parted, they felt embarrassed and looked down, still very close to each other.

"Sorry about that," said Bernard, "but I couldn't resist."

"Don't be sorry," she said in turn, raising her head again and looking at his lips, "and do it again."

He kissed her again, more passionately this time, and Rebecca felt a slight shudder as she felt his tongue brush lightly against hers. It was the first time a man had made her feel like this, and she didn't like it. She broke away from him, feigning embarrassment, and took his hand, starting to walk in the direction of the Burj Khalifa.

"Where we go?" he asked, pretending not to know her intentions.

"To my suite," she answered. "I want a little more privacy."

"Are you also staying at the Burj?" Bernard feigned surprise again. "This day has been full of surprises!"

When they got to the suite they gave rein to passion. Despite the fact that sex was in his plans, Bernard did not feel very comfortable doing it. He had already accomplished most of his plan, and that was what mattered.

The next day, when she woke up, she did not replace him next to her in bed. She had slept a little past eight in the morning. She thought he was in the shower and called out to him without getting an answer. She called him a couple more times and got no answer either.

She immediately thought that he had taken advantage of her and now he would disappear forever. She laughed ironically and thought that it would be the first time that this had happened, since she was the one who always did that when she took advantage of men.

Well, there's always a first time, she told herself. Disappointed because she had delusions of having more money, she tucked herself in again. When she turned around, she saw that on the other pillow next to her was a small note, she took it and opened it, reading the message:

<> Bernard.

Recovering her usual humor when she saw that she could still be so much richer, she smiled mischievously.

Her plan had worked!