The Last Option
Chapter Eight: The Assignment

Louis Randall suspected that something was happening in the life of his cousin, because from his office on the sixth floor in front of those of the presidency, he was a forced witness of Nathan's late arrivals and his untimely departures at any time, in addition to the constant presence of the annoying Phil Wilcox and the long meetings they held behind closed doors. Things that normally happen in the world where they unfold, but not with the frequency of the last days, which indicated that something was happening.

Yes, something must be going on, and he needed to know what it was. Knowing the company and his cousin, it should not be something related to it, as the issue would have been discussed at shareholders' meetings.

It had to be something personal, definitely. If he could replace out what was wrong with his cousin and depending on the magnitude of the issue, he could try to use it to his advantage to achieve his goals.

Is he cheating on Norma? Or even worse: is Norma pregnant, as he suspected a few days ago? If Norma were pregnant then Nathan would have an heir to whom he would leave his entire fortune and most of the company, leaving his sister Rebecca and leaving him, as they always have been, in the shadows and in a second place in everything. Like his father.

He was very disappointed when his cousin Rebecca gave up trying to take her brother's place in the company. It had taken him a long time to sow the seed of greed in her and convince her to go against her brother, to no avail. Nathan, as always, knew how to wrap her up and make her see that as long as he was in charge of the company the two of them would win, and she would not have to lift a single finger to enjoy everything they were winning.

As she was doing now. Enjoying the life and money of the company, satisfying her constant whims and cravings, and above all, enjoying the company of young and handsome men whom she had her eye on.

Therefore Louis Randall was now alone, fighting in the shadows to recover, according to his erroneous criteria, everything that rightfully belonged to his father, and now to him, who was most of the Southern Hilltop Gold, and not he would cease trying to do so.

But fighting Nathan was one thing, and it was another against him and his heirs. If his cousin manages to have children, it would mean that he would definitely not get everything back, and therefore he will have to consider other much more extreme methods.

He definitely has to replace out what is going on in his cousin's life at those times. And replace out soon.

He left his office and went to Nathan's, entered and was met with the attentive smile of Camila, who told him that he had just left.

"Yes, I saw him when he came out," he told her. "He recently told me his wife Norma was a bit unwell and took her to see her doctor, but he didn't tell me what made her feel like this. Did he tell you what made her sick?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Randall," Camila told him, still smiling at him, "but he didn't say anything to me. You know Mr. Hicks is very secretive about his things."

"Of course, Camila, I was just asking because right now I'm dating a young woman I met recently, and today we have to see each other, but she called me a while ago to tell me that she feels bad, and you know that one seeks to win points being a gentleman on special occasions like this, and I'd like to do something for her. I was wondering if you could help me earn those points ..."

"I'm happy to help you, Mr. Randall. What do you want me to do?"

"Well, I'm worried about her, she's a very sweet girl, and I wouldn't want to see her suffer with whatever she has. I'm thinking of looking for her at her house and taking her to see a doctor, and also taking the opportunity to impress her a bit. You know that Nathan and his wife don't see just any doctor, they see the best they can afford, and I also wish I could take my girl to that doctor to see her, make her feel better, and impress her a little bit. Do you understand me?" Camila smiled wider and almost teased him.

"You want Mr. Hicks's doctor's phone number, right?"

Louis nodded feigning embarrassment at her.

"Why didn't you ask me from the beginning? You didn't have to tell me all that story, although I still congratulate you on being aware of your girl. Let me look up Mr. Hicks's phone book for Dr. Holloway's number."

She lowered her gaze, starting to search the address book for the number, while Louis rejoiced with a slight smile on his lips. When she found it, she wrote it down on a piece of paper and gave it to him. "You are a love, Camila. I owe you one."

"I hope your girl gets better, Mr. Randall."

Louis turned his back on her and left the office, backing into his. He closed the door and went to sit in his chair behind the desk, took out his cell phone and dialed the number.

"New York Fertility Center," a woman's voice answered on the other end of the line. "It's a pleasure to serve you. Do you want an appointment?"

Louis cut the communication. A fertility clinic? At first he was afraid of what it meant, but reflecting a bit later he realized that a fertility clinic means problems with conception, and he felt a little more relaxed, though not calmer. Nathan and Norma did want to be parents, but maybe they were having trouble with it, and hence they contacted a fertility center.

He dialed a number on his cell phone again.

"Yes?" from the other side the husky voice of a man answered him. Louis always found the man's voice grim and intimidating at times.

"I have a job for you. Come to my office as soon as you can."

"I'll be there in half an hour."

He had to be sure that Nathan and Norma were trying to have a baby, and who better than Duncan Smith to replace out? He may be a little annoyed by the simple assignment he had for him, as he was used to doing all his dirty work, which is why he had all his confidence. Perhaps that assignment is simple, but if he decides to do something more extreme and, let's say, deadly later, his old henchman will be glad to be back at his old ways. He hadn't given him a job for a long time His last job he fulfilled perfectly, but with unexpected collateral damage that was not Duncan's fault.

Seeing that his father, Francis Randall, was doing nothing to gain greater control of the company, Louis decided to act on his own and remove the only obstacle in his path: Nathan's father, Steven Hicks, his uncle. He commissioned Duncan to make it look like an accident, and within two days he received news of the fatal event. His uncle and aunt, who were not in the plans, resulting in collateral damage, had died in a traffic accident, leaving Nathan completely alone, since at that time he had not yet married Norma.

Steven's death greatly affected Francis, as he was very close to him, despite being children of different parents but with the same mother; he fell into great sadness and depression from which he could not recover, dying within a few years as well. Francis Randall had always been very protective of his family, and the best way to be so was by always trying to be close to all of them when they needed him. He knew that being in charge of the company he could not do it due to the commitments this meant, choosing to remain low profile but always present in everything, contributing in his way to build the empire that today was Southern Hilltop Gold, together with his half-brother.

He was a very observant man, and thanks to his low profile he was able to realize many things, especially with his son Louis, whom he saw as a greedy, unscrupulous and manipulative person, capable of ruining the company in a short time. That is why he did everything possible for Nathan to assume control, also making sure he did not completely leave Louis aside, assuming his role as protector for the last time before dying.

But in addition to all that his father saw in him, Louis was also calculating, cold and insensitive, capable even of carrying out a plan as evil as murdering his uncle, and now he was thinking of doing the same with his cousin. Rather, it had taken him a long time to consider it, Louis thought when he cut the communication.