A/n: New Chapter

"...You and I will always be unfinished business..."

"So..." I closed the two story books in my hands. My daughter looks troubled. That is just the look I was waiting on. "Do you think Snow White and Cinderella are happy?" She frowned at me. I don't think my daughter is daft but she sometimes keeps quiet when I ask her things. "Madeline, answer my question. Do you think Snow White and Cinderella are happy?"

"No."

"Why not?" She is staring at me wide eyed. "It's because they have stepmothers and stepmothers are wicked. Do you want a stepmother Maddie?"

"No!" She shook her head.

"But you will have one."

"No!"

I gave her the books. I ripped out the ending of the stories. For Snow White I left it where she's dead. For Cinderella, when she's locked up. She opened to check. She started crying, especially about Snow White. I made sure to emphasize that she died when I read the story. I ran my hand over her blonde hair. "You will have a wicked stepmother who will give you a poisoned apple and you will die."

"I don't want one. Please mommy. I don't want one." She is crying.

"There there ma cherie. Crying doesn't solve anything. If you want something done, get up and do it yourself. I don't want you to have a step mother but your father... daddy is making sure you get one."

"No." She buried her face in my side. I smiled triumphantly.

"Keira will be your stepmother."

She wiped her eyes and looked at me. Once again she looks confused. "Keira is nice."

"Of course she is! That is how wicked stepmothers start of! Remember Cinderella's stepmother? Wasn't she nice when Cinderella's father was still alive?"

"Yes she was." I wiped away her tears. She has pretty blue eyes. Nothing about her is me. She's all Nick.

"And then her father died..." I gave her a second to start crying again. I raised her chin so that she looks at me. "And then was she still nice to Cinderella?"

"No."

"Hmmm... imagine that. Stepmothers pretend to be nice. And then they become wicked and evil! Do you want a poisoned apple?"

"No!"

"Do you want wicked step sisters and to be locked up?"

"No mommy I don't want that!"

"Daddy wants Keira to be your new mommy. He wants to replace me because he hates me Maddie. Nick hates me." I told her. "Keira is the wicked step mother. She will hurt you and use you like a servant. Do you want to scrub floors?"

"No! I don't want a step mother. I don't want to scrub floors!"

Playing with her imagination is my best shot at manipulating and twisting her mind so that she turns against her father and that woman he is playing around with. I will use Maddie to bring Nick to his knees until he is begging to die.

"You have to join me Maddie. We have to hate Keira together so that daddy doesn't marry her. She will take daddy away from us. She will break our family."

"No. No." She spoke sadly before she started crying yet again.

I held her close to me hating that she was soaking my Prada coat with her tears. But this is just the beginning. By the time I am done with Madeline, she will hate Nick so much he will be miserable.

"It's okay ma cherie. It's okay. Do you want to do something about it? Can you help mommy?" She nodded. "Don't let your daddy ever bring Keira into our lives. You have to fight against it Madeline. Refuse it. Make sure he knows you hate the idea of a stepmother."

"Okay."

"Now, get into bed and go to sleep." I tucked her in and pressed a kiss on her forehead.

Little by little I will poison her against both of them. There will be no harmony in their lives. Maddie will be the persistent thorn in their flesh.

After I left her room, I closed the door.

It's about 8pm at night. Nick isn't back yet. I'm eager to tell him about the detective who is looking for him. He came by again and Nick wasn't here. He hasn't been back in two whole days. It's so unlike him to willingly be away from Madeline. Keira has her claws deep in him. I must do something about it.

I checked my phone, only to find a missed call from Levi.

"What is it?" I asked as soon as he answered.

"I found them. They are in a lake house."

I know which one. Why didn't I think of it? Bruce has one. "What are they doing?"

"Do you want to know?" He scoffed. "But I'm not alone. There's a man here. I think he's a cop."

"Blue eyes, looks scruffy and aggressive?"

"I think so." I burst out laughing. "What's so funny?"

"Let the games begin. Get out of there." I hanged up with a big smile on my face.

Six years ago, before I became a detective, I was winding up my shift when a black sports car sped past me. It was moving too fast to be ignored. I chased after it and the driver pulled up on the side of the road. He was alone in the car, blue eyes as cold as steel. He had a look that was threatening. I greeted him and asked him if he knew how fast he was driving. He said he knows and he would appreciate it if I looked the other way. He had a bundle of rolled up cash, more than I make in a month.

I was tempted to take it. I had a new baby at home, a cranky wife and bills to pay. The money was useful but I was an honest rookie. I asked him for his license and registration. When I saw his name, Nickolas Bale, I immediately made a connection to Bale Industries. I asked him to step out of the car. He flatly told me he won't get out of the car. I remember his entitled and authoritative tone. I asked him to decide between getting arrested and getting out of the car. He got out of the car and my sixth sense told me to search the car. When he popped the trunk, there was a long black duffle bag. When I asked him to open it, he asked me to walk away. I wasn't willing. I was even more determined.

Nickolas Bale had a bag full of armor. From hand guns, silencers, riffles and shot guns. When I asked him what he was doing with the weapons, he told me to piss off or arrest him.

He was not scared. Not at all. Rude and entitled, yes. I arrested him, brought him down to the station and even booked him. He got his mugshot taken and I was sure this would be something big and my name will be all over it.

When I came back in the morning, all excited for the case I brought in, I suffered a rude shock. He didn't even spend the night in the cell. He was released a few hours after and there was no trace of the guns in evidence. I asked about it and my superior told me to forget about it. He said, some people are untouchable.

But it wasn't all for nothing. I was promoted to detective and told to keep silent about the matter. That is how Nickolas Bale got off easy six years ago after getting arrested with a trunk full of guns.

It's important to me that he doesn't get away with the assault charges. He is not untouchable. He's just a rich brat who knows people. I don't know who got him out. I would like to know who holds such power.

"What do we do?" Fitz asked me.

"We will have a conversation with Mr Bale."

"Friendly?" Fitz asked me.

"It depends on him. I'll extend him the courtesy of bringing himself in to answer questions. If he does not, I'll have to arrest him."

We both got out of the car and approached the lake house. It's not the kind we expect billionaires to live in. It's simple. It sits alone is a stretch of woods.

I knocked the door once and waited for a response. It's 9:38pm. There is no way he is asleep. If he is then he forgot to turn off the lights. I knocked a second time and that is when he opened the door. The bastard hasn't aged a day in six years. He looks bigger but not a day older. His eyes are still as cold as steel.

"I know you." He noted with his eyes narrowed at me. "You're the officer who arrested me six years ago."

"You had a bag full of guns in your trunk."

"Hmmm.... no I didn't. You must have your arrests mixed up. You stopped me for speeding."

I scoffed. "I see what you're trying to do. Admit to nothing."

"I really don't know what you're talking about. What do you want?"

"May we come in?"

"Why?" He asked me.

"Mr Bale, I'm trying to be civil. Let us through."

He stepped outside instead and closed the door. "Enough of the small talk. What do you want Timmy?"

Yes, I remember. He called me Timmy that night. I hate it. No one calls me Timmy. I think he's trying to piss me off.

"I want to invite you to come over to the station. Let's have a conversation about your extracurricular activities when you're not running a multibillion company."

He smiled at me. "Can you be more specific Timmy?"

I extended my hand to receive the envelop that Fitz is holding. I showed him the picture of Jason Burke. "Mr Burke filed a report. He is accusing you and your bodyguard for breaking and entering. He is accusing you of assault. He is accusing you of kidnapping his wife."

He burst out laughing. He has a way of making someone feel small and stupid.

"This shit sounds like it's a movie! I'm not looking for a role in it, sorry. Get off my property."

"So you deny everything."

He paused to look at me. "I don't know what you're talking about. I haven't even spoken to you in six years. Get off my property."

"Mr Bale." I caught the door before he closed it. I think I have caught a glimpse of a woman. She disappeared quickly. My eyes met the cold steel of his eyes. "You're not untouchable. This time, you will be locked away."

"Good night Timmy." He smiled at me and closed the door.

I'm arresting him tomorrow.