One Wild Night

Just as Tom hung up the call with Barry, he received another phone call from an unsaved contact, but before he could receive the call, Jeff knocked on the door.

Tom asked him to enter before going on to receive the call. "Thomas Hank," Tom said in a clipped voice as he gestured to Jeff to sit down.

"Mr. Hank, this is Robert Henderson, I trust you know who I am." The voice on the other end was clipped and professional, with a hint of underlying curiosity.

Tom's brow furrowed slightly. Robert Henderson. The name sent a jolt through him. It was the owner of EliteHouse Inc, the domestic staff company that provided services to Henry Rosewood.

Seeing as Mr Henderson had reached him directly and not through his aide, he could see that his mother hadn't been bluffing when she said she knew the family personally and could get them to help.

Internally, he braced himself, unsure of what this call might entail. "Mr. Henderson," he acknowledged politely. "It's good to hear from you," Tom said, while Jeff, oblivious to the power play unfolding, tapped his foot impatiently, his mind a whirlwind of worry and longing for Mia.

"I received a call from Evelyn. I didn't realize who you were," Henderson began, his voice measured. "Your grandfather and my family go a long way. For that reason, I'm willing to hear you out. How can I help you?"

Tom leaned back in his chair, "Well, Mr. Henderson, I won't waste your time or mine. Since acquiring your company is apparently out of the question, perhaps we can discuss a different kind of arrangement."

A beat of surprised silence followed his very direct statement. Tom could practically picture Henderson's confusion on the other end of the line. "An arrangement?" Henderson finally repeated, a hint of suspicion creeping into his tone.

"Indeed," Tom confirmed. "Specifically, the addition of a new chef to the staff at Rosewood."

The tension in the room thickened as Jeff looked at Tom, realizing who Tom was speaking with.

Tom on the other hand watched the dust motes dance in a shaft of sunlight filtering through the window, his gaze unwavering.

"A new chef?" Henderson's voice held a note of skepticism.

"Yes. How much did my mother tell you?" Tom asked, wanting to know just how much he knew.

"Not much. She expressed… some concerns regarding a situation at the Rosewood household and asked that I render assistance to you in anyway I can," Henderson continued cautiously.

"Well, in order to be able to handle things in the Rosewood household, I need my own person there to keep an eye on things," he said, his voice a low rumble.

"What is this person going to be doing there? Is this individual a qualified professional?" It was clear he was treading carefully, caught between his loyalty to Lawrence and whatever protocol his company adhered to.

Tom glanced at Jeff. Seeing how Mia had agreed that Jeff come in as a chef, he was certain that Mia had watched Jeff prepare meals and approved of his meals.

"Absolutely," he assured Henderson, his voice dripping with false sincerity. "Highly skilled, impeccable references. Just the kind of addition Rosewood needs. And he will only be keeping an eye on things. He won't cause any troubles for you."

There was another pause, longer this time. Tom knew Henderson was weighing his options, caught between the lucrative contract he had with the Rosewoods and doing Lawrence's grandson a favor.

"Mr Hank," Henderson finally said, his voice laced with wariness, "I understand your desire to… improve the situation at the Rosewood Household. However, I cannot simply insert someone into an established household staff. My staff has contracts, and I have a reputation to uphold."

Tom knew he had to tread carefully. He couldn't push Henderson too far, but he also couldn't afford delays. "Mr. Henderson," he said, his voice softening slightly, "rest assured, my intention is not to cause any disruption. The current chef, well, let's just say they haven't been meeting expectations. Perhaps a… friendly departure could be arranged?"

He left the suggestion hanging in the air, a silent offer for Henderson's cooperation. Jeff, noticing the shift in Tom's tone, glanced at Tom, a flicker of hope sparking in his eyes.

"A friendly departure," Henderson repeated slowly, clearly contemplating the situation. "And what about this new chef? What exactly are their… duties?"

Tom couldn't help but smirk. This was it. "Aside from cooking, the new chef will be primarily concerned with the well-being of Mrs Rosewood," he began, his voice dropping to a low murmur.

Henderson scoffed. "Are you sure this 'chef' of yours wouldn't be more interested in… extracurricular activities?"

"Let me assure you, he is a man of integrity. His sole purpose will be to ensure the safety of Mrs Rosewood and… let's say, keeping her out of trouble.". Discreetly, of course."

Another long pause. Tom could almost hear Henderson weighing the risks and rewards. Finally, with a resigned sigh, Henderson spoke.

"Mr. Hank," he said, his voice tight, "I have a contract with both my staff and the family at Rosewood. Replacing someone wouldn't be easy, especially without a good reason. But if you can find a way to make the current chef vacate the position then I can see about accommodating your request. However, understand that my hands are tied until then…"

"Consider it done," Tom interrupted smoothly, his voice firm. "I will have the current chef discharged within the next three days. No muss, no fuss. The new chef will be at your office in three days.

A tense silence followed. Finally, a grudging acceptance filled the receiver.

"Fine," Henderson grumbled. "But if it turns out you're deceiving me and playing games, you'll be answering to me."

"You can rest assured, Mr. Henderson, my intentions are pure," Tom said smoothly, the tension draining from his shoulders.

He hung up the phone, a triumphant smile playing on his lips. Turning to Jeff, he met the man's hopeful gaze. "Everything is going according to plan. I hope you've packed your bags. You have to be there to take over from the chef in three days."

Jeff's face lit up, a spark of determination replacing his earlier worry. He could finally be near Mia again. He wouldn't let anything stop him from protecting her.

"But, how do you plan to get rid of the incumbent chef? Did you hear from Mia? Has she found a way to get it done?" Jeff asked as an afterthought.

Tom looked at Jeff for a moment and knowing that he was most likely worried about Mia, he decided to tell him about Tyler's dinner and let him hear the recording, but he wasn't going to tell him about Barry.

"Don't worry. I'm going to get it done one way or the other. About Mia. Tyler had dinner with them," Tom said and played the recording for Jeff to hear.

After Jeff was done listening to it, he sighed deeply. Mia sounded like a completely different person. He hoped that Henry had not touched a hair on her head else he would make sure to teach Henry a lesson before he was handed to the police.

His silent vow echoed in the room, a promise fueled by love and a burning desire for justice.

"Don't you think this lady might cause some troubles for us?" Jeff asked, thinking about what Mia had said about Diana following her everywhere and being in charge of everything.

"Don't worry about it, I have things under control…"

Jeff hit the table before Tom could finish, "No! I'm worried," he said as he rose, "I don't care if you have things under control or not, what I care about is that if you know something I don't know, you should tell me. Do not ask me not to worry. If you were in my shoes and the woman you love is going through stuff like that would you be able to stay still and not worry?" Jeff asked heatedly.

Without waiting for Tom to respond, he continued, "I need to go in there with as much knowledge as I can. Do you have any idea how worried she must be for her to have tried to send that message to us that way? Do you expect me to go in there with no information to cheer her up? We are all doing this for Mia and I don't think it is fair that you're withholding information," Jeff said, unable to hold back his annoyance.

"I see," Tom said calmly, "Now that you've admitted that you're in love with her, I think I should ask this now. I hope your feelings won't get in the way of our plans? You're not going to blow your cover and put both Mia and everyone else at risk, right?" Tom asked and Jeff took a deep breath.

"I won't."

"You had better now. If you're going to act this emotionally when you get there, it's better we send someone else in there. It will be safer for everyone that way," Tom said and Jeff held his gaze.

"I told Mia I'm going to be there with her. I intend to keep it that way. I won't blow my cover," Jeff said and Tom let out a sigh.

"Alright. I'm not sure what you want to know, but you already know that we have acquired some of the companies working for Henry. Harry did that before he left, so that means we can have our people go in and out in the guise of going to fix things. I have my people keeping an eye on the house. Diana Locke seems to be there with motives of her own. So I plan to blackmail her with what I know about her so she can let go of the incumbent chef, and you can replace him. Does that answer your question?" Tom said and Jeff sighed deeply, then nodded.

"Yes. You could have just said so. You didn't have to be so mysterious about it," Jeff muttered, "Besides, don't you think I had every right to know this considering that when I am sent there, she is going to be suspicious of me? And if you didn't tell me about it now I wouldn't have known why?" Jeff said, and Tom shook his head.

"I wasn't planning on making it seem like it was about you. I was just going to make her fire the current chef thinking I have something against the chef or had use for him," Tom said with a shrug.

"So you didn't plan on letting me know about her?" Jeff asked and Tom shrugged.

"The less you know about plan B, the better. Don't let Diana know you know she is with Henry for ulterior motives. Stick to plan A and let me worry about plan B. I will control her from out here, while you do what you need to do in there. You can't tell Mia about Diana either," Tom warned.

"How then will I explain how I got to be in the house?" Jeff asked with a frown.

"Was it Diana who sent you there? I did. I talked to the domestic staff company and they withdrew their staff and sent you. It's as simple as that. Don't make the mistake of blowing your cover," Tom said, and Jeff nodded.

"Alright. I will do as you have said. I feel better knowing there is a plan B in place and you have things under control. Thanks," Jeff said as Tom looked him over.

"You need a makeover. Your disguise has to be perfect."

"Yes. I plan to get it done just before I leave. I don't want to go about in my new look in case Henry's men are still watching," Jeff said, easily.

For the next thirty minutes they both spent time going through Mia's plan once again, and after Jeff left, Tom dialed Barry's line once again.

"Her first assignment should be to dismiss the chef. Tell her she has three days to get it done, and it should be done without unnecessary drama."

The game was afoot, and Tom, with his newest pawn in place, was ready to checkmate Henry Rosewood. He would make a lesson out of Henry.

At first he had only wanted to do this for Mia, but after seeing first hand what a rude punk Henry was, and how he had not only disrespected him, but also Harry, Tom was more than delighted to show Henry that the world didn't revolve around him.