rhetthawkins

[rhetthawkins]

Disposable wealth... it was an odd thing. While Rhett had inherited a sum from Adrian, he still knew what it was like to grow up without it. He held himself to an impossibly high standard, but that had always been who he was. 98 was enough, where was the other 2 points he missed? It wasn't about being perfect, it was about being better. He was a man who was obsessed with the constant churning of growth. It was what made him successful. In these climates, he remembered who he was — despite the perfectly tailored tuxedo for the occasion.

Extending a hand, he smiled, "Rhett Hawkins, Chief Property Officer of Obsidian Holdings... and unfortunately, like a contributor this this event," he said with a tight smile. He didn't relish in the ostentatious wealth that was prone to being thrown around, the saving grace was that it was for a good cause. "I was a childhood friend of Melanie Christensen, she married the other Kastings brother, the eldest one," Rhett didn't even feel the need to say either names. Melanie lost everything and then her life because she put her faith into a Kastings. Rhett had warned her, but by then it was too late. She loved the guy and he had to stand by and watch.

Nowadays, Samara felt strange whenever she was out socializing. It had been some time since she'd last put on makeup and a nice dress, let alone heels, but the hospital was hospital was hosting their annual donor's event and Sam had never missed it. It was actually one of her favorite events of the year. Sam, of course, could not relate to the kind of people who had enough money to donate to a cause simply because they could, but that didn't stop her from talking to them. If these people were so willing to open up their check books in order to convince themselves that they were good people, then she was willing to tell them about all the ways their money would benefit the community. And it would. Her patients needed the kind of resources this event could provide. For the most part, this single event helped the hospital to provide care for those who would not otherwise be able to afford it for the majority of the year.

"Yes," Sam answered, glancing over her should at the man who'd spoken. She'd been in the midst of securing herself a drink, some sort of mocktail recipe that had been whipped up just for this event. "I'm sorry." Sam was not the best at remembering names but his face seemed familiar enough. "Remind me who you are again."

[rhetthawkins]

Rhett knew he needed to respect the people who played both sides. Empathy for the people was needed, but sometimes he wondered if the empathy was misplaced. “You need it?” Rhett’s teeth showed — it was something of a smile, but not really. Raj didn’t need more land to his empire. “Or you need a shiny new project to help your campaign? Because it could be arranged to help the campaign.” Rhett had no plans to help Raj further his own personal line items of wealth — the two were linked purely because of business. Some times Rhett wondered if the other also remembered how much of them Obsidian really owned.

Rhett moved to set himself align with the ball. He was mediocre at best with golf, but far better than most of the average folks. Enough to hold his own again bigger political hopefuls than Raj. A crisp swing sent the ball flying and it bounced down the course. A decent enough shot. He was behind par, but keeping pace with his usual handicap. "I doubt the locals would love you for adding to your empire." Raj wasn't a rancher — everyone knew that. Hell, even fuckin' Rhett knew it. Sure, he wore the hat, tried the boots, but he lacked the credibility of one. "And by doubt, I mean, I know for a fact it won't persuade the people it needs to. There isn't any persuading them, and I don't feel like playing the game of who's more a local. We won't win it."

“Disaster is a fucking understatement.” When did it all start to spiral into a huge shit show, who knows? Is he currently glossing over that chain of thought to ignore the fact that he’s culpable as the rest of Paxton? Yes. “It’s like everyday there’s a new twist or unfortunate development.” The notion of a peaceful Paxton has long since gone out the window. Damage control is needed if anything is to progress beyond the current point of stagnation. ”Everyone knows that part of town is an eye sore,” he sighs. “You’re preaching to the converted here, man.” Denial is a hell of a thing. Yet they’re people fighting to hold onto that rundown, mismatched pastel hued building. 

“The jobs, offers, and new housing development that will come along are totally overshadowed now.” Rajendra can see both sides of the ‘fight for Paxton’ with their merits. He understands where they’re coming from; one wanting to bring Paxton into the future (as gimmicky as it sounds), while the other wants to cling to what they know. Rajendra isn’t saying that it’s wrong, but at the same time Paxton can’t be left behind while surrounding towns forge ahead. There are ways that both sides can blend for a truly unique Paxton experience. Alas, they’re a long way from everyone coming together and singing kumbaya. 

“This is why I need the Blue Rooster under my care.” There’s probably some nugget of wisdom here related to coveting thy neighbours property, but he frankly doesn’t care. “The lands bordering it,” he suggests instead. The ranch of course is not an option, yet. He’s been playing a long game with regards to awaiting it from the owner. Now, the lands bordering the other side of the Blue Rooster, that’s more in Rhett’s wheelhouse. “At least that would be a start to spinning this ship around.”

[rhetthawkins]

He shook his head slowly, “I want you to lead the conversations. Figure out if there’s a viable angle, or if it’s even a viable decision.” Rhett would be more than happy to stand behind her and let her do what she did best. She was entirely better at it than he was, especially when it came to this particular establishment. “Personal as in, I want to crush the establishment and owner on a past vendetta and that’s only something I can do if it’s viable via the business.”

There was a hard line with Rhett. He wanted to squash the seedy strip joint that was full of deplorable threads on Reddit. However, he couldn’t and wouldn’t let himself be so personally blinded that it would cost the company or his coworkers. That was the line that differentiated him from Hector. The other was that when he felt it into the territory of personal, he asked for help. “So I need you to advise the situation, lead it. I’m not sure I fully trust myself to not be impartial as I usually am. The property reports look good, but…” he shrugged slowly. “Everything has potential in this town. I worry my personal desire might see numbers as more promising than they are. I don’t want to lose sight of anything… but the grudge demands to be explored.”

"What, you?" Lindsey's voice was tinged with mock shock. "Never." Lindsey chuckled at that. She'd interacted with enough men of Rhett's ilk to not take offense to the fact that they so very often underestimated her, and Lindsey had never had trouble proving everyone wrong. She waved a hand imperiously, knowing that a favor was sure to be around the corner. So, when he made his intentions clear, Lindsey was not surprised in the least. "And you want me to what," she asked, "smile and look pretty? Make promises that no one but I can even hope to cash until they agree to sell to us?"

That was the one part of the job that Lindsey hated the most -- making more and more exorbitant promises that either went unfulfilled or caused her internal tension to fulfill them. So far, though, she hadn't had to promise anything too remarkable in the pursuit of purchases in Paxton. "Personal? As in, I have future plans for this particular establishment that will benefit the company or I have history with this establishment and my future decisions will only affect me?" She leveled him with her most serious look yet. "If we're to work together on this, I need you to be honest. I'm happy to support you, Rhett, but I will not be putting my name on the line knowing full well that this can implode."

[rhetthawkins]

While Rhett was far from the Chief of Public Relations, he was well versed in front of cameras and well versed about what sort of press would be bad press. He didn't need his properties in the limelight any more than they already where. With the police tape still lingering from two different incidents, Rhett was keeping his happy ass right at this location until the worst reared its head again. Then he'd knock it the fuck out. "When I said things were boring here, I didn't suspect life would throw this at me." Rhett let the ghost of a smile on his lips linger and then he shook his head. "Can't say I've had this happen before, but, I do wonder if we market this place as haunted if it would help with leases." A snort colored his features, the sounding missing.

Matias had seen entirely too much. Rhett, much like a bird of prey, tilted his head to look at him a little better. "I know this isn't what you signed on for, and I do apologize for it."

Given the most recent scandal, Matias was not complaining about the slow day. He stood up from his desk, yawning a bit, giving one last good glance at any security cameras, before stepping out of the security office. He needed to stretch his legs and also figured it would do him some good to patrol the apartments a bit too. Besides one resident asking for help with something minor, Matias found himself with nothing to currently do. It was dangerous to let his mind become bored, if only because that’s often how he thought up of ways to get a rise out of the town, but he was trying very hard to keep himself in line. He really could not afford to have any more cops around him or draw more eyes in his direction at the moment.

As he enters the hallway he spots a familiar face, a face that instantly makes Matias straighten up a bit. He nodded in return, “ Nah, not at all. How are you holding up?”

[rhetthawkins]

All of this gave him a headache. He wasn't supposed to be some oil baron, killing innocent people in a foreign land for oil rights. This was a small town for fucks sake. "At some point we've got to ask the question if any of this is even worth it?" It was a rhetorical question, and he waved off the question because, well, he had a built in answer. "Of course it is, the town is controlled by common thugs who have no fucking problem peddling drugs in order to have some fictional ideal that they're cowboys." Rhett snorted and shook his head. "A cowboy hat doesn't make them a cowboy when they're fuckin' drug dealers." A point and hill Rhett Daniel Hawkins would die on, apparently. It came at the cost of the innocent people in the town.

"It might be necessary." Rhett shook his head. They'd have to escape the obvious, that this was very linked to their more unsavory trade and it wasn't a damn Cowboy Mafia or whatever the fuck they wanted to call themselves thing. "We have a contact that is... somewhat parallel to the investigation. I might see what Hector can sniff out before we decide anything." Rhett would have to move in tandem with the rest of the Board and Hector, on this. It was too soon to go rogue. "I might influence a certain direction that helps us a little more."

~~*~~

Chuck eyed Rhett right back as he stared at her. It felt like she had been spending most of her time lately sizing up her coworkers. The leadership. Anyone in town that she spent any time with. This same scenario had played out with Joel not just a few weeks ago. Trying to decide if they could trust each other. That was one she still didn't know. She was used to seeing enemies in every corner but this felt like it was a whole knew level. "I've always been more of a strike first person but I guess that makes sense," she finally looked away with her brows pinched together. An idea forming. "Just in case you needed something else to roll around in there with your plan, there is a built in scape goat here. One that can't deny their involvement."

[rhetthawkins]

I've been doing my own digging into the numbers and it's not looking good. The phrase that rattled around in Rhett's head was 'it's not looking good'. For the thirty-eight year old man, he suddenly felt like a child again. Joel was one of the last threads of family he had left, one of the last connections to his father. Despite failing to have the last name, Rhett was the only Sinclair left. His mother still kept the name-brand Sinclair family somewhat at a distance... however she quite like the Montgomery side. So, Joel was the only sense real family he had left.

Failing to get a handle on this company could very well sink them both.

"Adrian wasn't driving that vehicle," Rhett re-iterated, mostly to convince himself. He knew that Joel was the only one who really believed him. At the time, he'd been stupid to accept that his father took the fall but he never said he was a fully accountable man. It was cowardly of Rhett to not fight back then — even if nowadays he liked to think he was just trying to play his cards better by biding his time.

"My fear is that this goes a lot deeper than just... corporate hits that are shrouded in plausible deniability. Someone, somewhere is going to take the fall, and I don't think it will be Hector," Rhett rubbed his face. The cat in his lap stretch and Rhett gently smiled at the sight of the toes stretching. He always liked that. It was calming, when nothing else was. "So, how deep do I dare go to look, because it's already pretty fucking bad?" Rhett had a remains found at Oceanview Apartments, just months after a whole body was found at Castle Rock.

"Only if you plan on scooping the poop," Joel smiled. They both knew they didn't have time for animals. He could hear Rhett's mother, and his own mother, lamenting at how hard it is to travel with animals. Technically, when it came to his mother, Joel never found that any of the animals slowed her down. Then again, he felt like all of their animals were living with other family and friends these days -- he made a mental note to ask her about it the next time they talked.

Despite the cats curling around them like smoke, the atmosphere was anything but serene. If anything, Joel felt the air leave the room and his lungs. So, Rhett wasn't sold on that night either? Rhett had been there. Rhett was also seeing things. Joel came back to that moment with shocking clarity. He felt like he could see every stray cat hair on Rhett's clothes. The smell of fresh bread filled his nose. Laughter all around them muffled. "I'm glad you said that -- about Adrian. I've been doing my own digging into the numbers around that night. It's not looking good."

"Neither is the company, which is obvious to anyone with a pair of eyes," Joel muttered. He shook his head at the latter half of what his cousin said. "I don't know, I don't think we're pivoting as much as we need to," part of that was purposeful, the Paxton Rancher's Association did a good deed but they had no idea that their funds wasn't just from carnival admissions and local business donations. He left that detail out for now. "It hasn't broken the news, but I'm pretty sure a certain account received two large sums in the fall. One of them, I'm about 90% certain, is connected to the situation that didn't reach the news. The other one, I can't say."

[rhetthawkins]

Rhett considered most of this market to be tacky, but hell, when it was in season, the produce was killer. Not that he cooked these days. The truth was that Rhett had yet to settle in when it came to coming back Paxton. His house in Portland was still his home, but he considered a move to Miami after this. He could use a vacation already — and he had only been traveling back and forth here for about a year. It was always difficult but Rhett had been unprepared to learn that local legends proved accurate and it was far more of a problem than he’d initially imagined.

The Kastings man was recognizable — all three of the siblings had the same jawline and set of their eyes. He was an acquaintance in another life, but Rhett no longer claimed that life. It was buried now. He wondered how much this sibling felt the same way. They had a bit more in common than either would like to admit. “I’m not in a hurry. Especially not for tchotchke junk. I’m wasting time instead of answering slack messages.”

who → open where → main street market (post PD 3)

He just-- had to get out of his house. His mother had gotten a call from the detective on his brother's case (if you could even call it that, they weren't doing anything), that his brother's body was finally being released. Then like clockwork, his sister had shown up on his doorstep and had been staying on his couch ever since. Then it was the constant back and forth of what to do, how the funeral would be-- when it would be. It was all a lot, and he couldn't handle her anymore. He couldn't handle his mother coming over and staying all day. Noah Kastings was a self described people person, but his own family was going to be the death of him. Three days in and he was just done. They didn't like his suggestions, they didn't like his ideas-- anything he said wasn't good enough for them. So he just quit. 'Let me go out and grab some stuff.' Was the excuse but he'd been wandering the market for the better part of an hour with no direction and no inclination that he was ever going to leave. More or less, he was merely just in the way. "Oh." He said looking up, "let me get out of your way, I'm in no hurry." Understatement of the year.

[rhetthawkins]

starter for @samaraxcross

at desert bloom winery

Rhett bounced between Obsidian owned places. He usually was posted up at either Castle Rock or, lately, Oceanview, but tonight he was attempting to enjoy what Desert Bloom was doing for an event. Posted up at a table, he found himself not fully in the festive mood. It was a charity event to raise money for some outpatient programs, and an auction to raise money for the programs was going to happen later. They had several medical personnel to advocate for the programs and while Rhett, personally, was all for it, he found his mood soured by the town. It had always seemed to stand tall in the face of bettering itself. The people were adverse to change.

Eventually he put on a more charming persona, attempting to let the wine sooth over his tastebuds and create artificial happiness. He recognized a nurse — she had once been married to a Kastings, so he while he kept his distance from the family, he did know who they were. “Samara, right?” He was working off an old memory. Once upon a time, Rhett was known through Melanie. Melanie, who married the eldest Kastings and was cast aside just as quickly. The Kastings had a reputation for that. “I think we might have once before in passing many years ago.”

[rhetthawkins]

He glanced to Lindsey. "Maybe I was selling the vision all that for me," Rhett said. "Doing that annoying thing where I process aloud through someone else. Could you believe I've been accused of being self absorbed?" Rhett's smile broke out fully, the amusement touching his eyes. He knew he was self absorbed. Rhett was the sort of man that was in love with his own purpose these days. A purpose that was feeling more and more flimsy by the day. While him and Lindsey worked well together, he didn't know where she stood. Perhaps she thought all of this was her way to the throne as well.

At the end of the day, he really did believe it. It was feeling further and further away, but the reason he was here in the first place was the make the place a better place to live. "I want to acquire Rattlesnakes," he said to Lindsey. "It's technically behind the priority of that land next to The Blue Rooster, but I want it nonetheless. A bit personal, perhaps, which if I can be frank, that personal reason is why I don't trust myself to keep it purely business." It was going to be tricky, the owner was something of a vendor to Obsidian. He provided ins on... well, people, to be served up on platters for their more... creophagous donors.

"Consider it done," Lindsey replied, her tone mirroring his. She wasn't expecting the apology -- men in his position so rarely admitted to their shortcomings -- so when it did come, Lindsey felt her lips tug up slightly. "I'm sure Millie James had her redeeming her qualities." She was sure of no such thing. She'd met plenty of debutantes in her day who were little more than the perfect dolls they'd been molded to be. Lindsey was not one of those women. She was positive her brain would melt if she'd been resigned to that lifestyle.

As Rhett continued to speak, Lindsey's eyebrow rose. She wasn't sure if he was being serious or testing her in some way. “You don’t have to sell me on the vision, Hawkins.” Lindsey had said the same words many times over, and she continued to believe them. Despite its flaws, Obsidian Holdings was helping people to achieve their goals. “I’m still loyal to the cause.” It felt asinine to have to say the words out loud, seeing as she liked Rhett, but given the way Hector had come down hard on the executive board, Lindsey couldn’t be sure where anyone stood. There was only one person she trusted outside of herself and he was not the man with whom she was currently trading quips. "Yes, yes. Honey versus vinegar. I'm aware."

[rhetthawkins]

starter for @milcgros

at the prickly perk

Mila had become an interesting opponent. She was incredibly skilled at property law, which Rhett knew enough to be formidable but he was no lawyer. He left that detail up to the Chief Council. Instead, he focused his time on finding properties he was interested in. He might occasionally talk to someone, but these days, he partnered closely with Lindsey because she was — well, better at winning people over. Rhett was too reserved and statistical, Lindsey was friendly and patient. Which was not to say that Rhett was unfriendly, he just wasn't always interested in the small talk. Glancing to the barista, "Consider her coffee on me, Belinda," Rhett said over his glasses and then closed his laptop. He enjoyed the coffee here and Belinda was a good worker. She was happy to have a job and bring home money to support her family. "Need to keep you sharp for court."

[rhetthawkins]

starter for @matidelacruz

at oceanview apartments

It was usually Castle Rock that Rhett liked to work out of. It was the place that the spotlight had been on for several months. Since that fuckin' Cowboy ended up dead there. Now, another body was found. Well, there was a death and then they found remains of someone else. So Rhett considered himself camped out permanently from the... well, he wouldn't call it a manager's office, because that was occupied. It was a little more like what used to be a dining room? Old hotels... who knew. Today was no different. Standing, he stretched for a moment before he shook his head at his laptop and then sat down again.

His coffee was cold, yet, he drank it like it didn't matter. Because it didn't. As Matias's frame colored the hallway, Rhett glanced up and nodded to the man. "I hope my presence here isn't too disruptive," Rhett said with a sigh.

[rhetthawkins]

starter for @rajnazir

at castle rock resort

No one needed to convince Rhett that the land was beautiful. Rhett hadn't really been a golf guy until he witnessed Adrian have many a business deals and partnerships on the golf course. It was then, he became something of obsessive over it. A decent golf game was important, especially when you had a member ship to a great many country clubs over the country. The same ones that president and politicians dwelled in. That being said, he carried on with a half decent game. "Oh, no, don't get me wrong, it's a complete disaster," Rhett said with a snort of a laugh. He was suffering. With the remains and then... Grayson Hall deciding it was his time to attempt to chase ghosts, it was a headache that Rhett didn't need.

Legends died hard. Until recently, Rhett had no reason to suspect the Cowboy Mafia was a real fucking thing. Now that was a whole other fish he had to fry. He didn't know who all was in it, but it definitely existed and wasn't just fairy tales that used to trade in school. Despite growing up here, he felt it was odd. "This place is so fuckin' odd. Imagine wanting to save Oceanview Apartments when it's been a fuckin' challenge to rid the place of dangerous criminals. The houses next to it... they're nice neighborhoods with good people, they don't deserve the crime spillover."

[rhetthawkins]

"Would you let me get a dog?" Rhett's lips quirked upward, an inside joke because he never got to have a pet growing up no matter how much he wanted one. His mom wasn't fond of animals, and then he went to college and didn't have the time. Truthfully, Rhett liked animals, as seen with the cat that he had curled appropriately into his lap. Again, guilt was the driving factor in not getting an animal. Rhett was all over the country on a dime. He felt bad leaving a cat to fend for itself in his house or with a sitter.

As Joel laid out what Rhett expected, he nodded in agreement. "It's truly far from above board..." Rhett considered Oceanview and the Chuck of it all. Something lingered in him that considered her more than a cold-blooded killer but... her work was hard to persuade others otherwise. "I think I am mostly convinced that Adrian was far from an accident. I've seen too much surveillance that speaks to that inkling on how we broker deals. But... we've diversified. The company definitely has someone do dirty work, if not multiple people... and now we're in deep here."

"No? You should sell the other spot move next door to me -- we could have one huge yard," Joel joked. He was genuinely surprised. Paxton was Rhett's home. He figured if anyone would feel settled in it'd be Rhett over him and Lindsey. He liked these moments in which they were cousins and not colleagues, though. Joel felt the same way about Adrian. He liked his uncle; not the CEO.

When Rhett called Hector a maniac, Joel was too busy stifling a laugh to frown at the shift to business. Coughing to avoid coffee from shooting out his noise, Joel leaned forward, losing the cat in the process and grabbed a napkin. He shot Rhett a grin. Anyone around them probably would think they were reminiscing rather than talking shit about their boss. Joel shrugged. "Both. I think he knows he's stepped in it, but is too invested in the Alicia of it all to pivot. I doubt Hector really cares that this was Alicia's baby, but I think he cares about what that looks like: his perfect shark of a daughter couldn't even broker an honest deal. What tree did the apple fall from?"

[rhetthawkins]

“Yes, with a handwritten thank you note, and a wax seal, please,” Rhett deadpanned, the sort of light amusement coloring his lips before he shook his head at himself. “But seriously, I did seem a little condescending now that I play it back in my head. Rightfully called on it. I should have just said that I’m grateful it’s you I get to work with… and not Millie James,” Rhett said with shudder, a memory of a debutant ball coming to mind when he was older and his father wanted him to escort someone for a business deal. She spent the entire time staring at him like he was going to ask her to marry him afterward and he was, well, not ever going to do that.

It was odd to him that she’d think that, because of the Sinclair children the last name “Hawkins” meant he was but a bastard born child. So really he had no real wealth except that with his father used by the way of connections. Rhett considered that more valuable then — he’d choose the connections over the money every time, his work ethic would make the money. Rhett was not the man to be so prideful that he didn’t admit his faults, as he did now. There was nothing to lose in doing that. His pride came from connections and he knew that by admitting his faults and mistake, especially with Lindsey, their connection would be stronger. "I don't think they're lies," Rhett raised a brow. "I think people want what we have to offer and they need guidance in achieving it and becoming more profitable. We allow that to happen." A pause. "It does help the messenger is attractive though, according to the studies."

"Well, that's because I've heard the words so frequently throughout my life that I've simply parroted them," she admitted with a shrug. Lindsey took a seat, crossing her legs neatly at the ankles. "Am I supposed to thank you for that? For recognizing my potential?" She quirked a brow and looked down her nose imperiously at the CPO. Lindsey knew that he'd likely not meant anything by the statement, but she'd spent so much of her professional career, of her life, being perfected to simply be someone's accessory that she couldn't help but feel a twinge of annoyance at the words. She'd been raised, after all, to follow in her mother's shadow, to stand beside a man and smile prettily. She would be given the privilege of planning events that bolstered that man's career, and maybe, if she was lucky, she would one day be able to call herself the face of a charitable organization. Just like her mother. But Lindsey had wanted more than that. She'd wanted everything that had been offered to her brothers and more. So, she'd taken it.

She suspected that seeing Rajendra recently had stirred things up for her that she preferred to keep buried. So, with a small smile, Lindsey apologized. "Truthfully, I'm using many of those same skills now. Networking, being the pretty face people look forward to seeing. Peddling dreams, even if they're lies. I have my debutante days to thank."

[rhetthawkins]

𝐁𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐒

Name: Rhett Daniel Hawkins

Age: 38

Occupation: Chief Property Officer

Affiliation: Executive Board at Obsidian Holdings

Gender & Pronouns: Man (he/him)

Faceclaim: Theo James

𝐁𝐈𝐎𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐇𝐘

tw car accident, drunk driving, drug abuse, drug overdose, coma

It wasn’t a sophisticated take that brought Rhett into this world. His mother, far from a society girl, had a brief stint with man who had money and power. His mother was too pretty for her age, and his father coveted things that were pretty.

Rhett’s mother wanted to protect him, so they moved around a lot. His life growing up was far from what having a wealthy parent would demand. The sting of paycheck to paycheck drove a hunger in Rhett. After a while, his mother finally started to accept the child support checks.

The Hawkins landed in Paxton when Rhett was in middle school. His neighbor at Oceanview and then closest friend was a girl two grades behind him. Her name was Melanie, and when they were in the same school, they often ate lunch together and rode the bus together.

It wasn’t until he was a junior that he started to actually reach out to his father. His father, Adrian Sinclair, was a CEO of a major company that Rhett didn’t really understand. He insisted that Rhett attend his own alma mater, Yale University. He was leaving behind Melanie, but that was life. They tried to keep in contact. 

We went on to get a degree in business and forged the connections that his father asked of him. Rhett was a driven young man; he wanted to impress his father. For that, his father began to polish him into the man who would ascend the throne of none other than Obsidian Holdings.

Around the same time, Melanie became involved with a man and her and Rhett tried to keep the friendship they had. However, her man always had a touch of jealousy, so they stopped talking. Rhett watched her get married.

Rhett was a weapon that was well tuned. He knew real estate, studied the trends, knew when and how to make the purchase. His instincts combined with experience made him a formidable opponent in the real estate world.

He wasn't hired on by Obsidian, no, Adrian needed the son that wasn't his in name and that he only privately claimed to prove himself. In a way, Rhett saw what Adrian's other children got, the opportunities they squandered, and he made himself better.

He tried to keep in contact with Melanie, and her marriage to the working cowboy ended. Some time later, her business was burned down when she tried to sell it. With nothing left, she started to strip at Rattlesnake's.

He was hired on a real estate portfolio manager for Obsidian two years ago, and since then he's absolutely conquered. His reputation proceeded him in a lot of way. A perfect mixture of skill and blood thirst when it came to his ambitions.

But what's Simba without Mufasa? The world came crashing down when Rhett and Adrian attended a holiday party. It was Rhett's fault — he was the one who was driving drunk with Adrian in the car. Rhett always felt like he was a little too messed up from that party. The crash is something that he doesn't remember. However, he remembered when he was driving.

When he woke, he learned that Adrian was now in a vegetative state from the accident. The police report said that Adrian was the one that was found behind the wheel. It never made sense to Rhett, so he started to quietly look into it.

While there is no hard evidence that Rhett had found about it, he knows that it was a set up by Hector. Rhett learned how much of a viper that Alicia was when they were pitted against each other and was often warned by Adrian. So Rhett watched Alicia and witnessed entirely too much.

When Hector called them all to Paxton, Rhett felt like his skin didn't quite fit. Melanie over the years had developed a drug addiction and weathered through depression and drug abuse. He ended up attending her funeral just before Alicia went missing. Melanie had overdosed in one of the rooms at Oceanview Apartments, where she never really escaped from.

It didn't really surprise him when Alicia went missing. He felt no remorse at stepping over the so-called grief to ascend his throne. His used his local knowledge to help get him ahead in Paxton. They knew him, they could trust him. In some sense, he did right by them — he tried to give them the fairest price he could. Alongside the work that she did, he started to see the ugly side of the town — the overdoses, the victims of the Cowboy Mafia's drug trade on this city.

He put in even more work to staff and manage the new properties with the right people. It wasn't just buying the places, it was making their operating costs make sense. He needed to demonstrate the way to do things. He wanted to prove that the Cowboys were far less altruistic than they seemed — that they were little else than drug dealers in cowboy hats.

Still, the bug in the back of his head whispers that Hector had something to do with his father's death. Rhett plans on getting to the bottom of the mess that Hector has been creating, while also taking a knife to this town and ridding everything of the cancer once and for all.

𝐏𝐋𝐎𝐓 𝐀𝐑𝐂

In the world of cut throat corporate, Rhett has learned his position well. It’s eat or be eaten — and he's always tried to be the one with a place at the dinner table. It’s taken time and effort to get to this new position. Hector himself helped swing the favor to get them onto the board, and it’s been a well earned battle that took time and incredible risk. He's always a step ahead, always watching their properties, just watching, waiting, and then striking. Paxton makes Rhett feel like his skin is too small. The town is too filled with memories. Unbeknownst to Obsidian Holdings, Rhett has a different mission alongside of Obsidian Holdings changing Paxton. One that he's willing to give his own future for. He's seen the corruption on both ends, and while he has no diffinative proof, he understand the evil of both Obsidian Holdings and the Cowboy Mafia. He's just waiting for the right time to undercut Hector and anyone else who gets in the way to take their rightful place on the throne and finally fulfill the destiny he was supposed to have.

[rhetthawkins]

Already kind of a nightmare. "No kidding," he said with a shake of his head. This was ballooning quickly. It was already messy, there was the stench of death and corporate scheming all over the place. Rhett often wondered how much death was on the hands of the people around him. He'd have to maneuver this one carefully, if he wanted to escape plausible felonies at this point. His eyes went to Chuck and lingered for a long moment. There was always the philosophical question around saving people who likely didn't deserve to be saved — but then, did she know she didn't have to be this way? He didn't think she did. Sitting down, he sighed. "They're churning but nothing good is coming just yet. Sometimes I think it might be best to wait," Rhett looked up and away for a moment, thinking. "I need to see how the others react, truthfully."

~~*~~

Chuck pressed her lips together and looked away. Whether or not someone should die over the crime of trespassing wasn't really her call. She was just the instrument of that destruction, not it's creator. Though it was getting far too easy for her to make those calls but the part that worried her was that she wasn't worried. Which sounded insane. Much better to suppress those feelings and be a good little soldier.

"Already kind of a nightmare, Boss," she leaned on her elbow toward him. She was used to being at the mercy of her superiors but for the most part she had been lucky. They had been smarter than her, more clever, but had the best interest of their people at heart. When Rhett's father had hired her, she saw that in him. Rhett might have the same pull. "So what are we going to do about it then? Hmm? I can practically see the gears turning in there."

[rhetthawkins]

The thing about women who were successful is that everyone liked to say something negative about them. They either slept their way to the top or they were a bitch, or they were too meek or they were too aggressive. All of these things Rhett found a little annoying — and definitely not reflective of Lindsey. Ambitious, polished, if she were anyone else, she would have been praised for the things she did. Rhett found that Lindsey was above the board on just about everything. If she wasn't, she did it well enough to not get noticed (as one should). "You sound like some of the mothers I used to overhear at events," he rolled his eyes and smiled. Rhett was excluded from those events, he was still in Paxton when they were happening, but years later when he would attend for his step-sisters, he'd hear them. "I'd expect nothing less, but truth be told, you're far more suited for the board room then the... mansion? I don't even know what those women do, truthfully."

"Guilty as charged." A smile danced across her lips. Lindsey had worked too hard to earn every promotion she'd ever received, contrary to the whispers that alleged otherwise, for her to share her moments of glory with a competitor. "Where do you think my desperate need for glory began, Rhett? There's a special kind of relationship between a young woman and her entry into society, and too many things could go wrong if left in the wrong hands." It was a remarkably outdated practice, but you could not pry a formal entrance from the cold hands of an upper class mother. "As you can imagine, I made a spectacular debutante."