rhetthawkins

[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."

[rhetthawkins]

"You got me there," Rhett said with a snort through his nose. "But even if there were two, you'd still be my favorite. Though, I sense you'd likely devour whatever competition you might have." It was an interesting thought — Lindsey having competition. There was something in that that he almost wanted to ask her. Lindsey was exactly like the rest of them, society through and through and then pitted against her peers to succeed over them. "Some times, when something's not for sale, it's good to just wait until it's ready to be sold," Rhett said with a smile that covered his face. He was quite good at inquiring about offers and letting someone believe there might be a deal there, but Lindsey was far sharper than the people they dealt with on a daily basis here. "I'm more interested in knowing if your parents forced you through a cotillion and if so, did you devour the others?"

“I wasn’t aware that you had other membership officers to choose from,” she returned with a smirk. More often than not, Lindsey found herself attending one event or the other. Although they weren’t all formally work related, Lindsey’s job never truly ended seeing as she was always tasked to be dazzling and hypnotic — the kind of temptation that would lure unsuspecting business owners into the web that was Obsidian Holdings. She was grateful, then, for the few moments that were too few and far between where she could interact with people who allowed her to be slightly less dazzling. Rhett was one such person. She was under no illusions that the people with whom she worked were sharks — the kinds of creatures capable of sniffing out and exploiting even the most minuscule of weaknesses — but there was something almost intoxicating about working with someone who reeked of competency. “I had no intentions of parting with that particular piece,” Lindsey admitted, one shoulder lifting elegantly, “but I think I can be convinced for the right price.”

[rhetthawkins]

"Not one someone should die over," Rhett gave her a sidelong glance. It was his own way of alluding to there being other methods to get what they needed done, done. This wasn't how business was supposed to be conducted. This wasn't the land grab where people had to bleed for the land they were on. Even if it was starting to feel like it. "I appreciate it," he said to the part of not boring him with the details. There was a lot there — a lot that Rhett was working to understand and also uncover.

If Oceanview was the example of how the Santiagos did business, Rhett had an issue with that. The profit margins were great, and while everyone wanted to get the best deal ever, Rhett also didn't like feeling like he was robbing from someone's mouth when they might need the meal so to speak. Now was no different. "This is going to be a nightmare if this gets out, Christ." Which meant, Rhett knew they were playing with fire on when not if it got out. If the CPR did their job, their skin might be saved. One this was certain, Hector was playing a dangerous game. Rhett wasn't entirely certain that he wasn't going to get them all thrown in jail.

~~*~~

Chuck's boss didn't have half the training or experience that she did and yet, he always seemed to know when she was waiting for him. It had sort of become a game to her and she smiled as she pulled a chair closer to his desk and sat down. While she did Hector's bidding, she always preferred Rhett. More so because of his father than anything but it was still that familiarity. "So far," she added with a tilt of her head. He was well aware that there were more missing people and that they were likely bodies somewhere. Bodies that Chuck was responsible for. She wasn't stupid enough to make the same mistake that other had made and assume she was completely safe. She kept insurance. She wasn't shy about letting Hector know that when he had sent her after Alicia either. If he was willing to get rid of her, he was willing to get rid of Chuck. Unless she had something protecting her.

"Well I won't bore you with the details, boss. I know how you prefer to leave those to me. Plus there's that whole plausible deniability thing." It was as close to an admission as he was going to get but, if their history of communication was anything to go off of, he would likely take it. "Plus, last I heard, trespassing was a crime."

[rhetthawkins]

Rhett wished he was settled in. “I’ve got a place, if that’s what you mean. But I don’t feel settled.” It was a rare moment of vulnerability that Rhett showed. It was a combination of the cat purring away in his lap and the fact that Joel was family. Probably the only family that actually cared for him. This town, the company being here, it all made Rhett feel uneasy. Like it was some coordinated attacked against who he was, or them trying to expose Rhett for the red dirt boy he was at his roots. Camelot could easily come crashing down.

"I see the potential in this town, I came from here, but Hector's a fuckin' maniac." Rhett let the swear loose in his lips. Rhett was around the same circles as Alicia, he heard rumors of the means she would use to get ahead. Nothing was ever confirmed, but she definitely wasn't someone who wasn't going to win. "You ever think he's bitten off more than he can chew, or this is like, personal now?"

“I didn’t know that, but I’m not surprised that you know that. You’ll have to tell me about the other statistic later,” Joel said. When it came to Rhett, Joel felt like he was talking to his sister. Mar and Rhett had similar personalities and traded statistics like playing cards. The difference was Mar had nothing to prove. She didn’t work in the family companies and had her complete trust fund at her fingertips from eighteen onwards. Joel was sure if their mother hadn’t married their father their reality would look different. Their mother’s side of the family was less generous when it came to money. Needless to say, Rhett was hungry in a way that wasn’t completely unlike Alicia Santiago. Rhett, hopefully, knew to not cross the line.

At Rhett’s joke, Joel’s eyebrows rose. “It is very, ‘You come on my daughter’s wedding day and ask me to murder for money.’” He took a drink from his coffee before leaning over to pick up a random cat. The cat dangled for a moment as boneless as a slinky. Once Joel got the tabby in his lap, he nodded over at Rhett. “Are you all settled in now? I am this close,” he motioned with his hand, “to moving into that house you showed me.”

[rhetthawkins]

starter for @joel--montgomery

at pastry paws

Rhett was reader, and he wasn't ashamed of it. He'd become quite the patron of the cat cafe, and even had a favorite cat. Said cat was now curled up in his lap while Rhett devoured a Louis L'Amour book. Adrian would have called it research — which is was a bit. Rhett understood the people of Paxton better than he'd admit, coming from here. He understood the pull of the agricultural world, the romance in cowboys and westerns.

However, he always found the romance funny because the idea of having to feed in sub-zero weather, break water troughs, pull calves in a snowstorm... there wasn't romance to it. It sucked. He watched his cousin sit down next to him, a cat immediately rubbing against him. "Did you know that seven percent of Americans thing chocolate milk comes from brown cows? There's another woeful statistic in there about the diary industry and the power of money and media, but I don't need to tell you that."

Rhett put the book down and placed a bookmark in it. His hands fell the onyx colored cat, that cracked a single green eye at him, and then returned to dozing. "This makes me feel like a super villain. Petting a cat and about to talk world domination," Rhett snorted.

[rhetthawkins]

starter for @lindseyxgallagher

at Desert Bloom Winery

Rhett had a love-hate relationship with these sort of events. The hate came in because he hated wearing a suit, however he loved to be social so here he was. Plus he got to see Lindsey. "If it isn't my favorite Membership Officer," Rhett said with a smile. Rhett and Lindsey worked together quite a bit. He found her easy to work with, and while he was able to provide her stats on the property value, letting her run her own way made his job a lot easier. The benefit of having someone capable in the role.

Despite his rise through the company, Rhett was far from a dark horse — even if that little detail was kept out of the majority of the people within Obsidian. Rhett suspected that if anyone knew, it was The CIO, and of course, Joel. Family picnics, and all. "I heard a vicious rumor that you were redecorating your home. You planning on parting with that van der Rohe chasse lounge? I know an excellent home, if so." Rhett paused. "My office, that is."

[rhetthawkins]

starter for @chuckcharlesley

at Obsidian Holdings Paxton Corporate Space

Rhett had a folded newspaper and a cup of coffee in his hands as he walked into his office. He more so felt Chuck's presence than saw her as he moved to sit down at his desk. The Paxton Round Up was a sight to behold. He'd heard through the grapevine that people were starting to look into the absolutely shit show that happened at Oceanview apartments. He didn't actually look at her, because he was reading the paper and said, "Well, to say we're on thin ice is the understatement of the fuckin' year."

Finally Rhett looked upward. There were a lot of questions there. He wanted to ask Chuck what they were going to find when it came to Oceanview, but Rhett knew the answer. Bodies. So instead he tilted his head to her direction. "This the second dead body we've got." Not to mention however many others were at the mercy of Chuck and whatever bullshit the CCO had planned. "We just killin' people now?" He needed to know.