#( the wheel picked edward from the company and now i'm in villain brain mode BUT ALSO-- )

[bailesona]

the entire family confounds him. he's seen their bank accounts. turned the numbers over and over personally. they're wealthy. remarkably so. and in edward mallory's professional and highly experienced opinion, it should stand to reason that they'd be living in some impeccably secure mansion, way out in the middle of nowhere, where nobody could find them. teams of lawyers, armies of guards, the most intimidating firewalls in existence. everything and anything to guarantee aisling's tiresome goal of keeping her family safe.

there are two rules here. two laws designed by herself and by the world at large. money is power. her family must be kept safe. the solution is right fucking there! christ, he could give her a rundown shack in the wilderness that would be better protected than the apartment they currently occupy. right in the public eye, twelve break-ins last year, the windows aren't even bullet-proof, and there's a bloody teenager responsible for their digital security. they should all be dead by now, or caught, or just inconvenienced in some way! surely!

and yet, they aren't. they're all perfectly fine. thriving, even. somehow, within this bright, messy, cozy home they've carved out of the city, this group of people have managed to stand toe-to-toe with then for well over two years.

and that's what confounds him. that's what has him slipping into their home at 3 in the morning, navigating the winding staircases until he leans heavily on his cane at the top, studying the corridor with a cool eye. when a dim light floods the hallway, and @theresastargirl emerges from one of the studies, he doesn't even flinch.

" right now, i'm only here to talk. make any move that changes that, and you'll never see the light of day again. "

STARTER CALL HERE.