Vinson's grin vanished as Bryan and Arwah left his office. He arose from his leather chair and walked towards the reflective glass window, watching them leave the building and drive away. He'd been expecting the authorities to pay him a visit, knowing too well the impact of his strategy, the calculated effect of his messages on the populace, and the ignorance of those in charge, who thought they had everything figured out.

Becoming the most influential public figure was his goal. People at this point in time were easily herded, simply by feeding them the right crumbs of information. They would blindly follow the leads that had been predetermined for them, and walk the path that had been paved for their minds to believe.

Vinson walked over to the office door. He turned the golden knob and exited the room into the empty corridor. He marched his way to the end of the hall and stopped in front of an ornamented wall panel that held a carving of a life-sized Vitruvian man, its palms facing forward. He placed his hands on their golden counterparts, and an invisible door slid open, revealing a single passenger elevator. The elevator moved two stories below, to a basement no one knew existed. His underground sanctuary.

Coldwell switched on the operating system and stood in front of the holographic computer monitor. It was easy to learn every bit of detail about anyone he wanted. The data would already be chronicled. He'd done a quick browse before Muster entered his office, but he needed his advanced database to delve into that man's background and absorb his whole history. Knowing the history gave him reign over the present.

That arrogant detective had to understand how ignorant and insignificant he really was.

No one defies Vinson Coldwell... No one.

*****

Bryan was seeing red as he drove off. He choked the steering wheel with his hands, ruminating over what Coldwell had said.

He didn't believe in those so-called psychic abilities, precognition, foreknowledge, or whatever the hell they called them, but that lunatic had hit a raw nerve when he mentioned his daughter, and it had taken every ounce of self control not to grab him by the collar and punch the hell out of him.

Bryan knew he hadn't interviewed him properly, it was a mistake when he'd let his personal feelings get the best of him. But how could he predict such a situation? How could he not be affected?

He needed to keep tabs on Coldwell, look into his background, research all the information he could find. Google, YouTube, Facebook, whatever it took to nail the bastard.

"Are you okay?" Arwah interrupted his thoughts.

Bryan wasn't sure what to say. Lying wasn't his cup of tea.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" She urged.

"I'm waiting for your analysis."

"Oh, my analysis?" She seemed surprised. "Well, I think he's crazy."

"That makes two of us."

"And gosh, he's too good-looking." She sighed, shaking her head. "It's like DiCaprio and Pitt had a baby."

Bryan wrinkled his nose. "Fascinating."

"That's just a side note."

"Oookay."

Arwah chuckled awkwardly. "Hands down, he's a narcissist. He's got the grandiose tendencies. 'I am the paragon of human perfection' bit, and his face is glued to everything in the building. He just loves the attention and the admiration." She took a deep breath to continue, "notice all his workers are blonde and pretty and calling him Master Lord! He surrounds himself with things and people he believes reflect his own superiority."

"So he believes he's perfect?"

"Not in the least." She jutted her lips. "Behind the glamorous image, there's always a fragile self-esteem. An empty shell. It's all just a charade."

"For what?"

"We'll have to find out. Everyone has a weakness, and hopefully finding his will help us make the right decisions to deal with him."

"Sounds good to me."

"But we should be careful. Someone like him could be dangerous. Especially when someone defies him."

"I see." Bryan's jaws clenched. "You mean I should be careful."

"When you challenge a narcissist, they take it personally. It becomes their mission to retaliate."

"So what now? I have a target on my back?"

"Possibly. He might want to get even."

"Well, I'm ready for it."

"Actually, you're not. We need to work on his background. Study his reactions. Learn more about his capabilities."

Bryan narrowed his eyes, trying not to be annoyed. "He's just a man, Williams. He doesn't really have superpowers."

"You never know..."

"You've got to be kidding me."

"I'm just trying to consider all the possibilities."

"You really believe he's a psychic, don't you?"

"It's just one way to explain how he knew about your sick daughter, even though he didn't expect our visit."

Bryan veered off the road abruptly and pulled over to the curb. He just couldn't tolerate everyone bringing up his daughter into the wrong conversations. Nobody had the right to mess with his personal life.

"You still want to drive?" He growled.

"Uh!" Arwah was stumped, taken aback by his sudden mood shift

"You drive, I'll take a cab." He got out of the car and slammed the driver's side door.

Striding across the street to hail a taxi, he left a speechless Arwah trying to analyze his unusual attitude.

****

Bryan finally arrived home after what seemed like the longest day at work. He hung his coat up and shuffled inside the house, looking for his safe haven. The light of his life. His daughter.

"Bree, daddy's home," he announced, already feeling the weight of the day slacking off.

"Quiet, Bryan, she's having a nap," his wife whispered, peeking out of their daughter's bedroom. She sneaked out of the room, keeping the door ajar.

Bryan gave his wife a peck on the cheek and went to sneak a peek at Aubree, sleeping soundly in her bed. A real angel, pure and beautiful.

"How's she?"

"Still tired. It takes a while to recover after a major one."

"Did she eat something?"

"Not much, but she'll be okay."

Bryan took in the dark circles around Jane's eyes. "We'll order her favorite pizza when she wakes up."

"That'll be nice." Jane's lips curved into an exhausted smile. "She asked about you after you left this morning... Said she wanted to tell you something."

"What is it?"

Jane shrugged.

"Daddy?" Aubree's tiny voice asked from inside the room.

"I'm here, sweetheart." Bryan pushed the door and strode across the room to hold his daughter into a careful bear hug.

Aubree straightened to wrap her little arms around his neck. "Daddy, guess who came to see me?"

"Who?" Bryan turned his gaze to his wife inquisitively. Her eyebrows flew up.

"Grandpa John!" Aubree sounded excited.

"You mean grandpa Will?" He looked at his wife again. Jane's father visited often, but she shook her head.

"No. Grandpa John. Your daddy," his daughter explained.

Bryan froze still. It was impossible his father had visited. He died when Bree was three.

****

In-chapter prompt:

'Two characters go separate ways after an argument '