Sugar sugar baby

[68] The bigger game

We walked in silence for a bit after leaving Vanessa's office parking lot, the guy leading the way like he knew exactly where he wanted to go. My mind was still reeling from everything that had just happened—the awkward, emotional encounter with Vanessa, and now this mysterious ex of hers, dropping vague hints about something bigger going on.

We ended up at a McDonald's a few blocks away. It was one of those dingy ones, a little rough around the edges, but I didn't care. I just wanted answers. We sat down at a booth in the back corner, away from the few other customers in the place. He glanced at me, his expression serious.

"Alright, man," he said, leaning forward. "First thing's first—turn off your phone."

I frowned, already feeling the skepticism rising in my chest. "Why do I need to turn off my phone?"

He gave me a hard look, his voice low and firm. "Trust me. Just do it. You don't want Vanessa knowing what we're talking about."

I shook my head, letting out a small laugh. "Come on, that's ridiculous. Why the hell would she—"

"I'm serious," he cut me off, his tone sharper now. "She's got hackers, man. People who can get into your phone, your accounts, your messages. She can track you, listen to you, control everything without you even knowing. Just turn it off."

I stared at him for a moment, feeling the absurdity of what he was saying. But something about the look in his eyes—the intensity, the rawness—made me pause. With a sigh, I pulled out my phone, powered it down, and set it on the table between us.

"Alright," I said, crossing my arms. "Phone's off. Now what the hell is this about?"

He leaned back, his expression relaxing a bit now that I'd done what he asked. "Good. Now we can talk."

I shook my head again, still skeptical. "Hackers? Seriously? This sounds like some paranoid bullshit."

He smirked, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You'd think so. Until you realize what she's capable of."

I raised an eyebrow. "And what exactly is she capable of?"

He glanced around the nearly empty restaurant before leaning in again, his voice low. "Let me ask you something. Since you and Vanessa split, have you had any jobs go south for no reason? Like, you're doing fine, everything's good, and then—bam—you're out on your ass?"

I frowned, the question hitting a little too close to home. "Yeah... a couple times, actually. But that doesn't mean—"

"That's her," he interrupted, his tone matter-of-fact. "Vanessa makes sure you can't get back on your feet. She cuts off your opportunities, makes it impossible for you to be financially independent. She keeps you under her thumb, even after you're out of her life."

I stared at him, feeling a mix of disbelief and anger rising in my chest. "That's fucking ridiculous. Why would she do that?"

He shrugged, his expression darkening. "Control. Power. She doesn't want you or me or anyone else she's been with to be able to stand on their own. She wants us dependent on her. It's all a game to her, man. She pulls the strings, and you dance whether you know it or not."

I shook my head, trying to wrap my mind around what he was saying. "That doesn't make any sense. Why would she go through all that trouble?"

The guy leaned in closer, his voice almost a whisper now. "Because it's about control. You think she's just some rich woman who gets what she wants because she's got money? Nah, man, it's deeper than that. She's got powerful friends—politicians, businessmen, tech moguls. People who owe her favors. And she uses them to keep people like us in line."