Alpha Incorporated

IV - vi SUCH MEN OF SORTS AND SUITS

Charles Escalus' room is dark when Angelo walks in. The blinds are drawn and Angelo makes out Charles' face, illuminated by the chrome glow of his computer monitor. Angelo knows he has to tell Charles, and tell him now. He needs to come clean before this hits the press, but it looks like Charles might already be aware of things. The problem is, he doesn't know exactly what Charles knows, and Angelo is smart enough to not incriminate himself by revealing unnecessary information. If Escalus is aware of something, he needs to feel him out first, to see what he has on him, and how best to reveal the rest, if at all.

First, there is the matter with Isabella. He didn't intend to hurt her. Admittedly, he did use some unconventional negotiating strategies, but, after all, it was just business. She entered into the agreement with him knowing full well what the terms were. She had the option to back away a number of times. There were exit clauses built into their contract, each step of the way, yet she chose, freely, to proceed. Isabella, in fact, had renegotiated the terms to suit her own needs, to protect her ego, or self-esteem, or her conscience; she could rework the morality of it in her mind to keep her soul clean, if that was important to her. That is the difference between the law and morality: one can always justify the morality of an act but there is only one law. Justice is the degree to which the act conforms to the law, and therein lies Angelo's out. He can convince any judge that what he did was justified and therefore, legal. What happened was consensual, and he can prove it.

The problem, however, is that in order to present that evidence, he will need to disclose his actions. He will need to go public with matters he would rather keep private—that everyone would prefer be kept quiet. His experience in Law and his personal approach to confronting adversity has taught him that it is best to face things head on. Show your strong hand first. Like the time he was backed against the wall in that alley, those asshole Ginos, three-on-one chicken shits. He could have let them take a few swings first, then, suddenly and in a full-out fury of rage, surprised them with the moves he had learned in his martial arts training. He could have kept his rippled muscles hidden; his body, a toned fighting machine, could be unleashed at the exact instant to instil the greatest possible pain to his assaulters.

But that was never Angelo's style. Show what you got early on, call their bluff. Three guys push you against the brick wall behind a club, what do you do? You rip off your shirt, start howling like a mad dog, drop kick a dent into the dumpster, throw around a few trash cans, then lower your head, arch your back, bare your teeth and growl. Then see who is willing to take you on. Disclosure. It is all about disclosure. That is why he showed Isabella the notice of her brother's termination. Disclosure.

"Angelo." Charles Escalus says his name as though it is both a greeting and an accusation. It is a demand for an explanation.

"Hello Charles. Sorry about calling this last minute meeting, but it is important. I had to cancel my briefing of the Chester due diligence, and you know how strong I feel about that."

"Well, whatever you need to talk about might have to wait. We have got ourselves a little problem to deal with. Have a seat Angelo." Charles continues to read something on his computer. The glow of the screen reflects in Escalus's glasses, images dance across his forehead.

So, Angelo thinks, it could be that Isabella has come forward with an accusation against him. He doubts that. She is too meek, too tender to face the shame of going public about losing her flower to such a respected and eminent body as himself. And who would believe her anyway? She might speak against him, but reason would tell her otherwise; his authority bears a huge credibility in this world, one that this particular scandal can't touch. Plus, she has no proof. If he had given her brother his job back, like he had agreed, then there might be grounds to prove that there was some form of misappropriation of power. But Angelo had looked after that loose end by making sure that the matter of Claude Measures's termination was finalized well before their encounter.