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.

At least that is what he once thought, but the tables seemed to have turned. The other morning he thought he had killed her. That was not part of the bargain, certainly. He wasn't supposed to hurt her. He wanted her to love him, that was what he really wanted. But she reminded him so much of Mariana. Her smell, mainly, but the feel of her skin. And her taste, when he was bent over her, his lips on her back.

But she wouldn't respond. He was tender, he thought: his touch, gentle; his voice, soft. He really tried to make her first time with him pleasurable. But she didn't move. It was like she was doing it on purpose, intentionally trying to make him mad, like she knew exactly what would set him off. And it worked.

When Angelo ran from his room, down to the garage and jumped into the Lamborghini, he was in a panic. When he returned, later that morning, he expected to see Isabella's half-naked body on his bed, sprawled, dead. He thought long and hard about this during his drive and as he sat in his car, watching the ocean. He decided that even though he had the position, the power and the connections to make this problem go away—he still had enough pull in the old neighborhood to bring in a clean up crew—that this isn't how he rolls now. He decided that because he made the mess, he would deal with the dirt himself. He would disclose all, come clean, and throw himself at the mercy of the judge. He would let his fate be measured against the law.

But, of course, there was no dead Isabella on his bed. She was nowhere to be seen. He knows that no one came in and removed her body, as the security log only shows one door had opened by someone on the inside three minutes after he left for his drive. And now he knows that he is being played. He is being forced either to deny or disclose. He will choose the latter.

"Listen, Charles, it is important that you understand what I have to tell you. Can you just close that screen for a minute?"

Charles looks over the monitor to Angelo. He can see the furrow of his brow and reads the anguish in the lines of his face. Maybe he already knows, maybe he has been tipped off already.

"I need to fill you in on something, give you a head's up, before it goes public. You and the Board are going to need to decide what to do about it. I will, for once, stay out of it and do what I am told to do."

Charles touches a button on his keyboard and the glow of the screen goes black. The lights in the office increase and the blinds automatically open. Escalus rolls his chair to the side and places his forearms on his desk, facing Angelo. He has got his attention now.

"Charles, you know that I trust you, and that I respect your opinion. I always have. So, I need to tell you some things, things that may cause you to think differently about me. Things that I am not particularly proud of. Things that we really would prefer not become public information."

Escalus has a look of interest, concern, and maybe even pity. His low voice is calm. "Okay, Angelo, what is it?"

Angelo pauses, takes a deep breath, and begins. "While I understand that there is a public role to be played by a man in my position—unlike Vincent, I am not afraid of the spotlight—I do take steps to keep my personal life private. Especially when it comes to women. Some public figures like to play up the bad boy, playboy schtick, but not me. I would rather be seen as ruthless in the boardroom, not the bedroom. So, I take precautions. You know me, always about risk management. So you also know that before I date a woman, I have her enter into a non-disclosure agreement. Standard Operating Procedure, like with the Navy Seals. The last thing I want is a celebrity gossip show doing a kiss and tell segment with some bimbo. We saw that with my break-up with Mariana, the media doesn't always take the side we want."

"Yes, but we managed to spin that to our advantage, thanks to you, Angelo. But why are you telling me this? Do we have a sex scandal on our hands?"

"No, not necessarily. But it depends on how we handle it, I think." He can tell by the way Charles so calmly asked his question that this is not coming as a surprise to him. Charles knows something already, but wants to see how Angelo will handle it. Full disclosure, Angelo repeats to himself, full disclosure.

Angelo tells all. He explains how he has always felt the need to be the dominant one in a sexual relationship, how he enjoys the control and the power, how, for him, sex is about his partner submitting to his mastery. True ecstasy, he explains, comes from the release of one's will, the surrender of one's consciousness to their partner. To die, in a sense, and to be reborn in the arms of your lover is the greatest joy; it is the passion and transcendence of true love. Like in marriage, where the couple agree to no longer be two individuals, but one, it is a sacred covenant. Likewise, great sex is the relinquishing of one's life for the other. He is the facilitator, the conduit through which a woman is able to experience true release. And this, Angelo believes, is what he desires most when making love to a woman, to be that vessel. Through him, she can experience the rapture of surrender.

"And that is why they keep wanting me. That is the proof. I can physically fight with my partner, actually battle with her, until she can no longer move, until she is forced to submit to my power. She leaves, maybe bruised, maybe confused about how she could let herself fall like that, but, more often than not, I get a text message the next day about how amazing the sex was, and if we can get together again some time."

Angelo looks across to Escalus. He is trying to piece together where this is going, how this works into whatever it is that he knows. Charles's expression shows no judgement. "The problem is, Charles, that once I know that it is a game, once I know she will surrender willingly, and she is only play fighting, well, she loses her appeal. So I find myself looking for a new partner, someone with whom we can experience true passion."

"And why do you think that is our problem, Angelo?"

"Because, sooner or later, I might take it too far." He looks for Charles's reaction. A fine actor, this Charles Escalus. Stoic is how he is playing this scene, like Olivier or Jacobi in those old films he had to watch in school. "And I think Alpha needs to prepare its response, develop a preemptive strategy, should certain allegations come forward from an alleged victim, maybe claiming to be a victim of an assault."

"I see," says Escalus. "And I presume that there is a specific individual to whom you refer. But without knowing the details, in your opinion, what is the most prudent course of action for Alpha to take?"

"Release a statement saying that Alpha has been made aware by Mr. Lord himself, of a history of sexual aggression, and, while the corporation and its directors in no way agree with or condone this type of behavior, your legal counsel has reviewed the evidence, including video footage and signed agreements provided by Mr. Lord, and has determined that there is no breach of law nor any breach of contract. While Mr. Lord has offered his resignation, the Board of Directors of Alpha International Incorporated has full confidence in Mr. Lord's leadership of the company and that while his private activities do not reflect the values of Alpha, they have no effect on his ability to manage the company, and should remain private."

Escalus doesn't say anything. He turns and looks out the window. The silence is deafening. He stands, paces towards the window, and, facing the glass wall that overlooks the Alpha compound, speaks. Angelo only hears the reverberation of his voice, played back from the plate glass of the window. Escalus won't even face him.

"I thank you Angelo for your honesty and for coming forward with this information. And, as a friend and as Chairman of the Board, I am going to advise you to be aware that any statements or further disclosure may be made public and used as evidence, should there be a future investigation or hearing. Do you understand?"

"I do. But, honestly Charles, I don't know if this legal procedure is really necessary. I will be forthright and will disclose everything. I have the documents where the girls have agreed to not reveal anything; I have hard drives with hours of video evidence, recorded by cameras in my room, showing exactly what happened, showing how each of the girls implicitly consented to everything; I have kept each and every correspondence with them after the fact: text messages, Snapchats, emails. I don't think I, or Alpha, have anything to worry about."

"Other than, on one hand, the CEO of one of the world's most respected companies becoming the poster boy for sexual perversion, which won't help our standing with the Conservative Christian Right Wing Republican contact-wielders, and on the other hand, the word Alpha becomes synonymous with abuse and misogyny. I think we have a lot to worry about."

Now Charles Escalus turns and faces Angelo. His legs are spread apart, his hands move to his hips. Angelo has never seen him this tall before.

"Angelo, there are somethings going on of which you have not been made aware. First, I received an email from Vincent Duke. He intends to be here Monday."

"What? We just heard that he was meeting with the Dalai Lama or something. Every email he has written contradicted the other."

"Well, it seems as though he would like to meet with us, and a few others. He has asked me to pull together his multi-level committee to provide advice as to the best course of action."

"Do you mean his little restorative justice circle-jerk? Can he do that? Can he waltz back in here and take over?"

"Technically, no. However, should the Board be convinced that it is in the best interest of the shareholders to make changes to the executive, it could be done. And, remember, not only does Duke retain the majority of the shares, he also has given the discipline tribunal executive powers when it comes to removing employees. And an acting CEO is, after all, merely an employee working for the shareholders."

Angelo can't believe what he is hearing. His heart is pounding, his forehead burning. But he knows there is more. Escalus has his hand up, ready to interrupt him. He lets Charles speak.

"It gets worse for you Angelo. You and I are now going to leave my office, together. And when we leave here and go to the waiting room, you will see two men there. You will cooperate fully with them and you will answer whatever questions they have for you."

"What men Charles? What questions?"

"The detectives that are here to question you about the disappearance of someone named Isabella Measures."