Round 3 Protagonist Background Story

This Takes Place Four Years before the Novel.

It's seven pm and Prudence Sternwood is doing what she is always doing at this hour of the evening!! That is working.
Her cell phone rings and she sighs in annoyance at the number showing up.

"Hello Gretchen"

"We need you to come down to the farm!". The female voice gruff and gravelly from chain smoking.

"Gretchen. Surely you can tell me down the phone. I'm very busy. I've a twelve year old daughter at home, I see little enough as it is without driving an hour out to Yonkers".

"YOU NEED TO GET YOUR FAT ASS DOWN TO THE FARM NOW PRUDENCE!"

This comment galls Prudence as she clenches her soft chubby palms into fists "Gretchen!! I'm warning you do not speak to me like that."

"THIS IS IMPORTANT PRUDENCE"

Prudence places the palm of her plump right hand on her forehead in frustration "Gretchen!! I'm extremely busy. Can you please tell me what it is?"

"I CAN'T!!. YOU HAVE TO COME TO THE FARM TONIGHT!!"

Prudence removes her thick glasses and rubs her tired sore eyes "Fine. Though it will be nine pm before I am there and this better be important".

"OH!! IT IS PRUDENCE, IT IS". Gretchen hangs up.

Prudence places her glasses back on and gingerly rises from her expensive brown leather executive chair. Her joints creak from the exertion of lifting her two hundred and eighty pound body. She buttons up her tailor made black pin stripped suit jacket concealing her extensive stomach and slowly waddles out of her office. Her husband Donald's office is a mere ten metres away. Each step quickly feels to get heavier and heavier as her five foot three frame struggles to carry its payload. Her Daily exercise consisted of no more than short walks like this, which easily exhausted her. She was glad to have an aupair that could run around after her daughter. She enters the office of her husband Donald.

Donald is fifty eight; eight years older than Prudence. He looks up from behind his pc as he adjusts his dark navy tie around the collar of his white shirt.

"Donnie. Can you be at home after eight and relieve Lauren. I've to go out to the farm!".

"Yeah Sure Pru!!. Why have you to go out there?"

"I don't know Donnie!!. Gretchen won't tell me. Says I need to go tonight".

Donnie plays with the Windsor knot in his tie "Surely it can wait until tomorrow or can be done over the phone! Do you want me to go?"

"No thanks. I won't inflict the pain of dealing with them upon you. Bitch had the gall to call me fat ass. Imagine that!"

Donnie shakes his head in disgust. "I don't know why you put up with them. If they were my cousins; and they spoke to me like that I would fuck them off the farm for good".

"I know Donnie but for mums sake I won't. Anyways! it is what it is. I better go back it will be eight before I can leave here, so I better finish up".

"Okay Pru. Don't worry I will get home to Arabelle. Take no shit from them!"

"Oh I won't. I assure you that much. For God sake Donnie button up your top collar button and straighten your tie."

Donny sighs in disbelief "Prudence their is hardly anyone left in the office!"

"Doesn't matter!! While we're in this office we set the tone from the top and that includes constantly professionally attired.

"There!! happy now Love?"

Prudence smiles "Yes I am. I better go back now. Chat when I get home."

"Is it okay if I remove my tie at home" jokes Donnie.

Prudence smiles again "On condition I get a shoulder and back massage"

"It's a deal!".

Prudence turns around and makes her way back to her office.


At eight fifteen pm Prudence begins her journey to the McClure family farm in Yonkers. The farm her mother grew up on. The farm was left to her mothers late brother John. When John passed the farm was left to his son Steven. Steven ran the farm to the ground , took out various loans and used the farm as collateral. It wasn't long before the banks came calling for their money. Rather than losing the farm, Prudence struck a deal and bought it. Invested in green houses for organic produce for fruit and veg and honey. She invested in the best of livestock and the farm was making money again.

She wanted rid of the McClures but she would not see her eighty year old aunt homeless and agreed that they could stay there, with Steven managing the farm. Stevens sister Gretchen hated Prudence. She continuously mocked her over her weight and would make anonymous phone calls to her and not say anything when Prudence would pick up. How Prudence wished she didn't have a conscience and just turfed them out.

Prudence drives her silver three year old Mercedes Benz GLE SUV into the forecourt of the McClure family farm. From a barn housing two John Deere tractors appears a thin athletic woman, two years younger than Prudence, five foot seven in height, wearing blue jeans and a red check shirt with the sleeves rolled up. In her mouth a cigarette. She strides at speed towards Prudence's luxurious car.

Prudence rolls down her car window "Gretchen. Can we make this quick please"

Gretchen lowers her head down to the car window level, removes the cigarette from her mouth and blows smoke into the face of Prudence.

Prudence feels her airwave tighten forcing her into a throaty cough "For goodness sake Gretchen; I've bad asthma" She wheezes.

"Get out Prudence!"

Prudence continues to cough as she fans the smoke away from her. From the centre car console, she opens a bottle of water and takes three mouthfuls. "Gretchen, you can tell me here what it is. I'm not getting out of the car"

"Get out Prudence"

"Gretchen!! I'm an extremely busy woman. I want to get home to my daughter I haven't seen since I left at seven am this morning. So either you tell me now or I'm driving out that yard and I will then appoint an agricultural consultant to monitor the farm and I will make sure they micro manage you to the core."

"Those entrance gates are electric Prudence. Are you going to drive you fancy car through them? I think not. So get out".

Prudence sighs in annoyance as she unbuckles her seat belt "Fine Gretchen but make it quick". She unlocks the car door and lumbers out. Gretchen openly smirks at the corpulence of Prudence.

"You need to cut down on those fancy business lunches Prudence!"

Prudence adjusts her glasses on her nose. She is outraged by this comment "Gretchen. I am here on a business capacity and as such you are my employee. So I suggest you watch your words".

Gretchen removes the butt of the cigarette from her mouth, throws it on the ground and stamps her right booted foot on it "Follow me"

"Please do not litter my farm" fumes Prudence.

Prudence waddles behind unable to keep up with Gretchens pace. Joint pain cuts through her which; forces her to maintain an unhurried pace. She follows behind into the barn housing the two John Deere tractors. She covers her mouth and hawk shaped nose with her left hand, in an attempt to keep the dusty air from filling her airway. However this proves feeble as she can feel the dust tighten her throat. She fears an asthma attack. To the right is an office which Gretchen already has entered, but Gretchen is not laden with Prudences weight. How she hated knowing how much joy Gretchen gets from seeing her struggle and promises to start exercising. Something she promises easy day.
Prudence enters the office gasping hard. Her lungs feel like she has swallowed a bag of cement as they strain to collect enough oxygen. In it is six foot, forty eight year old male with dyed black hair wearing blue overalls. In the office is a battered wooden table which has on it is a brown A4 envelope.

"Hello Steve" gasps Prudence as she brushes off dust from suit jacket. "Okay guys. what's up?"

An evil smile crosses the face of Steve as he lifts the envelope and slowly withdraws a large A4 photo from it and places it on the table.

Prudence grinds her teeth in anger at the photo. Her breathing wheezes heavily as she draws deep breaths from her lungs. Her chest begins to pain, she places her plump right hand inside her suit jacket in an attempt to massage it.

"YOU BASTARDS" she wheezes.

She stares at the photo in horror. Her head expertly photoshopped onto the body of a naked obese lady wearing nothing but a black silk bra and matching knickers who lies on a bed with a muscular man half her age.

'YOU BASTARDS!!'. She reaches out for the photo but it's swiped off the table by Steve before she can grab it. 'Ah ah Prudence"

Prudence begins shaking while her heart pounds rapidly.

"You bastards. After all I've done for ye" She fumes.

Steve dangles the photo on front of her from a distance "You done nothing for us. You could of given us the money for the farm".

Prudence lets off a chesty laugh "Give you the money, don't make me laugh. You would spend it all on hookers and booze".

Gretchen lights up another cigarette. "Four hundred thousand dollars by tomorrow night Prudence or else!"

Prudence fumbles in her handbag, removes an inhaler and takes 3 puffs "Are you blackmailing me Gretchen?"

Gretchen places her right arm around Prudences broad shoulders which sends shivers through her spine "Have a look in the corner over there. See those boxes. They are all copies of those photos".

Steve opens one box unable to suppress the grin on his face. Sure enough are many more copies of the photo "Image the reaction of your neighbours Prudence when they open their mail to see one of these. What would the Lees think or the Rubinsteins or what about Doctor Kelly. I can name more neighbours if you like?"

Prudence removes her right hand from inside her suit jacket and rubs both hands fingers through her shoulder length brown hair "Are ye trying to give me a heart attack. Ye are sick"

Gretchen places her right palm on Prudence's left shoulder and begins to squeeze it "You're so tense Prudence. Imagine the reaction of that spoilt brat of yours when she gets to school to see that photo plastered all over the school walls, school play ground, school yard, in fact everywhere in the school."

Steve removes a sheet of paper from the box "Tell me Prudence do you recognise these email addresses [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail] or even your own [e-mail], I can send it to you too. In fact I've a load more of your colleagues email addresses I can send it to?

Prudence groans in pain as a sharp pain shoots through her abdomen. The stress of the experience adding to the pain flowing from her ankles right through her back.

"You bastards!" She closes her eyes and attempts three deep breaths to control the pain but her pressured lungs can only manufacture three shallow ones which doesn't provide the relief required.

"How did you get those?" Hisses Prudence "If someone gave them to you I will find them and I will fire them"

Steve lets off a fake laugh "Oh Prudence. For a city hotshot you are slow. It's easy! Just get one and then check Linkedin and get more names. So easy".

Prudence eyes begin to water "You won't get away with this"

Gretchen removes the cigarette from her mouth and stumps it out on the table top. She removes her cell phone from a rear pocket and flicks through it with her left hand "Let me show you something Prudence".

Prudence massages her tummy with her left palm as she squints in fury at the small cell phone screen as it reveals a fake social account in her name with the photo. "You see Prudence. This account in your name is already to go out to every relative and they all can enjoy this rather unflattering photo of you!"

"It's not me Gretchen, this is ID theft, extortion, blackmail, do you want me to continue?"

Gretchen laughs "I don't really care if you do. All you have to do is not tell the police, give us the money and none of this will happen"

Prudence extends her hands out " Ye have really outdone yourselves this time. IF, IF I give ye the money how can I be guaranteed that ye destroyed all of these".

Steve sighs "Prudence you're a businesswoman. Look upon this as a business transaction. A transaction that who knows maybe it will or maybe it won't have to paid again. It's really up to you. You don't need the stress and humiliation of this photo out in the public domain"

Prudence removes her glasses and wipes her teary eyes and places them back on again. A taste of bile travels through her mouth "You bastards, you sick, sick bastards".

Gretchen rubs the palm of her right hand around Prudence's plump red flush cheeks "Oh Prudence. You will be the sick puppy when your neighbours laugh every time they see you. When you have to move your spoiled brat to another school to stop the taunts of her former friends. How about when their is a family occasion?
You will be too embarrassed to appear or how about work?
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm every time you leave the canteen or walk through your office floor and hear people laughing you will be wondering, is it the photo they are laughing at? Pay the money Prudence, pay the money"

Prudence swipes Gretchens palm away from her face and steps away. "Ye might think ye have come up with a smart plan." cries Prudence as she points her right index finger between them. "Let me tell ye, I am well able to handle extortion, blackmail and stupid bullies".

She then turns to Gretchen "Someone has been making anonymous calls to me. I assume this person gets a good laugh but they don't scare me. You see I'm not stupid. I know who it is and I am just bidding my time."

Gretchen grins "Bidding your time before what?"

"Before I call the police and through every law in the book at them under harassment".

Gretchen laughs out hysterically "Sounds scary. Now Prudence you better go and get us our money".

Prudence turns, her lungs now feel like she is breathing through a straw. Her chest pains with every breath, she worries her blood pressure is high. She lumbers back into her Mercedes, shaking. "No" she whines. Her bottle of blood pressure pills empty. She says a silent prayer she'll make it home.

At ten forty five pm her car stops right in front of the large oak door to her New Jersey mansion. Her chest pains non stop, as she struggles to catch her breath. She makes an attempt to get out of the car but she fears she'll collapse from the dizziness in her head.

She connects her cell phone with blue tooth to the SUV and calls Donnie. Donnie is sitting inside watching the end of a Friends episode with their twenty two year old German Aupair Lauren.

"Hey Pru!" his tone confused "is that you outside?"

"Donny quick" pants Prudence "Bring me out my blood pressure tablets they're in my medicine cabinet."
In a matter of seconds Donny sprints out followed by Lauren. Both stare in horror at the physical condition of Prudence "Lauren, can you press speed dial one on the landline, its Dr Kelly and get him to come over'.

"Sure". Lauren turns and sprints back into the mansion.

Donny places two tablets into the mouth of Prudence and gently pours some water into her mouth "Hang in there love, Dr Kelly will be here soon"

Lauren comes back out "He is on his way".

"Just watch her for a moment Lauren". Donny runs in sets the automatic gates at status 'Open Permanently'. He runs up to their bedroom. Sets Prudence sleep apnoea respirator to battery mode and disconnects it from the wall socket and races down with.

He attaches the respirator over her mouth and nose. This extra oxygen flow brings welcome support to her lungs which felt like deflated balloons.

"Donny" she pants struggling to speak "Call the police".

The sound of Dr Kelly's bronco begins to intensify as it speeds up the long avenue. "Why Prudence, did they do something to you?"

"They are trying to extort four hundred thousand dollars from me" Doctor Kelly's Bronco now comes to a rapid halt behind Prudence's SUV "They have a fake photo of me naked in bed with a naked man probably half my age."

Doctor Kelly grabs Donny by the arm and forcefully moves him out of the way "Sorry Donny, I need to get in here".