HARRY Richards was the new Graphic Layout Artist at The Herald, the most popular newspaper in town. But on his first day at work, he could feel the resentment from the others that his presence there was not welcome. Dwayne Peterson was the Managing Director for the department, a position he held that caused him to be the object of envy from his assistant, Ronson James. Ronson was always in competition with Dwayne for anything at work, and hatred boiled in him because he always came second best. Liam Flaunders, who also worked in the Layout Department, was often overlooked by his colleagues and boss, as no one showed any confidence in him or his ability to work, so he kept to himself, but paid keen attention to the happenings going on around him.

Harry adjusted well to the hostile attitude he was constantly bombarded with from Dwayne and Ronson. It was Dwayne’s job to further train Harry in the job, but he handed the task over to his assistant, who also refused. So Harry had to learn as best he could, sneaking a glance over every now and again at Dwayne’s workstation to see how he did certain things. Harry soon became friends with Liam, who told him of the bitter rivalry between his two superior colleagues. But behind Liam’s friendliness towards Harry, there was a hint of jealously because even though he worked at The Herald three years ahead of Harry’s coming, it was the latter who was awarded the Deputy Assistant position within three months of his being on the job.

Dwayne and Ronson’s rivalry did not only concern work; it stemmed from a more personal issue. Tonica Patricks, an ex-employee of The Herald, was Dwayne’s wife but was previously Ronson’s fiancée.  Tonica, the General Manager’s daughter, worked as Information Technology Supervisor at the time of her relationship with Ronson but soon developed a close relationship with Dwayne after spending evenings together because of their both having to work late. This caused them to have many an intimate conversation and they soon came to realize that they liked the same things. Tonica, realizing that she was in love with Dwayne, broke off her engagement with Ronson to accept a proposal from the former.  And, not wanting to be caught up in the growing hostility between her two lovers, Tonica resigned from The Herald and became Dwayne’s wife. Ronson’s heart was broken, and he never forgave Dwayne for betraying him.

Alexis Samuels, the latest addition to The Herald staff, soon became the object of affection for many of The Herald men. The young, petite receptionist was cousin to O’Neil Ritter, a cameraman for the paper. O’Neil had warned his cousin of The Herald’s men, but Alexis ignored him and soon became obsessed with Dwayne. She had her eyes set on him and went all out to get him. She knew he was married, but that did not stop her seductive advances.

She flirted with him every opportunity she got, and even though Dwayne pretended not to notice her at first, she soon wore him down. Alexis and Dwayne started to have clandestine meetings at hotels around the city, and for the most part, it was an affair that became very intriguing for the lovers. Dwayne told Alexis that there was nothing to gain from the relationship except sex, but she told him that she was quite contented with what they currently had.

But their romance was not to remain hidden much longer. Dwayne received an envelope one day at work from a mysterious sender. In it contained pictures of him and Alexis during their sexual encounters. Dwayne was shocked and froze in his seat.  It was even more startling to him that Alexis quit her job the same day. Within minutes of his opening the envelope, his cell-phone rang. It was Tonica! She too had received an envelope containing the exact contents!

Tonica screamed at Dwayne over the telephone, and threatened to divorce him for his glaring infidelity. She was hurt that after all she had given up for him, he would deceive her in such a devastating way. Tonica made good her threat and further had Dwayne fired from his job. Dwayne’s career and reputation were ruined, but there was a smile on someone’s face.

In a dark corner of Grenville Park, two people were meeting. It was Ronson and Alexis. “Great job! Here’s the rest of your money,” Ronson said.

“Thank you; it was worth every dime,” Alexis replied. Ronson had paid Alexis to seduce Dwayne and have pictures taken of them and distributed to Tonica and Dwayne. It was even he that had secretly paved the way for Alexis to get a job at The Herald. Dwayne never suspected that Ronson knew Alexis before she started working at The Herald, as they had both previously agreed that they would keep their distance at work, and only exchange occasional greetings. It was sweet revenge for Ronson.

But his victory over Dwayne was to be subsumed by his own worries. Ronson was summoned to the General Manager’s office immediately after his arrival at work the next day. On the boss’ desk was a disk full of stories that were sent to the email address of The Herald’s major competitor, Daily News. There was also a cashed cheque for Ronson in the amount of $100,000 from the Daily News, as payment  for stories. Ronson swore he was innocent but the evidence against him was overwhelming, and he was fired for being a leak in the company. “Karma,” he thought.

But there at the city bank that day, a Herald employee was making a deposit of $100,000 into his bank account. It was Harry. He was the one that framed Ronson. He had formulated the scheme to eliminate Ronson from the job. He later celebrated by himself at work the brilliant execution of his plan.

Harry had a sister working at National Identification Headquarters, so it was not that hard for him to get a fake identification card with Ronson’s name on it. It was a beautifully executed plan, except for one minute detail that he did not cater for.

Liam, too, had connections with the National Identification Headquarters, and accidentally overheard from his cousin, who was Harry’s sister’s friend that also worked there, about Harry having an identification card with Ronson’s name on it. After hearing about the reason for Ronson’s termination, Liam figured out Harry’s scheme.

Instead of revealing the scheme to the General Manager, Liam decided to capitalise on it. He knew that Harry would be considered for the Managing Director position for the Layout Department, so he decided to blackmail Harry into declining the position, and recommended him instead. Harry had no choice; it was either that or lose his job completely and go to jail for committing fraud.

It was a done deal, but even though Harry and Liam thought that their conversation was secure, O’Neil stood listening, hidden behind the ajar door to the Layout Department. In his mind, he formulated a plan on how to use his new-found knowledge to his benefit. He had always wanted to work in the Layout Department, as he thought himself more qualified than most of the staff there. It ached him that he did not enjoy some of the benefits and opportunities that the Layout boys were afforded, even though he worked at The Herald longer that any of them. He was the lowest paid amongst the lot, and being a cameraman didn’t expose him to much. So he reckoned it was time for a change, and what better way to achieve it now that he knew such incriminating information. He envisioned himself already as the Managing Director for the department. 

The vicious cycle of deception was never to end… Many seeds of betrayal were planted, for each wanting to succeed the other. But with deception and lies, there is no happiness, only more deception and lies. “Betrayal does that…betrays the betrayer.”