Trumped

By David Spohn

Can life be more perfect for Brent Shannon? Absolutely not, until it unravels and proves itself to be a fraud. Richmont Corp. President Ben Voorhees announces the promotion of Brent’s boss, Marlene Wolff. Her successor will be announced within a week. Brent is shocked and foresees a coming titanic change, but he is ill-prepared for its magnitude and destructive power. Brent is filled by two passions: His wife, Annette, fulfills his emotional self, and his career fuels his intellectual and competitive self. Eight years earlier, his workaholism had caused a bitter separation. Part of reconciliation was Brent’s promise that family would always trump career. The knowledge that he is a candidate for Marlene’s job is a magnet to his ambition, but he knows Annette will have none of the increased work commitment that the promotion would require. Although disappointed, Brent sees no career risk in not seeking the bigger job. But, how little he sees. Brent discovers that the other candidate, Paul Kruger, is driven to destroy him. Brent discounts this until Kruger’s first attack. Reality strikes—he must defeat Kruger or lose his career. This decision throws Brent, unprepared, into a world of corporate intrigue, overshadowed by a demonic foe. Simultaneously, he is stunned by the unmasking of his wife’s utter distrust and lack of faith in him.