BXBX NOVEL Chapter 91: Chapter 91: Execution Plan
Through that space, he could clearly see the figures of Summer and Sylvia, who he simply recognized as the girl from the first day. They were both wearing a uniform composed of a black skirt, white shirt, and red tie, and both wore it casually.
His curiosity got the better of him, so he decided to close the small space he created and listen in on what they were saying instead, using his enhanced senses.
By simply relaxing and trying to focus on their voices, he found success.
Meanwhile, down in the backyard, Summer and Sylvia walked toward one of the plain seating arrangements on the grass, composed of a single round table with surrounding chairs.
Summer reached the table first and tossed her bag on it before taking a seat and crossing her arms. Sylvia wasn't far behind and did as Summer did, but after sitting down, rather than crossing her arms in a similar fashion, she instead just leaned forward and looked at Summer with concern. "Hey… are you okay?"
"I'm fine, why wouldn't I be? Because two of my family members nearly died and no one thought to fucking tell me they were okay? No, why would I be upset about that," Summer sarcastically replied in an angry tone.
Sylvia just sighed and didn't immediately reply. Having been friends with Summer for quite some time now, she understood that there was drama in her family, especially between her and her mother. Because of that, she already knew that if she tried to reason with Summer while she was like this, it wouldn't lead to anything.
Rather, she instead gave support by listening.
And without her needing to say a word, Summer continued, "Do they think I don't care? I get that Donnie was hurt, but does that mean I don't deserve a fucking call or text to say they're alright? Especially when it's even on the fucking internet."
Back in Don's room, he moved away from the wall as he understood the gist of it. 'I guess they had a fight, but if the first day is anything to go by, that happens a lot here.'
Don could immediately imagine how such a sour relationship in the family could negatively impact his progress and more. 'That's going to be one of the more tricky obstacles to surmount. Making people be more favorable to me is one thing, but they'll really need to consider me as influential to affect their views on others strongly.'
Not thinking too deeply on this, Don shook his head and decided it was best to focus on his own relationships with them first while hoping for as many opportunities to fix any problems between the others.
So he walked back to the desk and picked up the pen before leaning in to continue writing. He started by writing the heading, "Aunt: Amanda," then wrote paragraphs below:
[First, I have to show interest. Amanda is the person I currently know least about in this house, so I'll need to engage with her more actively. On the first day, she enjoyed talking about her farm when not teasing me, so it must mean a lot. At the very least, it's something she's proud of.
My best chance is maybe joining her on her farm some days and expressing admiration for her lifestyle like the old young Don she was so close with.
Second, I need to be confident with her, the same way she is with me. Despite being so openly playful, she doesn't speak much about deep topics from what I see and is terrible with handling them; it's probably why Summer and Samantha still don't get along. If I can share the stories I share with Samantha with her as well, maybe I can make her open up.
If not, I lose nothing and maybe even show my growing trust in others to Samantha.
Lastly, I can offer help with chores or projects to demonstrate reliability and willingness to help her. Because what I won't do, another man eventually will, good intentions or not. Unlike Samantha, she doesn't have children, and Samantha will definitely keep encouraging her to settle down.]
After ending the last paragraph this time, he didn't stop and just moved his hand lower to write another heading which read, "Sister: Summer," before writing more paragraphs.
[Firstly, I need to use nostalgia. I have nothing to relate to with the current Summer, so I'll need to remind her of the good times we had as kids by sharing new experiences similar to them. At the same time, I need to form the bickering siblings dynamic we also had, just to show her that I haven't changed. Because as much as she looks like she's grown, she clearly misses the old much younger Don.
Secondly would be shifting the blame. Whether right or wrong, she doesn't seem to reason logically with people so long as she feels they're to blame for something. Taking into account what I just heard her say, she's more upset with Samantha than me, so it at least means she understands the reason I gave for my absence.
If I can keep her feeling that way by occasionally sharing some deep stories of Don's past, then I have a good chance of fully repairing what bond she had with Don by making her feel sympathy instead of resentment.
Lastly, I need to engage her interests. If I can show genuine interest in her hobbies and skills, then I can make her feel important and valued, which she obviously feels she isn't. Gary mentioned she was a computer genius in her own right, oddly enough, so I can start there.]
As Don finished writing the last paragraph, he found that he had very little room left on the piece of paper, so he moved it aside and put another piece of paper in front of him. He then immediately continued to write, starting with another heading that read, "Execution Summary," before moving to write paragraphs below.
[For the emotional aspect, I need to use guilt, flattery, and nostalgia to create emotional dependence. To balance this out, I'll need to occasionally and subtly hint at leaving so I can create a fear of loss.
For the plan to work really well, I need to isolate them to an extent. To do this, I'll have to undermine their relationships with others whatever way I can. Even better would be to create situations where I'm their primary source of emotional or practical support, making it harder for them to turn to others.
And finally, I need to control what information they learn about me. If I can do this using selective truth-telling and deceit, then I can present myself in the best possible light. To amplify this, it would be good if I earn negative information about those close to them and reveal it in some way.]
Don ended there and put the pen down on the desk before lifting the papers he wrote on up to his face. He briefly looked at them before nodding in satisfaction.
'Yeah, this will do nicely.'