Esmeralda, much to his ongoing frustration, was a permanent partner in several of his business ventures, and she continued to cast out her spider webs in hopes of snaring him. He managed to get untangled from some of their joint business ventures, but he was stuck in others. And soon he realized that she was going to try to capture him no matter what the cost to their businesses. She didn’t care about money except as a symbol of winning, like many of the very rich. And if there was another symbol—or object, or person—that represented victory, she would spend whatever it took, even if it was a bad business decision considered objectively. That was his weak spot. For him, business considerations overcame almost everything else.
As he realized that she was trying to maneuver him into legal v
