Posers

Phil Stanton's Rise and Fall

For Phil Stanton the rise to the top of the corporate ladder was meteoric. He had accomplished in two years what it took others to achieve over many years of extensive effort and sacrifice. For Phil, the voyage seemed as though it was orchestrated by some sort of Karmic influence, one that guided him through every step of progression without a single glitch along the way. But now everything was about to collapse around him.

As he gazed at the panoramic view outside his executive suite window, he couldn't help but feel as though some supernatural negative force had taken over his life and plunged him into the depths of despair. Phil's wife Taylor was his most ardent supporter, always pressing him to be more aggressive, more opportunistic for advancement. Taylor reveled in the sweet life Phil had provided and her thirst for status and a materialistic lifestyle was one of the incentives that pushed Phil to reach the pinnacle of advancement for the corporation that employed him.

His insatiable desire to become a senior vice president had finally been satisfied and now all may have been for naught. Things were changing dramatically as he began feeling a sense of vulnerability. For several months Phil had been plagued with an abdominal discomfort that eventually transformed into a nagging pain. This was the turning point in Phil's career, his life, his marriage; his confidence and his self-esteem were crushed.

He hit rock bottom but a most unorthodox alliance formed during his medical treatments helped resurrect his life and lead to an attempt at committing one of the most infamous crimes in California history.