THREE #2
“It’s only Beth in security. She knows the drill.
We had a great time watching that beautiful goddess give you an obscene hand gesture as you chased after her.
” Charles is practically howling now with laughter.
Jeeves’s shoulders shake as he tries to hide his amusement while getting his cardio in on the treadmill.
He’s got one thing right, Reilly is beautiful and an absolute goddess.
“What did you do anyway? I always thought you could charm the ladies,” Charles asks, wiping his hands on a napkin, and stuffs the packaging from his processed breakfast in a bag, looking around for a place to stash it without me seeing him not use the perfectly accessible bin.
“Nothing. I did nothing.” I grab the bag and get rid of it before he makes a mess.
“Maybe that’s the problem. I’ve told you all about prep work. You can’t just spit on it and stick it in.” He follows this with an unhelpful and, quite frankly, revolting visual explanation.
“You’re vulgar.”
“And you’re clearly a crap lay.” He shrugs at me, continuing to push my buttons.
“Why are you here?”
I take my place back on the weight bench and stare at the ceiling. I need a distraction from last night. Charles dragging on about the fuck up with Reilly isn’t helping me de-stress.
“Dad wants us over for a lunch meeting. I thought we’d arrive together. You know I can’t bear to be alone with him.” He’s avoiding my eye as he fiddles with the weight rack.
“He’s not that bad.” I always try to keep the peace between them.
“Is this about the investment into EC Security?” He nods in response, and pockets his hands in his suit trousers, his shoulders rigid and brows furrowed.
A painful lunch with those two isn’t quite the calm and quiet day I had in mind, but it will have to do.
I can always rely on work to shut out the demons.
Charles claps Jeeves on the back and heads towards the door. “And he is that bad if you’re his son and not his gifted protégé,” he spits out, unable to hide his emotions.
There has never been any bad blood between Charles and me, but I know he often resents his father’s focus on my education when we were growing up.
I grab a shower and get ready for the day, trying my best to put all thoughts of Reilly aside.
The ray of sunshine that blinded me for the evening is another example of why I shouldn’t trust anyone.
It’s a good job she didn’t find out my full name.
I’ve had horrendous experiences with women holding on to me for a quick payday.
There was the Harriet Pemberton debacle; a fake pregnancy that sent me on an emotional rollercoaster of hell I won’t let myself experience again.
I can move on with my life, focus on Neive, MJ and continue to build my empire.
Reilly can bake her cute little cakes and walk her cute little dog and carry on with her cute little life far away from me.
~
Our lunch meeting continues well past a natural ending.
Charles and William argue nonstop. They cannot see eye-to-eye, constantly trying to outdo each other and point-blank refusing to agree.
The truth is we don’t need William’s investment, but he knows our plans and wants to be involved.
I’m not convinced it is the best idea. William’s idea of a silent investor is pretty loud, and despite making a name for himself, his business mind has remained firmly in the twentieth century.
He’s not scared of technology and has actively embraced it, but his understanding is lacking.
William’s problem is that if he doesn’t understand something, then he will fight it every step of the way.
As much as I like to be a peacekeeper, I can also be hot-headed.
My temper often sparks before I can fully rationalise a situation.
It’s both a hindrance and an advantage. I try not to let my emotions lead business though.
William retired five years ago when Charles was ready to take over as CEO.
There was a firm place for me within the company, but Fox Industries is my baby.
It’s under my control and requires my full attention.
Starting as a small tech company and slowly branching out into finance.
Now, we mainly deal with acquisitions. My personal investments, however, are all properties.
I like my portfolio of buildings, restaurants and apartment blocks.
There is of course mine and Charles’s personal project: Waterside Hotel.
Work has become stagnant for both of us. Michaelson Inc. and Fox Industries are pretty much self-running and don’t require much input from either of us. Plus, Waterside Hotel is run like clock-work with the management team we’ve put in place.
We’ve decided to take a jump into the security industry. With my background in technology and Charles’s overall thirst to get out from under his father, we are joining forces. It will be nice to be on the same team again. Lord knows William has tried to pit us against each other on occasion.
“Call Diane, she misses you!” William slurs slightly as he finishes off another scotch.
“I will,” I assure him. Diane was my saviour when she fostered me; I should make more time for her.
Never having her own children, she put her heart into those without their own families.
She always said she would have taken in MJ, but social services were reluctant to allow a young girl in a house with the selection of other teenage boys Diane fostered.
So MJ was left in the group home, while I lived the life with the Michaelsons.
“And you.” He points at Charles. “Call your mother.” Much harsher words for his son.
“Why do you care? You divorced her,” Charles bites back.
“I know that! It doesn’t stop her from ringing me to try and get hold of you.” His housekeeper slips in and silently hands him a piece of paper. William likes to keep a formal household.
“Boys, I’ve got further business to attend to.
” A woman, probably. “I’ve enjoyed lunch.
Send me over the details on EC Security.
I’d like to glance at the finances.” And the not-so-silent silent partnering begins.
“I’m proud of you boys. You both continue to surpass my expectations.
” He rests a hand on Charles’s shoulder and smiles down at him.
Charles pats his hand in return. They snipe at each other a lot, but there is love there.
There always has been. Family is everything to William, like it’s everything to me.