Chapter 24
Christian
Heartless.
Vanessa was right.
I’d lost my heart and soul years ago. And I knew exactly when. The very moment I’d tossed away anything good inside.
She’d talked about selling her soul, but I was the one who’d offered it on a silver platter. Even in doing so, I hadn’t been granted my wish.
I was a fucking loser.
Anger was an emotion I was used to experiencing.
I’d learned to control blinding rage years before, at least when absolutely necessary. However, at this point in my life, playing second fiddle to anyone would never happen.
Including to my father.
Elliot Enterprises was thriving because of my interaction and direction. Not his. If we were still following his lead, we’d be hunting down companies to dismantle for no other reason than to keep our profits high and our investors happy.
I’d once found joy in ripping prominent firms apart.
While I’d told no one in my life, it had been a long time since I’d found satisfaction in doing so.
In fact, I’d felt empty inside. Even now with the possibilities of building luxurious resorts, I’d realized only recently I could honestly not care less.
Why had I suddenly experienced such disdain for my career and the profession that had made me a billionaire?
The answer was so easy it was blinding.
Vanessa.
Only a few days with her and I’d begun to question everything in my life. She was the real deal, a decent human being and a dynamite businesswoman, managing to keep her integrity with all things.
Her love of people and truth was outstanding.
Her challenging me every other minute of the day had been amusing at first, annoying as the hours had drifted by, and now was awakening.
However, as she’d so aptly put it, I doubted changing colors was in my repertoire.
That didn’t mean I’d sit back and take the personal betrayal I felt. Not a fucking chance.
I’d hunted down my father, who was currently on the golf course. He’d added dissension in the office and my life. Now he was patting himself on the back, partaking in the spoils of war.
That’s what he’d always called the business. I’d laughed.
Not any longer.
With Jonathan Blair’s threat, I’d need to remain alert, perfecting how I handled the overseas clients. He was known for his cutthroat tactics.
So was I.
Why did it feel as if I’d need to make a choice in winning or losing?
And not necessarily just in business.
I’d taken a golf cart, rolling around the perfectly green hills of the luxurious course, every blade of grass cut to the same height.
I’d never enjoyed the sport, something else my father had determined I was inadequate at.
I simply didn’t give a shit about chumming it up with other moguls, enjoying the stories of tearing apart corporations.
Of course business wasn’t their only topic of discussion. They enjoyed glorifying the time and money spent on mistresses. Every asshole in my father’s special ‘club’ had one. Whether or not my mother knew or cared I’d never asked. It was a subject not to be discussed in the family household.
I might be considered a fucking playboy, but deep down inside, I was a one-woman man.
After rounding a bend, I noticed my father’s group just up ahead. I was already in a piss-poor mood, the ache behind my eyes increasing with every passing minute.
I was exhausted, enraged, and uncertain how I wanted to handle the man and his personal betrayal. I’d honored her wishes after the discovery the night before, driving us back to my home. Only her exhaustion had prevented her from leaving, heading back to her house and her life.
I’d felt that in my bones.
When I got home tonight, my guess was that I’d find she’d packed up, prepared to fight the contract. Would I fight her in court? I had no goddamn idea at this point. What I did know was that I wanted to find a way for her to believe me that I hadn’t lied to her.
I pulled the cart a few feet away from the two others.
It was barely eleven in the morning on a weekday and all four were already pounding back Bloody Marys.
I was shocked they hadn’t insisted on being provided a cart girl.
Anyone selected for the dubious honor, if they could stand being pawed by four old, lecherous men, usually made a hefty sum for a few hours of work.
Maybe given her absence meant they were discussing big business.
Just something else to annoy me. I recognized the other three participants, one of whom had been hand-picked to serve on our board of directors.
The other two were ‘good buddies,’ a term coined by my father to indicate they greased each other’s palms. One was Ralph Jenkins, a high-ranking member of the land development department who’d greenlit the project being developed with Andres Lopez.
The other was Bob Moss, a civil court judge, who’d presided over three major lawsuits against Elliot Enterprises.
And of course, we’d won.
Why was it that while I’d once admired my father and his tactics, the thought now left a bad taste in my mouth?
My father noticed me first, immediately saying something quietly to the others as I walked up. “Gentlemen,” I managed, nodding to the other three.
My father took another gulp of his drink before selecting a club. He certainly didn’t look happy to see me.
I wondered why.
“Hey, Chris. I heard about your upcoming wedding. She’s a real looker. Lucky man.”
Immediately, I bristled, turning my head to stare at Bob. Maybe because he was a man of the law, the fact his girlfriend was barely eighteen disgusted me the most.
“Hubba. Hubba.” Ralph whistled while shaking his stretched-out hand in front of him, the gesture igniting even more fury.
“How did you manage to land a hot girl like Vanessa Blair?” This time William Zephyrs chimed in.
My father was finally bothering to study my reaction. “It would appear my son is more calculating than I gave him credit for. Would you like a drink, son? Shame I didn’t know you were coming, or I would have kicked William off the team. His game sucks.”
The men laughed while I stood with my hands in my pockets.
I remained quiet, which finally unnerved the four of them.
“Hey, we’ll start without you, Carmichael,” Ralph commented.
“Sure, you go ahead. I’ll be right there.” My father practiced a few swings while I remained silent. “What’s your beef, son? I thought all the arrangements were set in stone.”
“I have one question for you. Why make the announcement about my engagement when I specifically told you I’d handle it? It’s all over social media and every Miami news organization.”
The fucking phone calls had started the night before, news agencies not asking but demanding five minutes of my time. Even Vanessa’s phone had blown up. I’d never seen her so rattled.
But I’d realized why from her statement in the car. She’d worked hard to gain her independence and the articles had made it seem like she was nothing more than a trophy wife. Now I was angry. For her.
He eyed me curiously. “Contrary to what you continue to think, I have no interest in social media fodder, son. I leave that to the younger generation.”
“Then why the fuck did you make the announcement to the press?”
He acted as if I was annoying him. “Not worth my time and it shouldn’t bother you in the least. You should be concentrating on business now that you’ve secured a wife.
At least you have good tastes. It troubles me though that your mind isn’t on business.
I’m beginning to think my choice in making you CEO was the wrong one.
Carson seems to have his heart and soul in the business.
Plus, he understands the art of negotiations. ”
Not once in my life had I struck my father.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had the desire even though growing up with him as head of the household had been grueling on his good days.
Maybe because I’d learned early on that he enjoyed ruling by intimidation.
He’d done that extremely well in business and with the family.
Another fucking trait I’d inherited.
Today, I wanted to knock him to the ground, but doing so would serve no purpose.
I refused to take the bait he was dangling about Carson. He’d done it before only in reverse when Carson had wanted nothing to do with the business.
“So you had nothing to do with leaking the news.”
He glared at me as if I was deaf and dumb. “What did I just say to you? A waste of my time. Why does it matter? Is Ms. Blair suddenly upset? If so, you need to learn to control her by whatever means necessary.”
I looked away as I shook my head. He was talking about my fiancée. Mine. The anger continued to increase. In fact, I’d never felt such fury around him because I’d grown used to his bullshit.
As I rubbed my jaw, I could tell by the look in his eyes he knew he’d finally broken through my cool resolve.
“Perhaps you need a lesson in the importance of taking full control of your life. Now isn’t the time to be wishy-washy over a goddamn woman. She should mean nothing to you. I’ll expect that as of Friday night, the contract with Lopez will be locked down and ironclad. Take your brother with you.”
When he walked away, I thought about Vanessa’s resolve.
“You’re right, Dad. I will take more control as it’s part of my duties as CEO.
Carson will not be attending the meeting, nor will he have anything to do with the overseas operations.
I’ll find him a nice, less taxing task that will keep him occupied. For now.”
I didn’t wait for any retort. For whatever reason my brother had decided to try to derail my life now was beyond me. We’d never gotten along, but I was the one who’d dealt with his shit over the years, not our father.
Just like what Vanessa had endured.
The brazen, beautiful woman and I were more alike than I’d thought possible.
That didn’t make this any easier. What it did do was make this personal.
Time to confront my brother, something I should have done a hell of a long time ago.