26. MASON
MASON
I lie awake in bed,in the early hours of the morning, just watching my girl as she sleeps peacefully. Seeing her in my arms again is one sight that I’ll never get tired of.
Justthinking about how many times I came close to losing her always fucks with my head, so this moment of peacefulness means more to me than anything else in the world. I’m just hoping and praying that I can help her get better and keep her cheerful for the rest of our lives. AllI want is for her to be filled with nothing but happiness. I don’t want her to feel an ounce of sadness ever again.
Yesterday, for her birthday, I tried to do everything I could to make it special, and she seemed to enjoy it a lot. It made the constant ache that lives in my chest lessen a little to see her excited and delighted, as she enjoyed all her gifts.
Ihaven’t seen her that carefree in a very long time. It kills me every time I see the sadness in her eyes and again when I see her struggling to keep it together. I wish I could do something to make her forget all the things that are hurting her.
Eventhough she was smiling, things were still a bit tense between her and everyone else, me included, whenever she remembered that she was still mad at all of us.
Ihave to give her props though for being such a good girl and pushing it all aside for a few hours to enjoy her birthday. I’m glad that we were able to make it something for her to remember.
Thoughmy main aim was making her happy, I did have another reason to keep her occupied yesterday. I had other things going on behind the scenes, but she didn’t need to know that.
Everythingwas finally in place, as it should be. We finally gave everything we had over to the FBI. Just as I predicted, it turned into a shitshow pretty fast, and I wanted to keep her away from all that.
Logically, I know that I can’t keep her sheltered from the news forever, but I wanted her to enjoy the day without my father and Emilia overshadowing it. I let out a quiet sigh as I think about everything that I have to do today. It’s definitely going to be a long-ass day.
I’vealready gotten reports from my men that there have been reporters camped out outside the King mansion where my father lived, since the story broke late yesterday afternoon.
Theonly reason they aren’t camped out in front of my gate is because they don’t know we live here yet. I made sure to hide the purchase behind shell corporations, so it wouldn’t link back to me.
Idon’t want to have to put my girl through having to deal with those asshole reporters. Though, I have no doubt that sooner or later, they’ll figure it out. I have protective measures in place so they won’t be able to bother her in any way.
Thelast update I heard from my men was that my father was already picked up by the feds and taken down to their offices, where he’ll no doubt be placed in jail for his crimes. There is no possible way he should be able to walk away after all the evidence Winter’s dad, Aiden, gave them.
Onthe bright side of things, there is no way he’s getting out of there to ever be a free man again. We all know that the law can be fucked up sometimes and people who should be locked away for eternity end up getting out. In my father’s case, they won’t have the time to decide whether he’s guilty or not because he’s going to be dead way before then.
Wintermoves in my arms, making a cute little kitten sound as she stretches a little and turns away from me to snuggle into her pillow. A smile forms on my face as I can’t help but think how adorable she is. She’s still asleep, which is a good thing, because I need to take care of some things soon.
Ilook over at the clock on the bedside table and see that it’s already eight a.m. It’s time to get moving. I lean over her to give her a kiss on the forehead before I quietly get off the bed.
Ibrush my teeth, shower, and get dressed, being as quiet as I can. WhenI’m done, I head downstairs and into the kitchen to see that Gray and Hunter are already up. They’re both sitting at the table eating breakfast.
“Good morning, dickheads,” I say to them both.
“Morning, asshole. Glad to see you’re still alive and not looking any worse for wear,” Hunter, the ass, says, laughing.
“Morning, bro,” Gray says.
“Stop starting shit this early in the day, you ass!” I grumble at Hunter.
“I can’t help it. It’s like the only setting I have when it comes to you.”
“Lucky fucking me then,” I say, rolling my eyes.
“Duh. You should be honored by my presence.”
“Why the fuck me? No one is impressed with your ass. Don’t forget, your sister currently hates your ass too.”
“Ugh! Don’t remind me, asshole,” Hunter says, pouting. “You’re pretty dressed up this morning. Going somewhere?”
“Yes. To the office. I need to oversee some shit.”
“You need backup or anything?”
“No. I’ve got it covered, and you two are in charge. If anything at all happens to her while I’m gone, I’m going to murder you two,” I tell them, giving them a death glare.
“What do you think we’re going to let happen to her?” Grayson asks with a roll of his eyes.
“Fuck if I know. But it seems like something is always going fucking wrong and I can’t stop that shit.”
“We’ll be fine. Just go do what it is you need to do and stop annoying me,” Hunter grumbles playfully.
“Dickhead,” I mumble before walking out of the kitchen and leaving them there.
Mycar is already out front when I make it outside, so I hop in and take off for the place I don’t want to be right now. But unfortunately, things need to get done. OnceI get to our building, I take the elevator all the way up to my father’s floor.
“Follow me,” I tell the secretary as I walk past her and straight into my father’s office. I move behind his desk and take a seat just as she scurries in, looking a bit frazzled.
“Mr. King. It’s so good to see you. How are things? Minus everything that’s currently going on with your father. It’s all over the news. I’m so sorry,” she says.
“It’s good to see you, too. Yeah, well, we’ll all have to wait and see what happens when it comes to my father. I need you to send out a memo to all the department heads and tell them there’s an emergency meeting in half an hour, in the conference room.”
“Of course. I’ll have that done right away, sir,” she tells me before quickly heading back to her desk.
Isit for a moment and take in the entire room. Everything in here, all the furnishings, especially the art, is expensive. The company is doing well. It boggles my mind that my father had all of this, yet still resorted to underhanded tactics because of what I can only call greed.
Hecould have done so much other shit than go after her, and I keep wondering why the fuck he’d even do that. Why did he go to that much trouble to destroy her life? Why did he want to break us up so badly? I have so many unanswered questions when it comes to my father, Winter, and me.
Bothcompanies are thriving in their own right and there is so much space in the business world for all of us to be there. Yet my father went to great lengths trying to destroy hers, and not just her business, but her life as well.
Whywould he do that? I mean, regardless of whatever feud our grandfathers and fathers had before us, it wasn’t our job to continue that shit. We tried to hide our relationship in the beginning and the years after, because we knew it would cause contention between our families. I honestly thought that whenever our fathers found out, they’d just get over it. Clearly, I was wrong.
Myfather definitely knew about us, since he made that asshole Archie do what he did. But he had to have also known how much I loved her. He had to know that I loved her beyond anything else, which means that he had no problem hurting me to get whatever it was he wanted.
Heintentionally hurt me without any care of what the aftermath would bring. For that, I could never forgive him. In fact, after finding out what he did, there was no way I was going to ever forgive him. I was just going to cut off contact with him, but then he sent Antonio after her.
Thethings that bastard did to her are unforgivable. That’s why I can’t let my father live. He was the one who orchestrated it all. I’m still lost in my thoughts when there’s a knock on the door.
“Come in,” I call out.
“Everyone is in the conference room and waiting for you, Mr. King,” the secretary says as she walks into the room. Damn it, I didn’t realize that a half an hour had passed so quickly.
“You can follow me and take notes,” I tell her.
“Yes, sir.”
WhenI step into the conference room, I see that all the department heads are here, waiting eagerly to find out what the hell is going on.
“Hello, everyone. Thank you all for being here on such short notice. I appreciate it. I’m sure you’ve all seen the news that my father has been arrested on a number of charges.” There are murmurs among them, with a lot of yeses going around the room.
“What is going to happen to the company now?” one of the men asks.
“That is why I wanted you all here. I’ve taken the reins from my father. I’ll be your new CEO. My brother, Grayson, is your new COO. Though, for now, I will be appointing both a temporary CEO and COO as my brother and I have other matters to attend to.”
“Congratulations, sir,” another one says.
“So, our jobs are all still here despite your father being arrested?” someone else asks.
“Yes. No need to panic. Your jobs are all safe, for now.”
“What do you mean for now, sir?” another suit asks.
“WhatI mean is that there will be a complete overhaul in the company in the coming weeks. There will be new implementations of policies and procedures and every department will be audited to make sure that things are being done correctly. My great-great-grandfather built this business and I will not let the actions of my father tarnish or destroy it. Once everything pans out and I have the reports back that say everyone is doing their jobs according to code, then your jobs will be safe.” I see some of them nod their heads and some of them look put out. Not sure what that is all about, but this is going to turn into the most legit business that it can be.
“That sounds good, boss.”
“And just so no one gets any ideas, if you aren’t on the up and up and you try to delete shit to cover your tracks, just know it all gets documented. Whether it be your office computer or any other company one for that matter, everything gets recorded to our servers. So don’t fuck around,” I say and watch them all. “Does anyone have any questions?”
“No, sir,” they all reply.
“Okay. I’ll have my secretary draft up a memo and send it to you all within the next hour or so. I want you to send it to all the employees in your departments, so they are aware of what is going on and the changes coming soon.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Alright, you’re all dismissed,” I tell them and they all start to file out of the room. I walk back to my new office with the secretary following behind me. OnceI’m back behind the desk, I give her instructions. “I need you to write up the memo letting everyone know about the changes in the company heads and let them know that I’ll have a meeting with everyone again sometime soon. Forward it to the department heads, and also our business partners to make sure they all get it.”
“No problem, sir. I’m on it,” she says as she leaves my office, closing the door behind her and going to her desk.
I’mpretty sure once the memo goes out that not everyone will be pleased. I let out a long sigh. Yep, this is definitely going to be a long few weeks. I take a moment to think about my baby girl, wondering if she’s even awake yet and what she’s doing. I decide to send her a text.
Me:
Good morning, baby girl. Hope you slept well. I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you woke up, baby. I had some things to take care of at the office, but I’ll try to be home as soon as I can. I can’t wait to get home. Love you, baby, and make sure you eat!
AfterI sendher the text, I log onto my father’s computer to see if I can sift out anything else that would keep his ass in jail. I’m engrossed in file after file of various things regarding the company when my phone suddenly rings, breaking the silence.
“Hello,” I answer without even looking at the caller ID.
“Hello, son,” I hear.
“Hello. Father. What can I do for you?”
“I don’t know where you are right now, but I’m sure you’ve heard that I’ve been arrested on some bullshit charges. I need you to come back home, call our lawyers, and put them to work, so that they can get me out of here,” he says. I just sit here and listen to him.
Whatan asshole! He’s slick as hell, too. I’m pretty sure he knows that I’m back in Ravenwood and I’ve been for a while now, since he got some asshole to hit my girl, causing that accident. Since he wants to act dumb, then I guess I can play dumb too.
“What? I didn’t hear anything. What happened? Never mind that, I’ll be home right away and I’ll call the lawyers.”
“Thank you, son. Where is your brother? I haven’t been able to get in touch with him.”
“I’m sure he’s busy with whatever it is that he does on his own time.”
“Oh, okay. Well, make sure you come see me as soon as you get back, so I can talk to you. We can figure out a plan to get me out of here,” he says.
Wow! I can’t believe his fucking audacity. I think the asshole really thinks that we’re dumb and that he”s pulled the wool over our eyes. I’m sure he thinks that he’ll actually get out of this with our help. He obviously doesn’t know that Antonio’s dead or that we know all the shit he’s done where she’s concerned. What a fucking cunt!
“Alright, Dad, let me go so that I can get to you faster. I’ll come and see you as soon as I can,” I say and then hang up, not waiting for him to say anything else. There’s another knock on my door and the secretary pokes her head inside.
“The memo is done and has been sent to everyone you requested,” she tells me.
“Thank you,” I tell her and she heads back to her desk.
Icall the two men that I had Carter and the guys vet for the temporary CEO and COO position to come up. I wait for them. I’m not sure if this is going to be a permanent position or not yet, since Gray and I have a lot of other shit to deal with. I do know they’re going to be in the big chairs for a year, at least, while I get our lives sorted.
Oncethey come into my office, I tell them what I need from them. We identify some kinks and other issues and what we plan on doing to fix them. It’s hours later when we can finally wrap up for the day.
WhenI look at the time, I see that it’s after five p.m. Shit! I didn’t realize that it was this late already. The three of us leave the office and I see that my secretary is about ready to leave as well.
Istop to get my girl some flowers and chocolates. I also get some pastries from her favorite bakery before I head home. I can’t wait to see her. It actually felt like I lost a limb or some shit today because I was away from her for so long.
Ihave a smile on my face the whole drive home, thinking about her. I know she’s going to love her gifts, especially the treats. My girl sure does have a sweet tooth, and I can’t wait to spoil her more.
Ifinally pull up in the driveway and get out, taking her gifts with me. I don’t bother checking in on my brother or Hunter, since they’re probably in the den, like they usually are. I need to see my girl first.
Iwalk up the stairs, excited to see her. I feel like a fucking teenager going on his first date, all nervous and shit. Suddenly, I feel off. and I don’t know what the fuck is bringing that on.
WhenI enter our room, it’s dark except for the nightlight. I can see the bed is empty. Thinking she must be in the shower, I leave her stuff on the bed and head for the bathroom.
WhenI find that empty as well, my gut starts to hurt a little. Okay, Mason, no need to worry. She’s probably just downstairs with the guys.I walk out of the bathroom with urgency and hurry down the stairs and straight for the den.
Ionly see Hunter and Gray in there, and I don’t bother making my presence known. I run around and check the entire house, even the rooftop veranda, and she’s nowhere to be seen.
Now, I’m fucking panicking. I run all the way back down to the den and burst into the room like the house is on fire.
“What the fuck?” I yell to no one in particular. “You two had one fucking job! Where the fuck is she?”
“Calm down, man. What’s wrong? Where is who?” Hunter asks, fully alert now.
“Your sister, asshole! She’s missing!”
“What? What the fuck do you mean, missing?”
“How the fuck should I know? Didn’tI ask you two dickheads to keep an eye on her?”
“How do you even know she’s missing? She could be somewhere in the house.”
“I already checked! You think I’d be down here freaking the fuck out if I didn’t already check, asshole?” I yell. He can really be annoying sometimes.
“Okay, calm down and listen—” Grayson starts, but gets cut off when the loud ringing of my phone interrupts us.
“Hold that thought,” I tell Gray before answering the call. “Hello?”
“Hey, man. I just called to let you know that your girl just got here safely,” Carter says into the phone.
Mygut turns hollow or maybe that’s my whole being turned inside out, because what the fuck? I look at the time and see that it’s six p.m. Calculating the ten hours’ time from here to London means she left not long after I did this morning.
Shefucking ran away from me again. The unbearable pain I feel at his announcement really fucks with my head.
“Thanks for the call, man. I’m glad she got there safely,” I answer.
“No worries. Well, I’ve got to go. We’ll keep in touch,” Carter says, before cutting the call off.
“Did either one of you know that she was going all the way to fucking London? By herself?” I yell. IfI don’t let out my anger, I’ll break down in front of the two of them.
“Of course not! Grayson said she was sleeping and didn’t want to be disturbed. I left her alone, thinking she needed the rest because technically she does, you know?” Hunter informs me, and I turn to my brother.
“Um…”
“Spit it the fuck out, brother!” I snap at him.
“Well, she didn’t go to London by herself. I booked the tickets for her and I sent two guards along with her to make sure that she’d be safe. I know Dad and Emilia are currently in jail, but I still wanted to make sure she got there safely,” Gray says guiltily.
“Why the hell would you do that? I’m trying to keep her safe and you’re sending her all the way to fucking London!”
“She said she wouldn’t be gone for long. She just needed some time away to get her head on straight. Plus, she wanted some girl time with Adelaide. She wants to make sense of everything that’s going on in her life. She said she’ll come back, once she’s cleared her head,” he says. With every word that comes out of his mouth, it feels like a dagger to the chest. So, I wasn’t making her happy? That’s why she’s running again?
“Oh yeah? And what did you get for helping her, bro?”
“Um…”
“Just fucking say it!” I snap.
“I’m fully forgiven for whatever happened in the past,” he tells me with a wince. I don’t know if I should feel betrayed or what the fuck to feel, to be honest.
“You’re a real asshole, you know that?”
“I’m just trying to help you, bro.”
“How the fuck is that helping?”
“Because she’s not happy here! At least, not yet. Yeah, the therapy sessions have been helping a little, but she needs some time alone and away from you. Just give her that,” he pleads with me.
“So, I’m the reason she’s not happy?” I question, my gut hurting at everything I’m hearing. He walks over to me, intending to hug me, but I back away from him.
“That’s not what I’m saying, bro. I’m saying let her work through things on her own for a while. I know she’ll be back soon,” he tells me.
“I need to be alone and I don’t want either of you to fucking follow me,” I tell them before walking out of the room.
Imake my way to my office, my chest tight all the way there, and close the door behind me. Right now, it feels as though I’ve really and truly lost her and that pain is fucking unbearable.
There’stoo much going on inside me and it literally feels like I’m fucking dying inside. Tears stream down my face, and then I get angry. Not at her, never at her, but at the situation we’re currently in.
Igrab a bottle of liquor from the cabinet and take a few gulps directly from it. It burns going down my throat, but I guess I’d rather feel that burn compared to the one currently destroying my heart.
BeforeI even know what’s going on, I’m trashing my office. I grab my computer monitor and smash it onto the floor. That is followed by everything else on my desk. I move on to the shelves, taking the vases and flinging them against the wall.
Ikeep drinking while creating this chaos around me. I’m panting from exertion after a while and I’ve got a pretty good buzz going on. I hear a gut-wrenching scream and it takes a moment for me to realize that it’s coming from me.
I’mfull-on sobbing as I slide down the wall to sit on the floor. I keep drinking because I want the pain to go away. It hurts too fucking much. My foot and hand sting and, when I look at both, they’re bleeding.
Huh? When the hell did I take my shoes off? My arms are also covered in cuts. I finally lift my head up to look at the room and it is completely destroyed. There’s broken glass and furniture everywhere. I lift the liquor bottle up to my lips once more and take a long drink.
“Here’s to me for fucking it all up once again,” I mumble into the empty room.