by Wild, Nikki
The whole thing was unsettling for a variety of reasons, the least of which involved memories of my mother and father’s relationship before she’d finally divorced him and moved out.
She had been a lot like Maddy. She had morals and principles, and she never backed down when someone like my father challenged them. He always regarded her with a condescending kind of amusement, as though someone like her couldn’t possibly understand the nuances of running a multi-billion dollar business. I realized with no small sense of shame that I had been treating Maddy similarly, and as I turned to walk into my father’s office, I wondered if it was worth it.
My father had hardly ever bestowed a kind word on me before. Even when I was doing his bidding. But the way he’d looked at me over dinner this evening, I could tell that he was proud in some sick and twisted way. He wanted me to be cutthroat, and knocking down a building was just one in a long line of tasks he’d forced on me that ate away at my moral pillars.
And the twisted thing was, I wanted this.
It was what I’d always wanted from my father. I could afford all the diamonds and gold in the world, and yet I’d never been able to afford his approval. It was always just out of my price range, so to speak, and I’d spent my whole life coveting it.
Perhaps if my father hadn’t demanded full custody of me, I’d have had my mother there to put things in perspective. But he and his team of lawyers had seen to it that my mother wasn’t granted even the barest of visitation rights. Money could buy a lot of things, including a family court judge.
What changed? I wondered as I slowly pushed open the office door. What kind of game is he playing tonight?
I waited patiently just beyond the threshold of the study. Clearly he’d expected to have a few more minutes before I arrived. My father was on the phone.
“No, of course not,” he was saying, his back to me as he stared out the window at the garden beyond. I realized he probably had no idea I was even there. I was just about to clear my throat when he continued: “Just because I’m going through with the marriage doesn’t mean I don’t love you.”
I stood stock still as I let those words sink in. Who the hell was my father talking to? It sure as hell wasn’t Vivian. My stomach churned. Was he cheating on Maddy’s mother?
The answer was obvious, but that didn’t mean I wanted to believe it. Of all the things I’d imagined my father was over the years, a philanderer wasn’t one of them.
But now it all made so much sense. I’d always wondered what made my mother ask for a divorce. Philosophical differences were one thing. My mother was a tolerant person, and to a degree, she could have looked past those. But infidelity—adultery? That was something my mother wouldn’t have been able to ignore.
Very quietly, I sat down on the opposite side of his desk and listened to the remainder of his conversation.
“No, darling. It isn’t like that at all,” he continued. I’d heard that tone before, the one he used when trying to keep irate board members nice and calm. He was working this woman over, and if I knew my father’s powers of persuasion, then she was buying it hook, line, and sinker. “She’s no more special than you are. In fact, I have it on very good authority that mistresses have more fun. You benefit from my attention and my money without being tied down to a family. Isn’t that what a young girl like yourself wants?”
I shook my head. It was pathetic, really. He probably had some twenty-something waiting for him in the wings, hanging on his every word while he reaped the benefits of her youth. I didn’t want my father’s approval anymore. I didn’t want anything to do with a man who would put everyone around him at risk just because he wanted to have his cake and eat it too.
As the conversation devolved further, I’d finally had enough. I cleared my throat loudly and watched my father spin around, his eyes widening.
“Darling, I have to go,” he said and hung up his phone.
I stared him down, waiting to hear him concoct some excuse for his behavior. But all he said to me was, “How much did you hear?”
I laughed bitterly, shaking my head. “Enough to know you’re cheating on Madison’s mother,” I said.
For just a moment, my father looked like he didn’t know what to do. For once in his life, it was like he had no clue what to say or how to talk his way out of it. For a minute there, he resembled something close to human. But then he just snorted and sat down across from me, leaning back in his leather chair as he said:
“Don’t be naïve, Preston. Do you really think Vivian’s marrying me for love?”
I thought back to all the things Madison had told me about her mother. I couldn’t deny my father’s allegation, but that didn’t make him right. I hardly knew what the two of them did in private together, but I was betting that whatever it was, Vivian had come to have a reasonable expectation of fidelity from the man she was about to marry.
As always, my father thought that money excused everything. I shook my head in disgust.
“How long has this been going on?” I asked him. And then, “I don’t just mean this one, either. Was this what made Mom leave?”
That he chose not to answer. Instead he waved his hand dismissively and muttered something about his private life before getting to the task at hand.
“You might still have a lot to learn about the nature of the world, Preston, but your performance with Harold Verger speaks for itself.”
“Speaking of which, I thought we might talk about the Verger deal…” I began, but my father cut me off, continuing as if I hadn’t said a word.
“You’ve proven that I can rely on you, son, and that’s no small feat. I think you’re ready to start taking on more responsibility for the company. I think you’re ready to move up in the ranks.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “And what does that mean?”
My father laughed. “It means that my time at Harvey Enterprises is coming to an end. Maybe not this year or even the next—but soon. You are my heir, and it’s time that I treated you like one.”
He paused, as if expecting me to say something in return. When I didn’t, he said, “You’re going to get more involved in the day-to-day operations of Harvey Enterprises, which means more money for you and a bigger office. You’ll come work for me in the Harvey Tower downtown. No more telecommuting from that little hole in the wall.”
That ‘hole in the wall’ was my oasis, my sanctuary. It kept a firm boundary between me and my father, and I wasn’t so sure I wanted to demolish it for any amount of money.
“What about Maddy?” I said. “Are you going to hire her, too?”
My father shrugged. “Sure. We can find something for her. Those part-time mail clerk positions have high turnover. No reason I can’t stick her there.”
“What, for eight dollars an hour?” I asked, raising my brows. “She’s making a hell of a lot more than that now, and she deserves it. I know you’ve seen my productivity this month.”
“Yes, yes, you’ve been busy, but with the exception of the Verger deal, I must admit much of what you’ve accomplished hasn’t been to the level of profitability that I expect. Profits are down nearly eight percent, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you went soft right about the time you hired on your sweet little stepsister.”
I tried to keep my cool, avoiding his attempt at putting me on the defensive. “Profits are down, but employee morale is higher than it has been in years. Sure, I’ve made a few hard choices that will negatively effect this quarter, but I did the right thing, and people respect me for it. If you really want me to take over this company some day, I’m going to need the chain of command to know that I’m a man worth respecting.”
My father slammed his hand down on a table, my body instinctively wincing against its impact. “Respect is far easier attained through fear. Do you think I reached my station in life being nice? Did you think I wouldn’t notice that you pushed dozens of part time workers into enough hours that they qualify for benefits? That includes Maddy.
There isn’t a personal assistant on the planet worth the kind of money you’re paying her.”
“I’m not going to argue with you about this. Maddy deserves…” I began, but he cut me off again, his voice raising to an octave I’d only heard when he was truly angry.
“It’s not about what people deserve, son,” my dad said, his body visibly working to keep his rage contained as he pulled a cigar box out of one of his desk drawers. “It’s about giving them just enough to keep them from revolting. I thought I taught you better than that.”
I shook my head, standing up. “I don’t think this is going to work out,” I said. “Not unless Maddy gets a fair shake in all this. I mean, if I’m going to take on more responsibilities, I’m going to need a personal assistant. Why demote her and hire someone else when we could just transfer her position to the tower? You want to pay her less, fine. I can cover the difference out of my own salary. I’m not cutting her pay, and that’s not up for negotiation.”
My father waved his hand as he lit the end of his imported cigar. “We’re not having a negotiation. Perhaps you’ve forgotten which name is on the building? I already took care of everything. Maddy is out, and your personal assistant position has been filled.”
I blinked, unable to form a better response than two simple words that escaped my lips. “By who?”
He sucked in a long draw before he answered, blowing a smoke ring as he said the word I somehow knew would bring me yet another dose of pain.
“Jane.”
I couldn’t believe my ears. “Jane?” I echoed. “You’re trying to get rid of the best assistant I’ve ever had, and now you tell me you hired Jane on as my new PA after I personally fired her? What the hell, Dad?”
“She does good work,” he said with a shrug. “And she keeps you on track. You’ve softened up since you hired on Madison, and I know damn well Jane can fix that.”
“You’re insane,” I hissed, clenching my hands into fists at my sides. “Maddy was on my staff when I fixed that deal with Harold Verger. I haven’t gone soft at all.”
“Oh is that so? You’d blow that deal to smithereens in an instant, if it meant pleasing sweet precious Maddy. I saw the way you looked at her over dinner as the little bitch dressed me down in my own house,” my father said, his piercing gaze meeting mine. “Wouldn’t you, Preston? I’d bet you’re already considering it. I can see the wheels turning in that head of yours. You’re angry, aren’t you? That’s good. I want you angry. That’s the fire you need burning if you’re going to carry this company into the future, son.”
I stared. I wasn’t sure how to answer him, but he didn’t give me time.
“And besides, you can’t keep fucking your stepsister, Preston.”
I watched as his lips curled into a crooked smile, my breath catching as my heart skipped a beat. “Maybe she’s not family yet, but she will be, and then this little dalliance will have to stop. And when it does, it’ll all go bad, Preston. Believe me, I’ve seen what Madison’s mother is like. She’ll go after you and your money faster than you can pull out of her tight little cunt. Maybe she’ll say you raped her, or that you threatened her job if she didn’t go along with your twisted little fucking games. Now, maybe accusations like that don’t hold a hell of a lot of weight between men like us, but fucking your stepsister? Now that’s just plain unacceptable.”
He stood up, his bones creaking as he made his way to my side. He blew a puff of smoke in my face as he said, “You’ll be a pariah, Preston. And so will I. They’ll be wagging this story up and down the news stations and dragging our stock value through the mud. Is that what you want?”
My vision was tunneling. I could feel heat prickling my face. How the hell did he know about Maddy and me? How the hell could he know?
“You’re sick,” I said, a feeble attempt to refute his claims, however true they were. My words sounded weak even to my ears. “Jesus, Dad. That’s…”
“You’re going to get rid of her,” he said. “The sooner, the better. Because one day, you’re going to need an heir just like I did, and it’s damn sure not going to be something you can do with Maddy. You’re going to need someone cutthroat to help balance out whatever weakness your mother managed to impart in you. Jane should do quite nicely.”
I knew my father had always approved of Jane, but I’d never considered it had anything to do with breeding. I felt sick. I felt like my world was tilting, and I was doing my best to keep holding on as my thoughts careened through my head.
“No,” I said, my lips feeling numb. “I don’t take orders from you. Not from a man who cheated on my mom, and not from a man who…” I trailed off. What had he done, exactly—had he put cameras in my bedroom? I settled for, “…accuses me of sleeping with my own stepsister.”
“We all make sacrifices,” my father said. The heat of his stare was almost hotter than the blood pooling in my cheeks. “All of us, Preston. This will be yours. But the rewards are so much greater.”
“I don’t want to be like you,” I said, backing away from him and turning into the hall. “I don’t want to be anything like you!”
When I stormed into the parlor to get Maddy, she couldn’t have looked more relieved to see me. But that relief soon turned to confusion, and then to concern as I took her by the arm and pulled her from her seat.
“Come on,” I said. “We’re leaving.”
I held her hand on the way out the door, and there was no shame.
“There’s something I need to tell you,” Preston said once we were back in the car.
Despite his anger, he was taking his time getting us back to the office. In fact, I didn’t recognize any of the roads were traveling down. Whatever he wanted to talk about, it was obviously going to be a lengthy conversation.
“Is this about the shelter?” I asked. “Because if it’s some rambling justification about survival of the fittest straight out of your father’s mouth, then I don’t want to hear it.”
“It’s not,” he answered. The moonlight made his sun-kissed face look ashen. “It’s about my father, and what’s next for us.”
I leaned back in my seat. Something about his tone put me on edge, and I felt my pulse begin to quicken and my mouth run dry. I had the feeling this wasn’t going to be a fun conversation.
“Okay,” I told him. “I’m listening.”
Preston took a deep breath before beginning. “When my parents divorced, I was still pretty young. I didn’t really understand what was going on. My mom tried to explain it to me, but it didn’t make a lot of sense. What kid can wrap his head around his parents splitting up?” He shook his head. “I know now that my father was cheating on her, and she couldn’t take it anymore. But back then, she didn’t explain that to me. I guess she didn’t want to tarnish my image of my father, even though for a long time, it tarnished my image of her.”
I listened quietly, hands in my lap as Preston continued. The corners of his eyes were pinched and his mouth had turned into a pained grimace. I felt a pang of sadness for him. Maybe I couldn’t relate—my mother had never felt the need to hold back when badmouthing my father—but the hurt it was causing him was plain on his face.
“That must have been hard for you,” I said. I knew those words were stupid and meaningless, but I felt like I ought to say something.
“It was,” he replied. “To make matters worse, she’d signed a pre-nup before she and my dad got married. So she wasn’t entitled to a dime of his money when they divorced, and my father used his considerable wealth to ensure that she’d walk away with absolutely nothing—including me.”
I had wondered why Preston stayed with his father. I had assumed that it was because a boy might want to stay with his dad, but I’d always heard that courts were more likely to award custody to children’s mothers.
I asked him, “How?”
He said, “My father sought full custody. My mom had never intended to take me away from him. She’d wanted to split my time between them so that we could
all still be some kind of family. But my dad was vindictive, and as I learned later in life, family courts only side with the mom when fathers don’t seek custody. When they do, either joint or sole, they get it over seventy percent of the time. It didn’t hurt that Dad paid off the judge, either. When you have the money to hire the very best lawyers around, not to mention provide an ‘excellent standard of care’ for your child, odds are that the other parent is going to get screwed.”
When he spoke again, his voice shuddered. “My mom walked out of that courtroom with nothing. She was penniless. She’d lost her only child. And not long after that, there was an accident.”
My lips parted. I felt my stomach plummet to my feet. A chill seized me, and I shook my head in utter disbelief. “Oh my God, Preston. I had no idea. I’m so sorry…”