by Douglas, Michelle; Gordon, Lucy; Pembroke, Sophie; Hardy, Kate
‘“I’ve told Zeke I’ve given Flynn the position as my right-hand man,”’ you said.’ Zeke watched the memory dawning in his father’s eyes. ‘“Of course Zeke will get the company one day. But I want him to fight his brother for it, first.”’
The words still echoed in Zeke’s skull—the moment his whole life had made horrifying, unbelievable sense, and everything he’d ever thought he wanted had ceased to matter. He’d had to leave—had to get away. And so he’d run straight to Thea and asked her to go with him, only to have his world, his expectations, damned again. That one night had changed his whole life.
‘Do you remember saying that, Dad?’
Ezekiel nodded. ‘Of course I do. And what of it? Healthy competition is good for the soul.’
‘That wasn’t healthy. Nothing you did to us was healthy.’
Zeke leant forward in his chair, gripping the armrests tightly to stop himself standing and pacing. He wanted to look his father in the eye as he told him this.
‘What you did to us was unfair at best, cruel at worst. You pitted two people who should have been friends, brothers, against each other. You drove a wedge between us from the moment we were born. You made me feel rejected, inadequate. And you made Flynn believe that he had to fight for every scrap from the table. You drove your wife into the arms of your best friend, you drove me to the other end of the country, and you drove Flynn and Thea to believe that marrying each other is the only way to serve the family business, to earn their place in the family. You are a manipulative, cold, uncaring man and I am done with you.’
Ezekiel was silent at his words, but Zeke didn’t bother looking for remorse in his expression. He wouldn’t find it, and even if by some miracle he did it didn’t matter now.
‘I am here today to undertake my final act of business with you, old man,’ Zeke said, relaxing back in the chair. ‘I am going to sell you This Minute, for twice what Glasshouse were offering.’ He scribbled down the figure and pushed the scrap of paper across the table.
Ezekiel read it and nodded. ‘I knew you’d see sense about this in the end.’
‘I’m not done,’ Zeke said. ‘That’s just the financial cost. I want something more.’
‘A position at the company?’ Ezekiel guessed. ‘Would Director of Digital Media suffice for now?’
‘I don’t want a job. I never wanted to work for you in the first place. I want you to give Thea that role. I want you to make sure she has the freedom to run it her way, and to make her own mistakes. You cannot interfere one iota.’
Ezekiel gave a slow nod. ‘That should be possible. As her father always says, her business decisions are far more credible than her personal ones. And she’s due a promotion once the wedding is over.’
Zeke knew this game. By the time he left Ezekiel would have convinced himself that Thea’s new job had been all his idea in the first place.
He’d have a harder time doing that with his second demand, Zeke wagered.
‘One more thing,’ Zeke said, and waited until he had his father’s full attention before he continued. ‘I want you to step down and appoint Flynn as the CEO of Morrison-Ashton. You can take a year for the handover,’ he said, talking over his father’s objections. ‘But no more. By his first wedding anniversary Flynn will be in charge.’
‘The company is supposed to come to you,’ Ezekiel said.
Zeke shook his head. ‘I don’t want it. Flynn does. He’s your son, as much as I am, and he’s earned it a lot more than I have. It’s his.’
Ezekiel watched him for a long moment, obviously weighing up how much he wanted This Minute against how much he hated his son right then. Zeke waited. He knew that his father’s pride wouldn’t allow him to let This Minute go to his main rival. Plus he probably thought he’d be able to get out of stepping down somehow.
He wouldn’t. Zeke’s lawyers were very, very good at what they did, and they would make sure the contract was watertight. But he’d let the old man hope for now.
‘Fine,’ Ezekiel said eventually.
Zeke jumped to his feet. ‘I’ll have my team draw up the papers. They’ll be with you by next week.’
‘And what about you? What are you going to do?’
Zeke paused in the doorway and smiled at his father. ‘I’m going to go and live my own life at last.’
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
ISABELLA WAS WAITING for her in the hallway with the stylist when Thea finally pulled herself together for long enough to make it out of the library. Flynn still hovered nervously at her shoulder, but she tried to give him reassuring smiles when she could, in the hope that he might leave her alone for a few minutes.
‘Thea! We’re running behind schedule already, you know. And you look dreadful!’
‘Thanks,’ Thea said, even though she knew her mother-in-law-to-be was probably completely correct.
‘Sorry. But...well, you do. Now, come with me and Sheila, here, will get you sorted out. Flynn, I think your father is looking for you. I saw Zeke come out of his office a few moments ago, so God only knows what that is about. Why don’t you go and find out?’
Was Isabella just trying to get rid of Flynn for a moment? Thea wondered. Or did Ezekiel really want him? And, if so, why? Had Zeke finally agreed to sell This Minute to them?
And why did she still care?
It was business, that was all, Thea told herself. It was all business from here on in.
‘Will you be okay?’ Flynn asked.
‘Oh, Flynn, don’t be ridiculous. Of course she will! It’s her wedding day.’
But Flynn was still looking at Thea, and ignoring his mother, so she nodded. ‘I’ll be fine. Go.’
Flynn gave her an uncertain smile. ‘Okay. I’ll see you at the church.’
‘At the church,’ Thea agreed weakly.
Sheila had set up in Thea’s bedroom, so she followed the stylist and Isabella up the stairs, trying to focus on what happened next. One foot in front of the other—that was the way. One small step at a time until she was married and safe. Easy.
‘So, what are we doing with your hair, then?’ Sheila asked. ‘Did you decide? I think all the styles we tried looked good on you, so really it’s up to you.’
Thea tried and failed to remember what any of the practice styles had looked like. It had been days ago, before Zeke arrived. And everything before then was rapidly fading into a blur.
‘I liked the curls,’ Isabella said. ‘With the front pinned up and the veil over the ringlets. It looked so dramatic with your dark hair. Don’t you think, Thea?’
‘Uh, sure. Sounds good.’
‘Great!’ Sheila said brightly, obviously used to brides almost comatose on their wedding day. Did everyone feel like this? Shell-shocked? Even if they hadn’t been through the sort of drama Thea had in the last few days, did every bride have this moment of disbelief? This suspended reality?
Maybe it was just her.
Sheila started fussing with her hair and Thea sat back and let it happen, focussing on the feel of the strands as they were pinned, the warmth of the straighteners as the stylist used them to form ringlets. There was a strange calm in the room as Isabella flicked through a magazine and Sheila got to work, but still Thea had the feeling that she was being watched by her jailer as she was restrained.
Crazy. She’d shake her head to dispel the notion, but Sheila might burn her with the straighteners.
‘Thea!’
The door burst open at the same time as Helena’s shout came, and Sheila wisely stepped back before Thea spun round.
‘What’s happened?’ Thea asked. Even Isabella closed her magazine for the moment.
‘Zeke’s leaving!’
Oh. That. ‘I know.’
‘He’s supposed to be the best man!’
‘Danie
l’s going to stand in, I think.’
‘Right.’ Helena leant back against the door. ‘And...you’re okay with this?’
‘Helena,’ Isabella said, putting her magazine aside and getting to her feet. ‘Why don’t we let your sister finish getting ready? Go and check on the centrepieces and the bouquets. Then you can come and have your hair done next. Okay?’
‘Right. Sure.’ Helena’s brow crinkled as she looked at Thea. ‘Unless you need me for...anything?’
Thea gave her a faint smile. ‘I’m fine,’ she lied. ‘You’ll come and help me get into my dress later, though, yeah?’
‘Of course,’ Helena promised as Isabella ushered her out of the door—presumably in case her little sister gave her the chance to reconsider her decision to marry Flynn.
Thea settled back into her chair, feeling comfortably numb and barely noticing that Isabella had left with Helena. It was almost time, and Zeke was almost gone.
There was nothing to reconsider.
* * *
Zeke had almost expected the knock at his door. Placing a roughly folded shirt on top of the clothes already in his case, he turned and called, ‘Come in.’
His mother looked older, somehow, than she had since his return. Maybe it was just that she’d let the perma-smile drop for a moment.
‘You’re leaving me again, then?’
‘Not just you,’ Zeke pointed out, turning back to his wardrobe to retrieve the last of his shirts.
‘I don’t imagine you were planning on saying goodbye this time, either.’
Isabella moved to sit on the bed, to one side of his suitcase. The one place in the room he couldn’t hope to ignore her.
‘I wasn’t sure you’d miss me any more this time than last,’ he said, dropping another shirt into the case. ‘What with the wedding to focus on. And I’m sure you have plans for marrying Helena off to someone convenient next.’
Picking up the shirt, Isabella smoothed out the creases as she folded it perfectly. ‘I suppose I should be grateful that you’re not staying to ruin Thea’s wedding.’
Zeke stopped, turned, and stared. ‘Thea’s wedding? Not Flynn’s?’ He shook his head. ‘You know, for years I never understood why you cared so much more about someone else’s children than your own. I guess I thought it must be because they were girls, or because you felt sorry for them after their mother died. I can’t believe it took me until now to realise it was because you thought they should have been yours.’
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ Isabelle said, her gaze firmly fixed on the shirt. ‘I loved all four of you equally. Even Flynn.’
‘Ha! That, right there, shows me what a lie that is.’ Grabbing the shirt from her, he shoved it into the case, making her look up at him. ‘Why didn’t you just leave, Mum? And marry Thomas? It can’t have been for our sakes. We’d have been downright grateful!’
‘My place is at my husband’s side.’ She folded her hands in her lap and met his eyes at last. ‘Whatever else, I am his wife first and foremost.’
Zeke stared at her in amazement. ‘You’re wrong. You’re yourself first.’
She gave him a sad smile. ‘No, Zeke. That’s just you.’
Zeke grabbed his case, tugging the zip roughly round it. He’d probably forgotten something, but he could live without it. He had his passport and his wallet. Everything else was replaceable. Except Thea.
‘Do you even know how you made us feel all those years?’ He wasn’t coming back again. He could afford to tell her the truth. ‘You let our father pit us against each other like it was a sport, and you ran off to another man’s family whenever we weren’t enough for you. For years I felt like an unwanted accident, every bit as much as Flynn felt like the outsider.’
‘That’s not...that’s not how it was.’
‘It’s how it felt,’ Zeke told her, pressing the truth home. ‘And when I left... Thomas says that you missed me. That I broke your heart. But, Mum, how would I even know?’
‘Of course I missed you. You’re my son.’
‘But you never thought to contact me. I wasn’t hiding, Mum. I was right there if you needed me.’
‘You made your feelings about our family very clear when you left.’
She still sounded so stiff, so unyielding. Zeke shook his head. Maybe her pride would always be too much for her to get over. Maybe his had been too, until now. But he’d already cut all ties with his father—could he really afford to do the same with his mother?
‘I’m going now, Mum. And to be honest I’m not going to be coming back in a hurry. Maybe not ever. But if you mean it—about missing me—call me some time.’ He lifted his carry-on bag onto his shoulder. ‘Goodbye, Mum.’
But she was already looking away.
Outside his room, the corridors were cool and empty. He supposed most people would be in their rooms, getting ready for the wedding. A few were probably already down at the church, making sure they got a good seat for the wedding of the year. If he was quick he could grab one of the taxis milling about and be on his way to the airport before anyone even said ‘I do’.
‘Dad says that you’re leaving.’
Zeke stopped at the top of the stairs at the sound of his brother’s voice ahead of him. So close. And now he’d have to deal with all three family members in the space of an hour. At least it was the last time.
‘Well, yeah,’ he said, turning slowly and leaning his case against the wall. ‘Not a lot of reason to stay now.’
‘Is that truly the only reason you came back? For Thea?’ Flynn asked. ‘To try and win her back, I mean.’
‘No. I thought...’ With a sigh, Zeke jogged down a few steps to meet his brother in the middle of the staircase. ‘I thought I’d moved on. From her, from the family, from everything. I came back to prove that to myself, I guess.’
‘Did it work?’
Zeke smiled ruefully. ‘Not entirely as planned, no. Turns out I was a little more tied in to things here than I thought.’
‘And now?’
‘Now I’m done,’ Zeke said firmly. ‘Ask our father.’
‘I did.’ Hitching his trousers, Flynn sat on the step, right in the middle of the stairs.
After a moment Zeke followed suit. ‘I feel about five, sitting on the stairs,’ he said.
Flynn laughed. ‘We used to—do you remember? When Mum and Dad had parties, when we were really little, we’d sneak out of bed and sit on the stairs, watching and listening.’
‘I remember,’ Zeke said. He must have been no more than four or five then. Had he known, or sensed, even then that he and Flynn were different? Or rather that their father believed they were?
‘Dad told me your terms for selling This Minute to Morrison-Ashton.’
Zeke glanced up at his brother. ‘All of them?’
Flynn ticked them off on his fingers. ‘No role for you, Director of Digital Media for Thea, and...’ Flynn caught Zeke’s gaze and held it. ‘CEO for me.’
‘That’s right.’ Zeke dipped his head to avoid his brother’s eyes.
‘It was yours, you know,’ Flynn said. ‘I always knew that in the end Dad would give it to you. You’re Ashton blood, after all.’
‘I don’t want it,’ Zeke said. ‘And you deserve it.’
‘I’ll do a better job at it, too.’
Zeke laughed. ‘You will. I want to build things, then move on. You want to make things run smoothly. You’re the best choice for it.’
‘Was that the only reason?’
Zeke stared out over the hallway of the villa, all decked out in greenery and white flowers, with satin ribbons tied in bows to everything that stayed still long enough for the wedding planner to attack. ‘No. I wanted to show Dad that his plan hadn’t worked.’
‘His plan? You mean, th
e way he always pitted us against each other?’
‘Yeah. I wanted him to know that despite everything, all his best efforts, you were still my brother. Blood or not.’
Flynn stretched his legs out down the stairs and leant back on his elbows. ‘You know, that would sound a whole lot more sincere and meaningful if you hadn’t slept with my fiancée last night.’
Zeke winced. ‘Yeah, I guess so. Look, I’m...’ He trailed off. He wasn’t sorry—not really. He hadn’t done it to hurt his brother, but he couldn’t regret having one more night with Thea. ‘That wasn’t about you. It was about Thea and I saying goodbye to each other.’
‘That’s not what you wanted it to be, though, is it?’
‘Maybe not.’ Zeke shrugged. ‘But it’s the way it is. She wants a different life to the one I’m offering. And I need to live my life away from the bitterness this family brings out in me.’
‘She told you that, huh?’
‘Yeah.’
‘So I guess I have her to thank for my promotion, really?’
‘Hey! I played my part, too.’
‘Let’s just agree to call it quits, then, yeah?’
‘Sounds like a plan.’ Although Zeke had to think that all Flynn had got out of that deal was a company. He’d got to sleep with Thea. Clearly he was winning.
Except after today Flynn would get to sleep with Thea whenever he wanted. And Zeke would be alone.
Maybe Flynn was winning after all, even if he did have to deal with their parents and Morrison-Ashton for the rest of time.
‘But, Zeke, after today... She’s off-limits, yeah?’
‘I know.’ Zeke grabbed hold of the banister and pulled himself up. ‘It’s not going to be a problem. As soon as I’m packed I’ll grab a cab to the airport and leave you guys to get on with your happy-ever-after.’
‘You’re not coming back?’ Flynn asked.