by Joey Bush
“I beg to differ,” she said, and then she hung up.
I tried not to think about what she might actually mean, though I was having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact she was basically refusing to break up with me. And she had sounded so certain that her father would somehow be able to change my mind. Frank could be persuasive and charismatic when he wanted to be, of course, but what the hell did she think he was going to say that would suddenly make me decide that I wanted to be with her?
It looked as though I was about to find out, though. Frank showed up less than an hour after I got off the phone with Ella. He breezed right in, not bothering to stop at the front desk, all but ignoring Cal. “You,” he said, pointing at me. “We need to talk.”
“Sure,” I said. “Come on into the office. We can talk in there.”
He followed me in and I shut the door. “So, Frank,” I started, but he interrupted me.
“What I’d like to know,” he said, “is why I get back from California only to find my daughter at home, more upset than I think I ever remember seeing her. She didn’t want to tell us at first, but she finally did. What’s the matter with you, Levi? And she tells me that you left her to be with your stepsister? Are you out of your mind?”
I took a deep breath. “Frank, talking with you about this in the first place is a little weird.”
“I know. Trust me—it’s not like I want to be having this discussion with you right now. What the hell happened to your face, anyway?”
“Nothing,” I said. “It was an accident. It’s fine.”
“Some accident. Anyway. I want to be talking about Westport, and I want to be hearing from you that we’re going to move forward with it. But, as a father, I don’t feel as though that’s a conversation we can be having until we get this little bit of business sorted out. This was the plan, Levi. You don’t get to back out of the plan now.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked. “Just because things between Ella and me didn’t work out exactly how you hoped doesn’t mean that you get to come in here and tell me who I’m going to date. Come on, Frank. Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Your father never told you?” Frank said.
“Told me what?”
“That you and Ella are going to get married.”
I laughed. “I don’t think that’s up for my father to decide.”
Frank shook his head. “Alex wanted to just let things happen naturally. Which it seemed like they were. Don’t tell me before your stepsister came back into the picture that you weren’t thinking you’d eventually settle down with Ella. To the degree that someone like you is capable of settling down.”
“I hadn’t really thought about it.”
“That’s not surprising. Your father had a bit of a blind spot when it came to you. I told him that it would be better in the long run if he talked to you about it, but he thought that it would only make you more resistant. He thought that if he told you, you’d purposefully start seeing someone else. Which you have. Because you can be a jackass like that. That’s no secret to anyone; I knew it, your father knew it.”
I sat there, feeling my brain trying to assimilate everything that Frank was telling me. Was he just bullshitting me? Trying to shock me into dating his daughter again? “So if I’m to believe what you’re telling me, you and my father had arranged for Ella and me to get married?”
Frank’s gaze didn’t waver. “That’s exactly right.”
I nodded slowly. “And the reason my father didn’t tell me this is because he thought that I’d refuse.”
“Right again.”
“Not because you’re just making all this shit up on the spot because you don’t want your daughter to be upset. Which is commendable, Frank, really, but also sort of . . . I don’t know, creepy? And why would you want your daughter married to such a jackass, anyway?”
“You can say what you want, Levi, but it’s the truth. The only reason you don’t know that it’s the truth is because your father thought it would be better not to tell you. Clearly, he was wrong. Alex wasn’t right about everything. Most things, yes, but there were some things that he wasn’t right about. This was one of them.”
“I still don’t believe you,” I said, though I was starting to wonder if my father had made some sort of arrangement like that. “Why would he do that?”
“Because when you were too young to even remember, BCM was a struggling little financial company that was going under because your father took some risks that he shouldn’t have. I was the one to provide the money he needed for the purchase of Sowa Bank, which basically turned everything around. Despite everyone telling me that it wasn’t worth it and I should keep my money where it had been for generations—at Peterson-Wendig, which I’m sure you’re unaware of—I listened to what your father told me, and agreed that though it was a high-risk investment, if it worked out, the dividends would be unbelievable. And you know what? They were.”
“So in exchange for this, my father told you that I would marry Ella,” I said. “That sounds so ridiculous, Frank, I can’t even believe that you would be sitting here, asking me to believe it. This isn’t India. We don’t have arranged marriages here.”
“You can choose to believe it or not. Your father, unfortunately, is not here to corroborate the story.”
“Let’s say I was willing to believe this bullshit. If we were so young when this deal was made, how did you even know that we’d get along? That we’d like each other? I know Dad liked to take risks and everything, but that seems like a pretty big fucking agreement to make.”
Frank looked at me incredulously. “It wouldn’t matter if you two liked each other or not. That is beside the point. Completely beside the point. What’s more important is protecting the family’s wealth? Let’s not fool ourselves, Levi: You’re no businessman. You’re not going to follow in your father’s footsteps, not because you don’t have the ability to, but because you don’t have the inclination. You might be fooling everyone else, dressing up in a shirt and tie and coming in here and sitting behind your father’s desk—and maybe you’re even fooling yourself—but I can see right through it. This will last another couple months, at most—you coming in here and playing pretend—and then you’ll hand the reins over to Cal, which is exactly what he’s been waiting for.”
“Sounds like you have it all figured out.”
“So let’s just keep things the way they are. The way they should be.”
“You don’t care that we don’t want to be together? It’s more important that some deal you and my father struck is upheld? This isn’t feudal England or some shit. We’re not fucking royalty.”
“Of course we are.” Frank shook his head. “It may not feel that way to you because you didn’t do anything to earn it, but we are. And when you’re as wealthy as we are, you have to do certain things to ensure that the wealth stays within the family.”
“I thought that’s what prenuptial agreements were for.”
“What’s the matter with you, Levi? Ella’s gorgeous, intelligent, and she comes from a great family. You guys have been dating for, what, over a decade now? Cut the shit. Give her a call, take her out to dinner, go stay at our place in the Hamptons for the week. You can fix it. Just stop being a moron. You’re better than this.”
He wasn’t going to take no for an answer. He was, after all, someone who was used to getting his way, one hundred percent of the time. Is this how I came across to people? Did Alfie see me like this? I could understand, all of a sudden, why he did what he did. If I had been in his shoes, I probably would’ve done the same thing.
“There is no deal,” I said. “If my father made a deal with you, then it died when he did. I’m not marrying Ella.”
Frank face contorted and turned several different shades of red. Was he about to have a heart attack right here?
“I’ll give you one last chance,” he said, “and that’s being far more generous than I should be.”
“You don’t
need to give me anything. And if you want to take your money elsewhere, then go ahead. I’m not marrying Ella, and we’re not going through with this Westport deal. End of story. And guess what, Frank? I’m the one in charge here. So there’s no one for you to go complaining to because you don’t happen to like what I’m saying.”
“You’re a fool, son,” he said, shaking his head. “A fucking fool and you don’t even realize it. If your father could see what you’re doing right now . . .” He turned and stormed out.
“Yeah, well, he’s not here,” I said. I could hear Frank ranting and raving as he walked through the office, his voice getting quieter the further he got, until it finally ceased. Cal stuck his head in.
“What the hell was that all about?” he said. “I probably don’t even want to know.”
“You probably don’t. Frank’s leaving.”
“I can see that.”
“No, I mean, leaving. Taking his money and going elsewhere.”
Cal’s eyes widened. “Excuse me?” he said.
“You heard me. I’m sorry.”
“How could you let him do that?” Cal said. “Get him on the phone. Tell him to come back in here. We’ll fix this.”
“Frank isn’t going to change his mind,” I said. “And besides, I thought you’d be glad to hear he was going to take his business elsewhere.”
“Just because Frank and I don’t get along personally doesn’t mean that I want him to take his money somewhere else!” Cal shouted. “He’s got over two and a half billion dollars here! Do you think we want that money walking out the door and going to another firm?”
“Of course not,” I said. “I don’t think for a second that anyone wants that sort of money just going somewhere else—if there’s not a good reason for it. But there is. And . . . that’s just the way things work out sometimes. Besides, I told him that Westport is a no-go. Aren’t you glad about that?”
Cal glared at me. “Glad? Glad?! I am not even going to dignify that with a response! I shouldn’t have let you deal with Frank at all,” he said. “I knew that it was a bad idea. But you two had rapport—or so I thought.”
“I’m sorry, Cal. I know this probably isn’t entirely what you want to hear. It wasn’t my plan either, but . . . that’s just how it goes.”
“All because you wouldn’t go out with Ella.” Cal shook his head in disgust. “It’s ridiculous. You spend your entire life cavorting around with her, but the second you get wind that something is expected of you, you’ve got to completely go and fuck it up!”
My jaw dropped. “You knew about that too?”
“Yes, I knew about it.”
“Did everyone except for me?”
“I don’t know, Levi. I didn’t agree with it, but that never mattered. Your father did what he did, and that’s just how it was.”
I shook my head. “This whole thing is beyond fucked up. I love how no one ever decided to mention this to me.”
“Well, you’re hearing it now.”
“Listen, Cal, I know Frank was a big account, I know he’d been here probably longer than anyone else, but it’s better this way. And he’s not the only account.”
Cal grimaced. “You really have no idea what you’re talking about,” he said. He turned and left. He was right, of course. I didn’t have any idea what I was talking about.
36.
Isla
I could tell Levi was stressed out when he got home that night. “How was your day?” I asked.
He was shrugging his shoulders out of his jacket, which he flung on the back of the chair. “My day fucking sucked,” he said. “Frank is leaving.”
“Frank?”
“Ella’s father. As in one of BCM’s biggest clients.”
“Oh,” I said. “Shit.”
“Yeah. Exactly.”
I went over and kneaded his shoulders, which were tight and tense. “It’s going to be all right,” I said. “Let him take his money and go somewhere else. One person isn’t going to make or break your company—I know it won’t.”
“Well Cal is freaking the fuck out about Frank walking. I’m kind of relieved though, to be honest. I don’t want to have to keep dealing with him.”
“I don’t blame you.”
“It is a lot of money, though. My father never would’ve let something like that happen.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do, though. I mean, my dad basically offered me up as collateral for Frank’s money in the first place.” He rubbed one of his hands over his eyes. “The whole thing is so fucked up.”
“Come sit down.” We went over and sat down on the couch. “Everything is going to be okay,” I said.
Levi was yanking at the tie, trying to get it off. He finally got it loosened enough so he could pull it over his head. “You know, I’d like to believe that, but sometimes things feel so completely fucked that I have a hard time believing it. I’m just going to tell you what Frank told me today. There’s no point in hiding it.”
I reached over and took his hand and squeezed it. “Okay,” I said. “What happened? Aside from Frank deciding to take his money elsewhere because you didn’t want to do exactly what he wanted?”
“It doesn’t even really have anything to do with Westport,” Levi said. “What it has to do with is Ella. And apparently, her father and my father made some deal a long ass time ago that Ella and I were going to get married. They didn’t give a shit if we actually liked each other or not—they were more concerned about keeping the wealth within the family. Or families, I guess I should say. So, I basically told him to fuck off. If I had agreed about that, he wouldn’t have left like he did, regardless of what happened with Westport. Can you believe that shit?”
“Wow,” I said, though in a way, I actually could believe it. “That’s crazy.”
“You’re telling me.”
He rubbed his hand over his face. “I don’t think I’m cut out for this.”
“That’s not true. Things aren’t always going to go perfectly smoothly, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t cut out for it.”
We sat there for a few minutes, neither of us saying anything, Levi pressing on his temples. I didn’t know exactly how much money Frank had with BCM, but I knew it was a lot. “Hey,” I said. I touched his arm. “I’ve got an idea.”
“Do you?”
“Yeah. See, I’ve got some extra money that I’m just not so sure what to do with. Do you have any ideas?” He stopped rubbing his temples and looked at me. “It’s about a billion dollars,” I continued, “give or take a couple hundred thousand. But I was advised when I first found out about the money that I should get someone who knows how to handle it.”
“Then you’re looking at the wrong guy.”
I pushed him gently. “I don’t think so.”
He stopped rubbing his temples and looked at me. “You really want to do that?”
“Of course I do.”
A slow smile spread across his face, and I could see the relief in his eyes. “You’re amazing,” he said. “You really are.”
He leaned over and we started to kiss.
That weekend, we drove down to Bel Air. I called Sophie on the way down and asked if she was going to be around; we hadn’t seen each other since we’d gotten into that fight over sushi. She wasn’t working, and she said she’d meet me over at my house.
She showed up a little while after we arrived and we stood on the front step, hugging.
“I never want to fight with you like that again,” I said. “That was awful.”
“I know. It really was. I’m so sorry. Listen, what I’d really like to do is go get a latte, but is Levi here? I wanted to talk with him for a second.”
“Sure,” I said. “Come on inside.”
Levi was in the living room, but he stood up when Sophie came in. I saw her eyes go to his face, which looked so much better, but it was still definitely noticeable that something had happened.
“Hey, Levi,” she said.
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“Hey, how are you?”
“Well, I’ve been missing the shit out of this one, that’s for sure,” she said, nodding at me. “But . . . I’ve been good. I do feel like I owe you an apology.”
He grinned. “Project Revenge?”
She winced. “Uh . . . yeah. I’m really sorry about all that. It was childish. And I’m also sorry that I wasn’t more supportive about you and Isla being together to begin with. I’m not trying to make excuses for my vile behavior or anything but . . . I just didn’t want to see her get hurt again. So . . . I’m sorry, and I’ll try to be better behaved. You two seem like you’re very happy together—I’ve only been here a few minutes and I can see that.”
I smiled as the two of them hugged quickly. Sophie had never been one who was quick with the apologies, so I knew she had been thinking about this for a while, and, more importantly, that she really meant it.
We all hung out for a while, and then Sophie said she wanted to go get a latte.
“Why don’t the two of you go,” Levi said. “I’m happy to be reunited with my couch here.”
“You want me to bring anything back?”
“Nah, I’m good.”
I nodded and went over and gave him a kiss. “Okay,” I said. “We’ll see you in a little while.” I looked at Sophie. “Want to take my car?”
“Only if I can drive it.”
I got my purse and tossed her the keys. “Have at it.”
“Drive carefully, ladies!” Levi called as we were walking out the door.
Sophie didn’t even wait until we had pulled out of the driveway before she asked. “What happened to Levi’s face?”
I hadn’t told her about any of the shit that had happened with Alfie, but I decided to tell her.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” she said when I finished with the story.
“It’s done and over with now.”
“You were taken as a hostage and you’re just telling me about this now? I mean, that’s a pretty big fucking deal, Isla. You could call the cops and have that guy put in jail.”
“We’re not going to do that. It’s done over with. There’s no reason to take it any further.”