by Aliana James
“Weston! Calm down, please,” the man on his right said.
Never in a million years would he asked to lead this company and step into his grandfather’s footsteps. It was too large, with a crazy amount of moving parts. But as he stared into his uncle’s eyes, he wasn’t going to let him have it.
Lines had been drawn. The problem now lay on which side of the line would Weston’s children vote? Thalia nominated him so that guaranteed her vote. He knew how much she detested her father. But Julian and Antonio could go either way.
“Open the envelope, Alec,” Thalia whispered. Troy, Trevon, and Jacqui stopped whispering to each other and waited.
He tore open the envelope to reveal two pieces of paper, the first an official proxy for his grandfather’s vote and the second a scrawled note from his grandfather with his usual crazy handwriting.
Time to step up, son. I have faith that you’ll do what’s right. A rising tide lifts all boats.
How many times had Grandfather said that to him? If you taught others how to help themselves, it benefited them all.
He pushed off of the table and stood.
“I have my grandfather’s proxy. My vote is cast for myself for CEO.”
Marcus blinked and went to hold up his hand. Thalia stood.
“I cast my vote for Alec Bennett for CEO,” she declared.
Troy, Trevon, and Jacqui all stood and voted for him. That was the majority. Both Antonio and Julian could abstain and not have to endure the wrath of their father. He respected their need to keep peace even though he hated the man.
Julian stood, followed by Antonio.
“That’s the majority,” Julian said as Weston shot daggers his way.
Julian shifted and faced his father. “Now both Antonio and I could abstain, but we aren’t going to. I vote for Alec for CEO of Bennett Industries.”
“I also vote for Alec for CEO of Bennett Industries.” Antonio’s voice, soft and firm, echoed Julian’s.
“You ungrateful son of a bitch!” Weston yelled as he shoved his chair behind him. It rammed into a staffer and caught him at the knees. Weston stalked over to Antonio and slapped him across the face. Julian stepped in front of Antonio to shield him from their father’s wrath.
Antonio grabbed his cheek and took a step backward. The men tried to pull Weston toward the door but he wouldn’t budge, his arms raised and eyes wild.
“And you!” Weston pointed at Julian. “I expected this from your bitch of a sister but not from you.”
Troy and Alec both moved in front of Weston. Thalia grabbed Alec’s arm as she shoved her way through.
“You are not my father. You will never be my father. Frankie is more of a father to me than you’ll ever be. Goodbye Weston.” Frankie, her mother’s boyfriend, considered Thalia and Julian to be his just as much his other children.
“Maybe so, Thalia. Your mother I can’t do anything about but Antonio’s…” The men pushed Weston out of the door, crashing into chairs as they made their way to the elevator.
Murmurs rang through the room as everyone tried to deal with what just happened. A voice cleared their throat behind them.
“Everyone? A moment, please.” Bennett’s lead counsel, Adam, walked over to Alec hand outstretched. “Theatrics aside, please join me in congratulating our new Chief Executive Officer and President of Bennett Industries, Alec Bennett.”
Alec
What the hell just happened?
He shook Adam’s hand and gave everyone a small smile and a wave.
“I have paperwork for you to sign, Alec. Can you follow me to my office?” Adam asked.
He looked at his siblings and his cousin. “Is Grandfather in the building?”
“Last I checked he was in his office,” Adam answered.
Alec glanced around and spotted Derrick in the corner. Derrick worked in his grandfather’s office. “Derrick, can you confirm if my grandfather is in his office? And if Weston has been escorted out of the building?”
“Yes, sir. Your grandfather is expecting you.”
“Thank you, Derrick.” He smiled as Troy patted him on the shoulder. Thalia grabbed her bag and slipped her arm into Julian’s. Trevon helped Jacqui as she fixed her shoe. “Tell my grandfather that all of his grandchildren will be in to see him.”
Derrick nodded and left. Julian whispered to Antonio, and whatever he said made Antonio angrier.
“Antonio?”
Julian waved at him to continue walking and soon they made it to the opposite end of the wing to the reception area for his grandfather’s office. His receptionist wasn’t at her desk and the office door sat open.
“Grandfather?”
“Yes, yes. Come in.”
Everyone filed in and each gave their grandfather a hug and a kiss. Grandfather turned and smiled at each of them.
“This is my greatest achievement. Each of you. I need you to know that I’m proud of you all. You have put your heart and soul into everything you’ve done.”
“Proud enough to let us have our trust funds back?” Troy joked. A snicker rang through them all. Each of them had pleaded separately and in groups to have their trust funds reinstated and Grandfather hadn’t budged.
“Always a comedian, that one.” Grandfather sat in the plush leather chair in the sitting area. They each found a spot on the sofa or the sofa’s arms, and Julian and Trevon pulled over chairs from the desk. “So what was the verdict of the meeting?”
“Alec is the new CEO.” Thalia wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him.
“I’m pretty sure choking the new CEO is not allowed,” Julian quipped.
“Very good. Very good indeed.” Grandfather smiled. “You’ll all be able to keep your positions with Alec in charge.”
Everyone looked at Alec and when he nodded, they sighed in relief.
“My father…” Antonio still quiet, had said the least since his father slapped him.
“Your father is an asshole, Antonio,” Trevon interrupted. “Don’t let anything he does affect you.”
Antonio stood, fists clenched at his sides. “You don’t understand.”
Julian stood and walked over to where Antonio began to pace. “Tell them, Antonio.”
He leaned back in his seat to wait and a hand tapped his leg. Jacqui’s eyes zeroed in on his and she tilted her head to Antonio. He was still struggling to grasp the fact that he was now in charge. Of everything.
“This is your family, Antonio. We look out for each other. Tell us what the issue is,” he pleaded.
Antonio’s sad eyes met his. “My mother’s family relies on my father to survive. He owns the businesses in their village. It’s how he’s always kept me doing what he wanted.”
“Come and sit, Antonio. My neck will ache from having to look up at you.”
Leave it to his grandfather.
“I often wondered why you weren’t permitted to join the others during the summer months. Joslyn never returned any of my calls.”
“He threatened her. She was scared of him. She is scared of him.”
“Are they still together?” Thalia asked softly.
Everyone waited while Antonio composed himself. It was hard for Alec to be patient and wait him out, but it was necessary. By the silence in the room, everyone else agreed.
“She lets him take advantage. She’s afraid of what he will do.” Antonio frowned as his hand ran through his thick black hair. “I shouldn’t have said anything at the meeting. I don’t know what to do.”
It took an incredible amount of courage for Antonio to cast his vote for him, courage he couldn’t ignore.
“Antonio.” He kept his voice soft and calm. “I can call Kane, have him investigate how much influence Weston has on your family’s village.”
“Good idea, Alec. Ask him to report his findings to me.” Grandfather nodded. “In the meantime, Antonio, have your mother call me. We are long overdue for a chat.”
Antonio’s eyes misted over and he closed them for a mo
ment.
“Please forgive me for getting emotional.” Antonio fiddled with a piece of lint on his pantleg before looking at them all. “My mother and my family are important to me.”
Grandfather patted his leg and then gestured to everyone. “Everyone here is also your family. We may not agree on everything, but your cousins and your siblings will tell you that we support each other.”
Troy shifted in his seat and looked at Alec.
“What happens now, Alec?” Troy asked.
“I have some papers to sign and then a long afternoon with grandfather.”
Grandfather stood. “Go sign those papers, Alec, and then meet us for lunch. I want to spend some more time with all of my grandchildren.”
By the smile on his grandfather’s face, he didn’t need to ask him if stepping down from CEO was the right move. And what about the ultimatums? Did he do this on purpose? Weston was unpredictable; there was no way Grandfather knew in advance what he was planning. Grandfather winked at him as he left.
It took a while for Adam to explain the various documents he needed to review and sign. He shook Adam’s hand and left his office no longer certain that he qualified as the best choice.
Couldn’t they find someone else? But who? The way the company bylaws were written a family member needed to be in charge. The only other person that could fill the role was Thalia, but she had squashed that choice when she nominated him.
What if he was just as bad as his uncle? It was a possibility that any choice, any decision he made could potentially cause damage to the company and its reputation. He sighed. This was no easy fix. As he exited the elevator, he thumbed through his contacts and hovered over Travis’s name.
He needed to tell him what was going on, needed his opinion. His reassurance. His siblings and cousins hadn’t thought of the potential conflict of interest with Travis as CFO. To be honest, now that he thought about it, he didn’t see the difference between a sibling or a spouse working directly for him.
It was possible that Travis would want to join the family for lunch. In fact, he wanted to share this moment with him and his family. He’d sent him a text message but had yet to get a response. As he passed a phone, he stopped and picked it up to dial the operator.
“Travis Andrew’s office, please.”
“Hold on, sir.”
“This is Travis Andrew’s office, Cynthia speaking. How may I help you?”
“Cynthia, it’s Alec. Is Travis available?”
“I’m sorry, Alec. Travis left for the day.”
Why would he leave at lunch and not mention it? His phone chose that moment for an update so he still had to wait another minute or two before he could check his messages. There weren’t any from Travis.
“Alec?”
“Sorry, Cynthia. Did he say why he had to leave?”
“No, he didn’t. He left for lunch but called and said he had something to take care of and wouldn’t be back in today.”
Travis’s parents had gone away to visit friends since Tyler was stable and home. Travis could have gone to check up on his brother, but it didn’t make sense as the nurses were there around the clock.
“Okay, thank you.”
He pulled out his phone. Still no response from Travis, so he sent a text message to Tyler who responded immediately and confirmed he hadn’t heard from Travis and that he wasn’t there.
He leaned against a pillar. There was only one other person that could demand him to drop what he was doing and leave work early: Peter. Part of him wanted to call Travis and ask what he was doing, why he was at Peter’s in the middle of the afternoon, but he put his phone in his pocket.
Travis could easily be with Peter at his house and no one but the two of them would know. Did he not realize that Alec would find out he wasn’t in his office? Maybe he was so into Peter that he didn’t care.
The marriage contract was still valid and Travis held up his end of the bargain. Alec kept his position at Bennett. But now he had a new position. His grandfather no longer was in charge. He didn’t have to stay married to Travis.
He could tell Travis that he was free to do what he wanted, be with whomever he desired. It would probably be Peter. Travis and Peter. He hated the way that sounded. But what actual claim did he have on him? Especially if Travis was in love with someone else.
Travis
Travis promised Peter he would stop by this week, and even though it had taken a miracle, he managed to sneak out and make it in time to catch the train. He’d spent the morning worried and concerned about Peter handling another surgery after the phone call and the text messages they’d exchanged. He hadn’t been able to concentrate on work.
Something about Peter’s house always made Travis smile. He’d been fascinated with the structure and look of it when they were dating. Maybe because it reminded him of his parent’s house or he lived in an apartment building. Peter restored the woodwork, including the details on the front porch and inside the entryway. It gave the home a unique, homey feel.
He rang the doorbell and waited. A huge pot with a flowering mum stood on the porch steps with a scarecrow sticking out of the pot.
Peter answered the door without his cane. This was the first time Travis had seen him without it since his accident. Before he could congratulate him on his progress, he noticed that his good hand held the phone while the other lay plastered to his side. He teetered dangerously to on his feet.
“Where is your cane?”
Peter’s eyes widened. “Travis.”
He closed the door behind him and guided him to a chair. Peter nodded in thanks.
“Yes, I’m still here,” Peter said in the phone.
He could use a cup of coffee and entered the kitchen only to see grocery bags littered all over. It was grocery day and frozen foods didn’t wait to be put away.
He opened a cabinet to find everything in neat rows and well-stocked, the next cabinet the same. When did he have time to do this? Or energy, for that matter? The sound of a cane clanking on the tile disrupted his thoughts.
“Hey, sorry,” Peter said. “That was the doctor’s office. I needed to rearrange my appointments since they want me to go see a different specialist.”
He pulled some items out of a grocery bag and laid them on the kitchen counter. Peter’s skin was flush with a healthy pink glow to it, his hair styled with the bangs lifted off of his face and his clothes free of wrinkles. This was not the Peter he had seen the last six months.
“You usually let me know when you’re coming by.” Peter shifted to the island and pulled bananas out of a bag. He placed the fruit in the bowl and slid it to the center.
“You look nice today,” he said while folding the grocery bags, his lips pressed together as he went into the laundry room. The washer and dryer sat empty, everything tidy and in its place. Next to the laundry room was a half-bath that needed tidying every time he came to visit. As if someone couldn’t find the toilet bowl.
Today, it was pristine.
“Hey, Peter, did you hire a cleaning service?” They were expensive, and he knew with all the additional medical expenses, it would have been difficult. But that could be the only solution.
He walked back into the kitchen in time to catch Peter climbing off of a stool. Something wasn’t right. Every single time he was here, he had to help Peter do something. The man hadn’t been able to shave without assistance and now he was reaching for shelves over his head.
What the hell was going on?
Peter grabbed his cane and stalked back to the living room at a clip faster than normal. He had no choice but to follow him. Either they gave him some new drugs or he’s feeling super good today.
“You shouldn’t overdo it because the doctor said your leg is better.”
Peter stood in the hallway by the door with a frown on his face. “Sorry you came all the way here. I was on my way out.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.”
“Yeah, like I said, you did
n’t let me know you were coming.”
Peter grabbed his jacket and opened the front door.
“You know you asked me to stop by.”
“I did?”
“Yeah, you were upset about the surgery.”
Peter glanced at his watch and waved his hand in dismissal. “Oh, I was but I’m not now. I’ll call you.”
He walked out of the house and joined Peter on the front porch.
“Sorry I didn’t text you. I was worried and figured I would come over.”
“Hey, no, I’m sorry. Maybe you could visit your parents?” Peter navigated the stairs and turned to walk in the opposite direction. “I’m heading to Tom and Jane’s.”
They said their goodbyes, and he walked back in the direction of the subway. If he caught the next train, he’d make it back to the office in forty-five minutes.
Peter never confirmed he had hired help but that was the only way his house could be that clean. When they dated, he was meticulous, so it shocked Travis every visit that things were all over the place. He chalked it up to how horribly Peter was injured in the accident.
Over the past couple months, he had helped him shave repeatedly. In the beginning, he had helped him shower and do other personal hygiene tasks that were difficult without help. He continued to help because Peter needed him. Never one to ask for outside help, their friends, and the couples who they hung out with weren’t the type of people he’d be comfortable asking to help him take a shower.
Oh, the paperwork! He totally forgot to give him the paperwork. He turned around. Peter had a mail slot in his front door. It would be easy to just slide the envelope through there. He’d done some research on surgery options and printed out a bunch of stuff that would help him decide. Unless of course he already made up his mind. Peter said he was no longer was worried. What did that mean?
Peter’s block was his next right, and a car stopped at the stop sign next to him.
“Oh my God! Is that you, Travis?”
He turned and saw Jane leaning out the passenger side window. Tom leaned forward.
“Yes, it is. Hold on,” Tom said, pulling forward into a parking spot, and hopped out of the car.