When Love Goes Well...

Chapter 34

Michael was recuperating in his office (at least trying to) when his desk phone rang in an annoyingly loud volume. He would've hurled the device at one of the walls if it would've been a waste of space. He answered, but only because of the distraction that the source of conversation would provide. "It should be important, Flora." He said in a clipped tone.

"Mr Chairman is here to see you." She responded curtly but with a hint of nervousness.

Receiving his father with a red carpet rolled out at the entrance was the least of his concerns for the time being and for justified reasons. "Tell him I'm busy." He answered but after a couple of breaths later, changed his mind for the good. "Just ask him to come in."

However, Darren Gregory was already marching inside Michael's extravagant cabin with decisive strides before Flora's throwback. After all, he didn't need to acquire anybody's permission to meet his own son, being the chairman himself. On the inside, Michael felt a sensation of frigidity spiral down his six feet stature at the sight of his callous father. Not that the father in the picture was showing any signs of fondness in those thundery eyes of his. At the moment, their relationship was strictly business. "I don't see that assistant of yours anywhere in the building, son." Darren observed jubilantly whilst checking out the office with eyes of precision.

Plentiful anger threatened to combust Michael all at once. "I fired her. I did what you demanded. Now you must hold your end of the bargain." He said. For the first time in a while, Darren's eyes gleamed with pride. Michael commenced to believe that his father was proud of his son in conclusion, for the reason that he'd done things his way. For a fleeting instant, he felt glad that he'd done things his father's way even though that path had been utterly rock-strewn. But that moment ended too quickly.

"I won't break my promise. But only if you marry Grace. I don't want you near Georgia Parker. And if Grace says to stay away from that kid of hers, then you stay away from him too."

A look of disbelief crossed Michael's face from everywhere to everywhere. "He's my son! I am not staying away from him."

Seeing a challenge in his son's rebellious eyes, Darren smirked and glared back daringly. "I will destroy the both of them if you so much as break this deal with the Rutherford family. I'm not letting your silly feelings sabotage what I've worked for all my bloody life!"

Michael's façade that dictated him to remain strong in front of his cold-blooded father started to crumble. He found his eyes tearing up all of a sudden. "You don't mess with my family. Don't mess with the only woman that your son has ever loved."

"Family?" Darren's eyebrows rose in incredulity and a derisive smile crept over his lips. A ball of wrath started to burn inside of him suddenly. "I'm your family. Your fucking father! You don't dare to go against me because you're standing here alive because of me. Not because of that lover girl of yours."

"You don't know the first thing about family, dad. Should I even call you dad now that you're willing to sell me off for the company name?"

"I know enough to tell you that I'm doing this for your future. Money can solve all of your problems. Love can't though."

Michael refused to believe his father's loveless theories. He couldn't procure what he craved from money. Georgia would never come back to him if he offered her a million bucks for all the degradation that he'd splashed at her so abruptly. "No wonder you and mom got a divorce after two years of marriage." He whispered in resentment.

"I don't want to discuss my personal life here. I want you to make it work with Grace. Do whatever it takes! And if I catch you anywhere near Georgia Parker, I will make sure that she doesn't get a job anywhere in Chicago." Fear for Georgia roller-skated through Michael, so fluidly that he nodded his head without another whiny note. However, he loathed his father for making him choose the road that he never wanted to take in the first place. "I've done a lot for you, son. The least you can do is repay me by marrying Grace." Closing his eyes, Michael started to think of a way to get out of such wild variety of a situation. Nothing came to his mind excluding the notion of eloping with his lover and son.