In love one day, heartbroken the next.
Krystina and Stephen were newly graduated college sweethearts, when the world around them came crumbling down.
When Stephen's unfaithfulness is revealed by his father, Krystina's once fairytale like life becom...
"Absolutely." I jump out of my seat and proceed to help her and her things into the guest room.
I put her bags into the closet and turn to see her sitting idly on the bed.
"I know there are some things you'd like to talk to your father about. You sounded quite upset when you asked to speak with him the other week. I'll give you an hour. Then, I need to start on dinner if we want to eat at a reasonable time. Ok?" She asks, patting my cheek gently.
"Thanks, mom." I kiss her cheek and leave the room.
Walking back into the living room, I head toward the cabinet in the corner. Opening the gilded door, I pull out a bottle of aged scotch and two tumblers.
"Scotch?" I offer as I make my way back to where my father is sitting.
"Certainly."
We sit and drink in a tense silence. I keep my eyes on him, my gaze conveying the loathing I feel for the man in front of me. Finally, my father speaks up. "If you have something you want to say Stephen, spit it out. I don't have time to entertain your adolescent behavior."
"Fine. I'll spit it out!" I yell, my anger getting the best of me. "I want you to admit it! I want you to admit that you paid Krystina's father to lie to her and tell her that I was having an affair with some mystery woman. I want you to admit that you played on a weakness and let your prejudice get in the way and ruin my relationship. I want you to admit that you were a shit father who tried to control my life and mold me to your expectations, but when you saw I was straying from the perfect plan you had for my life, decided to take matters into your own hands. I. Want. You. To. Admit. It!"
He nonchalantly leans back into his seat, amusement in his eyes and an arrogant smirk on his face. "I'm not sure how you figured it out, but I won't deny it. I did it. And I did it for your own good." He puts down the tumbler, continuing at my bewildered expression. "Did you really think she was good enough for you? Ha, I didn't take you for a fool Stephen. I guess I was wrong. I did you a favor, and quite frankly you should be thanking me. I exposed that family for what they really were."
"And what was that?"
"A money grubbing family full of failures from the wrong side of the tracks!" He stands. "How would it have looked? Huh? How would it have looked for you, the heir to a multi billion dollar corporation, to marry a girl who's parents never even finish a semester in college? You would've been made a joke. I saved you, I saved your reputation, I saved the future of my company, and I will not apologize for it." He ends calmly.
"You never approved of hear." I weakly voice my realization.
"Not really." He says, lighting a cigar from his pocket. "She was a pretty thing, well mannered. But her family history was against her. I couldn't let you stoop that low." He blows out a ring of smoke. "It was her mother, by the way."
"What?"
"You said I lied to her father, that's not true. It was her mother who answered the door that day. She agreed that you two needed to be separated, said you'd probably leave her daughter for a white woman when you inherited the company." He chuckles.
"We shook hands, and I wrote her the check. You and Krystina both left town, and that was the end of that." He finishes, a wide grin on his face.
"You say it like you're proud of what you've done." I insinuate, taken aback by the tone in his voice.
"I am. If I could go back in time, I wouldn't change a thing." He blows out another ring of smoke.
