AIDEN
My phone beeped as I drove into my father's house. I parked the car and saw the message update from Halo.
"Nicole stocks secured," the message read.
"That's my girl," I say to myself.
This morning, she was nervous, thinking she could not convince them, but I knew she could do it. I was still getting to know this ambitious side of her and I was loving every step. It seemed like she buried that part of herself to escape her family.
From the first day I met her, I knew she was the kind of woman who knew what she wanted and would get it at all costs. She probably hated me the first time we met because I was the same. We were definitely a perfect match.
I climbed out of my car and took in the evening breeze. This was my last work-related spot before I retired with Nicole for the night. Now that she was with me, I didn't have to worry about the things that happened when I was younger.
This house, however, is always a reminder. Even after my mother passed away, my father refused to move to another house. I've been coming here more often than I liked lately, but today was meant to serve a purpose.
These old geezers must have something up their sleeve. However, if they saw us frequently, they would never be able to predict our next move. The element of surprise was vital for this takeover.
This time, I had to make sure that this was the last time I would deal with this problem. At the time I arrived, the security was changing shifts at the mansion. Did he think I would hurt him?
"You've been here an awful lot," my father said, taking a sip of his drink.
He was seated in the gazebo of the mansion scrolling through a feed on his iPad. A few years ago, he was into reading the newspaper, but he didn't read things like this unless he was stressed. He was also drinking alcohol by this time of the night.
I ignored his remark and poured some whiskey into the spare glass, then I added an ice cube. My father continued to ignore my presence as I twirled the drink in my hand, waiting for him to say something. I hoped he did not misunderstand this to be a father-son bonding activity.
The feeling I had for him wasn't hatred, but pure rage. For years, I struggled to be my own person, like I was raised to be. They would never admit it, but they only wanted us to be our own person when we were interacting with other people.
We were expected to be outstanding but never outshine them. To be strategic and, obedient. To be independent but dependent on them so we can be controlled. I have come to the conclusion that to be free; we need to do everything they said we couldn't do.
"Have you decided to give your shares to Jessi?" I asked.
My father slammed his iPad on the table and glared at me. His eyes bore so much rage I thought he would lift a finger to hurt me. What was he thinking right now? I wanted to know because backing him against the wall was amusing to me.
"Are you upset?" I smirked. "If the company was struggling, you should have told me. I had to hear it from others,"
"Who is spreading such lies?!" he yelled.
"You're at work and on your table all day. Don't tell me you haven't noticed your stocks are falling. Would you like me to tell you why?"
"Is this your handwork?"
"Where would I find the time for you, Dad? I have my own company to run. I came today because I was worried about you,"
That was obviously a lie. The last time I was worried about him was when I was five, and I regretted that decision the next morning when he made fun of me for it.
"Don't tell me you're not scared because you think the contract from the mayor will fix it," I said. I told you I would take that from you. Did you forget?"
"AIDEN!" he shouted.
"What?! Are you angry? Do you feel trapped? I did warn you and my uncle not to harm Jessi seven years ago. Now she's ready to fight back. If you want to save your generational wealth, hand it over to her now that she's asking nicely,"
"You're still a bunch of kids. After all this time, you have learned nothing about life,"
"That is where you're wrong, Dad. After we left, we got to understand what it meant to be alive truly. We felt pain, hunger, fatigue, love, and happiness. I'm sure you can feel how different Jessi is. She's not the little girl you all tried to sell years ago,"
"Why are you helping her?"
"Dad, you may not know this, but you didn't raise me. Jessi did. She was the parent I needed, and she guided me into the man I am today,"
"Do you actually think I would give her your inheritance for such a reason?"
"I told you I'll never work for you, Dad. If you won't hand it over, at least give her my shares. I returned to you,"
I took a sip of the whiskey and dropped the glass before standing up to leave. My father sat back down in his chair, finally noticing that his iPad now had a cracked screen thanks to his behaviour.
It was the first time he saw him throw a tantrum in years, and it was exciting.
"Why did you agree to marry Nicole if you're not coming back?" he asked as I turned to leave.
"When I told you I would take everything from you, did you think it meant I was coming home? I'm done letting you play games with my life," I replied.
I walked to my car and drove out of the mansion before letting myself feel the anger in my heart. Was my father getting old? Why was he revealing his moves now? I already knew the marriage plot was to get me back to the family.
Everything I suspected was proven today. They let us do what we want because they believed they could have us back whenever they wanted. Did they know anything about us, their children? I pushed the question aside and hurried home.
If there was one thing this conversation taught me, my father hasn't caught on to us yet. The biggest mistake he made was playing a losing game. He came for us when we had Jonas. His family's position was very instrumental in the success of the elite families.
My father thought that by siding with Mrs Callisto, he would be able to win, but the head of the Callisto family was Jonas. The more I thought about it, the more I got upset over the fact that I was born into a family that had no love. All we did was compete with each other.
Luckily, I arrived at my house before the raging thoughts clouded my mind. Jonas' security was more than effective, especially now that we were all staying here. It didn't feel like I was returning to an empty show and I actually looked forward to it.
I hope to see Nicole soon so I can hug her and tell her how well she performed today. I didn't need to hear or see it to know that she did amazing. However, there was a small unexpected crowd in front of my house.
As I turned the wheels to park, I noticed Nicole dressed in a black midi dress. If that is what she wore for the meeting today, I was very jealous. She was arguing with a group of men. There was another car packed there, and it seemed like it belonged to the visitors.
Who were these people?
"Nicole? What's going on?" I asked.
"I need them to leave," she replied.
Looking at the faces of the men she was talking to, I immediately recognised them. Why did the security let them in when he said no one else was allowed in?
The man leading them was the butler from Nicole's house and he had two other men with him. I grabbed Nicole's hand and put her behind me.
"Why are you here at our home by this time of the night?"
"Mrs Banks sent some engagement presents to Nicole and a message,"
"Leave Curtis. I don't want to hear anything she has to say,"
"But she gave you a car and a new card to buy whatever you need,"
First, it was his father thinking he would come back after he accepted Nicole, but her mother was doing the exact same thing in a different font. Did she think Nicole would be on good terms with her father when she bought her a car?
As I expected, Nicole grabbed the car key and the card from Curtis and threw them at the car's windscreen.
"Get Out!"
- # # # -
Song recommendation: Daylight - David Kushner