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"She said yes!" His words reached me a second before his face appeared around the doorway. Then he jumped into the room, with a full grin and a bundle of energy to match it.
It took effort to keep my own face neutral. Despite everything, somehow he'd kept a hopeful optimism about the world, and it made my job today so easy, like guiding an innocent sheep to the slaughter.
“Let's go, then." After texting my driver, I shoved my phone in my pocket and every step towards the door was heavy, like my feet were encased in concrete blocks. It reminded me of when my father threw Deacon Wheelhouse into our pool.
I paused when my hand gripped the rusted brass doorknob to the front door.
A quart of milk and a jar of mayonnaise.
Peanut butter and crackers.
Tuna and Ramen noodles.
Rook was so close to me, his naive bundle of excitement practically made him crash into my back. "Whoops!" He caught himself just in time.
I couldn't do this.
I wouldn't.
I'd never defied my father before, not like this, but this was going to change everything for Rook.
He didn't deserve it, and neither did his nana. Sheactuallycared about him. I needed more time.
"Tell your nana we'll be home in about three hours."
"She won't notice––she trusts you."
A punch to the gut. "Go say bye to her, then," I growled out, "for fucks sake."
He turned, bolting towards his grandma's room and my phone beeped again, my driver responding, but I didn't take it out. Bernard could fucking wait.
A quart of milk and a jar of mayonnaise. Guilt thrum, thrum, thrumming through me.
I ground my molars when my phone buzzed again, grumbling to myself. “Shut the fuck up. Just shut the fuck up, or I'm going to kill you myself." I pulled it out, my heart pounding at the image of Tatiana, older than the last time I'd seen her, adrenaline flooding my system. I could only stare at it for a long moment, rage boiling, scorching, burning.
The message was clear.
My driver was also my enforcer, making sure I would do exactly what my father wanted.
"What's wrong?" Rook was back, a soft smile on his face.
"Nothing. Let's go." Goddamn, I was so selfish.
I walked down the short walkway, ignoring the stern look from my driver.
When we reached the door to the car, I stilled, and this time Rook rammed straight into me. I lightly shoved him back, grumbling, "Come on, man."
"What?" he said, confused.
"I'm waiting for the driver to open the door."
Bernard stared daggers at me.
"Isn't that your job?" I sneered, and his nostrils flared but he stepped forward, reaching past us to open the door to the sleek, black sedan.
I stepped aside to let Rook in, who practically tumbled into the car. Once he was settled, I stepped closer to Bernard. "You may think that my father is your boss, but the truth is, everything my father owns comes from my mother's legacy. And every single cent of that goes to me if she dies,not my father. If you want to continue to earn your paycheck, you'll remember that." Putting the driver in his place wouldn't stop my father, but Bernard needed to know that I answered to my father alone, and not him. "You know that most men in the family don't live to be old and decrepit. If you ever threaten me again, you will join them. Is that clear?"
“Yes sir,” he nodded, his eyes wide and his pulse hammering in his neck. I wanted to wrap my fingers around it and squeeze.