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“Yes, Mr. Bryson,” he groaned.
I found my father in the stately dining room at a table by himself, eating oatmeal with what looked like apricot preserves on top.Ick.His hair was wet around the edges. He had probably already worked out, taken a shower, and had plenty of coffee, all the better to chew me a new asshole for dating an escort.
He blinked at me as I sat down. “How did you get in here dressed like that?”
I glanced down at my hoodie and sweats. “These are Lanvin,” I said as if the designer label explained everything.
He sighed. “You’re supposed to wear a collared shirt here. There’s a dress code.”
“I know, Father. I’ve been coming here since I was a little kid. And I’m a member, remember?”
“Then you should know better.” He ate some more of his preserves before speaking again. “I saw your pictures online.”
I braced myself. “Yes, Father?”
“It’s come to my attention that your new lady-friend is… How do I say this?” he asked. “That she’s less than legitimate.”
“She’s legitimately my lady-friend,” I said.
He dabbed his mouth with his napkin and frowned. “She’s an escort. She works for an agency in the South End. I know all about them.”
I raised my eyebrows. I didn’t want to ask how he knew about AccommoDating.
He shook his head as if he anticipated my train of thought. “Nothing like that, son. But I do have some colleagues who’ve used the agency before. Enough about that—the point is, you can’t be linked to a prostitute. If it gets out, it’ll be a scandal. Andscandals are fine except when you’re in the real estate business because, in real estate, it’s?—”
“All about the relationship. I know, I know.” I motioned to a passing waiter, and he brought me a coffee. “But I’m not worried about a scandal, Father. You might be. But I’m not.”
My father took a deep breath. For the first time, I noticed that he had dark circles under his eyes. He looked tired.
“You’ll care about a scandal if it gets in the way of your inheritance. I know how cocky you are, trust me.” He sat back in his chair. “But what if I told you that if you don’t break it off with this girl and bury the story, you won’t get my empire when I die?”
I blinked at him. Part of the reason I’d built my immense wealth was to inoculate myself from a threat like this. I didn’t need his money. I had plenty of my own. Still, I was an only child. There was nobody else but me. “Who are you going to leave it to, Dad?”
He smiled at me, and it wasn’t a nice smile.
“Remember that coach you fired last month?”
I shook my head, confused. Since when did my father pay attention to theThunder’sstaffing changes? “Yeah… Of course, I do. Because I fired him last month.”
“I’m going to givehimall the money. And maybe to the two lousy neighbors that’re trying to get you evicted.”
“TheWindsorsister? And Todd, the hockey coach?” I could barely remember the guy’s last name. He’d only worked for me for a little while.
Dad’s smile was now a gloat. “Yes and yes. Further, I’m going to track down every person you’ve ever disliked in your life, and I’m going to givethemthe money. It’s not like I’ve got anything better to do. Ramos still hasn’t given me those approvals,” he said bitterly.
“You’re serious about this?” For so long, my father had only elicited a vague response from me, a yearning to avoid him. But now I was stunned. “You’re going to name my enemies as beneficiaries in yourwill?”
“You know, Cole, your mother would be so upset if she could see you now.” A flush crept up the old man’s cheeks. “She raised you to be a good person. But all you’ve done is squander your life. Yeah, you’ve made money. But you’ve got no family, no kids. Never even brought a girl home for Christmas. And now you’re dating a prostitute.” He practically spit the word out. “I expected more from you.”
“Yeah, well.” I rose to go. “That makes two of us, Dad.”
“Don’t you walk out on me,” he called, his voice menacing.
But I didwalk out, and I didn’t stop. My father could threaten me all he wanted, but it didn’t matter. He was dead to me.
And I wasn’t afraid of ghosts.
JENNY