Page 66 of The Spare (The King Dynasty #2)
Chapter forty-one
Swear your Loyalty
F or the two weeks since the wedding, our lives have been fraught with tension from both sides of the family.
We've all been walking on eggshells.
Melody hasn't been talking to anyone because we all knew her father was alive and kept it a secret.
It took days for her to speak to me after she found out I knew about her father and didn't say anything.
Those first few days I was in hell, sure as shit she was going to leave me, wondering when the divorce papers and her wedding ring were going to show up on my desk.
William has stayed behind in New York, not retreating back to Italy because apparently he's been seeing Donna since our wedding, and because Hendrix and Isobel just had a new baby. He's been staying with us because he's not welcome at Father's house for that extended of a stay.
Melody's been spending a lot of her time with her father who rented a home about ten minutes away.
Trying to get to know him and attempting to distract him from going to Donna's house, because she's afraid he'll get into it with William over her.
However, according to Donna's security, Pablo, William hasn't even been allowed in her house. Neither has Maximus.
Lucien gave Maximus extra time off his duties in New York to connect with us. The revered mafia boss finds all of this rather hilarious, the asshole. Not only has Donna not let Maximus in, she also hasn't been speaking to him either.
It just gets more convoluted from there. More communication has been coming through our security teams than from us as a family.
Richard hasn't been talking to William. Isobel hasn't been talking to anyone, which is understandable, because of the new baby. But from what Hendrix tells me, she hasn't even been speaking to Donna because of how bad this secret has hurt Melody.
I haven't been speaking to Father, but that's really nothing new.
It's all fucked up. Apparently two weeks of this is all I can take, and I decide I can't live like this anymore, so I call an emergency family meeting with Father, Teresa, and Hendrix, bringing William and Melody along with me.
Later in the evening we walk into Father's office, and I shake the feelings of deja vu off as Father pins his eyes hard on me while we file in through the double doors.
His eyes narrow when they get to William, but slide back to mine.
Ice crawls down my spine as his entire demeanor changes, and the air in his office becomes tense, stifled with secrets and long repressed emotion.
"Why is he here?" Father snaps, referring to William.
"Hello to you, too, Father."
His eyes pin to mine, narrowing. "Oh, cut the crap, Mason. Why is he here?"
"Because I brought him here, Father." I sit in a chair across from his desk, pulling Melody down into the chair next to mine. She keeps her eyes averted, still hurt.
"I told you I didn't want to discuss it," Father snarls, his eyes cold as ice.
"I'm not here to discuss whatever ' it' is," I say, spreading my legs and clearing my throat, waiting until both Hendrix and Teresa take a seat in nearby chairs.
William elects to stay standing, perching himself near a tall window to my right.
"I'm here to discuss my role going forward, and my personal interests.
William is here because I would like him to be a part of our family.
And if ‘our family' only means Melody and I, well…
" I trail off, looking at her. She's a bit paler than normal, all the stress of everyone fighting wearing her out.
"I just wanted to let you know that we will be moving forward with a relationship with William. "
Father scoffs in disbelief, sitting back in his office chair and folding his arms. "Who is your loyalty to, boy? Because it's clear to me that it's certainly not to King Dynasty!"
"Fuck King Dynasty," I say harshly. I maintain his gaze, not even bothering to raise my voice. "My loyalty is to Melody. "
A hush falls over the room, and I feel Melody's nails dig into my forearm, but I stand my ground. Hendrix stiffens in his seat next to Teresa a few feet away, giving me a look but remaining silent.
"My loyalty is first and foremost to her," I say, my voice raw with passion and self-assuredness.
"It is not to that fucking company, or even to this lifestyle that all I've seen witness it do is threaten to stifle us or smother us.
It is to her!" I shout, leaning forward and pounding my fist to my chest as my voice echoes throughout the room. Madre’s eyes widen, but I keep my eyes firmly on Father's.
"And I need to take her away from this. I will not stick around here and watch whatever happened to you, whatever sickness haunts this family, eat her up.
Melody won't be collateral damage. I'm withdrawing from King Dynasty New York headquarters, effective immediately. "
Father stares at me stunned.
"Until you come to terms with your secrets. Until this family works out whatever bullshit has them all divided, Melody and I are stepping away." I hold my palms up and shake my head, letting him know how serious I am.
William leans forward. "Richard, we need to talk. Maybe it's time we discuss this with them."
Father stands up so fast his chair topples over. "You say a single fucking word to my children, you snake-"
"Brother, you know momma wouldn't want us fighting like this," William implores, spreading his arms.
"Then you should have thought about that before you-"
"It was a goddamn accident!" William yells, his face flushed. "And I am sorry-"
"Enough! "
Williams eyes turn sad. "I have paid my price, Richard! For forty years I have paid and paid! How much more do you want from me?" he says bitterly, his face red as he steps forward, fisting his hands.
"I want you gone!" Father roars.
"I have been gone!" William shouts back, his voice cracking as anger twists his features.
"Richard, let it go, okay? You have three kids.
A wife! You run a fucking global empire.
I moved to the other side of the world, left everything behind, and I only come back when it's deemed necessary.
Let it go, brother. We're getting old, and it's time to move past this. Momma and Stephanie-"
Father points a finger at him. "Don't you dare speak of them to me!"
"You act just like father!" William shouts, his eyes welling with tears. "You try to remove yourself from that fucking time in our lives like it never happened, but you act just like him!"
I suck in a sharp breath and let go of Melody's hand to stand up hastily as Father moves to round the desk, but Madre runs in front of him quickly, throwing herself between the two men.
"Richard, c-calm down, my love."
"You are dead to me!" he shouts over her shoulder, pinning William with a death stare.
"Daddy!" Teresa gasps, her hands coming up to cover her mouth, as does Madre and Melody. Father and William stare at each other past Madre, their eyes locking and years of tension implode in the room.
"Get over it, Richard. Please," William implores, holding his hand out. "I am begging you. Forgive me. I know I said you're acting like him, but you are not Father."
Father's eyes leave William's to pin me, and the pain in them chills me to the bone. He looks at me as if he doesn't even see me.
"And Mason's just like you. No wonder he'll pick you over us.
Abandoning his own father." His eyes go to William's again as the color in his face deepens.
"Genetics are funny, aren't they?" His eyes go back to mine as he turns towards me.
"If you leave out that room don't even bother coming back because if you do, I am done with you, too. "
"Richard!" Madre gasps, her face contorting with pain. "No."
The blow of Father's words reverberates through my being, and the crack that's always been there effectively shatters the rest of the way, leaving me in a thousand pieces so sharp and jagged I know I won't ever be put back together the same way again.
I say nothing.
Remaining silent as the part of my heart I'd been carefully nurturing my entire life to maintain hope that we could have a relationship finally dies. All because of whatever this thing is that happened before I was even born. It cost me.
And it's deposit slices deeper than you'd think.
"Get out!" Father shouts, casting everyone a furious look before turning his back on all of us. "All of you! Get the hell out of my goddamn house!" He turns, snatching away from Madre who's openly crying, sobbing into her hands as he retreats through a hidden side door in the wall.
Father has never left Madre in tears like this.
I pull away from Melody, eyeing Hendrix who's expression looks torn between thunderous rage and concern and walk over to her, wrapping my arms around her slight frame. Pressing my lips to her temple in what I pray isn't a final kiss.
"Te amo, mamá," I choke out. "No matter what happens just remember that, okay?"
She throws her arms around me, sniffing into my shirt .
I let her go, turning and holding up my hands as Hendrix reaches for me, shaking my head in a warning to not be touched. I only need one person right now, and I hold my hand out to her.
Melody steps forward and takes it, trembling fingers and all. We lace our fingers together and walk out without another word to anyone.
Effectively closing the door on this chapter in our lives.