章 15: Chapter 15

Jared

It's a good thing I'm married to a woman with common sense. Mine flew somewhere out the window as soon as I had that phone call twenty minutes ago. Laynie told me that James would know where the office was. Of course, he would. After a phone call with him, I got the address for my father's office. James did warn me that if the old man asked me to be there in ten minutes he doesn't mean thirty. I'm not at all intimidated by that, but because I don't want him to leave, Laynie and I head there straight away. It felt strange speaking with someone that calls me boss. I've never been a boss. So much has changed in this year.

Alan and Anna decided to wait at our house and told us that we can catch them up on everything when we get back. We get to the office in record time. I get out of the passenger seat and go to open Laynie's door. I want to show her how much I appreciate her being here. When I first asked her to come with me, she looked surprised. After leading her back into the bedroom for some privacy, she told me that I never once have asked her to help me with a work situation.

I hold her hand and walk up the stairs. The doorman opens the door for us and we head to the elevator. Once we get to the office, I go to sign us in with the receptionist. After a few minutes, she waves us in. Looks like my father is still here after all.

"Mr. Cole, Please, go on in, your father is just finishing up with a client." She says with a bubbly personality. Apparently, she is working for the wrong man. No one should be that happy working for Nicholas Ryan Cole.

I thank her and release Laynie's hand so I can open the heavy door for her. I have to hide my shock when we walk in and are face to face with nurse Candice yelling at my father.

"You stay the hell away from me you son of a bitch!" She screams. "I want nothing to do with you, so stop calling me, stop coming by my work and home, and leave my mother the hell alone."

My father has a look of boredom on his face. He is just sitting in his chair at his high-end desk with his hands clasped in front of him. I have never seen his face so calm when someone is talking to him this way. I look down at Laynie who's shocked face matches mine.

"I won't stop Candice. You should know by now I get everything I want. You are just another pawn on the board for me to move where I want." He states boldly, leaning back in his chair moving his clasped hands to his midsection.

With that she grabs her bag and begins to walk away. When she notices both of us she stops in her tracks and immediately has tears in her eyes. She isn't looking at Laynie, she is looking at me. She walks right past us and heads out the door. Laynie and I both watch her leave when I hear my father approach from behind.

"You have some nerve coming here late. When I tell you ten minutes, I mean ten boy. It has now been forty-five minutes since I have spoken with you." He says angrily. What a difference in his demeanor from just a few seconds ago.

I meet his eyes straight on and it dawns on me that I haven't seen this man in years. Obviously, I have or I wouldn't be here, but of what I can remember, the last time I even spoke with him was a couple years after my college graduation. I feel Laynie squeeze my hand, giving me the hidden sign to speak.

"Listen Dad." I say loosely. "I have no idea what you were talking about when we were on the phone earlier. I told you I don't have my memory of the past year, at all. Fuck, I had to get James to tell me where the hell your office is." I'm sick of this bullshit. I hate cursing in front of Laynie, but I can feel the darkness lurking, and if Laynie weren't here I swear I would let loose on this so-called man. She is grounding me, but the darkness is still extremely strong.

My father is staring at me like he does not believe me, but I couldn't care less. I am not here for him. I'm here to get some goddamn questions answered.

"Dad listen, what was Candice doing here?" I ask. I have to know. Its way to strange that she was talking to him. Way too coincidental.

"That is none of your business. What I want to know is how you know her." He pushes back. It was always this way. My father was never a man to give in and make it simple by answering my questions. I had to earn the answer.

"She was the nurse that helped me in the hospital." I answer giving in.

My father has a look of relief before he masks it and walks back over to his desk. He doesn't answer my question, he doesn't acknowledge Laynie, hell he doesn't even ask how I'm doing after the beating. He has to see the marks along my face. The bruises have gone down quite a bit and I can walk better with the help of my pain meds but if someone were to meet me they would guess I was in a fight or car accident or something.

I walk over still holding Laynie's hand and sit opposite him. My father narrows his eyes at Laynie, then at our combined hands, then at me. What the fuck is his problem? I need to make this quick, I can feel myself slipping. The darkness is starting to win.

"So, I work for you? Since when?" I ask just wanting to get to the bottom of this.

"It's been a year or so now." he answers, eyes still narrowed on mine like he is looking for a lie somewhere in the depths of my eyes. My father could always read someone easily by looking at their eyes. It was why he was such a ruthless man. He never stood for any bullshit.

"I'm the project manager?" I ask, feeling good about finally getting some answers. Me and Laynie still haven't spoken, so I did not know where I worked. I only know what I do because of nurse Candice. She mentioned the day I woke up that I was a contractor in the city.

"Son." My father says shaking his head. "You now own the company."

My heart falls to the ground. I see Laynie in the corner of my eye look over at me but I can't look at her, not now. I own the company? He gave me his life's work? Before I can ask him anymore, he stands, walks over to a small desk in the corner of the room and grabs a frame. He then walks back over to me and hands it to me face down. Dramatic, but I'm petrified to flip it over. It's obviously a picture but I don't know if I want to see it. What if it's of my mother?I don't want to waste any time, it's already awkward, and he still hasn't acknowledged Laynie. I flip over the frame and see a picture of me. Well of me at a young age. I look at my father with a confused look. Why does he have this?

"That day is ingrained in my memory." He points to the frame. "You had just come home from school, you told me that it was career day. Told me that you found out what you wanted to be when you got older. A contractor, like your daddy." He says with an almost proud smile.

"I had asked your mother later that night why you didn't ask me to go to your career day thing, tell all your friends about your very successful father. She explained to me that you did. You tried talking to me about it several times but I ignored you. She told me you even wrote me a letter and sent it to my office so that I would have to see it."

I remember that day. I was so nervous, it took me four hours to write a six-sentence letter to him. I thought he might make fun of what I wrote and how I wrote it, that I just kept on changing it. It wasn't until my mother told me we had to leave for the post office, that I had just written down the facts. I thought he would appreciate it, he didn't. He never showed.

"I don't understand. I was eight here. You didn't offer me the job until I was out of college, why?" I ask.

"You were ready. I called you once all the paperwork was finalized and told you that it was yours. I was ready to retire. I gave you a signing bonus that you bought your house with and you and your wife moved out here." He says finally acknowledging Laynie.

I look down at Laynie whom has tears in her eyes. I moved out here for him. I put the man that was never there for me before the woman that always was. She didn't have the wedding she wanted because I was too caught up with him. The man that makes no apologies. The man that didn't bother to console me at my mother's funeral. It's time to get Laynie out of here. It's time I put her first. I take Laynie's hands, kiss them both and then look back at my father.

"Thank you for answering those questions. I have a little more closure now." I start to walk away with Laynie still holding my hands.

"So that's it? Those are all the questions you have for me? What about the questions I have for you? Such as who did this to you?" he asks in a mocking manner.

"I'm not sure dad, and I plan to find out, but not here and not with you. I don't plan on going back to working for you anymore either. I will hire a lawyer and see if there is a clause for me to give back the company to you. I know you worked hard for it, so I won't do anything like replenish and sell it for nothing. I just can't be a part of who you are." I look down at Laynie whom is staring at me like I've grown three heads. "Not anymore."

With that we head out together, hands still tight within each other grasps.

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