I’m trying to understand why my father would put part of his company in my name, but I just can’t figure it out. Part of me wants to call him and ask, but I can’t stoop to that. I don’t want to talk to him if I didn’t have to, I’ve decided.
I know there’s nothing back there for me, even if he says there is. I know he won’t give me what I want even if I do everything perfectly, purely because he’s that kind of man. He’s the kind of person that would withhold everything from me just because he can, and I don’t need that in my life. He’s been controlling and pushing me my whole life, and finally I’ve gotten away from it.
I’m happy I made up with Griffin. I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t decided to come back to his place. I was flirting with finding a hotel room on the cheap, but I couldn’t leave things the way they were. Besides, the more I thought about it, the more I could see his point of view. It came out of nowhere and looked really suspicious, and although I don’t think he should have been skeptical of me, I can understand why he might have been.
I just want this to be over, and I think it will be soon. Griffin was excited last night when we got to talking in bed, and he seemed to know what he’s going to do with this information. I honestly don’t care, as long as it’s nothing illegal. Whatever he thinks is best will work for me. I want to see my father go down, and I know Griffin is the man to make that happen.
As I’m playing with Lacey in the living room, my phone starts to buzz. I answer it without thinking, assuming it’s Griffin calling to see how I’m doing.
“Hello?” I answer.
“Erin. We need to talk.”
I pause, surprised. It’s my brother Ward’s voice, but I don’t know why he’d be calling.
“Uh, okay,” I say. “I didn’t expect to hear from you.”
“I’m outside.”
I stare at the ground. “Outside where?”
“Griffin McGrath’s house. You’re in there, right?”
I have to put the phone on mute for a second as I take some deep breaths. My brother Ward is here, at this house right now, and he wants to talk. Ward is practically my father’s right-hand man, and talking to Ward is basically like talking to my father.
Except it’s not. Ward isn’t my father, although they share some similarities. Back when we were kids, Ward and I were actually pretty close. My father was never a nice man, and he used to be particularly hard on Ward. We’d bond over our mutual shared dislike of our father, although that changed once I was sent away to school. Ward, on the other hand, was kept around, and I realize now that’s because my father wanted to groom him personally to take over the business one day.
I pick the phone back up to my ear. “I can come outside,” I say.
“Okay. I’ll be here.” He hangs up.
I look at Lacey and shake my head. “This is a mistake,” I say.
She just makes some noises and I smile. I pick her up and carry her down the hall with me and out the front door.
Ward is standing by the tree. I put Lacey down on the stoop was he comes over to us.
“Is this his daughter?” Ward asks.
I nod. “Her name’s Lacey.”
“Cute kid.” Ward smiles at her and crouches down. “Hi, Lacey.”
Lacey just looks at him, a little suspicious.
“What do you want to talk about?” I ask him.
“You know what.” Ward straightens up.
Lacey plays with the bushes as I look at him. “Did you know?” I ask.
He frowns. “Know what?”
“That father left me thirty percent of the Consortium. Or at least he put it in my name.”
Ward nods his head. “I knew.”
“Why?”
He glances down. “I’m not supposed to say.” He quickly looks back up at me and steps closer. “But please, Erin, stop this. McGrath isn’t a good man.”
“Griffin has been better to me than you assholes ever were.” I’m surprised at the harshness of my voice but it’s the truth.
Ward doesn’t seem fazed. “Father regrets the way he spoke to you. He regrets a lot of things.”
“Did he say that, or are you just trying to get me to come back?”
Ward frowns and puts his hands up. “I’m here on a peaceful mission, Erin.”
“I can see that. Suddenly I have something that can hurt you and father, and now I’m worth talking to.”
“I always talked to you.”
“No, you spoke down to me.” I face him with my arms crossed while Lacey laughs and pulls at the leaves. “Maybe when we were kids, we were close, but we haven’t been kids for a long time. You changed, Ward, and I never liked it.”