Page 48 of Vows In Corruption

“Maybe I wanted to struggle.”

A sigh escapes me.

When it comes to Elliot and I’s relationship, describing it as strained doesn’t even cover it. I try to be a parental figure to him, but given the fact that there are only ten years between, him seeing me as a parent is difficult. From the day that we met, he has tried to defy me every chance that he gets. Hating everything that I do or give. To him, I’m more of a big brother that he doesn’t have to listen to and I’ve very much let it get to that point. If it wasn’t for Henry, Elliot wouldn’t have had any discipline.

Now that he’s twenty, that big brother thing is ever so present and I hate it. Thank fuck Grayson, Sam and Drake listen to me at least.

Not wanting to get into it this early in the day, I change the subject.

“Henry’s in the kitchen making breakfast if you’re hungry.” I nod toward the kitchen.

Surprisingly he follows me out of the foyer. “I’m starving.”

As he walks by me and into the kitchen, I take note that Elliot is not a little kid anymore. He’s almost just as tall as I am and looks a lot more like a man than the last time I saw him. I guess when you are backpacking through Europe and Asia, without any help from your rich uncle, that happens.

The second that Elliot walks into the kitchen, he has Henry’s attention.

“Mr. Elliot.” Henry drops whatever is doing and walks over to the kid who’s essentially his oldest grandkid.

Who by the way doesn’t hesitate in wrapping the old man into a hug.

Where the fuck was my hug?

You didn’t even greet the kid.

Whatever.

Elliot claps Henry on the back. “It’s good to see you, old man.”

“How was the flight? You should have told me that you were coming in at this hour and I would have gone and picked you up.”

“The flight was fine. I slept the whole way. And I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to put you out. I figure you had your hands would be full with things here anyway.”

It’s subtle but I know when someone is throwing a dig at me.

I ignore it and listen to them as they talk about Elliot’s backpacking adventures. Henry has heard all of these stories, since Elliot actually answer his calls and talks to him at least once a week, but he is taking in every single word as if it were the first time he is hearing them. The way he smiles at my nephew makes me think that if my dad was still here, he would have the same smile on his face.

“So, does someone want to tell me why the board meeting that is happening today is so important that I had to fly in?” Elliot asks, as him, Henry and I sit at the kitchen table eating out breakfast. Drake is still asleep so Henry put aside food for when he wakes up.

Eli look over at both me and Henry, waiting for one of to give him an answer.

Since the age of eighteen, Elliot has been part of the Lane Enterprises board of executives. Since we don’t have any confirmation if Robert is dead or alive, the seat that would have gone to him on his eighteenth birthday, went to his son and when the other three kids come of age, they will get a seat as well. Not only does their father not being here come with a board seat, it also come with equal split of ownership. Where I hold forty percent, and Henry holds five, they hold ten percent each. The other fifteen percent being public or distributed by members of the board.

So when Gerald announced that he was calling a board meeting, everyone who holds a seat had to come into town for it. Which meant that Elliot had to cut his stay in Laos short.

Except, neither Henry or I told him what the board meeting was about. We just told him that he needed to be precent.

I put my fork down and answer his question.

“Goldman is announcing his retirement and with that his replacement. The board is going to be voting in his pick.”

He gives me a nod, a small smirk playing on his face. “And is that replacement you?”

“According to him, yeah it is. Is that going to be a problem for you?”

There’s a bite to my tone, one that I didn’t mean to let slip, but I couldn’t help it. The nightmares and memories and Elliot looking like he would rather be somewhere else but home, is messing with my head a lot more than I need to on a day like today.

It takes a second for Elliot to answer but he finally does and he surprises me by what he says.

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