Page 16 of B.D.E
I stood up and looked around my office, mentally preparing myself to deal with his snared remarks and insults that he dished out to me every day despite me being the brains of running this business. Gideon was a hard person to deal with, and I’d spent most of my life trying to impress him. No matter how good I was at sports or how good my grades were, he never complimented me on shit. Time spent with him was slim to none because he spent majority of it training his special orphan child. Every day, I wished that my mom was still alive because I knew life for me wouldn’t have been much different. I pushed those thoughts to the back of my head and headed to the conference room.
The conference room held half of the Vantage Realty senior team and was buzzed with number and city property chatter.
I clear my throat. “Good morning, everyone. I’d like to take the floor and get this meeting started. If you would, everyone turn towards the screen as I go over the numbers,” I said.
Everyone’s eyes were front and center except Gideons. I didn’t even know why he sat in for these meetings because he spent most of the time with his head in his phone and would also want a printout of what we went over since he was never paying attention.
“Sky Tower’s pre-leasing at seventy-five percent,” I reported, clicking through the slides. “Retail spaces are outperforming projections by nearly ten percent this quarter. Good job with that, Simon. Also, the parking garage expansion starts next month, it should increase revenue streams.”
Sarah from development nodded. “The construction delays last month cost us some time, but we’re on track to recover.”
The meeting went on as I covered contracts, property sales, budget revisions and personnel shifts. Dad stayed quiet, mostly in his phone but looking up every few minutes like he was actually paying attention, but I knew better than that. After thelast presentation, the room began to clear. I lingered back, and dad was too busy in his phone to notice that the meeting was now over.
“So, how have things been going with your precious Ghost? I hadn’t seen him around lately.”
His eyes flicked to me, tightening just a fraction. “He’s doing what he does best,” he said finally looking up from his device. “He’s good. Question is, since when do you give a damn about Ghost, son?”
I shrugged. “I was just asking dad. Don’t confuse that with me giving a damn about him,” I said with a twinge of jealousy in my tone.
I hated that after all these years; I still resented Ghost for taking my father away from me. I hated that he got all of his time, while I got scraps. Yeah, gave me money and sent me off to school, keeping me busy with sports and activities, but his time was reserved for Ghost. I remember crying to him one day when I was about thirteen. I begged to be homeschooled and train with them. He beat my ass so bad that day and told me I better never shed another tear over another man. He told me that I wasn’t built for that life and maybe I wasn’t, but I was still his son. Hell, I was his own flesh and blood but somehow, I still felt more like an orphan than Ghost ever did. I didn’t care about the money or the so-called freedom, I wanted my dad. I resented him every day after that and swore that I would never give a fuck again. Here I was… years later, still choking on the same jealousy and hurt. Still carrying that shit like a scar that wouldn’t fucking heal.
“It’s been years son. Years, and I still see the jealousy and hate you have for him. Let it go and grow some balls. Ghost is just a disposable weapon. But you… you’re my son forever. That should mean something to you,” he spat.
He was right. Ghost was never just any kid. They’d been building him into something lethal, and dad was always proud in his own way. But the way his energy shift at Ghost’s mention, was strange. I caught it but refused to press him because then there would be another lecture of me being jealous of another man and I was over that shit. Somethings just weren’t meant to be unpacked right now so I left well enough alone.
I rubbed the back of my neck. “That should mean something to me?” I scoffed and shook my head. “You took in an orphan, cool. But the way you treat me… that shit was fucked up, Dad. You thought I gave a fuck about money? About running around, partying, and pretending like I had it all. I didn’t need any of that shit, I needed you! But instead, you gave all your attention to Ghost and turned him into a weapon but somehow called that shit love.”
My voice, fury blazing over. “I’m happy as hell I’m nothing like him…hell like you. You don’t give a shit about that man; you just love what he can do for you. That shits not fatherhood. That’s control.”
I reached out and swiped my arm across the conference table, knocking everything in my path to the floor. Papers, pens, files flew everywhere but that moment, I didn’t give a fuck. I was breathing hard, pissed at how I let him take me to such a dark place that I’d sworn I wouldn’t go again, while Gideon stood before me, smirking. That stupid, cocky look on his face like my pain was entertainment. That told me everything I needed to know.
“Alright son, that’s e-fucking-nough!” His voice boomed through the room. “Cut the pity party shit and tighten up.”
I blinked, chest heaving like I was about fucking explode.
“When your mother died, I was lost. She was my soul, my compass and when she left this world, I had no idea how to raise a damn child. I was built to survive and trained to kill andbelieve me, I tried to mold you the same way, but you didn’t have it in you, Son. You were soft. You came from her… the best parts of both us.”
He stepped forward and rested a hand on my shoulder. I tensed up under his touch.
“So, I gave you what she would’ve wanted. A chance, a normal life…. One she never got being with me. Ghost had fight in him. He came from the darkness, and I used it, yeah. But that doesn’t mean I ever loved you less.”
I stared at him for a long second, my anger finally calming down. The words sounded good, but from him, they sounded like bullshit.
“Alright, Dad,” I muttered, stepping back. “I’m over it.”
He nodded like it was some kind of victory. Like we’d made peace, but we hadn’t. That conversation was another dead end; just another chapter in a book I was tired of reading over and over. As I walked back to my office, I couldn’t help but think about his reaction each time Ghost’s name was mentioned. Maybe I was reaching but knowing Gideon, he had something up his sleeve with Ghost. I didn’t give a fuck about figuring out what it was though.
Back in the office, the rest of the day blurred by emails and calls. I went through the motions, but my mind kept drifting back to Tori. Her loud moans, the way she looked at me in my eyes while she rode my dick. Our conversation flowed naturally at the restaurant, but that fire ass sex put the icing on the cake for me. Once my workload was clear, I pulled out my phone and shot her a text.
Me: Still thinking about how you rode my dick like a cowgirl. You free tonight? Round two at my place.
I hit send, and leaned back, letting a slow grin stretch across my face. Shit, I knew she felt that too. After packing up for the night, I grabbed my coat and briefcase and headed for the elevators. Halfway to the parking garage, I pulled my phone again to check if she hit me back.
Nothing.
I opened the thread and noticed that she not only seen it forty minutes ago, but she left a nigga on read.
Damn.
