Page 59 of Privilege
He’sspittingmad, the vein in his temple raised and purple, his handsome features marred by a scowl that could topple empires.
“I always knew you were a waste of space,” he says, “but I never thought you were a fucking pervert.”
Oh. Okay. That stings a little more than it should, considering I’d known all along this is how he’d react.
“Good thing I don’t take up much of your day then,” I say politely. “You don’t have to endure my perverted presence very often.”
Cara takes an involuntary step towards my side, her teeth bared at my dad like she wants to attack. My face softens, because I’ve never had anybody on my side before. Not really.
Rich’s heavy hand clamps down on my shoulder. He stands beside me in an open shirt and his underwear, looking as fierce as Cara.
My throat suddenly feels tight.
“What do you want,” Rich says.
Dad assesses him warily, his sneer growing bigger. I watch him write Rich off before our very eyes. The golden boy, the heir to the Pritchard dynasty, Evelyn van der Beer’s handsome little puppet. Gone. Done.A bad investment.
“All of you, get the fuck out of this house,” he hisses. He doesn’t need to say we’re never welcome back.
Cara hands me my pants and I watch my dad’s cold, dead eyes start calculating his losses.Wait for it…
“And don’t go thinking your credit cards will keep working,” he says. “Your trust accounts are gone. You understand me?”
I give him a jaunty salute. “Understood,” I say.
He narrows his eyes suspiciously. He’s been in the room for enough hostile takeovers, back door deals with politicians and policemen and city officials, to know when someone has an advantage.When someone knows something about the deal he doesn’t.
“What did you do,” he says.
I’m pleased that he made this leap so quickly, because it’s been a long two years. I’ve been waiting for this for what feels like forever. It’s the only reason I came home.
“How’s it going in Montauk, dad?”
The room goes deathly still.
He repeats himself, slower this time. Like I’m stupid. “What. Did. You. Do.”
He’s always treated me like I was stupid. Wrote me off as soon as I expressed more interest in cars than general ledgers. When I signed up for shop class in my first year of high school, he told me I ‘may as well get a neck tattoo and start dealing drugs’. He never bothered to pay attention to my report cards. Never showed up for teacher conferences to discuss my work. Had no idea that I made the honour roll, graduated top of my class, and that the valedictorian at graduation was actually the second pick.
I’ve been flying under the radar for so long that he forgot to check up on me. Forgot to keep tabs.Forgot I’m an enemy.
Big. Fucking. Mistake.
“Having trouble with the permit office, aren’t you? Things not moving as quickly as you’d have liked?”
His shoulders get wider, and his palpable rage fills the room.
I continue on without bothering to disguise the smugness in my voice. “Did you know that the new director of the city planning department had a brother and sister-in-law who worked at that plant? The one you put out of business?”
He takes two threatening steps towards me but I don’t care.
“Every single vacant lot, severed property, and commercially zoned real estate on all sides of you will be launching lawsuits. It blocks their view, it alters the wind pattern for a tropical flamingo, it violates the rights of a special spore of mushroom. If you can think of it? I’m suing you for it. That development is dead in the water,dad.”
For one brief moment, I see a flicker of fear in his eyes. I know what that plan was worth. I know what those condos were going to sell for. He put too many eggs in this basket,didn’t diversify,and he’s going to lose millions.
And then there’s the industrial rezoning in Manhattan. And the project on Long Island. Allstalled out, delayed, not going according to plan. The fear grows, but he buries it fast, mask up.
“You don’t have the money for this,” he says. “Your trust fund is gone, Dane. You understand me?Gone.How are you going to pay those legal bills now?”
