Why was he doing it now? To flaunt his wealth? Father left him everything, including control of the company.
“Surprised you have time to stalk us, considering you have a multi-million-dollar company to run.” I shook my fist, hoping he’d see me in the rear-view mirror.
I’d been considering breaking my promise to Dad and begging Sebastian not to give me the money, but a loan. I’d pay it back, but it’d have to be at the end of the line ‘cause I owed my friend Barry a ton for Dad’s tests. But after Sebastian’s little stunt just now, I doubted he was in a generous mood.
Vindictive and victorious were probably closer to the truth. Horrible man. As a kid, I viewed my parents’ marriage as something to aspire to, but they must have hidden their problems from me. Looking at Sebastian and Father’s relationship from the outside, I puzzled over what they had in common, because Father didn’t become fabulously wealthy until after the divorce.
Maybe they fell in love, but as the years passed and Father’s wealth grew, Sebastian’s love of money progressed along with it.
It wasn’t worth the little energy I had to fathom how or if they got along. The phone beeped. Time for Dad’s meds.
“Heston?”I raced into the bedroom on hearing Dad’s pitiful voice. “I can’t breathe.”
Chapter 4
Why did he show up today of all days?
Devyn
It was weird being here. Weird and powerful. All eyes were on me the second I walked through the door. I was the black sheep of the Hayes family, cut off from all their wealth and privilege, and yet here I was, a top-tier member of the country club they all treasured as their safe space. Safe from riffraff like me.
Joke was on them. My mother had loved this place with her whole heart and had gifted me a lifetime membership shortly before she died. The club had auctioned it off at one of their charity events, and she paid through the nose for it. She told me it was to support an omega shelter. But I knew the truth. It was a big fuck-you to all the people who never treated her like she belonged, especially after she and my father split.
I never asked my mother where she got the money. It felt far more extravagant than she could afford.
“This present is as much for me as it is for you, Dev. Enjoy it and promise me they will never let you feel less-than.”
Looking back on her words, she knew her time on this plane would be short. At least she was with the goddess now instead ofdown here, where people never saw her as the amazing woman that she was.
“Are you dining with us or just utilizing the facilities today?” Geraldine, the hostess, asked.
“I haven’t decided yet.” I refused to show that I was impacted by her obvious disdain for me.
I could easily take it to heart and assume it was because I didn’t look the part or because her bosses didn’t like me, which they didn’t. But in reality, I was guessing it was more that she hated her job. This place was notorious for being a shit place to work. They paid poorly, and most of the members were crappy to the staff.
What was it about rich people that made them feel superior to others? Because they could buy fancy shoes that cost more than many people’s mortgages? It was such bullshit.
“Maybe I’ll go outside for a bit and relax. Will there be room for lunch today, if I decide to stay?” I asked.
She tapped at the computer screen. “There should be, yes. We have a few private rooms reserved, but the main dining room still has availability.” Which was a nicer response than I expected.
I headed outside. The weather was gorgeous. The air crisp, a nice breeze flowing by. If I wasn’t at the club, I’d have been taking my fur and hunting the day away. But today was the anniversary of my mother’s winning of my membership, and I wanted to be here for it.
I still remembered the first time they attempted to revoke my privileges. They had restructured the membership tiers andadded a clause at the bottom explaining to members that all current tiers would be automatically switched to the closest new one. They tacked on, “Let us know if you have any questions” at the bottom.
The manager took that as an opportunity to switch my membership over to a yearly one, effectively ending it the next month. I wasn’t sure why the little weasel thought they could get away with that. I might not have been as rich as I once was, but I had enough money to grab a lawyer.
Since my tier was never available for purchase, it could not be switched to one that was for sale. Or at least that was my argument, and it won. I also reminded them that singling me out, since the other winners from over the years were not impacted, could be problematic for them.
The second time I was almost booted out was when my father cut me off. He told them it would be too difficult for his family to see me there. And once again, my lawyer wrote a letter, and all was good.
I went to the far side of the patio, where it was quiet, and took a seat, leaning back, closing my eyes, and enjoying the sounds of the crickets. Most people were inside eating, only one other person out here with me, and they were far away. For all intents and purposes, I was alone.
Or rather, Mom and I were. “Mom, you won this for me. Don’t think I’ll ever let it go. I won’t.”
My father’s voice invaded my pleasant thoughts, and when my eyes popped open, I saw why. He and my asshat stepbrothers were walking outside. He gave me a grin, the kind that said hewas up to something, and the three of them took a seat at one of the few tables out here.
It wasn’t long until he was what I called “holding court.” It sickened me the way people around here kissed his ass, and by default, my stepbrothers’ asses.
