Page 25 of Galen's Redemption
Even though Galen had expected it, he couldn’t deny how badly it stung. Still, if there was one thing he could say about his father, the man was thorough.
“Fine. Anything else?”
“Second, I am to remind you of the five-year clause in your contract that prohibits you from working in the same field.”
Okay,thathe wasn’t even thinking about. What kind of job would that leave open for him? Knowing Jonathan Merriweather, he’d be able to twist the language to make any job Galen found be in some sort of competitive market. He wasn’t just punishing Galen; he was out to destroy him.
“Okay, thank you for calling, Mr. Scott.”
“Galen, I—”
“It’s fine, Dale. I’ve been waiting for your call. Thank you for handlingit yourself. Better someone I know than a stranger.”
“I’m really sorry. I wish….”
“Yeah, me too.”
They said their goodbyes, and Galen hung up.
“So? What’s happening?”
Galen sank into his chair and ran his hands over his head. “He’s fucked me. I thought I knew how to handle this. Move money around, make things harder to track. I should have realized who I was dealing with. He’s taking it all,including this place.”
“What! He can’t do that!” Andy’s voice dropped. “Can he? I mean, it’s your money, so your father doesn’t have a leg to stand on.”
“Legally, yes, it’s my money. The problem is, you don’t know my father. He will win, despite the cost. This? It’s an opening salvo, I guarantee it. He’s going to do his best to lock up any money that he finds, even if it’s only temporary. Ifhe’s called on it, he’ll claim it was an accounting error or something, but that’s not going to stop him. The thing you need to realize is that I defied him, and, like Lincoln, he’ll do what he has to in order to make me pay for my hubris. Unlike Lincoln, Father isn’t simply going to figure the damage is done. He’ll make sure of it this time.”
Andy’s reached for Galen’s hand. “What are you goingto do?”
“I’ve got enough cash to last me a while. In the meantime, I’ll talk to my lawyer, of course, but even if he can forestall the lock on my funds, dear old Dad will do something else. I wouldn’t put it past him to hire hackers to drain my funds.” Galen blew out a breath. “I can’t say what all he’ll do, but I promise you this, everything I had? It’s gone now.”
“I don’t understand.” Andyfluttered his hands. “None of it is his.”
He wished he could explain it to Andy, who was so innocent in many ways. “It doesn’t matter what I do or try, he’s going to beat me down. For everything I think I’ve accomplished, he’ll do his best to strip that away. Bribes, lies, whatever it takes, he’ll do it. If I fight, he’ll push back even harder.”
“And after what he did to Lincoln, why didn’tyou—”
Now that was one where Andy hit the nail on the head. “Because I was stupid. I honestly thought with the work I did, he would find some value in me. I should have known better.”
Galen sighed. It used to be he was in awe of his father’s ruthlessness. Funny how it wasn’t so great when it had been turned against him.
“One thing you can be certain of, and that’s the fact that my father canpretty much do anything he wants. A word in the right ear, a substantial campaign donation, paying a kid’s college fund—all that stuff opens doors. Even I don’t know how many people he’s got in his pocket. So, in answer to your question, while it could be challenged in court, it’s highly unlikely I would win.”
“But what are you going to do?”
That was a damn good question. “When Lincoln quit,Father left him enough stuff that he could sell and still have money. Me? He’s taking it all. He told me he respected Lincoln more than he ever did me, so I’m not shocked.”
He was. The enormity of what had transpired had Galen’s emotions in a jumble. On the one hand, he wanted to lash out and scream, on the other, he wanted to break down and cry. The third option was even worse. He wanted Andyto hug him until the pain went away. He knew it wouldn’t stop here. Father would squeeze until he got blood, and as bad as Galen thought things were now, he feared that if he fought back, they’d only get worse.
“You can stay at my place if you need to.”
It was a generous offer, but Andy’s whole apartment would probably fit in Galen’s bedroom. How could there be room for two on a postage stamp?That wasn’t the point, though. Galen was toxic now, and he didn’t want any of that spilling over onto Andy.
“Thank you. You don’t know how much I appreciate it. When my dad takes over a company, he likes to grind anyone who opposed him into dust beneath his heel. It’s my turn now, and anyone who helps me is going to be on his radar.”
“I don’t care.” Andy stepped over to Galen and put a handon top of his. “You’re my best friend, Gale. You have always been there for me, and I want to be there for you.”
Galen couldn’t think of a single time in his life he’d truly been there for Andy. Sure, he’d go out with him on occasion, but it was always with thoughts that if he did it, then maybe Andy would shut up for a while. God, had he ever not been a dick toanyone?
