Page 7 of Galen's Redemption
Chapter Three
HIS FATHERwas on Galen before he even had a chance to sit down. He barged into the office and stood, palms flat on the desk, his beady little eyes glaring down at Galen, who really wasn’t in the mood for this right now. He was out of sorts after his confrontation with Robert Kotke. Just who the hell did the man think he was? Galen had half a mind to buy the fucking buildingand throw Kotke and his disgusting gaggle of people back out onto the streets.
“Did you get the goddamn check or not?”
Galen reached up and slid a hand over his jacket pocket. Why was he so hesitant to give the money to his father? It wasn’t like it belonged to Robert, even if Noel hadn’t been wrong. If his father had taken Noel to court, he might have come out the winner, but the resultingpublic-relations scandal would have been a nightmare to deal with. Noel could make their lives a living hell.
“I asked you a question, and I would prefer not to repeat myself, Galen.”
He slipped his hand into his pocket, withdrew the check, and handed it over to his father.
“I’m surprised you were able to get it. People like that are…. Well, they’re a pox on our society. They cost hundredsof millions of dollars each year in free medical care, food, and things of that sort.” He tore the check in half, then slipped both pieces into Galen’s shredder. “Best to ship them all off to a faraway island and then nuke the damn thing.”
Irritation bubbled up inside Galen. It wasn’t the first time he’d seen this side of the man. Hell, it was pretty much theonlyside he had. He constantly beratedthe staff both in the office and at home, but how many times had Galen caught him fucking the maid, only to laugh it off and tell Galen he could have a go at her too if he wanted? As far as Jonathan and Miranda Merriweather were concerned, the people who worked for them were just amusing toys, easily replaced when they grew tired of them. It didn’t matter who they were—gardener, chauffeur,assistant, mailroom clerk, one of the partner’s kids. If they were cute, they were an open target for Galen’s parents.
As much as Galen was loath to admit it, the only one who was actually decent in his family was Lincoln. True, Galen didn’t agree with his methods, but his results couldn’t be denied. He’d had nothing when their father froze Lincoln’s assets, telling him that all the money belongedto him and not Lincoln. Instead of getting upset, Lincoln walked out, sold all the tangible goods he had, and opened the Park View diner.
And though Galen couldn’t understand it, Lincoln seemed happy. Even more so since Noel. What was it about him that had Lincoln walking on air? He was a homeless kid, for God’s sake. Even though their father had told Noel that Lincoln’s diner would fail beforethe end of the year, Galen knew better. Lincoln had been at the top of his game when he worked for Primal, and his years of slinging burgers hadn’t dulled his business acumen.
Galen sighed. Fine, he followed Park View on Facebook, and the place had a 4.7 rating, with only two one-star reviews, and those were because the guy who’d served them had been pretty stoned. Lincoln ran a good, clean placewith excellent food, and though he’d never admit it, Galen had enjoyed going there in the mornings. Katy, his server, was a great way to start the day, with her cheerful demeanor.
Galen remembered the morning he did something so stupid, it cost him his brother. He’d gotten a call from their father, demanding a meeting at five in the morning. Galen went, and Father raged about their latest acquisitionand how it was underperforming what the paperwork said. While Galen assured him they could turn the place around and make it profitable once more, his father had said no and announced they were closing it. Two hundred jobs… gone, just like that. And, of course, Galen had been the one to pass along the news, which made him public enemy number one to those people.
He’d gone to the diner and foundit wasn’t open yet. Lincolnneveropened late. Why Galen was so irritated was beyond Lincoln. But when Noel came over and gave him a pleasant smile and told him they were grateful for his patronage, Galen lashed out, delighting in seeing Noel’s expression when Galen said that he didn’t want a homeless person touching his food and that Noel should be back out on the street where he belonged. Noeltrudged away, and Galen felt all was right with the world once more. He’d taken Noel down a peg and reminded him of his place.
Then Lincoln got involved. Galen had seen the many moods of Lincoln Merriweather, but the one on display that day shook Galen to his core. He honestly believed if Lincoln was a violent man, he would have hurt Galen. Fortunately, Noel came out into the alley, where Lincolnwas holding Galen against the wall, and said he had orders. The anger bled from Lincoln, leaving him looking sad. He told Noel to go back inside and he’d be there in just a moment.
After Noel closed the door, Lincoln told Galen he wasn’t allowed at the diner anymore. He chose to align himself with indigents instead of his own family, and Galen couldn’t understand any of it. How could it be thatwas what made Lincoln happy? He worked eighteen hours a day, seven days a week. He busted his ass for peanuts. Primal was a damned Fortune 500 company. Working there, he and Galen had power, money, and even if Galen did it on the sly, he and Lincoln both indulged their hedonistic tendencies to the fullest.
“Are you even listening to me?”
Galen jerked up. “I’m sorry, I was thinking. What didyou say?”
His father shook his head. “See? This is why I wanted Lincoln back here. Even if he and I didn’t see eye to eye about most things, he was still capable of multitasking.” He turned and strode to the door without another word to Galen, who sat fuming.
He picked up his phone and jammed the button for his secretary. “Olivia, bring me in the files for the Wayne acquisition.”
“Right away,Mr. Merriweather.”
Olivia was a good assistant. She did what she was asked, never complained, and was perpetually sunny. Seeing her was what made coming into work tolerable.
A few minutes later, the door opened, and she came into the room, a stack of files in her arms. “Here you are, sir.” She placed them on the corner of his desk. When he looked up, she was frowning, a totally alien expressionfor her. “Are you okay?”
He hadn’t been expecting that question.
“I’m fine.” He paused. “Don’t I seem okay?”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry. It’s not my place. I’ll be at my desk if you need anything.”
As she headed for the door, Galen had the overwhelming urge to find out what she’d meant. “Olivia? Why would you think there’s something wrong?”
She sighed but looked back at him. “I heardyour father yelling, and I thought maybe you might be upset.”
Of course she’d heard him. As loud as his father got, Galen wouldn’t be surprised if the people over in Legal had heard him.
“I’m fine.” He grinned when she turned around. “Well, mostly.” He gestured to the chair across from his desk. She sat dutifully, her hands folded in her lap. “Thank you for your concern. It’s really appreciated.”
She graced him with a soft smile. “You’re a good boss. I like working here.”
