My father noticed me first, immediately saying something quietly to the others as I walked up. “Gentlemen,” I managed, nodding to the other three.
My father took another gulp of his drink before selecting a club. He certainly didn’t look happy to see me.
I wondered why.
“Hey, Chris. I heard about your upcoming wedding. She’s a real looker. Lucky man.”
Immediately, I bristled, turning my head to stare at Bob. Maybe because he was a man of the law, the fact his girlfriend was barely eighteen disgusted me the most.
“Hubba. Hubba.” Ralph whistled while shaking his stretched-out hand in front of him, the gesture igniting even more fury.
“How did you manage to land a hot girl like Vanessa Blair?” This time William Zephyrs chimed in.
My father was finally bothering to study my reaction. “It would appear my son is more calculating than I gave him credit for. Would you like a drink, son? Shame I didn’t know you were coming, or I would have kicked William off the team. His game sucks.”
The men laughed while I stood with my hands in my pockets.
I remained quiet, which finally unnerved the four of them.
“Hey, we’ll start without you, Carmichael,” Ralph commented.
“Sure, you go ahead. I’ll be right there.” My father practiced a few swings while I remained silent. “What’s your beef, son? I thought all the arrangements were set in stone.”
“I have one question for you. Why make the announcement about my engagement when I specifically told you I’d handle it? It’s all over social media and every Miami news organization.”
The fucking phone calls had started the night before, news agencies not asking but demanding five minutes of my time. Even Vanessa’s phone had blown up. I’d never seen her so rattled.
But I’d realized why from her statement in the car. She’d worked hard to gain her independence and the articles had made it seem like she was nothing more than a trophy wife. Now I was angry. For her.
He eyed me curiously. “Contrary to what you continue to think, I have no interest in social media fodder, son. I leave that to the younger generation.”
“Then why the fuck did you make the announcement to the press?”
He acted as if I was annoying him. “Not worth my time and it shouldn’t bother you in the least. You should be concentrating on business now that you’ve secured a wife. At least you have good tastes. It troubles me though that your mind isn’t on business. I’m beginning to think my choice in making you CEOwas the wrong one. Carson seems to have his heart and soul in the business. Plus, he understands the art of negotiations.”
Not once in my life had I struck my father. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had the desire even though growing up with him as head of the household had been grueling on his good days. Maybe because I’d learned early on that he enjoyed ruling by intimidation. He’d done that extremely well in business and with the family.
Another fucking trait I’d inherited.
Today, I wanted to knock him to the ground, but doing so would serve no purpose.
I refused to take the bait he was dangling about Carson. He’d done it before only in reverse when Carson had wanted nothing to do with the business.
“So you had nothing to do with leaking the news.”
He glared at me as if I was deaf and dumb. “What did I just say to you? A waste of my time. Why does it matter? Is Ms. Blair suddenly upset? If so, you need to learn to control her by whatever means necessary.”
I looked away as I shook my head. He was talking about my fiancée. Mine. The anger continued to increase. In fact, I’d never felt such fury around him because I’d grown used to his bullshit.
As I rubbed my jaw, I could tell by the look in his eyes he knew he’d finally broken through my cool resolve.
“Perhaps you need a lesson in the importance of taking full control of your life. Now isn’t the time to be wishy-washy over a goddamn woman. She should mean nothing to you. I’ll expectthat as of Friday night, the contract with Lopez will be locked down and ironclad. Take your brother with you.”
When he walked away, I thought about Vanessa’s resolve. “You’re right, Dad. I will take more control as it’s part of my duties as CEO. Carson will not be attending the meeting, nor will he have anything to do with the overseas operations. I’ll find him a nice, less taxing task that will keep him occupied. For now.”
I didn’t wait for any retort. For whatever reason my brother had decided to try to derail my life now was beyond me. We’d never gotten along, but I was the one who’d dealt with his shit over the years, not our father.
Just like what Vanessa had endured.
