He tightened his jaw like he wanted to snap again but he needed my reaction too much to risk it.
“The Hargroves are prepared to move forward with the merger,” he said. “It’s bigger than you understand. This partnership will change the trajectory of our entire company.”
This your company,” I said. “Not mine.”
“It’s benefits you too,” he shot back. “Everything I’m doing is for the Frost Legacy.”
“There you go with that Legacy shit again.” I sat up, clearly pissed off at him wasting my time. “You called me away from my business, my staff and my time just to preach to me? Or is this where you tell me what my next move is supposed to be because yours don’t hit without it?”
He pressed his hand together. “For the merger to be finalized… you have to marry their daughter, Victoria Hargrove.”
I stared at him, heat crawling up my spine. I chuckled angrily. “Come again?”
“This marriage would solidify our partnership. Her family has old money, they’re well respected and have powerful ties that I can’t get to. The Hargroves don’t align themselves with just anyone. You should feel hono?—”
“Have you lost your rabbit ass mind? I should feel honored to marry a bitch I barely know?” I spat. “She called me the help the first time I met her stuck up ass, pops, is you cool?”
“She made a mistake.” He waved it off.
“That’s not my problem.”
“You’re being childish, Nikolai. I told your mother you would do this nonsense.”
“And you’re being desperate as fuck, Pops,” I said. “This shit not even about me, it’s about your precious business.”
He slammed his hand down on the desk. “You are tied to this family whether you like it or not. This marriage strengthens our name!”
“That’s you,” I said, pointing at him. “You want a power move. You wanna stand next to Winston Grove at a Ceremonyand pretend this city ain’t been yours for twenty fuckin’ years. That’s not the life I want for myself.”
He sat back in his chair and glared at me. “You’ve been angry long enough, Son. What happened to your sister canno?—”
I jumped up from my seat, ready to jump across this desk the minute he spoke her name.
“Don’t speak on her,” I said through gritted teeth.
“I have to. This needs to be said.”
“Then you’re dumber than I thought. You don’t get to use her in your little fucked up speeches while trying to persuade me to do your dirty work.”
He looked at me like he expected me to crumble. “You still let that grief run your life.”
“Nah,” I said. “I let it remind me of who actually mattered.”
His jaw clenched as the room went quiet. We were in a tense stare off, neither of us backing down. He knew I was never the type of nigga to fold either.
“What happened to being a man… and making choices that benefit more than your damn emotions?”
I laughed but wasn’t shit funny. “You want me to be a man? Start acting like one, first. You around here fucking your receptionist in an office that you know your wife can come into at any time. Quit hiding your intentions behind this legacy talk bullshit. You don’t give a fuck about nobody but yourself and haven’t for as long as I can remember. Nigga don’t even have a successful marriage and steady trying to push me in one. You want control. You want everybody to obey you like you some kind of God. You want a son who gone fold when you raise your voice, but newsflash, pops, that ain’t me!”
He opened his mouth to speak but I cut him off.
“Let me ask you something, Pops. When was the last night you’ve came to one of my restaurants? Or took interest in any of the recipes I’ve created?”
He sat back like the air left him.
“My point exactly. You don’t know shit about the man I am today.”
“You’re making a mistake,” he said.
