“Son of a bitch. Sounds like Armand didn’t lose much when his father died.” Hayden had been one of the lucky ones—his parents stood steadfast by his side, taking on anyone who treated him differently. God knew he’d put them through the wringer, but they still loved him despite his mistakes and stupid choices.
Surprisingly sympathetic, Janice pursed her lips. “It’s a sad story. They had a very tense relationship. Early on, Armand insisted on trying to prove his father wrong, even though Trevor believes he has no desire to really run the Kings. He’d show up and make attempts to learn the business, but Randolph would brush him aside, or put off any effort he made, often in front of the other board members. After a while he stopped completely.”
“His father sounds like a real piece of shit. So why did Armand keep bothering? He could have taken his millions and had his fun.”
Janice scribbled something on a notepad and slid it across her desk. “Shall I send you to him? You can ask him yourself.”
He shrugged as he put the address in his phone. “Sure, why not? It’s not like I have anything else on the horizon.” His eyes narrowed. “Do I?”
Studying her screen, Janice tapped the mouse. “I’m not sure. It’s barely eight. I’ll email you with any others when I have the details for your meeting with Armand Winters.”
That was his cue to leave. He got to his feet. “I’ll be waiting for your email.”
She raised a hand and answered her ringing phone.
Outside, he stood gazing at the sky, blinking at the bright sunlight. The crowds streamed past him. People on their way to work. On their way home from the night shift. School children holding hands with their parents, teenagers gossiping or going over their homework.
It seemed like everyone had someplace to be but him. Hayden gritted his teeth and decided to use the time to catch up on everything he’d neglected while working his crazy hours for Boris. He found a coffee shop and settled in to do some work.
After ordering an egg-white omelet, sliced avocado, and coffee, he read through the morning news, checked his emails, and scheduled a haircut and manicure. His leg jiggled as he scanned his most recent credit card statement. A few months of no salary, even with his severance, and he’d be in trouble. A message popped up from his mother.
Hi, darling. Haven’t heard from you in a few days, and Dad and I were worried. Call when you get a chance.
He hit the screen. “Hi, Mom.”
“Oh, you didn’t need to get back to me right away. I know how busy Boris keeps you. Hold on and I’ll get Dad.” He heard her yell, “Jim, Hayden’s on the phone. I’ll put you on speaker, honey.”
Smiling to himself, he ate some of his omelet while waiting.
“Hayden? How’re you doing?” His father’s deep voice echoed in the background.
“I’m well. But I wanted to tell you. I got laid off.”
“What? What the hell was Boris thinking?” his mother cried out, and he squeezed his eyes shut. Nicole Porter was no shrinking violet and rarely kept her opinions to herself. “How dare he fire you? You gave a thousand percent to that job to the detriment of yourself. Was it—”
“No,” he cut her off abruptly. “It had nothing to do with that. Boris never found out. No one will.” Past mistakes, though from two decades earlier, hung over his head like a guillotine. He might’ve been a child in the eyes of the law, but the ramifications were proving to last a lifetime.
“So what happened?” his father asked, always the calm to his mother’s storm. If you searched “opposites attract,” his parents’ picture would be the first to pop up. But through it all, the good and bad times, they had each other. No matter that he’d caused them problems, they never wavered in their love.
“What happened is that Boris is an idiot. That’s obvious,” she ranted, and Hayden bit his lip to keep from laughing.
“Nikki, please let Hayden explain.” His father managed to get a sentence in between her huffs of outrage.
“It had nothing to do with me or my work.”
“Of course it didn’t,” his mother agreed. “Your work is impeccable.” Her indignance was sweet, and after that morning’s discussion about Randolph Winters’s treatment of his son, Hayden felt sorry for all the kids who didn’t have the support system he’d had.
“Impeccable or not, Boris got himself married, and his new wife—his very young, very shrewd wife—doesn’t want anyone standing in the path to her husband’s fortune.”
“Meaning you?” Of course his father already knew the answer.
“Meaning me. I received severance, and Janice is busy setting up interviews for me. I’ll have something soon.”
“If you need—” His parents spoke in unison, as he’d known they would.
“No, no. I know you want to help, but I’ll be fine. When I was seventeen and stupid, it was appropriate, and I still royallyscrewed up. At thirty-seven, my problems are my own. I love you for the offer, but I’m sure I’ll have another interview soon and find something.”
His phone buzzed with a message from Janice.
