“He’s been doing shady deals for a while and cutting corners every way he can.” Janae is no longer staring at her plate. “Maybe you don’t see it because you don’t want to.”
“Really, J? This is all news to me, and I’m just as upset as you are. You didn’t have to agree to the deal if you didn’t want to, so I’m not sure why your anger is being directed at me.”
Janae stood, entering a face-off with Aja as I sat confused, wondering what the hell had happened to our family.
“If I didn’t take that deal, then Dad wasn’t going to let you go to Spelman. I’m sure he had something prepared to threaten you with, but you were all too happy to agree. Out of the three of us, you’ve always loved the company the most. I didn’t want this path, but I figured one of us should get what we wanted.”
Our mother started to weep, and the display of emotion seemed to spur on Janae’s anger.
“Mom. Say something. Literally anything.” Aja pleaded.
The three of us all turned to look at her while my father proceeded to eat his meal without an ounce of care.
“I didn’t know.” She shook her head, tears running down her face. “I knew that there was nothing to do about Parker. You had your heart set on leaving. But girls, I didn’t know about the agreement. You both loved going to the office with your grandfather and to the events. I just assumed…why didn’t you come to me, Janae?”
It dawned on me then that my mother had played a passive role in all of this, the same way she had with me. She never let things go too far, but she never picked a side either. Just like she never brought up my father or convinced me to come home. Being away all that time, I convinced myself that life went on in Oakland Ridge without a hitch—I was the black sheep making waves in a place that was committed to tradition and order. But things were bad here and worse than I imagined.
“What would you have done, Ma?” My heart broke hearing the crack in Janae’s voice. I knew exactly how she felt. If I ever thought my father might have accepted me, then I would have stayed. His threats told me all I needed to know.
“I would’ve talked to your father?—”
“They were given the same options I was at their age. There are expectations of you when you wear this name. Gentry Co is a family-owned business, and it will remain that way. Parker made his choice, the girls made theirs. I don’t need anyone's permission to protect our legacy.”
My limits had been met. I surged from my seat, meeting him at the head of the table. My father stood suddenly, his chair scraping back on the hardwood floors.
“Do you not see what you’re doing to your family? You’re playing with our lives like we’re damn chess pieces on a board. What happened to you?” My voice boomed across the room.
My sisters appeared at my side. I was just two seconds away from pummeling him to the ground.
There was no way I could be in his presence another moment longer without doing something I wouldn’t be able to take back. Shaking off my sisters, I stormed out of the room.
I was halfway down the path to the pool house when my father called out to me. He was charging towards me like a man on a mission. He had never hit me before, but the man I once knew wasn’t the man standing in front of me.
He stepped toward me, pointing a finger into my chest.
“I let you live your dream and disrespect your legacy. I thought taking away your inheritance would embolden you to be smart. But you’ve proven to still be the same silly boy who left here ten years ago. I will not allow you to embarrass this family with your silly dalliance with this girl. If you don’t like the rules, you can leave.”
He shoved a manila folder with Evelyn’s name written across it into my chest.
“Read it. See who you brought into your family’s home. See who you are so set on protecting. Her father was nothing but a con man. This story that she’s given you is nothing but anelaborate lie. A tale to garner sympathy so she can get her money's worth.”
Spittle flew from his mouth as he tried to convince me that the woman I was falling for was nothing but a scammer.
My mother came rushing out from the house just as my father had shoved me again before beginning another tirade.
“Jonathan Xavier Woods, get your hands off that boy right now!” She hollered.
The sound of her voice seemed to break him out of his rage. As angry as I was, I couldn't process the scene that had just unfolded.
If my mother hadn’t come out, I’m certain that it would have come to blows.
He took a step back and moved wordlessly towards my mother. Her disgust was clear on her face. She scoffed and walked away. My father trailed behind, calling after her. After tonight, nothing about their relationship made sense to me.
Looking towards the pool house, I saw Evelyn standing in the doorway with tears running down her face. When I moved towards her, she turned away and walked back into the house.
“Evelyn, wait!” I yelled, running the rest of the way to the house.
When I got inside, I found her crying on the sofa with her face in her hands.
