AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Roman
GODDAMMIT!! I SLAM THE car door closed. My hands shake as I close my eyes, picturing those eyes. Those blue eyes that have sparkled and shined over the past three weeks have now returned to the devastating sadness that used to live there, and it’s all my fucking fault. I hold my chest as though my heart might tear through the flesh at any moment. The physical pain is unbearable.
“Back to the office.” I bark to Pharrell, bringing my hands to my face and rubbing them over my temples.
In my pursuit to have it all, I lost everything. The car ride back to the office is long and quiet. My mind is almost numb. I don’t know how to fix this, or even if it is possible. The logical side of me, the lawyer, the son, the bastard, would choose the company. Would choose the path that has been set in stone for generations. This side of me sees how impractical my relationship with Indie is, and that all my hard work would be for none. It would know what needs to be done.
The other side of me, the one that my mother nourished, the one that Indie brought to the surface. It’s telling me to drive back over there and make her listen to me, beg her for forgiveness, and promise her the world. But even this side of me knows that forgiveness isn’t always deserved, and doubt drowns me. Indie would be much better off without me. Without the darkness I live amongst.
Maybe we were never meant to be. I shake my head as I exit the elevator and into my father's office. Hell no. I won’t accept that. I don’t accept that Indie does not love me.
I storm into my father's office, the door rebounding off the wall from me flinging it open so swiftly.
“This is not happening,” I assert, slamming the engagement invitation on his desk.
He rolls his eyes at me like I’m a child, sitting back in his chair, folding his arms. “Not this again, Roman. I thought we had agreed on this matter already.”
“Agreed?” I mock a laugh. “You ordered me! You gave me a fucking ultimatum. You put the fate of our family, our company, and our goddamn legacy on my shoulders.”
“Jesus, Roman, stop being so dramatic. You act as though I enjoy having to force your hand.”
“For years, you’ve led me to believe I’m nothing without you. Threatened me to be stripped of my success and possessions. You molded me to be the man that you desired, like a chess piece on a game board. You positioned me exactly where you wanted, each crucial conspired move to protect your empire. I have become so tangled in your plan that I’ve lost the one I had of my own.”
His stern gaze meets mine as he utters, “You ungrateful son of a bitch. The things I’ve done for this family. The deals I’ve sealed with blood for you.”
“The things you have done for yourself, you mean,” I cut him off. “Everything you have done is for your benefit. My whole life, your focus has always been money and status just for you. What good will that do you when you are dead? What makes you think that I won't dance on your grave when you're gone and drive the company into the ground, just to spite you?”
He scoffs at me. I can see I’ve gotten under his skin. The realization I’m not backing down this time begins to surface in his expression.
“Are you done insulting me because I have a meeting in five minutes? And quite frankly, I am bored with this discussion. You will do your duty to this family, Roman, and marry Georgina, and I won’t hear another word of it.”
The tension in the room escalates as our clash of wills intensifies. “You may have orchestrated my life, but I refuse to be your puppet any longer.”
“What is this really about, Roman? Does this have something to do with that silly, poor girl that you’ve been wasting your time with? What’s her name again?”
He speaks about Indie as if she is insignificant because, to him, she is. To me, she is everything. I know he is baiting me, poking me for a reaction. I will not give him the satisfaction, and I also know if I admit that it has everything to do with her, he’ll wipe Indie from this earth without even a second thought. He will take it upon himself to fix the problem, but the issue is not Indie, it’s him. He’s the monster in this story.
“This has nothing to do with her; she’s gone. I fired her,” I lie to deflect his attention from Indie, but I see in his eyes that he’s not buying it. “This is about you and me. This is about how you sacrificed my happiness in pursuit of your twisted version of success.”
“Yet, you would give it all up for her. Wouldn’t you? Your career, this family, our traditions.” He narrows his eyes, attempting to assert dominance, weary of the manipulative tactics that he’s used my whole life. “What an absolute waste. Your defiance will lead to your own ruin.”
“Then it will ruin on my terms at least,” I quickly reply, fuelled by a newfound determination. The room echoes with the weight of my spoken truths as our eyes lock in a silent battle. For the first time, I sense a flicker of uncertainty in his gaze, an acknowledgment that his control might be slipping.
“Do you really believe you can survive without me?” He snickers.
“I’m willing to find out.”
As the words hang in the air, a sense of liberation washes over me. The power dynamics shift, and I step away from the chessboard, removing all his pieces, removing me from the game. This confrontation is a turning point, a defining moment that will reshape the course of my life.
“You’ll regret this. You will come back on your knees and beg me.” He grins, but I see the fear behind it.
“I am a Judge. We don’t beg.” I cock my head towards him. “Remember, Father? You’re the one who taught me that, after all. Perhaps that’s the one thing I won’t defy you on.”
I turn away, leaving him to grapple with the reality of a son who refuses to be like him. A son who would rather walk away from everything than continue to live his lie.
There had to be an end to all this. There had to be, and it starts with me. I stand firm, breaking free from the chains that bound me to his expectations. The echo of his ominous words linger, but determination drowns them out. With every step away from his oppressive shadow, I embrace all the unknowns, a world where my choices sculpt my own destiny. A new legacy. One that is shaped by my values and not his.
