“I’ve been here, day after day, devoted to this business,” my brother continued. “And you don’t even give me a week to prove that I’m capable of exactly what she is.”
My father released a frustrated sigh even though the conversation had barely started. “Leo, your sister had everything organized, and you managed to massacre it. All you had to do was follow what she did, but you decided to use your own system and screw it all up. Even the more straightforward things are impossible for you to handle.”
I felt uncomfortable sitting there knowing my father was going to rip my brother’s confidence to shreds.
“You make things complicated when they don’t need to be. You aren’t good with numbers or paperwork. You don’t know how to run anything. And you’re so oblivious to your own shortcomings that you don’t know how to lead. I would never put you in charge of this business—so you need to have some pride and just let it be. People listen to your sister because they respect her. They don’t listen to you because you’re an idiot.”
“Dad, that’s not true,” I chimed in, knowing my brother didn’t deserve to be called names right now.
My dad stared at my brother as if he didn’t hear me.
Leo didn’t react either.
“Something I don’t understand…” I looked back and forth between them. “Dad had already selected me to run the business before all this happened, and that wasn’t an issue. I don’t understand why it’s an issue now. I’ve only been gone a week, not enough time for anything to really change.”
My father didn’t speak.
Leo looked like he wanted to shoot my father in the face.
When the silence continued, I knew neither of them would address my words.
“Perhaps Leo and I could have equal ownership in the business?—”
“No,” my father barked. “Leo, your job is to support your sister. This is still a family business, and protecting your sister is an admirable job. You have your strengths—but leadership isn’t oneof them. I’m tired of hearing this shit over and over again. Your sister is back, and this decision is final. Enough.”
“She’s sleeping with a rat?—”
“He’s not a part of this business as long as I’m living. Francesca has agreed to this.”
Leo shook his head slightly, fuming behind his eyes. “She can do whatever the fuck she wants and it doesn’t matter?—”
“You lack the awareness and the humility to see how badly you screwed up, Leo. That’s the biggest reason why I’ll never give you this position. If you can’t learn what you did wrong, how can you improve? This place would go to complete shit if you were overseeing it. Payments would be missed, shipments lost, production halted… Fucking pandemonium. I don’t think you have the slightest inkling of how much work your sister does because you’re too busy drinking and fucking and bitching to notice. So, the answer is no—and it’ll always be no.”
Leo officially lost his temper and rose from the chair before he kicked it aside. Despite its heft, it slid across the terrace and hit another chair from a nearby table. The iron against the tile made a sharp scraping noise, and he released a loud yell before he stormed off.
My father didn’t react to the temper tantrum. His eyes followed Leo disappearing down the stairs before he gave a sigh and reached for his glass of wine to take a sip. He downed pretty much all of it in a single drink.
I sat there with my head slightly down, unsure how to move forward after that difficult conversation.
My father released another frustrated sigh.
“I think you were a little harsh with him.”
“You should have heard how harsh he was about you, Frankie.”
I didn’t take it personally. “I think Leo could do it if he had the right instruction. I could help him?—”
“No. He’s an entitled child who thinks that demanding what he wants until he gets it will work. Well, it won’t.”
“Nothing is worth straining my relationship with my brother.”
“He’s the one straining it, Frankie.”
“You gave him a chance when I left. You must have done that because you believed he could do it.”
“I did it because I was pissed off and desperate and stupid,” he said. “And it ended up worse than I could have imagined.”
“You should have given him some kind of instruction?—”
