AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Well, that's fine. I guess it's best you are here as well." My father sits back in the chair by the old fireplace.
"Before we start I want to let you know something in case you haven't figured it out already." I take a deep breath, I don't want him to go on thinking that it was Ian that did this to us. "It wasn't Ian who leaked this to the gossip rags, it was Ella."
"Ella! The fucking girlfriend?" My father hisses out at me and his face turns a bright red. It happens so quickly I start to get concerned that he might be having a heart attack. After a second of him doing a bit of deep breathing his face starts to take on its normal color.
"She's not my girlfriend any longer. I cut things off when I found out what she'd done. It doesn't take anything back but I wanted you to know that it wasn't Ian." I shove my hands in my pocket and my head falls slightly. The shame still strong.
"Percy, I told you this shit would happen! How could you not..." My father sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. "You know what it doesn't matter anymore, like you said it doesn't change what happened."
"About that, you said that I could help?" Ian speaks up. I'm proud to see he didn't even dwell on the fact that my father has to admit that he was wrong, but I do notice that my father doesn't even bother to apologize.
"Yeah, there is definitely something that you can do to help us out here. This whole thing is a fucking shit show. There's no way that we're going to get by just denying that we know him. The photos were all too damning. So I think it's better if we do a press conference to let the world know who you are to us." My father nods and a rush of surprise pulses through my body. I never thought I'd see the day that my father would willing admit to the world that Ian was his son.
"Really, you want to tell everyone I'm your son?" Ian asks crossing his arms over his chest.
"What? No. Of course not. We need to come up with a feasible story as to why your so close to our family." My father rubs a hand over his chin and look at the unlit fireplace deep in thought.
I shake my head in disbelief, that surprise I felt yesterday gone. This is just more of the same. "Are you out of your mind Dad? More lying? Really, that's your answer for what's going on right now?"
"Percy, don't you dare question me. If it wasn't for you I wouldn't have to find a way to dig us out of this mess. Next time you're looking for a women to have fun with make sure she's not the one playing you." My father snarls and I take a step in his direction.
"I'm not going along with any lie you concoct. Either you tell the truth or you'll have no support from me." I stare at my father but he doesn't back down, instead he stands from his seat and stares me down just the same.
"Boy, do you forget who I am. You think I need your support for anything that I do? I can take my company away from you in a heartbeat and it'd be like you never existed." The same green eyes that I see in the mirror every morning stare back at me.
"Then do it. If you're willing to lose a son over this then so be it." I call his bluff, though I know he's stubborn enough to actually go through with it.
"What on earth is going on here?" My mother's sweet voice breaks through the tension in the room and both my father and I take a step away from each other.
"Sorry, mom, I didn't know that you were here." I walk over and give her a kiss on the cheek.
"Trying to take in a little nap." She smiles up at me and rubs the side of my face gently. She pats my chest and walks around me. "Now what's going on in here?"
"Your son is intentionally trying to be hardheaded. I know what it's going to take to get us out of this mess and he thinks he's being some sort of hero by going against me. I don't have time for it." My father waves his hand in the air as if he's trying to brush the thought of me doing the right thing away.
"A hero? Are you kidding me? Because I don't want to lie? Because I don't want to make up any more stories as to who Ian is to me. I'm not doing this anymore dad. If I have to lose you and the company and my reputation because of it, it makes no difference to me." I start back in his direction but Ian moves forward to stop me.
"No, you don't have to do any of that. If Dad thinks there's a way that we can get what we lost then I'm willing to hear what he has to say." Ian says though his voice is monotone. He's breaking apart on the inside and just can't stand to have my father doing this to him again.
"This is bullshit." I hiss.
"Call it what you might but it's going to work." My father snaps at me before he looks at Ian. "I need you to tell the public that you're a recovering addict who at one time, when you were still in your impressionable teenage years tried to rob us. We caught you in the act and tried to send you to jail but both Percy and I felt that instead of sending you down that route we would try to get you some help. With you being such a close age to Percy, the both of you formed a brother like bond and you two have been close ever since. It's all very feasible and with you being in and out of rehab we can prove that you are still struggling and that's why we didn't want to put your business out on the street. It's out of respect for you. Honestly, I think that would be the best thing for any of us to do. The birth certificate I can say is faked. I have people that will make up another one in no time." My father puts a hand on Ian's shoulder.
My brother looks down at his hand and his body nearly crumbles in front of me. I don't remember my father ever touching Ian a caring or loving way. And this is the way he's going to do it. I can't let this shit slide. I walk over and push my father's hand of Ian's shoulder and stand in front of him.
"Fuck that. No Dad. I'm not going to let you do this. Ian doesn't deserve any of this! How can you be so fucking cruel! Don't you see what you're doing to him! Look!" I stand to the side to show my father Ian who is behind me, tense and with silent tears rolling down his face.
"What I'm doing to him? You're delusional, Percy. We were fine living life exactly the way we were supposed to and you had to go fuck things up. I warned you about that woman. I told you Ella was nothing but a leech searching for a story. Now that she's got it you want to pretend like you have nothing to do with what is going on with Ian. This is your fault Percy. Yours!"
A sharp sigh hooks my attention, I turn to my mother to see her hand over her mouth. I forgot this is the first she's hearing of this too.
"Oh no, Percy..." She whispers. Her eyes are wide as she stares at me.
"Yeah, I know mom. I know I should have seen this coming, I mean she's a journalist. Blowing up people's lives, that is what she does for a living. I thought she loved me and I was an exception to that rule. It's stupid and immature but it happened. I just never thought she'd do something like this. If I-"
My mother cuts me off, "Percy." Her voice softens and I can see the remorse building in her eyes, "Percy, Ella didn't leak the story. It was me, baby."
37
