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Fuck me.
I now knew why I avoided relationships. The fucking drama. I could never get past all the gossip and heartache. For what, so a man would grovel and beg for some chick only to find out a few years later that she wasn’t the one for him? It was all bullshit. I hated everything to do with romance, relationships, and shit. It wasn’t for me. That’s why I stayed single. Never invested myself past what it took to get a chick in bed. Linsey wasn’t a fuck-em and leave-em kind of girl. She was the forever kind. I didn’t believe in forever. Forever was for chumps who filled their head with fluff and cotton candy. Where men got so absorbed in a woman, he lost sight of who he really was. I refused to let that happen to me.
I saw what happened when a man totally lost himself in a woman. It wasn’t pretty. In the end, only death remained. Fuck that. If they thought for one second, I’d fall victim to that shit. My brothers were sorely mistaken. I had too much self-respect for myself and my daughter to let what happened to my parents ever happen to me.
There was a lot about myself I kept close to the vest. Shit, that no one needed to know. My past was mine alone. I was good at keeping my thoughts and feelings buried because if I ever let them out, I didn’t know what I would do. For twenty-eight years, I’ve tried to forget my past. That was why when my grandpa died, I sold everything. I didn’t want a single reminder of where I came from. It was bad enough I still had the Van Otto name. If anyone cared enough to look, they would find what I was hiding. That was one of the main reasons I stayed a nomad for so long. I wanted to join several clubs, even came close when I was in New York City. I liked Montana and how he ran the Soulless Sinners, only to back away when I learned he required an extensive background check. The Golden Skulls didn’t. They didn’t pry into a brother’s past unless needed, and I never gave them a reason to do so.
Now the spotlight was on me and I knew if I didn’t fix this shit with Linsey fast, Matrix and Phantom would start digging. I’d already given them enough hints to question me. My money for one and how I knew so much about Duchene International.
I knew what Linsey was facing. She had a tough road ahead of her. As much as I wanted to believe she would stay and forgo her requirements, I knew it was impossible. She was the guardian of the Duchene, the heir to everything. With that position came responsibilities I was sure Linsey truly didn’t understand. I did. Just like I knew it didn’t matter how much I liked Linsey, nothing would come of it. Her position wouldn’t allow it.
That was the reality of the situation. Linsey was the regent in charge of the next Duchene. She was on borrowed time. The second her sister died, her life changed and there was nothing she could do about it.
I was sitting at the bar in the clubhouse when my phone rang. Seeing who it was, I answered. “Yeah.”
“Mr. Gregory Van Otto?”
“Speaking.”
“My name is Brenda Mark. I am the daughter of Phillip Mark.”
“Know who you are, lady. What do you want?”
“Mr. Van Otto, I’m calling to let you know my father passed away last night at nine forty-seven from lung cancer.”
“Sorry for your loss and excuse me for being crass, but what does that have to do with me?”
“Excuse me?”
“Why are you calling to let me know this?”
“Mr. Van Otto, didn’t my father tell you?”
“Tell me what?”
“When you sold Van Otto Lapidary to my father, he made you his sole heir.”
“He did what!” I shouted, getting to my feet, causing several of my brothers to stop what they were doing and stare. “I sold him everything so I wouldn’t have to be bothered with that shit anymore.”
“I understand that, but my father was close friends with your parents and grandfather. He agreed to the sale on one contingency. That upon his death, the company returned to its rightful owner. That’s you Mr. Van Otto.”
“I don’t want it. That’s why I sold it in the first place!”
“I understand that, but now that my father is dead, you are the owner of Van Otto Lapidary once more. The board of directors has already convened and as of this morning, you are once again the owner and CEO. The board is requesting you to return to New York City as soon as possible. There are things they need to discuss with you.”
“Lady, nowhere in the contract I signed did it say your father made me his heir? I wouldn’t have signed the damn thing if it had. You must be mistaken.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Van Otto, but I’m not. It’s under sub-section J-clause eighteen. You signed at the bottom.”
“Bullshit,” I growled. “I’ll call you back.”
Hanging up on the woman, I ran from the clubhouse as brothers shouted at me. Ignoring them, I ran for my house, entering through the front door, as I purposefully walked into my office. It wasn’t much, just a desk and some filing cabinets, but what I was looking for was there. Opening the bottom drawer of the filing cabinet, I pulled out a thick file about the sale of my grandfather’s company. Thumbing through the papers, I found the contract and sat down.
“What’s going on Vicious?” Ghost asked. Looking up, I saw my brothers spilling into my office.
“Bitch called and told me I just inherited my grandfather’s company again. For her sake, she better be fucking lying. I sold all that shit years ago. Wanted nothing to do with it.”
“What’s the big deal?” Digger said, leaning against the wall. “If it’s true, just sell the shit again. More money for you.”
