AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I cancelled a meeting for this.” He sits beside me, his body stiff. The energy around him screamsfuck off, and I’m sure mine is pretty close to the same.
“You’re lucky that’s all you’ve had to do, Alex. What is going on?”
“An hour ago, your son told me that he’s done playing for me. Did you know he was going to do that?”
“Would it matter if I did? I didn’t know we were still being open with one another.”
Maddox didn’t tell me he was going to walk out today, but I can’t say that I blame him for it. If hewereto have given me a heads-up, I would have told him to do whatever felt right. Clearly, that’s exactly what he did.
I’m proud of him.So damn proud. All I’ve ever wanted is for my children to be happy, and knowing that my boy is chasing his happiness makes me feel like I’ve done something right.
Happiness doesn’t have to come from success or popularity. My wife and children are my happiness. They always have been. Everything else has been an added bonus, and Maddox sees things the exact same way.
What isn’t there to be proud of?
“You should have warned me. Should have talked to me about it. I would have tried to talk him off the ledge. What am I supposed to do now? The team is in shambles. There’s no way we’ll make it past the fourth game,” he spits.
“What did you think was going to happen? You might not have been close to my children while they were growing up, Alex, but you were still around. There’s no way you didn’t know better than to tell my son to choose you and your team over Braxton. If you thought for even a second that he would choose you, you’re dumber than I thought you were.”
“I did what I thought would save this team, Oakley. I saw a possible fix for the mess your sons caused and tried to make it work. Clearly, I should have thought of something else, but it’s too late for that now.”
“I need you to be honest with me, Alex,” I mutter, narrowing my eyes on him. “I want to know your relationship with Rose Carpenter, and I want to know your relationship with Roy Heights. I need answers here.”
His face pales as he exhales slowly. Whether he’s decided enough is enough or he just doesn’t care anymore, he doesn’t hold back any longer.
“Alright. I didn’t know she was going to write that article about Maddox and Noah, and I didn’t know that she had Braxton’s car bugged. When I met her, I didn’t even know she was a reporter, let alone one for that rag tabloid.”
Surprise shackles me. “You’re sleeping with her, aren’t you?”
“I was. I cut things off with her after she wrote that first article. I think the bug and the most recent story was a mix of retaliation for the breakup and an opportunity to make a name for herself. The messages I got before and after the latest story ran helped fit the pieces together. I’ve had a PI watching her for the past couple of weeks,” he admits, face flaming with shame.
“You’ve what? What messages?” I grit out, fingers itching to curl into fists.
“I’ve had a private investigator watching her, trying to find something I could use to get her to shut up. We’ve found out a lot about her, stuff that could help. And her messages are what you would expect from a crazy woman. Ones that said I would regret leaving her and that I deserved what was coming. She thinks me breaking up with her is some sort of punishable crime.”
“So, this was never about my son? Or Braxton? This was all about you and your dick?” I ask, growing more livid with each second that passes. “You blamed my son, withheld a contract from him, and blackmailed him . . . all because you got involved with the wrong woman?”
He pushes his shoulders back, going on the defensive. “Slow down. This wouldn’t have even happened if Maddox hadn’t gotten involved in Noah’s drama. The whole addict narrative Rose played at? That’s all on your youngest son.”
“You know, I’m getting really sick of you throwing Noah back at me. Are you really holding on to some grudge against a twenty-year-old because of an article the woman you were sleeping with wrote?” I shake my head, laughing incredulously. “Unbelievable.”
“The VW are my legacy! You can’t possibly understand what it’s like to be me right now,” he snaps.
“You’re right. And you can’t understand what it’s like to be me right now, a father watching his son be torn apart by the public because of a man twice his age who cares more about himself than anyone else.”
“You know that isn’t true,” he says.
“No? Fine. Tell me how Roy ties into this. Is it really coincidence that he’s hip and hip with Rose? Or do you have more involvement than you’re telling me.”
He flinches. “You really think I would have allowed Roy to say such awful things about Maddox? About my organization?”
“So, that’s a no? You’re not involved with him?”
“No. Believe it or not, but his relationship with the woman I was sleeping with is coincidental. I think he just wanted to find someone desperate and with something to prove, and that just happened to be her.”
I push out a breath, rubbing at my jaw. “You understand how it’s hard to believe you.”
“I do. But I’m asking you to try. I’ve been your friend for a long time. Back when it was my dad running the show. I might have done a lot of shit that I wish I could take back, but I would never sabotage your family.”
