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Russel Loughton is a man that looks like he should be a billionaire. The suit doesn’t even matter. Giving him a single glance, you know that you’re nothing to him. He glances at me for half a second before turning back to Phillip. “Addison Adelaide. The woman you’ve been living with for the past month?”
Phillip nods. “You’re here to return my cards, I assume?”
“I don’t know if you deserve them after the stress you’ve put on the family and the company.”
Phillip doesn’t let him walk over him. “You agreed to the deal, so if anyone’s put people under undue stress, it’s you. You’re the owner, after all. Actually, you suggested it. Maybe we should take away your access to the bank account if the decision was that bad.”
Russel Loughton is the most powerful man in the publishing world. Every other major publishing house is a publicly traded company, but Loughton House is owned by him. One man. His sons are prominent figures, but at the end of the day, it all comes down to him.
“Don’t be stupid, Phillip. I knew what I was getting into. What I didn’t know was that you’d find some woman to take you in like a stray puppy. I hope you’ve enjoyed your time together because it’s time to get things back in line. I need you to start off by taking a trip to LA to talk with a start-up agency.”
Phillip chuckles and shakes his head. “Sorry. That’s not going to happen.”
Russel cocks his head, visibly surprised at his son’s response. I try my absolute best not to move a muscle. “What are you saying?” Russel says very slowly.
“I’m saying that I’m not going to LA today. I need to figure out what all has happened while I’ve been gone. You can go to LA or send someone else, but I’m not going.”
Watching them have this discussion is like watching two wolves growl at each other, and I’m not sure which one is going to back down. I’m sure that Phillip knew this kind of thing would happen after pushing away from his father, but did it have to happen two hours after he got back to work? More importantly, did it have to happen with me in the room? I feel like I’m going to end up a casualty in whatever fight happens.
“You can do all of that on the flight. Talk to the agency reps and then hop on the plane to be back here by the morning.”
Phillip just shakes his head. “I don’t understand what you’re confused about, Father. I told you what I’m doing, and that’s what is going to happen.”
The comment seems straightforward. It’s probably a little too aggressive, but there’s no part of it that could be misunderstood. For some reason, Russel seems extremely confused. “Why aren’t you going to LA? This isn’t a new expectation.”
The words come out slowly, more a mutter than an actual question. Then it’s like a light clicks on in his head. And he turns back to me. “You’re why. You’re the reason all of this happened, aren’t you? When I found out that my son was living with some woman, I thought he’d promised you a raise when he was done with his little mid-life crisis. Now I’m wondering if it’s something else.”
I don’t know what to say. I’ve always thought that Phillip’s stare was so intense, but it was hot. When Russel looks at me, it’s like I’m frozen. I don’t know if it’s fear or something else, but I don’t know what to do or say.
And for the first time, I see Phillip become the man who the rest of the world sees. “Leave her out of it, Father,” he growls. The wolf imagery fits even better as he takes two steps toward Russel.
I feel like I can move again as his gaze moves away from me, and I step back even further. Russel says, “I’ll talk to any employee I want, boy. This is my company, after all.”
And Phillip smiles at him. “Don’t push me. I’ve done everything you’ve said for my entire life, learned every lesson you’ve ever taught, and truthfully, we both know that I’m better at running this company than you.”
There’s a pause as Russel stares his son down, both of them refusing to drop the argument. “Why shouldn’t I push you? Why shouldn’t I demand whatever I want from you? You owe everything to me.”
Phillip smiles at him, and Russel’s posture shifts just a little. Not enough to be noticeable to most people, but I’ve spent damn near every moment of every day for a month with Phillip, and it’s the same thing that Phillip does.
“Father, I don’t need you, and I don’t need this company. Mason stepped away, and he’s done just fine. I thought I needed you before my little ‘mid-life crisis’, but now I know I can manage just fine. Plus, I bet that Murray Press would hire me in a heartbeat. You need me, though. Andrew can’t run Loughton House, and you’re getting old. It won’t be long before the cracks appear, and you’re just not as good as you once were.”
A silent tremble runs through Russel, and I can see the rage in his eyes. “I can’t believe you’d suggest working for Murray Press.”
Phillip shrugs and turns his back on his father. “You’re the one who won’t listen. You’re the one who refuses to allow me the few things I’ve asked for. Privacy. My own decisions. The respect from you that I deserve. I would prefer to run Loughton House for the rest of my life, but I won’t do it the same way that I’ve done it for all these years. I won’t give up my life to run your company, Father. And if it’s between giving up the company or giving up my life, I will gladly walk out the door.”
He sits down at his desk as Russel stares at him. “Now, I have things to do. If you’d like me to go to LA, I can make it there on Friday afternoon. Please send me the information on this new agency you’d like to work with.”
Russel glares at his son for a few more moments and turns to walk away. Before he gets to the door, though, Phillip stops him. “And if you do literally anything to Addison Adelaide. I swear I will work for our biggest competitor and spend the rest of my life working to destroy Loughton House.”
The only response Russel gives is standing just a little taller as he walks out the door, slamming it behind him.
Thirty-Nine
ADDISON
I immediately go to Phillip,who sinks in his chair. “Holy shit, Phillip. That was intense.”
“He’s not finished,” Phillip says as he looks up at me, a sad smile on his face, “but I can’t go back to the way things were before. I have a lot of leverage, but my father doesn’t handle being pushed around very well. A lot of bad things could happen.”
