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You never show a man your weaknesses.
Mine has become Aurora.
It’s not for anyone to see that, let alone Bastian.
With a heavy sigh, I continue to Grandfather's office. I'm surprised when I walk in and find Jericho already there.
I'm not late by any means. In fact, I'm two minutes early. But the fact that Jericho is here early signifies how worried he is about Grandfather’s decision.
“Great, now that Knight is here, let’s start,” Grandfather says, acknowledging me with a nod.
I sit next to Jericho, noting how different Grandfather seems from how he was when we spoke on the phone to check in. All those times, he seemed like he’d cooled off, but now he's back to being his old business self. This is the face we see when he's talking about his empire.
I glance at Jericho, but he doesn't look back. Another sign of tension.
“Now that we've had a few weeks to digest the scandal, I wanted to speak to you both. I also wanted to speak to the two of you because you work together.” He focuses on Jericho for a moment and says, “This is not going to be a situation where Knight can talk me out of whatever I decide.”
“I figured as much,” Jericho replies, sounding empty but keeping the coolness he’s known for.
“Good, because I've now come to my decision.” Grandfather looks at both of us. “I admire the two of you in more ways than I should, and it's obvious to everyone that I do. So, I don't like it when you make me look like an idiot.”
“That wasn't my intention,” Jericho attempts, but Grandfather holds up his hand to stop him from continuing.
“Jericho, I know it wasn’t your intention, but that doesn't change the fact that it happened and made me look bad. This is not the time to be losing anything. Word of mouth has been the key marketing tool for this company. I state my name and my life on making us who we are. When you screw with a man like Paul Linco, you don't just throw a stone at the window of our empire. You hit it with a bulldozer.” He bares his teeth and gives Jericho a hard stare.
“I’m sorry. I truly am.”
I could count the number of times I’ve ever heard Jericho apologize in my life on one hand and still have several fingers left. That includes just now.
“Fortunately, I have managed to talk Paul out of his departure, but it's cost me a great deal,” Grandfather says, ignoring Jericho’s apology. “Throughout the course of my attempts to fix things, I finally came up with what I want from you. It has taken me a while to speak to you anyway because I didn't know what you could do that you haven't already done.”
“What do you want from me? Tell me, and I'll do anything to fix the situation.”
“I'm glad you say that because my request will fall into the anything category. I want you to find a wife.”
At first, the two of us freeze and stare back at him as if he just told us we've been fired, then I wait for him to tell us he’s joking.
But he doesn’t.
Grandfather looks serious as fuck, and I realize the joke and laughter at such a crazy request isn’t going to come.
Sure, I essentially had to find a wife to get what I wanted from the empire, but it wasn’t like that. It was a choice. It was a quest.
This is different.
“What do you mean, find a wife?” Jericho looks at Grandfather as if he's lost his mind.
“You heard me, son.”
“How the hell does that fix anything?” Jericho’s voice is so high I swear the glass in the windows rattles.
“It fixes your image. That’s what I need you to do. Finding a wife will do just that.”
“Grandfather, don’t you think this is a little harsh?” I speak for the first time. “Jericho isn’t exactly the marrying type.”
“Neither are you, but you did it. You did what you had to to get what you want.” His voice is filled with pride, but I feel nothing but shame. “You already had the image, but now people think Jericho is some playboy, and I have to agree.”
“I’m not a fucking playboy,” Jericho jumps back in.
