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I see now that I miscalculated.
He isn’t going to give up or change his mind. The only person who’s going to lose here is me.
???
Chapter 2
Tristan
“Morning, Clive,” I tell the family butler as he opens the front door and lets me in.
“Morning, Sir. Your father is waiting for you in his office.”
I grind my teeth together to stop myself from telling him I don’t give a fuck where my father is or if he’s waiting for me, and nod instead, walking past him into the living room.
I let myself drop into one of the comfortable armchairs and pull out my phone, deciding to waste some time on the apps and make my father wait.
After the debacle at his office, he’d ordered me to meet him at the house the following Monday and had promptly walked out of the boardroom. Stretching this out over a few days was all part of his plan, the psychological torture of making me wait before he delivered my sentence.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the prodigal son himself,” a teasing voice calls out from behind me. I turn and find my sister, Tess, sauntering into the room. “I heard all about your exploits, little brother. You really outdid yourself this time.”
I grin and stand, pulling her into a tight hug. “I’m sure whatever you’ve heard has been exaggerated.”
“A daughteranda wife? No, that's quite the feat, even for you. You put in overtime on this one.” She laughs, returning my hug with equal affection.
“What if I told you it wasn’t intentional? I didn’t know who they were.”
She gives me an unimpressed look, her brows raised up near her hairline. “You were at a company party attended only by senior employees and their families. Did you think you were hooking up with members of the janitorial crew?” She pats my shoulder. “Come on, you knew.”
She has a point.
As much as I want to claim innocence in this situation, subconsciously, I did know. I barreled head first into self-destructive behavior like I always do. Although this time I have a feeling the consequences are going to be significant.
I head over to the bar in the corner of the room and pour myself a whisky, neat, before turning back to face Tess. She gives me a shrewd look, assessing everything about me from my facial expressions to my outfit, down to the drink I apparently have to have before noon.
Tess is far more brilliant than I’ll ever be, as proven by her Cambridge degree and MBA from Wharton. Beyond her academics, she’s astute, sharp-witted, and clever, and she sees straight through me in a way that no one else does.
While I’m far from being unintelligent, I’m not driven by the same things she is. She loves acquisitions and P&Ls and vigorous discussions about yearly forecasts. She’s the analytical left brain to my creative right brain and a much more obvious choice to take over The Noble Group from my father than I am.
She only has one flaw according to him, and it’s a fatal one in his eyes – she’s a woman.
We’re both tied unhappily to the same fate, each on the wrong side of the coin. Me, desperate to avoid the role being forcefully foisted upon me. Her, desperate to claim the role she’s rightfully earned a thousand times over.
If I could take it and give it to her, I would.
“Maybe you shouldn’t drink if you’re about to go in with him,” she suggests, careful to keep her tone light.
“That’s exactly why I need to drink,” I say, downing the entire glass and placing it back on the counter. I pour myself another one. “Where’s Mum?”
She frowns at me but wisely chooses not to comment further. “Upstairs in her rooms, she’s getting ready for a charity brunch.”
I nod in acknowledgement. “I’m going to go say hi and deal with dad, but I can make us lunch when I’m back if you want. Assuming I’m still standing after he rips me a new one.”
“Fuck yes to you making us lunch. Can you make that pea and fennel pasta from last time?”
“You got it.” I walk out of the living room with my drink in hand. “See you in a bit, Tessticles.”
I hear her curse from the hallway.
