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My grin couldn't have been wider. "Remind them to keep a low profile tonight. We don't want to intimidate anyone."
Lei
Ilooked at the huge bouquet of flowers that had been delivered for Audrey with a skeptical eye. Striking details and colors. Definitely from someone close to her– but certainly not from me. Perhaps one of the idiots who had tried to stop the club from opening in the past few weeks?
I reached for the card, fearing it might be another threat for the evening ahead. Instead, it was a handwriting that looked quite familiar.
Audrey, Congratulations and best of luck in your future endeavors. Matt.
At least one thing had to be said for him. He had taken the time and the heart to pay some attention to his daughter, even if he did not approve of her plan at all and was still firmly convinced that it was just a phase. Much like a teenager who has gone astray. We didn't bother to explain to him what it really was. Just as there was not much contact between us, at least compared to before.
That he had finally decided to get rid of Alexander was good. But the fact that he had dared to ask Audrey if she wanted to follow in his footsteps after all these years was ridiculous. Without batting an eye, she had refused, telling him that she was already in the process of realizing her own dreams. Surely he hadn't liked that, but Matt had been restrained enough to give her money and wish her well.
Eventually, he had found out what she was working on and had been anything but thrilled. That made his gesture all the more surprising. Still, it proved that Matthew was just a human being. A person who made mistakes and eventually learned, even if it took time and he didn't always do the right thing the first time.
I sent Audrey a quick text to let her know that flowers had arrived for her before grabbing my car keys and heading out. If this wasn't the perfect time to have a quick chat with Matt, I didn't know of any other time.
I had buried some of my anger when he had done the right thing with Alexander. Still, there was plenty between us, and so far neither of us had tried to talk about it. Maybe because it was uncomfortable. Maybe because I couldn't get his words out of my head, and I still wanted to grab him and shake him, because it was an absolute mystery to me how anyone could treat their own flesh and blood like that.
That Audrey and her parents had never been close in a normal way was no secret. I knew sides of Matt that I was sure his daughter had never seen.
For the first time in months, I didn't arrive at the mansion feeling annoyed– although that could certainly change in the next few minutes if Matthew started acting like a textbook example of an asshole again.
Despite the fact that I could have easily entered the manor, I rang the bell and waited on the steps outside until someone came to open the door. It was Matthew himself. Not one of the staff or Naomi.
We looked at each other for a few seconds without saying anything. Then I cleared my throat.
"The flowers have been delivered," I finally said. "And I thought it was time to discuss one or two things again."
With a nod, Matthew motioned for me to come in. I followed him into the living room and sat down on the couch across from him.
"I still think it's wrong to insult your daughter the way you did," I began. "Nevertheless, I can understand how it caught you off guard when you found out that Audrey and I..."
"Are a couple?" he finished the sentence, his lips curling into an odd position. Obviously, he still hadn't come to terms with the idea.
"You think I'm going to take advantage of her and dump her in the foreseeable future?" My statement only voiced what he was thinking.
"Why should I believe you that it won't happen? It's not like you've had a single healthy relationship in the last few years."
"But I have now. And if Audrey trusts me, maybe you should too." I was afraid to tell him how long we'd been tiptoeing around each other without ever admitting it.
This connection between Audrey and I was deeply revealing, and I wasn't sure I wanted to give him that insight when he wasn't even willing to support his daughter's decision.
"You know, the way you're acting, I could get the idea that you're only objecting because you think I'm trying to hurt you."
"Ever since the wedding, she's been a different person. Don't tell me it's not because of you. Your influence."
My bad influence. He didn't say it, but it was clear what he meant. How he meant it.
So he really didn't see how much better she was doing since she was no longer under the constant control of the family. A little desperate, I massaged the bridge of my nose. Was this one of those situations where I talked to him, and after a few days, he came to his senses and believed me?
"Have you ever wondered what makes a person happy?" I asked, not responding to what he had said. The insult between his words.
"No. But I'm sure you'll tell me in a minute."
I raised an eyebrow. "Money can make you very happy. But only in an indirect way. It allows you to do what you want. To eat what you want. To spend your free time how you want. To do the kind of work you like. That's nice. Up until the time when it takes control, because all of a sudden it says that you have to be this way and that way. You mustn't... You can't... What are all these people going to think? You have to be... Does this sound familiar? Do you think Audrey would have left money and influence behind if she was really happy with it?"
"So you're telling me it's not just Alexander's fault, it's her family's fault?"
