AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You gave me your word you would stop doing this,” she said. “I know it wasn’t easy losing your father at a young age but… well, many people lose loved ones the way you did. They have no choice but to continue on with their lives. They don’t have a rich family to support them the way you do. Or maybe that should be ‘enable’ them the way we do.”
“I’ll try harder,” I said.
“You’ve said that before,” she said. “Is this you trying harder now?”
I hung my head.
“You were supposed to take over the family business,” Mom said. “I’m getting old and can’t keep doing it. The board is already breathing down my neck about finding a replacement.”
“A replacement? But I’m supposed to take over.”
“They want to hire someone with experience. I can’t say I blame them.”
It was a blow to the gut. Although the start date kept getting pushed back, I always assumed I would eventually be the one to fill the position.
“I can do it,” I said. “I can run the company.”
Mom reached over and placed a hand on my arm.
“Dyrel, you can’t even look after yourself,” she said. “Never mind thousands of employees.”
I gritted my teeth.
“I can,” I said. “I’ll show you.”
Mom smiled at me.
“I know you can,” she said, “when you have this fire in your belly. It reminds me of your father. He was the same when he started the company and turned it into what it is today. It’s not a question of ability. It’s a question of will. You prefer to spend your days sleeping and your nights partying.”
I opened my mouth to argue but it was no good. She was right.
“And don’t tell me it was in aid of Zyod’s birthday party,” she said. “I swear, Zyod must have more birthdays than the emperor.”
Okay, so I might have used that excuse once or twice before.
“You need to get on with your life,” Mom said. “You have everything you could ever want. Money, a good job waiting for you… but you’re not interested, are you? Instead, you prefer to waste your time with layabouts and ne’er-do-wells.”
“They’re my friends,” I said with less heat than I intended.
“No, they’re not. They’re hangers-on and temporary acquaintances. The moment you stop hosting these parties, they’ll stop showing up.”
We’d had many versions of this conversation over the years but it had never felt so serious.
“I’ll stop having these parties,” I said.
“You’ve said that before,” Mom said.
“I mean it this time.”
Oops. That meant I didn’t mean it when I said it before. It was true but she didn’t need to know that.
Mom searched my face and leaned back in her chair. She nodded her head as if what I said confirmed her fears.
“I see,” she said. “Then I’ve come to tell you about a decision I’ve made.”
Her expression turned hard. She was no longer my mother. She took on the guise of her business persona. Cold, hard, and to the point.
“I have to take a leaf out of your father’s book and make a business decision,” she said. “That’s why I’ve decided to cut you out of the company. You won’t become its leader. You won’t take up your father’s position. You will also not receive your inheritance. I won’t let you kill yourself with your current lifestyle while using family money to do it. I won’t let you slip into penury either. You’ll be supplied with enough money to live on but nothing more.”
