Page 3 of Catching Sparks

The empty weight of the glass in my hand isn’t enough. I turn to the decanter on my desk and pour far too many knuckles’ worth before taking another gulp. My father’s eyes are a brand on my skin as I continue to avoid looking at him.

“Our halls, Garrison. These are our halls, regardless of how many times you want to convince yourself that I don’t own just as much of Swift Edge as you do,” he corrects me, the exasperation in his tone setting me off.

“Don’t take that tone, Reggie. I’m aware of how much of this company I own.”

It was him that created Swift Edge, but I grew it into what it is today. Me. I did the hard work while he played with recording equipment all day. While he still plays with recording equipment all day.

A long, frustrated inhale. “Jocelyn is threatening to leave.”

I stiffen. “She can’t.”

“According to legal, she could, depending on the case they put together. The label is responsible for her protection while performing. It’s in the contract.”

A whirlwind. That’s what the last three hours have been. Starting with that damned call from Bruno. I made the wrong decision when I refused to provide more security. That was made known worldwide the moment a crazed fan hopped over the barricades, past their pathetic assembly of security, and up onstage while Jocelyn, one of our biggest and most successful pop artists, was performing. The marks the fan left on her face and arms when security finally got there and separated them went viral. The full video of the event followed soon after.

My phone blew up with outraged clients threatening to leave, board members spitting their disappointment, and tabloids frothing at the mouth for an inside scoop. I’ve long since turned it off. It worked just fine until my father didn’t accept my silence and waltzed right into my office despite not being wanted.

“Our legal team is incredible. Far superior to whomever she employs,” I snip before taking another long drink of whiskey.

“It’s not a risk we’re prepared to take” is all my father says. But it’s enough to have alarm bells ringing in my mind.

I turn to him for the first time since he appeared in my office. A few inches shorter than me and dressed in casual, colourful clothes I’d never be caught dead in, he stares at me with an all-too-open expression. Guilt and disappointment glitter in his green-brown eyes, the shade so similar to mine. It’s the guilt that I focus on.

“Who is ‘we’?” I ask calmly. Too calmly.

He lifts his chin, confident in the words he speaks next. “The company needs to catch its breath and recoup. Figure things out without you involved. I’ve already discussed it with the board. It’s the only way I could convince Jocelyn and her team?—”

“You called a meeting with the board and met with Jocelyn without me?” I snarl, slamming my glass on the table.

He doesn’t so much as flinch. “You were unreachable. I did what was necessary for the good of the company. That’s my job. As it’s yours every other time but now. This is not the first time you’ve made a bad call that’s affected Swift Edge. We’re bigger now than we were. More eyes are on us.”

“You had no right to do that.”

“As your business partner, I had every right.”

“And as my father?” I toss back, brows lifted.

He exhales, adjusting the fedora on his head. “You can not only consider me your father in times like these. When you want to hurt me and make a point.”

“That’s not what I’m doing.” It is. It’s a waste of time denying it. There’s no warmth between us. Not on my side. There hasn’t been for years now.

“As your father, I wish I hadn’t done it. Betraying your trust is not something I enjoy. But you have to understand why I’ve done it. You cannot lose this company any more than I can.”

“I don’t plan on losing it.”

“Neither do I.”

I set both my palms on the solid wood desk before me and grind my jaw, a million angry words scraping up my throat, desperate to be spoken.

Instead, I ask, “What did you do?”

“Jocelyn is willing to stay under one condition.”

“Which is?”

I’m unprepared for the words he speaks next. They’re a blow to my gut.

“You’re to take an extended leave from the company. Figure yourself out while we clean up this mess. Somewhere you won’t be bothered. Somewhere you can recoup,” he says gently.

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