Page 236 of Plaything

“Yes. How can I help you?” I asked.

He pulled out a white envelope with wrinkled edges from his messenger bag. “This is for you,” he hesitantly stepped up to my desk and handed me the letter.

Typically, when I received mail at work, it was expected and left in my mail slot—not hand-delivered. Feeling suspicious, I turned the envelope over and read the front.

It was addressed to me, with today’s date and the initials CW in the top left corner. I hadn’t heard or thought of that name in years—Charles Whitlock. I narrowed my eyes at the mailman, “Where’d you get this?” I asked calmly, not understanding.

He shrugged. “The guy came into the post office a few years ago with a wad of cash and asked me to deliver it to you on this date. Never saw him again. Sorry, pal,” he explained before closing my door behind him.

Leaning back in my chair, I touched my chin as I contemplated what the hell could be in the damn thing. Would Dominic, Niko, and Aiden get one, too? Odette?

She was doing so well. Her therapy appointments were bi-monthly now, and her dreams had stopped completely. A waitress called her honey a month ago and she didn’t even flinch. The last thing she needed was the ghost of her father sending her fucking letters.

I hope it was just me who’d received one—which didn’t make me feel any better.

My fingers danced over the black wax seal, and I collected myself, preparing for the worst as I opened it.

First, I ensured there were no legal documents, although I knew there weren’t any, the envelope was far too thin to the touch to hold more than a few sheets of paper at most. Seeing nothing but a handwritten letter, I allowed my eyes to scan the page.

Wyatt Wright-

I write this with low confidence you or your friends have seen my daughter in years. I’m certain you grew bored of her and moved on to your next conquest. However, if that is not the case, here is what I know. I left the house in your name because I know my daughter. I might not have always been the best father to her, but my accomplishments aren’t based on luck. It’s my job to anticipate moves and think three moves ahead. Odette doesn’t want to keep the family name. Tonight, and my anger has made that a mathematical certainty. As much as it shatters my pride, I know one day, if she decides to marry and throw away the name I spent my life building, it’ll be with you. Simply so she can continue signing that ridiculous W, she likes. I know that one day, she’ll tell the world what I did and what I have done. I’m thankful I won’t be around. I’m in no position to ask favors, considering I am asking from beyond the grave. But please, don’t do what I did. Protect her from men like me. Even in death, I did what I knew was best for my daughter.

-CW

“They’re five minutes away,” Aiden grinned at Dominic and me as he entered the living room. He made dinner for everyone, filling the manor with the delicious aroma of chicken dumplings, perfect for the chilly spring evening. It was also one of Odette’s favorites.

Although Niko was undoubtedly the best cook of us all, we were much more willing to cook now that the stove wasn’t a fire hazard. Many things were finally updated in the manor, including our heating system, the lock on the front door, and the porch that’d been wholly replaced after the wood had rotted. It was still old, and the walls were still thin, but the updates were a massive improvement—the best of all, the giant hot water tank that Odette spared no expense on.

“You alright?” Dominic’s brows knitted as he watched me. “You’ve been quiet since you got home,” he noticed.

I shifted on my feet where I’d been standing at the fireplace. Truthfully, I felt more than just melancholy—detached—since reading Charles’ letter. I hadn’t mentioned it to them, nor did I plan to. The letter had stirred up a whirlwind of emotions within me, leaving me feeling reclusive.

The letter meant nothing; it told me nothing I didn’t already know. What caught me off guard was how right he had been—I hated that he was right. In his mind, he still died the ‘good guy’ and ‘did what was best for her.’ The man was profoundly narcissistic and delusional.

Everything Odette was today was because she worked to get herself here. Before Odette took over, Whitlock Enterprises and all the companies were headed for failure. Maybe not financially, but the companies themselves had a massive turnover rate. It was her and her enormous heart that changed everything for the better.

Several of her companies now had female CEOs who were much more qualified than their predecessors. More than that, she dissolved the recurring pattern of the same types of people in positions of authority at her companies. Before, every manager was a straight white man. Today, the workplaces encourage diversity. It was a massive improvement that was vastly noticed and appreciated. Her employees and the media were constantly singing her praise for the improvements she’d implemented.

She was amazing, and I admired her for busting her adorable little ass to make the necessary changes. It would have been very easy for her to sit back and show face when needed, as everyone expected her to do.

None of that had anything to do with her father. He tore her down, and she strengthened herself and her businesses, rebuilding them brick by brick.

Not wanting to bother Dominic with my stewing hatred of a dead man, I smiled and nodded. “Impatient. Today is neverending,” I dismissed. It wasn’t a lie. I’d counted nearly every minute that ticked by waiting for her to walk back through that door.

Aiden lifted his eyebrows once as if saying, ‘Yeah, right.’ I knew better than to try and lie around him. Even so, he said nothing.

Hearing the familiar crunching of gravel, I grinned, turning to look out the front window where Niko’s car sped down the way. Finally.

Niko didn’t even entirely stop the car before our girl opened the door, jogging to the front door to greet us. Through the window, I locked eyes with Niko as he exited the car, chuckling as Odette bolted. His smile never faded as he shrugged at me. It was a happy, content shrug that reminded me of how lucky we were to have her. Even if she was only gone for a few days, she always ran home to us as if we’d been separated for years.

Like a wind-up toy freshly wound and released, she rushed through the front door, her smile wide and her eyes bright. “We’re home!” she sang. Aiden was the closest to her, and she immediately smothered him in a hug.

She looked beautiful—as always. Her shoulder-length black hair was down, half tied back in a bow. You’d never guess she was on a plane for hours, in her plaid short skirt and white button-up blouse.

Her arms flung around Aiden’s neck as she kissed him once, then twice, until she smothered his face in kisses, each with a theatrical muah.

“Hi, Babydoll. Did you miss me?” Aiden flirted as he lifted her off her feet, swaying her back and forth as he squeezed her.

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