Page 59 of Red River

Well, it was obvious who could help here if he wanted to. Igor got the message, but he stared at Archer with such outright aversion that it made me uneasy.

"By the way," Archer added as he turned toward the door, "you’ll be going to school with Milo. He’s exactly your age. You could hang around."

Without another word, he walked away, leaving me alone with Igor.

"I hope you know you’re acting like a whore," Igor said icily, his hostile gaze piercing me. "I heard that sound. I know what you just begged Archer to do!"

And I snapped.

I knew I could’ve handled it differently, but I let myself get provoked.

"And you’re acting like a perfect candidate for the alpha boot camp! Anyone else would've sent you there by now for this kind of disrespect! Maybe they’d teach you some respect for a parent there!"

The room fell into a heavy silence. Igor stared at me, wide-eyed, and I could see the anger rising in him.

"You know what? I shouldn’t have opened the door for Sam and Stephen! You’d still be locked in your room instead of insulting our father by slutting around, and I’d be taking care of our business!"

We locked eyes.

I was tempted to keep going, but I knew this was his way of challenging me—hiding how hurt and lost he felt over Thomas’s death. Despite his physical limitations, Thomas had been a massive influence on our sons, always mentoring them from his giant armchair at the kitchen table.

Now, Archer had taken that role. And taken… me.

"You’re trying to hurt me, so I’ll feel as miserable and lost as you do. What’s that going to achieve, Igor? That’s not what leaders do. Leaders uplift people, bring order, repair things. You? You just drag us down into chaos."

"Drag us down? That’s what grief is, Dad—feeling like shit. Maybe you should try it for a change! Father deserved at least that."

"Father ate himself to death, Igor!" I yelled, fists clenched.

Igor paled, his gray-green eyes locking onto mine in horror.

"He tanked the business! We lost our house! Our accounts are wiped out—mine included. I worked my ass off to save money, and it’s all gone. The creditors took everything! And me? I haven’t had a day of vacation in almost twenty years! I had to medicate myself for years to stop my heats! So enough with idolizing him! If I hadn’t fought tooth and nail to secure separate accounts, you and your brothers wouldn’t even have college funds. I clawed that money back for your future, while he let everything fall apart, stuffing his face for years!"

Igor staggered back a step, the muscles in his jaw clenching. I took a deep breath and forced myself to speak in a calmer voice.

"I’m doing everything I can to keep us afloat, Igor. If everyone was so against reconnecting with my parents, then Archer became our only option. Call it whatever you want—even whoring. But we’re living in a better house, in better conditions, and Archer is paying the bills. I call it a life-changing opportunity we should all be grateful for!"

Igor’s expression twisted with bitterness. He looked toward the window, as if processing my words, but the verdict wasn’t in my favor. His lips trembled slightly as he spoke.

"I don’t ask for much. A month, Dad. You couldn’t wait a little longer before jumping onto Archer’s dick?"

I huffed. "Let me repeat it—I started mourning years ago when your father refused to change his lifestyle. And now we’re all paying the price for his mistake. Including you. Can’t you see it?"

Igor stayed silent, his brow furrowed deeply.

After a moment, he just turned and walked out, and I let out a loud breath.

Right. Not much progress, at least between me and Igor. For a minute, I just stood there, inhaling and exhaling, trying to cleanse my body of all the negative energy.

Once again, I felt relieved that Archer was in charge now.

No matter what I said, my reasoning just bounced off Igor’s mind.

I wasn’t a perfect parent—far from it. Maybe recognizing that was just as important as acknowledging my strengths? Now, stepping aside was the right thing to do. It was time for me to be more humble and not let my pride get the better of me.

Slowly, I walked to the window and looked outside.

Archer, Van, Aiden, Lake, and a skinny teenager—probably Oliver’s nephew, Milo—were working on the obstacle course. Building something. Working together.

---