Page 109 of Emergence and Ascendance

"He can't take this from you, can he?"

The question made me smile with a memory of Christian's surprise celebration dinner. God, that man was making it incredibly hard for me to keep things with him compartmentalized. His initiative to finalize my paperwork so I had every legal assurance that I truly owned the property edged my father out of any opportunities to derail what I was working on.

"No, it's mine, but he can still get in the way of my developmental plan."

"Can't you like… put him in a home or something? Why is he so determined to fuck with you?"

I sighed. "Because I don't have a dick."

"Yeah well I'm not sure he does either since he's always acting like a pussy."

I choked on a laugh. "Tez…"

"Don't Tez me. You know it's true. I get that's your father but no real man acts the way he does. A real man can handle a woman who's about her business without being intimidated. Your father cannot."

"He has archaic ways."

"Chauvinist ways."

Both were accurate but one thing I'd learned years ago was my father wasn't going to change. Trying to convince him that he wasn't an archaic, chauvinistic asshole was a waste of my time and energy. I chose not to waste either when it came to him. I learned to work around his ideologies about who I was and what I was capable of. Even today, I was going to argue my points, pray the board voted with me, then move on.

"You're right but I can't do anything about it."

"I can. I know some people, friend."

"Tez, please stop." I grinned and rolled my eyes.

"I mean I do but I'm only playing. Unless you want me to not be playing…"

"Tez…"

"Okay fine, but can't you at least have him declared incompetent or something?"

I groaned. "I wish but he could logically argue that he's not." My father was seventy-eight but fully capable and in decent health as far as I knew.

"I'm trying."

"I could seduce him, throw this good-good on him and get him to sign over everything he owns to you and Alex."

"Why the hell would he do that?" I laughed

"I'll tell him I want all his time so he needs to retire. Oh and then as soon as he does, I can leave him for Alex and we…"

"First of all, what the fuck? and no! That's just ehhh..."

Tezni laughed. "I told you I'm trying to help. I'm willing to do whatever necessary."

"I love you for loving me enough to be that twisted but no. I just pulled up at the office so pick where you want to go for dinner and call me later. We can plot my father's take down over expensive wine."

"Fine, I'll come up with some alternative plans. Go kick some chauvinistic ass, friend."

I grinned. "I am."

I ended the call and the driver caught my eye in the rearview. "Front of the building, Ms. Whitney?"

"Yes, that's fine."

A few minutes later he pulled up along the curb in front of the building my family owned, parked, and got out. After he rounded the front, my door opened and I stepped out of the vehicle.

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