Page 73 of Could Have Been Us
“You too?”
Oliver and Grayson do the same, giving them the paperwork we all have. My four brothers stand in front of me like a wall of power. When we talked about this, they were clear that I was to be the one to land the final blow. As his little girl, there’s nothing that would hurt him more than it being me. I’m not really excited about it, but they’re right. I am his only girl, the one person he thinks will always love him more than anyone else. And for a time, that was true.
I thought he walked on water. I believed in him because he was my daddy. The one man who I was supposed to always be able to count on. Then I learned that there’s no such thing. He’s a man. A flawed one who has a cruel streak as wide as his selfish one.
He forced me to give up my child because it didn’t fit his appearances. He used power, family, threats, and money over me and Jack.
He broke my fucking heart, and I’m going to do the same.
Slowly, I place my hands on the arms of the chair and push myself up. I take two steps so I’m beside my brothers. “We’re going to make you pay, Daddy.” He swallows deeply, and I paint a sly smile on my lips. “You buy back all our shares or we’ll use our other buyer. You see, the five of us no longer want to be in business with Parkerson Enterprises. You have a month to come up with the money to buy us all out or . . . we find someone else to do it, and then your precious company will crumble.”
I walk out of the room, my brothers following after me, and none of us look back.
Chapter 21
Jack
“Let’s stop here and get some water from the stream,” I instruct the small group with me.
Today is the last day of our two-night bonding experience. The boss thought this would be a great way to help with office tension.
The boss is unglued.
All they’ve done is complain or criticize each other.
“How much longer?” Denise, the receptionist, asks.
“Just a few more miles.”
She nods. “And how did we do?”
I smirk. “As expected.”
“So we sucked?”
“No, you guys just aren’t working as a unit, and I don’t know that two days is enough to fix that,” I explain.
Originally, they wanted a five-day exploration, but after talking to their boss, I convinced them to just do two. Five days is a lot and better suited for a group of people who don’t blatantly hate each other. Not to mention, Stella and her brothers had the talk with their father yesterday. I really didn’t want to be out in the woods during it so I could be there for her, but I couldn’t convince Stella to wait, and I couldn’t cancel this trip.
Having the trip shortened made it easier on my conscience.
She kept reassuring me it would be fine. I haven’t been able to relax, and I won’t until I know she’s okay.
The boss walks over, wiping his forehead. “I tried.”
“You did, but what you guys need is a reason to trust each other.”
“I hoped this would do that.”
It’s clear he had their best interests at heart. “Then rally behind something. A common goal that the entire group cares about. When we set out, we had a plan, but that went to shit when members of the team broke off from the group.”
Mike sighs and looks over at the two people I was talking about. “He thought he was going to get the promotion.”
“So, he’s working to create a divide.”
Mike nods. “He’s been with the company for years, and I haven’t.”
“Your boss clearly thought you deserved it.”
