Page 16 of Fake Dating Mr. Prince
My father stood and walked a few feet to the windows lining the back wall of his office. Leaning his shoulder against the pane of glass, he stared out over the skyline before turning back to answer me. “I want to retire.”
“I know. Isn’t that why I’m doing all of this?” I swept my hand out, frustration evident in my voice. “I’ve worked my way up from the goddamn mailroom, worked in every department until you were satisfied with my performance. Even now I’m still jumping through hoops to show you I take this seriously.”
“Dean.” My father’s sharp voice rang out through the room.
“No, seriously, Dad, what’s this about?” Behind closed doors or at home was the only time I could get away with calling him Dad. Otherwise, it was Mr. Prince. I wanted to pace. The silence was getting to me, but I stayed put, willing him to answer me.
Dad sighed and responded in a slightly softer tone. “I want to retire sooner than we’d discussed.”
My dad always joked about them prying his cold, dead, hands off his computer before he would choose retirement.Shit! Is he fucking dying?My limbs froze in place as I considered that. I tried to brace myself for what I thought I might hear. My expression must’ve given me away because he waved his hands at me dismissing my thoughts. “I’m not dying.”
“Shit.” A heavy breath left my mouth while I worked to release the death grip I had on the arms of my chair. “You scared the fuck out of me.”
“Dean, I’m not dying, but at a recent exam, it was pointed out to me that if I didn’t make some changes, I could. Soon. The stress is taking its toll on my body. More specifically, my heart.”
“But they can fix it?”
“My doctor’s concerned the stress of work could trigger a heart attack. If I make lifestyle changes, I might be able to prevent that.” A deep sigh left his mouth. He loved this company. Deciding to walk away wasn’t easy for him.
“And Mom?”
“Not that she’s said it, but she wants me to retire now.” He moved away from the window to stand behind his desk again. Placing his palms flat on the darkened wood top, he lifted his sad eyes to look straight at me. “She won’t make me retire. She said she doesn’t want me to blame her for my impending boredom.”
I nodded. “You always did say that retirement wasn’t for you.” Surprise filled me that Mom hadn’t guilted Dad into it. But she was playing the long game. Mom wanted him to make the decision on his own.
Dad grimaced. “Yeah, but the thought of leaving your mother alone when I could have fixed it outweighs all that.”
My parents had been together since their early twenties. My mother knew how to handle my dad, and I knew it was killing her to think of a life without him. That kind of love scared me. To love someone so much, you couldn’t live without them. I’d rather stick tohappy-for-nowwith girls that knew the score than thehappily-ever-after. Not that I’d tell my parents, but I only saw a “happy ending” as a precursor to ending life in pain.
My ex-girlfriend, Simone, had cured me of fairytale love the moment she stomped on my heart and threw away what I foolishly believed was a forever kind of love. For three years, she convinced me she felt the same way. Instead, it turned out she was with me for what I could give her—visibility, a fast crowd, money, and a reason for the American public to care about her and her acting career.
Once she had it all, the doting girlfriend disappeared.
Sitting back down, Dad looked at me. He tented his fingers as he carefully chose his words. “You’re ready for this. I know that. You know that.”
“I’m sensing a but—”
“Not all our business partners feel like you’re the right choice to take over.”
I leapt up from my chair. “That’s fucking bullshit! Who?”
He shrugged on a sigh. “Does it matter?”
“Yes! Of course, it does. It’s the board, isn’t it?” My quick strides brought me from one side of the room to the other, the thick carpet muffling the sound of my shoes.
The board’s disapproval was the only thing that could contest my dad passing the torch to me. While our family held the majority shares of the company, they still had a say in our day-to-day operations. If the board didn’t approve my promotion, I didn’t take over. That was how my father established the by-laws. I had to earn everything. Nothing would be given to me because I was his son.
“I can insist on your promotion and force the board’s vote in favor of you if I want. But if they don’t respect you or think you can do this, you’ll never be successful. They will never back your decisions.”
He was right. I didn’t want to start my leadership at Prince Industries fighting with the board.
“I need you to slow down your personal life, show them you’re ready, so you can earn this as I intended.”
“In the past month alone, I’ve practically lived here.” What more did they want from me?
“That’s one month, Dean. They need to see more. You’ve always shown them you’re a hard worker. They want to see theotherside of you tamed.”
How dare they dictate my future in this company based on my personal life. As if that was any indication of how successful I’d be. Pompous assholes.
