Page 8 of The Husband Contract
“Everything okay?” Jack asks as the others continue talking about the stock market.
“Yeah. It was Sergio. He’s had his heart broken, and now he’s on his way to Thailand.” I roll my eyes as I take my seat back in the dark leather chair. “He needs to recover from the pain.” My lips thin as the ridiculous words escape my mouth.
“He’s taking the end of the relationship poorly?” Jack looks concerned, and I’m grateful for the support as he leans forward. “Is he going to be okay? Do you want to leave?”
“I don’t know what’s going on. It’s hard with Sergio. He’s always over the top with his reactions.” I sigh. My brother causes me endless anxiety. He reacts before thinking—sometimes making decisions so poor that I fear for him. I’m annoyed, too. Whoever this woman is, she’s taken him for ten million and made him so heartbroken that he’s given up his seat on the board. Which affects the changes I want to makeat the company.
Whoever this woman was, she was a conniving gold-digger. Women like her need to learn they can’t take advantage of men and get away with it. I’m convinced that she targeted my brother as a soft touch and is likely somewhere laughing as she spent her stolen money.
I lean back on the leather couch and decide to change the subject. I need to let everything process before I make any decisions about what I’m going to do next, because I am not happy.
“So, Jack, how’s your brother doing?”
“I haven’t spoken to him recently.” Jack shrugs and offers me a wry smile. “But I guess he’s doing well. I think he and his last girlfriend broke up. His choice, though. No running off to Thailand for him.” He makes a face. “She was a cute girl. I feel bad for her.”
“Well, that’s good he’s okay. What about you? It’s been a couple of weeks since we last spoke. Are you seeing anyone?”
“Seeing anyone? Defineseeing,please.”
“What is this—the Scripps National Spelling Bee?” I burst out laughing. “Have you taken any women on dates? Met any families? Bought any rings?”
“Not since the last time we saw each other, which was not even six weeks ago. You know I was on a business trip, so no time for fun.” He shakes his head, his blue eyes amused. “How fast do you think I move?”
“I don’t know.” I grin. “Faster than me.”
“What about you, Seb? You seeing anyone?”
“No. I mean, I’ve gone on a couple of dates here and there. I met a woman for dinner about two weeks ago, but she kept hinting she wanted to go to Hawaii and get a penthouse suite on the beach. I’m not the sort of guy who takes a woman to Hawaii and gets a suite, you know what I mean?” I shudder. “The thought of having to spendmore than one night in a row with a woman makes me cringe.”
“I know what you mean.” He chuckles as he nods and sips his drink. “So, what about that one girl I met when we golfed last? What was her name?”
“Sapphire? She was in marketing for the Bookmark Group. She ended up being engaged.” I laugh.
“Pity.”
“Not really. She still tried to fuck, but that’s not my style.”
“Wait, while she was engaged?”
“I guess she was hoping to upgrade to a real man,” I say, smirking. “But I’m not about those games. Or that lifestyle. I don’t mess with women in relationships.”
“I know. There’s a reason we’re the Oxford Six; we don’t take seconds or mess around in situations that don’t benefit us.”
“Yes, we are the shit.” I glance around at our tight-knit group of friends. All of us are thirty-five, all of us billionaires. All of us are single. All of us are ridiculously good-looking. All of us have to swat women away like flies. I love my friends. They are like brothers to me. Yet sometimes I wonder if we are all happy. Like truly happy. Sometimes I wonder if this is the pinnacle of the mountain. We have money. We have friendship. We have power. Yet none of us have ever had a serious relationship. And even more than that, none of us are eager to settle down.
I still don’t know if it is a good or bad thing that we’re consummate bachelors—or, as some “in the press” would say, playboys. Maybe it’s because we’ve always focused so hard on work and making money that settling down has never been a priority. I know it isn’t for me. With parents like mine, I never want to get married. I never want to betied to a woman who could drive me insane—or worse, someone I could drive insane.
I don’t want someone to hate me with a passion like the way my mother hated my father.
I don’t want my life to be an act to the outside world.
I don’t want to have kids just because, but secretly hating and resenting them.
I just want to live a life of peace. I want to come and go as I please. I don’t want to have to answer to anyone. I don’t want my every move analyzed and discussed. I want to wake up in the morning with nothing on my mind other than what I want to have for breakfast and how much money I’m going to make that day.
I like living a life where I have no one to answer to. No one to despise or hate. No one to have to look after. It is easier that way.
Though, if I’m honest with myself, there are days when I wake up in the morning and think about Sergio and the mistakes and fuckups he’s making and how I can help him, and I feel a huge pit of despair. Sometimes I just want to let it go and let him do whatever he’s going to do. Even if it leads to self-destruction.
