Page 12 of Original Sins (Dark Odyssey 6)

The moment the door closes, the tension thickens, and I wonder if Dad is going to continue to pretend I don’t exist.

Carson barely cuts me a glance before he leaves, and Dad starts gathering his paperwork and notebooks, getting ready to go too.

I can be a fucking asshole most of the time, but my old man can rob me of the title any day. I don’t think I could have a son in this world and treat him the way he treats me. It wouldn’t matter what my son did. Dad, though, is of a different species altogether.

The thing about it, though, is he’s treated me this way all my life. It just got worse when Mom died and even worse when he married Carson’s gold-digging mother, Elaine.

I can just imagine how pissed she was when she found out her son hadn’t been included in the will. They were both purposely written out with clauses excluding them because Grandfather saw her for what she was. Dad was in love with her, and she hated me. She wanted their family to just be them. She got her wish when I made my unforgivable mistakes.

I clear my throat just as Dad’s about to put his hand on the door handle.

I guess I should be happy he stopped and acknowledged me.

I rise when he turns to face me.

“Is this really how it’s going to be?” I say. “Are you planning to pretend I don’t exist for another five years or forever?” I have to ask the question so I can know what I’m up against.

“I’m sure you can understand that things are still tense between us.” Dad looks me over and hardens his gaze. “You might have brought in Donny, but I’ve spent the last five years rebuilding the name you destroyed.”

“All I can do is apologize for that.”

“Saying you’re sorry isn’t always enough, and neither is money. What I don’t like about this project is that my faith lies with you. If you fuck this up, we all suffer, and the company name goes to hell once again.”

“I don’t plan tofuckthings up.”

He considers that for a moment, only for a moment, though, before his eyes become emotionless once more. “I’ll have to see that to believe it, son. But, it’s good to see your mind is on the right path. There just might be hope for you yet.”

“I’m trying to make amends with you,” I blurt, cutting off his rant.

I wanted to talk before today, but I held off. I’m only talking now because I don’t want this to drag on unnecessarily.

“I don’t want to be disappointed in you again,” Dad replies. “It’s too painful. I don’t know which is worse, what you did or the fact that you didn’t stay behind to help me fix the problem. Carson was the guy who helped me restore the good faith in the company. Not you, so I don’t know what you want me to say to you.”

I can’t find an answer for that, so I don’t try.

He turns and leaves. I watch him go and stare at the door long after he’s gone contemplating what I’m really doing here.

When I left before, he didn’t fire me. I left because I felt I should, and he didn’t stop me. I never knew if he was happy I took the choice out of his hands or was disappointed that I never tried to fix the problem. I guess now I know, but I don’t believe he was completely disappointed I left.

After all, it’s been five years, and he could have met me halfway.

I was a hotheaded twenty-five-year-old who just wanted to get out of a fucked up situation. I also knew the Giordanos would take me in without question, and that’s exactly what happened.

Now I’m back here again as if time has reset itself and placed me back on track to where I was five years ago.

I promised my grandfather I’d do this, so I will.

I just hope I don’t go fucking crazy while doing it.

It doesn’t look like Dad is ever going to forgive me. If I can bring in unimaginable amounts of money like I have and he still thinks he should treat me like shit, then I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.

It’s shit like this I knew I’d come up against when I registered Georgiou and me for the auction. My liberal, unconventional lifestyle is precisely what helps me escape my fucked up reality where my father clearly favors his stepson over me.

Better to lose myself in a dark fantasy than get lost in real life where you end up losing your soul too.

4

Evie

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