Page 34 of The Betrayer
Chapter 14
Will
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IT TOOK A FEW HOURSand a lot of thought, but I calmed down.
Maybe I’d overacted—again.
But I wasn’t the only one. I still didn’t know why Paul was so angry. He said he was unable to understand why I couldn’t see why he was angry. Hadn’t he shared enough over the past few days?
It wasn’t that I hadn’t heard him. I had, in fact, heard plenty. Enough that his words were all I could focus on, and there had been so many I had a headache from the pure volume of it all.
What I hadn’t understood, what I still didn’t understand, was the origin of this anger, all these accusations. I had asked my son the question in all seriousness, and he’d blown up at me, grown angrier, and thrown further charges my way. But I still didn’t have an answer. Never once had Paul said a word about anything, from his feelings about me to his mother’s and my marriage, to his role with our company.
My reaction was surprise as well as anger at the accusations, and maybe a bit of hurt. But I had to admit Paul was defending his own life choices. He was a grown, independent man, and his choices were his to make, whether he was right or wrong. Even if he was making a mistake.
Whatever Paul thought, my belief was that role of a parent was to make sure their child was independent, and Paul was that in spades.
Even so, I couldn’t quite believe he was talking about getting serious with Angela Levesque. I didn’t know what it was about the woman, but there was something about her I didn’t like, and I had an unfailing sense of people. It was how I brought investors in and made business connections—I could read people like a book.
Except my son.
Paul might have inherited more than his fair share of business acumen, but he hadn’t inherited that instinct, apparently, not if he was thinking of a future with Angela. I didn’t know why, but I didn’t trust her. I couldn’t put a finger on it, but something about her made my hackles rise like a dog sensing danger.
Not to mention she was too serious and work-focused for Paul. He needed someone who would get him out of the office and having fun.
Well, it was his choice to make. Even if we had argued, I still felt as I had this morning when I had gone into his office—I didn’t want this to stand between us. Whatever Paul felt my shortcomings were, we were family, and we still worked together.
I couldn’t get over the idea that my only son was upset enough with me to tell me off like he had.
When I tapped on Paul’s door again, he was in the same place at the desk he’d been at all morning. Both Paul and his assistant Tara looked up at the noise, but my son’s face instantly creased into a frown. Tara watched me for a beat longer, then looked back at her boss. While I couldn’t see her expression, I did see Paul’s as he exchanged a look with his assistant. He still waved me in.
“Tara and I are almost finished.”
Paul’s tone had a flat edge to it, and Tara pressed her lips together, her shoulders tensing as her gaze moved between the two of us.
“Hi, Mr. Finlay,” she offered.
“Hello, Tara.” I flashed her a friendly smile. One that faded when I caught sight of Paul’s warning glare. His eyes moved, and I followed their pointed gaze to the couch.
“I’m just going to wait over here until you’re done,” I said, pointing to the sofa.
Tara returned my smile uncertainly as I crossed the room and sat down, my son’s gaze following me. For the first time since college, I felt like an errant kid or like I’d been called into the principal’s office, even though I had been the one to come back in here. As the CEO of a billion-dollar corporation in his fifties, it was a strange and unwelcome feeling.
