“Someone like me?” Owen countered. “You're nothing but a bastard! The illegitimate son of a man who wanted nothing to do with you until he needed something from you! Welcome to the family.”
“I uprooted my entire life for this! For a chance to prove myself! I proposed to a woman that I knew I had no future with because I needed a wife! And now you're telling me that I get nothing?”
There it was. The truth. All this time, I was only a means to and end to him. At the time Derek's proposal seemed like it had been pulled straight out of left field. I never questioned it though, because it had taken him so long to actually do it. I was just happy that he finally did. The more I thought back on our relationship, the more foolish I felt. How could I have been so clueless?”
“Good luck convincing her to take you back now.” Mister Foster laughed.
“He's nothing but a rebound to her.” Derek said, with humor. “Face it. He's nothing but a fuck up, who doesn't know the first thing about running a business.”
I heard a loud thud then, and the clear sounds of a scuffle. I quickly jumped up from my place on the bathroom floor, and scrambled out the door towards the office. When I reached the threshold I found Owen, and Derek in a tangled heap on the floor. Fists were flying, and the cracking sounds associated with them were cringe worthy.
“Stop!” I yelled, as I tried to inch closer.
If I could just get in between them. Derek wouldn't hit me... would he? I took a deep breath, before reaching out to grab Owen's arm. He turned to look at me, and Derek landed a right hook to his upper lip.
“Fuck!” Owen seethed before clambering to his feet, and Derek followed.
I placed my hands up in between them, and took a step forward. Owen reached for my wrist, and pulled until I was safely standing behind him. He drew back his arm then, intending on returning the punch he'd just received. Before he had the chance though, Mister Foster slammed a paper weight down onto his desk.
“No more!” He yelled as loud as he could, before falling into a coughing spell.
Everyone in the room went stock still, and I reached for the glass of water sitting on his desk and handed it to him. He took a large drink, before setting the glass back down and nodding his head in thanks. It wasn't the warmest show of appreciation, but I'd take it.
“I've always thought that fighting over a woman was frivolous. I will admit that Veronica is a beautiful woman, but the fact of the matter is... only one of you can inherit the family business.”
I cleared my throat, and soon all the attention was on me.
“I know I'm not family, but I do have the unfortunate luck of knowing both of these men. Derek doesn't care about anyone but himself. He ruins everything he touches, and I can guarantee you that he doesn't plan on keeping anything intact. He buys companies, franchises, and properties up like candy. He doesn't restore them to their former glory. He splits them up, strips them of everything that they were, and makes a profit.”
“You don't know me, Ronnie. Not like I thought you did. All I've ever wanted is to know my father, and now I have a chance to be a part of my family's legacy. All you've got to do is walk down that aisle next month, and the company can be ours. We can start over. Start our family. I know you still want that.”
“You just admitted that you only proposed to me because of a business deal. I heard everything.” I said, crossing my arms over my chest. “And even if I hadn't... I can't marry a man that I don't love. I won't.”
“Twelve years!” He yelled. “What? You get a new dick in you, and suddenly you've got morals?”
Owen was on him in a flash, gripping his shirt collar with one hand, and drawing his fist back with the other.
“Disrespect her one more time, and I swear to God I will lay you out without a second thought.”
“How do my sloppy seconds taste?” Derek whispered, with a smirk.
There was no time to react. Owen slammed his fist into Derek's face once, twice, three times before my feet finally caught up to my brain. I grabbed a hold of his arm mid swing, and he released Derek's shirt letting him fall onto the floor in a loud clunk.
I rushed over to Derek, dropping down onto my knees to see if he was alright. His nose was bleeding, and his right eye was already starting to swell. I shook my head, as I leaned back onto my heels.
“You idiot.” I whispered.
“Come home with me.” He pleaded. “I need you, Ronnie.”
Owen let out an annoyed huff, before extending his hand towards me. I took it, allowing him to help me up, and then he tucked me into his side as he glared down at Derek.
“As much as I'm enjoying this dick measuring contest.” Mister Foster chimed in. “There is another option.”
“Do I even want to know?” Owen asked just under his breath, before turning us both around.
I could hear Derek grunting, as he drug himself to stand behind us and I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him. Don't get me wrong, he did deserve a little karma. But there was a part of me that knew how much it meant to him to meet, and know his father. It was something he struggled with growing up, and one of the only things we ever had a genuinely real conversation about.
Most men weren't good at opening up. That, or they just bottled everything up inside until they were ready to combust. Derek was that kind of man. No amount of time,
