His Wife My sins

|Two|

Regardless of whether Chastity would sign or not, I still had my work cut out for me. She was merely one of the many investors that I needed to get back. I had to get them back. I had no other choice. My own people were plotting against me and I needed a safe guard, a trump card. I needed leverage. I knew how to get it, but my methods were too clean for the filthy pigs on the board who were planning to overthrow me. It was just absolutely amusing. My own people. My friends. My companions. It was sickening.
I can't even trust the people I assigned to be by my side.
There was only one other way I could get the leverage that I needed, and unfortunately, that entailed visiting that hag.
It was already late and the last thing I wanted was to be in that part of town without Mack. Not to mention how drained I was. Thinking I could build my company without getting my hands dirty was a childish dream. This game was rigged against me the minute I decided to take the high road and stay out of all illegal dealings. I wanted to build a foundation of trust and honesty where my employees would be content knowing their boss could keep them from harm; then this happened. My own people, sickening.
I had no other choice. I had to see her tomorrow to get what I needed to take them down. Permanently, but right now the smartest move was to go home and get some well needed rest.

Just a few moments later, I had finished the descent to the ground floor in my private glass elevator and into the back of my black Range Rover. I settled into my seat before strapping in and greeting my driver, William. He had been my driver since I was in preschool and I grew to appreciate his presence. He was a great man and a valid member of my staff, and one of the family's oldest friends.
His daughter Vera was a good friend of mine who I had high respect for. We grew up together since she was the same age as me. She was always there for me, even during my time of grief; she was always there to lend a helping hand. Her very sudden, tragic death shook me, it tore me up and left me in a state of shock for a while.
She always joked that we would one day get married and grow old together. It was a silly dream, but if I had known she wasn't going to live to see her 19th birthday, I would've granted that wish. Just to see that smile I once treasured on her lips.

My thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the buzzing from my phone that rested on the seat beside me. My hand reached for it, pausing in mid-air at the name on the caller ID, my father. The last time we spoke was on the day he left for Italy a week ago. We had a small falling out and hadn't spoken since. So, you can imagine why I'm hesitant to answer.
It rang once more and the tight knot in my stomach made it clear that I wasn't yet ready to face him, but I had no other choice. I was going home to see him either ways. A sharp breath left my lips as I answered. "Hello?" I sat silently waiting for a response. I didn't expect him to be angry, but I didn't expect him to be understanding either.
"Ace!" That wasn't dad. The voice on the other end was young and barely mature or masculine. It was my brother.
"August?" It was strange, he had a phone, so why not use it to call instead? Then again my brother has always been quite odd. It was his best feature.

"Ace, dad has lost his mind!" That was an understatement but a great way to greet me after a long day. He always knows just what to say.
"What are you talking about August?" I asked calmly as my body adjusted in my seat and my head tilted upwards. I could hear the nervousness and frustration in my young brother's voice. He was always known to be a bit on the extra side. Only he could make a simple situation seem so out of proportion. Again one of his best features.

"Dad's married!" The words left his mouth but they took a while to process. A dumbfounded look was on my face as my eyebrows smudged with disbelief. That couldn't be possible. He left only a week ago. It's simply impossible. He wouldn't be so irresponsible. Would he?
"I'm sure he's just messing around." I replied calmly brushing the news aside. I know my father is a lot of things but stupid and irresponsible were none of them. Surely he just wanted to play a prank on us or something. It had to be some sick joke. Some very sick and twisted evil joke.
"It's not a joke Ace!" His words rang in my ears pulling me from my thoughts. "He has a ring and everything..." Impossible. I refuse to believe this. Father wouldn't make the same mistake four times. I'm sure this is a joke. It has to be.
"And she's here." He whispered through the phone and a wave of anger washed over me. Just when I thought my father would learn from his past mistakes and change his impulsive ways, he gets married within a week. A fucking week!