The Ties That Bind

Chapter 38

Chapter 38

     "Good morning, Kas." Alexander came around his desk to greet his nephew. "I'm glad you were able to meet with me today."

     "Come in and make yourself comfortable. Let's sit over there by the window." He pointed to the seating area in front of an all-glass wall looking out over the city, directing the boy to be seated.

     "Good morning, Sir." Kasden greeted, polite as always. "You said you had something important to discuss with me?"

     He was expecting something like this sooner or later; they were going to have him sign some sort of non-disclosure agreement about his family and offer him money to keep quiet. At least that's what Davy said would happen. And after his threats to his grandmother, he figured this was coming. Isn't that how wealthy people operated? He'd heard stories, he just never expected to be the center of one himself.

     "I don't want your money to keep quiet, if that's what this is about." He decided to get that out of the way as quick as he could. The sooner that was cleared up, the sooner he could get back to school and complete the latest paper he was working on.

     Alexander actually laughed out loud. "This isn't about that, exactly, though I can certainly see how you would think so."

      "So, your mother didn't put you up to this?" Kasden queried his uncle. "When she threatened my scholarship, and I came back at her and threatened to expose the real story, and maybe go on TV, I sort of expected to be paid off to keep quiet about it and have to sign a non-disclosure agreement - I won't do that, by the way."

     The man chuckled some more, finding his nephew's forthright attitude refreshing. He'd dealt with too many people in his line of business, and within his own family, who always had some angle, some ulterior motive to achieve their goals. It was refreshing to meet someone who was so straight-forward, without any hidden agendas.

     "You are partially correct, though. I did ask you here to discuss money; quite a lot of it, in fact. But we're not going to offer you money to keep quiet. From what we've seen, you've been exceptionally discrete already, and you've refused all offers that have been made for interviews with you."

     "Yeah, well, I'd rather keep my private life private. This whole mess has been a bit unnerving if you know what I mean." Kasden said, leaning back into the comfortable chair with an irritated sigh.

     "I can see how you would look at it like that." Alexander agreed. "You've never had to deal with the constant surveillance of the paparazzi like the rest of us have. We grew up with nosy people following us around and butting into our business whenever they felt like it. There's not much privacy when you're a Barnes, unfortunately."

     "So, before we begin, what did my mother do? You said she threatened your scholarship?"

     Kasden explained the whole conversation he'd had with his mother and grandmother in front of the English department; how they'd tried to force him to break up with his boyfriend and go to conversion therapy. He told his uncle how they'd threatened him with loss of his scholarship, since Mr. Barnes was on the University's board, if he didn't do what they wanted. By the time he finished, he was almost in tears again; that's how upsetting the whole situation was.

     "Here, son." Alexander said, handing the boy a tissue from a box sitting on the corner of his desk. "Mother can be something sometimes, but it sounds to me like you handled her perfectly; I have to give you credit kid, I've never seen anybody have the balls to stand up to mother, not even father."

     "I think she may have finally met her match." He said, grinning at the boy who had managed to calm himself, and kept himself from breaking down.