“Because Walter Van Der Hudson is the most corrupt honest man I have never met.”
“What has he done?”
I’m surprised, and my father chuckles softly.“Years ago, my father came across him at a party. He was just starting out and attempting to attract the attention of Clarissa Boule, the daughter of his boss. As a lowly employee, he was never going to win against the many suitable men her father had lined up, so he sought help with the matter.”
“Grandfather?”
I’m aware of how he enjoys gaining favors, and he chuckles again.
“He set them up by making it known that any union between the two would please him, and her father was wily enough to agree.”
“He had something on her father.”
“Several things. It suited him to have another member of that family in our debt, for when her father passed the reins and it was always understood that Walter was the best man at what he does.”
“Which is obviously why Malik came to me. Walter would be aware of our connection and, rather than take a chance, he reluctantly agreed to meet with him.”
“I’m pleased with your deduction, Joseph. Yes, Walter Van Der Hudson has proved a valuable investment to our business, and now Malik Karim is in our debt. He may believe the knowledge he has of the locks that fit the key is enough, but I’m guessing he knows way more about their whereabouts that he’s letting on.”
“How will you extract the information?”
I’m mildly curious, and my father waits a few seconds before saying,“He has already said the secret will be revealed when the terms of the will are met. I’m confident that will happen, so we won’t waste any more resources on finding them. What they hide is probably more of Enrico’s lies, and all the time they are hidden, they are safe from our enemies.”
“Are they, though? I mean, the keys are missing after all.”
My mind is working fast, and I can almost picture the smug satisfaction on my father’s face as he says evenly,“Concentrate on Morgan, Joseph. Leave the mystery of the keys to me.”
“Tell me why Mom is here.”
I change the subject, and he sighs, almost with annoyance.
“She is worried about you. You lock yourself away in London and she has no knowledge of your life there. She iscurious, any mother would be, and of all her sons, you concern her the most.”
“She has no reason to be concerned.”
“Doesn’t she?”
His voice hardens.
“Don’t let the past define your future, son. Shit happens real fast in our world and doesn’t deserve to linger. It leaves a bad smell, so it’s always best to move on. Sort your shit out and bury it. It will only destroy you if you allow it.”
“Is that what you do?”
I’m uncharacteristically provocative, and his tone is sharp.“The sins of the father should never be shaped into their son’s image. You must move on from the hold the past has over you. Fuck your new wife, plant the next Ravera generation in her womb. Take a mistress, take several in fact, and move on with your life. You can’t control things that are out of control, and that is a wise lesson to learn. It ends now, Joseph. Stop wallowing in the misery of your past and stand up and be a better man for it, and if it helps, do it in Zachariah’s memory.”
I want to howl like an injured wolf as he speaks his name. The pain is driving a knife into my gut on repeat. He really went there; he spoke about something that kills me on repeat every day, and his parting words are almost lost in the explosion in my mind.
“Tell your mom not to be long. I need her back home.”
He cuts the call, and I throw my phone on the desk, grasping my hair, pulling it hard, anything to dull the pain searing me inside.
I fumble for my phone, tears blinding my vision, and manage to text Su Yin, asking her to meet me while Tiffany is lunching with Eliza. I cannot breathe; my heart is breaking as the memories resurface. Tormenting me on repeat.
“Boss.”
A sharp knock on the door pulls me roughly back from the abyss, and as the demons scuttle into the shadows, I face Spencer with a blank expression.
“Update me.”