His father, Graham, who was stoic, had a regal posture and eyes like steel. He stood by the window of his former office, glanced over his shoulder, and added, “Your mother met with Sydney for lunch yesterday. She shared her side of the story.”
Vic nearly snorted. He stalked over to his desk and leaned back against it as he stared down his mother.
“So let me guess. She told you that she wanted to apologize,” he said.
Nancy let loose an audible gasp and clutched her very expensive pearls. “She said she regrets her hasty decision. She thought if the two of you took a break, that absence would make the heart grow fonder. She said that you said there was still a?—”
“No.” Vic folded his arms. “I never said that.”
“She said?—”
“I don’t care what she said,” he said bluntly. “Mother, she told you whatever she thought you needed to hear so you’d come deliver the message for her. She’s always strategizing.”
“Your legacy matters, Victor.” Nancy’s chin rose in a stubborn tilt.
There it was. The Maxwell battle cry.
“Public perception matters. You’re not just a man anymore. You are a brand. You are the face of this company. The future of this company.”
“She’s right, son. You and your legacy will carry on this institution,” Graham said.
“My legacy just turned five a week ago,” Vic snapped. “I’m sure you are not discounting your grandson.”
“Of course not,” Nancy insisted, too bright. “But you must be smart. Your father and I didn’t marry for love. We married for what made sense. A partnership that complemented our future. Look at us now.”
Vic stared at the two of them. Graham ambled over to stand beside his wife. They were two people who barelysmiled at one another in private. They had perfected the art of being married without affection. Power couple? Sure. Love? A ghost they wouldn’t recognize if she knocked on their door.
“I don’t want a marriage like yours.” His jaw tightened.
Nancy blinked while his father’s eyebrow twitched. The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees.
“Son,” his father began. “Marriage is a responsibility. It’s choosing with reason, not impulse. Sydney is the perfect fit for you. Think of marrying her as a merger between two powerhouse companies. She understands the life we live.”
“She understands visibility and the power of a last name,” Vic corrected. “She wants the crown, not the king.”
He shook his head at his parents, unable to believe what he was hearing from them. Was he surprised? Not at all. But this just proved that he may be their son, but he was definitely not like either of them.
“I want love,” Vic said, quiet but firm. “A partner who knows me, not my résumé. Someone who actually cares and not only when the cameras are on.”
He didn’t say her name. He didn’t tell them how close he and Tachina had grown recently. He didn’t confess the laughter they’d shared, the slow dancing, the morning chaos, and their son calling them out. He kept everything quiet and sacred. It wasn’t for them to know.
“When I consider marriage, I’ll let you know, but right now, I’m not considering it,” he concluded.
Which was a lie. He was very seriously considering it—with Tachina.
Too seriously.
His parents exchanged disappointed glances, but he didn’t care.
“Just think about it,” Nancy said with a theatrical sigh.
She came over to him and offered her air kisses then turned to join her husband. His father nodded to him, and they stalked out of the room.
Vic moved to his chair and sat. He combed his fingers through his hair.
“Fuck.” He closed his eyes and wished he was back at home. With his son and Tachina. That was his happy place.
His phone rang.