Page 197 of Bridesmaid By Chance
“Good morning,” Dad says with a smirk derived from the devil himself.
“Good morning,” I say as I unbutton my suit jacket and then take it off, wanting to keep things casual. “Can I have a seat?”
“Would love it,” Dad says, acting far too nice at the moment. Almost…cocky. Little does he know what I’m about to present him with. “Can I get you a drink?”
“I’m okay,” I say, even though an IV drip of caffeine would be ideal right now. Once I deal with this, I’m headed back to London on a red-eye to make the wedding. Just need to power through on this.
Leaning forward, Dad sets his coffee on the table in front of us and then crosses his ankle at his knee and opts for a more comfortable position. “How is the missus?”
“I’m not here to talk about that.”
“So you don’t want to talk about your wife that you never told me about?”
Remaining calm, I say, “She’s off-limits.”
He studies me for a moment and then asks, “Okay, so then to what do I owe the pleasure?”
I lean forward, my forearms on my thighs, and look my dad dead in the eyes. “We know you lied about the trust documents.”
A master at the poker face, he casually says, “What are you talking about?”
“When we first got the papers from you, we wondered how we could have possibly missed such a detail. We were racking our brains over it. Honestly, we were disappointed in ourselves. That was until we pulled out the actual documents that we signed and saw how you tampered with them.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Normally, this would infuriate me and I would fly off the handle because we both know he’s lying. We both know his naivete is not even remotely close to authentic, and I hate that he thinks he can get away with it, but I’m going to try for a different tactic this go-around. I’m going to remain calm.
I’m going to reason with him.
I sit back in my chair, taking a calming breath, and say, “Can I ask you something?”
“It’s weak to ask if you can ask something. A strong man would just ask.” His attempt at gaining control over the situation. Not going to trigger me.
“The greatest strength isn’t about how hard you can steamroll a conversation but how you can understand the person you’re conversing with. I know you like to have control; therefore, I’m giving you the ability to tell me yes or no.”
His lips thin ever so slightly—not so much that someone who doesn’tknow my dad would notice but just enough that his son who has been studying him for years will notice.
“Just ask your question,” he says in an annoyed tone, which gives me hope that maybe I’m breaking through the wall he clearly erected around himself.
“The lawsuit, when you were putting it together with your lawyers, dreaming up plans to sue your children, what was the end goal? Was it money? Was it because you were hurt and you thought it was the only way you could feel better? Was it to teach us a lesson in business? What was your end goal? I’m just genuinely curious, so I can understand you better.”
“You don’t need to understand people in business, Hudson. This is where you’re going wrong. There is no understanding. There’s the deal and if the deal will benefit you or not. The minute you start trying to understand people is the minute you show weakness.”
“I don’t see it that way,” I say. “I see it quite the opposite, actually. When talking with the Cane brothers and making a deal with them, we sat down and had an honest conversation about our intentions, our goals, and the why behind it. It was the reason we were able to secure the deal with them. Working with Archie and Terrance in the UK, I know it’s something you’ve been after, but sitting down with Terrance, offering him a chance to get to know me on a personal level, to understand my intentions, is what’s securing me that deal.” My dad’s jaw grows tight. “Business might have been conducted differently when you were establishing yourself, and I’ll be honest, it worked. You built an empire.”
“One you don’t want any part in,” he says, drumming his fingers on the armrest of his chair.
“I didn’t want any part in the way you were treating people, Dad,” I say honestly, with a calm tone. “I’m in awe of the way you’ve been able to grow into different markets and establish a reputable brand, but I don’t believe you need to walk over everyone to get there. That’s why we left,not because we don’t love you or because we don’t believe in the hard work you’ve put into Hopper Industries.”
This time, he looks to the side, toward the window that offers one of the better views of the bay that I’ve ever seen.
“You and I both know the documents your lawyer sent have been tampered with, and that’s illegal. We’re not going to countersue nor do we plan on making a counterattack. Hardy and I spoke, and we want there to be peace between us—peace in the family—but you’re making that hard on us. And if you keep trying to deepen this divide, you’re going to be absent for a lot of things. Jude and Haisley are going to start having a family soon. Do you really want to miss out on that? What about Hardy and Everly? We’re moving on with our lives and entering different phases, and we want you and Mom to be a part of that, but only if you’re going to drop the bullshit and stop coming after us. I know you’re trying to hold on to us, to keep us working for you, but you’re only driving us further and further away.”
He presses his hand to his cheek, still looking out toward the bay. He sits there silently, not saying a thing, so I just let him continue to do so as I wait. I want him to say something; I want him to think this over.
Finally, after what feels like minutes, he says, “I spent years building a business that my family could take over, that could be handed down for generations.” He meets my eyes. “You knew that, Hudson. You and Hardy both knew that. I was priming you; I was ready to retire and hand you the reins, and then you just left. You met up with a competitor and started something new. Do you know what kind of a slap to the face that was? Do you understand the embarrassment I’ve had to endure from such a careless decision?”
“It wasn’t careless, Dad. I need you to understand that.”
