Chapter 8

Damien POV

I walked around in my living room, pacing from end to end. My friend was seated on the sofa staring at me, tapping his foot on the floor. 

“Could you stop already? You're pissing me off with your leg tapping,” I yelled at Lyon. 

“Ay, man. How can I not get nervous when you're acting like the world is about to end. Seriously, your pacing is freaking me out.” 

Well, I can't blame him. 

Me being nervous was something that rarely happened. Besides, Lyon had no idea about what was going on. He looked clueless. 

I called him over as soon as the news got to me. As always, he showed up like the loyal friend he was. Usually, I would pop open a drink, and we would discuss work, life and the women who had been with us the previous night at the club. 

But this was not one of those days. There were more pressing issues at hand. 

“My brother is getting married, man!” 

I had expected Lyon to scream or match my restlessness, but he stood up and walked to the mini-bar. He grabbed a drink and two glasses before returning to his seat and placing them on the table. 

“Next time, don't freak out so much over good news. Congratulations, you're going to be an uncle soon. Let me pour you a drink.” 

He offered to fill up my glass, but I grabbed the bottle from him and in one fell swoop sent it dashing into the nearest well. That ought to drive home my point. 

“Ay, man. That's a very expensive wine you just broke,” Lyon yelled as he ducked. 

“Who gives a shit about the wine?!” I yelled. “My brother is getting married and that means he's going to take over the company.” 

You heard right! My brother will take over the one thing I have been craving my entire life. 

“I thought your father had already willed it to you?” Lyon asked. 

I had told him that just to save face. It wouldn't be the first or the last time I had to tell lies to keep up with the persona I was selling to everyone else. 

My father had never willed it to me. In fact, he had told me to my face that he would never give me any share of the company to handle. 

“You are so irresponsible, and you don't have the sense to handle a business. You think you can go about sleeping with every woman in town, and I'll hand down my sweat and toil to you to lavish? Never will that happen!” 

Those were his exact words. I can still remember that day like it was an hour ago.

You should know that he was not wrong. I was the black sheep of the family. Loved by all for my lavish and playboy lifestyle but in constant judgment by my family as they saw me as a rotten root trying to crumble all they had built. 

School was no problem for me to get through. Well, let's just say it was not without its hitches and dad constantly having to call and threaten to take me out because of my loving allegiance with trouble. 

I admit I had stressed that man. He had it up to here. One thing he held the most was his reputation and I never failed to tarnish his and mine. 

He offered me a job at the company as soon as I got my license. That was when I turned into the town's playboy, sleeping in clubs, racking up my numbers with women. 

He tried to talk me out of going astray. But I had been too stubborn. I had walked out. The next time I had seen my father was just about as he was about to be lowered six feet into the ground. 

“Well, things have changed. He hadn't.” 

Lyon's eyes widened in surprise. “What do you mean that he hadn't? Where else have you been getting the lavish money we have been spending?” 

I sighed. This was the first time anyone else was about to hear about this. I wanted to take this secret to the grave, but I had just been pushed to the wall, so I had to make friends with the gecko. 

“I took a loan from Anderson Millers.” 

That name forced Lyon to jump to his feet. I would freak out myself if I found out someone I knew had been foolish enough to dabble with the notorious drug lord, Anderson Millers. 

“Why would you even do that?” He asked. “Do you not know the kind of person Anderson Millers is?”

”Because I was broke! Because after my father had died, he didn't leave me anything more than a million dollars. How do you think we have so much money to spend all the time?” 

“You shouldn't have…” 

“That's not what you said when we were popping bottles, paying strippers to come over to our tables,” I retorted. 

“Well, if I had known where you were getting the money from, then I would have talked you out of it.” 

Don't blame me for not wanting to be known throughout the country as the playboy who couldn't keep up with his lifestyle as daddy's money no longer flowed to him. 

I love the rush. I love being the center of attention, being in the spotlight. The girls flocking around me, bottles flying on my tab. That was my mojo. I couldn't afford to lose that because I was too lazy to work and show my father I was responsible enough to head my father's company. 

You could tell me and my brother were nothing like each other. While he was the coordinated, organized one who was meticulous and saw things through, I was a free sailor, who let the wind guide and threw caution to the wind more often than not. 

Lyon sighed. “So he had signed over the wealth to your brother instead!” 

“My father didn't trust me, neither did he trust William, so he placed a condition for whoever would inherit his wealth. Anyone who could provide an heir first and had proved to be responsible would take over the company.” 

“Well, that's in our favor. I mean, so far, you've been responsible enough, at least discreet enough, not to be caught. And your wife should be expecting a baby anytime soon.” I sighed, looking away. He noticed my non-enthusiastic attitude. “Right?” 

I looked away, not wanting to crush him with the truth.