Chapter Nine

Charles felt a surge of nervousness as he anticipated facing his younger daughter. Sasha had left home over a year ago, and he was determined to bring her back. He understood why she hated him. He had married Linda Miller for her family's wealth to expand the Brooks empire, but what everyone didn't know was that Linda herself had proposed the marriage. Linda knew he loved Lilly Sanders, but her love for him was so strong that she didn't care if he loved her back. She wanted him and only him.

Charles remembered the day Linda's parents died in a car accident. She came to him and promised to let him handle Miller Company, which he wanted to expand his family's influence in the city. However, it came with the condition of marriage and two children. They later met with Lilly, who was a week pregnant, and all agreed that he would marry Linda but keep his relationship with Lilly. For many years, he had to hide his relationship and children from the world according to their agreement. He had always felt guilty for Dean and Amanda for not giving them the life they deserved. They were Brooks and should have been living as such. That was why he gave Amanda whatever she asked for. She wanted Sasha's room, so he gave it to her. She wanted to be the president of Miller Group, so he gave it to her because the group belonged to Sasha. Anyway, Linda made sure of that. All Sasha had to do was marry Hue.

Charles always felt guilty for the twins growing up without him and promised to give them whatever they wanted. He heard footsteps approaching his home office door and took a deep breath. He hadn't seen his Sha-sha in months. He knew she was mad about him not paying Chris's hospital bills after they had agreed that he would if she never asked him for a penny. He hadn't expected her to go for low-level jobs like being a cleaner. He blacklisted her and made sure no company would hire her. When he heard his son was about to get kicked out, he sent his assistant to pay for it, but the bill had already been paid before he got there. He hoped his younger daughter would like the deal he had for her. He had taken away her presidency of one company, but he was about to make her president of another.

"Good morning, sir," Sasha said immediately upon walking into his office.

"Sir? I'm still your dad," he said in a sad tone, avoiding eye contact.

"You haven't acted like my dad in a while," Sasha whispered, almost sadly.

"I know you're angry at me, but I will make it up to you," he said.

"I don't need you to do anything for me. You couldn't even pay your son's hospital bill," Sasha snarled.

"I did go to pay, but it was already paid for," Charles snapped.

"If you were a good father, we wouldn't be talking about late hospital bills," Sasha snapped back.

"You are trying to use Chris against me. You've done everything to get me to come back home and have frozen all my bank accounts, yet I'm still surviving."

"You don't have to live like that. You are a Brook; stop living like a pauper."

"You should have thought of that before you gave my company to your daughter."

"Stop it, Sasha. That company belongs to you, and you know it. Once you marry Hue, that company belongs to you. She is just there for the meantime."

"I don't care. That company is mine. There is no reason why I shouldn't be in the company right now."

A long silence followed, filled with both parties' anger, sadness, and tension.

"Why don't you have a seat? Let's talk," Charles said to break the ice.

She did as she was told.

"Your sister has had a hard life. Just let her be Miller Group's president until your wedding to Hue.

You will be the president of Brooks Group until you can take over Miller Group. I already told them to start processing it. I would be the CEO, and you would become the president. Please just come home. I hear you are now a cleaner in a clubhouse. You are a Brook; you shouldn't be working in such places. That's a disgrace to your family name."

"You should have thought of that before freezing my accounts and job blacklisting me," Sasha fired back.

"Because you left home," her father snapped.

"I left because you gave your daughter my position in my company. I left because you have been cheating on Mom all these years and married your mistress, destroying our family," Sasha flared at her father.

Out of anger, Charles slapped her. "You don't have to like me, but you will respect me. I am your father, young lady."

"You didn't have to lay your hand on her," Lilly Sanders said, standing at the door. She had hoped the father and daughter could agree, but the two were stubborn. She had advised Charles against making Amanda the president of Miller Group, but he had been adamant. Their relationship has been rocky since then.

"I don't need you to speak for me," Sasha snarled at her.

"Have some respect. That's your stepmother," Charles said.

Lilly could feel Sasha's hatred, which broke her heart. She wanted Sasha to know that she was not her enemy.

"It's fine, Charles," she gestured to her husband, walking toward him. "Just think about it before rejecting it. The Brooks Group is just as big as Miller's. Like he said, it's yours. You just have to marry Hue or anyone worth billions."

The look on Sasha's face bothered Lilly. She hoped that Sasha would not find out about Amanda and Hue. She had seen them in Amanda's room yesterday and had asked Amanda to call it off.

She could not understand why her daughter was going after her sister's fiancé when there were so many other men. She didn't want anyone else to find out, and Amanda had promised her to stop seeing Hue.

"I don't want to be president of Brooks Group. I want my company," Sasha said firmly.

"Please just give it a thought. Tomorrow, your father is hosting a dinner party for all the business people in the city. You should come. It's important to network," Lilly suggested.

After a long thought, Sasha said, "I will be there." She hoped to meet someone at the dinner party who could help her with her Miller Group situation. "I will take my leave now."