Chapter 5 - Family meeting

Alec POV

I get myself ready to go visit mum and dad. We always had a great relationship. I always envied the kind of relationship they have. That’s what I always wanted but then I ended up falling for the wrong girl and get cheated on. I know that mum and dad’s relationship was far from perfect. I know they had some ups and downs but who doesn’t.

Dad always said that he knew mum was the one the moment he first saw her, but she didn’t think the same about him because she turned him down. He was a player and I guess I am following his footsteps.

I get out of the car and lock it looking at the house I grew up. It’s still the same, the fence surrounding the house, the big front garden. Mum and dad never liked to show off their money, they live in a well respected area in London but I never went to private school and I wasn’t spoiled. I had everything I wanted but within reason. I loved my childhood.

I open the door and walk in to find my mum whisper shouting at my dad. I stop in the corridor watching them, even when they argue they look at each other with so much love that it is actually painful to watch.

“Oh, Alec”, mum says as she sees me just standing there looking at them.

“Hi mum”, I say walking to her and kissing the top of her head and giving my dad a hug. I tower over mum, she is small compared to me and dad, I am taller than him, but I mostly look like him. I have both my parents blue eyes and blonde hair.

“Come in son”, dad says and we walk into the front room and automatically he walks to the little bar area and pours us drinks. Mum sits on the settee thanking dad for her drink as he passes me mine. I take a sip and then a deep breath.

“What brings you here?”, Dad asks and I decide to cut the chase and tell them.

“What do you know about my grandfather?”, I ask looking dad in the eyes and he looks at me wide eyed and then he looks at mum as if asking for help. He takes a big gulp of his drink and then stands up to pour himself another one. I have never seen him drink like this, usually his drink lasts till desert.

“Why are you asking? You know I don’t talk about him”, dad says and I stand up and place both my hands into my trousers pockets. Dad looks at me and mum clears her throat excusing her. I look as she stands up and closes the door leaving the room.

“I never thought this day would come”, Dad says and I raise an eyebrow looking at him. He tells me to follow him and we walk into his office where he grabs papers and documents from the bottom drawer of his desk and gives it to me. I pick them up and start reading the headlines about Harry Payne and Henry Payne. I look at dad and then down as I see a photo of dad on the newspaper.

“What?”, I let out as I read it. It’s about dad renouncing all the Payne fortune. I can’t really understand what is going on. So dad pulls up his chair and we sit, he tells me everything about his dad and his grandparents, about nana Alice and I really can’t believe he was such a bastard. He pulled some creepy shit. He almost killed nana. How could he say he loved her so much and then do that. Dad asks me why I am now asking about him and I decide to tell him about the will. That I will be having a proper look with my lawyer on Saturday morning. Dad nods his head and tells me that the Payne money always comes with traps, I need to be careful but I honestly think he is over reacting now. The guy is dead. How bad could it be?

**** Next day ****

“Mr Hardy, there’s a journalist here to see you’, Sonia announces and I tell her to let her in. I stand up adjusting my tie but when the woman walks in I realise it is not Aimee.

“I’m Sandhy, I will be conducting the interview that Aimee managed to fail yesterday”, The girl says as she offers me her hand to shake. I clear my throat and shake her hand.

‘Excuse me for a second, I have an important phone call to make, I will be with you in two minutes”, I tell her as I grab my phone from my desk and I walk into the adjacent office to mine. This is my storage room for my files. I close the door behind me and I dial Arthur’s number.

“Mr Hardy, what a pleasure to hear from you sir”, Arthur says and I cut straight to the chase.

“I thought I asked specifically for Aimee Jones to come interview me”, I bark over the phone and I can hear Arthur fiddling with something on the other side, I am not a very patient man, I have business to attend to and he is making me waste my time.

“I am sorry sir, but Aimee had a doctor’s appointment today, so she couldn’t make it”, Arthur says and I take a deep breath.

“Reschedule the interview. I am not answering any questions unless they are coming from Aimee’s lips, did I make myself clear?”, I bark over the phone and Arthur says he will make it happen, Monday at nine in the morning Aimee will be here. Without a doubt.

I take a deep breath agreeing with Monday at nine, I have no clue if I have anything scheduled for that time but I am sure Sonia will move things around to make this happen. I need to see Aimee again, I need to look into her eyes one last time before I destroy her once and for all.

I walk into my office to find Sandhy sitting on my desk with her legs crossed and her skirt pulled all the way up to her waist.

“What do you think you’re doing?”, I ask as I cross my arms in front of my chest as she looks at me in awe.

“As I am not interviewing you anymore, it means I can sleep with you, there’s not going to be anything to stop me”, she says and I can’t help but throw my head back while I laugh. She stands up and walks towards me with her hands moving up her body lifting her blouse exposing her naked chest. I swallow hard seeing her big breasts bouncing as she walks to me.

“I am not interested”,  I say as she rests her hands on my chest, her eyes glued on mine and she starts pouting.

“Are you sure I can’t help you with anything?”, she asks as she places her hand on my cock and gives a gentle squeeze. I grab her hand moving it away from me.

“I am one hundred percent sure that I don’t want to fuck you”, I say letting go of her hand. Her face goes bright red and I can tell that this girl is not used to man telling her no, she usually gets away with everything that she wants, but I am not like other guys, and right now I can’t think of sleeping with her when all I can think is to destroy Aimee Jones’s career the same way she demolished my life ten years ago.

Call me petty, but I can do it and I will do it, she came back into my life like a wrecking ball and I am the one in charge now, I am not the same guy I used to be, I don’t trust woman, especially her.

Sandhy leaves my office and I take a deep breath sitting on my chair and cracking on with work. I call Sonia into my office, she comes over straight away and I tell her to move things around for Monday morning and she gives me a concerned look.

“You have an appointment with Mr Yung”, she says and I pass my hands through my hair and take a deep breath telling her to make a breakfast appointment with them and then book a two hours appointment with Aimee. Sonia nods her head and leaves my office soon after leaving me to sit back on my chair and spin around looking out of the window.