Chapter 210
–Ryan O’Brien–
Ryan collapses in his scat.
s barely past noon, and he’s exhausted. His mother, Adeline, had made him send about three dozen emails to various
companies–potentes–and:
at
Jesus Christ. Half the com on the if band another “I hope this email finds you well, he’d lose his damn mind.
And Adeline has somehow
sarenaer
even worth the attention.
that
has
Secretary.
“Don’t you have somewhere els
Ryan
“I’m right where I want to be,” she replies with at his mother who’s
looking
“What if I don’t want you here?”
“Great. You can leave.”
“It’s my office,” he says. “You can’t set up a workstation are suffocating me, Mom. I can’t breathe.”
in
penning something down in a book.
I
r an office in
your name so we can both get privacy.
You
Adeline’s pen stills, her manicured fingers hovering over th
page. Then, slowly, she raises her head and looks at him with that same cold, calculating gaze that used to send shivers down his
spine when
was a kid. But he isn’t a kid
anymore. He’s a grown man–a CEO, for God’s sake so why does her stare still make him feel like a rebellious teenager?
“I’m not giving you privacy so you can have sex with your secretary during work hours, Ryan,” she
says.
wife
“For goodness‘ sake, what do you want? You moved me and Emily into your mansion, which is almost an hour’s drive from here. You sued my for God knows what when I told you I don’t want a divorce. And now she won’t even take my calls. She’s probably in another man’s bed right now, the same person you managed to chase away from a very good partnership and somehow blame it on me. You keep saying you’re not the one leaking information to the press, but who else would it be? You’re the only person who stands to gain something from my divorce. I don’t know
what that is, maybe satisfaction of your sadistic, possessive, and manipulative cravam 32 years old, and somehow, I can’t outgrow my mom.”
Adeline cocks an eyebrow. “Are you done?”
Ryan doesn’t reply.
“You’re never getting back with Julie,” she says.
“The hell I’m not.”
“You. Are. Never. Getting. Back. With. Her. Your only concern right now should be how to save this company and a host of other things that don’t involve your dick. You’re living with your mistress. What do you want your wife for?”
“It’s called love, Mom. Didn’t you have that with Dad?”
“Shut your fucking mouth, she hisses. “You don’t know the first thing about my relationship with your father. Love doesn’t pay the bills, love doesn’t maintain reputations, and it certainly doesn’t keep people loyal. It’s a transaction, Ryan, plain and simple. And you got a bad deal. I nearly had a heart attack the day you brought that girl home, the minute you got tangled up with that… that nobody. And now you’ve somehow managed to stoop even lower. Emily is a secretary, Ryan. Your secretary. You should be ashamed to even show your face in public. You’re so lucky she’s pregnant with your child. The minute that child comes out, we’re filing for
Ryan stares at her, feeling as if he’s looking at a stranger. He shakes his head. “Some people believe children come from somewhere in the sky. That angels handpick them and give them to
o people they deserve. I wonder
I did
ong up there to end up with someone like you.”
What
For a brief, rare moment, her mask slips. Hurt flashes across her face. But just as quickly, she composes herself, eyes hardening as she opens mouth to respond. Before she can, the door swings and Emily walks in, holding an envelope.
She places it on Ryan’s desk, glancing beth 1/
“Julie?” Ryan says. “Where? Where did she
go?” He
“She’s gone, Ryan,” Emily calls behind him ” she a
his
mother. “I… I just
on his feet,
Saw
Julie. She handed me this.”
Cady halfway to the
Say hi
door.
her
with anticipation. As it rings, he glances back at Emily and Adeline, his
“Damn it!” He yanks out his phone, dialing Julie’s heart hammering, praying that she’ll answer.
mber, hands s
Adeline’s gaze has zeroed in on the envelope, her
reyes glittering wit
suspicion as she picks it up. She slices through the seal with her sharp nails.
“A resignation letter,” she says. “Quite detailed.”
“What the hell, Mom?” Ryan snaps. “That wasn’t for you.”
1/2
+20
11:25 AM
Chapter 210
XX
His call has gone to voicemail. “Julie, please. Call me back. We need to talk. I just… I need to hear your voice.” He hangs up, look defeated as he
walks back to his chair and sinks into it.
Adeline holds up the letter, waving it in front of him with a smug smile. “It looks like she’s finally ready to cut ties.”
Ryan feels his stomach twist as she reads the opening words out loud.
“Dear Mr. O’Brien…‘ Well, she certainly knows how to make an entrance, doesn’t she?”
“Stop it,” he whispers, his face pale, hands clenched on his desk. “Just… stop.”
“Oh, come now, don’t you want to hear what she has to say? This is your wake–up call, Ryan. She’s moving
“Why are you doing this?” he asks. “What kind of mother…. what kind of person finds joy in their own son’s misery?”
“One who knows what’s best for you. And I won’t apologize for that.”
- on. It’s
high time you
did the same.”
He looks down, a strange emptiness in his chest, as though everything he’d fought for, everything he’d believed in, has nothing but a hollow shell behind.
sucked dry, leaving
Emily clears her throat, stepping back from the desk. “I’ll… I’ll leave you two to talk.”
Ryan barely notices her. His gaze is still fixed on his mother, on the person who has spent years shaping his life into a nightmare. He had loved her once, respected her, trusted her. But now? Now, he isn’t even sure she’s capable of love.
Just as Emily opens the door, Adeline says, “Emily, wait.”
Emily pauses mid–step, her hand on the doorknob. She turns, hesitating as Adeline’s sharp eyes narrow in on her.
“Why did Julie give you the letter?” Adeline says.
Emily blinks, visibly thrown off. “What?”
“She came all the way here. She walked into the building, went through the trouble, and yet… she didn’t bring the letter to Ryan herself. Doesn’t sound right, don’t you think?”
Emily glances at Ryan and then back at Adeline. “Am I supposed to understand the reason behind Julie’s every move?”
“You’re being defensive,” Adeline says.
“What?”
“I asked a simple question, and you’re on the defensive.”
Emily throws up her hands “Jesus, Adeline. What do you want from me?”
Adeline leans forward, folding her hands on the desk. “I want you to tell me why you went out for lunch, came back looking… disheveled, unlike someone who just enjoyed a break. And then you waltz in here, carrying a letter from your sugar daddy’s wife. A wife you don’t even like. What, may I ask, inspired you to accept the letter?”
