Chapter 35: Chapter 35

- Born into

James's pov

"Dad! Dad!" I barked barging into his office with his secretary running behind after a failed attempt to stop me.

Before I could take another step closer to my dad, who by the way was with an associate, Kemberly his secretary stepped in front of me placing a hand on my chest and stopping me from going any further. I puffed, shoving her to the side and keeping in mind to apologize later.

"Dad!"

"What's this James?'' He gave me a dead composed glare that could scare any other person, but not me.

Not with how angry I was. Not even in my sleep does he scare me.

"We need to talk, now."

"I'm in a meeting as you can see." He gestured to the lady sitting across him.

"I said we need to talk. And. Now.'' Whether I was rude or not wasn't any of my concern.

When I saw his facial features still arguing, I held his eyes intently. He got the message and looked to the lady.

"Ms. Ambrose, I'm sorry we'll have to continue some other time. I'll get back to you." He shook hands with her before she strode off wordlessly.

I didn't wait for the seat to be offered before I plumped down.

"With your fuming, I guess you've been told already." The fact that he was so calm pissed me off the most. "But I expected the opposite of what you're displaying right now."

I slammed my fist on his desk.

"Don't bring the building down, James. Calm down!''

I shook my head and smiled in hysteria. "To hell with your building," I told him and waited for his retort. When it didn't come I continued.

"The opposite of what? What exactly are you guessing I've been told, dad? That you decided my future? That my whole life has been a game for you? How could you be so selfish? What were y'all thinking?" I asked still unable to comprehend.

I wanted so much to be told it was a lie. How the fuck could he do this? How could they? How could he decide for a two-year-old? And how could Mr.Barbson and Mrs.Barbson do that to Dei? She wasn't even born when they made the decision.

I wasn't only angry for myself, I was angry for the both of us. Angry that four people who already lived their lives found it fun to decide ours. What were they thinking? That they were doing us a favor?

Under normal circumstances, I'd be happy. I'd be happy that the love of my life was given to me on a silver platter. Because that's what they would think— by telling me this, Mr.Barbson thought it would strengthen what I had with Dei. That it would make us stronger or whatever their sick minds nursed when they decided that it was convenient for them to betroth us.

A betrothal.

The smile on Mr. Branson's face as he told me was evident that they thought it would be perfect and that I'd think so too. Little did he know that he'd put a big barricade between us. They all did. I knew for a fact Deila would drift away from me when she found out. Damn it! Just when I was getting her back. Almost. Fuck me. Fuck them.

''Well to answer your first question, I expected you to be happy." He sighed. "James you've to understand that it was the best. The best for our group."

Oh the group, I remembered. I had been so blinded by rage when I got the first bomb—which was I and Dei been betrothed— that I hadn't felt the blow of the second bomb— that we were both born into an anonymous group. I didn't hear anything about it. Couldn't. Wouldn't.

"First of all, you'll need to explain it to me. What fucking group? What's this group about? A church or...?"

"Mr.Barbson didn't tell you?" He seemed taken aback.

"Here I was, thinking I was free from having to do any explanation," he muttered.

I sighed.

He sighed.

After a while he tsked. "So...?" he trailed.

"So," I repeated. "The group."

"Yeah. The group. The cartel." My breath was knocked out of me as the words left his mouth.

I openly gawked at him. "What do you mean cartel?"

"I was just as surprised when I found out myself. I was also about your age."

My brows frowned at the information he gave as I wondered what made him think I was interested in knowing when he found out.

"Hit the nail," I snared impatiently

"What arrogance. I'm your father!"

He didn't know how to choose his words in situations. "Trust me, I wish I could change that."

I saw surprise and hurt flash through his features. How could he have been hurt? What child wanted a dictator as a father?

He regained his composure. "Now I know." He nodded.

"Believe me when I say I don't wish the same. I love that you're my son. I can't imagine my life without you. I love that you're the product of me and your mum. But James," he looked me square in the eyes. "There's more to life than you know. When you find a woman you love —of course, you've already—you'll not be the same when you find out you're going to lose her." His voice shook her as he looked away to stare into space.

Then and there, I wished I could take back my words, but I couldn't. That's the thing with time, it could never go back, and we could never take back our words. How could I not have seen it?

My dad was the best thing that ever happened to me, until 4 years ago when my mum was diagnosed with stage 3 Colorectal cancer.

Before I could say anything, he cleared his throat bringing my attention to him. He averted his gaze and caught a drop of tears with his thumb. Shit.

I flinched, grunting my teeth as I held back my tears. How could I have been so focused on how hurt I and Zara were that I had never stopped to think of my dad? How could I not have?

"Back to the group. As I said, I was about your age when I found out I was born into a cartel. My dad was too and the same with his father—my grandfather. My great grandfather started this. He dragged you into this, not me. So I'm sorry I can't do anything about it, my father was also very sorry." He paused rubbing his hand to his forehead. Oh right, I thought remembering I took that from him.

"On the other hand, Mr.Barbson wasn't born into it, he married into it. His wife's great grandfather, Peterson Gregory and MartinI started the group. When I found out, I called it shenanigans, now I'll say it's the best thing that ever happened to me. To us."

"You're pushing it. I haven't completely wrapped my head around this stuff. So use the term 'you'." I air quoted. "The best thing that ever happened to you and not us."

He exhaled. "If you say so, James Martins. Just get it through your head that there's no way out of this. When I retire, you and your wife would be taking over," he deadpanned.

I had to snicker. He said it like there was nothing I could do about it. And if that was what was in his head, he'd better stop dreaming because Dei had to have a say in this. I had to have a say in this.

"Wife you say. We're talking about a girl that isn't even my girlfriend yet."

He appeared shocked. "No? But Mr.Barbson told me otherwise."

"Yeah, of course, he had," I muttered.

"Whatever he saw at the office, was me trying to get her back. I almost did right before he hit me with this shocking revelation I call a bomb. I don't even know if there's still any chance for us now." I raked my fingers through my hair.

"Of course there's. It's not even like you both have a choice. You're betrothed to each other as I and your mother were."

"What?" I asked surprised.

"Yes, Jamy." I didn't recall the last time he called me that. "I never even met your mum before I found out I was betrothed to her and look how happy we are. On the other hand, you and Deila have known each other since you were kids. You're both lucky that you found each other yourselves."

I shook my head thoughtfully, he never met my mum. No wonder their stories always started from 'After we got married'.

"The fact that I've known Deila from when we were kids is why I'm this upset," I told him. "She'll never agree to this. I've known her and her hunches since she was a child. She's not one to make decisions for. She's not going to like the fact that you guys decided her fate when she was only but an embryo. Who in the hell does that?"

"C'mon. She wasn't an embryo. She was four months in her mother's womb," he argued.

"What the difference? The point is she wasn't even born. And tell me, did you guys set us together or something?" I saw mischief cross his features. "Of course you did. You push what we have didn't you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Did you go Cupid on us? Did you do something to bring us together the first time we dated?"

His lips twitched. "If we'd it would've been easier and faster don't you think? You loved her all your life and only made a move after twenty-two years. Tell me, why did you wait so long to approach her with how you felt?"

My palms folded to a fist, irritation starting to take over. "Not your business. And what does it have to do with anything?"

"You're right." He nodded. "Although this time we thought about adding a little sweet to it. Since what you had didn't go as we wanted, we didn't want this opportunity to crash again for you two. Besides, there was the feeling that you were going to take another twenty-two years."

I ignored the mock in his last words. "What the hell did you do?"

"What did I do? I'm not the only actor here, I've allies. Mr. Barbson for one faked a vacation. Didn't exactly fake it, but he only went away to bring you to supervise her, bringing you two closer in the process."

"For fucks sake," I cursed under my breath. "Of course. I ought to have suspected this."

The sudden need for a vacation. Asking for the assistance of another company's employee to supervise an acting CEO. My dad agreeing without a pause. Of course! I ought to have known there was something behind all those plays but I chose not to. Damn me.

"You could've seen it. But you didn't," he pointed like he read my mind.

I had enough of hearing ploys for one day. I just needed to breathe. I needed to get away from him and the environment that angered me the more.

"You know what, I think I'll leave now.'' I stood up and started for the door.

I was already at the door when he called. I turned to face him. "You might want to sit back down."

"Pray tell, why?"

"The cartel."

"What about it?"

"I'll be stepping down soon."

I shrugged giving him a bored face. "What does that have to do with me?''

"I told y-"

I cut him off with a shove of my hand. Why let him rant? I asked myself knowing the answer was no reason.

"Listen, I might have sat down and listened to all that," I paused gesturing around. "You had to say, but I can't and won't be any part of your nonsense. Get that?"

With that, I was off. I needed to go home.

I wasn't much of an alcohol person, but I did turn to my whiskey bottle whenever I was overly stressed and overthinking, like now. The more I kept thinking about what I just found out, the more I poured whiskey into the glass I had been holding for minutes now. If I was going to blast my head, I'd rather it be from whiskey and not from overthinking.

I had sat down listening to my dad talk for minutes. He sounded so unbothered about it and that was what irked me the more. How could he even think that I'd be part of this cartel trash? A cartel? Dad who always condemned criminal acts? The last time I checked a cartel was a group of terrorists.

And Mr.Barbson whom I had always respected, who had inculcated values in his children and me as his godson. I thought back to what my dads had told me, he was married into.

So Mrs.Barbson?

Yes.

If Mr.Barbson was married into it then my mum had to have been too, no?

Then I recalled what my dad had said...they'd both been betrothed.

"My mum," I whispered to myself in hysteria.

My mum was part of it too. Of course, they all were a part of it. All part of this mafia cartel shit.

What was funny to me was how the world saw them. Who'd ever see them and think they were part of a cartel? With all the charity galas they organized and how they have to the community? No one.

The most hysteric part of it all was how children had to suffer for their parents' decisions.

Zara had to be dragged into this shit, I thought as I shut my eyes right. My kid sister was my life no matter how annoying she was.

I wondered for a moment if Dawn knew, then I dropped the thought. He couldn't have.

And Dei. I sighed, knowing she was as stubborn as I was. She'd never be a part of all this.

Those were my thoughts before I heard a deafening scream.