37. Nothing Else Matter

CHAPTER 37

Nothing Else Matter

LIAM

M y heart was pounding with a mix of anticipation and nerves. The plush carpet muffled my footsteps, but I could swear everyone could hear the thundering in my chest. My mind was racing, replaying every scenario I'd imagined over the past few hours.

This wasn't just any business deal. This was the deal that could change everything. The one that could finally free me from my father's expectations and give me the chance to live life on my own terms.

As I approached the reception area, I caught my reflection in a nearby mirror. I looked composed, professional in my tailored suit, but my eyes betrayed my inner turmoil. I took a deep breath, straightening my tie.

"Mr. Denison?" The receptionist's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. She smiled warmly at me. "Mr. Clark is ready for you now."

I nodded, mustering a smile in return. "Thanks."

With one final deep breath, I pushed open the door to Leon's office. This was it. No turning back now. I'd made up my mind about taking the deal, but I was itching to know how Leon planned to pull this off. How exactly were we going to fool my father.

The familiar scent of leather and old books hit me. Leon was there, hunched over his desk, completely absorbed in some paperwork.

I cleared my throat and knocked on the open door, pushing my doubts aside. Leon looked up, a warm smile spreading across his face as he stood to greet me.

"Liam," he said, extending his hand. "Good to see you. Come in, come in."

We shook hands, and I couldn't help but feel a twinge of nervousness. This was it - the moment of truth.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" Leon asked, gesturing to a well-stocked bar in the corner. "Water, coffee perhaps some wine?"

I was tempted by the wine - God knows I could use a drink right now - but I needed a clear head for this. "Just water, thanks," I replied, settling into one of the plush chairs across from his desk.

Leon nodded, pouring me a glass of water before returning to his seat. "So," he said, leaning forward slightly, "have you made a decision about the deal?"

I took a deep breath, steeling myself. "I'm in," I said firmly. "I want to take it."

Leon's face lit up. "Excellent choice, Liam. I knew you'd see the potential here."

"Yeah, well," I said, unable to keep the edge of impatience from my voice, "I'm more interested in how you're planning to pull this off. My father's no fool - he's going to smell something fishy a mile away."

Leon chuckled. "Always straight to the point, aren't you? I appreciate that about you, Liam. But don't worry, we've got it all figured out. In fact, I think it's best if I let my lawyer explain the details. He's the mastermind behind this particular strategy."

I raised an eyebrow. "Your lawyer? I thought I was the legal expert here. "

"Oh, you are," Leon assured me. "But Derek well, he's got a particular talent for this kind of thing. Mind if I call him in?"

I shrugged, curiosity getting the better of me. "By all means."

Leon pressed a button on his desk phone. "Lilah, could you send Derek in, please?"

A few moments later, the door opened, and a man in his late thirties walked in. He was tall and lean, with a sharp suit and an even sharper gaze. He extended his hand to me with a confident smile.

"Derek Green," he introduced himself. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Liam. I've heard great things about your work."

I shook his hand, sizing him up. "Likewise," I said, though I'd never heard of him before. "So, you're the mastermind behind this takeover plan?"

Derek's smile widened. "I prefer to think of it as a mutually beneficial restructuring, but yes, I've had a hand in developing the strategy."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. "Cut the PR bullshit, Derek. I want to know how you're planning to fool my father. He's no pushover, trust me."

Leon cleared his throat. "Derek, why don't you lay out the groundwork we've been working on for Liam?"

I watched as Derek reached into his bag, pulling out a thick stack of papers.

"Alright, let's see what you've got," I said, leaning forward in my chair.

Derek spread the documents across the table, his face grim. "Liam, what we're about to show you… it's not pretty. But you need to see it."

I raised an eyebrow, my impatience getting the better of me. "Just spit it out, Derek. What's my father been up to?"

Leon cleared his throat, his expression serious. "Your father has been engaging in some questionable business practices, Liam. For quite some time now. "

"Questionable how?" I asked, my stomach tightening with dread.

Derek pointed to one of the documents. "He's been systematically acquiring companies, running them into the ground, and then profiting from their downfall through insider trading."

I felt like I'd been punched in the gut. "What? No, that can't be right. My father's a lot of things, but he's not a criminal."

"I'm afraid it's true, Liam," Leon said softly. "Look at the evidence yourself."

With shaking hands, I reached for the papers. As I scanned through them, my disbelief turned to horror. There it was, in black and white - a trail of companies acquired, gutted, and discarded. And worse, I recognized some of them. Companies I had helped acquire.

"Oh god," I muttered, feeling sick. "I worked on some of these deals. How did I not see this?"

Derek leaned forward, his voice gentle. "You weren't meant to see it, Liam. Your father kept you in the dark deliberately."

I slammed my fist on the table, anger surging through me. "Damn it! How could he do this? How could he lie to me… again?"

Leon reached out, placing a calming hand on my arm. "I know this is a lot to take in, Liam. But we need to focus on what we can do now."

I took a deep breath, trying to center myself. "You're right. This needs to stop. What's our next move?"

I strode down the hallway towards my father's office, my heart pounding in my chest. The weight of the fake contract in my hand felt like a ticking time bomb. This was it - the moment of truth. Everything we'd planned, everything I'd agonized over for the past few days, it all came down to this.

As I approached his office, I could hear my father's voice, raised and angry. He was on the phone, probably chewing out some poor employee who'd dared to question him. Typical.

I took a deep breath, steeling myself. "You've got this, Liam," I muttered under my breath. "Just stick to the plan."

I knocked on the door, perhaps a bit harder than necessary. The phone call abruptly cut off, and my father's gruff voice called out, "Come in!"

I pushed open the door, plastering on my best ‘dutiful son' smile. "Got a minute?"

My father's face morphed from annoyance to a grin as he saw me. "Liam! Perfect timing. I was just about to call you."

Yeah, I bet you were, I thought bitterly. Probably to brag about your latest conquest.

"I've got some news," I said, holding up the contract. "The acquisition's done. Deal's signed and sealed."

My father's eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. He practically leapt from his chair, snatching the contract from my hands. "Let me see that!"

I watched as he flipped through the pages, not really reading, just skimming. Leon was right - my father never actually read the contracts. He was too arrogant, too sure of his own brilliance to bother with the details.

"This is excellent work, son," he beamed, clapping me on the shoulder. "I knew you had it in you. This deal is going to take us to the next level."

I felt sick. Here he was, congratulating me on a deal that was about to bring his entire empire crashing down. And he had no idea.

"Thanks, Dad," I managed, the words tasting like ash in my mouth. "But there's something we need to talk about."

He was still grinning, riding high on his perceived victory. "What's that, son? Want to discuss your bonus? Because I'm thinking a big, fat check is in order after this win."

I shook my head, feeling my anger start to bubble up. "No, Dad. I want to talk about the other deals. The shady ones. The ones where you're running companies into the ground and profiting from their downfall."

The smile dropped from his face so fast it was almost comical. "What are you talking about, Liam? That's ridiculous."

"Is it?" I challenged, my voice rising. "Because I've seen the evidence, Dad. The trail of bankruptcies, the insider trading. It's all there, black and white."

My father's face hardened, his eyes turning cold. "You don't know what you're talking about, son. Business is complicated. Sometimes companies fail. It's not personal, it's just business."

"Bullshit!" I exploded, slamming my hand on his desk. "It's not just business when you're deliberately tanking companies for your own gain. It's not just business when you're ruining people's lives!"

He stood up, his face red with anger. "Watch your tone, boy. You have no idea what it takes to run a company like this. Sometimes you have to make tough decisions."

"Tough decisions?" I scoffed. "Is that what you call fraud now? Jesus, Dad, do you even hear yourself?"

For a moment, we just stared at each other, the air thick with tension. Then, something in my father's eyes changed. The anger faded, replaced by something colder, more calculating.

"Alright, Liam," he said, his voice eerily calm. "You want the truth? Fine. Yes, I've made some aggressive business moves. Yes, I've profited from companies failing. But that's the nature of the game. The strong survive, the weak perish. That's how it's always been."

I felt like I'd been punched in the gut. Hearing him admit it so casually, without a shred of remorse. It was worse than I'd imagined.

"How can you say that?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. "These are people's lives you're playing with. Their jobs, their futures."

He shrugged, sitting back down in his chair. "It's a dog-eat- dog world out there, son. If I didn't do it, someone else would. At least this way, our family benefits."

I shook my head, disgust and disappointment washing over me in waves. "I can't believe I'm hearing this. I can't believe I ever looked up to you."

"Oh, grow up, Liam," he sneered. "This is the real world. It's not all kumbaya and holding hands. Sometimes you have to get your hands dirty to get ahead."

That was it. The final straw. I'd heard enough.

"I quit," I said, the words coming out before I'd even fully processed the thought.

My father blinked, clearly caught off guard. "What?"

"You heard me," I said, my voice growing stronger. "I quit. I'm done. I want no part of this… this corruption."

He laughed, but it was a harsh, ugly sound. "Don't be ridiculous, Liam. Where are you going to go? What are you going to do? Play guitar on street corners?"

I felt a smile spread across my face, cold and satisfied. "Actually, I've got that covered. But you don't need to worry about that. What you need to worry about is what's coming next."

His brow furrowed in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Instead of answering, I pulled out my phone and dialed Leon's number. It rang twice before he picked up.

"It's done," I said simply. "He's all yours."

I could practically hear Leon's grin through the phone. "Excellent work, Liam. We'll be right up."

I hung up and turned back to my father, who was looking more confused and angry by the second. "Liam, what the hell is going on? Who was that?"

Before I could answer, there was a knock at the door. It opened to reveal Leon and Derek, both wearing expressions of grim satisfaction.

My father's face paled as he recognized Leon. "Clark? What are you doing here? "

Leon stepped into the office, Derek close behind. "Hello, Richard. I think it's time we had a little chat about the future of your company."

I watched as the realization dawned on my father's face. The fake contract. The pointed questions. My sudden resignation. It all clicked into place.

"You… you set me up," he said, his voice a mix of disbelief and fury. "My own son…"

I felt a pang of guilt, but I pushed it down. "I did what I had to do, Dad. Someone had to stop you."

Leon and Derek moved further into the room, effectively boxing my father in. Leon turned to me, giving me a curt nod. "Thank you, Liam. We'll take it from here."

I nodded back, relief and exhaustion washing over me in equal measure. It was done. For better or worse, it was done.

As I turned to leave, my father's voice stopped me. "Liam," he called out, his tone desperate now. "Son, please. Don't do this. We can work something out."

I paused at the door, looking back at him. For a moment, I saw not the corrupt businessman, but the father who had taught me to ride a bike, who had cheered at my piano recitals. But then I remembered all the lies, all the manipulation, all the lives he had ruined.

"I'm sorry, Dad," I said softly. "But it's too late for that."

And with that, I walked out, closing the door on my old life and stepping into a life where could finally breathe.

I pulled up Jimmy's number and hit dial.

"Liam?" Jimmy answered on the second ring. "Everything okay?"

"Better than okay," I said, unable to keep the excitement out of my voice. "I need a favor, Jim. Can you arrange a flight to Oakwood Grove for me? As soon as possible?"

I could practically hear Jimmy's eyebrows shooting up. "Oakwood Grove? Your father?"

"It's done," I said, my voice sobering for a moment. "All of it. I'll fill you in on the details later, but right now, I just need to get home."

There was a pause, and then Jimmy chuckled. "Home, huh? Sounds like a lot has changed. Alright, I'm on it. I'll text you the details as soon as I have them."

"Thanks, Jimmy," I said, feeling a rush of gratitude for my friend. "Oh, and one more thing?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't tell Caleb, okay? I want to surprise him."

Jimmy laughed outright at that. "Playing the romantic, are we? Alright, your secret's safe with me. But you owe me one, Denison."

I grinned. "Add it to my tab. And Jimmy? Thanks. For everything."

As I hung up, I felt a lightness in my chest that I hadn't experienced in years. I was going home. To Caleb, to my music, to the life I'd always wanted but never had the courage to pursue.

I looked around at the bustling New York street one last time. This chapter of my life was closing, but a new one was about to begin. And for the first time in a long time, I couldn't wait to see what the future held.