33. Ryan

CHAPTER 33

Ryan

ONE WEEK UNTIL RYAN'S BIRTHDAY

" I t's about time. I've been waiting for you to show up."

I turn around to find Carina's mother standing there. She has the same evil look in her eye, except this time, there is an added annoyance to it.

"Hello, Sarah. Wish I could say I'm surprised to see you. What do you want?"

"You know what I want. I think I've caused enough drama in your world for you to see that I mean business."

"You tried blackmailing me last time, but that didn't work. You think I'm afraid of you?"

I think about her threat and how she's standing across from me with her arms folded confidently, and I realize something.

"It was you, wasn't it? You're the one who texted me and gave me Alex's address."

"Nice of you to catch up. I was beginning to think you'd never figure it out. I didn't expect you to run off with her, but from what I know about the two of you, it'll never last. She is too hung up on black-and-white truth or lies. There's no gray with her. Meanwhile, I'm all gray. You don't want to lose your inheritance now, do you?"

"It's clear that not only do you not know me, but you don't know your daughter either. She's not as na?ve as you think. And I'm not as money-hungry as you need me to be."

"Well, very soon, those men up there are going to ask you the one question that you haven't been able to answer positively for the past five years. And I know that you don't want your whole world to change. So you can say whatever you'd like, but you need me. Right now, you don't know if you can trust Carina. She was just involved with your brother to take you down. She's exactly the kind of woman you've been trying to protect yourself from."

"And you're somehow better?"

"Yes, I'm better. Because I'll make a deal with you. I'll marry you with the prenup. We'll stay married for as long as you need to, and then when the time comes, you and I will go our separate ways. You pay me the amount we agree upon from the prenup, and you'll never hear from me again." She pauses dramatically as the corners of her mouth rise and crinkle her eyes. "You want to continue your little thing with my daughter, that's fine. I really don't care. She's the ignorant one who still believes love is actually a thing. I know what it really takes to make the world go round."

She pokes at my tie, then cocks her head to the side.

"You can push back, you can tell me that it'll never happen, but trust me right now, I'm your best bet for keeping your inheritance."

"No, you're not. I can still ask Carina to marry me. We could get married tomorrow. There's still a few days before my birthday."

I'm in shock at how she's behaving, but it's making me understand why Carina sees things so clearly. I'm waiting to see Sarah's reaction.

She tilts her head to the side and grins before she starts to laugh.

"The thing is that you haven't asked her. If you're so sure of her, then you would've asked her already. But you haven't." She shrugs and wrinkles her nose. "So you can stand there and act so calm and declare your love for her. But something is holding you back."

As much as I hate to admit it, she's right. Why haven't I asked Carina to marry me? Why did it take so long for me to tell her how I feel? I have no doubt that I love her, but what is holding me back?

I step around Sarah and continue walking towards the building. I can hear her following me, her footsteps tapping behind me on the pavement.

I had spent the past week telling Carina about my family, about my past. Telling her things that I never told anyone else before. As I walked to the building that I had walked to once a month for the last five years, I realize that my reason for not asking her to marry me has nothing to do with her. It has everything to do with me.

Losing my mother and my brother at the same time impacted me in a way I never acknowledged before. Seeing my father's relationship with my brother took its toll as well. It's suddenly clear to me why I spent my life pushing people away. I don't want to feel the pain of losing anyone else I love.

As I go up the steps to the building, Sarah starts talking again.

"You know what your problem is? You don't realize that you're all just puppets to me. You're pawns, and I'm the queen. None of you will ever get what you want out of life unless you accept my help. Think about it. Carina is in that beautiful penthouse apartment of yours because of me. You were there because of me."

I spin around to face her. Since I was ahead of her, I am a couple of steps above where she is standing, giving me the appearance of being a giant in comparison to her. With my hands on my hips, I loom over her.

"You see, that right there is your problem. You genuinely believe that I was there because of you. I was there because of her. She is all that matters to me. Not this inheritance, not your tricks, and definitely none of your lies. Now, I am going to head into this building where I have a meeting. You are going to go off to whatever little hole it is you crawled out of and leave me and the woman I love alone."

As I enter the office, I walk past Caitlin instead of sitting in the waiting area for them to call me. It's been five years, I know where to go. I know they're waiting for me. I'm tired of this bullshit.

The trustees are in their fishbowl office, sitting around their wooden table as they always do. Behind me, Caitlin attempts to stop me.

"I'm sorry Mr. Stirling, but you shouldn't go in there like that. Mr. Stirling? Mr. Stirling, I'm trying to talk to you. You can't go in there unannounced."

As I reach for the door handle, her voice goes up a couple of octaves. Her eyes widen, and she gives me this apologetic look as if she's expecting my face to melt off at any second because I didn't follow the rules. The men around the table stop talking as I enter. They look up just as Caitlin steps in through the door behind me.

"I'm so sorry, sirs. I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen," she says.

"It's okay, Caitlin. He'll be one of us soon enough anyway," Harold says as he stands up from his seat. He motions to the chair to the empty chair next to his. "Come sit, Ryan. We might as well get this started."

I take my seat and look at each of the men seated around the large wooden table. They're looking at me expectantly. I know what they're thinking. They're thinking I've had six months with this woman, why haven't I married her? They're thinking they've been at the stupid meetings just like I have been for the last five years, so why haven't I just gotten married?

"Have you made any progress?" Harold asks.

I can't help but wonder if any of them are considering adding the same kind of clause for their children to their own wills.

"Yes, there's been progress," I say.

"Well, that's great news then," Harold says. "So when is the wedding? Your birthday is only in a few days."

"A week," I say correcting him. "We haven't exactly talked about marriage just yet."

"Then off with his head!" Abe yells as he lifts his hand into the air.

"Now there, there, Abe," someone says. "Why don't you just go back to sleep? We'll let you know what happened later."

Abe mumbles, "I just got confused for a second. He needs an arranged marriage and fast. I don't know why no one will take me up on that. It'll be so much fun," Abe says.

"I was afraid this would happen," Harold says. "Now, before everybody gets the wrong idea, assuming that you are going to lose the inheritance and not knowing where it's going to go and what is going to happen to your seat here, let me just say that I have every confidence that my friend ultimately did the right thing. We still don't know what's in the envelope. Since you are no closer to getting married, I suggest we take the preemptive route, and you wave your marriage requirement."

"What do you mean waive it? Are you saying for the last five years, I could've waved it and been done with this?" I ask.

"Yes and no. I was hopeful that it wouldn't come to this. Right now, I don't think we have much choice. Five years is a long time, and I thought you would find someone. I thought you would find the one. And maybe you have, but we're running out of time. If you waive it, you can lose everything. Like I said, no one knows what's in that envelope. And while I knew your father to be a smart man, he seemed to lose that when it came to his sons."

"Like you said, it's really only days before my birthday. While I love Carina, I'm not going to rush to get married. I want everything to start off right. She deserves to get the wedding that she wants, too, not some rushed event because I have a deadline. And that's even assuming she would say yes." So I waive my?—"

"No, I object," Levi says. "We have been coming here once a month for five years. He has a week before his birthday. Anything can happen. We need to see this out. I suggest a vote."

Levi looks around the table and then raises his hand.

"All for waiting the week for Ryan's birthday, raise your hand."

Abe and most of the others raise their hands.

"Then the group has spoken," Harold says. "We'll reconvene on your birthday, and whether you're married or not, we'll open the envelope then.