Nothing But Hate

Chapter Six

Tucker watched as Paige exhaled smoke from her mouth. The dinner was tense, and their parents tried to help resolve the issue but Paige stated she didn't want to have that discussion over dinner. Eventually, their parents left. Dan excused himself as well, knowing it was best not to come between the twins when they're in the middle of an argument, for his own safety.

Paige wasn't really a smoker, she just had an occasional cigarette whenever she was extremely stressed. So, her smoking right now did not look good for Tucker. There weren't a lot of people that Tucker was scared of, he could count them on one hand, and his fierce sister was definitely one of them.

"If I lose my job.." Paige began but Tucker interrupted her.

"You won't," Tucker was too quick to say, "I told you I'd sue them for wrongful termination if they fire you."

"That's not the point, Tuck! They might not fire me but what if they start giving me junk work? Always keep me buried in paperwork and stall my promotions, make sure I end up in a dead end job? Being stagnant is much worse, you know that." Paige sighed irritably.

"I know," Tucker replied, his voice low, "What if they don't do anything?"

"That's a big if," Paige scoffed, "Vikram called to tell me that you took the case, and he said people are already talking."

"But Callum said—"

"Mr. Kaufman? When did you talk to him?" Paige raised her brow at Tucker, looking more worried than angry now.

"Uh," Tucker paused, wondering if telling her about Callum's small visit was the best idea or not, "We ran into each other. He said that he's not really worried about the case, that the fine they'll have to pay won't make a dent on the company."

"He's not wrong," Paige looked a bit suspicious, but she didn't say anything about that, "Financially, nothing's going to matter. And he'll get it buried so that there's not much public attention on it either. He didn't say anything about me when you guys.. talked?"

Tucker shook his head, and Paige looked a little relieved. If her boss didn't seem to consider it a big deal, then maybe she was blowing it out of proportion as well. She stubbed her cigarette, bidding her brother goodnight and telling him to see himself out.

Tucker stayed in the balcony, overlooking the city that was alive even during the dark hours of the night. What Paige said gave him an idea, he smiled to himself, knowing he's going to make Kaufman regret ever meeting him.

~~~

"Holy shit Tuck, it's been ages, man!" Shane exclaimed, giving Tucker a bro hug.

"How are the wife and kids?" Tucker grinned.

"Still non existent," Shane chuckled, "Danny boy is getting married to the sis, huh? Got the invite."

"Keep your eyes and hands off the bridesmaids, half of them are my cousins," Tucker jokingly threatened, before bringing back his neutral expression, "I'm afraid this isn't exactly a social call, though."

"Why do I have a feeling it's about your case against a particular multi-billion dollar empire?" Shane took a sip of his beer, looking at his childhood friend.

"You know about that?" Tucker asked.

"Of course," Shane scoffed, "Everyone does."

"Then why haven't I.. seen it anywhere?" Tucker questioned, despite knowing the answer.

"You know why, Tuck," All playfulness fell from Shane's face, "You also know I hate it as much as you do. These rich fucks think they own the media."