The Bad Son (Book 2)

Chapter 29

It was four days. Four whole days before the two brothers sat down to talk. It was history in the making - over tea, in Tul's small house, with Tapi serving as moderator. Well, Tin sighed, he may not know it, but that is his function.

No one was using the dining room in the mansion yet, although it had been carefully cleaned. Tin was having it re-decorated first. The damage was horrendous. Tears in the wallpaper, scratches to the mahogany floor and tables, it just looked shoddy. 

Phupha came and gave Tin a hug, and Tin, hugged him back. "Go play, we'll catch up later. I need to speak with Dad."

Pha looked at his dad. "Is Uncle really staying?" Tul nodded. Pha gave a huge smile and disappeared with his nanny.

"Thank you for finally coming over." Tul said, his hands shaking. He carefully set the teacup down. "I think doing this sober will be difficult."

Tin snorted. "Does it matter? You tried drunk and just do it, now."

"Fine. You know, I love you. I always have." Tul bowed his head, strangely embarrassed. He bent and fished out a medium sized box from under the table. "Here, the missing video recordings. I kept some to, hmm, remind me I was once human. You can have them now."

Tin nodded his thanks. "Is this it?"

"No, I, ah, well... god, this is hard. That woman, she made me believe that you would take everything from me. I never had it in the first place. Even then, all I had to do was ask father and I would have known. I would have been free to love, free to travel, free to be me."

Tul looked at Tin. "I feel sorry for you, actually. You're the heir, not me. You have so many rules and restrictions. And I'm sorry that you had to tell the world about your boyfriend." He bowed his head. "Love should be... oh, I don't know."

Tin just stared. "Who are you? What have you done with Tul?"

A bitter laugh escaped Tul's mouth. "Didn't you watch the USB stick? That woman was truly evil. I tried, I really tried in the beginning to save us both, you know? She not only tried to kill you when you were a baby, she also tried to kill me. She did succeed in driving away my one true love, killing your mother, whom I think was the nicest woman, next to my wife, I've ever met."

"I have regrets, Tin, plenty of them. Starting from letting her gaslight me. From being too scared to talk to father about her lies and believing them. But once, I really was your big brother and did love you, openly, honestly."

"I don't know how I feel." Tin stood suddenly. "If it's acceptance or forgiveness, I can't give that to you. If it's the company you want, take it. I have my own. I made it on my own. I don't need or want Medthanan Industries any longer."

"No, I want to do as Father asked me." Tul's voice was quiet. "It's my responsibility to be a brother. That's it. What do you need from me?"

Tin paced as he thought of Tul's surprising words. "Tul?"

"Hmm?

"Why did you get married?" It was a thoughtful question. Tul never seemed happy in his marriage. 

"Oh, well," Tul hesitated, then blurted, "Vadee was the next best thing. If I couldn't have the person I wanted, at least I was comfortable with her."

Person? Why did Tul not use a proper pronoun? "Tul, was your lover a man?" Ever blunt, Tin saved some time and came directly to the point. 

Tul flushed. It was one thing to admit to being gay, but to hear it aloud between them, was another. "If it was?"

Tin shrugged. "Why would I care? Did Father know? Vadee? Is that why you split?" He leaned back, curiosity clear on his face.

Tul sighed and rested his head on his hand, decided to pick the easier question. Father was complicated. "Vadee and I were never meant to be, Tin, so the answer is no. She was asking for a divorce well before I sent her to Paris. I needed a wife, so I refused and sent her away."

Eyes glinting, Tin hid a shudder. No matter how he looked at it, Tul was cruel. "Are you saying you deliberately separated Pha from his mother just because you needed a trophy marriage?"

"It wasn't like that. That bitch... that bitch also knew I was gay." Tul's teacup rattled. "Fuck this, I need a drink. I can't do this sober." He stood and walked to the cabinet and got a bottle. "Will you join me?"

Sighing, Tin nodded. He was having a hard time comprehending a lot of what Tul was saying. "Just get on with it." Tul poured them each two fingers of whiskey, and slid a glass towards Tin, who caught it deftly. 

"Ahhh." Tul sighed, feeling the burn. "That's better. Well, She threatened both Vadee and Pha. Knowing what I did, do you think I could look after both of them? I kept the weaker one, and sent Dee away. I was in bed with the devil. I needed help, so I sent Pha to Father." Tul finished his drink and sighed again. "That bitch couldn't hurt my boy under Father's watchful eye."

"Do you know how lonely he was? How scared?" Tin demanded, his knuckles turning white around the glass. 

Tul nodded. "I know. Nanny would tell me. Pha cried nightly on the phone, even told me about how you played with him. It made me angry. It reminded me of us, actually, when I played with you." 

Tin's eyes widened. "You remember that?"

"How could I forget? Playing with you back then was some of the happiest times of my life. Before your mother died, before that bitch changed everything." Tul shot back another drink. He had no tears left. He had cried when his mother left. He cried, watching that bitch hurt Tin, as a baby, knowing he was helpless. He cried when Tin's mother died.

He cried when he couldn't change anything. He cried out his frustrations and fears in the arms of Gonhin. Then there was the last time his tears were real. The day he found out that bitch was using Gonhin. Two weeks he spent locked up, chained to a bed, with a bag tied over his head.

It had been Gonhin. His first love, paid off by the bitch. Somehow, she had either blackmailed or convinced him that they could make a fortune off of kidnapping him. Father only showed him enough of the evidence to let him heal. He wasn't allowed to attend Gonhin's trial. 

Faintly, he heard Tin calling his name. "What?" Tul sighed. Drunk was the only way he could think of him. No matter what, he still loved him. Being five years older than him, the son of a cook, they were raised together. Gonhin had taught him more than just kissing. He had taught him to be a normal boy!

How to run, jump and play. That it was okay to laugh, to sing and just be yourself. Even now, knowing all of the bad things Gonhin did, he still wanted him. He was so screwed up. That was what happened to poor, little rich boys. They grew up to be selfish, fucked up rich men!

Tul raised his head. He stared at the level in the whiskey bottle. "Fuck! Did I drink all that? Tin, stay and eat with Phupha, he misses you. I think I won't be able to join you, after all." he slurred. "Oh," He struggled to keep his thoughts straight. "If you love that boy, fight for him. Don't fuck it up. Love's precious when you're a rich man, definitely better than money."

His head hit the table with a thump and the nanny came running. "Oh, my poor baby." She sighed, stroking his head gently. "He never learns. He will be in a terrible temper, but lately, getting drunk is the only way for him to sleep through the night. I wish I knew where Gonhin was, that boy could always get Master Tul to sleep easily."

Tin rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Who the fuck was Gonhin?