Forbidden Desires {Ziall AU}

Chapter 16: we can love who we want to

chapter title from ken&barbie by Kate Gill

Hello lovely people!

I hope you've all been doing well, this chapter was really fun to write for some reason lol. 

But I GOT TICKETS TO LOUISSSSSSSS. You have no idea how happy I am :)))).

So there's my little life update haha.

Anygays, enjoy the chapter!

I take a seat next to my father, who is of course at his rightful place at the head of the table. Can you hear me rolling my eyes? Yeah, thought so.

He's rambling on about something, to be honest, I haven't listened to a word he's said for the past hour. Why the fuck do these meetings need to be so long? We have them every month. He says the same thing every. Single. Time.

"The trades are going well,"

"We need more people to perform checkups,"

"The following people will be traveling this week..."

I'm fucking over it. I couldn't care less. My father can say whatever the hell he wants to me, but it's not going to make me like it any more than I do. And right now, I don't like it very much. Every time I have to attend one of these things, or I get told to oversee the warehouse, it brings an uneasy feeling to me.

Liam jabs an elbow into my side, and I fight the urge to wince. He gives me a sharp look, gesturing to the room around us. Only then do I tune into the conversation happening around me. "I'd like to take a moment to congratulate Zayn and his team for the incredibly smooth job they performed this week." my father states, everyone around me claps, nodding their heads in my direction.

My eyes lock with my father's, and he sends me a proud smile. It's sad that times like this are the only moments I get any validation from him. He's never complimented me before, never told me he loves me, never taught me to ride a bike, never took me fishing. You can barely consider him my father. He's never done the things that fathers do, he's never shown me any real love or affection. I'm trying to smile through the sudden tightness in my chest, and I have no idea if I'm being convincing or not. A hand rests on my bobbing knee, I didn't even notice it was shaking. I look over to see Liam looking at me with a concerned expression. He knows something's not right, he always does.

My father's voice breaks through my thoughts, silencing the room. "Now, I have some plans that have been discussed within our inner circle and are going to be initiated in the near future," I furrow my brows, I'm in the inner circle. Why the hell wasn't I included? My father includes me in everything, he expects me to take over one day, I'm sure. But now he's not included me in talks... I sneak a glance at Liam, who is looking as confused. "Although everything is going well as of late, we've noticed that there is some competition that has been starting to disrupt our trades." He surveys the room. His eyes locking on mine for a second too long. "According to my sources, our competition is one that is not new, but their aggression towards our line of trade has been concerning. We are of course talking about the Horan's, and their increased aggression as of late..."

My stomach drops, and it takes everything in me to not bolt out of the room. I need out of here immediately.

"They are becoming an issue for us, an issue that we will be dealing with in the coming weeks. More information will be passed on when the fine details are sorted through, but I expect you all to be alert in the meantime. Report to me immediately if anyone does find anything... enticing..." He's staring straight at me, as though punching the words into my head.

I manage to get through the rest of the meeting without making a scene, so I'm counting that as a win. As I stand up to have some peace and quiet my father grabs my wrist. I turn around to see him staring up at me with those cold eyes. They say, 'I need to talk to you. Alone.' And that scares the shit out of me more than anything else that has happened today.

When the room is empty, leaving me sitting in my 'right-hand man' seat next to him. He drags his way across the room, pouring himself a serving of whisky and downing it in one go. "Have you heard from your mother lately?" he asks, as though it is the most innocent question in the world.

My anxious leg stills under the table, and I try to fight the emotion off my face. Stay neutral, stay neutral. "No, of course not. I haven't heard from her since she left." I swallow the lump in my throat.

"Of course," he nods, swirling the dark brown liquid around the bottom of the cup. His figure oozes dominance, it comes off him in rippling waves. From the jet-black suit to the tall posture. The way his voice gives away zero emotions, not even to me, his own son. "You would tell me if you heard anything, I expect?"

I plaster a fake smile on my face, "Always, Father."

There's a silence that drags on for what feels like hours, but in reality, it must have only been a few seconds. I know I can't leave yet. You see, my father has rules about 'dismissal'. You are not allowed to leave unless explicitly told otherwise. That includes me, no special treatment for your own flesh and blood.

He speaks up again, "I'm sorry we didn't include you in the preliminary talks about our future plans, there was a clash in scheduling." Lies, lies. All lies. I know why he didn't want me there, and he knows that I know. It's one of those things that hang heavy in the air between us, weighing the room down with a distinct tension. "I would have loved for you to be there, of course." How many lies can fall out of his mouth in a minute?

But I nod my head, "I understand."

"I expect you to be on alert, as everyone else will be," he simpers back to the table, standing over me. "And like everyone else, I expect you to report to me with unusual behavior." he drawls.

I know he's trying to pry the information out of me, to make me acknowledge that it's true. For me to admit his only son, the one who will someday inherit all that he has built, is gay. He would fume, he might disown me. That might be a blessing. But he forgets, he's the one who trained me. "Of course, have I ever done anything for you to question my loyalty?" I smile, knowing it will rub him exactly the wrong way, like nails on a chalkboard.

His lips press into a thin line, and he looks away. "You can go," he says, turning his back to me once again.

Liam meets me down the hall, and for the first time in hours, I feel like I can finally breathe.

Word Count: 1170