My curse

Elijah

"It's about your grandpa." My dad answers, looking all angry and upset.
His response makes me frown in confusion. My grandpa died, and I know it. The day he died, I got a call from HIS secretary and not my father. She was the one to deliver the horrible news. Emma was the one to calm me through the mental breakdown that I had as soon as I heard the words grandpa and died in the same sentence.
I considered him the only family left I had, and now he is gone. Forever.
When my dad betrayed me, my grandpa believed me. When my father turned his back on me and left me stranded at 15, my grandpa didn't. I didn't want any money from both of them because I remember my fathers words clearly. He said, a smug expression on his face that day,"Try to live without my money  and see how you will survive."
That's why I couldn't accept the money from my grandpa since I wanted to prove my dad wrong. And my grandpa respected that and looked after me in other ways.
So, for Mickelson Woods to come here right now to talk about his father's death when he wasn'teven the one to break it to me, is very confusing to me.

"What about him?" I ask, my voice slicing through the thick tension.
I look at everything but my father's eyes. I don't know why, but I find myself looking at the tables, the waiters, the clients.... everyone but my dad.
The long silence plays a dangerous symphony on my nerves, so I can't help but look up this time. And I see my beloved parent struggling to make a sentence. He opens his mouth and closes it again. He does it several times before I finally break.
"I don't have all day, if you want to...." I announce in a cold voice, but he interrupts me before I finish.

"Grandpa left something for you in his will." He informs me and takes a moment to study my reaction. But I don't give him anything to latch on, even though my heart is beating wildly in my chest. Whatever he will say next might change the course of my life forever.
"In fact, he left everything for you and some for me." A humorless chuckle follows his words, and I can see the rage clear in his eyes.
It takes me a moment to register everything he says, but when I do, I almost laugh at how ridiculous this whole situation is.

"I don't follow..." I say instead of 'what the fuck are you talking about'.

"You know how my dad tried to bring us back as a family many times after what happened. He did everything he could to fix our broken relationship. His last attempt is in his will.
You have access to 25% of the properties in your name, be it money,  houses, your position in the company....
25% is enough to keep you alive for a couple of years, but not for a lifetime like you were promised. It's the same for me. I can only access 25% of my shares.
We can't get the full access unless we fix our relationship. That implies we live in the same city, under the same roof, we need to behave like a father and a son.
His 3 friends, Robert Blue, Jason Adams, and Juliette Versia, will be the judge of our relationship.
We have a year to convince them. Past that time, our remaining possessions and properties will be taken away from us. Forever." My dad informs me, and I know he is stopping himself from standing up and pacing the floor like he usuallydo when things don't go his way. I know he is stressed and very much angry with this whole situation, but he can't do anything about it. How his left eye twitches and his fists tense waiting for me to say something is a clear sign this whole thing is not a silly joke like I have hoped but rather my grandpa's final parting gift. Or rather, a curse.
I want to scream, shout, leave. I want to die so I can meet my grandpa and tell him to undo all this. But the only thing I can do is stay seated. The only thing I want to say is NO, but my lips betray me, and I say, my voice deep and confident : "I can't live in the same house as Melissa. I would rather break all my bones than see her face again."
I notice my dad's face turn red before he responds through gritted teeth. "That's my wife and your mother. You will NOT be rude to her when she has accepted for you to live with us after what you have done to her." He finishes with a loud bang of his fist on the table.

"She will never be my mother. My mother died years ago because of cancer. Melissa is my stepmother. I am the one who has to accept to live in the same house as her after what SHE has done to me. After the lie, she told the world, the lie that destroyed me. I can't even look at her face, let alone live with her. I hate her guts." My voice is strong even though my throat feels tight.

A loud slap brings the entire caffe to a stillness I've never seen before. I feel my right cheek burn, and I realize only too late what my father has done.
Everyone is looking at us, and I feel my fists clenching under the table. I slowly stand to tower over him, and for a moment, I see the fear on his face, but he quickly hides it.

"If this is your definition of fixing a relationship, you will need to learn how to live with a budget starting next year. Because grandpa's money will never touch your pockets." I calmly state, but I feel nothing close to calmness inside.

"You...." Mickelson woods starts, but I don't stay to listen to whatever he has to say. I turn around and leave before I do something I might regret forever.