Aimless h.s.

Chapter 9

Harry

I stood at my office window and watched as Abby's red car drove away.
cI could lie to myself and say it was a coincidence that I came to look out the window the same time she was leaving. But I knew her schedule. I knew her shift was over and pathetically I came here to watch her get in her car and leave. I had gotten very little sleep worrying that she would leave without a word after last night.
When I had walked into the clubhouse today and she'd come walking up to me calling me Mr. Styles and making sure she still had a job I was so damn relieved I hadn't been able to properly apologize to her before she was walking off.
Then I'd decided it was for the best. No need for us to keep pretending there could be more to this. She was cutting me out and I needed to let her do it. For both our sakes. It was the best way to keep me from caving and begging her for something I couldn't have.

The door opened behind me without a knock and I didn't have to look to see who it was.
Only one person would walk into my office without a knock first.

"Hello, Dad," I said without turning around to look at him. I'd idolized him from the time I was a kid. Now, a part of me hated him.

"Harry. I came to make sure plans were still firmly in place for tonight. Howard and Samantha will be here tonight. They're planning on this announcement. Letting Howard Blackburn down isn't something I intend to do."

He knew I didn't want this but here he was still reasserting the importance of it.

"Nothing's changed." Those two words went much deeper than I knew he took them. Nothing had changed. He was still controlling things. I still couldn't stand the idea of being married to Amanda and he still didn't give a shit.

"Good. Your mother is already planning the wedding with Samantha. They've been planning this wedding since the two of you were young. This isn't just securing our future and the success of what your grandfather built; it is also making your mother very happy. She loves Amanda. This will all work out for the best. You'll see. Left up to your own devices you would have never gotten married." The amusement in his voice was lost on me. There was nothing humorous about the fact that both my parents expected me to sacrifice my happiness for theirs.

"At least someone is happy," I said without emotion.

"When you're married and sitting in your new office looking out over the eighteenth hole with the title of Vice President on your door, you'll be happy too. Right now you're just sulking like a child who isn't getting his way. I know what you need to be successful and Amanda Blackburn is your answer."

I couldn't look at him. The rage burning a hole in my gut would no doubt be flashing in my eyes. My father's footsteps moved away from me and the door closed behind him. I wasn't sure if I'd ever be able to forgive him for this. Or maybe it was me I would never be able to forgive. What man let another control his life? His future?

******

Amanda had almost circled the entire ballroom showing off the ring I'd placed on her finger in front of everyone over an hour ago. She was gushing with excitement and the entire room was buying it. You would think we were madly in love. I wasn't that good of an actor. I preferred to stand over by the bar and drink shots of whiskey.

"She's a looker. If you're gonna get hitched at least you picked beauty and money. Surely that's something. You look ready to murder anyone who gets close to you," Louis said as he took up the spot beside me at the bar.
Amanda was beautiful in a cold classical way. She was elegant and refined and manipulative.

"Can't be happy that I've become my dad's fucking puppet," I replied and heard the slur in my words. Maybe I'd had too much to drink.

"There's that," he agreed and picked up my whiskey and finished it off before I could.