Vice

47: Engaged

"Don't leave just because she's here." Mr. Vice's gaze drills Natara as she attempts to beeline toward the door. 

She freezes and closes her eyes, recalling the fact that Jaquie had told her to stay watching over Mr. Vice for longer. A sigh escapes her lips before she opens her eyes and forces her body toward the room's chair. She plops down on it, purposefully keeping her eyes far away from Mr. Vice.

"Axy, are you alright? I came as soon as I heard." Laura swoops past Natara toward Mr. Vice, completely unhindered by Natara's presence. 

Out of the corner of Natara's eyes she sees Laura latching onto Mr. Vice's arm. Natara stiffens. 

"What are you doing standing, anyway, Axy? Come, let's sit you down." Laura giggles, leading him back down onto the bed. 

Natara feels sick to her stomach and dizzy. She isn't sure if it's the fact that Laura's voice sounds the same way cough syrup tastes or the fact that she's pushing her overly exposed cleavage hard against Mr. Vice's arm. 

Natara feels desperate to leave but even more desperate to keep her job. She tries to block out every word Laura says and ignore every time her body brushes Mr. Vice's.

A reflection of light momentarily blinds Natara. She blinks, glancing around at the source of the glimmer, and her lips part when she realizes what it was. A ring. On Laura's left hand ring finger. An expensive diamond engagement ring. 

Natara wonders why Laura is spending so much time pining over Mr. Vice when she's clearly engaged to someone else.

"Your daddy said he's stopping by, Axy," Laura purrs. Mr. Vice jumps up into a sitting position on the bed. His reaction prompts Natara to take a peek at his face. His lips part, revealing clenched teeth, and his eyes widen and brows furrow as he glares at Laura. 

"You didn't tell him not to visit? He is busy. He doesn't need to visit." Natara has never heard Mr. Vice sound furious and nervous at the same time. Laura still hangs from his arm, stroking her long fingernails up and down it like she's petting his skin. Natara's face burns and, now that she's staring, she feels like she doesn't have the strength to pull her gaze away.

"I told him he should visit. You're his son. I'm sure he wants to see you." Laura flashes a beaming smile at Mr. Vice, while a glaring still clenches Mr. Vice's features. He looks now like he might slap her but, instead, Mr. Vice jerks his arm out of Laura's grasp.

"Tell him not to-" Mr. Vice is cut off in the middle of his words as a towering man enters the room. 

Big and broad, his looming body almost doesn't fit through the door frame. His brown hair trails down to the shoulders of his maroon business suit. A prim goatee decorates his pale face and a pair of expensive sunglasses sit nestled in his hair. 

Even if he wasn't on the cover of half of the magazines in town, Natara would immediately sense that this man is Mr. Vice Senior.

"Axius." His stern voice fills the room. 

Mr. Vice averts his gaze. 

"Look at me," he booms, louder and harsher this time. "Learn to control yourself, you useless bastard. This is the second time this month alone. How many hundreds of thousands of dollars will I have to pay to keep your fuck ups out of the media?" 

Mr. Vice cringes. Natara notices that he still hasn't looked up at his father.

"You are the biggest fuck up of all of them. Why couldn't I have a useful son? You're broken, just like your stupid dead mother." Mr. Vice Senior lurches forward, knocking over a trash bin and grabbing Mr. Vice by the collar of his hospital gown until he's forced to look at him. 

Natara jumps in the chair. She's never witnessed any sort of violence or abusiveness before. Her body feels like lead in the chair, as if she's too steeled by fear to move. Mr. Vice's jaw clenches but he still doesn't respond, which only seems to infuriate his father further. Natara closes her eyes, praying that Mr. Vice will just say something back to him to end the conflict.

"This will not happen again. You are the heir to my company and I am too old now to make another. You will stop trying to fucking die when you have a great life. A useless bitch like you doesn't deserve a life half as good as this one. If you're so stupid you can't even exist properly, I will pay to have you put somewhere you can't hurt yourself. This is my legacy. I've worked my entire life for this and an imbecile like you is NOT going to ruin it for me." 

Mr. Vice Senior continues, shaking Mr. Vice's torso. "You will focus on bettering the company I built or you won't have a penny to your name. And you will set a date for your wedding and make me a grandson I won't be disappointed in. Whatever kid you make can't end up being more useless than you."

Natara glances down at her lap, wide eyed. When she realizes her hands are shaking, she places them under her thighs. 

No one should talk to anyone else like that, and especially not a parent to their child. 

How could someone be so mean to their own kid? It's no wonder why Mr. Vice is so sad all of the time. It's no wonder why he doesn't feel passionate about the company or his own life. Natara probably would hate her parent's company if she had a parent that treated her how Mr. Vice Senior treats his son.

Mr. Vice Senior's words sting even though Natara isn't the target of them. It's uncomfortable just being in the same room as him, but thankfully Mr. Vice Senior hasn't noticed her existence.

But one part of what Mr. Vice Senior mentioned sits with Natara in particular. 

Mr. Vice is engaged.