The Lazy Life Of Raine

Broken Home (5)

When York didn’t take the chance to talk, Raine made her way towards a bench and sat down.  She was still jet lagged and her shoes were making her feet hurt.

“Lend me your jacket.”  Violet said as she reached her hand out.  

York immediately took off his suit jacket and handed it to her.  He watched as she placed the jacket around her shoulders to keep the chill away.  A sudden thought of surrounding her body with his, popped up into his mind and the need to claim her overwhelmed him.  

“Are you only back for today or are you back for good?”  York finally said after pushing down his primal need to claim her.  

“Depends.”  Violet said nonchalantly.  

“On what?”

“My mood.”  Violet told him as she shrugged.  “If I become bored, I'll just pack up a bag and leave to wherever my heart wants to go.”  

York’s jaw ticked as he tightly clenched his jaws together.  His quickly got angry at her words.

“What about Tate Incorporated?  Don’t you want to take over your Father’s company?”  

“You and I both know that he has been grooming you to be the next president.  Why would I want to take over a company that he already deemed that I was not worthy of to take over?”  Violet said as she looked up to him. “Besides, we all know I have my own business to take care of, why would I want to take over Tate Inc?”

“The only reason he groomed me to be the next president is because you weren’t here!  You left! You left all of us without a word! And all these years, you don’t call, don’t write, don’t visit.  Everything that we know about your life, is read in the newspapers or magazines!” York suddenly exploded.

“Do you know how heartbroken Tyler was when you were granted emancipation from him?!?  How he use to wait up for you at home, hoping that you would come back to spend the night?  He was so hurt to find out that you graduated early from high school and attended college without him knowing.  What hurt him even more was the fact that you moved to another country without telling him! Do you know, how much he cherishes all the presents you send to him.  He displays all of your presents in his office and spends hours cleaning them by hand, while thinking about you! Every newspaper article or magazine that mentions you and your achievements, he makes sure to read them and frame them!  He brags about you to all of his friends. He’s so proud of you and all of you have done. He just doesn’t know how to express himself when he’s around you!”

York began to pace back and forth as he became more agitated.  

“How can you be so selfish?!?  There’s so many people here who cares about you and you leave all of us behind without letting us know where you are, who you’re with, what you’re doing.  We always wondered if you’re living well, if your eating well or if anyone is mistreating you! You always make people around you worry about you and yet you don’t even know!”

York stopped in his tracks and turned to glare at Violet before going back to pace back and forth.  His fists were tightly squeezed, next to his legs.

“And now you say that you’ll leave again if you FEEL BORED!  You still have a responsibility as the heir of Tate Inc. You have 13% shares of the company and it’s time you start acting like a shareholder!”  

“Don’t want to.”  Violet said.

Those three words made York completely lose his sanity.  If he couldn’t make her stay because of her responsibility towards Tate Inc.  Then he’ll have to find another way to make her stay. He needed to bind her close to him so she wouldn’t disappear on him again.  Her place was by his side, he couldn’t endure another year apart.

The moment he met her, he felt the hole inside of his heart fill up.  Everything in the world felt right and had meaning. But the day he found her, was also the day he lost her.  

He had thought that if he let her go, he could always find her at her condo.  Who would have thought that the moment she left, she grew wings and left him behind.  His world became darkness when she left.

The warm home he lived in was a cold cage that constantly reminded him that it was because of him and his mother that she left.  He would spend hours upon hours inside of her bedroom, just to feel close to her.

Every little news he found out about her, caused him so much joy and pain.  Joy because she was living well. Pain because she was living well without him.  

Now that she was in front of him, he couldn’t let her go.  Not again, after his foolish mistake. He’ll never make that mistake again.  8 years apart felt like an eternity. Had she not come back this year, he was planning to kidnap her back to be by his side.  

“DON’T WANT TO?!?”  York yelled.

He had to turn away from Violet to calm down and gather his thoughts.  He could sort of understand Tyler’s feelings as to how Tyler could lose his patience and get angry at Violet when they spoke.  Violet just knew the right words to say to make them forget how to speak properly to each other.

“You can’t make me.”  

York was breathing heavily and had to close his eyes while he controlled his breathing.  

“If you’re not willing to stay to take over Tate Inc, are you willing to stay for me?”  York finally said as he looked up into the dark sky.

The sky was starless and the moon was the only thing shining.  Somehow, ever since he was young, he always hated the sight of the moon.  Seeing the moon made him feel sad. It was as if he lost something precious, something he had forgotten, something that meant more to him than his life.  

However, ever since Violet began her career and named her clothing line Luna.  He had begun to like the moon again. Now starring at the moon reminded him about Violet.  It didn’t hurt so much anymore because it made him feel closer to her.

“Why do you need me to stay for you?”  

“Because I need you…”  York said without thinking.  However he quickly covered up his mistake and cleared his throat.  “I need your help. Will you stay and help me run Tate Inc?”

Violet didn’t answer him as quickly as he thought she would.  His back was still towards her and he couldn’t turn around to look at her, he was afraid she’ll reject him and he didn’t want her to see his face when that happened.  

“You can hire me as a consultant to help you.  However, just to let you know, I am NOT cheap.”  

York quickly turned around with round, excited eyes that shined brightly and happily.

“Okay! Of course, whatever you ask, we’ll pay.”  

“And I am NOT a full time consultant.  I have other things to take care of as well.”  

“Of course, that understandable.”  

“You, that old man, or anybody else is NOT my boss.  I take orders from no one, is that clear?”

“Yes!  Of course!”  

“The maximum hours I work a week is 20 hours as a consultant and I DO NOT, do over time nor am I on call after 20 hours.”  

“Whatever it is, I agree.”   

“We can sign a three month trial contract and we can renew the contract when the time comes.”

“Okay.”  

“My time is precious, so my pay will be $180,000....”

“For three months?”  York interrupted.

“No.”  Violet told him.  “Per 20 hours. That’s $9,000 an hour.  $180,000 per 20 hours, or a week. And 2.16 million for three months.”

“Okay.”  York said.  “We can draw up a contact tomorrow and sign it.  Whatever else you want, no matter how ridiculous, I’ll agree to it.”

“Fine.”  Violet said as she stood up.  “Let’s head back before my Father blames me for leaving and taking his precious prodigal son away from his 50th Birthday celebration.”