"You're kidding me, right?" I asked in disbelief. You couldn't do anything until at least two years later? My dad shook his head. "This is bullshit!" I yelled, smacking my hand on the door panel.
"Watch your mouth." He warned me, but I wasn't having any of it.
"No. I can say what I want to say. I'm an adult now dad and you can't control me." I spat angrily, pacing back and forth. "I am not running that business for two years just to turn around a sell it. "
"Well according to the contract you signed-"
"I don't care what I signed. I'll fine a way out of this." I interrupted before slamming his door shut. How did I not expect to get worked up over this? I sat down on the couch for a little bit just to cool off. I didn't want to waste any time though. The sooner I found a way out of this business, the sooner I could tell Kellin. Who knows if he'll even give me another chance, but I'm willing to try.
The first thing I decided to do was go through our papers at the shop. Now that I had a key, I had an advantage. Slowly but surely I made my way through the thick stack of papers. And you want to know what I found? Nothing. Nothing at all. It talked about the two year warranty before being able to sell the business or retire. I groaned in frustration as I finished reading the last page. Next, I pulled out the contract. If only I would've read this thoroughly before. There it said in bold that I must run the business for two years.
Was there any way out of this?
Continuously, I read the contract thoroughly. A few times I got my hopes up, but immediately they were sustained. I was down to one last option. I could possibly call the company who over rules us. They may be able to give me additional information about anything I could do about this. I went to their website in a dire search for their phone number. Eventually I stumbled upon it, and without a second’s hesitation, I was dialing the number.
“Hello?” A man answered, so I cleared my throat. First thing was first, I explained who I was and why I was calling. It took him awhile to get through the files and all, but eventually he found the business and a copy of the contract I signed. “So what you’re saying is you’d like to withdraw from being accountable for your father’s business?”
“Uh… Yeah.” I replied.
“I’m sorry sir, but we can’t-“
“Oh come on, there has to be a way.” I said desperately.
“Well, yes I know one way, but you’d have to talk to my boss.” He explained.
“Put him on then.”
“Alright, please hold.” The line went dead, so I held it to my ear, taking in the silence. Maybe I could get out of this. He said there was a way out of this, and right now I was willing to do almost anything. The line beeped, bringing me back from my thoughts.
“Hello, is this Vic Fuentes?” A man with a much deeper voice asked me.
“Yeah that’s me.”
“So I hear you want to expire your contract.”
“I want to sell the business too.” I added. Everything went silent, so I bit on my lip, afraid I said something wrong.
“Alright, well this is one of the hardest ways and I’d really hate to go through this. But state requires me to inform you.” He mumbled. “It says in our contracts it’s against the law to sell the building or retire before two years of ownership. Since you signed the contract, your father cannot sell the building. However, if you do find a good lawyer, this can be taken to court. The judge and jury can decide if it’s worthy of you to sell the building under the years of commitment.”
“C-Court?”
“Yes, this is legal action.” So I was challenging the place I’ve grown up with. The place I’ve loved my entire life?
“I’ll do it.” And with a sigh, the manager hung up.
☆ ✰ ✮ ✯
The whole court situation haunted me the next few days. I really wanted to just say fuck it and go with whatever happened, but that was a little too loose for my liking. So instead I took my time searching for an attorney. Eventually I found one named Rian. He's apparently won almost all of his cases and has been in the business for quite a long time.
Rian responded to my call right away, which was a bonus. I just wanted to get this nightmare over. He told me everything, and boy did I mean everything about what the offense would say to try and knock us down. He also informed me that it'll be a longer court case because this rarely happens. But at the end of it all, he assured me that we could, and will win.
Hopefully I can take his word.
"So when do I need to schedule?" I asked Rian as he was slipping on his coat. I invited him over to my house while my dad was out. Rian chuckled.
"Leave it up to me, just make sure you have a nice suit and shoes." A smile crept onto my lips.
"You got it, bye for now." And with a wave, Rian hurried out the front door. What else was there to do? He just assured me the court case was all in his hands and not mine.
Immediately I pulled out my phone and started to send a text to Kellin. But I stopped mid-sentence. Did he need to know this right now? Would it be easier to surprise him? I couldn't guarantee that we were going to win, so maybe it's best if I wait to see what actually happens. But who even knows if he'll want me back after this. I don't see a valid reason why anyone would want someone back after so much bullshit.
But maybe, just maybe, I'll get to see that Kellin I saw when I opened the door to face him the very first time. I saw the glimmer in his eyes, and the amusement in them as well. And right now, I'd kill to have back that look of admiration.
☆ ✰ ✮ ✯
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