Call of Duty: Love Ops

Chapter 1

Logan sat in his car not wanting to face his judgemental family. All they ever did was pick apart every aspect of his life. He knew his mother would have an endless amount to say about his recent breakup. His previous relationship was doomed from the start, much to his family's displeasure. He had tried so hard to make it work, but love was something that he needed, something that he craved, and something that he never felt for Anissa. So after a torturous six months he finally called it off. Anissa was heartbroken and furious at the same time. However for Logan, the instant relief that came after the breakup was glorious. He felt as if he were on top of the world, until it was time to face the very people responsible for his six month long stay in a relationship that felt like a prison. Logan knew that they would tear him apart piece by piece, they'd try to use their words to belittle him, to break him. He knew that going in that house meant that he would have to suffer. While he may have been a beast of a man to look at, on the inside he was broken and lonely. Putting his walls back up, Logan straightened up and got out of his car, a small pot of flowers in one hand and a cigar box in the other. The cigars were in fact for his mom who collected them, and the flowers were for his father's garden. He figured bringing them gifts might postpone or lessen the scrutiny that was later to come. He knocked on the door and it wasn't long before his sister opened the door. Margot had four kids, and a husband who supported them. She had earned the approval of Logan's parents, which seemed to be her only goal in life. Her signature sneer starred back at him, he could practically smell the self righteousness coming off of her. "Hello brother, I can't say I'm happy to see you. Not after all of the embarrassment you've brought to our family." Logan didn't pay any heed to his sister's jab, there were many more to come. He simply smiled and shoved his way past her. Every family dinner was held in his father's gardens but today was apparently an exception Logan discovered. The dining room was lit up, and the large table seated his parents, Anissa's family and his adolescent brother Orien. Logan slipped into the room with Anissa following right behind him. "My son! It's so good to see you. Sit, we have much to discuss." Logan inwardly cringed, his mother was never this nice, in fact she wasn't nice at all; and judging by the smirk on his father's face, something was definitely wrong. Logan smiled and greeted everyone at the table making sure to give his parents the gifts he had brought with him. "Logan, you shouldn't have! Gregory please take these to the sitting room." One of the servers came in at his father's call and walked away with the gifts in hand. His father cleared his throat and turned to him "Logan, I was beginning to think you weren't coming. I wouldn't blame you after the big miss you've made. You do always have a way of running from your problems." Logan flinched at his father's remark, for some reason his insults always hurt the most. His thoughts broke when Orien kicked him under the table. "Well, not showing wouldn't have been the right choice. I'd like to explain myself." Not that I need to, he thought to himself. " We'll have plenty of time for that after we eat." Dinner commenced as an awkward symphony of utensils scraping against plates. A conversation would go on here and there. Logan and his brother seemed to be the only ones that were uncomfortable. Orien loved his brother dearly and found the rest of his family to be unbearable. He grew tired of his sister's dramatics and his parent's antics. He couldn't wait for his eighteenth birthday, it was only a month a way. Unbeknownst to his parents, he planned to move in with Logan as soon as possible. When dinner was over, the family moved into the sitting room. The already tense mood seemed to shift unfavorably. Logan's father stood up from the couch. "I have called everyone here as a family to share some big news. I am retiring, and I need someone to take over as CEO. While I know you all would expect for the business to go to Logan, it's not." Logan held his breath as his father delivered his news. Everything slowly began to fade into the background as he began to process what he had just heard. His father then turned to Reece, Margot's husband. "I am offering you the position of CEO of Woodstock Inc." Reece stood up with a smile on his face. He then turned to Logan and looked him dead in the eye. "I accept."