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“It isn’t meant to impress you.”
He cocks his head. “Then what exactly is this meant to be?”
“The truth.”
He studies me across the desk. “Everything you have came from me.”
“You gave me the name and the education.” I shrug. “You paid the nannies, sent me to boarding schools, and gave Graves the job of turning me into a man. I know what you provided.”
He funded my childhood, though he didn’t take part in it.
“Then don’t act like you built yourself from nothing.”
My scalp prickles, anger mounting inside my chest. “I never said that.”
The answer catches him. He expected denial. Some childish attempt to erase where I came from so I could claim every advantage as my own.
I get to my feet and move toward the tall windows beside the desk, looking beyond my reflection to the misty grounds outside. Somewhere beyond the trees, the path turns toward the barn where Graves taught me how to fight.
Part of me still hopes he’ll walk along that path right now and give me an approving nod. My throat closes over, and I take a deep breath, letting my gaze follow the estate land that stretches farther than I can see. Land bought by my grandfather and expanded by my father until the boundary became another declaration.
For most of my life, I believed this was the only kind of power that mattered.
“I own the old haulage yard north of the Tallon docks,” I announce.
My father glances over at me. “That’s a pointless purchase when the access road beside it belongs to another company.”
“Yeah. My company.”
His silence deepens.
“I control three warehouses feeding the eastern route, the storage land behind the customs road, and the commercial units running back toward the city. My property holdings stretch from Cork to Dublin.”
His chair squeaks as he swivels his toward me, the amusement in his face gone.
“You used the Harrington name.”
“The Harrington name isn’t attached to any of it.”
“Men took your meetings because they knew who your father was.”
“Your name got me into rooms.” I admit. “It didn’t choose the assets, negotiate the debt, or close the purchases.”
“You would’ve had none of those opportunities without me.”
“I know.”
I don’t need to deny what his name opened for me. He taught me to turn every advantage into leverage, and now he hates that I did just that.
“You showed me how power works.” I fix my cuffs one at a time. “I stopped waiting for you to decide when I was allowed to have some of my own.”
His complexion pales as the scale of it becomes clear. “You arrogant little bastard.”
I check the time on my watch. “I’m still your son.”
“Don’t use that as a shield, boy.”
“I’m not. I’m reminding you where I learned ambition.”
