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SIX
Elias
“Am I boring you, vordi?” my father asked.
“Of course not, Father. Why would you even think such a thing?” I said.
He laughed, his deep, rumbling voice rolling out of his chest.
“I thought the years in charge would have taught you to lie better,” he said.
“I’ve always preferred a more direct approach. And besides, I don’t lie to you, Papa,” I responded.
“Good.” He nodded approvingly. “Make sure it stays that way. Now, tell me about the year’s earnings question,” he said.
I rattled off the statistics, not that my father looked impressed.
Why should I expect him to be impressed?
It wasn’t like I had more than tripled the family’s earnings in the years that he had been away.
“And the international shipping routes?” he asked.
“Completely locked down. Davit is handling them,” I said.
“What about over the road?”
“Handled. Kayla’s father is proving to be useful on that front,” I said.
“Kayla’s father?” He blinked as if he were trying to recall what I was talking about, but I wasn’t fooled.
I didn’t call his bluff, though.
He stared at me and then snapped his fingers. “The one I made that loan to all those years ago?”
“Yeah,” I responded, though I knew full well that my father knew exactly who Kayla’s father was.
Just as I knew that these questions were for show.
My father knew everything there was to know about the business, just as he knew that he had left it in good hands.
So, this posturing was all about taking credit and, quite probably, formally retaking control of the Petrosyan family.
After two and a half hours of his relentless, inane questions, that much was clear.
And what was even more clear was that my father was testing me.
I wouldn’t consider what he would do if I failed.
“What else do you need?” I said.
My father knew that I knew what he was up to. He didn’t give a shit, and he wouldn’t let anything interfere with him lording over me.
“That’s enough for tonight,” he finally said. “I want a full P&L for the last five years first thing in the morning.”
“P&L?” I tilted my head as I stared at him. “You picked up some new lingo in prison?”
To my surprise, he laughed and then shrugged. “Yes. It seems I did.”
