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“Mom told me about your…relationship. I know you’re my father.”
His mouth falls open for a moment and he backs away.
“Shit. that —” He stops abruptly, taking a deep breath and loosening his tie. “I asked her not to tell you.”
My eyes go wide. “Wha— really?”
“Son, listen to me—”
“Don’t call me that.” I spit. “You have no right to call me son.”
“Oh really? Why’s that?”
“That’s your question?” I step back, turning away and raking my fingers through my hair. “You knew you had a child with Mom, and you didn’t care enough to get to know me.”
“What do you mean I didn’t care enough? Who did you think paid your college tuition? And for that fancy apartment, you stayed in when you got to Silicon Valley?”
“So that’s all that mattered to you.” I nod. “You think throwing money around can solve every problem?”
“Well it solved the problem of that sweet ride you got on your eighteenth birthday.”
I scoff, shaking my head and looking away. I chew on the insides of my mouth as I fix my gaze on one of the doors. My hands are clenched and I’m actively trying to resist the urge to punch him.
How can he be so smug about abandoning his kid for over three decades?
“Oh don’t be all whiny, Ian. I did you a favor by not reaching out to you. I mean, look at the man you are now. You’re a self-made billionaire.” He pauses. “Well, maybe not self-made. I mean, I gave you all the opportunities you needed, but for the most part. You know what I’m saying.”
I open my mouth to speak, but he continues, “If I had raised you, you’d have turned out to be another entitled prick who drinks and parties every night.” He pauses again. “I’m not saying I’m a bad father or anything, but I have to work, you know…I don’t have time for other things.”
“Other things.” I let out a dry laugh. “Wow.”
“Son, I—”
“I told you not to call me that!”
He holds up his hands in surrender. “Okay, I’m just saying, you’re doing well all by yourself. You don’t need me.”
“You’re right I don’t.” I shake my head. “You’re a disappointment.”
“Well.” He shrugs. “Call me what you like, but I’m one of the most successful businessmen in the whole tri-state area, so…”
“It’s all business to you, yeah?” I fold my arms. “Just like that time you recruited me and my friends to your sandbox, only to steal our startup idea.”
He shakes his head, brows furrowing in confusion. “What are you—” He stops abruptly as his eyes light up. “Oh!” he laughs. “So that’s what all of this is about? I knew you weren’t just some do-gooder who cared about everyone. This was never about Project Six or some lawsuit. This is personal.”
“You’re a bad person, Barrett, and you deserve to pay for what you’ve done. That’s what this is about.”
“But really. It’s been over ten years, and technically, I didn’t steal your idea. I had the resources to bring it to life, which I did. You know, you should be thanking me. ”
“Wow.” I shake my head. “You’re even far worse than I imagined.”
“It’s just business, Ian. You have to be ruthless to get what you want.”
“And how’s that working out for you?”
“Well.” He shrugs and explains, “I mean, it’s going well. This new Andrews & Sons branch opened in Gainesville completes our goal to have at least one branch in every state in the US.”
“It would be impressive if you weren’t about to lose everything.”
