Chapter 77 Percy
Percy’s POV
It was afternoon on a Wednesday, and for the first time in what felt like a lifetime, the firm was operating in complete harmony. The Vanguard integration in London was proceeding flawlessly under Vanessa’s skillful but forced supervision. The TechStar executives were thrilled with our final filings.
And just five floors beneath me in the office building, sitting in her own office wearing one of the new suits she had bought that made her look like she owned the building, was Adeline.
I took a sip of my coffee, feeling a deep, undeniable sense of pride settle in my chest. My woman wasn't just surviving anymore; she was thriving. The sharp edges she had carried when she first arrived at Royal and Associates and we first met at the racetrack were slowly smoothing out. Those times felt like years ago.
Not only did she have a friend in Zara, she now had commanded the respect of the entire floor. She was finally getting the life I had promised her.
A heavy knock on my door pulled me from my thoughts, and before I could respond, it opened, and Tiny stepped into the office with his massive frame blocking the doorway. His expression was even colder today, and his shoulder was tense.
"Boss," Tiny said, his voice thick in warning. "He’s here."
There was only one person that could elicit such a response in Tiny, and it was my father. The warm feeling in my chest instantly dissipated because it couldn't be good news if he just appeared out of nowhere. There were still some unresolved feelings after the last time we were together, so I couldn't tell how this meeting would go.
"Let him in," I said, deciding that it would be better to just get it out of the way. I set my coffee cup down on the desk and buttoned my suit jacket, bracing myself for the impact.
Tiny stepped aside to let him in. As usual, my father walked in as if he owned the building; he probably thought he did. He was in a three-piece suit, a silver tie clip catching the afternoon light. Judging from his countenance, I could tell this was not a father checking up on his son.
"Percy," Richard said, walking past my desk and moving directly toward the private bar cart in the corner of the room.
"Richard," I replied, my voice guarded. "To what do I owe the pleasure? I assumed you were still out of the country."
"I came back this morning," Richard said, picking up a bottle of scotch and pouring two shots of my best liquor into a glass. He didn't pour one for me. "I had a very interesting conversation with Richard Sterling yesterday afternoon regarding his niece’s sudden, permanent relocation to the United Kingdom."
"It was a necessary personnel adjustment. Vanessa compromised a client. She is lucky she still has a license to practice law."
"She is incredibly lucky," Richard corrected, taking a slow sip of the scotch. He turned to face me. "It was a brilliant, bloodless solution. You neutralized a threat, avoided a scandal that would have tanked the Vanguard deal, and kept one of your best assets by putting a leash on her. It was exceptionally diplomatic."
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me," Richard said, his lips curving into a faint, knowing smile. "Because I know you didn't think of it. You are far too emotional when it comes to the people who cross you. If it were up to you, you would have fired her, reported her to the bar, and burned her career to the ground just for looking at your fiancée the wrong way."
My jaw tightened because he wasn't wrong.
"It was Adeline's strategy." He said in a tone that brooked no argument. "I have to admit, Percy. I underestimated the girl. I thought she was a liability, but she has claws. I respect that."
"Her name is Adeline; you know that, and she belongs here."
"Yes. She does," Richard agreed softly as he set the glass down on the edge of my desk with a heavy clink.
He reached inside his suit jacket, pulled out a black leather folder, and tossed it onto the table between us.
"What's that?"
"It is time we had a serious conversation about the future, son." Richard said seriously.
"What is that?" I repeated, but this time with a little dread in my stomach.
"That is the Akilov Syndicate," Richard said. "The offshore holding companies. The payroll accounts for the private security contractors. The routing numbers for the ports, the political action committees, and the enforcement divisions."
I stared at him blankly. "Why are you putting this on my desk?"
"Because I am stepping back, son. I am over sixty years old, Percy. I have spent four decades building an empire in the shadows so that you could sit in this building and play at being a legitimate corporate lawyer, but not anymore."
"I don't want the syndicate, Richard. We have discussed this. I built Royal and Associates to be clean. I want my life and Adeline’s life to be completely legitimate. I don't want the family business."
"The family business is the only reason you are still breathing!" Richard snapped. The sudden flash of anger was startling.
"You think those men you hired as muscles are the ones protecting you?" Richard demanded. "You refused to send Adeline to Switzerland because of your stubborn pride and what happened? A week later, you were shaking in your boots because a loan shark killed a lawyer, and you thought the Russian had come for you."
I flinched. The fact that he knew exactly how I had reacted to Vance’s death meant he still had eyes on me.
"You are playing a dangerous game, Percy. You want the power of a king, but you want to keep your hands clean. It doesn't work that way. Ilya Kozlov is quiet right now, but he is not dead. And when he finally surfaces, he isn't going to care about your clean reputation."
"..."
"I pulled my men two weeks ago to teach you a lesson. Consider it learned. Inside that folder is the absolute control of the underworld. You take the reins, manage the alliances, and control the muscle."
"And if I refuse?" I challenged.
"If you refuse, I will liquidate the enforcement division by the end of the month," Richard stated coldly. "I will sell the ports. I will retire to Europe, and I will leave you and your brilliant fiancée to fend for yourselves when the wolves finally come to the door."
He straightened and adjusted the cuffs of his suit. "Adeline proved she has the spine to survive in this family. I think it's you that's scared."
"Excuse me for having principles."
"Whatever. You have until Monday to sign those." With that, he left.
I looked down at the black leather folder sitting on my desk and remembered my promise to Adeline. I had promised her a normal life, a life without the darkness of her childhood, but as I reached out and rested the weight of the folder in my hand, I realized a terrifying truth.
Keeping her in the light would require me to be a monster in the dark.