"You know better than that."
He drank coffee with little regard for its excellent bitterness and heat.
"What's happening with the airline has been making news for the past month. Whoever the hell said bad press can be good had never been on the wrong side of it." He took another sip and put the cup on the lovely cherry wood table in front of him. "Bad press is just that – bad. And it can cost a hell of a lot. Too much has been happening. You promised to streamline the damn company weeks ago."
Hooded gray eyes pierced his son's emerald, green ones. "You've been distracted. If it's a woman--"
"Now you're being insulting."
Fighting the urge to lash out, Leon remained calm. His father did not like displays of emotions, especially in business and even though he was thirty years old and had been part of the company since he was interning as a senior in high school, he was still on probation.
Picking up the cup, Robert eyed his son and ignored the need for caffeine. He was blessed or cursed with incredible insightand could read people. He had had to fight for every ounce of wealth and the reputation of the company. He could not allow emotions to rule him. His son was different. Yes, the man was well educated and could more than hold his own, but he had been brought up with the privilege and entitlement of money. He never knew a day of going without what he needed.
Robert had. And because of that, he also knew how quickly it could be taken away.
"What's the report?"
Shelving his resentment, Leon reached for the folder his very efficient and thorough assistant had prepared for the meeting. He knew it word for word but leafed through the thick document slowly. "The investigation is still ongoing. The plane leaving from Houston to New York had to make an emergency landing and passengers disembarked."
He looked over. "That has cost us considerable revenue. It's a tarnish on the reputation of an otherwise sterling one in the past."
"People are disgruntled. Staff members, management, the board. They hear of hostile takeover and the word 'hostile' stays with them. Our security team has already rooted out some troublemakers, but there are still more."
Leon put away the folder and picked up a smooth white stone on his desk. "Precisely. We're getting rid of most of the management team and putting some of our own staff in on an interim basis."
His father shot him a quizzical glance. "I thought you were taking a trip to see for yourself what the setup was like."
"I have sent someone in my place."
He gave a negligent shrug. "There's the matter of the new clinic downtown. You know I have a vested interest."
Robert's mouth tightened as he once again put the cup down. This time he rose. A tall, well-built man in his early sixties with thick sable brown hair threaded through with gray. The only thing he had passed on to his son was his lofty height. Nothing more.
Wandering over to the cabinet, he selected an aged bottle of scotch and poured a finger into a heavy square glass. "That should not be a priority."
Leon's shoulders stiffened. "I beg to differ."
His tone had Robert turning to face him. "Building a clinic in your mother's name especially in the downtown area is a foolish plan. Kathleen never stepped foot in the area and never dreamed of doing so. She was a society princess and enjoyed the role of a rich man's wife. Shopping and glittery balls and functions were her favorite pastime."
Leon just stared at him. "Did you even love her?" he asked quietly.
Robert thought of giving the usual tame response but decided against it. "I thought I did. She was enchanting, the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in real life. I plucked her out of her home in Ireland and brought her here. But she was never happy. She surrounded herself with things, expensive trinkets, and people. Always people. Always a party to plan – to attend."
He drank the scotch and relished the burning of the fine liquor sliding down his throat to his gut. "She loved being the center of attention. Your mother was a spoiled and vain woman, selfish and self-absorbed."
"How dare you--"
"What? Sully her memory?"
Robert's mouth twisted bitterly. "Not paint you a picture of love and happiness. Of a saint? She wasn't, but then neither was I. Work took precedence over everything else, and I suppose I cannot honestly blame her for turning away. We both were caught up in the romance and married in haste, without taking the chance of getting to know each other."
He shrugged. "Let that be a lesson to you."
The words twisted inside him, and Leon felt the weight crushing him.
"Was that why you cheated on her? With – with Kathy Donaldson?"
He had brought up the subject several times, only to have it brushed aside. He needed answers – there were things that needed to be out in the open.
