So, that was it. An ultimatum. To force him into the CEO position. He felt the pull of resistance, but it wasn’t as strong as it was before he met Zuri. That woman had changed him. But would she want to do business with Knight Industries after his father had embarrassed her?
Daemon took a seat. “Dad…” Anger swiftly left him while his father’s taunting gaze remained on him. His father was trying too hard to leave his company. Why? “Can we talk?”
His father shrugged. “About? I’ve already made my decision. I’m not above blackmailing your girlfriend’s country to get what I want.” He chuckled softly. “It’s beneath me, I know, but I must have my way and there’s nothing you can say to convince me otherwise.”
How could explain that he wanted their relationship to go back to the way it was? During happier times. When their family hadn’t been torn apart by death and grief.
His father reclined in his chair, one hand behind his head in a nonchalant way. He neither looked annoyed nor like he was ready to pounce. His entire demeanor seemed tired. Daemon thought it odd that his father, whose face drooped an inch or two, looked like he didn’t want to be bothered. What kind of manipulation tactic was this?
“Bendola is bigger than Zuri or I. It’s a chance to get things right in a country when it’s been wrong for so long. Wouldn’t you want to be known for more than just your money?”
“By being a philanthropist? You think that’s like me?” He smiled as he looked off across the room to the set of leather couches in front of the sleek electric fireplace.
“It was once. When mom was alive.”
His father grimaced. “You play dirty,” he said quietly. “Evoking the dead.” He sighed and ran his hand through his black hair streaked with gray. “I loved your mother more than myself. Would’ve given my life for her. Been wasting away ever since.”
“I know, Dad. I’d like to see that man come back.”
“It’s too late for that.”
Daemon groaned. “It’s not, Dad. You’re here, you’re young—sort of—you have money, and people respect you. It’s not too late to turn things around. To be a different man.”
“I can see I’m not being clear enough for you. I hope that’s not a sign of what’s coming, because you’re the only one I can trust with such a fortune.”
“Dad, what—”
“Son, I think you’re going to have to take over whether you like it or not,” he said softly.
“What do you mean?” Daemon asked quickly. He estimated he could be back from Bendola in forty-eight hours, but he’d risk losing Zuri’s respect. How could she forgive him if he dropped her off with barely a goodbye?She doesn’t want to see me anymore as it is.“I can’t possibly do it until after I fly Zuri—”
“I don’t have that much time left.” Arthur smirked.
Daemon couldn’t inhale. His lungs burned as he stared at his father. And for the first time, he noticed a different man. Pale skin, eyes slightly sunken with dark circles that appeared to be covered by—makeup! His father was wearing makeup?
He’s ill. The realization slowly sank in as Daemon found his breath. The trips all over the world, the joyrides in helicopters; he even swam with sharks and sky-dived. Daemon had thought his father had been influenced by his younger wives, trying to be active and fun to obfuscate their age gap. It all made sense. His father was dying, and he was living the rest of his life to the fullest.
“I’ve been living like I’m in a never-ending midlife crisis. If I couldn’t die with my wife, then I’ll live as though she never existed.” He stared long at Daemon, a ghost of a smile on his face. “But I couldn’t forget. Not when I looked at you. You two share the same color hair and eyes. How could I forget?”
He never had time for me.It was he didn’t want to see his wife in his own son. Daemon’s heart quaked, filling with sympathy for his father.
Arthur Knight stood from his chair and walked to the window behind him, locking his hands together over the curve of his lower back. “And I’m not proud of what I’ve become or some of the things I’ve done. But it was a way to feel, son. What good it did me in the end. You have no control when it’s your time. In a way, I think I’ve known for a long time and didn’t want to face it. Living my life felt better.” He looked over his shoulder. “I know, I know. This is probably a shock to you.”
“A shock?” Daemon’s voice shook. “That’s an understatement, Dad. You’re—you’re dying?”
“Believe me, it was a blow to me, too. And I’ve seen as many doctors as I could pay for. The best. They all say the same thing. Cancer. Very rapid, not worth treating. It’s eating me up from the inside out.” He smirked and shook his head. “The grief did me in. It’s ironic. I’ve been living to forget, and it’s the not forgetting that’s killed me.”
“Chemo? And—”
“Too late for all of that.” He grimaced and flung a hand in the air as though he were batting away something really annoying. “And I don’t want to be a shell of a man, dragging a catheter bag around, no hair left, watching my wife yuck it up with younger, more virile men. I might not have any time left, but I still have my ego. It wouldn’t be worth it knowing there’s no stopping it.”
No stopping it. Not worth treating.The words weren’t sinking in fast enough. His father was dying and all his money couldn’t save him?
His wife Lola didn’t seem the type to leave a dying man to satisfy her sexual urges. Sure, she married a much older man, but his father had never expressed any infidelity concerns. “I doubt that would happen—Lola, I mean.”
Arthur harrumphed. “I’d bet money it would.”
And he had plenty of money. “How much time?” Daemon whispered, hoping his father didn’t hear andhewouldn’t have to grapple with the answer.
