The Past

 

I’m Alexander Kincaid Storm III, but my friends call me Alex.

I’ve always known that I’m not a good man. You may think you know me, but it’s certainly not the real me, the selfish me, the man who thinks only of himself. The egotistical, unlovable, privileged bastard who puts his needs above all others.

I’ve learned that I live a very hollow life.

My nights are filled with liquor, women, and the wrong kind of friends. Don’t talk to me about wrong; I know wrong, I own it. And that’s the problem.

The truth doesn’t come easily to me. I’ve always lived my life on the edge. Some might say I’ve had a death wish, that there’s a thrill seeker who lives deep within me, begging to escape. And escape he does.

A self-loathing voice I could never tame seeps into every pore of my being. The false promises I make to myself to be better, to do better. They’re all lies.

I remember thinking once that the world owed me, but it was never enough. I grew up entitled, with a staff that catered to my every whim. Houses, boats, airplanes, horses—the most exclusive schools money could buy. I’ve told myself that those things made me who I was, but I was wrong.

Now I struggle to feel a pang of remorse, but it never comes. I’m barely skirting the law most days. My name, my money, and my position have shielded me from any real consequences. I am a man of no scruples, no morals—and certainly no limits.

I hated my little brother, not because he thought he was perfect, but because my father thought he was. Likable to the point of being annoying, Benjamin could no wrong, but the truth was that he never got caught. He was my constant fucking babysitter; an invisible leash bound around my neck that he could pull or heal whenever he desired.

Benjamin wanted to step into the family business, Storm Enterprises, and follow in my father’s footsteps. I, on the other hand, had dreams of being a lawyer. Well, to be precise, I first had dreams of being a cowboy, but that was quickly squashed. Who would have thought that being a lawyer was not a noble profession in my father’s eyes?

Alexander Kincaid Storm Jr., my father, was the perfect asshole. A man with deep, deep pockets, he was used to throwing his influence around haphazardly. It was hard to see past his wealth and reputation. Maybe that was because there was nothing there.

I wanted to be as different from him as humanly possible, but be careful what you ask for, because he granted me that one wish. He shipped me off to an all-boys boarding school when I became too self-destructive and careless. Trouble followed me, wherever I went, changing the coordinates wouldn’t stop that. However, as I attempted to adjust to the overly structured days and supervised nights. It was a far cry from my wild days at our sprawling mansion and lakefront home. Freedom was now a thing of the past, shackled by authority and hardcore consequences.

 

***

 

“The science lab didn’t blow up itself, young man,” the dean of students accused.

I denied it, despite the fact that there were a dozen witnesses urging me on. Damn them. I was beginning to hate this man.

“Are you purposely trying to get yourself expelled?”

Was I? With a frustrated groan, I stared blankly out the window, not in the mood for another lecture..

“Alexander, all evening activities have been suspended for two weeks.”

Fuck, in layman’s terms, that meant no sneaking out to the all-girls dorm two streets over.

It bothered me that he was flawless. Ben, my brother, living at home, enjoying all the amenities and the one thing out of my reach—my father’s approval. His coldhearted rejection only fueled my need for self-destruction. Much to their horror, this was only the beginning.

An overwhelming feeling of emptiness consumed me. I was hiding under a charmed life that I’d never earned. It sounded pathetic, but it didn’t make it any less true.

 

***

 

Benjamin wasn’t used to failing. A mixture of self-confidence and conviction supported his every move. His self-reliance usually carried him through the most demanding situations. Our father’s legacy, Ben was already being groomed to control Storm Enterprises one day.

So, when Jordon Mitchell was handpicked by our father to assist with his new merger, I finally saw Ben trip for the first time—over a woman. The subtle nuances and hints of an attraction that could never be were a stark contrast from the normal ways of the Storm men, who were used to getting what—and who—they wanted.

This woman, for some reason, would not be one of them.

Her long ginger waves flowed down her back. Sun-kissed blonde streaks framed her face. Benjamin fell fast, and he fell hard. She was three years younger than him, and to his dismay—his new boss.

I loved to win, which was an admitted character flaw of mine, but even I wouldn’t have wished this on him. No, even I wouldn’t have been that reckless.

Don’t fuck the help.

It was Father’s good-ole-boy advice.

 

***

 

It was only a few weeks later that I got the call at Sandford. Everything came to an abrupt halt. Graduation would have to wait, and in its place, I would be burying my father. Nothing had prepared me for that moment. A sense of urgency filled the air as I sat in my father’s oversized leather chair in his office, the faint smell of cigars still present. I had clear memories of Ben and I solving the world’s problems. It seemed like so long ago.

My father had believed that money had made him untouchable, and that was partly true. His ruthless capability caused many men to fear him. He was a power-hungry man with no scruples, a hungry predator who was always ready to pounce.

In the middle of my musings, Benjamin walked in the three-piece suit, put together by a highly paid personal shopper. He had a folder under his arm.

“Trust me,” he said, sitting directly across from me. “I’ve got the helm.”

His underwhelmed expression lacked any sense of feeling—let alone sadness—over the passing of a man who had so recently worshiped the ground he walked on.

“Tomorrow is the reading of the will.” He paused, flipping through several more pages. “Including provisions of the will, inheritance, and of course, Storm Enterprises.”

“The funeral was today, Ben. Why the rush?”

I appreciated my brother’s calm temperament, but something didn’t quite add up.

“I wasn’t privy to the will, Alex. God only knows what he’s done with Storm Enterprises.”

“Neither was I, but I’m perfectly willing to withdraw from any financial holdings. I have my own path carved out for me. I’m graduating, then taking the bar. Storm Enterprises is all yours.”

He nodded his head, but I had a feeling that wasn’t what had him on edge.

“What is it, Ben?”

I sat forward, resting my forearms on the mahogany desk.

“I couldn’t help but notice how close Jordon and Father had become,” he said.

This was news to me.

“Was he sleeping with her? I thought you had a thing for her?”

His eyes darted to mine in what could only be described as a predatory threat.

“I didn’t say…that.”

I watched as his chest rose and fell in a slow, dramatic rhythm.

“As the company sits, she is my boss, but I’d like that to change.”

A look of pure hope and desire flashed quickly over his face, but it was fleeting.

“I understand.”

And I did.

“I’ll sign over my shares so we can make this happen, Ben.”

Our eyes met in silence, and for the first time in many years, I had my brother’s back. The one person that separated us was no longer in the equation.

 

***

 

As we sat at the long conference table, my father’s personal and corporate lawyers took their seats side by side. My mother was a non-event. Ben, Jordon, and I were at the end. The main home and property would go to my mother. The other properties were to be sold or divided three ways. Once that was settled, only the details of the company were left.

The corporate lawyer cleared his throat and began to organize his papers.

The shares would be divided evenly three ways. My mother would remain independently wealthy and taken care of for life. Ben and I would share the rest equally. Knowing that I was willing to relinquish my shares, or remain a nonparticipating partner, suited me just fine.

What we didn’t anticipate was the special clause giving Jordon CEO status and a nice yearly bonus. Benjamin would remain chief operating officer, and I would be chief financial officer.

She would remain his boss.

So, even from the grave, my father still ruled with an iron fist.

“Let it go.”

I leaned into Ben in support, but he wasn’t yet ready to accept his fate. Jordon looked stunned, and I could see her cheeks flushing as he glared at her. I could almost see the frantic thoughts that were flying around the room between the two of them. I couldn’t help but feel grateful that I was no longer a part of this twisted threesome, no matter the players.

“Boys.” With her hair pulled back in a severe bun and her Xanax-clouded eyes vacant, my mother slowly approached us. “Sunday dinner?”

Her misguided good intentions landed coldly.

“How touching,” Ben rudely answered, completely out of character for him.

Her body stiffened at his remark.

He simply folded his arms, the tension rolling off of him in waves. He was wound up so tight, and dinner at Mother’s in light of today’s events seemed utterly absurd.

“We’ll be there.”

She nodded at my response and walked away, each step shaky and cautious.

We waited for everyone to leave the room. Then Ben ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

“What was his reasoning behind this?”

“When have we ever understood our father’s actions?”

Time seemed to stall as Ben dropped his head and rested his face in his hands.

“We are nothing like our father.”

The scars were still raw for us both. We were fighting similar demons, but we came from completely different places.

“I’ll find a loophole.”

I saw the anger and determination in his eyes. His intensity didn’t surprise me, though. He had been trained by the best manipulator in the business. His ambition to fight for what was rightfully his was understandable. The only thing I questioned were his motives.

 

***

 

Many days, months, and years have passed since that cold winter’s day. Somehow, I struggled to regain an existence that I once knew, void of the poisonous vacuum sucking the life out of me.

I had learned to let go, and in its place, I’d managed to find some measure of peace.

There was no going back.

But that was then, and this was now.