Page 65 of Fake Dark Vows
Rose Carter came along and painted the world a different color?
“When I chose the business over Kelly, I never looked back. There’s no point in regrets—we make the choices that are right for us at the time. Then, when she married Damon, I?—”
“You chose Weiss Petroleum over Kelly?” Her voice is barely audible, and I watch her lips to read what she’s saying.
“Yes. I was given an ultimatum by my father: Weiss Petroleum or love. Until I made the company my own, there was no room for both. I needed to be a hundred percent focused on one or the other. Damon could never have taken over the running of the company. Even then, we all knew that he didn’t have it in him.”
Rose shakes her head. “No room for work and love. Your father said that, and you believed him.” Even I can hear the bitterness in her voice.
“I had no reason not to.”
“Even though your father managed both and is still happily married. So, what? That meant nothing to you?”
“He had already made his first billion when they met.” I don’t understand why she is so angry; it’s almost as if she is taking this personally. “Damon must’ve told you this. I bet he couldn’t wait to see your reaction.”
“No. He didn’t. He told me that you and Kelly were together.” She dabs her lips with a pristine white napkin, folds it neatly, and leaves it by the side of her plate.
It hits me then what Damon was trying to do. If he could convince Rose that Kelly and I were in love, that Kelly ditched me for my brother and I’d never gotten over it, she would stay the hell away from me, whilst feeling something for him, even if it was only pity.
“Rose. Let me explain.”
“You’ve explained quite enough.” She stands abruptly, grabs her purse, and turns to walk away. “Don’t follow me, Brandon.”
I watch her leave.
I finish my glass of wine, pour another, and ask the server to bring me a brandy. The liquor isn’t helping despite the lingering headache from the concussion.
I’ve spent my whole life trying not to disappoint my parents, trying to live up to the standards set by my father, to be the shrewdest, the most intelligent, and most ambitious son. And I’ve succeeded. But right now, I feel like a massive disappointment to Rose.
What I don’t understand is why it matters so much to me.
I down my brandy and add the check to the room tally.
I find Rose in the bar, sitting on a stool, nursing a Long Island Iced Tea. I slide onto the stool beside her and order another brandy. It’s going to be a long night.
“Can we talk?” I ask.
She gives me a sideways glance, sips her drink, and grimaces. A whole bunch of retorts seem to land on her tongue and disappear again, and finally she says, “No.”
I can’t help smiling. “Okay, I’ll talk, and you listen.”
I sip my brandy—I’ve never needed Dutch courage before.
“My future was mapped out from the day I was born. Eldest son of Ruby and Harry Weiss. Heir to one of the largest inheritances in the country. They’re big shoes to fill. Then Damon came along, and even as a child, he sensed that he was simply along for the ride. He could do whatever he wanted because I was the son everyone was watching.”
Rose swallows another mouthful of her cocktail. She doesn’t look at me, but at least she’s a captive audience.
“Kelly and I met at Harvard. We were both driven, but she’d figured out how to have fun along the way. That’s what I liked most about her—she didn’t take herself, or life, too seriously. I took her home to meet my parents, and that’s when they delivered the ultimatum.”
“You had a choice.” She finishes her drink without coming up for air and orders another.
“You’re right. And I made my decision based on what I knew was expected of me.”
She looks at me then, and her eyes are large with tears. I want to reach out and catch one, taste it on the tip of my tongue, but I don’t. “Kelly is a human being with feelings. Cut her, and she bleeds. But you sacrificed her emotions and chose money instead.”
“I chose my family’s business.”
“You chose a lifestyle, the dream that had been sold to you.”