When he had been younger, Deacon had idolized his father, thinking that the man could do no wrong. But the older that he had grown. The more he had come to see his father as just another human being.
A human being with flaws of his own and things that Deacon did not like. One of the things that Deacon didn't like about his father, aside from the fact that the man was very controlling, was his father's tendency to play games with people.
He often reminded Deacon of a big cat toying with a mouse whenever he did that.
Throughout the meal, Deacon had not gotten the impression that he was being toyed with.
In fact, his father had been very quiet. Had he been playing with Deacon even then, using his silence to try and discomfort Deacon, or to perhaps lull him into a false sense of security before pouncing on him.
Deacon liked to think that he knew his father very well. So how had he missed such a huge trap being laid out?
His father wanted to talk about Deacon's marriage.
Just like that, the secrecy that he and Slater had sworn to, was blown right out of the water. How had Deacon not realized that it was futile to try and keep the secret? Had somebody seen them, the night that they got married, or was it perhaps one of the hotel staff?
It did not matter. What mattered was that his father knew that Deacon was married. Not only was he aware of it, it seemed as though none of the occupants at the table were particularly shocked to hear the news, so they too must have known all along.
It was a terrifying thing to wrap his head around, but Deacon forced himself to do so with a quickness.
Yes, he was married to Haley Slater. Yes, it was a huge mistake, but if there was one thing, he would not do, it would be to show regret, especially in front of his father. Whatever was coming, he would take it like a man, and defend himself.
"What of my marriage?" He finally asked, breaking the awkward silence that had descended over the room. His voice, came out strong and steady, not betraying even the slightest hint of how panicked Deacon was on the inside.
Was this it? Was the company going to be handed over to Brian despite Deacon, loving his job and doing his best to fulfil it? Would his father also add in a banishment from the family? Would he be struck from the registry just for daring to associate with a Slater? Knowing that whatever was coming was not going to be any good. Deacon pulled on the coldest, unbothered mask that he could, then he stared right at his father.
For his part, the man's brow furrowed, and he looked at Deacon as though you were trying to piece something together. Then whatever it was that he decided, his father took a sip of his wine and looked back at Deacon.
"You would know what I was talking about, and not have to ask if you'd actually paid attention during our previous call,"
What?
"I am talking about your marriage to Ashely Greene," Deacon had not expected to hear that name at all, and he was so shocked that his mask fell apart completely, betraying his surprise.
His father simply rolled his eyes at him, then, clearly mistaking Deacon's relief for forgetfulness, he began to elaborate.
"Ashely Greene, Deacon, the younger sister of CEO Rolex Greene, she is in charge of the company's finance department. They are doing quite well under her management,"
"She would be an excellent addition to our family. She is business savvy, reserved, and comes from a good family, it only makes sense that you marry her. An alliance between the Greenes and the Roths would be beneficial to both parties, don't you think so?" With a sigh Deacon pushed his plate away.
"Father, marriage is something that is personal. If I decide to get married, (which he already was, his family just did not need to know about it), it will be to somebody that I actually care about," Fat chance, as soon as he and Slater were divorced, Deacon was never getting married again.
Marriage just was not something that he wanted for himself, he had better things to do with his time than tie himself to another human being for the rest of his life. But as usual, his father did not care.
"Deacon, marriage is a business partnership. The person that you choose to be married to can either make or break you. You could go from a billionaire to a millionaire to a beggar in the streets, all thanks to a poor choice in spouse. Do not take this lightly. I have vetted Ashely Greene and I have deemed her worthy of you,"
"But I do not like Ashely Greene. I barely even remember her face, no matter how often we've met. Just why do you think I would be on board with marrying her?"
"Because you are always on board with everything father says. You agree and obey without a second thought. You are the perfect son," It was his younger brother who answered, and Deacon could not help but spare a moment to glare at Brian.
It was true that for the most part Deacon did as he was told, but that was mostly due to the fact that his goals aligned with things that his father wanted.
For example, his father had wanted him to be CEO, and when Deacon had tried his hand at it, he'd found that he not only had a knack for it, but that he quite enjoyed the job.
But this arranged marriage to Ashely Greene just was not it. Deacon did not want to get married. He was already married and within a few hours they had decided to divorce. He was not going to tie himself up again.
"Father, thank you for taking the time to try and arrange a partnership for me. But I will not be marrying Ashely Greene. Go ahead and inform the Greene family of my lack of interest," There was a loud crack as his father brought his palm down on the giant table.
"Enough Deacon! Stop being childish. This marriage will be good for you. It will definitely improve your reputation. Why are you being difficult on this issue?"
'Because I am already married!' Deacon wanted to shout it out. But he knew that would be a very bad idea. Realizing that lingering would lead to nothing good, Deacon finally stood.
With a smile towards his mother. A dismissive look for Brian and a slight nod for his father. Deacon grabbed the back of his seat and pushed it in.
"Unfortunately, I have a very busy day ahead of me tomorrow. So I must go,"
"You cannot run away from this Deacon,"
Completely ignoring his father. He began walking away. If he stayed a moment longer, he might blurt out the real reason why he could not get married to Ashely Greene. And that was a headache that he did not need.
Being married to Slater was already stressful enough. He did not need to worry about a marriage to Ashely Greene as well.