“But,” I couldn’t help but to interrupt his story, “My mom said in one of her letters that what happened was a secret and you didn’t know. Why would she tell me that if it wasn’t true?”
“Your mother and I disagreed on whether or not to tell you. She went back and forth on whether or not to tell you. At the time, I didn’t think it was a good idea to tell you. I thought it’d affect you and your relationship with your mom, Blair, and me. I had told your mother that if she wanted to continue to pay the monthly payments to the other family, she couldn’t get me involved or tell anyone that I knew about the payoffs. I didn’t want this to cause legal issues for the company if it was discovered that the CEO was not only involved in the scandal but used the company profit’s to fund the monthly payoffs.”
“Oh.”
“But now that you know a lot of what happened, there’s no longer a reason to keep it from you.”
“What do you mean ‘a lot of what happened?’ What else is there?”
“That’s the part I wanted to tell you today. A few years after I discovered the secret your mother was hiding, I talked with your mother and we made a decision.”
“What was it?” Blair’s eager voice cut in. I could tell she was just as eager to find out everything as I was.
“Your mother and I decided to legally adopt you, and the other family had legally adopted Katherine. We had promised that they would continue receiving their monthly payments for the rest of their lives. I also created a separate living trust for Katherine so that she would be well provided for once she reached the age of twenty-five. However, she would not have entitlement to Parker, Inc.”
“A living trust?” Blair’s voice piped up again. “So she’d get monthly payments sent directly to her, not her parents, when she reached twenty-five?”
“Exactly. Even though she wasn’t a part of my life, she was still my fresh and blood. I set a multi-million trust fund for her and made sure she received a sizable monthly allowance so that she could live comfortably even if she never worked a day in her life.”
“But?”
I saw the confusion on Blair’s face and wondered what she thinking. But before I could ask, her expression changed and she dropped her question.
“Dad?” I looked at Bill, my mind full of questions I’d like to ask him.
“Yes, Son?”
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. “Why did you and mom decide to adopt me?”
“Son, what are you getting at?” He furrowed his brows in confusion.
“What I mean is, when you found out Katherine was your biological child, why didn’t you use the money you probably had to use on the formal adoption to get her back? You wouldn’t have to create that trust fund for her and all those monthly payments to her parents would have stopped.”
“Oh, Trent. You still don’t get it, do you? After all these years, I thought you’d eventually understand.”
“Understand what?” I glanced at Blair for answers, who shrugged in response.
“
You’re
my son, not Katherine.”
I stared at him blankly.
He shook his head. “I was the one that suggested to your mother that we should legally adopt you. We talked and both agreed that, to be fair to everyone involved, we can only pick one child between the two of you to call our own, and to love unconditionally as our own.”
I felt a swarm of emotions evade me as I took in his words. “And you picked me?”
He smiled and nodded.
Tears welled up in my eyes. “But…I thought you never cared for me.”
“And why would you think that?”
I saw the genuine hurt on his face in response to my words and I was shamed by a wave of guilt. “You were always so tough on me. Blair seemed to be the perfect child in your eyes, but you never really acknowledged any of my accomplishments. I grew up trying so hard to make you proud of me.” I blinked violently as tears fell from my eyes.
“Son,” he beamed at me, “I wish you wouldn’t be so hard on yourself. I wish you could see what I see. I’ve always loved you like you were my own. I was always tough on you because I wanted to cultivate you into the future CEO of Parker, Inc. when I officially step down. I
am
proud of you, so much so that I feel so confident leaving you in charge of our family company.”
I looked into his eyes and even though he gave me the same look he’d always gave, it looked different now. For the first time in my life, I saw the same look of pride and love that I’d always seen him give to Blair—that same look that I’d craved my entire life. It wasn’t until now that I realized my father had always looked at me that way. It was me who had been the one to shut him out.
“I love you, Dad.” I whipped away the tears from my eyes. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me through the years. I promise you that I will do everything in my power to make you proud.”
“I have no doubt, Son.”
For the first time in my life, I felt like I belonged. I felt loved. I felt like a real Parker.
***
“I’m glad to have you back, big brother.” Blair giggled as we walked toward our cars that were parked along Dad’s circular driveway.
I laughed, feeling the dark clouds that’d surrounded me throughout my life had finally disappeared. “Well technically I’ve been legally your big brother since we were young.”
She joined in my laughter. “I’m glad you’ve always been there.”
Just then, I recalled something that had bothered me earlier. “Hey, Blair?”
“Yeah?”
“When Dad was talking about the living trust fund for Katherine, why did you seem confused?”
She frowned. “Well on the first day I’d met Katherine a week or so ago, she told me that after her parents died, she had to deal with the mortgage and funeral expenses. She ended up swimming in debt ever since.” She shook her head in confusion. “I even wrote her a check for $5,000 to help her out…but now, I don’t know why she lied. If she was getting more than enough from the trust fund, why did she need me to think she was poor? Why did she cash the $5,000?”
“Hmm. That is strange behavior. So why didn’t you bring this up earlier?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “I guess I didn’t want to break Dad’s heart if he knew Katherine was lying to me about money and how bad her life had been. I didn’t want Dad to worry.”
“Blair, sometimes you’re too selfless. I know you want to get to know your biological sister, but from everything that you’ve told me, please be careful with her.”
Her face suddenly fell, and I suddenly noticed the pain and heartache in her sad emerald eyes and I knew that something had happened that I wasn’t aware of.
“What happened, Blair?”
Tears immediately streamed down her face. “Dean and I broke up,” she sobbed.
“What? How did that happen?” I couldn’t believe my ears. From what I had seen between the two of them, I thought they were meant for one another.
“I…God this just sounds too crazy to believe.”
I’d never seen Blair fall apart like this before. “Start from the beginning, Blair.”
I was shell-shocked by Blair’s account of what had happened and what Dean had told her. I’d met people like Katherine, the cold, manipulative type who preyed on others to get what she wanted.
“Blair, I once promised you when we were kids that I’d protect you forever.”
A small smile appeared on her lips as she blinked back her tears. “You remember that?”
I nodded. “I never told you this, but my happiest moments in childhood were with you. Outside of my mom, you were the closest family to me—you always loved me unconditionally, and you always giggled and looked at me like I was the most important thing in your life. You were the only person that seemed to look at me like that. Even though I hadn’t known then that I was switched at birth, I had always felt like an outsider. But you were always there to love me. I want to be always there to protect you.”
“Thank you, Trent. That means a lot to me.”
I smiled at her, “The big brother in me is dying to give you some advice.”
She chuckled lightly. “Okay, lay it on me.”
“Okay, I know you don’t want to believe it, but it’s clear to me that Katherine’s intentions aren’t genuine. She lied about not having money. She lied about not knowing Dean. And from what you told me, she was the one in the wrong when she cheated on him.”
“I’ll be more careful with her.”
“Good. And for my second, and more important, advice.”
She laughed. “You’re on a roll.”
“You betcha.” I winked. “But in all seriousness, from the interactions I’ve had with Dean, I can tell he’s a good guy. I also know that he cares about you a lot. Six months ago, the temporarily-insane Trent tried to recruit him to help me get you kicked out of the company.”
“I remember that.” She shot me a knowing look.
“Sorry again,” I said sheepishly. “Anyway, he wouldn’t do it. He said he cared about you and wouldn’t do that to you. I knew then that he loved you.”
Tears returned to her eyes.
“Blair, you know me. You know I’m a pretty good judge of character. I know the type of guy Dean is, and I think he’s perfect for you.”
“But I…I don’t know if we’re meant to be.”
I frowned. “What are you scared of, Blair?”
Her voice cracked as she answered me. “I’m scared that he’s not over her. She was his very first love, and if she hadn’t cheated on him, he would have proposed. It was because of her crushing his heart that he’d been a commitment-phobe bachelor for the last decade.” She sighed. “I’m worried that she will always be a part of him—that there are feelings there that he doesn’t even know he has because he’s been resisting her because he wants to be faithful to me.”
“Blair,” I grabbed both her arms and looked intently into her eyes. “
Fuck
Katherine! There was a reason that relationship ended. It’s also been over ten years. People change. Dean’s changed. Blair, I let the secret of Katherine almost destroy our relationship. Don’t let her destroy the relationship you have with Dean. I can tell you both love each other.”
I could tell my words were marinating in her mind as she tried to decide what to do. Finally she smiled and threw her hands around me, hugging me as tightly as she could. “Thank you, Trent! You’re right. I made a big mistake.” She then walked quickly to her car.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going to go tell Dean exactly how I feel about him before it’s too late!”
Before I could respond and wish her luck, she sped off. I stood there smiling after her, happy that she was going to go fight for her happiness.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Dean
I felt numb as I stared up at the off-white ceiling over my bed. I had been awake for a while now, but I had no motivation to get up. I knew time had passed. Seconds turned into minutes. Minutes turned into hours. But I continued to stare up at the off-white ceiling in a vegetative state, willing myself to not think about anything or
anyone
. It was the only way to numb out the excruciating pain that radiated from my chest and into every fiber of my body.
It must have been early afternoon when I heard the lobby intercom to my condo buzz.
Blair!
I immediately thought, my spirits instantly lifted from the possibility that she’d changed her mind.
I raced to my door and looked at the video surveillance of the lobby entrance. My chest tightened and anger enveloped my body when I saw who it was.
The Blonde Bitch.
I was about to shut off the surveillance and ignore her, but her voice boomed through the intercom.
“Dean, I know you can see me. Don’t ignore me. I need to talk to you about Blair.”
The mention of Blair’s name through her lips grated against my last nerve.
“Don’t fucking say her name to me,” I said through gritted teeth. “You don’t deserve to say her name.”
Adding fuel to my fury, she laughed coolly. “Well that’s a new one. Now come on, Dean. Let me in.”
“Go fuck yourself, Katherine!” I screamed into the intercom.
“Well I’d much rather
you
fuck me,” she purred.
My mouth gaped open at how brazen this bitch was. “You know very well that shit will never happen!”
I saw her roll her eyes. “Dean, I’ll ask you one more time. Let me in
now.
”
I snorted. “Or what?”
A smirk appeared on her face. “If you don’t, I’ll destroy any shred of a chance you might still have with Blair.”
“Don’t threaten me. You’re just talking out of your ass.”
“Are you sure about that?” She looked directly at the surveillance camera. “Do you really think it’s worth risking it?”
I clenched my fists, trying to stabilize my rage. “How do I know you’re not going to try to destroy my chances of a relationship with Blair even if I let you in?”
She raised an eyebrow. “You don’t.”
“Katherine, I’m fucking tired of your mind games.”
“Well then, that’s easy. Just let me in.”
I thought about my options and knew that I had to let her in. From my conversation with Blair last night, I knew that she still wanted to make her relationship with her sister work. I didn’t know how much power Katherine had over Blair and I wasn’t ready to risk it before I had a chance to talk to Blair again.
Begrudgingly, I pressed the intercom button.
“That’s what I thought.” Katherine beamed at me before walking through the unlocked lobby door.
I punched the wall in frustration as I waited for her to come up.
“Well hello, Dean.” Katherine walked through the front door.
“What do you want, Katherine? I asked impatiently as I walked to my living room without looking over at her.
“Shit, Dean!” she suddenly cried.
I glanced over to see what happened, but I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. “What wrong?”
“You, actually. You look like shit.” She shook her head in disapproval. “I’ll need to teach Blair a few things about taking care of her boyfriend.”
I bit my tongue and didn’t react. I knew she wanted to get a reaction out of me, and it was the last thing I was going to give her.
“What do you want, Katherine. I’m busy.”