Chapter 1
Silas
We shook hands on the new deal and when I looked over at dad, he had a twinkle in his eye. He was satisfied with the new deal and so was I.
A new apartment complex in the heart of the city, in the most sought after location in Chicago. We’d won the bid against the other real estate companies for the location and now we could follow through with the plans within the next four months; get started on building the most luxurious apartments the city had ever seen.
And this project was going to have the Denton name splashed all over it.
Above all else, what mattered to Dad most was family, and the legacy he was eventually going to leave behind. This piece of real estate wasn’t something this city was going to forget easily.
We stepped out of the boardroom and walked the group to the elevators. The mood was buzzing, anxious and excitable. Millions of dollars had just changed hands amongst us; everyone was taking a risk, but only I had the full confidence in myself and our company that we were going to make it work.
When the elevator doors pinged shut, Dad turned to me with his harsh blue eyes. His silver hair was brushed back and neat. He had one hand thrust deep in the pocket of his pinstriped three-piece suit.
I could still remember—it wasn’t very long ago, when Dad had turned to me with his brows crossed and his voice strained with anger and disgust.
“You expect me to put on a suit every day and take the elevator up to an office with a fucking view? Is that what you want us to become? A couple of corporate morons?” He’d growled.
And now look at him. He was a natural in these surroundings!
“You’ve gone above and beyond this time, son,” he said and reached over so he could thump my back with pride. I grinned at him.
It didn’t matter that I was a thirty-five-year-old man, I still lived off my dad’s seal of approval. It felt good when he looked me in the eye and declared that I’d done well, made him proud.
“Four months and we can begin construction,” I replied and we were walking, heading for his office. Dad nodded, both his hands deep in his pockets now.
“I trust you, Silas. You’ll get this started on time.”
We were at the door of his office now and when he pushed it open, I could sense he didn’t want me to follow him in. He sparked up at business meetings, he did his part to help the company succeed but once the limelight was off him, dad retreated into his shell again.
He would never forgive himself for the past. For the fact that my brothers were not a part of this business. He blamed himself for everything that had happened and I couldn’t help him unless he asked for help.
We nodded at each other and then dad shut the door. I had no choice but to turn and walk away, back in the direction of my own office. I had a shit ton of work to finish and now I could see my assistant, Lena, rushing towards me.
She always had a panicked expression on her face, so there was no way for me to know from a distance if this was an emergency or not.
“Mr. Denton!” she exclaimed when she stopped in front of me, out of breath. I arched my brows quizzically at her. This better be good.
“Ms. Sadie is on line One. She said she’s calling from an airport and doesn’t have much time.”
It was good!
I rushed to my office, leaving Lena where she was in the corridor and I picked up line One on my phone on my desk.
My sister’s voice was cheerful and light.
“Where have you been?” I asked, plonking myself down on my large swiveling leather chair.
“Mauritius, Thailand, Bali…I’m pretty sure I went somewhere else too but it’s all a haze,” Sadie said with a laugh. I hadn’t heard from her in over a month and at one point I had no choice but to stop worrying. She was young, she had no responsibilities and she knew how to look after herself.
What was I doing in my early twenties?
“Sounds like fun. Are you on your way home?” I asked.
“Maybe, or not yet. I haven’t decided. It’s not like I’ll have much to do if I come home. At least this way, I get to see the world.”
She had a point.
“How is Dad?” Sadie asked. At least she still asked about him.
“He’s good, the same, keeping busy with work. You know the drill.”
“Have you heard anything from Miles lately?”
“Not a peep.”
“Is Alex keeping his head above water?”
“I can’t tell him what to do,” I replied and Sadie sighed.
Our brothers; Alex and Miles were out of my hands. I was the oldest but I wasn’t their keeper. They were grown men. I couldn’t tell them what to do.
They wanted to stay away, lead their own lives away from the rest of the family—especially Dad, and that was their choice.
“It was good to hear your voice, Silas, but I have to go now. My flight’s boarding.”
“You still don’t have a cellphone? It would be good to stay in touch, Sades,” I said and heard her laughing.
“What’d be the point of trying to disconnect if I’m carrying a cellphone around? Don’t worry about me, big brother, I’ll be back soon.”
With that the line went dead and I put the receiver down on the hook with a sigh.
I turned my head up to the ceiling and clenched my jaw with frustration. Most of the time it felt like I was the one who was trying his best to glue this family together, when all that the others wanted to do was fall apart.