Chapter Nineteen
Alex sat in the back of the luxury limo and waited for his brother to climb in the other side before tapping the glass to let their driver know they were ready. It would be a long drive through the morning traffic.
They rode wordless for some time before Alex broke the silence.
"So what are we going to say to Dad?" He said.
"What are 'we' going to say?" He said sarcastically. You're the one who came up with this crazy ‘let's share her’ plan and you're the one Larry caught in the act with a Drummond employee."
Alex ground his jaws together. "The plan is not to share her. Why do you keep saying that?"
Sebastian didn’t answer, but a sardonic smile played around his lips.
"Jesus Christ,” Alex whispered, "is that it? Is that what you actually want?"
"Are you kidding? That’s the last thing I want. Melanie, when I finally get her, will be all mine and don’t you forget it."
"When you finally get her?"
Sebastian grinned as the cold truth began to dawn on his brother.
“Okay, I think I’m getting it now. For the moment at least, this is it." Alex said. "You get the money and I get the girl, right?"
"Didn't you want it that way?"
"You know that's not what I wanted. It’s not what we discussed and not what we agreed on."
"Oh yes, I remember now. You wanted to sacrifice everything for her, give her to me along with your share of the Drummond Empire. You’re such a sport big bro, such a good egg."
"That really was it Sebastian. You know that if I said it, then I meant it."
"Except you knew that would never happen and you just couldn’t stop yourself. The one thing that belonged to me, the only thing I was ever good at, and you have to beat me at that too. Thanks big bro, now I know for sure that I'm just the weaker, slower, inferior version of you, and we have Melanie here to prove it."
The bitterness and spite were painful to Alex’s ears. He loved his little brother to death and would never have done anything to upset him. Now he could hear all the years of resentment coming out. It was like his brother was a different person.
"You never felt anything for her at all, did you? She's just another skirt to you, another pretty face you had to score before I did. This has never been about Melanie, it’s always been about getting to me, getting even, getting ahead somehow."
"You give yourself too much importance, big brother. And you credit me with too little intelligence and way too little heart and soul. I love Melanie, alright. I loved her the moment I set eyes on her, which was before you."
"This isn't a game of finders keepers, Sebastian. She didn't wash up on the beach like salvage. She's a woman; a flesh and blood woman with feelings."
"I know that. I know that better than you because she made love to me first, before you did. She came for me first and my God, it was spectacular."
Alex bunched his fists. He knew his brother was lying in order to provoke him and it was working. He was furious. However, he didn’t intend to show up in his father’s office having assaulted his brother on the way there.
Sebastian continued.
"The difference between me and you big brother, is that I’m not stupid enough to expect her to love me in poverty the way you do. You can do your Romeo stuff with Dad, lose everything you are entitled to, and then see how long Melanie stays with you when you’re delivering pizzas to make ends meet and while she’s applying for food stamps. Won’t that be romantic?"
"Fuck you! Can’t you just accept that she chose me over you and then move on with your life?"
"I am moving on, Alex. And eventually Melanie will move on with me. When she gets tired of struggling from check to tiny paycheck, I'll be there; rich, strong, well-fed, and waiting. She has strong feelings for me, just as she does for you, but when I'm still a billionaire and you can't scrape together enough money for a romantic meal out, then who do you think she'll choose?"
Alex looked at his brother for a long time as the engine hummed in thick midtown traffic.
"God, I can't believe you're even my brother. What the hell happened to you? What did I do to make you so angry?"
"I'm not angry goddamn it! I just don't want Melanie to be poor. You can do whatever the hell you like. Tell Dad you never touched her; tell him that Larry is a liar and that you don't love her. Then we'll see which one of us she turns to."
"She won't turn to either of us because it's the same endgame either way."
"Oh, she will. Melanie is an angel, she's perfect -- but she's also a flesh and blood woman, just like you said. She has needs and those needs deserve to be fulfilled. You can't do that without money in your wallet and prospects for your future. Outside of the Drummond family circle, you can say goodbye to both of those, and Melanie won’t be far behind."
"You’re wrong bro, just way off the mark. You must know that Melanie isn’t the kind of girl to go sneaking around having affairs in the dark. She won’t accept being afraid to be seen with the person she loves."
"For a billion dollars she might change her mind about that."
The brothers lapsed into silence. There was nothing more to be said.
When they arrived at Drummond Tower, they made their way to the top floor to meet with their father. After a brief wait, they entered his office.
Even after all these years, it was still an intimidating experience to be called before the old man. Mr. Drummond had been an authoritarian father and after the departure of their mother, the boys had been raised at a distance from their single parent. The most expensive foreign boarding schools, then Ivy League colleges, and finally, the most elite MBA courses in the world. The boys had finally gotten to know their father better when they were at last deemed ready to serve the Drummond Corporation in a business capacity.
"Alex, Sebastian." He said. "Please sit."
The two men sat before him in the teak, mahogany, and leather-bound surroundings of the owner and CEO's office. The old man looked like he had been carved out of a single piece of rain forest wood himself. At 101 years old, he showed no sign whatsoever of giving up full control of his empire. To his advanced age, his two young sons, barely in their 30s, still looked like children in short pants. Occasionally he had moments of despair when he thought of them and the future of the Drummond Empire. The thought of all those billions amassed over decades going into decline was unbearable to him.
When his personal assistant Larry had informed him of his son's indiscretion, he had been shaken to the core. Alex was the favored one. If disaster was to strike, he had always presumed it would be his more wayward son Sebastian, the 'younger' one. His third son Joshua, although in his mid-twenties now, was so young to his mind that he rarely gave him any serious consideration.
He looked at his boys now with heavy gloom and disappointment.
It was a look that both Alex and Sebastian were used to, but today they could sense something worse. Something big was about to occur.
The men sat in silence and waited for their father to speak, just as they always did, just as they had been educated.
After ten infinitely long, tense, and almost unbearable minutes, he finally spoke.
"Well?" A fit of coughing overtook him.
"Father..." Sebastian rose to help but he waved his son back until the fit was over and then turned his gaze to his older son.
"Alex. Is it true, boy?"
Only one person in the world could make the wealthy and powerful playboy Alex Drummond, Junior feel like a scared little schoolboy again, and he was sitting in right there front of him.
Sebastian barely concealed his satisfied grin. Alex stared down at his shoes.
"Speak to me boy and look me in the eye like a man. Is it true?"
Alex lifted his head and stared defiantly back.
"Yes." He whispered.
"What? I can't hear you, speak up boy."
"Yes, it's true. I was with her."
The old man grunted his disapproval and glared at his favorite son with anger and withering disappointment
"This is bad, Alex. Very bad. But it's finished with now. She will be given full severance pay and you will never see her again."
Sebastian’s smirk froze and then crumbled.
"Father, a rule is a rule--"
"Shut up, boy. Did I address myself to you?"
Sebastian dropped his head again. His heart was beating faster. This wasn’t part of his plan at all.
"Don’t worry, Sebastian," Alex said, "I'm going with her. The money is yours."
"What?" The old man nearly choked on the question.
"I said I'm going with her."
"Don't talk nonsense, boy. Do you know what that means?"
"I don't care what it means. You've controlled my life since the day I was born, like a puppet with strings. It’s over now. Take your money, take your job, take your empire and keep it. I'll be free of you at last. No more control. My life will be mine for the first time ever."
"Damn it boy, what kind of fool are you? Don't you know a chance when you see it? I'm giving you a way out. Just forget this girl, this… this nobody, and continue on with your life. She's nothing; a mistake to learn from, a girl you fucked in the heat of the moment while trapped on a desert island. Even I can't blame you for that. What were you supposed to do for a whole month? It's a damn long time for a young man to go without. I may be too old for it now, but do you think I don't remember?"
Alex stared at his father with a hatred that seared the air. He stood up and took an envelope out of his pocket, placed it down on the old man’s desk.
"It's my resignation." He said. "I love Melanie and I'd rather be poor with her than become a pathetic, lonely old man like you."
He turned to go.
"Wait." His father said. "I still need you. If you're determined to throw your life away, I can't stop you. But you have a duty to this corporation and to your brothers even if you have in some misguided, irrational way contrived to vilify me in your own mind."
Alex nodded his head and sat down again. He was still a responsible businessman and captain of industry. He would carry out his duties to the letter. Tie up all loose ends.
"Of course Mr. Drummond. This is between you and me. I owe it to everyone I've worked with at Drummond Corporation to make it a smooth transition. I never intended anything different."
"Good." The old man muttered. "It's your legal contractual duty as well, so don't you forget that, boy." He turned to his other son who quickly erased the satisfied smirk from his face.
"Now you -- tell me, what's this girl to you?"
"She has a name, father." Alex said.
“Okay." His father sighed irritably. "Sebastian, this girl -- Melanie -- what is she to you?"
"Nothing." He said instantly. Alex couldn't believe his ears. His brother was a consummate liar. One month ago, he would never have thought it possible as he swore love to Melanie on the beach. He shook his head in disbelief.
"Did you fuck her as well?" His father asked.
"Certainly not. She's an employee. Nothing would induce me to break corporate rules father, to say nothing of your personal wishes, and certainly not with some little flight attendant. My God, the very thought is ridiculous. Do you think I would risk the girl losing her job just to satisfy a temporary need on a desert island?"
"What do you have to say to this, Alex? Is it true? Were you the only one who couldn't control his lust? Or did Sebastian make a play but you beat him to it, the way you beat him at everything else?"
Alex considered his response. Somehow, he still loved his little brother. Somehow, he still believed in him, that he would eventually come around. Even if Sebastian were content to hang his own brother out to dry, he would not be a party to the same behavior.
"I can't speak for him, father. If you don't trust him, then that's your choice. I've told you my relationship to Melanie and that's all that counts."
"Very well then." He nodded his head. "Let's have the girl in as well."
Alex’s heart began to beat rapidly, his palms growing moist with perspiration. Melanie would soon know just how real his love for her was. This was it: the real moment of truth. She would see exactly what he was giving up to be with her. No more confusion, no more muddy lies from Sebastian to complicate things; just the pure honest to God truth.
Meanwhile, Sebastian examined his fingernails and prepared himself for what was to come. He was nearly there. Sure, Melanie might be temporarily moved by Alex. But he would lay the foundations for her eventual return to him, as surely as he had maneuvered her into being their flight attendant on the trip to Tahiti, as deftly as he had taken her to bed on the plane, and as expertly as he had taken her on the island while his brother lay sleeping. Everything in good time.
Melanie was ushered into the room by Larry. She looked afraid, intimidated and tremulous, yet defiant.
The brothers watched her in awe. She was more beautiful to them now than she had ever been on the island, and now she was here to declare her love and be claimed by her lover. Alex was sure of her love as he was of his own heartbeat. Sebastian, on the other hand, was sure of her future possession as he was of the memory of having taken her first.
"Please take a seat, Melanie." Mr. Drummond said.
"Thank you."
"Do you know why you're here?" He asked.
She took a moment to clear her throat and find her courage. Alex was afraid to take a breath. Sebastian watched cautiously, guarding his feelings.
"Frankly, no I don't." She said, her defiance returning.
"Are you familiar with the Drummond Airlines Human Resources code?"
"Oh, I know the rules alright. I just don't know why they exist and why they are being applied in this case."
"You sound defiant, Melanie. I'm not surprised. Who wouldn't be with such a large fortune at stake?"
"I don't care about your money, old man." The billionaire brothers sat with their mouths open. No one, but no one in their 31 years had ever spoken to Mr. Drummond like that. Alex’s heart was bursting with pride; Sebastian’s with fear. How defiant was she really? Could he eventually take her given the right amount of time? If Mr. Drummond was shocked, he betrayed no evidence of his reaction.
"I learned how to survive on the pennies you paid me as a flight attendant and I can make those pennies anywhere else. You can't threaten me with a life of poverty because I already live there."
Mr. Drummond smiled.
"And you're happy to take my son there with you, I presume?"
Melanie stared back at him, considering her response. She was angry, but this was her crossroads. If she really wanted to, she could renounce both men and save them from the loss of their wealth. What difference would it make to her anyway? She would struggle to survive either way.
Alternatively, if she wanted to, she could defy this arrogant old man and take Alex at his word that he would do anything to be with her. She could declare her love for him here and now, making her beloved a poor man for the rest of his life. Better yet, if she wanted to, she could strike a blow to the very heart of the Drummond Corporation and tell the whole truth about their love triangle on the island. Would he really banish two of his sons from the family circle? She could reveal their plan to trick him in order to take care of each other and of her, defrauding the Drummond Corporation of money in order to sustain the lives of two people who had chosen to break the rules.
Melanie had been powerless all her life, just struggling to get by, but suddenly, and only for the next few moments, would she have the power to decide the destiny of kings and princes of industry. She could make or ruin a dynasty of powerful men. Billions of dollars would change hands with just a few words of truth or deception from her lips.
But it was a one-time-only opportunity. Once used, the power was gone forever.
"Mr. Drummond," she said, "I don't want your money, or your sons."
"Melanie!" Alex Junior cried. "Don’t say that. Please, you don't mean it."
"Let the girl speak." Alex Senior shouted. "Melanie, continue."
"You can fire me. I don't care. I'll get another job somewhere, no matter who you think you are. This is a big country and a free one. I'll get by. I don't want either of your sons to follow me. This is their life right here and both of them are needed by the thousands of people in this corporation."
Mr. Drummond smiled and then gave a slow clap.
"Bravo Melanie, bravo. Pity you aren't my daughter. Instead, I have these two numbskull boys for progeny. Maybe I should fire them and hire you instead."
Alex ignored his father’s remarks. "Melanie. I won't let you do this. I've already tendered my resignation and I'll follow you to the ends of the earth, whether you'll take me or not. I made up my mind when I first met you; I just didn’t quite know it myself. You won't achieve anything by pretending you don't love me. There's no point. I'm not Alex Drummond Junior, billionaire anymore. I'm just Alex, the guy who fell in love with you on a tropical island in the sun. That's all you need to know."
Melanie looked into his eyes, his beautiful brown eyes with the intent stare that had captivated her since the first moment they met. Words failed her and tears of joy came to her eyes. It was too much for her to resist.
"Oh, Alex." She gasped and threw herself into his open arms.
"You see, father?" Sebastian glowered. "They just won't see reason. This is hopeless. Melanie, there's no need for you to do this. You can leave the company with a generous severance package. I'll help you get a job somewhere else or retrain for something new you'd like to do. Alex can continue on with his life as before."
"Last chance, son." Alex Senior pushed the resignation letter back across his desk. "Take this piece of stupidity back and resume your place next to your brother at Drummond Corporation where you are needed. If you walk out that door today with her, then there is no coming back. Ever."
Alex hugged Melanie tightly to him and whispered in her ear. "You've just given me the world, sweetheart. I'm the happiest man on earth today." Then he turned to his father, Melanie still cradled in his arms.
"Goodbye, father." he said. "And good luck, Sebastian. Anything you need my help for, you know how to reach me." With that, he gathered Melanie to his arms again and walked out of his father's office forever.
Melanie couldn't think or speak. He had meant it all along. Alex had said he would give it all up for her, and he had. He had paid for her with a fortune counted in the billions. Tonight she would give herself to him as no woman had given herself to a man in the history of womankind. Just the two them -- Melanie and Alex -- two young people in love.