TWO

"WHAT EXACTLY is your work here?!" Jason Lyndon yelled at his PA, Julia Anderson, whose face was downhearted. "Do I pay you to slack off at your work and let such a stupid rumor like this spread?"

"Calm down, Jason." Brad Bruce, Jason's best friend, placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure she's trying to find a way to solve this problem. Chill out, okay? You're scaring her."

Jason took a long deep breath. Then turned to Julia, pointing a long finger at her face. "I don't care how you're gonna do it but fix this!" He said firmly with clenched teeth. Then he took a breath and added calmly. "Please."

"Yes! Boss." Julia said fidgety. Just as she was about to leave, her phone rang. She excused herself and took the call. After a moment later she returned with the phone. "It's your father, Boss. He wants to have a word with you at The Lyndon's Manor."

"Tell him I'm busy."

"He said he has a solution to your problems."

Jason's brow pleated with frowns line as he fixed an angry stare at her. Julia lowered her eyes in submission like a Chihuahua who had come face-on with an aggressive Pitbull.

"Fine! Tell him I'd meet with him!" Jason puffed as he walked past her with his friend right behind him, leaving Julia, who was now talking as collected as possible to Jason's father at the other end of the phone.

"Are you really going to see him?!" Brad queried. "Haven't it been like four years since you last met up with him?"

"I don't wanna meet him, but he seems to have a solution to my problems, so I guess I've gotta swallow my pride and just meet up with him." He shrugged his shoulders dismissively. "Even though I hate his guts."

"I'm one hundred percent sure there's a catch," Brad said with certainty. "Your father never gives anything free of charge. You should keep that in mind."

They both strode towards their Ferraris parked at Jason's mansion driveway. Jason loathed everything about his Dad. He'd always been a control freak trying to Lord everyone and making choices for them that only benefited him. He was a vile dictator.

First, with his mom, he'd turned a popular balladeer into a mere housewife who only did as he said. He crushed her career and caged her. He never let her out and when he did he monitored all her movements. She'd bottled up all that pain and torment until one day he drove her to the edge and she disappeared.

Jason's father had gone berserk looking for her. He swept the entire country looking for her but he couldn't find her. It was as if she disappeared in thin air. There was absolutely no trace of her. She must have planned her escape for a rattling long time. After she left, Jason's father turned his aggression right on his 10-year-old son and blamed him for literally everything. Whenever he was in a bad mood, he'd take it out on him. He got himself into drinking, bringing all sorts of women home. Some of his women had even made advances on him.

Jason cringed with disgust as he recalled a moment when he was 14 and one of his Father's women had stripped right in front of him and began to touch herself.

She'd dressed up and left the moment he threatened her with calling the cops if she didn't leave.

He'd been extremely relieved at that time but he paid for the consequences of his actions the moment his father arrived. The vixen must have twisted the story to favor her.

He had been so close to running away from home but he had been a minor and couldn't fend for himself. So he just put up with the torture till he was capable of making his own money. He officially left home at 17, after high school, and pursued his musical career.

His father had always been strongly against his musical career. He'd wanted him to study engineering to be able to take over his company when he retired.

But Jason wasn't having any of that. He'd slapped the offer right on his face and hightailed it.

Jason hated his father for all he'd done to him but he hated his mother more. She knew the kind of man his father was and didn't have the decency to take him with her. She'd left her vulnerable 10-year-old son at the mercy of a totally mad man.

Just before they each got into their car's driver's seat. Brad motioned with his hands. "Hey! Don't forget we're attending Jeff's engagement party tomorrow."

Jason frowned his brows, confused. "Who's Jeff?"

"Jeff. My cousin." He sighed, glaring at his friend's still confused face. "The one dating your rich-ass die-hard fan. The one you promised to sing at their engagement party if they ever get to that stage."

"Oh!" Jason replied casually.

Jason recollected meeting the billionaire hotelier's daughter, Ashley Shawn, on a get-together with his close friends a few months ago when Jeff had introduced her to everyone as his girlfriend.

Most of the guys were jealous of his trophy girlfriend but he wasn't the slightest bit. He knew she was just another rich, spoiled brat.

Clinging on to him, She had fluttered her lashes and told him she loved him and was his die-fan. And tipsily, he'd made a toast to sing at their engagement if they ever got to that point.

"Seriously, your brain is like a sieve."

"What time is it?"

"Eleven-ish."

"I'll be there."

"See ya..." Brad called getting into his car. He folded the top of his convertible and pulled up just a little closer to his friend's car, who was already in his driver's seat. He added with sincerity. "Good luck with your Dad."

With that, he drove off. Jason watched his car disappear in the distance as he turned the engine on. Brad was a friend anyone could ever ask for. He was the only one who encouraged and supported his dream. He'd even let him crash at his house for years when he'd left home before he could get his own apartment. He'd been there when no one else was. He wasn't just a friend to him. He was his brother.

Jason swerved in the other direction leading to his family's mansion. He hadn't been there for like ages. He had had lots of nightmares living in that house and still bore painful memories that he wished he could erase. And, most importantly, he wanted absolutely nothing to do with his father. EVER!

But here he was, driving into the one place he swore never to return and about to receive help from the one man he abhorred. Jason contemplated leaving there and just dealing with his problems by himself, but his case was way beyond him. At the rate at which the rumor was circulating, he could be prosecuted anytime and would lose his hard-earned career and fame.

Jason was well aware of the connections his father had, he was capable of making his situation disappear like it never existed by just pulling one or two strings. But as Brad had said earlier, he never gives anything for free. Not to anyone. Not even his son.

•        *        *

"WELCOME, YOUNG SIR." The old butler saluted Jason in his usual British accent. "It's been ages."

Jason gave him a small smile. He still called him ‘Young sir’? After all these years? "Yeah! Thank you." He was surprised that the old man was still alive. He's been old for as long as he could remember.  His father had never shown any form of respect to the old man yet he'd remained loyal to him. The fact he still works with his father after all these years baffled him. "Where's Father?"

"In his study waiting for you." He answered courteously. He made a hand gesture. "This way."

Jason followed him to his father's study. His father was seated behind a computer, tapping away and smoking a Cigar. He quenched the cigar bar in an ashtray by his side the moment the butler informed him his son had arrived.

He moved from his computer seat to a sofa and made a hand gesture, pointing towards the couch by his side. "Have a seat."

Jason ignored him, standing still as he said firmly. "What is it that you want this time?"

"I think you've gotten this whole scenario wrong. You're the one who needs my help."

"Which I don't recall asking for."

Case Lyndon sighed softly. "Can we not fight each other whenever we meet?"

"And you think that's my fault?!" Jason retorted with a lifted brow.

Case annoyed with his son's attitude, flared up. "I never said..." He breathed deeply, calming himself down. Then he added in a softer tone. "Can we please not fight? Not today?"

Jason sat down slowly at the seat he was offered earlier. He was stunned by his father's restraints. He was never like this. Ever. They would have gone on and on arguing for about an hour. Was he seeing a therapist or something? What's with the rapid change in attitude?

Jason wanted to ask him all that but he swallowed his curiosity, focusing on what was at stake. "Why did you call me over? You said you have a solution to my problems. So, let's hear it."

"Tea?" Case asked him with a smile.

Jason grimaced. "Seriously?"

"Okay. Fine. Straight to the point" He threw his hands up in defeat. "I'll make the scandalous rumors about you and the teenage actress go away. Disappear like they never happened. You're my son and probably my successor there's no way I'd let you go down this way."

"Okay? So what's the catch? What's in it for you?"

"What makes you think there is any?"

Jason wasn't buying it one bit. "Father. I'm 33, not 13. I've known you for a very long time. I know there's always something you want in return. What is it? I'm a very busy man."

"Fine. All I want is for you to marry The Smithson's daughter, Diane. That's all." He shrugged off. "I mean it won't be that difficult, would it? You've been friends with each other since you were teenagers and probably even had feelings for each other once. And from the looks of it, I think she has a thing for you."

Jason shook his head. He wasn't the least bit surprised. He would have been even more surprised if his father had been considerate of him. But for a moment there, a very slight moment, he'd almost convinced himself that his father had changed.

Jason changed to an upright sitting position, linking his fingers together. " You want me to marry Diana and you'll help me out?" His father nodded in agreement. Jason unlinks his fingers, spreading them out. "Why? I'm sure you don't give a rat ass about my love life, so why exactly do you want me to marry Diane? At least, I have a right to know why I'm getting into this marriage."

"Well... Nothing much." Jason gave him the I'm-not-buying-that look. Then he added. "Okay, I'm going to spare you the whole boring business stuff. The bottom line is, that Jared Smithson has finally agreed to my proposal of a merger agreement, but his only condition is a marriage between you and his only daughter, Diane. The Smithsons are the only ones close enough to be my adversary in this business and you know what they say; Keep your friends close and your enemy closer. If everything goes smoothly son, Lyndon Group will be even greater.

"So you want me in a marriage of convenience just to feed your greed and ego?"

Case scowled. "I'm not just doing this for me, Son. I'm doing this for you too. I'm trying to broaden our company and leave behind a legacy for you and your future kids to carry on so when you finally realize you've been wasting your time on that silly hobby of yours and decide to make your life useful, you'd have something to fall back on. How can you not see I'm doing all this for you?"

Jason snickered. "You're so twisted, you know that right? You're not doing this for me, Father. You're doing this for yourself. I've never been interested in your stupid company from the start and I'll never be. So stop acting like you care about me and my future kids, 'cause the both of us know you don't." He rose from his seat and spoke with gutsiness. "I'm not getting married to Diane Smithson. And about my scandal, I'll fix it myself."

With that, he walked away. When he was just about to leave the door, his father spat out angrily behind him. "You're just like your mother. You're both ungrateful."

Jason banged the door behind him storming off furiously unaware of the butler's farewell.