Chapter Fifty-three Evan Sterling's POV (Ten Years Before)

Immediately after I entered the house, one of the maids told me my parents were waiting for me in my father's study. Wanting to get the suspense over with, I strode there not bothering to go and change. My mother was sitting on a leather couch by the side wall and my father was standing by the paneled glass wall.
It became obvious how he found out I had just arrived. My mother rose to come and give me a welcoming hug, but I noticed she was avoiding meeting my gaze. My father didn't bother to acknowledge me. And even when he turned around he simply said, "How was your trip?"
"As expected, sir," I said, withdrawing from my mother after I had dropped a kiss on her forehead to hold my hands behind my back. A habit I had formed right from when I was little. Respecting my parents was automatic and the habit was now part of me.
"Come, sit down, son," my mother urged. I frowned, reverting my eyes to her. My stomach clenched and now I could feel an unusual tension in the room.
"It’s okay, mother, I will stand," I said.
"Quit babying him, Charlotte! He is a grown man!" my father snapped as he strode to stand behind his desk, reaching for the case of cigars, he opened it and picked one, and for the craziest moment, I thought I saw his hands shake as he lifted one to his lips. Edward Sterling’s hand shaking?! Just what the hell is going on? I thought with my eyes darting from one to the other, studying the two.
"Regardless, he will always be my child!" my mother replied in somewhat suppressed anger and I would know. I was way closer to my mother than my father just like every male child. And I was aware of how much she always strived to keep on a polite smile even when it was absolutely undeserved. There was something serious going on here, I thought.
"Did something happen?" I asked in evident apprehension.
"I don't know how to say this, so, I'm just going to say it—" my father said, sounding gruff.
But before he could say more my mother hissed angrily and said, "Your father had the bright idea to launder money for a drug lord and now the MLARS has started to sniff around!"
"What?!" I said in utter shock. My voice was barely audible. ‘What?!’ the word resounded in my head.
"It is a bad thing now that it is found out! When you were busy enjoying all the luxury that came with all the under-the-table dealings, you didn’t find it so appalling then!" My father raged back.
"Can you even hear yourself?! I trusted you to handle that part of the business, and you brought in criminals! My family legacy would be in ruins because of your idiocy and greed!"
"Your family’s legacy?! Do you think it was your family – goddamn – legacy that kept this house running through all the inflations and depressions over the years?! Perhaps you are not as bright as I thought you to be!"
"Silence!" I yelled. And because I have never done so in my parents' presence, least of all directed at them, it was quite effective.
For the life of me, I couldn't believe what I was hearing. The very impact of what I was hearing was crumbling. With chest heaving, I met my father's gaze and asked the only question I was interested in the answer.
"What do they have?"
"Hearsays--" he replied, I supposed he understood I realized there was no point dwelling on the 'have-I-knows' but the solution. I nodded.
"That's all it's needed for them to start an investigation. What solution do you have?"
"I have someone who wants a partnership with us; in return, he will make our little problem go away."
"A partnership?" I asked tensing up. ‘Quite convenient,’ I thought with suspicion.
My old man looked me straight in the eye, and said, "He wants a merger between his family merchant bank and ours with fifty per cent equal shares and to make that solid he thought it would be best if …"
"If..." I urged with clenched teeth. I wasn’t surprised there was more. It was clear this was blackmail, and the fact that my father was entertaining it meant our situation was quite dire. I tightened my fist by my side.
"To secure the partnership he wants you to marry his daughter," he supplied. For about a minute, I stayed still, looking at him, wanting to believe I heard wrong.
"Say that again," I said with gritted teeth, holding his gaze and he looked back at me, peering into my eyes, and I was certain he could see well enough my rage in them.
"Evan--" my mother started to interrupt but my father cut her off.
"I know you heard me, Evan Elijah Sterling," my father said, leaving his desk to come and stand right in front of me in a commanding stance.
"I can agree to the merger after we review their books, a merchant bank isn't so bad to have in the mix, but marry his daughter? Don't you think that is a little strange not to mention extreme and totally fucked up, sir!" I said with clenched teeth.
"Compare to what we have to lose? I say fuck it, you go about sleeping with everything in a skirt anyway, perhaps it is time you settle down. In the long run, we have more to gain if you play your cards right.”
"Like you played yours when you marry me!" my mother said coldly coming to stand by the two of us.
"Stay out of this, Charlotte!"
"Stay out of what?! He is my son!"
"I don’t think there's any need to argue about this," I said and the two of them directed their gazes at me. "I can't marry his daughter. I am already taken," I said. My father paled. My mother gasped. My father was the first to recover. His face went all red with anger and his eyes were literally throwing daggers at me.
"What the fuck did you just say to me, boy?! You may think you are all grown and a man now, but I made you what you are today. So, don’t go thinking this will not affect you. If you let this go south, we — every single one of us will go down!" my father said. I swallowed, unrelenting, taking a stand and refusing to give in.
"As I said, sir, I will agree to the merger after I have reviewed their books, so I know we are not bringing in a sinking ship to sink further with us. But as for the marriage thing. My answer is no. Secondly, I will like you to get me all the records of these transactions, so I can see if we have a plan B."
"We don't have the luxury of time!" he yelled.
"In that case, we are pretty screwed, sir — pardon my French."
"Do you have any idea of what is at stake? We will lose everything, everything! We will be bankrupt. No one would want anything to do with us. We will lose this house, your grandparents' legacy –- everything!"
"Yes, sir. I am aware. I suppose you should have thought of the consequences before you did what you did."
I saw his hand move, and I saw him rear back, but I didn't try to dodge. I let his palm hit my face not once not twice. And I didn't react until my mother tried to stop him and he shoved her back. Then I reached for his wrist and leaned forward with our faces almost touching, and said, "The answer is still no, father. We should probably get to plan B."
Drawing back, I straightened my suit, reached for my mother and shepherded her out of the office.