A Deal With The Devil In Armani

NICO The traffic moves even slower than I expected. It’s past seven p.m., and I’m stuck. I glance at my wristwatch and curse under my breath. It’s obvious that I will be late for this dinner. Again. The cars ahead of me crawl slowly, frustrating me. I can already picture what tonight is going to be like, the judgement on Grand mama’s face when I walk into the house thirty minutes past the set time. Grandmamma hates us being late for family dinner. I'm about to be subjected to a thirty minutes lecture of how tardiness shows that I will not make a good leader. Beside me, my phone lights up, ringing. It is my younger sister, Anastasia calling, probably to ask where I am. I ignore it. I would soon arrive anyway. Tonight is the monthly Van Der Bilt family reunion. As tradition, the entire family gathers at Grand mama’s house for dinner, to 'bond' as a family - in reality, it meant to talk about business. Grandmamma always says that keeping the sanctity of the family is very important. According to her, family should be the most important thing to all of us. I used to believe that as a kid, used to believe that family was the most precious, sacred thing in the world. But as I grew up, I began to realize how wrong I was. Family was simply a means to an end. Business was the only thing that mattered to the Van Der Bilts. Anything else was unimportant. Money, power, wealth and fame - those were the pillars of the family. Left to many of us, we will rather not be there, but Grandmamma rules the house with an iron fist. She makes it compulsory and no one dares disobey her. I arrive at the Van Der Bilt mansion around seven thirty– the family house where my Grandmamma stays, where we will be having dinner. There are cars already parked in the garage which shows me that most of my aunts, uncles and cousins have already arrived. I bring the car to a stop and climb out of it, locking the door. I adjust my jacket, then, begin to walk towards the house. Just as I raise my hand to knock, the door is flung open by none other than my younger sister, Anastasia. "Hey!" She exclaims, throwing her arms around me in a hug. "How did you know I was here?" I ask. "I was looking out the window for you," she answers as I step in. She closes the door behind me. A flash of flaming red hair belonging to my cousin’s daughter, Riri dashes past the living room to the kitchen. "What's the situation?" I ask Anastasia as I shrug off my suit. "Grandmamma is pissed off at you," she answers, brushing her hands through her hair to adjust it. She looks up at me. "She thinks you don't take this family serious." "She's right," I answer. There are very few members of the family I actually give a s**t about. "Well, don't tell her that. She has been making subtle remarks at Mum and her inability to raise children properly. Dad is also angry at you. Vincent is in there, enjoying himself thoroughly and talking Grand mama’s ears off about his plans when he becomes CEO." I tighten my fist at that. "Lastly, Theodore is nowhere to be found." I pause. "Interesting." Theodore is my younger brother, and the golden child of the family. He never fails to attend the family dinner, and he's never late. "Do you know why?" "No. I've been calling and texting and he has been ignoring me," Anastasia answers. "Here we go," she says, pausing in front of the dining room. She pushes the door open. The moment we step in, all conversations cease. All eyes turn on us, staring at me, most especially, with judgement written all over their faces. There is a short, tense and awkward silence as Anastasia and I walk in, heading towards the table. "Hello," I say, curt and brief, pulling a chair out. "You are late," Grandmamma snaps. Her voice is surprisingly loud and sharp for her age. Her eyes narrow into slits as they fix on me."Why are you late, Nico?" I take my seat. "Work," I reply flatly. Silence falls, thick and tense. No one dares to even breathe. "Nico," she says, her tone even sharper than before, "I will not take this disrespect from you. You need to learn to prioritize this family." I meet her stare, jaw tight, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. It would only make things worse. Anastasia shifts slightly beside me, smoothing her napkin into her lap, careful not to look up. "I said I was working," I repeat, this time slower, my voice hard as steel. Grandmamma leans forward, her thin fingers curling around the glass of wine in her hands. "And yet, here we all are, on time. Even your cousin Vincent, and he flew in from London this morning." I glance at Vincent and he has a smug smile on his face. "But of course," Grandmamma continues, her tone getting sharper by the minute, "you always think you're the exception, don't you, Nico?" I don't answer. There's no point. She lets the silence stretch, a skill she has perfected over decades. Finally, she sits back in her chair, takes a slow sip of wine, and turns her attention elsewhere, dismissing me silently. I glance at Anastasia . She gives me a small, sympathetic look before turning to chitchat with one of our cousins. Conversation slowly resumes around the table, cautious at first, then picks up pace. Everyone silently choosing to pretend that nothing just happened. Carefully, I open the dish before me and pick up my cutlery. When I look up, I notice my mum watching me from across the table. “Have you heard from your brother?” she asks. “No.” The word comes out flat. Theodore and I haven’t been close in years. I don’t know why she still expects me to keep tabs on him. She frowns slightly but doesn’t press further, turning instead to rejoin whatever discussion my aunt is leading about some charity gala. I focus on my food, cutting into it with more precision than necessary, tuning out the noise around me. Beside me, Anastasia laughs softly at something one of my cousins says, her voice light and effortless. When I look up again, I find Grandmamma watching me, her expression icy. I stare back at her, matching her gaze. Eventually, she looks away and I inwardly pat myself on the back for winning this round. Irritated by the chattering going on around me, and the smug smiles Vincent keeps sending my way, I push my chair backwards and rise to my feet, heading for the inbuilt bar, located at the corner of the room. I reach out to grab a glass and a bottle of wine. I pop the bottle open and fill up my glass. “Any for me?” I hear a voice ask. I glance over my shoulder. Claire, one of my cousins, is leaning against the edge of the bar, one eyebrow slightly raised, amusement flickering in her eyes. Claire is Aunt Susan first child and daughter, in her early-thirties, married to the son of a business tycoon, Seth (who is just on his way to being the tycoon himself) and mother to the vivacious red-haired Riri. She slides on to the barstool in front of the counter. “Helping yourself?” she asks. “I needed something stronger than water,” I reply, filling up my glass and passing the bottle to her. She takes it from my hand. “You look like you are plotting something,” she says as she fills her glass and drops the half empty bottle on the table. I raise my glass slightly. “Just pouring myself a drink.” She hums, clearly still amused, raising her glass to her lips. “You know, you could try being on time once. Just to shock everyone.” “And deprive Vincent of his five minutes of smugness?” I glance toward the table where he’s chatting animatedly, probably telling a story about how awesome he is, gesturing dramatically. “I wouldn’t dream of it.” She laughs under her breath. “He’s been insufferable tonight.” “He’s insufferable every night.” “True.” She looks around briefly. “Where is Theodore?” My brows tighten in displeasure. “How would I know?” She gives me a knowing look. “He’s your brother. Just because you are not close doesn’t…” “That’s an understatement,” I interrupt, lifting my glass to my lips. She sighs. “Okay, fine.” There is a short pause. We watch the family over the rims of our glasses. Then, Claire says, “Guess what?” I raise a brow. “What?” She grins. “There’s a pack of weed in my purse.” I almost burst out laughing. “You’re lying.” “I’m not.” “You brought weed to Grandmamma’s house?” Claire shrugs, completely unbothered. “It’s called being prepared.” I let out a quiet laugh, shaking my head. “You’re unbelievable.” “You’re welcome,” she replies sweetly. “If this dinner gets any more unbearable, we’re taking a walk.” “To the garden?” “To the far end of the garden,” she corrects. “Behind the hedges. I’ve already scouted it.” I stare at her. “You planned this?” “I plan for everything. Unlike some people.” I chuckle again. I’m suddenly taken back to when we were teenagers, sneaking around to parties, drinking and smoking. Claire has always been my partner-in-crime. For the first time since I walked in, the tightness in my chest eases slightly. Claire studies me over the rim of her glass. “There. You look better.” We stand in silence for a moment, watching the table from a distance. Vincent is mid-story, laughing too loudly at something only he finds amusing. His wife, Anna, nods her head and smiles at him, encouraging him. He turns his head slightly and catches us looking. Our eyes lock. His smile widens. “Brace yourself,” Claire murmurs. I watch as Vincent excuses himself from the table and makes his way toward us. Despite my hatred for the man, even I could admit that he had a commanding presence. He was tall and huge, towering over almost anyone. His eyes were deep and piercing… “Nico,” he says smoothly as he approaches, adjusting the cuff of his suit. “Decided to join us after all.” “I was here the whole time,” I reply, my voice flat, signifying that I wasn’t interested in whatever this. “Physically,” he clarifies, glancing at my drink. “Though I suppose punctuality has never been your strength.” “Oh, no, I value punctuality. I just don’t pretend that this is more important than it actually is.” “I’m sure Grandmama would love to hear that you don’t care about the family.” “I’m sure she would.” A flicker of irritation briefly crosses his face but is immediately replaced with a tight smile. “Well, Grandmama was just talking about how important family is and I agree. In fact, I told her that I believe anyone who is to take over must be very adept with family. Do you know anyone like that, Nicolas?” The tone of his voice is mocking, grating on my nerves. My hand involuntarily forms into a fist. Claire drops her glass on the counter. “Okay, Vin, that’s more than enough. Why don’t you return to your wife? I’m sure she is waiting for you.” Vin glances down at my fist, a satisfied smirk on his face. “Oh, I’m done here anyway.”He turns around and saunters back to the table. My fingers tighten around my glass, my knuckles turning white. I’m so irritated by his words but even more irritated that I let him get a rise out of me. Claire turns to me. “Nicolas, don’t let him get into your head, okay? Despite what anyone might say, Grandmama knows you are the best person for the…” “I think I’m going to head out,” I cut her off. “I have a long day tomorrow.” She sighs. “Alright, then. Just let them know before...” The door to the dining room opens, interrupting her. My brother, Theodore steps into the room, hand-in- hand with his girlfriend, Rose. "Sorry we are late!" Rose announces in her usual cheery, animated voice that usually grates my nerves. “I wonder where they might be coming from,” Claire remarks quietly. At that moment, Theo raises Rose’s hand, announcing, "We got engaged!" A sudden hush falls in the room. What? There is a loud ringing in my ears. "Oh my God," Anastasia is the first person to find her voice. Shoving her chair backwards, she jumps up and pulls Rose into a hug. "Congratulations!" The room is suddenly alive again as everyone rises to their feet to hug and congratulate the happy couple. Rose’s hand remain permanently up as she flashes the ring in everyone’s face, a huge smile on her face. I remain rooted in the same position, my gaze fixed on Theodore as she shakes hands and hugs everyone and gracefully receives their congratulations. He raises his head and our eyes meet. Quietly, he whispers something into Rose’s ears and excuses himself, walking towards us. “Congratulations, Theodore!” Claire exclaims, throwing her arms around him to hug him. “Thanks, Claire,” he responds, hugging her. She releases him. “I’m going to leave you two to… talk. Yeah,” she walks away, calling out to my sister. “Hey, big bro,” Theo says. I stare at him, trying to find my voice, but remaining speechless. I glance at Rose who is still showing off the huge rock to Grandmamma who is now fussing all over her. I can feel my stomach twisting, my head slowly starting to ache and the ringing in my ears becoming louder. “Not even a congratulations?” he jokes, with a smile, but there is a strain around his eyes. “Yeah…” His words jerk me back to reality. “Congratulations,” I respond in a gruff tone, snatching up my coat and heading for the door. As I walk towards the door, I slowly tune out my environment. I can faintly hear the sound of Claire or Anastasia’s voice calling out to me. I open the door, walk out of the room, and slam it shut.