The Long Road Home

Chapter Five

Twenty Years Later

Fin sighed, looking out over the city from his office. With a grimace, he tugged at his collar. Even after all this time, he still felt uncomfortable and out of place, like he was playing a role never meant for him, like an understudy suddenly thrust into the spotlight after the star dropped out. He turned and headed back to his desk, reflecting.

When Gus left, abandoning everything, he left chaos in his wake. Fin still remembered that day when he headed to the office with his father to confront his brother. Instead, they were greeted by Wyatt, Gus’s lawyer friend, and presented with an official resignation. Effective immediately, Gus was stepping down as CEO.

At first, they couldn’t believe it. But Wyatt assured them it was true. Not only had Gus quit, but he also sold off all his shares, liquidating all his assets before skipping town. Looking into it themselves, they found it was all true. Gus had sold off his condo as well as his cars. He closed all his accounts and sold off his investments even if they were below his own purchase price.

Fin wanted to search for him immediately, but they had bigger problems. Without Gus and his shares, they no longer had a controlling interest in the company. Ronin immediately assumed the CEO position and hurriedly arranged to buy back as many shares as he could before the Board members or public became aware of the fiasco.

It had taken some time, but finally, between the two of them, they were once again able to secure the majority vote. Luckily, Gus had been preparing for his honeymoon, so the company continued running on track without too much interference while they shored up their position. However, they couldn’t keep the secret of Gus leaving forever. Especially after Bianca’s father, Barclay, got involved.

Apparently, she wasted no time in bringing her grievances home and a storm between them quickly brewed. Ronin fended him off for weeks before he finally started pressing the Board. Rumors started circulating, dragging the Kimball name through the gossip pages. Eventually, the Board started asking questions about Gus’s sudden departure and the truth was hard to hide and even harder to explain.

Attacked on several fronts, Ronin finally admitted defeat. The wedding would go on as planned with Fin as the groom. Even the memory left Fin a sour taste in his mouth. If he didn’t agree to the wedding, Barclay would continue chipping away at their family's integrity and pressure their investors. It would mean a slow death to their family legacy and though Ronin pitied Fin, ultimately this mess was his to clear up.

Fin eventually gave in and agreed to the marriage, but he didn’t go into it without making his own arrangements. One of which was an ironclad prenup. If Bianca so much as thought about cheating, it was grounds for an immediate termination and she would get nothing. He still recalled her face when he presented his terms for this farce of a marriage.

* * *

Bianca smirked as she stepped into Fin’s office. She thought she had won, but she had no idea what was coming. Sitting in a chair, she said, “I told you, you should have gone along with my idea.”

Fin rolled his eyes, tossing a folder at her, and said, “Sign this.”

“What’s this?” Bianca frowned.

“A prenup.”

“A what?”

“You heard. You should pay close attention to the third paragraph, outlining the consequences of infidelity.”

He had a long conversation with Wyatt while drafting the papers, so he was confident that it was airtight. To say Wyatt was upset with Fin was putting it mildly, but if it meant screwing with the woman who had broken his friend, then he was all in. There was no way she could fight it. It was the only failsafe he could make for himself.

“Oh, come on, Fin,” Bianca shoved the paper aside. “As long as you take care of me and keep me happy, you’ll never have to worry about that.”

It was Fin’s turn to smirk, “Now, that’s a problem because I’m willing to spend the rest of my life ruining yours.”

Bianca’s smile faded.

“You want your wedding fine, but I’m going to devote the rest of my life making you utterly miserable, till death do us part.”

“You can’t do that.”

“The hell I can’t,” Fin chuckled, pushing the prenup back toward her. “Sign it or the wedding is off.”

“If-if you don’t marry me, my dad will ruin you.”

“Not before I ruin you,” Fin said. “I couldn’t care less about the company. Let it crumble. So long as I bury your reputation, it’s worth it. So, what will it be, Bianca? Disgrace or misery?”

* * *

The wedding was a grand affair since Barclay insisted on wiping away the rumors he had created. Fin provided Bianca with a lavish condo and gave her free rein to decorate it as she pleased. However, she had a strict ten-thousand-dollar monthly allowance to spend as she pleased and not a penny more. Fin was certain Barclay supplemented the allowance, but that meant little to him.

Let the old man waste his money if he wanted.

As far as the condo went, Fin had never set foot in it. He had his own place closer to the office and far from her. They had never shared a bed and rarely shared a meal. The latter was only because his mother insisted on a family dinner once a month. It was an excruciating hour-long ordeal. Other than that, he only had to endure Bianca’s presence for the occasional gala or charity event.

Bianca whined that he was cold and distant, but it didn’t bother him. He had been thrust into a position he couldn’t stand, so fair was fair. Once the ring was on her finger, he told her in no uncertain terms that she would spend the rest of her nights alone. That was his promise and the prenup guaranteed her ruin should she try to escape her fate. Fin promised her misery and he would deliver.

“Well, well, there he is.”

Fin turned to see Wyatt enter. Despite what had happened, they kept the lawyer on as retainer. Fin was of two minds when it concerned him. For one, he was Gus’s friend and his loyalty was appreciated. On the other hand, this man had to have information concerning Gus’s location and contact information.

“Hello, Wyatt,” Fin said, calmly taking a seat behind the desk. “I don’t remember asking for you.”

“Ah, you know you don’t have to do that,” Wyatt smiled. “I enjoy our weekly visits.”

Fin scowled.

“So, any little ones on the horizon?” Wyatt asked.

“You jumping on my mother’s bandwagon? She couldn’t stand Bianca twenty years ago after everything went down, but ever since the wedding she’s been pushing for grandchildren.”

“Well, she has a point, if you want the family legacy to continue.”

“And if I don’t?” Fin challenged.

Wyatt raised a brow.

“My brother and I were nothing but pawns, and I’m tired of the game,” Fin said. “They made me take this damn chair and Fergus’s place. They have to face their comeuppance too.”

Wyatt smirked. As much as he despised Fin for what he did to Gus, he had to respect the man now. Twenty years ago, Fin drifted through life without a plan and no responsibilities. Since then, he had grown into his own. It helped that he had a goal, even if that was simply ruining Bianca’s life. Fin may never be equal to his brother, but he was at least standing on his own feet. He was certain even Gus would agree with that.

Fin sighed, “So, are you going to tell me where my brother went?”

“Attorney-client privilege,” Wyatt replied. “Even if I wanted to, legally, I can’t divulge any information.”

Fin sighed.

“Besides, Gus didn’t tell me anything,” Wyatt shrugged. “He said to close his accounts and liquidate his assets. That’s it.”

Fin huffed, not believing him.

“Seriously, that’s it. The last thing he said was that he was going to see a man about a motorcycle,” Wyatt shrugged. “No idea what kind of analogy that was supposed to be.”

Fin had no idea either. He remained deep in thought after Wyatt left. When they were kids, Gus didn’t have many interests. Fin had always been the one most interested in sports. Gus didn’t have much interest in cars either. He collected them because it was expected, but he really didn’t care for them. The same could be said for art.

The only thing that seemed to spark any interest was, in fact, motorcycles. Fin recalled stumbling upon a box of magazines about that very subject hidden in Gus’s closet. And the only artwork he had taken any pride in also featured motorcycles. Could it be?

Fin reached for his phone and selected a number he hadn’t used in a while. When Gus first disappeared, he hired several private investigators. None of them were able to trace his brother beyond the hotel Gus moved into before he left the city. There was only one who gave him hope. They were supposed to be the best, but they refused to take the case unless he could provide more information. Finally, he could hopefully deliver what they were looking for.

“Hello, Mister Kimball. I trust you are calling me for a good reason and not wasting my time or yours.”

“Motorcycles,” Fin said. “My brother loved motorcycles.”