CHAPTER 2:LEVERAGE AND LIABILITY
1259 Words
POV-- d**k Hawthorne
A restrained knock resonated against the mahogany door.
“Come in,” d**k’s baritone voice reverberated through the expansive office.
His secretary entered gracefully, a digital tablet pressed neatly against her chest. “Good morning, Mr. Hawthorne. You have an executive board meeting at 9 a.m., a departmental briefing at 11:30, a luncheon with Mr. Montgomery at 1 p.m. regarding the land acquisition for the Hawthorne residential complex, a site inspection at 3 p.m., and finally, a dinner engagement with Mrs. Strafford at 6.”
Dick loosened his tie slightly and leaned back into the plush leather chair.
An exhausting schedule.
Excellent.
Perhaps relentless work would finally suppress the intrusive thoughts that had plagued him for weeks. Thoughts of Grey.
“Call my girlfriend,” he instructed curtly. “Tell her to come immediately.”
“Yes, Mr. Hawthorne.”
Moments later, another knock echoed through the office.
The instant Mel stepped inside, d**k strode toward her without hesitation. He locked the door behind her before pulling her flush against him, claiming her lips in a fervent, almost desperate kiss.
“d**k—wait,” she protested breathlessly. “I have a debriefing in fifteen minutes.”
His response was to trail scorching kisses along the delicate curve of her neck.
“The annual convention is approaching,” she continued shakily. “I still need to finalize multiple construction reports. Please.”
But d**k seemed deaf to reason.
Like a starved predator finally unleashed, he continued devouring her affection with reckless intensity, as though trying to obliterate every conflicting emotion festering inside him.
“We spent the entire night together,” Mel whispered weakly. “Please… I really have work.”
Without warning, he lifted her skirt impatiently.
“Fifteen minutes,” she reminded him again.
A dark smirk tugged at his lips.
“We both know this won’t end in fifteen minutes.”
___
The executive meeting was nothing short of a m******e.
Dick sat rigidly at the head of the elongated conference table while criticism descended upon him from every conceivable direction.
“You still haven’t secured the land for the residential complex,” one executive snapped irritably. “The shopping mall in that district is already thriving. A luxury housing estate would exponentially increase the area’s commercial valuation, yet the project remains stagnant.”
Another executive adjusted his spectacles before speaking with visible disappointment.
“And the resort renovation should have been completed a month ago. Investors are beginning to question the company’s competence.”
“The company’s overall productivity has deteriorated drastically within the last quarter.”
“Your leadership has become increasingly inconsistent.”
“We cannot continue tolerating repeated delays.”
Each statement landed like a calculated blow to d**k’s ego.
Though outwardly composed, the tightening of his jaw betrayed the fury simmering beneath his polished exterior.
Finally, the chairman folded his weathered hands together and delivered the ultimatum that silenced the room entirely.
“If all pending projects are not completed within three months, this board will hold a unanimous vote for a transition in leadership.”
A suffocating silence followed.
Dick’s fingers curled into restrained fists beneath the table.
Fantastic.
What an impeccable beginning to an already miserable day.
And somehow, irrationally, his mind blamed Grey for everything.
Before Grey’s arrival, d**k Hawthorne had been untouchable—an astute businessman, a formidable CEO, a perfectionist feared throughout the corporate world. Since the age of sixteen, he had sacrificed relentlessly for the Hawthorne empire, clawing his way toward success with unwavering discipline.
Then Grey appeared.
His father remarrying had already unsettled him enough.
But introducing a stepson into the family business?
That was intolerable.
Dick recognized the threat immediately.
His father was cultivating a successor.
Someone younger.
Someone charismatic.
Someone easier to admire.
And d**k despised him for it.
That resentment had been the catalyst behind his malicious scheme to ruin Grey. Yet instead of satisfaction, the plan had spectacularly imploded in his face.
What infuriated him even more was the humiliating attraction festering beneath his hostility.
Every time Grey crossed his mind, his body reacted treacherously.
It was maddening.
Perhaps I should just sleep with him and extinguish this obsession once and for all, he thought bitterly.
But I’m not gay.
And even if I wanted to experiment, why him of all people?
My stepbrother.
That’s depraved.
He exhaled sharply, dragging a frustrated hand through his hair.
Maybe he had consumed too many Thai BL dramas lately. Ironically, he had started watching them in an attempt to decipher his own confusion, but they only intensified the chaos in his mind.
Perhaps sleeping with another man would purge Grey from his system permanently.
Perhaps then he could finally think clearly again.
By the time the staff meeting commenced, d**k’s temper had curdled into something genuinely terrifying.
The conference room felt oppressive beneath his glacial stare.
“No excuses,” he barked at one department manager. “If those reports are not finalized by tomorrow morning, you can clear out your office.”
Another employee faltered midway through a presentation.
Dick dismantled the proposal mercilessly.
“This is embarrassingly inadequate. Do you people intend to sabotage this company through sheer incompetence?”
The atmosphere became unbearably tense.
Nobody escaped his wrath.
By the conclusion of the meeting, the staff looked emotionally pulverized, silently relieved when he finally dismissed them.
Dick carried tension like a storm cloud, infecting every environment he entered.
Surprisingly, the remainder of his appointments proceeded efficiently.
The site inspection exceeded expectations.
The dinner engagement remained cordial.
However, the discussion surrounding the residential complex reignited his irritation almost instantly.
Dick sat across from Mr. Montgomery in an opulent office overlooking the glittering skyline.
“Mr. Hawthorne,” Montgomery began diplomatically, “the primary obstacle remains the relocation of the residents. Many families have inhabited that community for generations. Their homes possess immense sentimental value.”
“Then increase the compensation,” d**k replied coldly.
“We already revised the offer substantially. Several residents rejected it outright.”
Dick narrowed his eyes. “On what grounds?”
“They believe certain memories outweigh financial gain.”
“How painfully sentimental.”
Montgomery hesitated before continuing cautiously. “Some residents have become particularly resistant. A few even claimed they would rather die than vacate the land.”
“That’s unfortunate for them.”
The older man observed d**k warily.
“What course of action would you recommend next?” d**k asked.
Montgomery lowered his voice. “Forced evacuation may eventually become inevitable.”
Dick leaned back thoughtfully, his expression unreadable.
“I want this resolved peacefully.”
“With all due respect, sir, diplomacy appears increasingly ineffective.”
Dick drummed his fingers rhythmically against the armrest.
“What influence does the town leader hold?”
“He’s attempted to persuade them repeatedly, but many remain adamantly opposed.”
“And legally?”
“We could initiate litigation. Technically, portions of the settlement violate property regulations.”
Dick scoffed.
“A prolonged court battle would be insufferable. I refuse to waste valuable time.”
“Legally speaking, it remains the safest and most defensible option.”
Dick’s gaze drifted toward the sprawling city lights beyond the glass walls.
“I’m expected to fight for land that already belongs to me?” he muttered darkly. “Absurd.”
“There are… alternative approaches,” Montgomery said carefully.
An ominous silence settled between them.
Dick’s expression hardened subtly.
There were always alternative approaches.
And patience had never been one of d**k Hawthorne’s virtues.
- Writer
