Robert was in the car with Alexander when his phone rang. Alexander surprised that his father would call him out of the blue and not have his secretary handle it, held the phone and stared. When Robert saw the serious look on his face, he lowered the volume of the music.
"Hello?" Alexander answered the call just before it would stop.
"Come to the house," his father said. Before Alexander could ask why, the call had gone off.
Robert glanced at him as he drove through the highway. "What's up?"
"I have to go to the mansion," Alexander said. The Sterling Mansion was always referred to as "the Mansion" by him, unlike the rest of the family that simply called it home. And even whenever he was called to come over, it was never "come home" for him.
"Nah, tell him you have plans." Robert pressed on the accelerator and overtook a car. His new ride, a silver McLaren 750S, purred under his control. He had come over to pick Alexander for a test ride in it, although at the rate at which he was speeding, Alexander was afraid they might not live to see how "cool" the ride was.
"Take me there Rob," Alexander said.
"Did he say why?"
"No."
"Then don't go," Robert said. "The old man didn't even invite you to his birthday party. Seriously, I'd have my Dad adopt you. Problem solved."
Alexander smiled at that. That had been Robert's go-to line for the solution to the nonexistent father-son relationship Alexander and his father shared. Where his father was cold, Robert's father, Neo, whom most people endearingly referred to as Rob Senior due to the striking resemblance he and his son shared, was warm and kind to Alexander. Thanks to him, Alexander could say his childhood had pretty awesome parts to it.
"There's this new club downtown…"
"The Sterling mansion, Robert," Alexander said.
Robert squeezed the steering wheel. "Fine, but you're coming with me to the club after. No excuses."
At the next bend, Robert swerved the car so that the tires screeched loudly against the asphalt, and Alexander cussed at him.
They reached the mansion in little time, thanks to Robert's reckless driving. Gardeners planted new flowers, placing delicate seedlings into the soil. The daffodils bloomed a brilliant yellow, their scent wafting to Alexander as he climbed the stairs.
His father was in his study, Alexander was told. He knocked, and after the permission to step in, Alexander walked into the cozy interior of the study. Rows of books arranged by genre lined the oak shelves, cocooning his father right at the center of the room. He was seated at the ergonomic chair, his feet propped up, reading glasses on with a book in hand.
Alexander remembered this room as being out of bounds when he was younger, yet he would still manage to sneak in and read till his eyes hurt. He had wanted to know what kind of books his father liked, understand why he read them, and brought it up as casually as he could in conversations to impress his father. It never worked, but he never stopped reading, having developed a love for it.
"Why did Mr. Kim have your brother blocked?" He asked without taking his eyes off his book. Alexander didn't know why he was half-expecting him to tell him about the small birthday house party he'd be throwing in a few days time. Ethan didn't celebrate birthdays, save for the gifts he got from friends, so Alexander figured it was someone arranging it for him, someone who didn't want him there.
Alexander remained standing. "I don't have any control over his actions. If he was blocked, there must be some kind of misunderstanding."
"Abigail's been raging," Ethan said, flipping open a page. "Says you had it planned all along."
Of course, it was something his stepmother would say. Like he was anything like Jeffery and go behind his back to smear his name.
"It's business." Alexander stated as a matter of fact. "I don't have anything to benefit from doing such."
Ethan said nothing as he flipped open another page. Alexander held onto his patience, his eyes scanning the book for any new additions. There was a new section; poetry.
"Have Mr. Cosimo call him,' his father finally said.
"I beg your pardon?"
"I heard you had a business deal with him in the past," Ethan said. "Your brother mentioned he wanted to meet with him, but only ever gets through to his secretary."
Alexander held back the sarcastic laugh that wanted to tear out of him. First, it was Mr. Kim, then Mr. Cosimo. Ever since Jeffery was pronounced the acting CEO of Sterling Corporations, there was always something being messed up, and he was being used as a crutch to upholster his position.
"I think it's best Jeffery earns Mr. Cosimo," Alexander said.
It was only then did Ethan raised his head to look at him. He took off his glasses and regarded Alexander with a blank look.
"He needs the help he can get now, and you're his brother," Ethan said.
Right, he was only family when it benefitted them. The comeback hung at the tip of his tongue, ready to fight his father, but he was a master of patience, so again, he swallowed it down.
"I can only recommend. I'll have Mr. Cosimo give him a call," Alexander relented.
"Good," his father put his glasses back on and returned to his reading. Alexander knew it was his way of being dismissed. Without goodbyes, he left his father's office. He almost bumped into Abigail, his stepmother, who was heading into the study. She grimaced and walked past him without saying a word.
The second Alexander left the door and saw Robert smiling at him from the driver's seat, all that feeling of being a stranger in his own family was wiped away.
Robert practically forced him to accompany him to the new club. It was late afternoon, and Alexander didn't have much to do at the office. Robert called William and Max to come over, and only Max promised to come. William's Samoyed was ill, and he wanted to take it to the vet.