"So tell me, Chris. The girl doesn't seem to trust you." Liam turned to Chris, his eyes sharp.
Chris froze, feeling like he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He'd thought he'd played it cool but trusted his father to see right through him.
"How'd you figure it out?" he asked, running a hand through his brown hair. "I thought Mom was the only one who could read me like that."
Liam chuckled, but there was steel beneath the warmth. "I'm your dad. Don't forget that! I might look retired and chilling on vacation with your mom, but I'm not. I have my sources tracking everything. I know exactly what you're trying to do."
Chris nodded, resigned. "Of course. I should never underestimate you. And you know my situation with Lily."
"Yes, I do," Liam said softly. "And I was in a similar situation with your mom once."
Chris nodded, a wry smile tugging at his lips. "The only difference is that your situation went public, and the paparazzi thrashed you. While I'm maintaining my privacy."
"Obviously," his father agreed, his voice taking on a harder edge. "Isn't that why people still fear me?" Liam walked to the window, pride beaming on his face as he gazed out at the New York skyline. "And that is why they still call me a dangerous man, drug lord, murderer, mafia gangster... et cetera, et cetera."
Chris felt his blood boil at the words. It irked him every time someone criticized his father as a murderer or the monster of New York City. He clenched his fists, trying to contain his anger.
"It's so unfair, Dad," Chris said, approaching his father who continued to glare out the window. "It's unfair that you're getting the blame while it was actually your older brother Chris who killed so many people. You were only trying to save people's lives from that monster man..." As he said his uncle's name, Chris cringed, hating that he shared it.
Liam's face fell, a sadness creeping into his eyes that Chris rarely saw. Usually, Chris would let the conversation drop at this point, but today, he pressed on. He wanted to know more details about her monster uncle…
"Why?!" he asked, his voice rising with emotion. "Why would you name your precious son after your toxic older brother?! Isn't it because of him that you're getting tagged as a murderer and drug lord?!"
Liam's blue eyes clouded with decades-old pain as he faced his son. "Chris, you don't know the whole story. Just let it go."
But Chris couldn't. "I know enough, Dad. Uncle Chris tried to kill you and Mom. Yet you named me after him. Why?"
"Damn it, Chris!" Liam snapped, his composure cracking. "It was my fault he turned into a monster. My brother had a mental illness, and I... I didn't see it. I lived with him, and I missed all the signs."
Chris fell silent, watching his father's anguish unfold.
Liam's voice softened, heavy with regret. "We were just normal brothers once, Chris. Playing, fighting, eating, and sleeping together. But I... I was always the charming one." His eyes grew distant, lost in memories. "People loved me more and thought that I knew the business better. Even the paparazzi followed me, while your uncle faded into the shadows."
Chris listened, knitting his thick brows as his father continued.
"When our uncle announced me as heir to Eaton Enterprises, it broke something in Chris. His inferiority complex... it consumed him. He turned to the dark side, making connections with the underground mafia, determined to take everything I had."
Liam's voice cracked. "I didn't see it happening. I was too caught up in my own success to notice my brother slipping away with his inferiority complex and mental illness."
Chris felt a wave of understanding wash over him. The weight of his father's guilt, the tragedy of his uncle's fall – it all suddenly made sense.
Liam's voice softened, heavy with regret. "Him turning mad... it's as much my fault as anyone's. I failed him as a brother." The weight of decades-old guilt hung in his words, making Chris's heartache.
"If only I'd known he was unhappy," Liam continued, his gaze distant. "I would've helped him. Hell, I would've given up Eaton Enterprises for him." He ran a hand through his brown hair, a gesture so familiar to Chris. "But I failed. Now he's been rotting in prison for 30 years."
Liam's eyes met Chris's, filled with a pain that seemed to stretch across time. "You know, I've visited him twice. But I couldn't look him in the eyes. The guilt... it's overwhelming."
Chris listened, his chest tight with emotion. He'd never seen his father so vulnerable, so human—he never confessed his feelings openly to anyone. The powerful Liam Eaton, brought low by the weight of brotherly love gone wrong.
"Dad," Chris said softly, choosing his words carefully. "I understand how you feel, but logically... it wasn't your fault. You weren't responsible for what others felt, even if it was your brother." He paused, steeling himself. "You shouldn't be blaming yourself for your brother turning into a monster. It's just illogical to do so—"
Liam nodded slowly, absorbing his son's words. Then, straightening his shoulders, he fixed Chris with an intense gaze. "Whatever, son. I named you after my brother for a reason." His voice gained strength, echoing with purpose. "You will carry on his name, and our family name, in the way he should have lived."
Chris felt the weight of expectation settle on his shoulders as his father continued.
"And especially, you will not make the mistakes I did. Never leave anyone behind." Liam's hand came to rest on Chris's shoulder, firm and warm. "Because from now on, this will be your story, son. I've retired; I'm no longer the king. But you are."
The gravity of the moment wasn't lost on Chris. His father's next words rang with finality and hope. "You should do our business in as ethical a way as possible."
Chris nodded, feeling both humbled and empowered. "I understand, Dad," he said, his voice steady despite the emotions swirling inside him.
As silence fell between them, Chris marveled at how their conversation had transformed from a tense confrontation into this moment of confession and acknowledgment. The sins of the past, the weight of the Eaton name, and the promise of the future – all of it hung in the air between father and son.
Chris realized that at that moment, he wasn't just inheriting a business empire. He was inheriting a legacy, a chance to right old wrongs, and a responsibility to be better than those who came before him. Of course, his ancestors might not have done the business right, but he can change it!
As he stood there with his father, gazing out at the New York skyline, Chris felt the full weight of what it meant to be an Eaton – both the burden, responsibility, and the privilege.