"No...? I want to tell you now... you don't want to hear?" Tanner asks, sitting back in his chair as if mad at Tyler.
"I want to know," Tyler says, guilt twisting inside him for making Tanner think he doesn't care.
Tanner smiles lazily at his response and chuckles softly. "Okay, I whisper... only you..." Even so, his voice is loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Okay," Tyler agrees simply, unsure what else to say.
The bourbon loosens the iron grip Tanner has always kept on his emotions. His voice shakes slightly as he begins. "They betray my dad."
"Who?"
"Mom tells my dad... my brother is not his son but Uncle Griffin's."
"Who is Uncle Griffin?"
"My father's brother." Tanner says it plainly, but the weight of his words crashes down on the room. Everyone gasps softly.
"My older brother Angelo," Tanner continues, "and Mom hates me since I was born."
"Did your brother know that your father isn't his father?"
"Yes. He hates my father too. Mom convinces my dad to sign the company into her name, makes herself CEO. Dad loves her so much, he gives her everything she wants. But they take the company's money, ruin it, again and again, until there's nothing left."
Tanner pauses, his voice tight as he imitates his mother's cruel tone. "'When I came here, I was already pregnant with Griffin's baby—my sweet darling Angelo. If you hadn't insisted I give you another child, you wouldn't have one now. I didn't want to give you a child—I only did it to accomplish my mission. If Griffin hadn't told me to, you'd have nothing, I would never have given birth to this useless thing! Now you and Griffin are even. You've paid for taking everything from him.'"
The room falls silent.
Rachael dabs her eyes with a napkin. Joe leans forward, his brow furrowing in sympathy.
The younger people exchange wide-eyed glances, unsure how to respond.
The air feels heavy, intimate, as if everyone in the room has been entrusted with a sacred truth.
Some are crying quietly, including Tay.
Tanner continues, his voice eerily calm, as though narrating someone else's story. "When Dad couldn't take it anymore... when he was sick and he was dying... he told me about their parents' company. Grandfather made Dad CEO and Uncle Griffin the director. But Uncle Griffin didn't work well, so Grandfather sent him away. Grandparents loved my dad because he worked hard and made the company successful and even opened two brunches in different country, here and china.
"Uncle Griffin was jealous. He used a beautiful woman—my mother—to destroy my dad's company.
"When they heard my dad had died, they ran away to another country, all three of them. I don't know where.
"My grandparents died, and I didn't know any other family. People from my dad's company helped me bury him. I stayed in the house for two months, alone."
Now Joe and Rachael look at each other with understanding, they remember at some point when they thought the company was going to an end.
After the death announcement of their CEO, who was Tanner's father. It took some time before the Company came to life again.
Tanner pauses, the faintest tremor in his voice. "I was nineteen. One day, I remembered how my own mother called me a 'useless thing.' From that minute, I decided I wouldn't cry anymore. I swore to rebuild my dad's companies and prove I wasn't useless.
"So I worked day and night, without eating, without friends. I worked with people, but I didn't trust anyone. Because if family could betray family, how could I trust outsiders? I had no friends."
Tyler feels his chest tighten as he listens. How is he able to say all this without a single tear? he wonders, overwhelmed.
Tyler jolts slightly when Tanner wipes a tear from his cheek.
Tanner looks him in the eye, his voice soft but firm. "You won't tell anyone my mother called me a 'useless thing,' will you?"
"No, I won't," Tyler promises. "And don't worry. Now that you're here, everything will be fine. Now you have us.as your family."
"I have you?" Tanner asks.
"Yes," Tyler says firmly. "You have me."
Tanner smiles faintly and leans forward, wrapping Tyler in an unexpected hug. Tyler freezes, caught off guard by the sudden closeness.
Everyone is still watching, their eyes red from crying. Some try to look away, but the rawness of the moment holds them in place.
Tanner's head rests on Tyler's shoulder, his breathing slowing. Within moments, soft snores escape him. Tyler blinks in disbelief. He's already asleep again?
He stands carefully, Tanner leaning heavily on him, and looks at the others. "Please," he says, his voice steady but serious, "whatever you've heard tonight, let it stay in this dining room. Even if you go to your rooms or anywhere else, don't let it out of here. Let it stay here."
Everyone nods solemnly. Tyler adjusts his grip on Tanner and makes his way upstairs to his room.
Once inside, he lays Tanner gently on the bed and removes his shoes. He pulls the duvet over him, intending to leave. But as he turns to go, Tanner's hand shoots out, gripping his t-shirt.
"Ty...ler..."
"Mhm?"
"Stay..." Tanner murmurs, his voice barely audible.
What?! Wasn't he asleep? Tyler wonders, startled.
"Go to sleep. You're talking in your sleep," Tyler says, trying to pry Tanner's hand off his shirt.
"Stay, please," Tanner repeats, his grip firm despite his closed eyes.
"Okay, fine. I'll stay on the sofa. Let my shirt go. I'm staying."
"On the bed... please," Tanner whispers. "I can't sleep well when I remember those things. I have nightmares."
"I can't do that, Tanner. I'll ask Tay to stay with you tonight."
"I want you to stay... please..." Tanner emphasizes, his voice trembling slightly. Goosebumps trail over Tyler's skin as his heart races. "You said I have you. From now on." Tanner adds.
"Okay, fine," Tyler sighs. "Let me lock the door, then I'll come back."
"I'll go with you."
"You don't have to. I'll be back—I promise."
Tanner hesitates but slowly lets go of Tyler's shirt. Tyler locks the door and returns, lying on the bed but facing the other way.
Tanner shifts closer, facing him. "Thank you," he whispers.
"There's no need to thank me," Tyler answers softly.