My medical report came back all clear. Apparently, I'm in better health than I'd ever been before. In the last life, the doctors said the tumor could've started developing while I was in high school, laying dormant in my brain for years. Could the stress of fighting with my sister for so long have caused it? Or maybe it was the loss of contact with my parents.
Who cares! I'll get it checked again next year! I'm healthy!
The only downside to being a loner was that I had no one to celebrate my good health with. Why did I focus all my attention on one scumbag for so long? I must've looked so damn foolish chasing Eli around and ignoring everyone else. He wasn't even all that. Matter of fact, he was an incompetent joke who couldn't turn a penny into a nickel.
I was having tea in the greenhouse garden by myself under the stars when a hand clamped down on my shoulder. When I saw who it was, my heart dropped into my stomach.
"Eli?!" I yelped, dropping my tea. Fuck! He's a teenager too! What was he doing here? Why wasn't he with Debbie at the hotel right now? Is fate playing games with me? What is this guy doing in my face?
"You surprised to see me?" Eli smirked.
"Where's Erwin?" I asked.
"I sent him to get us some wine!" He took a seat in the extra chair. Looks like I need to make it clear to Erwin that he should only listen to what I have to say. "It's been almost a month since we've seen each other. How about a warm welcome?"
He stood up and came in for a hug, which I eagerly dodged. I admit it's hard to resist Eli's irresistible charisma, but I was determined not to be swayed again. Him being here is putting me in a terrible position. As I moved away from him, I noticed Debbie's handbag swing out of sight. She's watching us, so I definitely can't be misunderstood. My life literally depends on it. "Fuck off!"
"Hey! I'm forgiving you for not picking me up at the airport like you promised! I'll even still give you the souvenirs I got for you. Your sister said you were sick, but that's clearly a lie. But then you fucking block my number? What the fuck is wrong with you?"
"You're too loud. Control yourself," I rolled my eyes. "This is supposed to be a place for peace and quiet."
"Are you joking?"
"Do I look like I'm joking?" I glared. "Unlike you, I have things to take care of."
"Like what, Jack?"
"Young master, I returned with the wine," Erwin walked up with a bottle and two glasses and set them on the table.
"In the future, please don't bring me alcohol if I don't ask for it," I spoke directly to Erwin, who just nodded.
"Don't you like wine?" Eli asked.
"No, you like wine. I've only been accommodating a guest," I said, turning to walk away. "It's almost time for dinner. Make sure you say hello to my parents before you leave."
I walked away from the scene quickly and made eye contact with Debbie on the way. I flashed her a wink and a thumbs up before scurrying off to the dining room. Hopefully, I was convincing enough in the moment. I should've prepared a plan B in case he didn't bring Debbie to the hotel bar with him. Why didn't he bring her? He loved her, didn't he? Why not take his chance with her? Why did he see me first?
Erwin returned a minute later and joined me. "Well?"
"They're having a glass of wine together, and he keeps talking about how he has a special present for you. The young miss has invited him to stay for dinner, sir," Erwin said.
Why the fuck does Eli keep talking about me? Why'd he accept a dinner invitation? He should be talking about their relationship! So selfish! Now I had another minefield to navigate.
The Spencer dining room table, like all things Spencer, is perfect. Its gleaming ebony, imported from Italy, is unmarred. The white tablecloth draped evenly across it shows neither crease nor stain. (Any spill sees the cloth burnt and the maid fired.) If a family were defined by how many times they have dinner together, the dining room table would be the only Spencer with perfect attendance.
My mother and father joined me at the table, followed by a cheerful Debbie and an annoyed-looking Eli. Mom, a carbon copy of Debbie, was dressed in her Friday best as usual. After all, her life was hard managing a financial consulting firm, but she managed to stay perfect. My dad, as always, was reserved and stuck in work mode. He was the person I had to impress if I wanted to have zero problems in the future, and I wasn't going to let Eli's unexpected presence stop me this time.
In the last life, I let my stupid love for Eli ruin this relationship, and I lost favor with both my parents. Due to this, Debbie inherited the family business and home property while I was disowned. I don't feel like building things up from scratch again, so I might as well solidify my spot as the heir now before Debbie gets it by default.
Dinner was served quietly, and we all dug in, my plate being served by Erwin himself after he took it upon himself to taste test it. It seemed excessive, but I didn't mind it at all. Dad set his silverware down, turning off his phone for the first time this evening. I met his eyes evenly, back straight. "And what have the two of you been up to today?"
The question would be fatherly if it weren't so cold. The routine is familiar. My rehearsed answer comes easily: "Today, I analyzed the business decisions made in the company's fourth quarter two years ago." Speak too soon, and I'm overeager; too late, and I'm insolent; too quickly, and I sound immature; too slow, and I'm reluctant. My words must be metered, strong, and precise, no matter how loudly my heart thumped. "Rather than Empire, I believe it would have been more cost-effective to put our resources toward acquiring Star Dust and Company."
He leaned forward, eyes narrowed dangerously on me. "Oh? You believe we made a mistake?"
"Yes, sir." A Spencer shows no hesitation. "While Empire does more business up north, with each transaction being worth more overall, the Star company has a large and dedicated base in the south and makes more sales in a day. Buyers know that Empire's can't stand up to ours because we own the most resource-rich mines. All acquiring them did was give us a few more storefronts up north, which we already have covered. If we bought out the south instead, we could establish a footprint there, where we don't have as many stores. That way, we could use the move to expand our customer base to a new demographic."
"If we haven't already bought Star out, there has to be a reason." Debbie tilted her head, eyes wide. I get it. I was never interested in anything that had to do with the family business before this moment. Luckily, I already knew that this project would fail if they didn't listen to me. In the past life, this business failure would make my dad resent me for not even trying to help, making it that much easier for him to trust Debbie no matter what. "What if he didn't want to sell?"
Dad's lips thinned. "Deborah, don't interrupt."
"I was only saying –"
"Deborah."
"It should be relatively simple to convince Star to sell," I interjected, breathing an unnoticeable sigh of relief when Dad's eyes returned to mine. "He doesn't own a mine of his own, so we supply him already. If buying him outright doesn't work, we could just point out that becoming part of Empire would get him Star at a discount rate."
"Mm. And if that doesn't convince him, all it would take is raising our prices..." Dad trailed off, tapping at his phone eagerly. "I see. Very astute, Jack."
Now to drive home the point that only I could be the successor of this family. "We can start the pressure at charity events and state functions," I added, crossing my fingers behind my back. "It would spread our name nationwide and probably drive up sales, which would increase the value of the company name."
"Hm." Dad made another note on his phone, and I hastily stifled a whoop of excitement. It's working! "And your second reason?"
I nodded. "Right. As you know, Empire's main presence is up north. Staying up north would probably be easier than going down south, but I don't want to do this the easy way. I don't want to ride on our family's success my whole life! Expanding down south would prove that I deserve to be a Spencer. I'm going to prove that I can make this dream come true for the family on my own merit."
My dad's phone clacked gently against the table as he set it down. He crossed his arms, slow, controlled, and every shred of confidence fled me immediately. "You're too good for the rest of us, is that it?"
"No, sir," I denied, keeping up a smug face.
Dad finally smiled proudly under heavy-lidded eyes. "I see," he murmured. "It's nice to see that you're finally taking an interest in things like this. I'm not sure what made you start, but keep it up. What is it you want?"
"Don't take your day out on Deb. She just wanted to help make sure I thought of everything," I said intentionally putting the attention back on her.
"Do you have anything to add, Deborah?" Dad asked. Debbie went red in the face. There couldn't be anything she could add because she wasn't smart enough. She always got other people to do the work for her and that's the only reason she's never been held back in life.
"No, Daddy," she mumbled.