Greyson

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, BUT IT IS ALSO DANGEROUS

"When were you going to tell me she was alive!?" I shout, slamming my fist onto the desk.

Father never flinched, he just sat there calm and collective like he hadn't unleashed a world of information on me the day before my wedding. The girl I'm marrying has yearned to see this very woman and the two people who knew about it were never going to say anything unless something like this happened. Unless someone outside of those two knew the lies that they were spewing.

"I deserve that." Father responds, his tone showing a hint of remorse.

My jaw tenses. "Why would you hide this? Why would Emerson hide from his grandchildren?"

"Andrew is unaware of my knowledge on the subject and I didn't intend to allow anyone to know until I found out why it happened." He readjusts himself on the chair. "As for Emerson that's why I'm looking into it. He doesn't do things like this without a reason and I have my suspicions on what it could but I need to validate them before accusing."

"What reason do you hide an entire human being?"

He sighed, then stood up. "The blood that runs through the Emerson's is of a tainted kind, the kind that lives for one true goal. One that I tried to end myself but if I'm right, then my attempts were unsuccessful."

"I don't get it, I don't understand any of this." I pinch the bridge of my nose. "How did you find out she was alive if you weren't supposed to?"

His eyes rolled. "Greyson Blackstone, remember who you are speaking to. I am Richard Blackstone, the successor of a legacy that's been passed for generations. One that you will also inherit and as you gain this legacy you must learn one thing."

"And what's that?"

He scoffed. "Trust no one, always keep your eyes open even when you feel comfortable enough to close them. People will do whatever to destroy you because of what you have that they do not."

"But they're rich and powerful just like us, what could we possibly have that they don't?"

"There is the blood of a woman running through our veins, one that did not belong to our family originally." He chuckles to himself. "He had everything except the woman to build it with, Blackstone charm is something no amount of money can buy."

I rub the temple of my head. "So where is she and why has she been hidden?"

"Hidden in plain sight, working within one of the Emerson franchises. As for why she was hidden or why she allowed it, I have yet to conjure up a reason without growing suspicion from Andrew. I have my hypothesis on the matter though but like I said, I cannot make any assumptions."

"I have to tell Sage."

Father's brows furrow. "Greyson, you must not tell that girl one word of this information."

"And why not?"

"Because if I'm correct, Heather Emerson was molded to be an essential piece in getting what they want. And Sage is too good of a girl to get it without given an ultimatum, and what better one than the woman she craved too see herself."

Things have become twisted, all in twenty-four hours I went from preparing the best day of our lives too knowing information that could destroy it in a blink of an eye. Dammit the wedding, I can't possibly keep my mind on this when I have to lie to my wife too be after promising I won't through our vows.

Even Sage wouldn't forgive me for knowing this and not telling her, but father is right, she can't know. Not until I figure out what the end goal of all of this is, I won't let those bastards use something so important to hurt her.

The phone rings on father's desk, his eyes slide towards it and a serious expression clouded his face. He answers. "Yes."

His attention drifts to me as he listens.

"I understand." He places the phone down and immediately stands up, shrugging on his jacket. "Greyson, what I'm about to tell you I need you to remain calm."

My body stiffens, there's only two people that would make me lose my calm. And I left Scarlett with Hudson to finish some last minute things. Which meant one thing.

"Where's Sage?"

"Come with me." He responds.

And I follow him.

****

We arrive at one of the Emerson hotels, I'm discomforted at the thought of being in such a place after hearing so many things about them. Father refused to say anything as we drove here and all I've been doing is following him, needless too say I've been annoying about it the entire time in hopes of an answer.

He leads me to the top floor, and walks towards the last door of the floor. These suites are Emerson's pride, he puts an aggressive amount of effort to provide luxury at it's finest, so much that even he doesn't go home and prefers the comfort of these rooms.

"What's going on?" I ask for the eight-thousandth time.

Father pulls out a key card from his pocket, causing a variety of questions to spark into my mind. Why would he have a card to a suite at an Emerson hotel, father never likes the idea of sleeping anywhere aside from his multi-million dollar mansions. He always prefers a home-like feeling wherever he sleeps, that's why he owns so many estates across the globe.

When we enter the room, we are welcomed by someone unexpected.

"Just know that I did what I felt was necessary, my family comes first." Gideon speaks out, crossing his arms. "Sage needed to know what to expect."

"You didn't need to tell her such information, the girl has enough on her plate." Father tells him, clearly unhappy with him.

Gideon scoffs. "All things she takes on because she's a good girl, who doesn't belong with the craziness that comes with these damn rich people. She's a Slade, we're normal people who live normal lives. A girl her age doesn't need to be married so early, she doesn't need to be in love with a guy and find out he has a secret child from a woman who is just the absolute worst kind of human which says a lot about the man who dealt with her. Sage doesn't need to focus on anything but Astronomy, going out with her friends to the mall and the occasional crush within her age range."

"Excuse me?" I snap. "I'll be damned if I give Sage up."

"Son." Father stops me, raising his arm. "Gideon, I understand how you feel about us but we only have good intentions when it came to this wedding."

"Bull shit, this was a business transaction. My fathers job was being threatened if he didn't give his only daughter up to your man-whore of a son." Gideon scowls. "I never wanted my little sister to lose whatever innocence she had left to a man who invented the word fuckboy."

I push fathers hand away and storm towards him, grabbing his collar and slamming him against the wall. The fucker didn't even blink or flinch, all he wore was a shit-eating grin as if he enjoyed seeing me angry.

"Greyson." Father says, sternly.

My grip tightened. "Listen here, I don't give two shits about your relation to Sage. You have no say in what happens in our relationship. I love that fucking girl more than I need air to breath, I understand how you feel about me but you need to understand that I'd die for your sister and refuse to fuck anything up when it comes to her. So you're either going to learn to accept me or remove yourself from the equation." I release him. "But I prefer you accept because I know Sage would want her brothers approval."

"Wow you're convincing," He chuckles. "no wonder you fooled her so well."

"Enough!" Father shouts. "We're bickering like bloody five year old's and I am far too old to deal with this nonsense. I had a fucking bullet go through my head and have more common sense than to argue at such a crucial time. If anyone has anything to be angry at it should be me."

"Father—"

"Gideon, I am a man of many things and so is my son. We are no saints and we've had our fair share of fuck-ups, mostly Greyson because let's all be honest here I'm bloody perfect." He informs us, yet again. "But know this, the way those two feel about one another is not fake or an act. They genuinely love each other. And I'm not like my son in one aspect, I am fine with being hated if it means getting rid of a loose end. So there are no options, you're going to be fine with it, and you're going to grow up and deal with the issues that present itself. And stop taking your bloody mommy issues out on my son, he's got plenty of his own."

I'd be offended at the remarks made towards me but I see Gideon's stupid expression vanish, he soaked up every word of what father said. He didn't look happy about it but you can see there was respect in the way he looked at father.

"I'm fine with you wanting me gone, but I only asked you too meet with me too speak business. Something I know you're good at and something that will protect Sage from all this bullshit which is all we want."

I feel my body relax, at the end of the day he wants what I want. Sage to not suffer anymore than she already has.

"But you're not going to like it." He looks at me. "And, honestly, you're going to have to get over it. Because one way or another Andrew Emerson will abuse that kind heart of Sage's and use our mother, which I'm sure you both know about, against her."

"What's the idea?" Father asks, seating himself down at the couch.

Gideon sits down across him, and sighs.

I follow and sit in between.

Then we talk business.