Chapter 267: His Future or Our Love

"Sounds awful." I said. Don’t get me wrong, it was good that Damien had a clear path in front of him.

But it was also awful because he had no other path aside from the one it seemed like he was born for.

"It is." Dianne agreed and her honesty caught me off guard. She looked down at her cup. "Our family isn’t exactly known for warmth."

"That’s one way to put it."

"My parents treated Damien and I terribly."

I studied her closely. "You’re...actually admitting that?"

"I’m not blind, Oliver."

She looked straight at me. "I know what my father did to him."

My grip tightened on the table. "Then why are you here?"

"Because Damien is throwing away his future."

That made my stomach drop. "He isn’t destroying anything."

"He’s already lost his inheritance."

"He chose not to take it."

"Because of you."

I shook my head. "No. Because of them! If only you guys were good fucking people we wouldn’t be having this bullshit conversation."

"Does it really matter if the outcome is the same?" She said and I didn’t answer.

Dianne went on, "He’s lost access to his family’s funds. His financial support is gone, his accounts are being restricted. He’s no longer getting the protection that supported his education and lifestyle."

"I am aware."

"Are you?" Her voice stayed gentle, and somehow that made it worse. "He isn’t on a scholarship like you, Oliver. Paying for full tuition at Hawthorne on your own is no joke."

"I..." I went silent, it was true.

No matter what job Damien got, he wouldn’t be able to pay something so huge or maintain his stay at Preston Hall.

That was the bleak reality of it.

Fuck...

"If this goes on, Hawthorne might not let him stay without a solid source of funding." Dianna went on.

My hand clenched around the table. I hated hearing it from her, mostly because I’d already thought about it.

I’d seen Damien scrolling through job listings and exploring student employment options, quietly looking for ways to keep himself in school. I’d laid next to him while he slept, wondering if I was the reason he was set to lose everything.

Dianne was watching my face all along. "You’re worried."

"I’m not letting you use that against me." I replied, "You’re trying to make me feel guilty."

"No." She paused. "I’m just trying to help you understand."

I scoffed bitterly. "Sounds like the same thing."

Our food arrived, the plates placed in front of us with a quiet reverence that made me feel guilty for not touching mine. But neither of us touched the food.

Once the waiter left, Dianne spoke again. "If Damien walks away from his inheritance permanently, I should benefit heavily from it."

I stared at her. "Finally, something honest."

"It is honest."

"So this is what this is about? You should be over the fucking moon if everything went to you. Not even giving a shit what happened to your own brother."

"No." She shook her head. "I don’t want the position."

I frowned. "What?"

"The CEO position. The company, the responsibility. I don’t want any part of it."

I gaped at her. "You...don’t?"

"No."

"Are you really saying you don’t want to inherit one of the largest companies in the country?"

"Yes."

I glanced at my untouched plate. "Wow, I’ve officially stepped into a world where rich people complain about being rich."

She almost smiled. "I get how it sounds."

"It sounds insane."

"Maybe." She sipped her coffee again. "But Damien was born and trained for that world. But I wasn’t, since I’m a woman my father never saw the need to educate me on the family business since he assumed I would be married with my own family in the end. So there’s no way I could take on the empire."

Oh...okay, not only were their parents rich, ignorant, classist homophobes. They were also sexist. How... interesting.

"You could still take it." I said, genuinely confused. "Being a woman shouldn’t stop you from that."

"I could."

"And you don’t want to."

"No."

"Then you’re asking him to keep carrying something you don’t want."

Her eyes flickered. "I won’t deny that."

Her honesty surprised me, I leaned in a bit. "So you want Damien to go back because it’d make your life easier?"

"In part."

"That’s so fucking selfish." I scoffed, "your brother is going through it with your shitty parents, and all you can think about is how much of a problem it causes you."

"Yes, and I won’t deny it."

I blinked, taken aback as she didn’t even flinch. "I thought you’d argue."

"I don’t need to argue with something I know is true. I am a selfish person, Oliver." I stared at her. Then she quietly said, "But selfishness isn’t the only reason. I may have an odd way it showing it, but I love my little brother very much."

I looked away. "Dianne..."

"And you love him too."

My throat tightened. "Y...yes."

"And he loves you as well, that one’s obvious."

I kept quiet.

"I’ve noticed the difference in him," she went on. "He’s always been controlled, careful, and responsible. But around you, he’s different."

Despite everything, I felt a warmth spread through my chest.

"He smiles more," she said. "He looks less burdened."

I swallowed hard. "So what’s your point?"

"That I see why he chose you." Her words nearly let me relax, then she added, "But understanding something doesn’t mean I think it’s right."

And there it was. The warmth evaporated. "You think I’m wrong for him."

"I think you’re costing him his future."

My stomach twisted. "That’s not fair."

"Is it not?"

"He made his choice."

"Because he loves you." Dianne stated, "And because he loves you, he’s willing to lose everything."

I locked eyes with her.

She leaned back slightly, the golden light highlighting the sharp angles of her face. "Oliver, ask yourself something."

I didn’t want to.

But she asked anyway. "Is love supposed to require one person to destroy their entire future for the other?"

I looked down, that question dug deep.

I’d already wrestled with it at three in the morning, in the shower, on the bus, and while watching Damien sleep. Everywhere.

"Stop making it sound like I’m forcing him."

Her voice softened. "I’m just asking if you love him enough to let him go."