1
BRANSON
I throw my keys into the polished copper bowl my designer praised would be the perfect fit for odds and ends. Afterward, I stand there listening, intently keen on hearing the usual loud sound that reverberates the house. Well, I don’t hear the pulse of pop music or the relaxing sounds of Tibetan singing bowls, or whatever Marine plays these days during yoga.
Sighing in relief, I head back to my study. It’s been a particularly brutal week at work with the new merger. I’ve had to make decisions that affect the livelihoods of millions.
Taking on a struggling company has the rewarding incentive of saving some jobs, although, always, cuts have to be made. And no matter how many millions I make from a merger, this part; having to make cuts, is always the most challenging.
Sitting back in the leather chair of my study, I take a deep breath of the tobacco-stung air. I had the designer replicate my father’s study down to the smell of leather and cigars. Even the housekeeper uses the same lemon polish used for my father. This room reminds me always of how my decisions affect others.
According to my father’s will, I was handed the company’s reins after his passing, and on that day, I vowed to run it with the same compassion and drive that made him a billionaire.
Yes, I have added several zeroes to my company’s net worth since his death, but more importantly, I have also implemented many employee programs from free schooling, to debt counseling, and other perks that help my employees.
“Branson, are you here?”
I sigh, slowly closing my eyes. I hadn’t even gotten to turning on my computer when Marine comes screeching at me. Before I married her, she was this stunning girl who worked at this greasy spoon I happened to frequent.
It’s unfortunate for me, but over the last three years she’s had a taste of the good life, and she’s changed. She’s selfish, greedy, and inconsiderate; everything I despise. We haven’t been man and wife in the biblical sense for about a year now. I was sure she was having an affair, but to be frank, I just didn’t have the time for divorce proceedings. I met her only months after my father died, and she provided the solace and comfort I needed.
“In my study Marine,” I call out, adjustably relaxing back in my chair in preparation for her latest tirade.
She walks in; I can barely recognize the sweet, fresh-faced girl I fell for. “We need to talk.” Her hands are on her narrow hips, while her pretty face is scrunched into a frown.
“I am all ears Marine,” I say evenly, watching my wife as she bounces from one foot to the other.
“I met someone. We both know this isn’t working; it’s time to go our separate ways. My lawyer will be contacting you with my demands.”
I shake my head. “Demands? You will leave this marriage the same way you came into it; with nothing. Take all your clothes and things as well as your car, but that’s it. I’m not giving you one cent of my money.”
A cruel smile spreads across her lips. “We’ll see about that.”
She lifts her skin-tight top, revealing smooth tanned skin. As the shirt goes up, she watches my eyes for the signs of desire, but there is none. She is beautiful, but knowing how rotten she is inside, I have no desire to fuck her.
She pulls the top up over her breasts, and my eyes widen. Dark bruises in the form of fingerprints cover the breasts I paid for. “Oh my god, Marine, what happened? Are you all right?”
She smirks at me. “I’m fine, but I had to flee our home in terror after you attacked me. You have been abusive for far too long.”
My eyes narrow, and any sympathy for her injuries leave me. “You did this to yourself for blackmail?”
“Not only this lover, I also have an entire file full of doctor’s appointments, pictures of black eyes and other bruises along my body. The stress from this merger was just too much for you and after two years of marital bliss, you clearly took it out on me.”
“It has been three years, Marine, and I have never touched you in anger. Not once, ever!”
She shrugs. A sudden violent urge to wrap my fingers around her neck comes but fades just as quickly. I’m really not a violent man.