Family was complicated. Everyone knew that, those who said that their families had no problems were liars.
That was Tristan's view, and for as long as he drew breath, he would stick to it. The complexities of family were clear to see in his own afterall. His father, though alive had lived like a ghost since his wife's passing. He rarely ever showed up for anything.
Cousin Zachariah on the other hand was a well known snake. But he was a snake who was still family. Which was why Tristan was meeting him for dinner even if he did not want to.
It was clear to both of them that this was not an apology dinner as Zachariah had claimed.
No doubt his cousin was snooping. But just as the other man had come looking for information, Tristan would not pass up the opportunity to do the same.
Sometimes the best way to catch somebody was to pretend as though you were having an issue, then sit back and see the way they reacted. As far as Zachariah was concerned, Tristan was in a world of trouble. His cousin had no idea that Tristan was already engaged.
So either Zachariah had invited him out to gloat, thinking that the CEO position was as good as his. Or Zachariah wanted to see Tristan in order to do some subtle digging, to see who he had picked to be his spouse. And if there was nobody there. No doubt Zachariah would try and push, somebody untrustworthy into Tristan's arms. Cutting into his chicken breast, Tristan watched as across from him, in the private booth, his cousin did the same with his steak.
For a few moments, they just ate in silence. Pretending like the two of them were family members that actually got along instead of bitter enemies. But even in the silence, the tension was thick. From time to time, Tristan caught sight of his cousin glaring at him before the other man caught himself, and tried to take the contempt out of his gaze.
But still Zachariah did not say anything, and Tristan chose to keep his silence as well. Most likely his cousin thought that by staying quiet he would make Tristan uncomfortable enough to confess something, or maybe to confide in him. They had never been close enough to share information like that. But whenever Zachariah was desperate for intel, he seemed to forget that fact. Finally, unable to take the silence any longer, Zachariah cracked and began talking. The first words out of his mouth were enough to prove Tristan correct in thinking that his cousin was there to snoop.
"As I am certain you are aware, dear cousin, Mr Riley has also approached me with regards to your position as CEO of Asher Industries as well as what would happen if you do not fulfil the clause that your father, my dear uncle, has put in place for you," Rather than answering, Tristan merely shrugged. Then he went back to his meal. It was a childish tactic, actively ignoring his cousin like that. But even though it was childish, Tristan knew that it would work.
If there was one thing Zachariah detested, it was being ignored. Sure enough a few seconds later the soothing tone that he had been using was gone entirely and he was hissing at Tristan, his voice low and threatening. "You might be playing it cool but I'm actually worried about you. You are a good CEO, even if I hate to admit it..." Saying the words actually looked like it physically pained his cousin.
With a huff, Zachariah put his cutlery down and stared at Tristan in earnest. The softness that he had been faking earlier coming back into his posture and tone.
"I know you are not going to give this up without a fight Tristan. So that means you will be aiming for an arranged marriage. Who will you choose?" "I need to know so that I can make sure that they are good for you, that they will not do more harm than good to this family," Zachariah sounded so very concerned. Had the words come from anybody but him, Tristan would have actually considered saying something.
But instead all that he felt is he reached for his glass of wine was a sense of triumph. Aha! He had made the right decision in deciding to go for somebody unexpected. If Zachariah was asking him who he was intending to marry. Then there was a high possibility that his cousin had been looking into rich and powerful women that Tristan had a higher chance of picking. Zachariah probably had dossiers on them, and had Tristan picked from somebody in their social circles.
He would have been in for a world of trouble. His cousin probably using them to spy on Tristan, or to sabotage him from the inside. Taking a healthy sip from his glass of wine, Tristan gently put it down and stared at his cousin. Had he been a bit more childish, he would be taunting his cousin. Letting him know in no uncertain terms that he was marrying somebody totally unexpected. But Tristan knew better. Zachariah , despite his tendency for messing up, could be very vindictive when he wanted.
So Tristan had to keep his cards close to his chest for as long as possible. He would not be marrying from their social circles. But so long as Zachariah thought that was the case, it would buy him a bit of time. Giving both him and Ariel some space to breathe before things really got heated. Nodding at his cousin, Tristan did his best to infuse as much sincerity into his voice as he could.
"Thank you for supporting me through this difficult time, Zachariah," Just thanking his cousin made him want to throw up, but he held firm and continued.
"I won't forget this. As of now, I have a few prospects in mind but I have not yet made up my mind. But as soon as I do I will tell you and the rest of the family who I have chosen. You needn't worry, I have this under control," It was not the answer that his cousin was looking for, and it showed in the way that he could not quite keep this snarl off his face. Even so, Zachariah nodded.
"Of course, of course, this is a sensitive issue. But do recall that I have your best interest at heart. If you are having difficulty I can even give you a few names that I think would be quite suitable," Tristan nearly scoffed at the suggestion, as if he would be dumb enough to accept anybody that his cousin vouched for. That would be the biggest red flag ever. But rather than doing that, he gave his cousin a smile. "Thank you, Zachariah . I will keep that in mind,"
Realising that he would not be getting any more information out of Tristan. Zachariah conveniently found a reason to leave a few minutes later and when he got up the two of them hugged each other goodbye. The way Zachariah's hand was patting him between the shoulder blades was just as painful as the squeeze that Tristan gave the man in return. And when they parted, the smiles they aimed at each other were showing far too many teeth.
"Good luck Tristan. I would hate for you to lose your job over this. But then again CEO Zachariah Asher has a nice ring to it," Zachariah left laughing like he had just told some great joke despite the fact that both of them knew that he was very serious. Once he was gone, Tristan sat back down and slowly sipped at his wine. For the first time he was realising that by meeting Ariel Jones at just the right time.
He had probably saved himself a lot of headaches in the future. Without her, he would have been forced to play Zachariah's game. Now with Ariel as an unexpected player. His cousin did not stand a chance.