puts all one’s energy into is nevertheless determined to stray from the road so thoughtfully planned for him.
Victor had often felt that way about his son who, despite Victor’s best efforts, had persisted in wasting time, wasting resources, wasting away his life.
The Colts had always been the best at whatever they chose to do. Victor Colt and his wife were no different. Victor had ruthlessly conquered the business world while Elizabeth rose through the ranks of the Kyderan legislature. Little Jane showed promise. Perhaps she wasn’t as intelligent as previous generations of Colt women, but she could charm her way into getting almost anything she wanted. Victor was well aware that in many cases, likable was the smartest thing one could be.
Devin, on the other hand, had been a thoroughly disagreeable teenager. He’d selfishly dismissed his parents’ advice and willfully sought ways to upset them. That attitude led to many shouting matches.
Victor had never wanted things to go that way. No, he and his wife had always been very patient. But Devin pushed and pushed. He would make excuses and accuse his parents of not listening, then insult them by saying they didn’t know anything about him and he didn’t need them to make his decisions for him.
Misbehaviors had eventually become misdemeanors. By the time Devin was fifteen, he had been caught abusing substances, engaging in vandalism, and other juvenile transgressions.
But Victor Colt was an important man, and Elizabeth Lin-Colt was a powerful politician. Through their combined influence, they cleaned up after their troublesome son time and time again. The ungrateful child had never once thanked his parents for their hard work. He’d even blamed them for his problems, charging them with putting too much pressure on him. Of course they had to pressure him. The little fool would not have gotten anywhere otherwise!
“What are you planning to do with your life?” Victor had asked one afternoon. “How do you expect to accomplish anything if you’re always engaging in these low-life kinds of behaviors?”
“Hey, I still bring home the grades, don’t I?” Devin’s young face dripped with boredom. “Thanks to your cleanup crew, I’m still a perfect student on paper, and that’s all that matters, right?”
Lines formed between Elizabeth’s arched black brows. “Devin, this is serious.”
Devin’s expression turned from indifferent to enraged. He grabbed a chair and threw it to the ground. “Dammit, I know it’s serious!Whatever worries you think you have—I promise, mine are much worse ! But it’s my life we’re talking about, so let me figure it out myself !”
Victor shook his head. “How can you be so selfish? We’ve seen where your ‘figuring things out’ has led. After all we’ve done for you, I don’t understand how—”
“You wanna know how it started?” Devin lifted his chin as though trying to match his father’s height. “I realized that my best would never be good enough, so I turned to study meds for help. You were oh-so-proud when I started excelling in school. You didn’t care what I had to go through to get there. So I went further and further until all I wanted was escape. That’s where your guidance has led!”
Victor frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“You’d know if you cared who I was instead of just what I do! I might as well be a fucking robot to you!”
“That’s enough .” The rage his idiot son always managed to provoke ignited within Victor.
Elizabeth crossed her arms. “Devin, if you don’t stop this nonsense now, you won’t go to the University of Kydera Major, you won’t get a Silk Sector job, and you won’t have a life.”
“Okay, Mom,” Devin scoffed. “You’ve got everything planned out for me. Looks like my life is already over. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got better things to do than stand here and listen to you two repeat yourselves.”
“Devin!” Elizabeth’s voice
Victor had often felt that way about his son who, despite Victor’s best efforts, had persisted in wasting time, wasting resources, wasting away his life.
The Colts had always been the best at whatever they chose to do. Victor Colt and his wife were no different. Victor had ruthlessly conquered the business world while Elizabeth rose through the ranks of the Kyderan legislature. Little Jane showed promise. Perhaps she wasn’t as intelligent as previous generations of Colt women, but she could charm her way into getting almost anything she wanted. Victor was well aware that in many cases, likable was the smartest thing one could be.
Devin, on the other hand, had been a thoroughly disagreeable teenager. He’d selfishly dismissed his parents’ advice and willfully sought ways to upset them. That attitude led to many shouting matches.
Victor had never wanted things to go that way. No, he and his wife had always been very patient. But Devin pushed and pushed. He would make excuses and accuse his parents of not listening, then insult them by saying they didn’t know anything about him and he didn’t need them to make his decisions for him.
Misbehaviors had eventually become misdemeanors. By the time Devin was fifteen, he had been caught abusing substances, engaging in vandalism, and other juvenile transgressions.
But Victor Colt was an important man, and Elizabeth Lin-Colt was a powerful politician. Through their combined influence, they cleaned up after their troublesome son time and time again. The ungrateful child had never once thanked his parents for their hard work. He’d even blamed them for his problems, charging them with putting too much pressure on him. Of course they had to pressure him. The little fool would not have gotten anywhere otherwise!
“What are you planning to do with your life?” Victor had asked one afternoon. “How do you expect to accomplish anything if you’re always engaging in these low-life kinds of behaviors?”
“Hey, I still bring home the grades, don’t I?” Devin’s young face dripped with boredom. “Thanks to your cleanup crew, I’m still a perfect student on paper, and that’s all that matters, right?”
Lines formed between Elizabeth’s arched black brows. “Devin, this is serious.”
Devin’s expression turned from indifferent to enraged. He grabbed a chair and threw it to the ground. “Dammit, I know it’s serious!Whatever worries you think you have—I promise, mine are much worse ! But it’s my life we’re talking about, so let me figure it out myself !”
Victor shook his head. “How can you be so selfish? We’ve seen where your ‘figuring things out’ has led. After all we’ve done for you, I don’t understand how—”
“You wanna know how it started?” Devin lifted his chin as though trying to match his father’s height. “I realized that my best would never be good enough, so I turned to study meds for help. You were oh-so-proud when I started excelling in school. You didn’t care what I had to go through to get there. So I went further and further until all I wanted was escape. That’s where your guidance has led!”
Victor frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“You’d know if you cared who I was instead of just what I do! I might as well be a fucking robot to you!”
“That’s enough .” The rage his idiot son always managed to provoke ignited within Victor.
Elizabeth crossed her arms. “Devin, if you don’t stop this nonsense now, you won’t go to the University of Kydera Major, you won’t get a Silk Sector job, and you won’t have a life.”
“Okay, Mom,” Devin scoffed. “You’ve got everything planned out for me. Looks like my life is already over. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got better things to do than stand here and listen to you two repeat yourselves.”
“Devin!” Elizabeth’s voice
Similar Books
