Chapter Fourteen
Tony couldn’t believe how happy he was. Life with Opal was amazing. He knew it wouldn’t be long until he told her he loved her. Smiling to himself he signed off on a few contracts. It never ceased to amaze him how his friends thought he was a happy-go-lucky kind of chap who did what he wanted, when in fact he was a businessman through and through.
“Sir, your father is here to see you,” his secretary said over the intercom. He paused in signing his name. His father very rarely came to see him.
“Send him in.” Whatever his old man had to say couldn’t be good. Tony wanted to throw the bastard out. Seeing him would only highlight how unsuitable he was for Opal. Opal, his sweet loving wife. She gave him the world, and she didn’t see it. She never saw how important she was to him.
Seconds later, his dad opened the door as he entered his office. Tony stayed seated. Greeting him would only make the bastard think he wanted him here.
The man in question looked like shit. The usually pristine Mr Hunt looked a mess. His suit was crinkled, and the hair which usually stayed a dark shade of brown was covered with greys.
“Hello, Son.”
Tony stared at the man he’d come to despise. Why hadn’t he gone to the police when he had the chance? For over eighteen years he had taken the beatings this man dished out. Why?
“What, no greeting for your old man?”
“You stopped being my old man a long time ago.”
Tony’s hands shook from the rage building inside him. The only thing keeping him in check was the picture of Opal on his desk. The one bright spark within his office. She smiled back at him. While he thought of that smile, he didn’t see the satisfaction he would gain from wiping this man off the face of the earth.
“Please. Are you going to be a fucking pity party? I taught you how to be a man.”
“Taught me how to be a man? You beat me to a bloody pulp, and I watched as you broke my mother,” Tony said.
“Women need to learn their place. They either look the part or get the punishment until they do. Speaking of which, what are you going to do about Opal?”
His defences went up. “What?”
“I’ve seen your wife. She’d not exactly up to our standards. Too fat. The blonde hair gives her some points, but the weight has got to go. She’s a Hunt now.”
Was this the type of talk Opal had to live with? He liked her the way she was. When they made love, he put his hands on her hips or stomach, and he felt the woman in his hands.
“Don’t you go near my wife.”
His father chuckled. “Women need a firm hand.”
“Opal is not your business, and I think it would be best if you get out of my office and don’t come back.”
“I’m your father.”
“You’re a wife beater, and if you touch my mum again, I’ll fucking destroy you.”
Tony waited as his father paled. “You don’t need to be dishing threats out. Your mother left me. Filed for divorce. I’m a free man.” His dad left the office, but the damage had already been done. The monster Tony kept so hard to keep down was itching to break free.
****
When Opal greeted her husband she knew something had changed. No smiles or kisses. The teasing had come to an end. The Tony she’d known the past few weeks had gone, and in his place stood a stranger.
“What’s wrong?” she asked. He looked like a caged animal ready to pounce at any moment.
“You’re not ready to know what’s wrong with me, Opal,” he said. Tony paced the room. She didn’t know what to do. He’d come back from work in a foul mood. “I’ve had a bad day at work.”
“Do you want me to help?” she asked.
“You don’t know what you’re asking for.” Tony stopped and glared at her.
“Then tell me, and I’ll see if I can do it,” she said. Maybe he wanted a foot massage or a nice dinner cooked.