Memory

As I leaned against my bed, I reflected on my social history, sharing more about my earlier years. "I wasn't very well liked in high school, or at any time in my life. Apparently, I have a shit personality and come off as extremely cold and condescending," I shrugged, trying to explain the isolation I often felt.

"You are pretty full of yourself," Jasper pointed out, a slight smirk crossing his face.

"Confidence and arrogance are two different things, Jasper. I'm extremely confident in my ability to do everything. Human connection just wasn't at the very top of my list," I scoffed, defending my perspective but acknowledging my shortcomings.

"How'd you make friends with Sam then?" Jasper pried further, curious about my past interactions.

"It was more of a strategic partnership. I would do the analytical work and Sam would do the rest. We were pretty good and I managed to make about $40 million. We were about to solidify everything publicly but Sam sold me out," I explained, the bitterness of the betrayal still evident in my tone.

"Why couldn't you make any other friends?" Jasper continued, genuinely interested in understanding more about my personal life.

"I'm my mother's child and I'm antisocial," I reminded him with a half-smile. "I've always been that way. Stubborn, arrogant, and ill-tempered."

"I think it's cute," Jasper said, his voice softening.

"That's because you aren't normal," I sighed, a mix of affection and exasperation coloring my words. Jasper's acceptance of my flaws somehow made the evening's earlier chaos more bearable, reinforcing the unusual but genuine bond we shared.

Jasper chuckled softly, not missing a beat. "You aren't very normal yourself. I also don't think you're very antisocial either. You're great when it comes to business matters."

"That's because they're all strangers that can potentially be exploited and I'm confident in business," I responded matter-of-factly, revealing the more pragmatic, perhaps cynical side of my approach to relationships.

"Is that why you put Mr. Carter up as a sacrifice?" Jasper delved deeper, trying to understand my motives.

"No, I put him up because he's run out of usefulness. When he's no longer needed, I'll get rid of him, and this is the cleanest way," I explained coldly, my voice devoid of emotion.

"But he helped you get to where you are! What happened to not biting the hand that feeds you?" Jasper challenged, his tone a mixture of incredulity and disapproval.

"His hand stopped feeding me, I'm free to bite," I shrugged, indifferent to the moral implications. "It's nothing personal. He just made the mistake of being a disposable asset at a critical time. Keeping him around is extra work I don't need."

"Are you going to tell him?" Jasper pressed, his concern evident.

"He'll find out he's being edged out soon enough," I replied dismissively. "Business doesn't care about his feelings."

"Well, that's... insightful," Jasper commented dryly, perhaps questioning the harshness of my worldview.

"This is why I don't have any friends except for Travis," I admitted, hinting at the complexities of maintaining personal connections.

"Well, with Travis, you do tend to be a bit more vulnerable," Jasper pointed out, recognizing the softer aspects of my interactions with one of the few people I trusted.

"Travis is like a mom or a younger brother. He's different," I explained, my tone softening as I spoke of someone who mattered in a different way.

"Hm, what about me?" Jasper queried, curious about his own standing in my life.

"Honestly, I don't care what it is you feel towards me. For me, it's just simple, I completely own you, that includes your weakness and intimacy," I stated bluntly, perhaps too bluntly. Realizing how harsh my words sounded, I quickly tried to amend them. "Actually, that sounded bad. The feels are mutual so I wouldn't just drop you after letting you be my spouse. It wouldn't be profitable... no, what I mean is..." I stumbled, struggling to find the right words to convey a sentiment that felt foreign to express.

Jasper listened, a slight smile playing on his lips as he waited for me to navigate through my clumsy attempt at reassurance.

"I understood you the first time. You love in a different way than everyone else. As long as I'm number one to you, I'm good," he affirmed, a gentle acceptance in his tone that eased the tension I had felt from my earlier, blunt words.

Just then, Travis leaned casually against the doorway, a smirk playing on his lips as he caught the tail end of our conversation. "You forgot to tell him that you were a total delinquent, that's why you hung out with Sam," he chimed in.

"I wasn't a delinquent!" I groaned.

"So why did those inbred scam artists come here?" Travis's voice took on a more serious note as he shifted the topic to the earlier confrontation.

"To act like inbreds," I responded dryly, not wanting to delve into the messy details of the encounter, but Travis's curiosity wasn't satisfied.

"I hope you put them in their place properly," he said, his expression indicating he expected no less from me.

The room filled with a brief silence as we all considered the implications of the day's events, but Jasper, ever curious about my past, redirected the conversation. "What was Alex like in high school?" he suddenly asked, turning to Travis for answers.

Travis's response was filled with reluctant admittance, hinting at a nuanced understanding of my past interactions. "We didn't hang out much, but Alex was always in trouble. He was incredibly disrespectful and arrogant, so no one really wanted to go near him unless they wanted business advice. Sam was the only one who really got along with him and managed to get into business. Alex turned half the school against him by taking over three startups other students had started. Really, they were jealous that he made it more successful than they ever could, so a lot of rumors started. Things got so bad at one point he had to pay people to fight for him."

Jasper listened intently, his expression a mixture of surprise and curiosity. "Was he that hated?" he asked, trying to reconcile the image of me as a high school pariah with the person he knew now.

"They were just upset they couldn't understand the prodigy from what I gathered. In reality, a lot of them just wanted to bend you over. Everyone thought Sam was," Travis added, revealing more about the social dynamics and misconceptions that swirled around my high school life.

"Why would they think that?" I probed further, genuinely curious about these perceptions I might not have been fully aware of at the time.

"You two were always hanging out, and no one else could get close to you. Plus, you looked a lot cuter in high school, almost like a girl. I know that's why the girls and I hated you for a bit," Travis explained, offering a glimpse into the envy and confusion that fueled much of the animosity towards me.

As the conversation took a turn towards more personal revelations, I couldn't help but challenge Travis's past sentiments. "You hated me because of that?" I called out, surprised and somewhat amused.

"No, I hated you because my ex and a few other people said they wanted to try you out. I even confronted you about seducing him but you totally blew me off like I was someone unimportant. Sam had to clear up the misunderstanding so I didn't try to retaliate," Travis rolled his eyes, recounting the past grievances with a dismissive shrug.

"Sam making peace all the time was his problem. I told him he was too nice and look what happened," I remarked, my tone tinged with bitterness.

"Get over it, he was manipulated," Travis scoffed, dismissing my critique of Sam's character.

"Which makes him stupid as well," I continued, unwilling to let go of my harsh judgment.

"Didn't you two make peace after you stabbed his hand?" Jasper interjected, trying to understand the current state of my relationships.

"I said I'll be cordial but that doesn't mean peace," I clarified, drawing a line between superficial politeness and genuine reconciliation.

"Only you would think like that and that's why you didn't have any friends. Luckily you're nicer and more fun than I originally thought," Travis said, offering a backhanded compliment that reflected his revised opinion of me.

"It's not like I'm some monster!" I defended myself, feeling the need to refute any notion of being inherently unlikeable or cruel.

"You aren't a monster. I understood after meeting your family why you're like that," Travis sighed, showing a deeper level of understanding and empathy towards my behavior. "At least you aren't as bad as your brother."

"What's the difference between my brother and I?" I scoffed, feeling a challenge in his words. In my view, we both pursued our goals with similar ruthlessness.

"You have a heart. Well, it feels like you have a heart. Enough to genuinely like people and maintain relationships," Travis continued, distinguishing me from my brother. "And unlike your slut brother, it's adorable how much you actually like Jasper."

Jasper blushed at the comment, clearly caught off guard. "Oh?" he muttered, a mix of surprise and embarrassment coloring his voice.

"Fuck off! I was just asking for advice!" I snapped, feeling a sudden surge of defensiveness. The conversation was veering too close to personal revelations that I wasn't comfortable with.

"Right, you're a brick with no feelings," Travis rolled his eyes sarcastically, not buying my tough exterior for a second. "I'm going to upgrade the security here and I know you're doing election things so don't forget about the Lombardi family."

"I'd never forget about Mother," I responded firmly, acknowledging silently that we would move up in the world together.