20. A Calling

Tristan was sitting behind his table watching Jackson O'Kane from far. He gazed at the man who was to be his mentor for years to come. He was not like his father. He was stricter. He was more brutal. His rules were different to the O'Neil household. He was no family man. His past love life was a failed one. No one talked about it but they knew about it.

People seemed to be busy drinking but Tristan knew their attention was mostly on Jackson talking with Arturo and his wife. The kiss Jackson planted on Anna Rosario's hand was unexpected. He could hear people whispering about it but he couldn't see the big deal. He knew a Rosario woman had to have plenty of suitors. He was in love with one himself. He knew how many people loved his girl. They just didn't dare say it in front of him.  But he had a good idea of who her secret admirers could be and kept an eye on them from a distance. He also knew why Jackson may have declared his love after all these years. Love never died. He knew that. He had his share of admirers. Many girls loved him and tried to come onto him. They were mostly from Irish families. Tristan sometimes was late in warning them off because Vincenzo beat him to it mostly.

Vincenzo was good at scaring off Tristan's admirers. If an Irish implied any interest in him, Vincenzo was first to take them aside and have a talk with them. It always worked and not wishing for having to deal with Vincenzo again, the girls normally found themselves boyfriends so Vincenzo didnt even suspect they were interested in Tristan any more. Vincenzo was not one to standby and watch women look at the man that belonged to his sister. He hit hard where it hurt if anyone ignored his warnings.

Vienna looked at Tristan nervously "My father is going to him now. I am worried."

Tristan whispered "Don't worry. It will be fine."

Tristan could feel the tension in the room as Francesco Rosario met up with Jackson in front of everyone. Vienna could feel it too. No one seemed to be even breathing in the room while Francesco Rosario spoke to Jackson. Everyone heard every single word. Francesco had a way with words. Francesco didn't sound like he was threatening him but the threat was evident in his voice. Francesco amde clear to Jackson his views about the value of family and how much protecting his family mattered to him. Without referring to the incident when Jackson had kissed Anna's hand, Francesco implied that he was not objective to the incident. Francesco went on for a while explaining what principles he believed in. But in the end declared loud and clear that he remained on good terms with the O'Kane family and their allies. His approval mattered. It just did. So he felt the tension leaving Vienna as her father stood up and left.

As Jackson O'Kane watched Francesco walk away he recalled the events of the past in his mind. Francesco was a speical individual. He had one thing in common. Francesco hated his old man and so did Jackson. Both had suffered at the hands of their controlling fathers. Francesco was now with a wife. Adele had waited for Francesco while Anna hadn't waited for him. It did hurt to see this woman with another man but he had learnt to sink his pain and raise his triumphs.

Jackson had nothing left to lose now. He had lost the one woman he ever loved and the only woman he was ever going to love. He was made to turn to the maverick of the family that tried to avoid him like the plague for help. He had two sons and it was his duty to make his sons available for taking up responsibilities for the house of O'Kane. His eyes the caught his cousin's who was wat the other side of the room drinking irish cream whiskey from the bar. He stared at him while glancing at his friend Francesco. He noticed that O'Neil gave Francesco concerned looks. He then downed his drink and walked to Jackson.

Jackson watched him come closer as he asked "Terrence. Have you told Sterling I need to see him next?"

O'Neil put his hands on the table as he stared at his cousin. It was now noisy again in the room. He whispered so only he heard his words "I will tell him... But first lets get it out there. Do you still blame Francesco for what happened? " O'Neil had a fall out with Jackson due to his stance on his old friend since Francesco was the one who had agreed to Anna's marriage. Anna wouldnt have married Arturo without Francesco's permission. O'Neil feared for Francesco's well being. O'Kane was a threat to be reckoned with and he was never going to stop being wary of him.

Jackson smiled and whispered back "You have asked me hundreds of time Terrence. You shouldnt try to dig too deep. You may come across a corpse underneath the ground."

O'Neil pressed on "Just state yes or no."

Jackson shook his head "Be careful Terrence. Watch your tone. I don't take orders from you and certainly dont appreciate your disrespectful tone. You are my cousin. I dont shoot you for disrespect but you are not immune to any other consequences."

O'Neil knew Jackson was doing this deliberately to get a reaction out of him. Jackson always told the truth to his family or didnt say anything at all. O'Neil did push Jackson's buttons for helping out Francesco and was willing to pay for it. He didnt mind.

O'Neil stated. " I know you always claimed if Anna is not hurt by Arturo, then Francesco wont have anything to worry about. But if she does get hurt, you will be fighting Francesco and you will want me on your side. I know there is nothing you will not do for this woman. I will not be on your side then. You will be forced to make me regret my actions. But we both know Francesco wouldnt have given away Anna to a man who is a threat to her. So it leaves you and your vengeance for your personal reasons. Jackson. I am asking for the truth. Thats all. I am your cousin. I deserve the truth. I need to be assured of what your intentions are towards a man thats as dear as my brother. Do you still blame Francesco?."

Jackson stated "I have answered you many times Terrence. You need to work with what you have. My stance has not changed."

O'Neil had heard it many times. Jackson didn't blame Francesco. He blamed his father. ... But Francesco was not on Jackson's favourite list. Francesco was considered no friend of Jackson since he had given Anna away knowing Jackson was under lock and key by his father at the time. That was no secret. O'Neil could use his imagination what it meant to not be on Jackson's favourite list but he couldnt be certain. Jackson had a dark mind just like all his blood relatives did. Now he was going to mentor his son to make a leader out of him. His son had to stay loyal to the O'Kane principles and not O'Neil ones. That worried him.

O'Neil's expression hardened " My stance has not changed either. If you come at him for revenge I will not take your side. I need an honest answer because I am always honest with you."

Jackson narrowed his eyes "Terrence. Of course. I know that. You keep reminding me. You always make your traitorous intentions very clear. Your honesty can be a curse and blessing for you Terrence. I let you get away with your insults since we are related. But even I can run out of patience Terrence. Dont test me."

O'Neil said "I am not patient either Jackson."

Jackson reacted by standing up. He towered over O'Neil as he was slightly taller than him. It would have intimidated anyone else to run off but O'Neil stood his ground.

Jackson looked into his cousin's eyes as he leaned closer. He put his hand on O'Neil's shoulder " You need to stop asking questions Terrence. Don't push your luck. Just remember this... A Knife blade will never cut its own handle. Here I gave you your honest answer that you deserve. Terrence. My patience has reached its limit. Now. Get me Sterling. I need to see him before I declare your son as my heir."

O'Neil couldnt say anything back to that answer. He had left it to him to figure out what he meant. Did he mean he was not going to harm Francesco because he saw him as family or did he mean he only cared for family? There were various interpretations that he was going to contemplate on.

O'Neil nodded "Thank you. That wasn't so hard now. Was it?" He then reached the hankerchif in Jackson's side pocket of coat and toched the silky material "You keep her memory with you. So does she. Did you know her daughter's middle name is after your mother? She loved you because you had your mother's character in you. Not your father's. vengeance wont bring Anna back. Its time to move on. My children have moved on with time. All three are pursuing Rosarios. Tristan is dating Vienna. Clarisa is dating Vincenzo and Trent is dating ... Amethyst, Anna's daughter." He then took the shocked look in Jackson's eyes as his turn to leave. He left Jackson livid. O'Neil had missed these details in his reports to him. He was required to report to him non stop. He left those details off the list even though they were important. Jackson was going to have a go at him for missing these details. He just couldn't help chuckle at his exprssion. Yes, his cousin had power but he still could get away with getting on his nerves.

O'Neil walked to Sterling and said "Its your turn to see Jackson. Keep the peace. He is not in a good mood. Its my fault of course. You can blame everything he complained about on me." He then winked as he saw Sterling give him a questioning look.

As Sterling was about to ask what he meant, O'Neil walked away. Sterling sighed. He was always a neutral third party used for peace keeping. Harlem honour of his went a long way.

After Sterling talked to Jackson, O'Neil poured himself another glass of irish whiskey and walked to his son instricting him to go to Jackson. Tristan noticed that Jackson was staring daggers past him at his father as he started walking towards him but then as he approached his table, he noticed that Jackson's expressioned softened.

As Tristan reached Jackson's table stood in front of him, he recalled their past encounters. They didnt have many. His father always avoided his mother's side. He mostly took them on vacation if they wanted to come visit. Only when they had to, they saw the O'Kane and allies. His father protected Tristan from O'Kane before he was ready to face him. He wanted him to choose to follow O'Kane. Now that Tristan was wiser and older he had a better understanding of what he was going to be letting himself into when he became an heir. It seemed like he had a choice but he had none. He knew from day one when it was revealed to him he was first in line to take over O'Kane assets that there was no choice. His father had taken him aside and had told him "Son we are going to visit your uncle Jackson. I don't want you to find out from anyone else but you will be taking over the O'Kane family son. Good luck." It was a surprise. Then his father had explained to Trent and him about the matter in the car as they were driving.

Tristan knew who he was dealing with. The O'Kanes and those families who served them were no ordinary families. They could wipe out families within a short space of time. They were united and influential like that. They had more contacts in FBI than his father. If there was a crime, they could cover it up fast.

Jackson O'Kane stood up and smiled as he shook Tristan's hand "Welcome to your family son. Your training will take a few months but you will be learning from the best. You will be joining and learning. Now, follow me son. We are going to the meeting room before everyone else heads over to the room. I would like to have a word in private before I introdue you to all these people." He then walked away.

Tristan followed Jackson O'Kane of course without saying anothor word. He watched Vienna looking at him worriedly. Even her worried look made his heart melt for her. She was watching him at the start of a new path. His world was going to change. He was going to change. He knew Vienna could handle it. From then onwards, his life was not going to belong to himself just like how Vincenzo's life was not his own. With power came responsibility. With responsibilty came tough decisions. But in all his years, he had been taught to make decisions. His father made sure he was put on the spot all the time. He was trained as a leader from day one. He could take on this challenge. He knew he could. hard work was just going to start. The fate of an entire family and their allies were going to depend on him. He was not going to take it lightly.

Tristan entered the meeting room following Jackson. He then closed the door as Jackson walked to the middle of the room. Jackson looked around at the line of chairs set up in oval shape around the room. He chuckled "He makes it look like the senate here. What an irony?"

Tristan took a deep breath and walked slowly towards Jackson in silence.

Jackson sat down on one of the chairs at one side of the room and pointed to a chair across from himself on the otherside "Sit down."

Tristan complied and sat down staring at Jackson awaiting his next words. Jackson leaned back in his chair and put his hands at the back of the chairs next to him "Now. Tell me about yourself Tristan."

Tristan felt like his question had a different meaning than what it sounded like. Strangly Tristan got the same feeling when he talked to Vincenzo. His words sounds different to what they implied. Tristan paused and thought about what he wanted to know. There was so much he could say but what was most important to jackson? Probably he wanted to hear what was most important to him.

Tristan answered "I think you dont have all day for me to answer this question. There is so much to say. You already know so much about me. My father sent you reports about Trent and I. You asked him to do that in exchange for not appearing often in our lives. Our father wanted to raise us in his way. That was always his condition... You ask me to tell you about myself when you know everything about me..."

Jackson shook his head "You are good with come backs. Like your father. He likes to test me too. I asked you a question son. I expect an answer. If anyone avoids my questions they wont enjoy the consequences."

Tristan replied "And anyone who wastes your time and tell you what you already know they wont enjoy the consequences either."

Jackson replied "I thought its obvious.... But again you may not know. You are right. Your father knows me well. He knows I wouldnt have been satisfied with just visiting his family. He knew I wanted more control and more frequent contact. So he made sure he kept me away with every trick he had until you reached a reasonable age which is now. You are almost eighteen. You can make your own mind. Now, you say I received reports. Yes. But not on every aspect. Your father never sent any reports about who you are dating. Its very intersting to hear. I only found out today that you have picked Vienna Rosario as your future partner in life and the one who you have chosen to carry your heir. I am impressed that her father has approved of you. He is no man to be deceived. He is no man to take chances. He approved of you which says alot while many others never got his approval when his cousin Anna had suitors. Tell me everything about yourself and your siblings that your father has missed in his reports."