Good evening everyone! I'm posting tonight because I am working a sixteen hour shift tomorrow, and an eight hour turn around before having to be back at work. Needless to say, I'm going to bed as soon as I get off work tonight (sshhh, don't tell anyone that I'm posting at work, hehe.). Hope you guys enjoy the chapter. And just like last week, I'm working all weekend again so please don't be upset if I can't review and reply to your comments right away. I will try my best, and hopefully I won't miss anyone. Have a good weekend!
Family and Decisions
Alec spent the rest of the weekend going over what everyone said about helping him start his bistro. The end result being that he was seriously considering the offer. It was still a rather overwhelming prospect, and Alec didn't know where to start. By Monday morning when Alec got to Magnus' house, he was surprised to hear that the CEO and Cat were working from his upstairs study for the day. Alec ended up making them both a light breakfast that was sent upstairs so they didn't have to stop their work. Hours later, Alec was almost finished making lunch when Magnus walked into the kitchen with a guilty look on his face.
"Alexander, you have people here to see you," Magnus said, walking into the kitchen just as Alec was plating Magnus' lunch.
"Who?" Alec asked, looking up.
"Your parents, Clary and Simon," Magnus said. "Apparently you've been avoiding them. That true?"
"Maybe," Alec admitted, reluctantly. He just wanted to focus on cooking right now rather than the mess that was his personal life.
"And why would you do that?" Magnus asked.
"Well, I didn't want to prove Jace and Izzy right by letting my parents 'dote' on me, now did I? Besides, I've been in contact with them... I've just kept the conversations short."
"I suppose that explains your parents, but what about Clary and Simon?" Magnus asked.
"I don't want to come between them and my brother and sister," Alec said simply, going back to the task at hand.
"Those are some rather feeble arguments Alexander and I think you should talk to them now," Magnus stated firmly. "In fact, I have a feeling that Clary won't leave me alone until you do."
"God Magnus, I'm so sorry! I didn't think they'd bother you," Alec said, feeling humiliated that Clary would do that just to speak to him.
"Don't worry about it. I just want this to stop. Clary has been so distraught, and with you both being my friends, I want you talking again. She and Sheldon feel like they're being punished when they didn't do anything wrong," Magnus said.
"Fine," Alec hung his head in his hands, rubbing his temples. "Fine, I'll talk to them."
"Great!" Magnus replied. "I'll send them in and give you some privacy." He grabbed his and Cat's lunch before leaving the kitchen.
The moment Clary walked in she launched herself at Alec whispering 'I'm sorry' over and over again. He comforted her, telling her that it was okay and kissed the top of her head. Next, he was then assaulted by Simon. Alec chuckled at his best friend when he pulled Alec into a huge bear hug. Then his parents came over, kissing him on the cheek and pulling him into a hug.
"What are you all doing here?" Alec questioned when he had the space to breath again.
"Alexander Gideon Lightwood, you will not question us right now!" Maryse chastised him. "I want to know why you didn't come to the last night's family dinner!" Alec could feel himself shrinking down a bit. He never cared for being scolded by his parents.
"Mom, you know why," Alec began. "I told you that I wanted to give Jace and Izzy their space. I also needed my own space from the two of them. How long is Jace in town for anyway? Didn't he just start filming a movie?"
"He'll be here for the next month and a half," Clary explained. "They're doing some of the filming here."
"Oh fantastic," Alec said, his tone dripping in sarcasm.
"Son, we don't want you hiding from your siblings forever," Robert said, concern laced into every inch of his face. "I know they hurt you, but we love you all and don't want to lose any of you. This whole mess is causing a rift in the family. Max, Simon and Clary are siding with you, and Jace and Isabelle feel like they're being betrayed by their partners. Something's gotta give here!"
"I'm not hiding from them!" Alec said. "I just want to know why they've never mentioned this whole jealousy issue before. If I'd known, then I could have done… I don't know… done something!"
"Alec, there's nothing you can do! They're the ones who need to deal with whatever issues they have," Simon said with conviction. "And I'm not siding with my wife because I know that what she's doing is wrong!"
"And I'm not siding with Jace because I know there's more to this than what he's actually saying. Something's going on with him, and I feel like he's the one who dragged Izzy into this mess," Clary added.
"I still feel responsible," Alec sighed, already growing tired of his conversation. "I keep trying to figure out what I could have done differently to make them not resent me so much."
"Like what? Not taking on our responsibilities when we were trying to start our business?" his mother began with a huff. "Not making sure their homework was done every night? Not making sure they were fed and clothed?" She paused before adding in a smaller voice. "Alec honey, I regret letting you talk us into taking on all of that. If we were in their lives more, maybe we could have done more to prevent them from treating you like this. Maybe now we put more of an effort into what's going on with your life because we feel like we've neglected you the most over the years." Maryse had unshed tears in her eyes as she finished speaking.
"But you shouldn't feel that way! And you didn't neglect me at all. I never had a problem picking up the slack to let the two of you be happier. We all knew you two were miserable, that's why I pushed you so much to start your own company. Izzy, Jace and Max understood that," Alec said, pulling his mother into a hug. "Or at least I thought they did."
"But we didn't let you be a kid," Robert mirrored his wife's sentiment. " And now, it's as if Izzy and Jace are rebelling against you. You've given up so much for them, even if they don't know it!" Alec could see the disappointment and anger in his father's eyes.
"And I told you that it was my decision," Alec stated, glancing over to see if Clary and Simon had overheard and suspected anything. Alec didn't want his brothers and sister knowing that he gave his entire inheritance to all of them so they could live more comfortable lives.
"Well, now it's time for you to start living your life," Robert stated, firmly. "Max told us that Magnus and all of his friends offered to invest in your restaurant? We think you should take them up on their offer, son."
"I'm still considering it," Alec replied.
"Why do I feel like I'm missing something?" Simon asked.
Robert and Maryse jumped, clearly forgetting that their son in law and soon to be daughter in law were standing there. Robert and Maryse glance at Alec, and he could see the silent question in their eyes. Alec reluctantly nodded his head, letting his parents know that they could tell Simon and Clary.
"Simon, Clary, what we're about to tell you stays between the five of us. You can't say anything to Isabelle, Jace or Max," Maryse said, waiting for Simon and Clary to respond.
When they both nodded in understanding and made their promises, Robert said, "Alec gave up his inheritance so his siblings could live the lifestyle that they wanted. He didn't want Isabelle to deal with student loans or a house payment. Jace wanted a house in California as well as here, so he had us give Jace the money to do so. And he didn't want Max to have to deal with Ivy League student loans either, so we set up a college fund out of Alec's portion of his inheritance. Max will also have his own inheritance once he turns twenty-one."
"I'm not sure if Jace and Isabelle told you this," Maryse continued. "But I grew up in lower middle class society, and my parents, brothers and myself had to work hard for everything we got. I met Robert in college. Robert is from a very proud, wealthy family and they didn't approve of our relationship. Robert's parents were trying to force him into marrying a woman for a merger with his father's company, and to make the merger concrete, they wanted to have the new company within the same family. Robert refused the arranged marriage, and his parents cut him off. The only reason our children were able to go to St. Xavier's is because we had to beg Robert's parents to help pay for it. Luckily they agreed, saying that it's not our children's fault that 'their parents wouldn't do the right and honorable thing' and reluctantly gave us the money."
Alec knew that his mother tried to break things off with his dad when she found out that Robert was getting disinherited, but he wouldn't listen and fought hard for her.
"When I saw what mom and dad were dealing with at their old company, I begged them to start their own," Alec continued the story. "They didn't start making their fortune until about four years ago. When they wanted to give us an inheritance, I wouldn't take it. I knew they had lenders and investors to pay off. I also wanted my brothers and sister to never have to worry about money, because I saw what it was like watching mom and dad struggle with it. I don't mind the struggle, but I didn't want that for them. I allowed mom and dad to pay off my student loans and buy my flat in Paris; but other than that, I wanted to make my own way in the world just like they did."
"God Alec! That makes things so much worse!" Simon exclaimed. Robert, Maryse and Alec looked questioningly at him. "Alec you've always done everything for them, and after the way Jace and Izzy treated you last weekend, it just makes what they did cruel and childish!"
"It is what it is, Simon," Alec said, shrugging his shoulder. "I can't change their opinion of me."
"But that's the thing Alec, you can!" Clary yelled, her face red with anger. "You can remind them what you've done for them while you were all growing up. You should tell them that you sacrificed your own future for them. They need to know just how much they've hurt you!"
"I'm not going to do that and you know it," Alec replied easily. "I didn't give anything up for them. Their happiness means everything to me, and that's what I care about the most."
Clary walked right up to Alec and pointed her finger in his face… well his neck due to their height difference. He would have laughed at her if she didn't already look so pissed off. "You better take Magnus up on his offer. I want to see you in your own restaurant by the end of the year. Do you hear me?"
Alec looked at his parents and Simon. They all held similar expressions. "Okay, fine!" Alec gave in. "I'll let Magnus know that I want to go ahead with it."
Everyone cheered, which was probably the reason why Magnus returned to the kitchen.
"Is everything okay in here?" Magnus asked.
"Sorry Magnus. I didn't mean to disturb you," Alec said, then glared at the others. "I didn't realize that my family would cause you so many problems."
"I told you it's not a problem, and besides, I may or may not have helped orchestrate his little gathering," Magnus said, giving Alec a guilty smile to which Alec replied by playfully glaring at Magnus.
"Well Alec, are you going to tell him or am I going to have to do it," Clary sassed with one hand on her hip. It took everything Alec had not to snigger at the sight of her.
"Tell me what?" Magnus asked, looking rather confused.
"I've decided that I want to take you up on your offer," Alec mumbled.
"What!? Are you serious?" Magnus' eyes lit up as he asked excitedly.
"Yes I'm serious," Alec said, bashfully smiling. There was something about Magnus' smile that made Alec want to continue to keep that smile on his face.
Magnus ran over to Alec, pulling him into a bone crushing hug. Alec found himself quite taken by surprised and by the looks on the other faces in the room so did everyone else.
"When you're done with your family come to my office," Magnus began. "Cat and I will be ready to talk business, but take your time here," Then he practically skipped out of the kitchen.
"Hm, it appears that Max is right," Maryse said with a smirk.
"Right about what?" Alec asked.
"Your boss has a thing for you," Robert said with a chuckle, causing everyone else but Alec to join in.
"He does not! He's just excited for me is all," Alec said, not believing that his parents were teasing him about his boss right now.
"Keep telling yourself that buddy," Simon said, patting Alec on the shoulder. "I hear wedding bells in your future."
"Jesus," Alec said as everyone laughed, pinching the bridge of his nose. It always amazed him that his parents could joke around about their kids love lives like this. "Okay, it's time for you all to leave." Alec began all but pushing them out of the room.
"Okay, okay we're going," Robert chuckled. "Just call us later on tonight and tell us about your little meeting upstairs. We'll work with you on your marketing pitch for your bistro." Robert gave Alec a hug goodbye. Maryse, Simon and Clary followed suit, and his parents left. Simon and Clary hung back.
Alec raised an eyebrow in question, "Yes?"
"Alec," Clary said, coming up and hugging him. "I just want you to know that I'm going to get to the bottom of this. Jace hasn't been acting like himself since he started this movie. I don't know what's going on with him, but even when we talked about the engagement party and the wedding he was pretty adamant about wanting everything publicised. I shot the idea down quickly and nearly cancelled the engagement, but there's just something that's still off about him. I truly don't think he meant any of what he said to you. I can tell that there's some internal war going on inside his head, but he keeps shutting me out."
"Well, if anyone can set Jace straight it's you," Alec said, looking into her emerald doe eyes and hugged her even tighter.
As Alec released his hold on Clary, Simon spoke up, "And I know for a fact that Isabelle is regretting her part in all of this. She hasn't been able to concentrate on anything since last weekend. She was very upset that you weren't at the family dinner last night. I think she was going to grovel at your feet until you forgave her. I'm still pretty pissed off about the whole thing, so I wouldn't blame you one bit for making her wait as long as you need to," Simon sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "But just because you aren't ready to forgive Izzy, doesn't mean that we can't still hang out. You're my best friend Alec."
"You're my best friend too, Simon," Alec said, his emotions getting the better of him.
"What am I, chopped liver?" Clary said, causing Alec and Simon to laugh. They both walked over to Clary and engulfed her into a big bear hug.
"You're my best friend too, Fray," Alec and Simon said simultaneously, feeling her shake in silent laughter, which resulted in all of them bursting at the seams laughing.
The threesome pulled apart and Alec gave them both his new phone number as well as the address to his apartment. They made tentative plans to get together for dinner soon and Clary and Simon left. Alec felt much better than he had since Max left his place yesterday afternoon.
Alec grabbed his tablet and made his way to the second floor of the house knowing that's where Magnus' study was. He knocked on the door and entered when he heard Cat's voice call out to him.
"Alec! Magnus told me the good news. I'm so excited for you," Cat said as he sat down next to her. Magnus glanced up and smiled at Alec, but didn't say anything as he was busy typing away on his phone.
"Okay, Ragnor and Raph are free for about an hour so I'm going to go ahead and conference them in," Magnus said as he set his cell phone down, picking up his landline and started dialing away.
The phone rang twice when suddenly Ragnor and Raphael shouted through the speaker, "Congratulations Alec!"
"Thanks, guys," Alec said with a chuckle, trying not to blush.
"Let's get started shall we," Ragnor said. "Catarina my dear, would you please take notes for the meeting?"
"Already on it, sweetheart," Cat responded. Alec couldn't help but smile at how cute the married couple were, even over the phone.
"Alright," Ragnor started. "Alec I just spoke to my parents, and they are willing to take you on as a client Pro Bono for the first two years, after that they will work with you on a rate."
"Uh, wait a minute. What do your parents do exactly?" Alec was confused.
"Right, I keep forgetting that you're just now joining our group," Ragnor said through the phone. "My parents are corporate attorneys."
"Oh… uh okay," Alec said, stunned that Ragnor had already worked something out with his parents. Alec knew he would need an attorney, but figured he'd have to find one himself.
"Is that okay? I didn't overstep by talking to them, did I?" Ragnor asked, voice sounding uncertain.
"No!" Alec said, quickly trying to ease Ragnor's mind. "I just figured that I would find one on my own, but since you're investing in my bistro I trust that you wouldn't lead me in the wrong direction with this."
"Thank you, Alec. You can ask Magnus about them as a reference if you'd like. They've worked with him before. My mom also told me that your parents are clients of their firm, though one of their partners works with them mostly," Ragnor explained. Alec made a mental note to talk to his parents as well.
"Okay, moving on," Raphael said, sounding a bit impatient. "I was wondering how you would feel about using your parents marketing firm to help promote your restaurant?"
"Oh, they've already said they would. I have to talk to them when I'm ready for the marketing aspect," Alec quickly explained.
"Good. Now I personally know of a few vendors that you can contact. I also have a list of reputable vendors you can get quotes from. I can help you set up meetings with them and go with you if you'd like?" Raphael said.
"Thank you. That would help out quite a bit," Alec agreed. Having Raphael's experience in the business already will help Alec a great deal. He really needed to have a one-on-one meeting with the man. Alec made a note in his tablet a to set up a meeting with Raphael. Alec wasn't even sure that he could afford to employ someone like Raphael.
"I would like to go around with you tomorrow and scope out possible locations," Magnus continued. "When you find three locations that you like, my realtor can work something out for you. Since I own a few commercial buildings in the area I can also see if I have any vacant locations for you to look at as well."
"That sounds good," Alec said, then it quickly occurred to him that he hasn't even applied for a loan yet. "Wait a minute, shouldn't I secure a loan before I start looking at locations?"
"I'll call my contacts and get you a meeting set up quickly," Ragnor replied. "Cat darling, will you call your parents as soon as we're finished here?"
"Sure," she said, replying to her husband while jotting down notes. Alec was thoroughly confused at that point. He also felt a little out of the loop, almost as if he were just sitting in on the meeting and not contributing anything.
Alec looked over at Magnus who was smirking, then looked over at Cat who told him that her parents owned one of the largest banks in New York. Alec glanced over at Magnus yet again. He must have read the expression on Alec's face because he said, "Ragnor, why don't we allow Alexander some input considering this is his business and not ours."
"Right, sorry," Ragnor said. "Go ahead Alec. I didn't mean to steamroll over you."
"I just want some advice on what I should present to the lenders," Alec began slowly. "Without knowing exactly how much money I need, I know that everything I present is just going to be an estimate. I want to have a convincing enough business proposal ready for when I meet them." Alec paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. "I want to be able to talk to some vendors and find out what their costs may be for food, linens, and everything else I'll need. I want to price out how much it'll cost to either rent out a location for the bistro or buy a place. And I'll need to come up with estimated costs on renovations. I'll also need to estimate how much I'm planning on selling my dishes for. I don't want to lowball myself or charge too much to the point where customers won't want to eat at my establishment. I would also need to know how much I'm planning on paying my employees."
"And those are all excellent points Alec," Cat said. "I'm happy to hear that you've considered the big picture as opposed to just what you need to get started."
"I really don't want to fail at this," Alec said looking down at his tablet. He hated voicing his fears, but considering all of these people were willing to invest in him he didn't want to be dishonest about his worries.
"Oh please!" Raphael scoffed. "Lightwood, I took the liberty of googling you Saturday night when I left your house. You're an Iron Chef for fucksakes! There's no way you will fail at this!"
"What!" The entire group yelled out at once, causing Alec to groan and hide his face behind his hands.
"But that was in France, not here!" Alec groaned. "No one knows who I am in the States." Alec tried to get his embarrassment under control.
"Oh please! Your name is everywhere. You've been on several Food Network shows such as Cake Wars, Masterchef, and Worst Bakers in America as a guest judge, and you've worked under Gordon Ramsey and Christian Le Squer," Raphael laid it all on the table in black and white. "You'll be fine Alec."
"How did I not know about this?" Magnus questioned, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open.
"Because I didn't put that on my resume," Alec sighed. "Oh, and Masterchef isn't on the Food Network, it's on Fox Network. I'm surprised Raphael even bothered to look me up in all honesty."
"Well, I wanted to know who I was going to be working for," Raph said with a hint of smugness.
"Now that we've pretty much covered the basics," Ragnor piped in over the phone. "Alec we need a way to contact you to set up a meeting to hash out the details on the business proposal."
"Love, I'll text you his number and give him yours," Cat said. "Raph I'm sure can get it tonight if he wanted to."
They all agreed and the meeting was over due to prior obligations that Ragnor and Raphael had. Before Raphael hung up Alec made sure to organize a plan to meet up with him later.
"Well," Alec started, still making his 'to do' lists on his tablet. "I think our first meeting went well."
A few minutes without a response, Alec looked up from his tablet to see Cat and Magnus just staring at him, "What?"
"Really Alexander, that's all you have to say!" Magnus exclaimed, shaking his head. "Why didn't you tell us that you're basically a celebrity?"
"Because it shouldn't matter," Alec shrugged. He was proud of his accomplishments, but he wasn't going to go out and brag about them. That wasn't his style.
"Alec, honey. You've worked with Gordon freaking Ramsey! Who wouldn't brag about that?" Cat exclaimed, seemingly excited about the prospect of Alec knowing the famous chef.
"He and Christian were my mentors. They were the ones who taught me the most," Alec explained. "I'm not going to name drop them just to sound better than I am."
"You are truly remarkable Alexander," Magnus said with a look in his eye that Alec couldn't quite decipher.
~oOo~
Sneak Peek
"So tell me Magnus, how long before you turn poor Alec into another notch on your bedpost?" Etta said, a serious expression marring her features. Magnus was taken aback by the comment.
"I don't know what you're talking about, dear. He's currently my employee and a friend," Magnus refused to look his ex in the eye, instead keeping his gaze on Alexander.
"Oh please!" she snorted out. "He's exactly your type, Magnus. I've seen the way you've been looking at him all morning. Something's going to happen eventually, but what I want to know is that when it does eventually happen, are you going to let yourself be happy, or are you going to destroy yet another relationship?"
"Etta," he gritted out annoyed, she had no right to make any comment on his personal life especially since this is the first time she's ever been anything but professional with him. "I am not going to have this discussion with you."
