My Parents Banned Me From Christmas For Years And Only Loved My Brother. At…

The Reveal

Eloan glanced at the panelists and nodded slightly.

“We’re actually nearing the end of our scheduled time,” she began.

“Before we wrap up, our CEO, who will make the final decision on all senior hires, would like to ask you a few questions.”

Allaric straightened, instantly alert. Meeting the CEO had not been included on the interview schedule.

“Of course,” he answered, fixing his tie once more.

“I look forward to it.”

Eloan turned to face the observer section.

“Seline, would you like to take over?”

I stood and proceeded to the front of the room, watching Allaric’s face progressively light up with recognition. His expression shifted from confident to perplexed, astonished, and then scared.

“Hello Allaric,” I responded quietly, extending my hand.

“It’s been a while.”

His mouth opened and closed silently, and his hand rose to shake mine. His palm felt clammy on my flesh.

“You’re the CEO,” he finally said, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Seline Victoria Drayton, founder and CEO of Techishian Solutions,” I confirmed, taking the seat directly across from him.

“I recused myself from the initial screening process for obvious reasons, but I do make the final decisions on all senior hires.”

Allaric’s face had lost its color, and his eyes flew about the room looking for a way out. But he was stuck in this moment of reality.

“I have a few questions,” I continued professionally, opening his resume folder.

“I see you’ve listed your current position as executive marketing strategist, but when I contacted Hargrove Partners last week about a possible collaboration, Perl Hargrove mentioned you were a marketing associate. Could you explain the discrepancy?”

Allaric’s eyes widened when his boss’s name was mentioned.

“I… I handle executive-level projects,” he stammered.

“It’s a functional title rather than an official one.”

I agreed and took a note.

“And your resume says you know Python and Java. Could you describe briefly how you would use either language to build an API integration?”

“I… I oversee teams that handle that sort of thing,” he continued, tugging on his collar.

“As I previously mentioned, I focus on strategy, not coding.”

“I see,” I said, closing the folder.

“One final question. You mentioned having connections who could refer lucrative business to Techishian. Could you be more explicit about those contacts and how they have translated into business results in your current position?”

Allaric shifted uncomfortably.

“Well, Maragold’s father… that is, my girlfriend’s father… he’s a partner at a major consulting firm, and my father knows several business owners in Pittsburgh who might…”

His voice trailed off as he realized how weak this sounded. The connections he was so proud of were at best secondhand, leveraging relationships that weren’t even his.

“Thank you for your time today, Allaric,” I replied.

I rose to close the interview.

“Our HR team will be in touch regarding next steps.”

I offered my hand again, retaining complete professionalism despite the tumult of emotions beneath the surface. Allaric shook it, still looking stunned.

“Thank you,” he said, clutching his portfolio with quivering hands.

Eloan went up to guide him out. As they approached the door, Allaric looked back at me with a mixture of uncertainty, embarrassment, and something else—perhaps a dawning realization in his eyes.

Then he was gone, and the room grew silent. Lucian let out a low whistle.

“Well, that was unexpected,” he replied.

“I take it you two know each other?”

“He’s my brother,” I said simply, gathering my notes.

“That’s why I didn’t participate in the original screening process. Please analyze his application based on our regular criteria, disregarding our relationship.”

The team nodded, but I could see the questions in their eyes.

Confrontation in the Corner Office

I excused myself and returned to my office, locking the door behind me. It was only then that I allowed myself to understand what had just transpired.

I didn’t intend to embarrass Allaric, but I also didn’t shield him from the consequences of his own arrogance and lack of preparation. For once, he had been judged solely on his own merits, without our parents’ influence swaying the scales in his favor.

I felt no satisfaction in his discomfort, only a strange sense of closure. For years, I had worked in the shadows of my family’s dismissal, developing something they had never acknowledged.

Now that Allaric knew the truth, it was unclear whether anything would change. I had just finished collecting my thoughts when my office phone rang.

It was Eloan at the reception desk.

“Seline,” she replied, her voice tight.

“Your brother is still inside the building. He’s demanding to talk with you and is on the phone with someone. I guess that could be your father.”

I closed my eyes briefly, knowing that this was not done with Allaric. It never was.

“Send him in,” I told her.

“And Eloan, thank you for handling the situation so professionally.”

“Of course,” she said.

“That’s what we do here. Handle things professionally.”

Despite the looming confrontation, the subtle emphasis on her final words made me grin. Whatever occurred next, I had developed a team of people who valued competence and integrity, which was worth celebrating on its own.

I had scarcely recovered when Allaric stormed into my office without knocking, his face flushed with humiliation and anger.

“What the hell was that?” he demanded, locking the door behind him with greater force than required.

I remained sat, my voice cool and professional.

“That was a job interview, Allaric, for a position you applied for.”

“You made me look like a fool!” he yelled, pacing in front of my desk.

“You ambushed me!”

“I did nothing of the sort,” I responded calmly.

“You applied to my company without even conducting basic investigation. If you had, you would have realized I was the CEO. Your lack of preparation is not my fault.”

He paused his pacing and looked at me incredulously.

“How was I expected to know? You never discuss your work.”

“I’ve tried to talk about my work for years,” I explained.

“But no one in our family has ever been interested. But a simple Google search for Techishian Solutions CEO would have yielded my name and image.”

Allaric ran his hand through his hair, a motion reminiscent of our father’s frustration.

“This is just like you, Seline. You are constantly trying to outdo me and make me appear awful.”

I took a long breath and reminded myself to remain calm.

“Allaric, I recused myself from the original screening process specifically to avoid any conflict of interest. The hiring team’s appraisal was the sole reason you made it to the interview stage.”

“I only participated at the end, as I do with all senior position interviews.”

“But you asked me those impossible technical questions!” he lamented.

“You knew I couldn’t answer them!”

“Those were typical questions for the position you applied for,” I patiently explained.

“Every candidate is required to demonstrate their technical knowledge and experience. That’s why the job description specifies the necessary abilities and expertise.”

Allaric sank into a chair across from my desk, his initial rage giving way to a sullen defensiveness.

“Dad’s furious,” he murmured.

“He’s on his way here.”

I felt a chilly weight descend in my stomach.

“Is Dad coming here to my office?”

“I contacted him shortly after the interview,” Allaric acknowledged, avoiding my gaze.

“He and Mom are both coming. They were already in Seattle visiting Maragold’s parents.”

My parents, despite several invites, had never visited me in Seattle, but they would go across the nation to meet the family of their son’s fiancée.

“Allaric,” I explained cautiously.

“This is my workplace. Whatever familial concerns we have should be addressed personally, not in my professional setting.”

He shrugged, expressing both hopelessness and a disregard for my boundaries.

“Too late. They’re probably already inside the building.”

As if on cue, my phone rang again, this time from the reception desk.

“Miss Drayton, your parents have requested to see you. Should I send them up?”

I closed my eyes briefly to center myself.

“Yes, please accompany them to my office. Could you please invite Eloan and Kalista to join us in about 10 minutes? Having witnesses would perhaps prevent the incident from becoming too serious.”

While we waited, Allaric’s phone rang with a text message, which he examined with a smug smile.

“Maragold’s father might be interested in investing in your little company,” he remarked.

“That’s what connections can do for you.”