"Quite frankly, the terms of the contracts for employees of this paper are confidential."
"I knew I should have kept those fucking lawyers here. It takes a shark to deal with a shark." Then he seemed to catch himself. "So if you're planning on writing anything about this, you'd be well advised to get yourself an attorney, because you're sure as hell going to need one."
"Thanks, Dad." It just came out. Maybe he'd been wanting to say it all his life.
Bartlett's look was shock for a moment, and then it turned pensive.
"You don't think I take an interest in you, but I do."
"Yeah, you've really been around through thick and thin." He felt the old anger of abandonment welling up.
"I took care of your mother. Whatever she did was beyond my control." The eyes were switching to chagrin. "Do you have the slightest idea what I could do for you? I've . . . I'm not getting any younger and I've been thinking about . . . with your medical background you could easily have a place . . . I mean, if you've got a head for business, then someday . . . So why do you fucking want to do this now? "
Stone listened, trying to internalize what he was hearing. Not only did Winston Bartlett know about him, he was finally thinking about acknowledging him. Sort of.
Or was this just a bribe to hush him up?
Either way, it was too little, too late.