Beau and the Beetle

Sweating and grunting, Felix pushed his bed up against his bedroom door, ignoring the impatient knocking from without.

He had run out of time. He was past time, in fact, giving Gabriel his proposal as to why he ought to be the next CEO of Gabriel’s Fashions.

‘Felix, come out this instant. Your father wants to speak with you,’ Nathalie called through the door.

Her voice was muffled, but her irritation was clear.

Felix declined to answer. He knew what Gabriel wanted to say, but he didn’t want to hear it. Irrationally, he thought that if Gabriel couldn’t renounce his succession to his face, then he couldn’t do it at all.

Intellectually, he knew Gabriel didn’t require his presence to strip him of his role, that all he needed to do was announce to the board that the line of succession had changed, and it would be done. But if Felix never heard him say it, then he could still hold on to some hope of retaining his position, no matter how flimsy.

Nathalie knocked again. ‘Felix, you’re being childish. Come along, now.’

With a final shove, his bed met the door with a thud. Felix slumped to the floor, folding his arms over the foot of his bed, and resting his head on his feverish skin.

Nathalie rapped louder. ‘Felix, come out here. Now.’

‘Go away, go away, go away,’ he chanted, under his breath.

Eventually, Nathalie stormed off, her heels clacking against the marble floors.

Felix sighed in relief. With any luck, he had bought himself a few more hours grace. He scrambled to his feet, and rushed to the desk. Standing before his computer, he continued to look up advertising ideas, business deals, and corporate takeovers.

He’d considered everything. He stared at his screens, the words blurring into a jumbled mess. Even the less-than-scrupulous ideas had no merit. Nothing he found, or thought of himself, would be enough to prove himself to Gabriel. Felix wasn’t even sure he was capable of loving anything, least of all his father’s company.

‘Felix,’ Gabriel's autocratic voice called through the door. ‘Come tomorrow morning, I will inform the board of my decision. Adrien will inherit the company. I hope you can look past your own ego and selfish desires to help him keep my vision going.’

Retreating footsteps signalled Gabriel’s departure.

Felix ran frantic hands through his hair, clenching and pulling as his life’s work slipped through his fingers.

‘No, no, no, no,’ he muttered.

With wide, unblinking eyes, Felix sank to the floor to rock back and forth, his mind hopelessly blank.

Precious daylight ticked by, the hours passing much too quickly. Nathalie knocked periodically throughout the day, but whatever she said was lost. Felix was stuck in his own mind, constantly replaying Gabriel's fateful words.

As the light streaming in his windows took on the golden glow of late afternoon, a different knock sounded on his door.

‘Felix?’ Adrien called, hesitantly.

How Felix loathed that voice.

‘Look, I know you wanted to take over the company, so I’ll just refuse, ok? I won’t accept it. I don’t want it, I never have, you and I both know that. I’d be rubbish at it. Once I refuse, Father will have no choice but to leave it to you, all right?’

‘Stupid boy,’ Felix snarled under his breath. ‘You know he’d never take no for an answer.’

Silence met his quiet seething. Adrien had probably left after he’d made his assurances. Felix curled his lip in scorn. Adrien really was hopelessly naïve if he thought Gabriel would let him walk away. Gabriel would be disappointed, thinking Adrien was trying to shirk his responsibilities, but he wouldn’t change his mind. Instead, he’d put Adrien to work, moulding him into someone capable of running a business.

Felix ground his teeth, tugging his hair in his ire.

‘You bastard. You’ve taken everything away from me.’

He wasn’t sure if his ramblings were directed at his father, or his brother, but he supposed it didn’t matter. As far as he was concerned, they were equally guilty.

‘If only Adrien were out of the picture.’

The idea took root. If Adrien were no longer around, Gabriel would have no alternative but to name Felix his successor. It was boorish, thuggish even, but he was desperate. He had worked too hard for too long to let Adrien steal what was rightfully his.

He licked his lips as he considered the logistics. He would have to be taken away, left somewhere isolated without his phone or ID. Furthermore, Felix couldn’t do it himself.

He lunged to his feet to snatch his phone from the desk. Pulling up his contacts, he pressed the call button.

A wordless grunt answered after two rings.

‘It’s Felix. Come to my room immediately. Be discreet.’

Another grunt, and the line went dead.

Felix hung up as well, and drew in a deep breath. He paced as he waited, his jaw clenching and grinding in turn.

Belatedly, he realised he needed to unbarricade his door, and began tugging on his bedframe.

He had barely dragged it out of the way when a perfunctory knock rapped against his door.

‘Enter,’ he responded, tersely.

Gorilla pushed into the room, the feet of the bed screeching against the floor as it was further shoved by the door. Gorilla raised his eyebrows, before turning to Felix expectantly.

Felix grinned, his smile all teeth and no warmth. ‘I have a little job for you.’