**Diary Entry 12th October**
Bloody hell, she doesnt know how to enjoy life.
“Listen, Edward, this lilac residential complex youve been dreaming ofyou still keen?”
“You know I am, Charles. The firms got the resources, the experience. Ill make it the crown jewel of Manchestertour buses will stop just to gawk. Just sort the land approval for me. Fancy me sorting a flat for your lad, James, while Im at it?”
“So you can land me a bribery charge and get me booted from council? I can buy James a flat myselfa whole bloody house, if I fancied. What he needs is a wife.”
“Here we go again. My Emilys already got a bloke. And lets be honest, your James is a layabout and a womaniser. Dropped out of uni, didnt he? Barely scraped in, thanks to you. No offence, but my girl deserves better. You think Id drag her down the aisle at gunpoint?”
“You might have to. Plenty of eyes on that land.”
Edward and Charles went way backclimbed the ladder side by side. A councilman and a property developer made for a profitable pair. Together, theyd revamped entire boroughs, restored heritage sites. Well, Edwards firm did the work; Charles just “facilitated”sweetheart contracts, dodgy tenders, suppliers who didnt ask questions. This new complex? A goldmine waiting to happen.
The plan was solid: high-rises wrapped round a private courtyard, underground parking, shops on the ground floor. Peopled flock to it. Lease the retail spots to the right blokesones whod kick back a quiet percentage. Steady income for life, enough for the kids. Speaking of kidsbest bind em together, just to be safe.
Their families played nice, of course. Wives traded gossip over tea; the kids? Not so much. Emily, Edwards daughter, was finishing her degree in landscape designsharp, ambitious. Wanted her own firm, maybe even join her dads projects.
Charless boy? A headache in designer trainers. No interests beyond clubbing and spending his fathers money. While Charles buried himself in council work, James ran wild. Maybe shackling him to Emily would straighten him out.
Unlikely. After that chat with Edward, Charles found James in high spirits at home:
“Dad, lads and I are off to London tomorrow. Big music festRadio Ones behind it. Gonna be massive.”
“Massive waste, more like. Bunch of trust-fund brats leeching off their parents. Whenre you getting a proper job? Emilys starting her own firm”
“With your money, not hers. Fund me, Ill start something too.”
“A pub? Youd run it into the ground in a fortnight. Stick with Emilyshes clever, easy on the eye. Settle down, for Christs sake. Im not spoon-feeding you forever.”
“Shes got a bloke, mate. Besides, shes dull. Doesnt know how to have fun.”
“Steal her, then. Take her outmy treat. Show her a good time. Maybe shell loosen up. Do I have to spell it out?”
Meanwhile, Edward was grilling Emily:
“Plans after graduation?”
“You promised seed money for the firm. Ill pay you back once its turning profit.”
“Keep the cash. What about your personal life? Marriage on the cards?”
“Kicking me out?” She laughed. “Mum knows about Alex. Not rushing into weddingsgot a business to build first.”
“Listen. Youre not just entering businessyoure stepping into a world where stability matters. Married types get taken seriously. And marriages arent built on flings.”
“Not this again. James? Youd shackle me to that man-child? Drop it, Dad, or well row.”
Emily knew why he pushed. Charles wanted the matchhis approval hung over Edwards building permits like a guillotine. Shed overheard her parents on the patio last week:
“Why hound Emily about James?” her mum hissed. “Youd saddle her with that fool? Imagine her life with him!”
“I do. Better than poverty.”
“Poverty? Weve a bloody mansion in Cheshire! Who needs the city flat?”
“And if we lose it all? The firms hanging by a thread, love. Charles knows. Thats why hes twisting my arm.”
Her mum fell quiet. “We started in a bedsit, remember? One window, shared loo. We laughed about ittwo fridges in the kitchen, remember?”
A twig snapped under Emilys foot. The talk died.
Alex took it badly: “Youd save your dads firm by marrying that prat? Im not jealousmarry who you want. But him? Youd be miserable.”
“You dont get it. The firms his life. The Lilac Complexhis dream. Purple facades, lilacs in the courtyards Springd be breathtaking.”
“And youd trade your happiness for a pretty view? My parents live in a council flat. No firms, no complexes. Theyre happy. Raised kids, grandkids”
James started circlingdinners, gigs. Emily played along, giving him a chance. Maybe shed misjudged him. He dressed well, knew his music, owned a vinyl collection. Polite, tooopened doors, remembered her orders.
Then, the expected: James proposed. She came home near-decision.
“James asked me tonight,” she told her parents.
Silence. Then Edward: “Your answer?”
“Thinking yes.”
“You love him?”
“Dunno. They say grin and bear it turns to love.”
Edward stood, faced the window. “Alex came by the office. Told me why youd say yes. Said selling your daughters vile. That hell never shake my hand again.”
Emily froze. Her mum covered her face. “What now?”
Edward turned. Sighedrelieved, she thought.
“Nothing. I told Charles to shove his permits. Other projectsll come. Stick with Alex, love. Hes a good un.”
**Lesson learnt:** Dreams arent worth your soulor your childs. A mans real legacy isnt bricks, but the integrity he builds his family on.
