Chapter Four #2
The tour takes over an hour. And it’s fascinating.
I know of the concept of geothermal energy.
But seeing it in person, from the geothermal wells drilled deep down into the earth’s crust to the huge steam turbines that convert the thermal energy into power, makes me even more appreciative for the work AuraGeothermal does.
Something else I didn’t expect is Ari. It’s hard to reconcile the man who professed to care about his employees last night and the arrogant CEO I’ve been dealing with on a professional level.
Yet every time we encounter someone, he knows their name, greets them like he did Atli.
A few times he asks questions, remembering details like children’s birthdays or someone’s recent loss of a parent.
He’s still reserved, professional. But the personal investment is obvious.
Ari doesn’t just know AuraGeothermal inside and out.
He knows about the people. Cares about them.
Xenakis notices, thank goodness. As we walk, the tension bleeds out of his shoulders. His surly expression gradually disappears, replaced by genuine curiosity.
I don’t want to get my hopes up. But maybe, just maybe, this is the start of getting negotiations back on track.
Ari walks us into the lobby at the end of the tour and points to a flat space in the distance.
“The future sight of our green hydrogen-and-ammonia production facilities.”
Xenakis tenses next to me. My hope evaporates in an instant.
“Have you considered my offer?” Xenakis’s voice vibrates with suppressed anger.
Ari stares at him. “It’s still under advisement.”
I can practically hear Xenakis’s teeth grind.
“If I may ask, Mr. Xenakis,” I break in. “What offer?”
“Mr. Xenakis has generously offered to partially finance the new construction of our facilities here in Iceland and the ammonia cracking plant in Greece.”
Ari’s flat tone tells me he thinks the offer is anything but generous.
“Mr. Valdasson?” Atli motions to Ari. “Sir, you have a call from the Energy Authority.”
“If you’ll excuse me.”
As soon as Ari is out of earshot, Xenakis whirls around.
“This, Miss North, this is why this entire deal is in jeopardy.” His face reddens. “I should have known better than to do business with a man who threw his own father out of the company.”
“Mr. Xenakis.” I keep my voice firm, calm. “I understand you’re upset. But Mr. Valdasson’s takeover had nothing to do with trying to take control of something that belonged to his father.”
“It doesn’t matter. He sacrificed family to keep the company isolated. People warned me against working with him.” He throws his hands up in disgust. “I should have listened.”
“Are you familiar with the details ?”
“Yes. Gunnar Helgisson wanted to expand AuraGeothermal overseas with the help of an American company. Valdasson didn’t like that.
” Xenakis jabs a finger in my direction.
“Rather than work with his father and try to find a solution, he influenced the board to vote Helgisson out.” He shakes his head in disgust. “The man even gave up his father’s name and took another.
How can I trust someone willing to be disloyal to his own family? Someone who doesn’t believe in legacy?”
The situation is spiraling, and spiraling fast. I mentally ask for forgiveness and take the plunge.
“Did you happen to read any of the articles that that were published here in Iceland?”
Xenakis’s sullen glare gives me my answer.
“The company Helgisson was working with was well-known for encouraging successful firms to expand into other markets while downsizing their original locations. A lot of people lost their jobs because of that organization. Entire communities dried up when companies shut their doors and moved to another city or country.” I pause, trying to think of how best to phrase my next words without betraying my promise.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if a similar situation arose with the deal Helgisson was working out to expand AuraGeothermal. ”
Some of the red disappears from Xenakis’s face. He releases a long, shuddering breath.
“I was not aware of that. Only that Helgisson had a vision that differed from his son’s.”
“Mr. Xenakis.”
I flinch, turn to see Ari standing just behind us. His face is still set in that calm, expressionless mask. But his eyes are furious.
“If you’ll excuse me a moment, I’d like to speak with Miss North.”
Xenakis inclines his head to Ari before offering his hand to me.
“Thank you, Miss North.” His grip is warm, his handshake so enthusiastic that it makes me smile. “For everything,” he adds with a gravity that eases some of my tension. Ari might be angry. But maybe, just maybe, Xenakis will take the hint I gave him and make something of it.
“You’re welcome.”
I follow Ari through the lobby, down a winding corridor lined with canvas prints of the plant in various stages of construction over the years. He leads me into a small conference room and shuts the door. The window overlooks a milky blue geothermal pool.
I turn and face Ari. He’s leaning against the door, hands tucked casually into his pockets. But there’s nothing casual about the way he’s staring at me, fury glinting in his ice-blue eyes.
“What were you and Xenakis talking about?”
Irritated, I arch an eyebrow. “Swapping recipes.”
His glare sharpens. “I overhead some of it, Miss North.”
“Then, why bother asking?”
“What I shared with you about my father was said in confidence.”
“And I didn’t say a word about anything you told me that night,” I shoot back.
“I encouraged Mr. Xenakis to read some of the more detailed Icelandic articles so he could better understand why a son might remove his father from his own company. You know, instead of hoarding information and refusing to even discuss a collaboration.”
“I told him his offer was under advisement.”
I roll my eyes. “You might as well have given him the middle finger.”
“Don’t think that because you’ve been reading up on geothermal energy you know what’s going on here, because you don’t,” Ari snaps back. “I hired you to help Xenakis see reason, not side with him.”
“You should have hired me because I’ve negotiated other deals that hinged on issues like this.
You want to dictate how Xenakis runs his business, but you want him to stay out of yours?
How is that fair?” I soften my voice. “Family and honor are important to Xenakis. He has three children of his own, numerous siblings and cousins. The disagreement and the takeover are public knowledge. But the details behind it—the downsizing, the outsourcing—aren’t talked about outside of Iceland. ”
“I’m not using my father’s betrayal as a sob story to influence business dealings.”
“It’s not…” I pause, breathe in deeply through my nose as I try to find some balance.
“Relevant details aren’t an emotional manipulation.
They’re facts. Your father tried to ruin a company you care about, and the people who have been loyal to it, for money.
You’re apprehensive about letting someone else in.
Trusting them. It’s understandable. But instead of presenting the challenges you’ve overcome, you come across as cold, uncompromising, and overly blunt. ”
“Stop the psychoanalysis. The facts,” Ari says as he walks around the table, “are that Georgios Xenakis can come across as charming and persuasive. Qualities that mask his need for dominance.”
“Are you seeing Mr. Xenakis for who he really is? Or are you comparing him to your father?”
His eyes harden into sharp chips of blue ice. “Speaking of blunt.”
“If your history with your father is impacting your negotiations with Mr. Xenakis, it’s either something that needs to be addressed, or you need to reevaluate if you can work with him.”
“Xenakis may not be my father, but he has qualities that have my guard up. As it should be,” he adds when I start to speak. “You’re young, Diana. You don’t know the kind of pain men like my father can wield.”
My last memory of Dale rears its head. The almost feral look on his face as he loomed over Lucy whimpering in the snow. I can taste the sharp bite of fear. Hear the crack of his belt wielded as a whip. Feel the burning pain in my back and Lucy’s trembling body in my arms.
“You’d be surprised.”
I realize too late I’ve said the words out loud. Ari’s step slows. He tilts his head to one side, his eyes assessing. I give myself a mental shake to pull myself out of the past and quickly steer the conversation back to business.
“If Xenakis is wanting more say in operations simply for profit or power, we’ll deal with it. But,” I add, “I truly think there’s more than that.”
“Helvítis.”
He rolls his eyes and looks away. Anger flares inside me.
“Disagree with me all you like, but don’t disrespect my opinion.” I square my shoulders and step forward. “I’m entitled to one after the years I’ve spent doing what I do, and doing it successfully.”
“You are entitled to your opinion. It doesn’t make you right.”
I stare at him. It’s hard to reconcile the man standing in front of me with the one I saw just a few minutes ago, the one who remembered that Drifa in the geology department just had a granddaughter or that Einar the security guard was going on vacation next week.
I’ve dealt with mean executives before. Boorish finance officers, lying lawyers, and cutthroat revenue officials.
But I’ve never dealt with one whom I have a shared history.
As much as I wanted to quit last night, I won’t.
Not just because of the threat of a lawsuit, but because I need to prove to myself that I can do this.
Do the job I love and put Ari in the past.
But I need a break. Distance.
“I’m done talking about this right now.”
“We’re not finished—”
“We are.” I pause. “For now. This conversation isn’t going anywhere.
You have a guest waiting, one who you at least claim you want to work with, although I’m starting to have serious doubts about that.
We have nothing kind to say to each other.
We have a meeting scheduled later today. So for now, let’s just walk away.”
“Yes, you’re good at that.”
I freeze. Then I laugh, a low, harsh chuckle.
“Your brother may fit the literal definition of bastard, but you more than match the figurative one, Mr. Valdasson.”
I brush past him and walk out of the conference room. By some miracle I remember my way through down the hall, around the corner, and into the lobby. Xenakis is thankfully nowhere to be seen. I force a smile for Atli and ask him to call Viktor and let him know I’m ready to leave.
I’m nearly at the door when heat flares across the back of my neck. I glance over my shoulder to see Ari standing by the stairs, his gaze fixed on me. I turn around and walk out.
The cold air fills my lungs, brisk but stimulating. The snow is falling faster. I walk through a cloud of swirling flakes and mist towards the parking lot. Viktor pulls the car up to the sidewalk and gets out to open my door.
“How’d you like the tour?”
“It was very enlightening.” I muster a smile. “I have a new appreciation for the field.”
“Glad you liked it.” Viktor closes my door, circles around, and climbs in. “I hope to be working there myself in two years.”
“Oh?”
Viktor meets my curious glance in the rearview mirror. “Mr. Valdasson is paying for my degree at Reykjavik University as long as I work for AuraGeothermal for four years.” He grins. “Not that I ever plan on going anywhere else with the pay and benefits they offer.”
I lean back into the leather seat. Who is Ari Valdasson? The generous, charitable CEO? Or the arrogant, selfish leader who puts on a mask and plays a role?
Worse still, why do I care so much?
I stare out the window and watch the snowy landscape pass by.