Chapter Twenty-Two
Fernando could hardly breathe as he slid a finger under the lip of the envelope and popped it open. Hannah’s elegant cursive was at the top, but he could see that each of his brothers contributed to the letter.
Fernando,
Take a breath. I know this is hard for you, but understand that it was done out of love. There is no hostile takeover in the works. We all want what is best for you, and taking time away was not going to happen without some help from others. Julio’s pact was the perfect excuse to get this time booked into your schedule. Let go and trust that it will all work out alright. We love you, ~Hannah
Hey, man,
I get it if you’re mad, but listen, you and your company need this. You have hired amazing staff. You are an excellent leader, if a bit too controlling. Three weeks is a great test. Nothing too terribly wrong can happen in that amount of time, especially with Anthony and I keeping an eye on things. The departments that keep things rolling smoothly or even jump ahead when not smothered by the CEO can be given some breathing room, and you will know that they will be fine. You can stop babysitting them. The departments that struggle while you’re gone, you’ll know need retrained, new leadership, or perhaps even restructured completely. You and I both know you can’t keep this up. This is the opportunity to see what’s what, and when you get back, we will come up with a plan to fix anything that’s broken. It is my personal belief that it will all work out well and when you get back, Anthony and I have a proposal for you. For now, enjoy your time with Sophie, remember what I said, and trust that we have your back. ~Gabe
Fernando,
It is your health as a brother and the health of the company that motivates us to take such extreme action. Gabriel and I believe this is the best move for the company. Trust your family; that perhaps is the biggest challenge of them all right now. You’ve got this. ~Anthony
Fern,
Don’t blame Sophie. She is worried about you and reached out to Hannah. We were here and jumped into action. You know us, it’s what we do. Don’t try to circumnavigate things with your phone; I took those privileges away, too. For now, stay in your lane- tourist and Loverboy. Have fun! ~Riqu e
Fern,
You know I’m the most silent of all silent partners, but I agree with the brothers on this one. You need a break. Take it from someone who knows. Either you take it when you can, or you take it when you have to, and usually, the latter version comes with titanium plates and stitches. I know you got on that plane to face your fear of flying, but you and I both know that isn’t your biggest fear. You chose the fear that was the most inconvenient, but I challenged you to face the fear that was holding you back. Don’t be a chicken. Remember to enjoy the adventure. ~Julio
Oh, and if you make that little lady cry over this, you will answer to me.
Fernando sighed deeply as he finished the letter from his family. They knew him so well, and it was clear they wanted what was best for him, but he was still seething inside at their intrusion into his business. Yes, they invested heavily in him, and together, they had been successful. Anthony and Gabe had been his biggest supporters and business advisors over the years. What they said made sense, but why didn’t they talk to him about it? He felt like a child being managed, not an adult with a multi-billion-dollar media empire to run.
“Are you okay? Hannah said the letter would clear things up, but you are still very upset,” Sophie said in a small voice.
“It did clear things up. I’m not mad at you or them, really. I mean, I am, but I’m not. It’s complicated,” Fernando said, waving the letter in the air in frustration before walking to the bed and flopping down on his back with a soft chuckle.
“What’s funny?” Sophie asked, coming to stand beside him .
“Rique said I needed to stay in my lane on this trip and just be a tourist. He’s NSA, not military. He has been spending too much time with his Ranger buddies. Their lingo is rubbing off on him.”
“Wait, Enrique is in the National Security Agency? That makes so much sense now!”
Fernando sat up abruptly and grabbed her hands, startling her. “Forget you heard that. Just forget that completely. You know nothing. Do you hear me, Soph? This is important!”
The seriousness in his voice and body language scared her a little. “Yeah, okay. I hear you. I know nothing. Enrique is just an IT Geek Squad or something. Got it. No need to worry. I would never say anything,” she assured him.
“I know, but... it’s dangerous. You need to forget that.”
“Okay, I got it. Consider it forgotten,” she promised, squeezing his fingers before taking a seat next to him on the edge of the bed. “What did Julio mean by you chose the inconvenient fear, not the one that was holding you back? What was his reason for calling you a chicken? And Anthony said something about trusting the family was the real challenge?”
“Okay super spy, you can read upside down now?” Fernando teased.
“I thought we were forgetting the NSA, and you just brought up spies. Kinda hard to forget if you keep saying it. And, yes, reading upside down is a particular skill of mine that you ask me to do quite regularly without even realizing it. Back to the question. If you go home and report back to the BBC that you addressed your fear of flying, are they going to consider this a fail since it wasn’t your biggest fear?”
“Maybe. Now that they have pulled this stunt and called me on it, I would say it is entirely likely. ”
“Then perhaps we should come up with a plan to address the real elephant in the room. The year is nearly halfway over; you’re running out of time.”
“Okay, but it’s getting late. Maybe this discussion should wait for another day?”
“We are going to be on a bus for a large portion of tomorrow; we can catnap between stops. I think you should spill the beans, and let’s come up with a plan before you chicken out. What is your favorite saying, ‘We can sleep when we’re dead’ or something like that.”
“You’re grouchy when you’re tired. We will be getting our beauty rest on this trip. But I don’t mind explaining a little more tonight. I get very truthful when I’m tired. You need to go wash that stuff off your face, though. You look like someone pied you in the face, and it’s very distracting. Especially now that it looks like cracked pottery.”
Sophie chuckled as she made her way to her room to wash the clay mask from her face. “I can’t believe Hannah never used a mask. It’s so relaxing and refreshing. I will have to get her one for Christmas.”
“Hannah has amazing skin that is as smooth as a baby’s bottom. She doesn’t need a mask.”
Sophie popped her head back into his room, “I’m not sure Hannah will appreciate the comparison, and I will try not to take offense to your insinuation that my skin is not as smooth as a baby’s bottom, and I do need a mask.”
“That isn’t… I wasn’t saying…” Fernando ran his hands through his hair, wondering how to get his foot out of his mouth this time.
“Stop while you’re ahead, Andy, or you may wake up to find just how relaxing a mask can be. Get comfortable. I will only be a moment. Keep your clothes on, though; no surprises!” Sophie warned, still chuckling at his discomfort .
“Very funny!” Fernando shouted back, but he fixed the bedding from his previously messy search of the room so they could sit more comfortably on the bed. He then settled himself against the headboard and wondered how much to tell her. If he wanted to have a permanent relationship with her, he should be open and honest, but how much honesty could one person take, and how much to divulge at one time? If he didn’t handle this conversation well, it could be the end of everything.