Chapter 2
CHAPTER 2
AARON
THE NEXT DAY
I was back in the boardroom, but not for an interview.
Much as I hated them, I’d rather sit in on a thousand bad interviews than one of these board meetings. It was like entering the colosseum, only most of my opponents were related to me.
After receiving news of my decision about Harrison, my father called an emergency board meeting. I objected, of course, but there was nothing I could do to stop him. By-laws were by-laws. Instead, I gritted my teeth and dealt with it.
Was my decision to cut Harrison entirely rational? No. But there were plenty of other qualified candidates. And this role was important to me. It required a person I could trust without question. The very idea that Harrison Ducker was that person was laughable. Not that there was anything funny about him or this situation.
Given where I was today, however, I needed better reasoning than simply ‘no’. Too bad I was still struggling to come up with a solid answer…
I glanced around the table and barely held back a sigh. Six of the eight people in this room were my family, but you wouldn’t know it from the chill in the air. Besides me and my father, there was my uncle Leonard, who only showed up at these meetings for free meals (he was cheap as hell) and to gripe about the state of the economy. Then there was his son Gordy, a former investment banker. Why former? Because he had a gambling problem, first with his clients’ money and then with his own (don’t get me started). Sitting beside him was Trevor, of course, and then my aunt Cassandra, whose sole interest in the company was testing out the products we manufactured. To round out the group we had two other members: Jacob Finch, one of Seattle’s wealthiest tech entrepreneurs, and Naomi Diaz, a former CEO of a consumer health products association. The last two were, for the most part, my allies. It was a sad irony that I could count on friends—and sometimes strangers—more than my own blood. Sad, but true.
And three against five was just that. If I couldn’t sway a few more votes, I was fucked.
“Good afternoon,” I started. “Winston, since you called this meeting?—”
“Let’s skip the formalities and vote,” my father boomed.
I didn’t know why he was yelling since there were only eight of us in the room and no one else was talking.
“We need to fill the Chief of Sales position as soon as possible, but Aaron stubbornly refuses to make an offer to our best prospect,” he continued and tapped the table. “This is not an acceptable decision. I vote in favor of offering Harrison Ducker a one-year contract. All those in favor?”
“As I stated yesterday, we need to hold out for a better candidate,” I replied calmly. “There are plenty of?—”
“I agree with Winston,” Leonard interrupted. “Can we vote already and have lunch? I haven’t eaten in two hours.”
“I second that,” Gordy stated without looking up. He was too busy tapping on his phone. “You’re such a drama queen, Aaron. Why do you have to question everything? Just sign this dude and move on.”
“There’s no dramatics,” I retorted. “It’s simply that Mr. Ducker isn’t a good fit for this role.”
“I agree with Gordy,” Cassandra replied, giving me a haughty sneer. “I had to cancel an important appointment today to make this meeting and I’m not wasting any more time. Just make the offer. What’s the problem?”
“The problem is Aaron,” Winston bit out, glaring at me. “As usual, he’s making decisions that aren’t in the best interest of the company. It’s got to stop.”
This meeting wasn’t a discussion, it was an attempted coup.
“That’s not true. As CEO, I’ve actioned an extensive strategy to revitalize our operations and branding, all of which will impact the bottom line for years to come. But that takes time,” I hit back. “And Harrison Ducker isn’t the best candidate to help us find new partners.”
“Why?” Trevor asked with the typical pinched look on his face. “His interview was excellent. He has the right blend of charm, intelligence, and a stellar closing rate. He also has an impressive network, and he can start right away.”
“Exactly,” my father stated. “There’s nothing more to say. I?—”
“Tell us why you think he’s not a good fit, Aaron,” Jacob interrupted and stared at me. “I read through the guy’s résumé, and like the others, I don’t see an issue. If he can pull in major partners for a tech start-up and a beauty company, he can do the same with our consumer products. But I also know that appearances, like résumés, can sometimes be deceiving. What are your concerns?”
Some of my tension eased as I turned to Jacob.
“He’s got charm, as Trevor mentioned, but we need someone who can offer more than catchy taglines. There’s not a specific reason I can point to—” I paused, hoping my face wouldn’t give me away. “Look, we’ve all been in business long enough to trust our instincts. A prime example is what happened with the last person we hired for this role. I felt something was off and it turned out that I was right.”
“That’s true,” Naomi offered. “You were spot on about him. And I don’t see the harm in continuing the search. It’s better to take our time to find the right fit than choosing hastily.”
I nodded. “My thoughts exactly.”
“I appreciate your input, Aaron, but I don’t think in this case it’s enough,” Jacob replied. “And I disagree with Naomi. Time is of the essence. The quarterly results are concerning, and we need a revenue boost. We need new product partners, and we need them now.”
What was I saying earlier about my tension?
“I’ve got a face-to-face meeting with Jonassa in a few weeks. They’re close to signing on with us. Their partnership would mean tens of millions in new revenue. I just need more time to close the deal.”
“That’s one company, Aaron. We need more than that. And we need someone like Harrison to help you find and close these deals and fast,” Trevor commented.
“I agree with Trevor,” Jacob added.
“I have everything under control. And I’ve interviewed enough people to know the good eggs from the bad,” I assured them. “I go with my gut. Are you telling me that you’re any different?”
Jacob scowled but offered no response. Neither did Trevor.
“Your gut is the reason why our revenue is flatlining!” Winston barked. “Enough of this bullshit. Let’s vote!”
I knew my family and how things went. Most of them wanted the easy way out. They’d rather be counting their money than working for it. And since they didn’t know Harrison and they didn’t have to work with him, they didn’t care about hiring him. But I did.
“All those in favor of hiring Mr. Ducker?” my father asked and glanced around the room at the show of hands.
Six in favor, including Jacob. Naomi and I were the only stand outs.
“The offer is a go,” Trevor announced and glanced at me with a smug grin. “I’ll do up the paperwork and send it to you for final sign off, Aaron.”
I nodded in acknowledgment but stayed silent. Internally, I was seething with frustration but externally, I showed no emotion. If I reacted badly, it would only give my father fuel. It was disconcerting to have my decision overturned, but it wasn’t the first time, and I doubted it would be the last. I stepped into this role with the certainty that I was the best person, family or otherwise, to lead the company but every day I had to prove myself.
I was raised in a home where marriages were a business transaction, and family has nothing to do with love. Fending off criticism and dealing with power struggles was my reality since birth, and it only got worse after college. Hell, I built a wall of defense around me over the past decade that I was sure no one could topple, but days like today had my doubts resurfacing.
Maybe part of it was my conscience. I believed in second chances. But I didn’t think Harrison was deserving of one.
After offering polite goodbyes to the board, I headed back to my office and buried myself in work. An hour later, Patrick emailed me Harrison’s offer letter to review. Once I confirmed it was good to go, I instructed him to add my e-signature. Better him than me, because my concentration was shot and my hands had yet to stop shaking. It felt like I was heading down a steep hill with no brakes and there was nothing I could do to stop.
How was I going to manage this turn of events? I couldn’t tell Harrison who I was. Not yet. I’d have to stay in the corporate zone, remaining calm.
When the time was right, I’d let Harrison know exactly who he was dealing with.