22. BELLA
22
BELLA
W hen I stepped into the boardroom to make sure it was cleaned and ready for a later meeting, I froze. Chris sat at the table with Alex and Ben on a video call.
Chris’s shoulders were tense, his eyes on his brothers. He didn’t even see me. He was about to turn away and leave them to it when the conversation stopped me.
“We need answers, Chris. What are we going to do about these supposed new environmental regulations?” It was Alex talking and he sounded irritated. “If what we’re hearing is right, our entire inventory could become unsellable overnight.”
“Fuck,” Chris bit out.
“The yacht industry isn’t exactly known for speedy overhauls,” Ben said. “You of all people should know that. If we’re going to have to retrofit our models, that means significant time and cost—neither of which inspire much confidence at the moment.”
“I’m looking into it, okay?” Chris said, his voice strained. “As far as I can tell, there’s nothing concrete to support these rumors. We don’t need to jump to conclusions just yet.”
“That’s the problem,” Ben said again. “It’s not about waiting until something is concrete. The market is reacting now , and the clients I just signed are already questioning their purchases. If we can’t assure them that we’re on the forefront of compliance, they’re going to pull out and then we’re screwed.”
Alex crossed his arms and sat back. “We need some kind of clarity. We can’t do shit from here. You’re the one who needs to show us you’ve got this under control, because right now, it’s out of our hands.”
“I get it,” Chris said through gritted teeth. “I’ll get to the bottom of this. I’ll find out where the rumors came from. We’ve never been caught off-guard by regulations and that sure as shit isn’t about to start now.”
“Just do what you can,” Alex said with a sigh. “This isn’t just about clients, it’s about our investors, too. They’re riding on the belief that we’re one step ahead. If that trust falters, we’re losing a hell of a lot more than just money. It’s their support and without that we’re done.”
Chris rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger, and I ducked out of the room again. I didn’t need to hear more—I had a feeling I knew what was going on. I’d been in the yacht business long enough to know how the game worked. I’d heard owners in their meetings for years and these things didn’t just happen overnight.
Whoever had started these rumors was well aware of how the game worked and when clients got nervous about where they put their money, the truth didn’t matter.
The money involved in the yacht industry was millions. It wasn’t something anyone was happy to risk losing if they could prevent a catastrophe.
I took out my phone and typed a message to Eli.
Meet later? I could do with a break away from the crowd around here.
It didn’t take long for him to respond.
Blackwood driving you crazy? I don’t know how you held out so long. I’ll meet you at the marina entrance at sunset.
That was good enough for me. I could sneak out just before the end of my shift and try not to be gone for too long.