34. ALEX
34
ALEX
“ G ood morning,” I said to Marina when I walked into the office.
I was in a better mood today. I was still pissed off about everything that had happened the past couple of weeks, but after visiting Dutch Island and deciding I had to move forward, I was determined to be in a better headspace.
I couldn’t keep looking back to a relationship I knew would be doomed. I had a company to run and a legacy to continue. That was all I had left, after all.
“You have two calls from investors you need to get on asap,” Marina said after we exchanged pleasantries. “They both asked me to list it as urgent.”
“Okay,” I said. “Thank you.” My stomach twisted when I saw the note.
Sasha and Henry.
“Anything else?”
Marina shook her head, and I walked into my office. As soon as I was settled, I picked up the phone and called Sasha Martinez. Between the two investors I had to call today, I was more comfortable with Henry, so I left him for last. I would deal with the venture capitalist first.
“Sasha,” I said, smiling so it would translate into my voice. “How are you?”
“I’m alright, considering,” Sasha said tightly.
“Considering what? It doesn’t sound positive.”
“I won’t try to sugarcoat this, Alex,” she said, and my stomach dropped. Whatever she was going to say to me wasn’t going to be positive, and a bad feeling settled in my chest. “I don’t think our values align anymore. We had a good run together, and my investment in Blackwood Inc. has been a good one, but I think this is where we should part ways.”
“Let’s talk about this. What made you decide you want to leave us?”
“I don’t need to tell you what the proposed eco-line does for me. Or rather, doesn’t do.”
“No, you made your point very clear,” I said. “But you did get the memo that I’ve canceled the line, didn’t you? There is no reason to pull out. We’re on the same page, as we always were, and—”
“I just think it’s time,” Sasha said, interrupting me. “You know me, I’m always chasing the next good investment, prioritizing short-term returns, and I just feel that our tenure is coming to an end.”
The feeling of dread intensified.
“I’m very sorry to hear that. Is there nothing I can do to change your mind? I believe we have a lot of values that are still aligned.”
“I don’t think there is anything you can do, no. Your eco-friendly line suggestion made me reevaluate our business relationship, and I came to the conclusion that it’s better we move forward separately.”
I pressed my fingers against my temple, where a headache started to throb.
“Alright, we’ll just have to get the paperwork in order if that’s what you truly want.”
“It is.”
Shit.
I ended the call, staying friendly, staying professional. Screaming and shouting and telling her she was dropping me in the shit wasn’t going to help—it would just make her feel like her choice was justified, and that wasn’t my style.
I made a note for Marina to send her the relevant paperwork and picked up the phone again to dial Henry O’Connell. I hoped this conversation would be more positive than what I’d just had with Sasha. I needed a fucking silver lining right about now.
“Ah, Alex,” Henry said, picking up on the second ring. “I was hoping to hear from you.”
“I got to your call as soon as I could, Henry. How are things?”
“They’re good,” Henry said. “Business is booming, and that always makes a man smile.”
I relaxed a little. At least this sounded more positive.
“That’s the truth,” I agreed.
“Let’s talk about the future of your company,” Henry said.
“Absolutely. We’re still set to release Chris’s new mega yacht at the annual yacht show in Monaco this September, and it’s going to be a banger. I look forward to seeing you there.”
“Ah, yes. The mega yacht. That’s a good one, it has everything that will wow the public and more.”
“The tech is what will really get them going,” I said. Was I kissing ass a bit? Yeah, for sure. But I needed to keep Henry buttered up and happy.
“What about that eco-line you were talking about? What’s happening there?”
“I’ve decided against it. I’m sure you got the memo.”
“Yes, I did,” Henry said. “Any particular reason?”
“Your needs as a part of our team are important to me. I heard you out and took your concerns under advisement. I decided it’s better if we continue the way we’re going. Why change a winning plan, right?”
“Right, right,” Henry said, but his voice trailed off, and he didn’t sound as invested as he had before. That feeling of dread settled in my gut again.
“What’s up, Henry? What’s on your mind?”
“I’m getting older, and my time on Earth is limited. I know it sounds dramatic but I have to think about exactly what I want to do and where I want to be at this age, and I’m starting to wonder if all this work is really worth it.”
“Your work is exceptional. There’s nothing out there like it, which is why we’re so excited about you being here in total.”
“Yes, yes… I just don’t know if I want to keep doing this for much longer.”
“That’s completely understandable,” I said. Everyone had to retire at some point, right?
“After you suggested that eco-line, I just realized that we’re not of the same school of thought. Maybe it’s a generational thing, who knows? But the facts are that I want other things from life—and from business—than you do.”
“That’s what makes the business so fruitful,” I said, trying to keep him engaged. I got the feeling he was trying to pull out, and I couldn’t afford that. Not after losing Sasha, who would take a substantial sum of money away from the table.
“Yes, yes, you’re right. But I need to start thinking about the future, about the returns on my investments that will not only help me in my old age but help my family, too.”
“I don’t understand.” Surely, being involved in Blackwood Inc. wouldn’t mean that Henry couldn’t take care of himself or his family, even if he wasn’t so directly involved in the process as he was now.
“I just think it’s time to put up my feet and stop stressing about work. It’s nothing personal, but your speech about the eco-line made me realize how different we really are and how important it is that our visions align to be successful. I don’t think it aligns anymore.”
God, this was a total cluster fuck.
“Is there anything I can do to persuade you?” I regretted more and more bringing the eco-line concept up at all.
“I’m afraid not. Time waits for no man, and that’s really what’s chasing me. I hope you’ll see that.”
I wasn’t sure I ever would, but there wasn’t much I could do about it.
“I’ll have Marina send you the relevant paperwork.” It was becoming harder to stay professional, to stay polite, and not get upset that this was the second investor in a row to pull out.
“It’s been a great run, Alex. I know I’ll miss the company and being a part of the process very much.”
You don’t have to if you don’t ditch me , I thought, but I didn’t say it out loud. Instead, I politely ended the call.
When the phone rang a moment after I hung up, I squeezed my eyes shut. I couldn’t deal with more drama and bullshit right now, and if this was another investor…
“Yeah?”
“Chris on the line for you,” Marina said.
It was just my brother calling from the factory.
I picked up the phone and dialed the right extension.
“You have no idea how happy I am it’s you on the line,” I said.
“You’re welcome,” Chris said with a grin. “What’s up?”
“Sasha and Henry just withdrew.”
“What!” Chris cried out.
“Yeah, they’re both taking their money with them and damn it, we’re royally fucked. This is a big loss, and it’s happening all in one go, and I don’t know how we’re going to get through this.” I was angry, shocked, panicked, and Chris was getting it all now that he’d called me so soon after I’d received the news.
I hadn’t had time to process and put on my mask again.
“It’s going to be fine,” Chris said. “We’ll figure it out.”
“What if we don’t?” I took a deep breath. “What if I don’t?”
“You’re not in this alone.”
“I’m the fucking CEO.”
“You’re one of five partners, Alex. We’ll figure this out, don’t panic.”
“This is exactly what I was trying to avoid by canceling the line and now it’s happening, anyway. Fuck!”
“We’ll fix it. I’ll work on a new yacht, and we’ll push it out as fast as we can. Something small, something private and exclusive. We focus on the epitome of luxury and privacy. Hell, we push isolation, making it a one-man show type of deal and tell people it’s about getting away from the noise and finding yourself. People lose their shit over something therapeutic like that these days.”
Chris wasn’t wrong, but I was still panicking.
“Do you think we can have it ready in time?”
“Yeah,” Chris said, and he sounded confident.
I let out a shuddering breath. “Okay. That might work. It could get us enough cash just to tide us over while we work on finding new investors.”
“That’s the spirit,” Chris said. “We’ve had shit hit the fan before, and we always manage to pull through. We made it this far, Alex. We can do this.”
He was right. We’d been in tough spots before and we’d worked our way through it. I just had to keep focusing on that.
“I spoke to Danny this morning,” Chris said.
“Yeah?”
“He told me about you and Charlotte. I’m sorry.”
“It’s nothing,” I said, trying my best to sound nonchalant and failing miserably. “These things happen.”
“They do…” Chris sounded like he wanted to say more.
“But?”
He hesitated before he spoke.
“You know, I know we were taught that money makes the world go round in a lot of ways, and in so many cases, that’s true. But there are situations where money means nothing. All the money in the world won’t make up for certain things you’ve lost.”
I shook my head, although Chris couldn’t see me, and looked out of the window toward the horizon.
“The money is all I need to make this thing work.”
“I wasn’t talking about the business.”
I knew that, but I wasn’t ready to talk about anything else.
“Call me when you’ve come up with a concept, and we’ll figure out the next step,” I said.
Chris took the hint that I didn’t want to talk about it anymore, and he dropped the subject, promising an answer before the end of the day.
We ended the call, and I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Maybe this whole situation could be salvaged, yet. And once we pulled that off, I could breathe easier.
I preferred being this busy right now—it meant I didn’t have time to think about anything.
The only problem was that no matter how busy I kept my mind, it wasn’t my mind that needed the distraction.
It was my heart, and a heart couldn’t be distracted from yearning for a lost love, no matter what I did.