Hayes
thirteen
“We’re being sued. A class action suit brought by the workers of the South African mine, represented by a nasty New York firm that has a history of looking for opportunities like this,” Zander informs me through the phone call playing through my car speakers.
I scowl, even though Zander can’t see it. “Have legal deal with it, that’s what they’re paid for,” I reply, my patience already too thin for this conversation.
“It’s not just Olympus that is being sued. It’s us. You, me, and Payton. They want to hold us accountable in addition to Olympus.”
“That’s bullshit! There is no way this will hold up.”
“Well, like it or not, that’s what the suit says, and it will be public knowledge in a short time.
We’re going to be crucified in the media even more so than when the mine collapsed last week.
Our team is combing through the suit and finding everything they can to combat this, but it’s still a real issue we have to face until we can make it go away,” Zander snaps.
Clearly, he’s already been down this road and doesn’t want to deal with it.
My brothers returned from South Africa feeling hesitantly optimistic a few days ago, so this unexpected new roadblock is once again slowing down our progress at pulling Olympus out of the mud.
“Get PR to work on a statement. We need honesty, not culpability. This is a publicity nightmare, and I would guess there is more to it than just the ambulance-chasing law firm cashing in on the opportunity of a lifetime. We have enemies, and they want to see us fail at every turn. There’s money and power backing this bogus claim, and we need to figure out that trail before we can know what we’re really dealing with. ”
“Payton is already drafting statements with PR. You can join them and add your two cents when you finally deem us worthy of your presence today.”
“I was working on another problem. I’m almost there; don’t get your panties in a bunch wondering about my schedule,” I say before I hang up.
Making sure Paige was fully satisfied before I introduced her to the team at Underworld Spirits for her first day as head of the company took priority this morning.
Now, I’m thinking she’s getting the better deal finding her place at a new, and unblemished, company than I am with the string of issues mine is facing as of late.
I can feel the tension when I step out of the elevator at Olympus, eyes averting as I stride through the office space heading for the boardroom.
Are we having a crisis of conscience with the staff in addition to all of the rest of the shit that is falling on us?
We’ll have to improve morale before they start talking and leaking sensitive information to the press, or worse, the Atlanta Haute List.
That stupid blog. It’s not even a real media outlet, yet it has so much sway over what happens in Atlanta and the South at large.
What they report often gets picked up by actual media sites and goes viral for some reason.
I’ll be checking the company NDAs today to make sure that they’re iron-clad in case I catch wind of a rat in our midst that needs to be dealt with.
I have no problem letting someone with loose lips go, no matter what their title may be.
“Good of you to join us, Hayes,” Payton says when I push into the room and settle into my seat at the head of the table. Zander may be the CEO, but we all know I run things and get the coveted spot anytime the three of us are in the same meeting. Sometimes being the eldest has its perks.
Carina quickly places a stack of documents with sticky notes attached in front of me. She’s been taking notes in my absence. She also settles a fresh mug of coffee in front of me, assuming correctly I will need the fortification for what’s to come.
I nod my thanks and turn my attention back to Payton.
“Break it down for me. Who is really behind this, because I know it’s not just some scammy law firm seizing the day and hitting us with a bullshit lawsuit.”
“We’re working on cracking that now. We have people in New York positioned close enough to gather the intel, but it will take more time to root it all out.
Time we don’t have. So, we have to be proactive and address what we can now, and be ready for more to hit us,” Payton says, tapping his tablet and sending what’s on it to the main screen for the rest of the room to see.
“Our main objective is addressing concerns in the suit that we were somehow aware of the issues with the mining equipment and structure yet didn’t plan to fix anything.
We don’t want to be seen as negligent, but we also have to contend with the fact that the quickness of the sale kept us from doing our due diligence and we actually put off those inspections in favor of buying the property as-is,” Diego says from my right, tapping a pink sticky note in my pile.
I lift it and see a waiver of inspection attached.
Great. Now practices are being called suspect.
This is how we do business, often blasting through a deal and waiving whatever we have to in order to make it happen on our timeline.
It’s a common enough practice but can look a bit risky from the outside.
“Second, we have to address the allegations of human rights violations in the working conditions of the mine. It’s carefully worded, but there is blame being passed to us that the workers were not allowed to unionize and were punished for bringing safety and workplace concerns to management,” Luca adds.
“Not to mention they have managed to corral the remaining workers to put this together so quickly. Someone is working against us on the ground in South Africa. Maybe the former staff we are in the process of replacing?” Zander muses from the other side of the table.
“They were all happy enough when we showed up, checks in hand, ensuring they were paid for the year and all medical bills would be handled by us last week. I don’t know what would have changed their minds so fast to want to be part of a lawsuit now. ”
I nod in agreement and see his eyes narrow that I’m not disagreeing or finding a way to fight with him.
I point to the legal team. “I want whatever information we have about the condition of the mines, and how we may have missed that they were in danger of a collapse. Was it covered up in any documentation, or not disclosed in the sale, to begin with? This will be a definitive point for us to stand on, or fall to our death, so be thorough.”
Heads nod and notes are scribbled while one of the members quickly leaves the room to get the rest of the team started.
I look to Payton and Luca and their motley mixed band of PR and operations staff.
“We need an even better statement to release today. No in-person needed, just something we can distribute quickly.” I snap my fingers, thinking of the main wording.
“Olympus International, as well as the Olsen family, are deeply troubled by these allegations and are doing everything in our power to discover all of the details. We are known for our integrity and accountability and find no truthfulness in the suit brought against us by an opportunistic law firm representing a consortium of people we have already aided.” I wave my hand in the air, looking for input after that start.
“We can work with that, but it won’t fly as is,” Luca muses.
“Too much blame casting. If we’re addressing this, we have to keep it straight to the facts and not look shifty or like we’re unable to accept when we’ve fucked up,” Payton adds.
“Then bring up the real facts. Address the inconsistencies of the suit and the false information they are working with. When have we ever colluded to rob workers of rights? Never. We want the best value for our money, but we don’t go out of our way to harm anyone, especially the workers.
” I wave my hand around at our own gathered assembly in emphasis.
We are a Fortune 100 Best Company To Work For, and that extends to every level of our operation.
“Good labor is hard to come by and we have only ever replaced management at new properties so we could have our company values prioritized,” Zander says, and the look of anger on his face likely matches mine.
“That’s probably where our problem lies.
Look into the replaced upper management at the mine operation.
See who may be kicking their feet for losing out on their job.
They were likely crooked or not doing their job to begin with, but that gives them all the more reason to make a fuss and try to get their revenge now. ”
I nod in agreement and motion for Diego to run with it.
“We cut the fat quickly, so we’ll have to check with human resources and the acquisitions team to confirm who was on staff before we took over that isn’t there now.
We can hunt down some unhappy rats,” I say, knowing there is likely a gleam in my green eyes that would scare anyone else on the receiving end of it.
I’m known as the bringer of death for a reason. At least in the business world. My actions are swift and decisive, and I never spare feelings when it’s my bottom line at stake. Fuck with me in my personal life and you’re likely to see the same side, though even less congenial.
“Local workers aren’t powerful enough to put this together so quickly,” Zander muses out loud, leaning back in his chair. “Who did we beat out of this deal?”
I stare at the ceiling, trying to remember the tiniest details of this acquisition. I was more worried about the numbers and making them work for Olympus than who we were bidding against, if anyone.
“Rex Omnia was sniffing around the operation before we jumped on it. They were the only real contender, though,” Payton answers immediately.
His mind is a veritable database of every detail of our business.
It’s scary how much he retains and has easy access to given the slightest provocation.
His eidetic memory has come in handy on many occasions, and helped us take over some pretty hostile companies when he was able to produce some compelling reasons why they should agree to our terms.
I lower my gaze from the ceiling right along with my heart as it drops into my stomach. “Rex… as in Octavius Rex?”
Payton nods and sits back, crossing his arms and staring me down. “Looks like the ghost of Christmas past is coming back to haunt you, brother.”
Fuck me.
“How was he even able to be considered a contender? I thought he lost everything a few years back,” I muse, knowing full well he did. I took it all from him.
“He partnered with some big names on several projects and earned himself a nice reputation for making smart deals rather than always playing it fast and loose. He’s definitely worth watching out for, now.”
Rex was always one to watch out for. No amount of crumbling legacy or shattering of life as he knew it would end that notoriety.
I met Octavius, or Tavi, as he went by back then, while doing my MBA at Wharton.
We were both set to take over family businesses, feeling smug and cocky at twenty-two as we aced exams and saw the world as ours for the taking.
Things started to go downhill for Tavi several years after graduation when my brothers and I took our family mining business and expanded in every direction we could, gobbling up smaller corporations that expanded our holdings and inflated our own bottom line.
Rex, Inc., a transportation conglomerate that had fallen on hard times, was one of our eventual purchases, though we picked it apart as we often do with acquisitions.
Not only did Octavius’s father get bought out, but he was also ousted from his leadership position at the company that had been in the family for generations.
What Octavius could scrape together from the company afterward became Rex Omnia, but it was a minor thing compared to the legacy he had planned on inheriting.
I guess he didn’t rest on his laurels if he was actually competition for us on this mine deal.
It means he’s expanded and is coming after Olympus size deals.
“He definitely has a motive to sink our reputation. Hell, he has every reason to want to see Olympus burn to the ground. He’s based in New York, too.
A million bucks says he has his hand in this lawsuit,” I say to the room, and the grave faces that look back at me are reflections of what I feel on my own.
Fuck.