Robert
“You had to go around grandfather to become CEO?” Joshua questioned as we all sat around the dining room table. The entire family had convened at Townsend Manor for our usual Sunday evening dinner.
“Your father wentthroughyour grandfather to become CEO,” Deborah told the table.
Facing her, I gave her a nonchalant look. “Whatever it takes.” I covered her hand with my own.
“Aaron didn’t have to do all that to take the lead at Townsend,” Tyler noted.
“That is because your brother earned the role. He worked his as—” I glanced at my wife who was giving me a deadly glare. Clearing my throat, I sat up straighter. “Butt off to become CEO.”
“He was born for that role,” Carter added, looking across the table at Aaron.
Aaron remained silent but gave Carter a nod.
“He’s also stubborn as a goddamned mule,” Carter added.
“Amen to that,” Patience, who sat next to Aaron, stated, causing the entire table, except for Aaron to laugh.
I chuckled, but saw that Patience didn’t even look in her husband’s direction. The couple had been unusually quiet, at least toward one another throughout the evening. There was something going on there. Whatever it was, I was certain my bonehead, headstrong son was mainly responsible for it.
“Leave your brother alone,” Deborah insisted. “Besides, he’s not the only willful, rigid, and dogged Townsend in this room.”
“Amen.”
“Don’t I know it.”
“You can say that again.”
All of the women in the room said at once.
I leaned over to whisper in Deborah’s ear, “I’ll show you exactly how dogged I can be as soon as we’re alone.” I didn’t miss her body shiver.
“So was Grandfather making an idle threat or was there more to his words as he was being taken out by security?” Joshua asked, ever the one hungry for more information.
I pulled back from Deborah. Her eyes met mine and she gave me a look with a raised eyebrow. I debated for a moment on where to go with this line of questioning, before turning back to the table.
“It wasn’t an idle threat.”
****
Then
Robert
“Mr. Townsend, your two o’clock appointment is here.”
“Send him in,” I told my secretary. I had a meeting with yet another one of my father’s associates. I’d been having meeting after meeting over the last two months, getting settled into my new position. We’d had to hire a public relations team to combat the negative publicity Townsend had been receiving, and to manage the fallout from John Lassiter’s betrayal. Then my father stepping down as CEO citing health concerns and wanting to spend more time with his loving wife after thirty years of service to Townsend Industries. All of this left me in a position to become inundated with calls, interviews with the press, and meetings with staff who all wanted to know where we went from here.
My meeting that day was with a man named Lewis Greene. He had apparently been one of my father’s private bankers. I’d confirmed this by comparing his name to the list of names that kept coming up over and over again on the more private files linked to the real estate my father owned that was under Townsend Industries’ real estate division.
A few moments later a knock sounded at my door and my secretary opened it, a tall figure behind her.
“Mr. Townsend, this is Mr. Lewis Greene,” she stated, stepping to the side as the man moved fully into my office.
An eerie feeling overcame me as I stared at the man who was the same height as I was. He was also younger than I would’ve imagined. Closer to my age than my father’s.
“Thank you, Cindy.” I nodded, letting her know she could leave. Coming out from behind my desk, I stuck out my hand. “Mr. Greene.”
