I set my jaw. He just couldn’t let up. Since my earliest years, my father had been my greatest adversary. Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise. There were those who said my biggest weakness was my arrogance. Drew Walker seldom let me succumb to that when he was around. While I might have gone through most of my life thinking I was better than everyone else in the room, my old man was generally my biggest rival. I wanted to best him in every respect.
“It’s a good article, Dad,” I tried to change the subject. “It’ll pave the way for the Chinese deal. Once we’ve—”
“Get your head out of your ass, kid,” he barked. “The deal’s not in the bag yet and it looks like the Russians are about to snatch it out from under your nose.”
I felt myself freeze. “What are you talking about?” I asked sharply. “We’re a step away from signing.”
“You idiot,” he sneered. “You’ve been so busy slapping yourself on the back you haven’t kept your eye on the ball. Syscorp is muscling in.”
“What?” I bit out. “That’s bullshit!” SysCorp Technologies, a Russian tech company, had always been one of our strongest adversaries. And they’d been pitching for the same multi-billion-dollar deal to build intelligence equipment for the Chinese government that I had been pursuing. Three months of R&D and heavy negotiations. I kept an eye on them, of course. They were the second biggest tech company in our field. But there was no way they had a product that was anywhere near as good as ours. Or did they? I fought down a sinking feeling.
I can’t fuck this up.
Chapter 3
Prince Walker
“They say they can deliver the same quality for five billion less than our estimate,” my father was saying. “Apparently, they are building their tech with recycled materials. Earth-friendly,” he scoffed. “It’s just a fucking trend, if you ask me. We all know the Chinese don’t care about the environment. It would only make them look better on paper. It’s the cost cut they are excited about.”
I could picture my father standing over the oak desk in his study, clenching his stress ball in anger. An anger that was hugely justifiable if what he was saying was true. I was blinded by the positive feedback I’d received from my Chinese correspondent. Had I underestimated the other contenders for this deal?
It can’t be!
And it was something my father would have never done. “A bird not yet in hand is still in the bush, no matter how closely it comes to roost,” he’d always said. I rubbed my hand over my face in exasperation, wishing my father would just get off the phone and leave me to sort things out on my own.
“How did you not pre-empt this?” he bellowed.
“Dad, I assure you, the Chinese are not going to go with SysCorp. My contacts guaranteed they were going with us. I would not have been so relaxed if I had heard otherwise,” I placated. My words sounded hollow, even to me. But if they hadn’t cemented things with SysCorp yet, my chance was still there. I was not going to lose to them.
“Your naïveté amazes me, Prince. The Chinese are cutthroats when it comes to their business dealings. They have no qualms about fucking us over. The sooner you realize that, the better you’ll be at this business. The markdown percentage the Russians are offering is too significant for them to overlook. Even I would take it. You have to beat their price or devise another means to secure this deal. Am I clear?”
“Yes, Dad,” I acquiesced.
“Do you see now why you need a good wife?” he threw at me. I ground my teeth.
“What the fuck does that have to do with the deal?” I snapped. I was fed up with my father’s meddling in my private affairs. Although it seemed like an exaggeration to describe them as private. The media stalked and reported everything I did.
“Of course, you wouldn’t see how doing business with a respectable married man would be favored over courting the employ of an extravagant, reckless delinquent.”
“A delinquent who turned this company into a multinational billion-dollar giant. I did that. Now we have a sizeable piece of every revenue pie worth anything. While you’d have kept us centered on real estate,” I retorted, incensed.
“Oh, please. Cedar Inc. was well on its way to ticking that box. I laid down thirty-five years’ worth of hard work. I built the foundation for you to soar. And most of that time I spent having doors shut in my face. Now you only need to say my name to get into a building. I went from closing house sales to closing million-dollar deals. Yet I don’t blow my own horn the way you do. And I would never sleep on a deal of this magnitude,” my father raged.
He really wasn’t going to cut me any slack. I was his only son, and I did not know if he’d ever loved anything more than success or status itself. It didn’t matter that his tough childhood was probably the thing that had driven him to this. Always needing to prove himself to those who looked down on him. I lookedupto him. I wanted his acknowledgment. But he was probably afraid that it would all go to my head. That I would become over-confident.
It had done just the opposite of what he’d hoped. I’d stepped away from my achievements and plunged into a world of pleasure. I worked hard but I played harder. The ultimate “fuck you” to dear old Dad. No one, other than my mother, of course, was more appalled at my sudden change in character.
“I’ll get the damn deal!” I interrupted, sensing another of his brow beatings being aimed at me. I was determined not to give my father more reasons to label me as incapable. Before he could reply, I slammed the phone down. I had to do something.
I reached for the intercom telephone and pushed the button for Jane’s office. I needed ideas, and my best friend was the wiliest when it came to these kinds of dealings.
“Jane, get Andy on the line now. Tell him I’ve changed my mind about attending his charity gala. And get a nice dress; you’ll be my date for the evening.”
Jane’s voice was bright with excitement. “Ok, Mr. Walker.”
I grimaced, hoping I wasn’t going to regret my choice in date.
Chapter 4
