Another memory.
A board meeting.Everyone is arguing. Conrad and Henry are pushing to sell Greenspan.
“It’s a fucking suck on resources!” Henry shouts. “We lose twenty-five million dollars per year on Greenspan.”
“And for the fifty-millionth time,” I yell, “fossil fuel energy will eventually run its course and another source of energy will be needed. If we’re not investing in it now, we’ll lose billions in the future by not being prepared. Technology comes at a cost, yes, but when that technology lands in the everyday lives of the citizens of the globe, that cost will be recouped and more.”
“We’re not budging on this, Asher,” Conrad grinds out. “You agree to the sale, and the buyer will agree to let us keep what we have of Greenspan’s IP as it stands now. Or, we can go over your head and sell to any other buyer who will insist on taking all previous Greenspan IP and wiping our servers clean. You’ll lose all the research you’ve paid for.”
“Why the fuck would we sell and keep the IP? We’d need to find another company to take that IP and keep developing that technology.”
“But we could find a smaller company to do it, and we could negotiate pay at a much smaller scale and cut our losses in half each year.”
“And risk having less brilliant minds working on this IP? That’s not worth it. This is a technology race, so I will have the best and the brightest working on it. I’m not willing to sell and get some second-rate scientists just to save a few bucks.”
“Twenty-five million isn’t a few bucks.”
“To you it isn’t,” I say with a smirk.
“You’re so goddamn arrogant that you’re going to ruin this company!”
“I’ve made this company more money in five years than you’ve made it in thirty. So, tell me again how I’m ruining this company.”
“I want this sell!” Conrad says.
“We have the agreement of the majority of the board.” Henry puffs out his chest.“So, we can make this easy, or we can make this hurt.”
“Is that a threat?” I say, in a deathly quiet voice.
“It can be if it needs to be,” Henry sneers.
Conrad cuts in. “No one is making threats.”
“This discussion is over. I hold the majority shares, and I say no. So, fuck off. And Henry? Threaten me again and see what happens.”
“Are you okay?”Ella asks again.
I let out a shaky breath. “I am, but I need to talk to Sterling and Declan. Now. Stay here. I’m not sure when I’ll be back. Just go back to sleep, baby.”
I pull on shorts and a T-shirt and head out of the room and down the hallway. We’re at my house on Long Island. The house my grandfather left me. Once I knew we couldn’t go back to the penthouse, I had Andrew head here. It was the only safe option. It’s five a.m., and I only fell asleep an hour ago, but that doesn’t matter. I need to speak to my brothers. I dial them both.
“What the fuck?” Declan grumbles sleepily.
“Is everything okay?” Sterling asks. “How is Ella holding up?”
“She’s fine. We finally got to sleep an hour ago.” Between the crash, the fires, and the hospital to make sure neither of us had any serious injuries, we didn’t make it to the house until after three a.m. “I’m calling because I had a dream.”
“And what, you want us to tuck you back in?” Declan says through a yawn.
“He was just in a car accident, you dumb fuck,” Sterling snaps.
“I know. I can still give him shit. Otherwise, life isn’t worth living.”
“Listen, asshole,” I growl. “The crash last night jarred some old memories. The dream I had was about the night Grandpa died. And something that wassaidthat night. I know who was working TDC at that time, and it wasn’t just Alan.”
“Who?” Sterling demands.
“Henry Edwards.”
