“Nonsense! What is this nonsense!” Jack screamed at the television. He was watching the live coverage of Damian’s company’s launch. Harry had rushed into his bedroom asking him if he had seen the latest news that was making the room, he had replied no, and he had switched on the television.
He had immediately recognized the man speaking to be the man he had seen with Karen some nights ago. “Who was he, and what was he doing on live television?” he thought before deciding to focus on what they were saying. His blood ran cold as he read the headlines. A new company coming up? A competitor?
“Who is that man?” he asked, throwing the question at Harry.
“Unfortunately, I don’t know. Tried to check, but his details did not give much information.” Harry replied. He too was wondering the same thing. Who was Damian Woods?
“What is this shit they’re saying about a company?” he questioned, refusing to believe what he saw on the screen.
“Well, a new company has just been unveiled. Backend constructions. It’s owned by the strange man, and what is even more surprising is the fact that Mr Erik, the director who just resigned from your company a week ago, is the deputy CEO. One of the directors you sacked from AA is there too, and a former manager from JNT is there too. Basically, there’s a bunch of knowledgeable people that crossed over.” Harry explained.
Jack’s anger rose. Mr Erik was one of his best workers at the company not until he resigned, citing personal cause as his reasons. The other two men were men who had dents on them. He had sacked them on corruption charges, and had them tagged. Employing them meant that the company thought nothing of him. He fell on a chair as his mind went in a hazy motion.
“I don’t know what to make of these.” he finally spoke.
****
The days went by, and Backend construction was gradually growing. They had gotten some of the best Businessmen to invest with them. Jack had said nothing since then and had not gone to the office since then. The thought of a new fierce competition, coupled with his dad’s death was putting a big weight on his mind. He let Harry handle some of the office work while he spent the entire day at home. He had finally switched on his phone but left the messages and calls unattended to.
His sister had returned to Texas the previous day. She had an important test she didn’t want to miss. His mom was at home, and surprisingly, she had so far handled the situation better than he did.
“I have information that backend is trying to convince our biggest investors to invest with them.” Harry busted into his room with the news. He sat, looking unconcerned in the car, barely acknowledging his best friend’s presence.
“Did you hear what I just said?” Harry questioned, now standing in front of the man. Sometimes, he felt annoyed by his best friend’s way of handling uis grief. He had let it override his sense of judgement and now, he was suffering dearly for it.
“I heard you bro, and I have no words.” Jack replied.
“Oh, really!” Harry scoffed. “You are going to let everything you worked for get washed down the drain cos you’re in grief. Huh?” his voice was now raised righer than usual. “Do you know what is at stake? I tell you that a promising competitor is ready to take a clean sweep of your investors and you tell me you have no word?”
Jack stared at him without saying anything. He knew he had acted wrongly due to overwhelming emotions.
“Do you think the dead will be happy about this? Why the fuck were you first class at Harvard if you can’t make one straight decision during mourning.” Harry’s voice came down hard on Jack who only stared. The words had hit him hard. Why was he acting like a child?
“Is there anything I can do?” he questioned with a new surge of energy that made harty smile.
“Review these documents and get ready for work.” Harry replied, dumping the documents on the table.
He picked them up and went through them. They were financial reports, statistics documents and contract files. He sighed before dropping them back on the table. He had a raging headache he had to deal with first.
****
Karen had watched the live coverage on tv, and till this day, she was still shocked by the entire events. The evil smile that lingered on Damian’s face was another cause of concern for her. What was he thinking about?
Four years after leaving Los Angeles, Damian had returned rich, and not only rich, rich enough to fund and own a company. Her instincts kicked in and her suspicion tendency grew. She had become suspicious on his return but had pushed it aside. Now, she became even more suspicious. Who really was the new Damian?
She had tried to reach him by phone in the past 5 days, but everytime she tried, her call went off without an answer. She really had things she wanted to know from him. She wanted answers.
~A months later~
Harry walked briskly with a new air of authority into his office. His office now had a new look after he had redesigned it a month ago. The last one month has been really hectic for him. After making wrong decisions in the wake of his father’s death that caused him and his company a lot, he had returned, but a greater percentage of the damage had already been done. After Harry had given him that little prep talk, he realized his errors. The next day, he woke up on time and prepared for work. He arrived at work to the surprised stares of his workers who were both surprised and happy to see him.
The big news had hit him few minutes after settling into his office. His secretary had stepped him holding some files in her hands. He looked at her expression as she walked in, and from her countenance, he could tell something was wrong. She dropped the files on his table and stepped back. He picked one up and opened it slowly. The first page was empty so he opened onto the next until he found the shocking information it carried.
Their biggest shareholder and investor had just pulled out from the company.
The file fell from his hand as he stared at it in horror. He screamed mentally, his entire body felt weak as he tried to assimilate the content of the documents.
That single event had changed the balance and had now given Damian the upper hand. He was now the competitor trying to catch up with Damian. He had worked extra hard, trying to get back at the top, but it seems Damian was already one step ahead.
He had maintained communication with Karen. Her call had come in one day as he sat in his office and after apologizing for being able to communicate with her for the past few weeks, she had asked about him and how he was coping. He could sense the care and emotions in the way she spoke.
He never asked about her meeting with Damian that night, and she never spoke of it.