Page 82 of Crocodile Tears

Alex made an “oh, shit” face at Spencer, whose eyes were as round as saucers. “I think that poor Isaiah, whoever he is, has burned his bridges with that comment,” he murmured.

He was right. “Goodbye, Isaiah. I’ll see that your final salary is paid into your account with immediate effect,” his father said firmly.

There was a long silence and then the sound of footsteps.

Alex tried to look casual. He crossed one leg languidly over the other and watched as a wiry, dark-haired man appeared, red-faced and furious, and then stormed past him and along the corridor.

His father came out and glared irritably at Alex’s holotie.

“You’re here, are you?” he snapped. “Well, come in, then – and what the hell is that monstrosity around your neck?”

“It’s a tie.”

“Well, it’s bloody awful.”

“I agree – but I confidently predict that in a few years’ time everyone will be wearing them, and you know how I like to lead the pack where fashion is concerned.” Alex grinned.

His father blinked, as if he couldn’t make any sense of that. “Oh, for Christ’s sake – just get in here,” he ordered, waving his arm at his son and stomping back into his office.

Alex gave Spencer a little wink as he went inside.

His father strode to the drinks cabinet and poured himself a large glass of whisky. Alex coughed meaningfully.

“I know it’s early,” his father said. “But it’s been one hell of a morning.”

“Oh, I don’t care about that. It’s never too early for a good drink, in my view. I’m just pissed off you didn’t offer me a glass,” he said, trying to lighten the grim atmosphere. He desperately wanted this to go well.

His father swallowed the whisky in one gulp and turned to glare at him. “Alex, I hope this isn’t going to be a mistake. This is a serious business – real people work here, and they rely on us to get it right – but you turn up wearing that stupid tie, being so bloody glib…”

“Well, I’m here, and I’m me, and you already knew what I was likebefore today, so what did you expect?” he snapped, feeling his good mood flatten in the face of his father’s disapproval.

There was never any point trying to do the right thing, because Noah would always find something to criticise him for, and some devil in him was always happy to provide it.

“Good point. WhatdidI expect?” Noah sighed. “See, this is why I wonder if you’re the right person to take over Lytton AV when I retire. You’ve got a lot to prove.”

“That’s not fair – I’ve worked hard at university for the past few years. I’m ready for this.”

“And a few weeks ago you ruined your brother’s big moment by pissing on reporters out of your bedroom window.”

“It’s only what they deserved, and Charles enjoyed his big moment just fine, regardless of me.”

“Just remember that working at Lytton AV isn’t play-acting and posturing, Alex. It’s the real world.”

“So I gathered from that argument you just had with Isaiah,” he responded quietly. “What was that about?”

His father poured himself another drink. “It’s a controversial decision, but we have to make cuts somewhere. We can save millions by only employing indentured servants. All our workers are being offered the same deal; Isaiah is one of a small minority who won’t accept it.”

“Well, I agree with him.”

“It’s not a decision we took lightly,” his father flared. “But times are tough, and?—”

“Not about that. I don’t care whether you only employ IS labour or free workers. No, I mean he was right about the product. You do need to modernise.”

“You’ve been here for five minutes and already you think you know best? Typical.” His father gave a derisory snort.

Alex felt a familiar wave of impotent fury. “Why bring me here if you don’t want to listen to me?”

“So you can learn. You want to know why we aren’t rushing to adopt your recommendations? Let’s talk about money, for starters – it would cost a huge amount to create a genuinely new kind of AV. We’d have to redesign machines, retrain workers… and right now, we don’t have much credit with the banks. We’d have to invest in marketing and advertising to support the new product – and if it fails, the entire company will go with it. It’s a huge risk – and it’s one I’m not prepared to take with the livelihoods of everyone in this building just on your say-so.”

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