Page 113 of Ten Rules for Faking It
“What the hell did you do?” New wrinkles had formed around his father’s eyes and mouth. Definitely not laugh lines. His graying eyebrows furrowed; he held the phone too close to his face.
“I did a lot today. Are you referring to something specific?” Chris sure as hell hoped he sounded more nonchalant than he felt. If his heart beat any harder, his father would hear it through the phone.
“Don’t give me that. You know what I’m talking about. I got an email from that ad agency saying I was in violation of the contract. He actually gave me a goddamn ultimatum. You want to explain how he knew about the primary contract regarding the dissolution process?”
Here we go.“I got blindsided, Dad. I had no idea you were pulling the rug out there. When Mr. Lee came at me today, irate, I got our lawyers on it, figuring we’d better lock this down before it got out of hand. I had them comb through all the individual contracts we have with each of the subsidiaries as well as the primary documents. I thought I was being thorough, making sure he didn’t have any room to take action against us.” Chris took a breath, his hands shaky. “I had no idea it wouldn’t turn out in our favor.”
That part actually was a shock. It had been Wes’s idea to look through whatever documents they had available. Chris had suspected his father of bending rules, to get his own way in the past, but what he’d done with the station nearly crossed ethical lines. The contracts with the subsidiary companies were standard. The one for the radio station, however, implemented several clauses that overrode many of the terms the smaller companies agreed to.
His father’s face contorted with anger with every word. Chris worked to keep his expression passive.
“You told him!” His father spat the words, actual spittle flying from his lips.
Keep calm.“I absolutely did not.” Nope. Noah had. He’d gone to Mr. Lee, encouraging him to take a look at the fine print. Most of the companies wouldn’t bother reading any extra paperwork, but they had access to it. Once Mr. Lee found it, realized what Noahwasn’tsaying, he’d taken the necessary action to make sure his father knew getting rid of the smaller company wouldn’t be quite as easy as he’d hoped.
“Then who did?”
Chris shrugged. “I’m sure you can get it dismissed, Dad.” He needed to wrap this up before he gave in to the renewed anger that was surfacing.
“That’s not the point. I won’t have you sabotaging me like a child out for revenge.”
Chris gripped the phone tighter, keeping it a reasonable distance from his face as he began to pace the room. “Again, I don’t know what you’re talking about, but while I have you on the phone, I’d like to mention that being caught off guard by Mr. Lee wasn’t pleasant. You had no right to step in. More than that, you had no reason.”
His dad started to speak, but Chris was done playing. “You gave me the reins in theory, but you’ve questioned me every step of the way. When I don’t do what you want, you breakpromises, go back on your word, or change the rules of the game.”
“This is how business works. If you haven’t figured that out yet, maybe I was wrong about your ability to succeed at all.” His father’s tone deepened. Hardened.
They stared at each other through the small screen. Hewished,even willed himself to feel more for the man staring back at him.
His dad waved a hand dismissively in front of the screen. “This is a waste of time. My lawyers will make this go away. Even if they don’t, it doesn’t matter anymore. Get your ass home. Part of this is my fault. Thought you were ready for the next step, but clearly, you’re not. As for the station, none of that matters. I’m selling the entire thing piece by piece. Even if this Lee guy thinks he has a leg to stand on, there’ll be nothing to fight for.”
Chris nearly shot out of his seat. “What?”
His dad shrugged. “We don’t need this in our portfolio.”
Chris lost whatever calm and cool he’d fooled himself into believing he had. “You haven’t got a goddamn clue what any of us need. The only person you care about is yourself. You had no right to undermine me, go behind my back. It wasn’t that this was too much for me; it was that you couldn’t keep your hands out of it.”
“Watch how you talk to me. It’s my company. My handsbuiltevery bit of it, so of course they’re in it.” His father’s eyes went hard, like his aging jaw.
“Bullshit. Grandpa built this company. He’d be sick if he knew what you’ve done to it and this family. You’ve torn both apart bit by bit so there are only fragments floating around resembling what he put his heart and soul into.”
His father’s fist came down hard. Chris heard the thump through the computer. “My father was stuck in the past. This is the way forward. You and your brothers are spoiled. Indulged. You’ve had everything given to you.”
Chris wished he could pace. “Given to us at a price I’m no longer willing to pay.”
He didn’t have to play by his father’s rules. He and his brothers had joined forces years ago, creating a contingency plan that Noah reminded Chris of today.
His father’s face went a deep shade of red. Chris worried, for a split second, that he was having a heart attack.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“I can’t keep jumping through your hoops,” he said. “I won’t. I want to be happy more than I want to please you.”
“You’re a damn fool. What the hell is wrong with you?” His dad was practically snarling through the monitor.
Chris smiled. “Nothing. I finally figured out what’s worth chasing in life, and it isn’t your approval.”
“You’re going to walk away from your dream, from what you’ve worked for all these years, because I made some decisions without your approval? You’re acting like a child. You’re going to lose everything.”
