This could go very, very bad.
Klara is going to misunderstand my motives. That much is obvious. But I hope she comes around once I understand my purpose and my reasoning.
And I hope this company really does pan out the way I think it might.
Otherwise, I’m putting a lot of money and a lot of my future into its hands. If it fails, I’ll have to go crawling back to my mother. And I do not fucking want to do that under any circumstances.
I sigh and close my eyes.
The things I’ll do to get what’s mine.
And Klara is mine. That baby is mine.
She just doesn’t know it yet.Lucy, the receptionist, gives me a big, sunny smile. “Oooh, the boyfriend is back.”
I grin at her and lean against the counter. “How are you today, Lucy?”
“I’m wonderful. Are you here to see Klara?”
I shake my head. “Actually, no. I’m here to see her father.”
“Ah, okay, right.” She types on the computer and nods. “Okay. You have an appointment, I see.” She grins. “Official business?”
“Something like that.”
“I’ll let him know you’re here. Take a seat.”
I sit down and cross my legs. I’m wearing a nice suit today, nothing too expensive or too formal though. I want him to know I’m serious, but I don’t want him to see me as just another executive trying to take something away from him.
I sent the offer in yesterday after speaking with the lawyers. He called last night and sounded drunk as hell, but we set up this appointment. I just hope he remembers.
Ten minutes pass and I’m about to bug Lucy again when Aldo appears. He smiles at me but his eyes are red and he’s clearly hungover. “Shaun,” he says. “My daughter’s favorite man. How are you?”
“I’m good.” I walk over and we shake hands.
“Come, come,” he says, and leads me back through the offices. “This is Truth Hurts. I’m glad you came out.”
“I am too,” I say, looking around. It’s more or less what I expected. Nice and modern, but not fancy. Individual cubes for most workers with offices lining the outside. I don’t see Klara anywhere, but that’s probably for the best. I want to talk to her father first, before she understands what’s happening.
We reach a large, glass conference room. As we approach, I nearly slow and stop.
Klara’s sitting inside with a pissed-off look on her face.
I take a deep breath and follow her father into the room. She stands and stares at me, but doesn’t speak.
“Hey, Klara,” I say.
Aldo laughs, clearly delighted by the unbridled hatred on her face. “Sit down, daughter,” he says. “Let’s all talk.”
“What the fuck are you thinking?” she says the second the door shuts. “Who the fuck do you think you are?”
“Klara,” I say. “Hold on.”
“No, you asshole. This is my company. I worked hard to get us where we are today. If anyone’s going to take it over after my father retires, it’s going to be me.”
“Klara—”
“Well, hold on a moment there, dear,” Aldo says, and we both stare at him. He smiles and sits down with a sigh. “Darling, I sent you the terms he’s offering. Did you take a look?”
“I did,” she says.
“You noticed the number of zeros on the price, right? And you know how much of that will go into our pockets?”
“I did and I do,” she says. “I don’t give a shit, Dad. This place is poised to make double.”
“Maybe,” he concedes. “Maybe, maybe. But just to be clear about something.” He leans toward her. “I built this place. You’ve helped in the last few years, don’t get me wrong. But this company exists because I built it. And what happens to it is going to be my decision.”
She stares at her father, stunned. She clearly didn’t expect that.
I lean back in my chair. “I think the terms of the deal are more than reasonable,” I say. “Aldo, you can continue on in an advisory role, if you so choose. And Klara, I want—”
“Fuck this,” she says, her voice low and menacing. “And fuck you, Shaun. You can’t just come in here and buy whatever you want. Life doesn’t work like that.”
“Klara,” Aldo warns. “Please stop.”
“No, Dad. Truth Hurts is mine and you know it. I’ve worked so hard to get us here and Divas is about to take off. If we just hold on for a little bit longer—”
“Enough,” Aldo says. “Enough, okay? Jesus fuck, I have a headache.” He laughs and gets up. He walks over to a little bar in the corner and pours himself a drink. Klara gives him a dirty look and I sigh.
Of course there’s a bar in their conference room. That’ll have to go when I own this place.
“Listen to me,” he says, turning back to us. “Here’s a hard truth, since that’s the business we’re in.” He walks over and sits down with a groan. “I’ve been in this business for a very long time. Fads come and they go. Divas might take off, but it might not. Things can change very, very fast, and fortunes can turn. This offer is a real offer, Klara. Real money. The kind of money I can retire on and be very, very comfortable. Frankly, it’s the kind of money I got into this fucking business to make.”