“I know it was supposed to be your inheritance, but I’m
afraid it’s gone.”
Ben looked at his father’s red-rimmed eyes and pale face,
and both
pity and anger stirred him. Pity because his father’s best
friend had
ruined him, and anger because that money had been set aside
for him by
his grandfather, and now it was gone. He managed to say in
an even
tone, “Is there anything left of the company?”
His father shook his head, his expression desolate.
“Right.” Ben nodded and squared his shoulders. “I come home
and find
my job gone, my inheritance gone, and my prospects gone.
What do you
suggest I do now?”
A glint appeared in his father’s eyes. “I think the best
thing to do
would be to start over, don’t you?”
Ben’s jaw tightened, but he fought to keep his expression
bland. His
father had started over more times than they could count.
Ben had the
same determination, drive, and intelligence as his father.
What went
up went down, and vice-versa. He only wished he’d
had more of a warning.
“Well, why don’t I ask Arnold Souche for a job?” He meant
it as irony,
but as the words left his mouth, he realized he was on to
something.
His father grinned. “He’ll give you a good one, and you can
get your
footing back in the company. Just one thing. Don’t tell him
you’re my
son.”
“Why not?” Ben asked.
“Because if you tell him you’re my son, he’ll give you a
pity job, and
you don’t want that. You’re smart, you’re a good worker,
and you
deserve better. Now that Souche has taken over, they’ll
restructure
and they’ll need a few first-rate directors. I’ll make sure
you have
the best references possible.”
“Our last name is the same, in case you’ve forgotten,” Ben
said dryly.
“Get a new one. What’s in a name? Use your mother’s maiden
name. It’ll
be easy to get the papers. Don’t worry. It’s just a
setback. Never let
ruin get in the way, my boy. It’s happened
before, and it will happen again. Just pick up the pieces
and keep
on.” The old man got up from behind his desk and gave his
son a watery
smile.
The sun was harsh on his face, showing his wrinkles, his
whiskers, and
his bloodshot eyes. He must have been awake for days
working to try to
avert the catastrophe. If only he’d asked for help earlier!
Ben
clenched his fist. It would have done no good. Arnold
Souche was a
shark. He cruised the waters of international companies
looking for
floundering companies that he finished off with a cruel
snap of the
jaws. When he’d offered to help Ben’s father get his
company back into
shape, it had seemed a godsend. He and Ben’s father had
been school
chums. They’d known each other for ages. Ben’s father had
put
everything in Arnold’s hands, and Arnold had at first
pretended to
help. Then, with devastating swiftness, he’d sunk the
company. It
happened so fast that Ben’s father, Oliver, hadn’t had time
to any of
his assets. Everything had vanished.
Ben rubbed his aching forehead. His headache started out as
a burst of
anger, quickly controlled, and then a little voice
whispered, Why
don’t you ruin Souche, like he ruined your father?
Ruin Souche Enterprises just as Souche had ruined them.
Yes. He liked
that idea. And what better way than from the inside?
