Page 17 of Taste Me Daddy

‘And how does that make you feel?’ Michael asked, seeing how much this meant to Korben.

‘Sad, I guess,’ Korben replied. ‘They’ve both had such successful careers in law. But that’s just not who I was born to be. Not working with candy would be like never doing Little activities or not having Jazz. I have to live my life the way I want. I just wish my parents would understand that.’

‘Give them a bit more time,’ Michael said, bringing Korben in close and giving him a quick hug. ‘And don’t worry, with me on your team we’ll build Korben’s Kandies into a business so big that not even your mother and father can deny how important and successful you are.’

Korben giggled and nodded his approval.

‘That’s the spirit, boy,’ Michael replied. ‘Now let’s start hitting these boutique candy stores and check out our competition. Soon enough, they won’t know what’s hit them. Right?’

‘Right!’ Korben said, reaching up and high fiving with Michael.

Michael was beginning to see the fuller picture when it came to Korben. He was creative, smart, and ambitious. But what Michael wanted Korben to realize was that it didn’t matter what anyone else thought of him, not really. As far as Michael was concerned, Korben needed to learn that he was good enough to stand tall in anyone’s company.

And if Michael could help by making Korben’s Kandies a runaway success, then that was exactly what he was going to do.

The afternoon adventure with Korben was a resounding success. So much so in fact that Michael was now feeling more confident than ever that Korben’s Kandies was going to prove to be a hugely successful investment for him.

Having observed the competition in the various luxury and boutique candy stores across the city, Michael felt sure that what Korben was capable of producing was at least as good, if not much better than anything else on the market.

It wasn’t just the fact that Korben had a great palette for flavor, or that his ability to name his candies was naturally full of so much flair and imagination. No, Korben had something else going for him too.

Korben had passion.

As Michael and Korben made their way around the various stores, Michael was blown away by just how passionately Korben spoke about candy.

Whether it was the present day leading candies or delving back in time and talking about some of the most influential candy makers from times gone by, Korben had a deep knowledge of all things sugary and sweet.

But with Korben now full of inspiration and back at the workshop, Michael was left to deal with other slightly less positive matters. Namely, the sudden and unwanted reappearance of Phillip Neal on his radar…

‘Asshole,’ Michael grumbled, taking a seat at the desk in his office and seeing in an email from a trusted source that apparently Phillip had been arranging meetings with several investment fund managers across the city. ‘I know he’s trying to run down my reputation. But why now?’

Michael thought back to when Phillip betrayed him.

It wasn’t as if underhand dealings and ruthless ambition were unheard of in the financial industry. Far from it. But there were just some lines that Michael could never, ever contemplate crossing.

Michael could be ruthless when it came to money.

In truth, there were probably many businesspeople who could tell stories of how Michael had worked every angle to make a deal go through.

But despite the fact that Michael had a hard edge, he was always fair.

Michael had a moral code that he simply wouldn’t budge from, even if there was money to be made by being underhand. As far as Michael was concerned, he only wanted money that he had earned fairly and squarely.

This was a value that had connected Michael with his fellow Daddies during their time at Princeford. There were plenty of over privileged students who made it clear that they would do whatever it took to succeed, no matter who got hurt in the process. This simply was never the case for Michael or his friends. They wanted to be better. They wanted to use their time at Princeford to become better people, not entitled elites.

However Phillip Neal didn’t share these values, as Michael had learned to his cost.

But that was history. And Michael had always assumed that Phillip wouldn’t dare show his face again or try to involve himself anywhere near him.

‘I need to find out more,’ Michael muttered, opening a bottle of vodka and pouring himself a small glass. ‘I need to deal with Phillip quickly and put a stop to whatever he’s doing before he even gets it off the ground. I’ve got myself to protect, and my clients too. Whatever Phillip is doing, it might just be up to me to bring it to a halt.’

Michael took a sip of the vodka and began to put a plan in place.

Michael might have enjoyed a wonderful day with Korben, but it was now time to show the city that no one messed with Michael Dornan and got away with it…

Chapter 7

Korben

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