Page 26 of Lies in Promises
I sigh and look Henry in the eye. “What if I’m not made to run the company? What happens if a bad deal runs it to the ground and I destroy everything my father and grandfather built?”
The question is one that has been cycling through my mind for some time now, one I haven’t had the courage to voice. I feellike I’m disappointing Henry even more. It honestly feels like that’s all I’ve been doing lately.
Henry looks at me for a long minute before eventually letting out a sigh.
“Then it gets destroyed.” That is not what I expected to come out of his mouth, and I’m sure the way my eyebrows shoot up to my hairline tells Henry as such.
He lets out a small chuckle and explains his response. “You have great potential, Mr. Bennett. I, without doubt, know that you can and will do great things, and I know you can do it on your own. But I think when it comes down to it, you might regret not trying, at the very least, with your family’s company. If you fail, you fail, but you would have given it a shot. Not many people would be good at running this type of company, but you are. I can see it. You may not be ready to run it today, but in a few years, I think you would be ready for the top.”
Ready for the top.
Before my parents died, I wanted to work for my father’s company more than anything. Sure, I was just a little kid, but I saw how much my dad loved it, so I wanted to do what he did. I wanted to go to the top with him.
Now, going to the top terrifies me, and I don’t think I even want it—not at Lane Enterprises at least. I don’t think I will ever be ready for that. I can work there, sure, but I don’t know if I can be what my father was. The CEO.
“You know, most parents would tell their kids this is the time to explore the world, to go backpack across Europe or some shit before settling into the big bad world.”
Henry rolls his eyes at my response. “You’re in a new country every other week and have been exploring the world since before you were sixteen. Did you forget about the times you snuck out of Lane Manor, chartered the private jet, and went to Europe just because you were bored?”
No way to forget that.
The memory of the first time I left the house in the middle of the night without Henry knowing and flying to a different country is still a very distinct memory.
After watching a heist movie, I got the sudden urge to travel to France and see how hard it would be to sneak into one of the most respected art museums in the world. I wasn’t going to steal anything, but I wanted to see if I could do it. So, I called up the pilot, Henry kept on retainer, and hopped on the next flight out to Paris, leaving Henry in Chicago.
The screaming that ensued when I landed in France was beyond crazy. I thought Henry was going to land in the hospital with a heart attack. I was grounded for six months after that and had to work at one of the Chicago food kitchens for a full year.
Did it stop me from doing it again?
Nope, but I served whatever punishment was given to me.
“I didn’t forget,” I grumble. “If I want to help build up Lane Enterprises, I will have to get on the board’s good side. No way those execs are going to let me walk in there and start changing things just because my name is at the top of their paychecks.”
If not for my parents will, the people running the company would have taken whatever ownership was given to me and my brother and never looked back. They don’t give two shits.
“I’ll help you as much as I can, but I have a feeling once they see what you’re capable of, they won’t hesitate to make you a big part of the company, sir.”
“Yeah, because having my last name in the company logo isn’t big enough.” The comment just slips out, Henry rolling his eyes again before a weird look comes over his face.
“If you want nothing to do with Lane Enterprises,” he starts before pausing for a moment, “then just say so, and I will stop pushing. I will help you build Titan as much as I possibly can. Just tell me, and I will drop any mention of it.”
There’s a pause.
This is the first time Henry has offered to stop pushing.
For years, he said I should try and make a name for myself within my family’s company, but never has he given me the option not to, not until now.
But even with the offer up in the air, I don’t want to take it.
This is the company my father cherished. I’m not just going to let it go because I’m still dealing with my parents’ deaths.
His legacy deserves better than that.
And I’ll be fucking damned if I let it go.
He already had one son abandon what he left behind; he doesn’t need another to do the same.
After a few long minutes, I speak, and the words surprise me in so many ways. “No.” The word leaves my lips so damn easily. “Keep pushing me until I get my head out of my ass.”
