Page 16 of Omega's Midlife Love
“Would they have removed him?” I asked.
“Without a doubt.”
“Why?”
“Because what he wanted from the company was vastly different from what Clarence and I, and the board—by proxy—wanted. Yeah, we bought out companies. I won’t deny that, nor that even in best case scenarios it can be a controversial topic. It made us all very wealthy. But the real payoff was watching these struggling companies come back to life. New management here, a different direction for a team there. Maybe reinvesting in new technology to put them on the same playing field as their competitors. It was always about seeing the potential, and building them back up. I loved my work. There’s nothing like seeing a company on the verge of collapse, and being able to turn around and make it flourish again.”
He took another sip of water. “Unfortunately, our way of doing things was slow. It takes time, effort, and money to rehabilitate a struggling company, and Robert wanted to do none of that. He was only interested in the quick flip, and his people on the board were like-minded. No matter how many times I argued that proper investment was the best strategy, they wouldn’t listen, and the more I fought for the old ways, the more he went out of his way to ostracize me.
“It started with insinuations to extended family and friends that I wasn’t supporting him as the new CEO. It got to the point where they all believed that I was jealous and actively trying to sabotage him. From there the rumors spread. Long standing acquaintances started to distance themselves from me, invitations to important functions dropped off.”
He ran a hand through his hair. “Maybe I was too hard on him, or maybe I wasn’t hard enough. I was watching the company that Clarence and I built collapse. Experienced employees saw the writing on the wall, and started to leave, creating a talent vacuum from within. We’d devoted our careers to rescuing floundering companies, but I couldn’t do the same with our own.
“It was when he started reneging on promises that I realized I had to leave. I couldn’t stop him, and I couldn’t watch as he dismantled organizations for which I’d developed plans to keep together. I gave him a six month notice, plenty of time to announce my early retirement and find a replacement. I was even prepared to announce it myself. But he forbade me from doing so. So I waited, and waited, and waited… until the day arrived that I was due to leave. I thought I was giving him everything he wanted. I was getting out of his way. But he took it as an opportunity to slander me yet again. My departure was announced as abrupt; that, and I quote, ‘nobody saw it coming.’”
He stopped and took several swallows of water. “The few friends I have left have said that he continues to slander me, even now. He tells companies that I didn’t have the authority to make those plans, or to include them in discussions, even though most were in process before Clarence’s passing.”
I again thought of what Samantha had told me, and realized the full truth behind it. I reached over and rested my hand on his. “I’m sorry.”
He gave me a sad smile. “Thank you.”
I glanced at the clock. I had a few minutes before I would need to start the next part of my prep. I circled the island and took a seat on the stool facing him. “Is that why you’re worried about the dinner party?”
He sighed, and nodded. “You can’t run a company as large as Beischel Equity and not have contacts throughout the country, or even worldwide. Part of the reason I chose Harris Cove was because it’s a relatively small and quiet city, and I figured that as long as I didn’t make waves he’d finally be content to leave things alone. But it’s no sooner than I feel like I’m connecting with a charity when I start getting the cold shoulder. It reeks of Robert’s meddling.”
“You really think he’d do that?”
He ran a hand over his jaw. “Once upon a time I would have said no. But once he took over, his true colors came out, and I saw how vindictive he is. He makes it his mission to punish anybody for having an opinion different from his, and I voiced my opposition to his plans many times.”
“Is he worried about you gaining the support to take over?”
Mr. Beischel shook his head. “As part of my exit I presented him with a buyout option, which he took. I know he had to sell off a lot of personal assets to make it happen, but I wanted out, completely. He bought the majority of my shares, and what he didn’t I sold to other family and to a few people that he wanted to have a stake. It wasn’t my grandfather’s company, nor my father’s, or Clarence’s. It was Robert’s and I wanted nothing to do with what he was doing, so I made a clean break.”
“And you think he might still hold a grudge?”
He sighed. “I don’t know…”
I was about to dig more into it when there was a soft knock at one of the archways leading into the kitchen.
Both Mr. Beischel and I looked up to see Victor standing in the arch, and if I had to guess by the guarded expression he wore, he’d likely been in one of the adjoining rooms listening to our conversation.
“Excuse the interruption,” he said. “But it’s about time for you to start getting ready for tonight.”
Mr. Beischel nodded and stood, and I noticed the hints of flour on his hand from where I’d touched him earlier. “Thank you Victor.”
“Of course,” he replied, inclining his head.
Mr. Beischel turned to me. “Thank you… for listening.”
I smiled at him. “Thank you for trusting me enough to share.”
He nodded, then straightened, forced a professional expression and strode from the room.
Victor watched him for a moment, then walked over and took the vacated stool while I moved on to prep more of the evening’s meal.
“Now you know,” Victor finally said.
I nodded. “Was it really as messy as all that?”
