Page 81 of Wed to the Devil

"Look, we have to think strategically about our future. Gas and oil will still be important in fifty or a hundred years. But they will not be the only resource. Someone is going to put the money into researching a new energy source. And I want to be part of the company that is smart enough to pull the trigger on it. It will make the billions we have now seem like chump change by comparison."

Remy looks down his nose at me, a wry smile appearing on his lips.

"Are you saying that I should have been funding research on these new technologies for years?"

I hesitate. "Well... it's a new and untapped market. No one has had a breakthrough yet. It seems risky, even though it really isn't."

Remy takes a full minute to wipe his mouth with his cloth napkin and then hurls it against his mostly-untouched meal.

"I make decisions based on what I know to be true. And you can't prove a fucking thing that research has provided for me."

My fingers tighten on my knife.

"That's just not true. There are dozens of small tweaks that our company lab has suggested to the extraction process. I'd wager those tweaks have earned millions of dollars, but they only cost about one hundred thousand in research."

"Bah." Remy waves his hand at me. "That's hardly the point."

The waiter turns to me, obviously trying not to show his distress. "Is everything okay here, sir? How is your meal?"

I smile politely. "It's quite good, thank you." Remy scoffs and rolls his eyes.

"Throw my plate in the trash," he barks at the waiter. "I've had better food at a gas station." The waiter looks horrified as he hurries away with the untouched food.

Remy turns back to me, his face smug. I feel my anger rising and take a few deep breaths before addressing him again.

"Look Remy, I understand your hesitancy towards investing in research, but this could be a huge money maker for us down the line." I try to keep my voice as even as possible despite my growing annoyance.

Remy pierces me with his glare, his eyes like daggers. "Does your grand scheme for our company's future involve moving the headquarters away from Harwicke? To somewhere like New York?" His voice is tight and wary, as if he already has an answer in mind.

I frown. The last thing I want is to falsely raise his hopes. "It's a real possibility," I reply. "We have to go where the money is, and unfortunately, Harwicke has never been much of a business option."

Remy stares at me with an expression of disbelief. "You truly think this is the right move? Without consulting me?"

I can feel my temper starting to rise, but I suppress it and remain level-headed. "Yes," I reply firmly. "When I take up the reins as CEO, my job will be to make sure that our company is successful and moving forward."

Remy snorts and shakes his head. "And what makes you think you're qualified to do that? You haven't ever been in a CEO position before. And you've never even worked for any company that wasn't the family business. You've been coddled for years. You're soft."

A bitter grimace appears on my face. "You're not immortal, Remy. Right now, you have the power to choose your successor. But every minute you delay announcing a name, you are taking a huge risk. Much bigger than deep sea drilling."

Remy stands abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor. He throws a bundle of cash on the table and glares at me with fire in his eyes. "You think you can make decisions about this company without my permission? I'm the CEO, goddamnit. The company will always have its headquarters in Harwicke!"

I rise, throwing my napkin on the table. "In order to grow, sometimes you have to take risks."

Remy snorts in disbelief. "Are you telling me that deep sea drilling is going to be profitable for us? What about the environmental impact? What about the safety hazards? A single nasty lawsuit could easily wipe out our entire fortune."

I open my mouth to answer but Remy cuts me off. "No," he says firmly, pointing a finger at me for emphasis. "I don't think you have what it takes to run a successful business. Until you sign a contract that keeps the company in this town, you will never be my successor."

He turns away from me and walks towards the door. Then he pauses dramatically.

"And don't expect any money from me for your grand plans. Not today, not tomorrow, not a thousand years in the future."

I lose my meticulously crafted cool. "You don't need to worry about that. You are going to die sooner or later. Sooner if you keep up this rhetoric. Someone is going to poison your coffee to be free of you."

The atmosphere in the room shifts immediately. Remy's face darkens and his voice becomes low and menacing. "What did you just say?" he growls, leaning over the table towards me.

I can feel my temper rising but I keep it under control. "I said that your decision-making days are numbered," I reply calmly. "You need to think about what is best for this company before your personal feelings get in the way."

Remy shakes his head incredulously. "It's obvious what's happened to you," he says, in disgust. "You've married that tramp of a wife. Now you're getting laid on the regular and it's giving you ideas. It's softened you up, made you think with your dick instead of your brain." He pauses, taking a breath before continuing in a low, dangerous voice. "You were raised by me to be a killer—to do what needs to be done for the success of this business. But now you are nothing but a disappointment, no better than Felix and Tripp."

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