“Mr. Santiago, you can’t go in there n-” He ignored the words of his father’s secretary and pushed open the door of his father’s office.
There his father sat with two men in business suits talking but stopped and turned to look at him when he opened the door.
Both men looked at each other, then at his father, before concentrating their stares at him.
Julian sighed, “Gentlemen, I apologize for the interruption. Can we have this discussion some other time?” They didn’t look pleased to be interrupted at all but nodded their heads and packed up their documents and made their way past Santiago and out of the office.
Santiago didn’t miss the words they murmured in irritation. “Spoiled kid”
Santiago scoffed and held the door
“If you’d like to mutter, at least speak good English,” he said, then slammed the door in their shock-ridden face.
“If I didn’t know you well enough, I would have said you were throwing tantrums.” His father stood up from where he sat and then walked over to the table, releasing the button on his suit jacket. “That’s not how you speak to investors.”
Santiago rolled his eyes. “Then stop making deals with assholes,” he hissed in irritation.
“Welcome to the business world, my son.” There was sarcasm in his tone. Julian leaned against his table and gestured for his son to sit on the chair in front of me. “Now, you better have a good reason for interrupting my meeting.”
He pushed from the table and walked back to his chair to sit.
Santiago took angry steps toward his father and dropped the document he held onto.
Julian looked up at his son’s rage-filled face, then back at the document he slammed in front of him. He whistled when he picked them up, looking at them carefully.
“What do we have here?” He frowned when his eyes locked onto something.
“Yeah, that’s what we have there.” Santiago snarled, his eyes shooting daggers at his dad as he paced in front of him. “How could you do this, Dad? How? What came over you?” he questioned.
Jullian seemed too relaxed for Santiago’s liking, and that irked him. He put the documents on the table and leaned back on his chair.
“Well, do you have anything to say about this?”
“Santiago, son, most times I worry about your stance in business.” Julian shook his head. “If you don’t understand that you have to take certain actions in order to make things work for your good, you can never succeed in this world.”
“Even if it meant hurting those you claim to love?” There was disgust in his tone.
“It’s compromise, and that’s why compensation was invented. That’s what we did when we acquired their company.” He shrugged.
Santiago looked at his father with furrowed brows. His shoulders slouched in defeat as he tried to take in all the information.
“I don’t understand; you were never like this,” he let out a sigh. “How did you get to be this way?”
“This is more reason why I preferred your half-brother when it comes to handling business matters.”
Santiago narrowed his eyes in his direction, his palms formed into a fist.
“Don’t even go there,” he warned.
“You as well know what I’m talking about. He knows the game more than I do, and I taught him all that he needs to know about business.
“You really don’t have to go there all the time when you want to make a point.” Santiago stood to his feet and threw his hands in the air. He walked away from his dad, his palm rubbing his face, and he let out a sigh.
“Santiago…” Julian started.
Santiago turned around to look at his dad. “You do that all the time, every single time.” He placed his hands on his hips. “Why do you always like to make me feel like I don’t do enough?” h’s forehead scrunched in annoyance.
Julian sighed and then stood to his feet.
“I don’t make you feel that way, Santiago; it’s your insecurity.”
“Don’t tell me that shit,” Santiago yelled and kicked the chair beside him. He moved a step closer to his dad, his eyes blazed with anger and then burned so bright. “Don’t try to make me think I am insecure,” he pointed his finger. “Because I am not.” His voice was dangerously calm.
Julian’s nose flared at his son’s tone and actions towards him.
“I will not…” he put down Santiago’s finger, “…appreciate you talking to me like that.” He adjusts his son’s collar and points to the other chair in front of him. “Remember, I’m still your father.”
“Yeah, I know, you’re my father. Still doesn’t give you the right to screw me up.
“Just let it go; we acquired the property already. What we need to do now is do the needful and move on from this.
“You know Stacy’s dad lost his company already,” he told Julian. “I guess you know something about it, since you’re used to picking on the weak,” he accused.
“For the love of business, Santiago, will you take your head out of your ass and start thinking like a businessman?” Julian seethes. “We all know how greedy her dad is, and if he lost his company, then he deserves it. Loss is one of the things that makes up business, and if you’re not ready to lose something, you shouldn’t be in business in the first place.
Santiago shook his head; he picked up the documents from the table.
“I really can’t stand you right now.” He turns to leave, then halts in his steps. He turned back around and smiled at his dad. “Just so you know, I am selling back Anderson and Co. to Joan.”
Julian slammed the table and stood up in alarm. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Watch me, Dad, watch me.” He turned and exited the office feeling slightly okay about the turn of events. “Now, I have to find out who the mole actually is.”
A notification from his phone halted his steps, and he checked to see an email from his doctor. He opened the email and saw the report attached to it.
“One down, many to go,” he muttered, then went to his contacts to call someone. “Hi, we need to talk.”