Shouldn't Have Gone - BOOK III

Chapter 23 - A Red Herring

Chapter 23 – A Red Herring

"You did well in your speech, darling," Mary tells Damien who seems to have been freed himself of a massive block of burden on his shoulders. "James is proud of you."

He loosens the cravat around his neck to liberate himself of the anxiety. He does not really like talking in front of many people, making speeches especially when it's about something that he's not familiar with. What would he say about the progress of the company in the previous years, interpret the figures and numbers presented in his slides with only five seconds to process them in his brain and with eyes and ears only at him? But as his mother said, he did well; hence, he thinks he should stop wasting his energy on something that was already done.

And he likes what he saw in there: shame and horror splashed on Harrison's face when he fired him in front of everybody. The reports from Hunter which he found on his desk this morning corroborate Harrison's conspiracy with Crawford, thus he was left the duty to act on it in behalf of the company and the family. As he passed the sentence on Harrison, he saw fear across the faces of the other investors and the guests for the night. Tonight, Damien Etheridge affirms his position in the company as his father turns over the responsibility to him. And this is exactly what he wants to happen, for people to know what he is capable of doing for the company, what he can do to keep it safe from the claws of vultures. He wants them to see that he's not afraid to make decisions, that he's a full-grown man who stands with the company's principles, and is someone who is capable to run an empire and rule over a legion of followers.

But where is Hunter?—he asks himself.

He should be here, he thought. He is his counselor, his adviser.

And though he knows the real reason why he made his brother accept this responsibility, Damien still needs his guidance and his wisdom. To fully administer the business, he will need a backbone to lean on, a brain to scrounge in times of hard decisions, a steel heart to decide on pressing issues, and most of all a staunch believer. He did not realize that Hunter is all that until he delivered his speech in the podium. His knees were shaking and his palms were sweating. Just a mere glimpse of his brother could have smoothened his delivery, and could have made him more confident, but Hunter was no show. Because of him and his intel, Damien was able to expunge Harrison from the equation.

Where is he when he needs him most?

"Do you think Hunter has arrived now, mom?" he asks as he helps himself with a sip of vodka. He's not going to drown himself with it but he needs it to calm his nerves.

"Don't expect too much from your brother, son. For sure, he's smoldering with jealousy now," she answers. "If I were him, I wouldn't even show my shadow to anyone who are in here. I'd be damned if they see me crying my eyes out. We all know that Hunter has always been after the inheritance, now that you have it, I don't see what other purpose he has for tonight. He's not significant in your career, sweetheart, so let him indulge himself with the measly reparation he gets from his little business."

"He will play an important role, mother. He's going to train me."

Mary shuns the idea. Actually she abhors it.

"Why would you settle for an adviser who has only 5 years of experience at most and who does not have enough credentials to boast about? We have multitude of great advisers and consultants all over the world, Damien. They are people who are wiser and more experienced than your brother," she says. "And besides, would you want to work along with the man you consider your rival? He's already gotten your girl. Now is not the time to be forgiving and complacent. If you let him stay around, he might sneak his way up to the ladder, and without your knowledge he might take what's yours. He's already done it with your woman. Now do you want him to have the company?"