CARBON COPY

Chapter 20: A Fool And His Money

Chapter 20:  A Fool And His Money

Windward Towers, The Financial District, Baltiney, New York...

       The hot sun had been a welcome boon for Silas II as he arrived by car with his driver Simon once more at the wheel. The pit stop seemed to have done the older man a world of good as Silas II had looked to have been doing better since the previous night as well despite sSimon's initial concerns for his boss. It wasn't like Silas II didn't know how to drive or that he didn't have a good deal of sports cars of his own to parade about in, he had simply figured if he was going to be stuck in traffic it would have been far easier to do phone conferences and go over any details of his contracts new or otherwise while he'd been in traffic and affording the ability for someone else to drive him had come in handy during those times. He'd been a firm believer in being prepared for anything and given his line of work and tendency to end up swimming in a tank of sharks, so to speak, he'd always preferred to bring on his A-game just to make sure. Silas II seemed to be more in his element when it came to business, his personal affairs notwithstanding, he'd been all about business since he'd gotten out of diapers according to his father and step-mother. 

Many people often joked that his first calculator had been given to him long before a bottle as a baby. Silas II didn't care too much for their gossip but if it instilled a good deal of fear into his subordinates then he'd enjoy it. When it came to those under his father's employ doing the old man's bidding that had been another matter altogether. 

The biggest headache as far as his work had been concerned was his father's newly appointed brown noser, Maxwell Kadens. Max had been sucking up to Silas Sr. for quite some time since he'd joined the company formerly as an intern and then worked his way up to heading his own department. Silas Sr. liked that he got results and kept him around a lot longer than he tended to when it came to people like Max, he never liked anyone more sly and cunning than himself working for his company but Max had been a breath of fresh air as far as the older man had been concerned. 

Silas II often rolled his eyes at the amount of polished ass-kissing Max would do just to get in his father's good graces as if there had been any such thing, which made the elder Windward son's stomach turn. He hated everything about Max and the fact that he'd been more inclined to go along with his father's less-than-savory business practices and meetings had been the kicker, his father had either been going senile in his old age or attempting to relieve the glory days through this new arrival and either way Silas II had not liked the look of it.

He had single-handedly turned the company around following the scandal his father put them through and everyone who was anyone had been looking forward to the next rising star of the Windward family breaking out into his own. Silas II's ambition had not been in question, nor his work ethic, or tact as far as running a business had been concerned, what he lacked was all of the vicious nature his father had when doing business choosing instead to be much more resourceful than cruel when his father's brazen and outdated tactics had not been necessary. 

Silas II made his way through the front doors of the building as Simon trailed back parking the car before he too ventured into Windward Towers. They headed into the main elevators and were taken up to the top floor where the board meeting had been taking place. Simon could already tell from the way Silas II attempted to keep from clenching his fists that he'd been trying his best to quell his temper knowing that he'd have to come face-to-face with Max to get through the meeting and that there was no doubt in his mind that Max would go out of his way to aggravate him during the whole ordeal. 

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Top Floor, The Lobby, Windward Towers, The Financial District, Baltiney New York...

Silas II finally reached the outside of his father's boardroom where the other stuffed shirts had been gathering, while he wasn't especially looking forward to it, he'd been quite prepared for it and looking forward to the latest pitch meetings once this had concluded. Simon wasn't allowed inside and ventured toward Silas II's office where he elected to wait for him in case he needed to be of service. Silas II stepped forward shaking hands with infamous billionaire Jeb Westbroke as the older man with a similar complexion and shorter stature seemed to be quite a fan of the work Silas II had done with the company especially when it came to his father's scandalous behavior. 

He'd been looking to invest in a partnership of sorts and ventured to Windward Towers due to Silas II's stellar business reputation and ambition. He had wished to see the Ivy League hotshot for himself and had not been disappointed in the least. Silas II had presented his ideas to Jeb about the possible merger a while back but he'd merely been a cog in the machine at the time and not the man at the helm. Still, he'd impressed the notoriously reclusive businessman enough to get him to venture to Baltiney, New York, and Windward Towers of all places despite his disinclination to do any sort of business with the likes of Silas Windward Sr. 

"It's good to see you again Mr. Windward," said Jeb with a firm handshake as Silas II matched it in kind. 

"Likewise Mr. Westbroke," replied Silas II, the older man seemed even more impressed with him and their similar features seemed to be more pronounced as they chatted like old friends as opposed to negotiating businessmen, their relative ages also notwithstanding. 

As Simon Wheeler stepped away to venture to Silas II's office to make himself useful, he had taken a moment to note that Silas II and Jeb had similar features aside from their eyes, Jeb's eyes were blue and Silas II had dark brown eyes, the younger Windward had been taller but both men seemed to have equal tastes in fashion and manner of doing business. The things they had in common had been what possibly attracted Jeb to come out of his end of the world and step into their corner for a few moments at the very least. 

Being a multi-billionaire and a successful businessman Jebadiah Ian Westbroke was highly sought after for all manner of deals and input. It was well noted that he would much rather waste away on his ranch far from the boardroom and city life despite being able to run his company with ease from home. 

Both Silas II and Jeb Westbroke stepped into the boardroom with Max trailing behind them desperate to get an audience with Jeb himself.