Acquiring Trouble

“It's normal to need time to grieve.   You just lost your father.”
    A harsh laugh escaped Dominic. “Trust me; I'm not grieving his loss.”   He leaned a hip on the metal railing and looked up at the building he had instinctively returned to, searching for the man he’d once been and hoping to find something there that would shake off the immobilizing apathy he felt for all he had done since; high expectations for brick and antique wallpaper.
    Jake said, “That's what worries me.   No matter what your plans were or what he once did to you, he's gone now.   You've got to let it go.”
    Jake was asking the impossible.   Of course the past mattered.   Sometimes it was the only thing that did.     “Just do your job, Jake. If you can't handle it, tell me and I'll promote Priestly to help you.”
    For the second time since they had met at Harvard, Jake lost his temper. “That's bullshit, Dom.   You want to send Priestly to China?   Send him.   You're absolutely right -- you've made me a very rich man.   I don't need this.   But heed my warning; you won't be a billionaire for long if we both step away from the helm.   A lot is riding on this contract.   The lawsuits alone will freeze your assets if you screw this up.   You invested too much of your own and you're playing with the big boys now.   Governments are not very forgiving when it comes to last minute walk outs.”
    The speech should have shaken Dominic, but it barely breached the numbness that had settled in since he'd received the phone call from his father's lawyer.   What did all the money matter anyway?   He'd wasted fifteen years amassing an empire that would allow him to throw down a forced buyout contract on his father’s enormous mahogany desk.   Dominic should have taken action years ago, but no level of prior success had felt like enough.   He’d choreographed the day from both sides, building his company while undermining his father’s; always working toward that one absolute win .   Dominic had counted on his father’s desperation finally forcing him to confess what had actually happened to his mother.
    It was that loss that he mourned today.
    In its place was a carefully orchestrated set of instructions from his father’s lawyer. No, it wasn’t enough to simply disinherit his only son; Antonio Corisi had also included provisions in his will to ensure that Dominic had to attend the reading.   He’d used Dominic’s one weakness, his one regret, to reaffirm his control, even from the grave.
    Jake coughed, reminding Dominic that a response was required.   What could he say?   As usual, Jake was correct in his assessment of the situation. Dominic had used his own wealth as well as that of investors to back this venture.   The risk had seemed worth it. The government contract would crack China's software market wide open for them and their global influence would double exponentially. It was a daring move that if carefully implemented could put Corisi Enterprises on a stratosphere of power few companies ever acquired ; a goal that a week ago had seemed imperative.
    Jake could handle the negotiations. Dominic had always been the one to charge forward, shaking the situation up and clearing the way. This time would be no different. Jake could merely take over a few documents earlier this time.   Priestly was good at the local level, but he was no Jake.  
    “One week, Jake.”   It was the closest to an apology Dominic was able to get out. He hoped it was enough.
    Sounding more like an older brother, than a business associate, Jake said, “Take two weeks if you need it. Just get your head together.   I can wrap up the China contract, but it'll need your final signature and your presence.   I’ll do a press release today and ask the media to respect your need to mourn in private; that should give you at least a few days before they descend.”
    “Call Murdock.” The man owes me a few favors.  
    “Do you mean the Murdock? I thought he’d retired.”
    Ah, there is the real difference between us. By not fighting in the trenches of financial warfare, Jake’s business associations had remained above reproach, but he lacked the back door connections to those seemingly innocuous individuals who wielded real international influence. Dominic casually gave Jake a number that many would have paid a small fortune to dial just once.     “Men like Murdock don’t retire, they delegate from warmer climates. Tell him