Chapter 15 - Taking the Bait
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As dessert was served, the conversation shifted toward the specific mechanics of the company's incredible turnaround. The investors were eager to understand how Hale Crest had survived the supply chain crisis that had bankrupted their competitors.
Robert Keller, a distributor who had known the Hale family for three decades, looked down the long table toward Evelyn. He had always respected her sharp mind.
“Evelyn,” Robert called out warmly over the chatter. “Are you heavily involved with this new Malibu expansion too? Your logistics background must be invaluable right now.”
Before Evelyn could even open her mouth, Ethan intervened.
“No,” Ethan said loudly, his voice cutting through the ambient noise of the dining room.
The clinking of silverware slowed. Conversations trailed off.
“She’s not,” Ethan continued, offering a patronizing smile. “She helped Dad sort through some old paperwork during his recovery, but she isn’t part of the management team.”
Vanessa leaned in, her voice coated in poison masquerading as professionalism. “Every family business has to be incredibly careful, Robert. You can’t confuse family access with professional authority. It muddies the waters.”
Evelyn saw Arthur’s grip tighten on his wine glass. But the old man remained silent, adhering to their plan.
Ethan, encouraged by the lack of pushback from his father, doubled down. He wanted to secure his dominance in front of the board.
“Exactly,” Ethan agreed with Vanessa. “We can’t build the future of a hundred-million-dollar company by letting everybody with an opinion act like an executive. There has to be a hierarchy.”
Evelyn didn't shrink into her chair. She sat up straighter, her eyes locking onto her husband's.
“What do you mean by ‘everybody’, Ethan?” Evelyn asked. Her tone wasn't defensive; it was a challenge.
Ethan looked visibly irritated that she had dared to speak. “You know what I mean, Evelyn. Let's not do this here.”
“No,” Evelyn insisted smoothly. “Explain it. Since we are discussing the management structure of the future.”
Vanessa rested her hand over Ethan’s arm, a clear physical marking of territory. The sheer disrespect of the gesture made several guests shift uncomfortably.
May you like
Ethan sneered, his ego overriding any remaining sense of self-preservation.
“I mean you keep questioning investments you aren’t responsible for,” Ethan snapped. “You review contracts nobody asked you to manage. You behave as if just being near my father means you understand what it takes to actually build something.”
