“Actually, this is more of an official visit today. If you wouldn’t mind telling him that I’m here, I’d like to keep things professional.”
“Oh, I see.” She picks up the phone, winking at me as she talks into it. “Roman, your one o’clock is here.”
I hear his muffled response on the other line and straighten my blazer in anticipation of his arrival. Sharon reaches up to tuck a strand of hair out of my face. At the same time, I hear the elevator, and Roman steps out, wearing a suit that costs three times as much as mine.
As he looks me up and down, I hear him mumble, “Let’s get this over with,” motioning for me to follow him.
I take one last look at Sharon before following Roman, and she waves me off, giving me a thumbs-up while mouthing, “Good luck.” I thank her as I follow Roman to the conference room on the first floor. The onehe usually uses for salespeople he has no interest in doing business with.
I could use all the good luck I can get right now.
Roman takes a seat at the head of the conference room table, opposite the large TV screen hanging on the wall.
I set the binder down in front of him, having already memorized the entire thing. After getting my presentation set up on the screen, I begin, “Thank you for the opportunity to present my business proposal today. I know you are very busy…”
I proceed with my business proposal to expand Kane Construction into the commercial sector. Not moving away from residential but instead creating a whole new branch of the company that I would help oversee.
Throughout the entire presentation, Roman doesn’t move once. He listens diligently but the only movement he gives me is the slight tap of his finger against the table every so often.
“Thank you for your time.” I finish my presentation, the nerves washing away now that it’s over, with a sense of pride.
Not only is this a great idea, but I have the stats to back it up, too. All of which I presented to Roman today. Only an unskilled businessman would say no to a proposal like this.
“No.” I wait for Roman to say more, but he doesn’t.
“No? That’s it? No?”
Roman stands from his chair. “I appreciate the proposal, but I’m not interested.”
As Roman heads for the door, I look at the binder heleft on the table. The binder containing the research, statistics, graphs, charts, and budgets I spent two weeks putting together. Hours of sleep missed, and fun times with friends sacrificed. All for him to say no.
That’s when it hits me. Over the past two weeks, I’ve experienced a fraction of the sacrifices Roman spent years making. The smallest look into what he must’ve gone through so many years ago. Sienna’s words echo in my ears. She had said some people have to start at the bottom and work their way up. Something that takes hard work, grit, and determination. I now see that both she and Roman have it, and I’ve barely scratched the surface of earning the position here.
Before he can open the door, desperation seeps into my voice, and I say, “I’m sorry.”
He stops just moments before his hand reaches the doorknob.
“You were right about everything. I’m sorry I wasn’t listening, but I’m ready to make a change.” That gets his attention long enough for him to actually turn toward me.
“Go on,” he says as he crosses his arms over his chest.
“I’ve been an entitled asshole who thought I was deserving of a position here because I believed it was Dad’s company. I know now that it’s not. Kane Construction wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for you. I know about all of it. The money you put away for us, the endless nights you spent working to build this company into what it is today. I’ve been an ungrateful asshole about all of it.”
“You weren’t supposed to know about any of that. Did Leo talk to you?” he grits out through his teeth.
“No, Alex did. He overheard you and Leo talking about everything when we were kids. I had no idea about any of it until now. Why didn’t you say anything?”
He runs his hand across his face, his posture loosening. “You were only six when Mom and Dad died. You saw them in a light that the rest of us weren’t able to. Especially Dad. I couldn’t ruin the image you had of them.”
“So instead you ruined yours?”
He puffs out a semi-laugh. “Yeah, I guess I did.”
I round the table to meet Roman where he is, grabbing the binder in the process.
Handing the proposal over to him, I say, “I want to work with my brother. You might not see it, but I think we could be a really good team.” I let out a sheepish laugh. “I hate to admit it, but you’re the one I’ve always looked up to. The only reason I got a degree in business was so I could work here with you.”
He takes the binder from me. “I’ll think about it. I still don’t like what you pulled at the lake house.”
