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“I don’t think that’s wise. We value being able to rely on our suppliers. Hey, good luck to you. You know how to get in touch with us if you need anything more. I have an appointment that I’m running late for, but I wanted to call you before I walked out. Best of luck.” Will hung up the phone before I could wrap my head around what he was saying.
My father never showed up for that meeting in Kentucky. Something was wrong. He’d never do that. It was just as important to him as it was to me. That meeting was hard to get in the first place, and now that opportunity was gone. And there was another one today that would merge the ideas from the Kentucky meeting with ours here in North Carolina, and I didn’t know what to tell them at all.
Anger surged. I wiped my desk clean with my arm, knocking everything to the floor. Unable to control the rage that I was feeling, I wasn’t helpless, but I hated when I felt like things were beyond my reach. I preferred order over chaos. That’d been blown to shit the moment that my father went AWOL.
Where in the fuck was he?
MICHELLE
Three months later...
I stretched my arms out above my head, tired as hell. I’d just finished a case in New York saving a multimillion-dollar company from filing bankruptcy. The problems that occurred with many companies were usually internal. Theft, funds misappropriation, over-hiring, under-hiring, poor communication, poor training, legal troubles, tax debt, abandoned mission, non-present personnel, and things of that nature. It was rare that the issues were external.
I was good at finding the issues. People paid me lots of money to bring my team, of close to a thousand people and contractors under my employ, in to make their troubles go away. We did well. Part of how I kept everything wonderful was my ability to blend into folds. I currently “worked for” Sara, and she was one of my favorites. She’d probably would shit bricks if she knew I owned the company. Her team had just been next on my list. I’ve worked in most of the departments, but nobody really knew that MGG Group was my baby. I’d used my mother’s maiden name to conceal my identity.
Sure, I’d inherited it from my father when he’d developed Alzheimer’s disease, but I’d treated her as mine even before that. Now that I completed this project, I was ready to get home for a few days' rest and a chance to visit Papa Greene in the new facility I’d moved him to. I missed him. Two months in New York and away from him was too long. I was more than a little homesick.
My phone rang, and I moved across the bed in my hotel room to retrieve it. It was Sara. “Hello, boss,” I answered.
“Hey there, doll, look. I know you are excited about getting home, but I have a case that requires your expertise. There’s a ranch in North Carolina sinking fast that I think we should have a look at. The owner just took over because his parents died, and he was next in line. He’s had it for less than four months, and there are leaks everywhere. He can’t control the amount of places he’s losing money,” she informed me.
“Then why doesn’t he just sell it?” It seemed like an easy enough fix.
“That’s not really an option. He’d have to sell the debt, too. Nobody wants a farm so fucked that they can’t make a profit for another five to ten years.”
“Ouch.” I flinched.
“Exactly. Get your ass to North Carolina and tell me if this is worth the risk, doll.” Sara sounded as if she was already on board.
“What do we get out of this?” I asked. Sara was used to me asking the questions that kept MGG as the reason we took projects on. If this would hurt us, there was no need to try.
“Martials International,” she said.
I knew who they were. They were one of our biggest clients. A chain of whole food grocery stores all over the U.S. “What about them?” I was afraid to know the answer.
“This ranch is at the top of their supplier list. If we can’t save Allen’s Hooves, we can kiss Martials International Markets goodbye. Most of their fresh produce comes from Allen’s Hooves. Not to mention their line of jams that Martial’s carry. That stuff keeps people lined up at the beginning of the season!”
We both knew that just couldn’t happen.
“Stacy will send me my flight information?” I asked, only slightly optimistic about the situation I was walking into.
“Already there. Your flight leaves first thing in the morning. Safe travels, doll.”
I sighed. “You, too.”
Once I settled in North Carolina, I’d have my father’s team of nurses set up a video chat with him to tide me over for a little longer. Hopefully, the job would be over quickly and I could go home. Unfortunately, based on what Sara said, I knew that probably would not happen soon.
I plopped face down on the bed and screamed into the pillow. Tension exploded out of every pore as I forced my feelings outward. Feeling calmer, I rolled over and stared at the ceiling as I counted down from ten to zero, focusing on my breathing.
This is what I loved. My career helped people and businesses. Father could wait, and if it was as bad as she led me to believe, I really needed to go.
MICHELLE
Iwas walking into the meeting blind. Stacy was still waiting for information from Allen’s Hooves. I’d have to obtain the important stuff while I was here. I’d researched their trends and available public information. Jeremy Allen had inherited this business from his grandfather and had done a hell of a job running it. Slow start, but things took off eight years ago. Profit increased and so did production. Then, five months ago, things fell apart. Hopefully, Mr. Allen’s son could get me everything I needed. He had two sons, but I didn’t know which son took over. I would find out soon.
“Ms. Greene, Mr. Allen will see you now.” The receptionist relayed the message to me after she got off the phone.
I walked in to Mr. Allen's…
