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“What are you, my dad?” he asked with a drunken laugh.
Frustrated, I clenched my fists. I wanted to punch him, but I knew that would be just about the most suicidal thing I could do for my career. I didn’t need any more bad publicity. Not after what my ex had already done which was still in the news cycle, so I controlled myself.
Turning on my heel, I walked back out of the bar and into the lobby of the hotel, heading for the door.
It was then I nearly ran into one of my own investors.
“So, itistrue,” Mr. Chipper said.
“What’s true?” I asked, noting the fact he hadn’t greeted me. “What are you even doing here? And at this time of night?”
It was just after eleven, and for men like my investors, that was late. We were all past the point in our lives where we kept crazy hours, which only added to my annoyance of him being there.
“I figured with the accident, it would make sense for you to show up,” Mr. Chipper said. “So did a few friends of mine you might remember.”
He was texting on his phone as he spoke, and I gave him an inquisitive look. I wasn’t sure what he was talking about, but there certainly was hostility in his demeanor.
“Why don’t you come have a seat with me for a second?” he suggested. “I just let them know you’re here, and they’re on their way.”
“Who are you talking about?” I demanded. “Here is fine.”
I crossed my arms and glared at him. I had no intention of going back into that bar, and I figured if I was going to avoid more bad publicity, then standing in the lobby was a good way to do that.
“Come now, you came all the way up from Georgia to figure out what’s going on with your investment, so we did the same. Do you think we didn’t notice what happened with your ex-wife a couple weeks ago? We’re not happy about the bad press.” Mr. Chipper said.
“What happened with my ex is handled, and I don’t know how it has anything to do with you or…” I was going to continue, but stopped when the door to the lobby opened, and three more men walked in.
I instantly recognized all of them as my other investors, and I cringed. I didn’t know what was going on, but with how Mr. Chipper was acting, I was getting the impression they were getting ready to pull out. It would go against the contract, but then, with the amount of money those men had, I had a feeling they didn’t care if there were legal repercussions.
“So, he did show up?” Mr. Tuck, one of the three said. Mr. Pryer and Mr. Bates both nodded. They looked like they wanted to go have a seat as well, but I stood my ground.
“Absolutely he did,” Mr. Chipper confirmed.
“I’m still confused to know why you all showed up here,” I told them. “This had nothing to do with you. I came in to see how my own investment was doing, and I find it disturbing to know the three of you decided it was okay to just come ambush me in the hotel. Not to mention how you knew I was here anyway.”
“You know as well as any of us that with the right connections, you can find out just about anything you want to know,” Mr. Tuck replied. “We’ve been keeping an eye on you after the incident with your ex-wife made the headlines, and I have to admit, this isn’t helping your cause.”
“My cause?” I repeated. I looked around the small group.
“Look, after what went down, a lot of your old videos of the things you used to do resurfaced,” Mr. Pryer added. “While the attention may come off as a good thing at first, it’s got people asking questions. Sure, there’s money in recklessness, but with this new injury from your client along with the fact he’s back to partying, and your ex-wife going to jail, I don’t know, it’s a lot of drama. It’s making me wonder if sticking with the contract is a good idea.”
“You know as well as I do that business is business,” I said. “It fluctuates, and with what’s happened, sure, there might be some bad tastes left in some people’s mouths, but it’s nothing that won’t blow over.”
“We just want to make sure your head is in the right place,” Mr. Chipper said. “And that’s the business. I can sympathize with you having a daughter. You know I have kids of my own, after all, but business is business, and when you put your life out there the way you have, you need to understand priorities.”
“If you are implying I have any priority higher than my own daughter, you have another thing coming,” I snapped. “I don’t know where you get the gall to come here and lecture me about anything that has gone on in my personal life, but I’m not going to put anything above Lucy.”
“Which is fine,” Mr. Bates said. “And we don’t expect you to, but what we need to know is that our investment is still in a good place. If you have too much going on with your personal life to be able to handle business right now, then so be it, but we do need to know.”
“Look, if you’re worried that my daughter is getting in the way of your money, that’s fine,” I yelled. “I can buy you all out of the company right now! Sure, I have shit going on in my life, and it’s taking precedence. I’m not going to stop investing in others, andmy company will continue. If you’re spooked, then so be it. Tell me, and I’ll pay you to get out now.”
“I’ll take it,” Mr. Bates said.
“Fine!” I spat.
I scrawled out a check. I already knew the amount. I knew just how much money would go to any of the investors in this sort of situation, and I was always ready to pull the trigger. I tore the check free and handed it to him, and without another word, he left.
I glared at the remainder of the group.
