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Coen breathed sharply, smirking. He had that annoying sly look of some sleazy Disney villain or something. I hated seeing him feel confident and smart… as if he knew something you didn't or was better than you, despite the numbers saying my company did better than his.
"If your board members wish to sell to me, there's nothing you can do to make it stop." His tone instantly became darker and more sinister.
I frowned. 'How is Frank these days? Thanks for taking him after we threw him away, Mr. Leftovers. Still a petulant child, I presume?"
"Yes, actually, but did you see our stocks? Since we got him, the press has been amazing." Ethan countered. I hadn't checked the stock exchange in a while. I'd been so preoccupied with my personal life. Did his company do that? I didn't even check his company most times when I went to see stock prices because I never considered most companies other than my own. Especially when it came to the music industry.
"Aren't you tired of using underhanded tactics to try to get them to concede?"
"Why would you even say that?" He interjected, still wearing that disgusting grin.
He got up from the seat, probably to get some weird psychological high ground over me.
"I will tell you this only once: Let fate take its course, while you still can. You don't want to make an enemy out of me." His smile slowly crept away, and his eyes conveyed an ominous vibe. What the hell does that mean? Now, I got weary. This guy might be dangerous.
He leaned in and dropped the pen, masking that smile back on his plastic face. "It was nice to talk with you to clarify things. Of course, I'm sure that in the coming days, you and your board members will be able to see the light."
"Get the hell out," I responded calmly. "And stop going after my board members or there will be consequences."
"We can agree on those last four words," he said and left.
I didn't like the way that conversation went. Was he planning something? Did he know about my daughter or my relationship with Maryam? Quickly, after he left, I called Drew.
"What did he say?"
"I think he knows something, but I don't know what. He seems too confident to have just come here out of delusion. Coen is many things, but he's not a dumb businessman. What do you think he knows? Does he know about Maryam? That could jeopardize everything."
"Yeah, and his company has been rising a lot in value. It's just momentary because he's taking advantage of the Frank fame explosion. If that coincides with him finding out about Maryam before her album is released…"
"Or if her album releases to bad sales or reception…" I continued his thought process. It almost felt like we had the same brain sometimes. "...then he could take that chance to convince the board to turn against me and get them to see that I am failing, and the company is failing so that they need him."
"The company doesn't like Frank, though. They hate him."
"But what if he's able to convince them that he would kick Frank out?"
"Hmm, that could work. Frank is easy to manipulate, and Coen isn't above doing some dastardly things. He could make Frank look like he'd broken one of the agreements in the contract," Drew added.
We continued to brainstorm for a short while, trying to find out his ulterior motives. In the end, we decided to do some personal investigation on our own behind the scenes.
Drew said he'd handle that so I could focus on the upcoming album release as well as my daughter's surgery. I appreciated that. A true friend, that guy is, I told myself.
I left a bit earlier than usual today from work because Maryam called me and told me Maddy wasn't feeling well. Nothing serious, but me being a dad, I took it as something serious despite Maryam consistently telling me I didn't have to worry.
As I sat in the car, I called Maddy. I just couldn't wait to hear that she was okay from her mouth.
"Dad, why are you calling me?" This ungrateful little…
"So, I need a reason to call my daughter?"
"Yes," she said, and I burst into laughter. That dry wit.
"Maryam told me you weren't feeling too well."
"Ah, I told her not to tell you because I knew you'd act like this."
"Trust me, even she regretted it when I reacted."
"I just have a little cold. It's fine. I've taken drugs, so I'm better now."
