Fated Dinner Part 1:

Chapter 9

Chapter 3:

Things were quiet in the morning. Even Francis seemed melancholy. Honestly, Andrew wasn't sure what he'd been expecting to happen. He had mentally prepared himself to be shouted at by William or even for Lisa to turn vindictive and try and ruin him in one way or another, but that wasn't the case. Instead, Lisa had taken a couple suitcases out from under the bed, and packed up several of her clothes and personal items and taken her car.

She hadn't said much, if anything to William, but the lad didn't ask questions. Maybe he had been expecting this for a while, given the tension in their relationship, or maybe he was just putting on a brave face. Whatever the case, the youth merely ate his breakfast in silence, reading messages on his phone as if nothing was wrong.

Andrew couldn't help but think that if the lad could be so nonchalant about something like this that he could be a killer negotiator in the future. He pushed the thought out of his head and decided he would head to the office and try and get something akin to work done. Besides, he was the boss so what did it matter if he had to leave early?

But as it turned out, he didn't end up leaving early that day, in fact he didn't leave that entire day, nor the next, or even the next day. For a week straight he lived at the quarters in his office and lived his job. He was filled with a passion and zeal that hadn't gripped him in all his years in this job, and it showed. Aside from the pace he put himself at, he pushed every man and woman under him to their limits, but the company began expanding at a rate it never had before.

Instead of moving around and cutting deals as with a small scalpel, he began breaking down doors with a battering ram. Companies and people that had refused to work with him before found themselves berated and cut off from their suppliers until they bent and agreed to give him whatever it was he wanted.

More than once an underling had come to him, mentioning that he was forcing some of their employees past the breaking point. He fired them, straight up. If they couldn't handle the pressure he had no use for them, so show them the door and get someone there that could actually do the damn job.

"Um, Mr. Wright, sir?" came the tentative voice of his secretary, Glenda over the speaker.

"Yes?"

"Well, sir it's just that…"

"OUT WITH IT!" he screamed at her, chucking his wireless mouse against the wall.

"Well your three o' clock with Roman Steels has been canceled, Mr. Wright. They no longer wish to do business with us. It seems a formal complaint was made against you by one of our former employees."

Andrew snorted.

"It's no matter," he said, full of bravado. "Check if we have any suppliers working for Roman Steel and if we do cancel them. Then get me in contact with one of their competitors."

"Yes sir, but there is someone here to see you, sir."

"They have an appointment?" he asked, confused.

"No sir."

"Then tell the asshole to beat it! I'm not interested in being a handout."

"That so, father?" asked William, pushing open the door.

"William? Of course I'll see you my boy!" he said before rounding on his secretary. "Why the hell didn't you tell me my son was the person who was here?"

"He asked me not to, sir."

"William? What's the meaning on that, son?"

William drew himself upright; it was a posture of war, a challenge. Andrew narrowed his eyes.

"I needed a confirmation that you really are as big a bastard as people say you're being."

"How dare you?

"How?" asked William incredulously. "Look at yourself! You're firing people who are burning out, or can't hit a quota. You pushed mom out of the house and are planning to ruin a company because they disagree and want to kick out those who may be less fortunate than you are!"

"This is business, son!"

"Not the business I want, and not the way I'll run mine."

"Excuse me?"

"I've had a lawyer notarize several documents."

William handed Andrew a thick stack of papers with his signature over them.

"What is all this?"

"Basically, I'm disowning myself from you, selling my shares of the company and going to be heading another company."

"You're going to start your own business instead of inherit mine?"

"Not quite. There's one that already practices the morals and methods I rather approve of. It may not be as grand as this place, but honestly I see that as another point in their favor, rather than against it."

"Who?"

"Couldn't you have guessed, father? Roman Steels. When they received an anonymous tip off of the abominable way you have been treating your staff as of late, they felt strongly compelled to discontinue business with you. I can't image how they got ahold of such knowledge."

Andrew felt he'd been shot through the heart. Lisa leaving was one thing. That had been all but the reality for years, but William… William was supposed to take over everything for him. How could he be this man who had just stabbed him, rather thoroughly, in the back?

"Why, son?"

"Because you are a very angry man without compassion for anyone father. I hope that changes, and maybe if it does then one day we can resume business together, but until I see that such a thing has happened, I shall not allow you to mistreat people if I can help it. Besides I feel very confident I can expand Roman Steels into an empire to rival your own."

"You really think so?"

"Yes, I happen to know of this plant in Detroit someone closed down, leaving a bunch of hard working people looking for employment. I'm thinking about starting a lot of our reconstruction efforts there."

Andrew scowled, "You little bastard."

"If I were," he said. "Then I suppose I would truly be your son. Farewell, father."

Andrew watched, in quiet amazement as he son, his only child walked out the door without a backwards glance.

"Um… sir?" came Glenda's voice from the receiver.

"What now…" said Andrew all his anger and energy gone, as if the past twenty years of his life had suddenly crashed on him all in one second.

"Sorry sir, but you do have another appointment in twenty minutes."

"What? I thought you said Roman Steels canceled."

"No sir, it's someone else."

"I wasn't aware there was someone else on the schedule right now…"

"Sorry sir," she said, the apology clear in her voice. "I don't remember this one, it merely says to be at the Fearing's Restaurant, sir."

Andrew raised an eyebrow. At first he would've sworn she made a mistake, but there it was clear as day:

Fearing's Restaurant Oct. 5-3:24

Andrew scowled slightly. He would've remembered if he had an appointment at the Fearing's. He shrugged, he had bigger things to worry about than a double-booked appointment. He'd met whoever this was and then go home and get some sleep. Maybe there'd be a way to try and fix the huge crack in his family.

He got in his Mercedes, and entered the restaurant in the GPS. He honestly had no idea who it was he was supposed to be meeting, or why. Glenda never screwed up this badly; he might have to let her go. Shrugging to himself, he pulled in the newly paved parking lot, and shut off the engine.

Andrew shook his head and checked his watch. It was exactly 3:24.

He wasn't sure exactly what he was supposed to do or who he was supposed to ask for, so when the pretty young hostess smiled at him and asked if he was dinning alone, he found himself stuck.

"Ah, Andrew!" came a powerful voice from his right.

Andrew turned and saw a man in his early thirties sitting in a pure black suit. He had dark brown hair that was pulled back, but not slick with the usual product that made hair seem glued in place. It seemed like he'd just run a hand through it and it had decided to stay that way.

The suit he wore was fine, possibly even custom, as it wasn't any style Andrew could recognize. His eyes were what truly made Andrew freeze. He had the purest green eyes that had even been in a man's head. And then there was the way that he was looking at Andrew. It was hard to believe the sense of ownership this man seemed to feel.

The man motioned for Andrew to join him at the table and poured a glass of wine for him. Andrew found himself trying to recall where he would know this man that would talk to him on a first name basis, but he couldn't think of anyone.

"I'm sorry…" said Andrew, sitting. "I'm afraid I don't know your name."

The green-eyed man smiled at him.

"You do know my name, although you do not know me."

"Oh," said Andrew, realizing this must be the owner of another big business. "So, what business is it you are in?"

The man laughed joyously, and a feeling of warmth spread over Andrew.

"Andrew, I am in the business of the spirit of the human soul!"