CHAPTER 22
1748 Words
Bruno’s Final Reply to the Company’s Board Members
Bruno stood in front of the mirror, adjusting the dark navy suit that had belonged to his father. It felt heavy on his shoulders, not because of the fabric, but for what it represented. Today was his second, but first official appearance as the new director of Digital Studios. Even the News had to broadcast it.
The wristwatch on his hand ticked steadily— his father's watch, the only one recovered from the wreckage. Bruno pushed his thumb against the cold metal, reminding himself of his father's firm voice:
"You carry the Sanchez name. Never forget that strength is not about winning every battle, but about standing tall when everyone else expects you to be on your knees."
He took a deep breath, left the mirror behind, and went into the waiting car.
The Digital Studios headquarters towered like a glass and steel colossus, glittering in the morning sun. To the public, it was an empire, one of New York's largest entertainment organizations, and a center for music, movies, and digital innovation. However, when Bruno walked into its foyer for the first time as the publicly announced official heir, it felt like a cathedral filled with shadows.
Employees gathered at the door, murmuring and nodding respectfully as he passed.
Some looked at him with admiration, while others were skeptical. He could see it in their eyes: can the boy sustain his father's empire?
Bruno kept his head up, but each stride felt heavier.
When he walked in, the boardroom was already busy. Men and women in tailored suits sat around a large polished table, their gazes flickering to him like hawks measuring prey. At the far end, one of the boardroom chairs— his father's chair was empty.
"Mr. Sanchez," said a tall gray-haired man with piercing eyes and a gravelly voice. This was Mr. Hawthorne, the company's CFO. "First, let me express our sympathies once more. Your father had a vision when he founded this corporation. We hope you will carry on that legacy. “
Bruno nodded stiffly. "Thank you, Sir. That is what I aim to accomplish.
The CFO moved a large folder across the table. Bruno opened it and scanned rows of blurred numbers. At first, he assumed it was an error. Losses. Red ink was everywhere. He flipped through page after page, debt building up like a mountain, revenues dwindling, partnerships dissolving.
"I was told about the situation when I visited earlier, but I still find it difficult to believe," Bruno added, his voice tense.
"It's what it is," Hawthorne said coldly. "Digital Studios is drowning." The debts number in the millions. Let's just say he left more than just his name.
Bruno's stomach twisted.
His father had never mentioned this, not even in his latter days. Mr. Sanchez was regarded as a titan and a visionary around the world. However, rot had already begun to spread behind Digital Studios' sparkling walls.
One of the younger board members pushed forward with a sarcastic tone. "You are twenty-one, Mr. Sanchez. You study music, not finance. Do you truly believe you can save this company?"
The remarks stung, but Bruno maintained his composure. "I may not know finance, but I do know responsibility. And it is now mine. I will not let my father's company fail." He replied.
Another board member, a woman wearing bright red lipstick, interrupted;
"Responsibility is not sufficient. The banks are circling. Investors are withdrawing. We require capital immediately. Otherwise, Digital Studios will be history in a matter of months."
The room erupted in low-level arguments, with voices overlapping. Bruno's heartbeat raced in his ears. He forced himself to concentrate, grasping the folder firmly. Think. Think like Dad.
The CFO's lips curved in an almost pity-like expression. "You've been told that Mr. Rodriguez wants to merge. And to secure the alliance..." His eyes clouded. "…he wants you to date and eventually marry his daughter, like You were informed previously." He said.
Bruno blinked, speechless.
The room swarmed with whispers again, but all he heard was the rush of blood to his ears.
"Marry his daughter?" he said, skeptical. "Are things still done like this in the 21st Century?" He asked rhetorically, throwing his hand out in awe.
"Yes," Hawthorne replied bluntly. "Her name is Tracy. If you accept, the debts are discharged. Digital Studios survives. If not..." He spread his hands. “You'll be remembered as the Sanchez who lost everything."
Bruno sat frozen. Rage and bewilderment battled inside him.
A business arrangement made with love? Or, worse, a show of love?
Images of Catherina's smile came to mind, as did memories of her standing by him as the world was falling apart. How could he possibly consider such a demand?
But then he remembered his father's watch ticking on his wrist. Of the employees whose jobs were on the line. The Sanchez name is engraved into the company's very walls.
The boardroom blurred as Hawthorne's comments resounded. Do this, or everything will fall apart.
Hours later, Bruno sat alone in his father's study on the estate. The folder sat open in front of him, the numbers teasing him like vultures circling above.
His skull throbbed.
He reached for a drink of water, but his fingers trembled. "Damn it, Dad," he murmured. "Why didn't you tell me?"
He remembered one of his last discussions with his father:
"Son," Mr. Sanchez said one evening when they sat in the garden. The city lights gleamed behind them, and the air was thick with the smell of rain.
"When you inherit this company, realize that it is more than simply business. It is about humanity. Thousands of people rely on this name. Our family has enemies, and they will come after all we have. But never give up your soul for power."
“But what if I don't have a choice?” Young Bruno had inquired, his voice breaking.”
His father had given him a sorrowful grin and placed a heavy hand on his shoulder. "There is always a choice, Bruno. But sometimes the right one costs more than you think you can afford." He said.
Bruno opened his eyes, the recollection piercing through him. His father had warned him, but here he was, already poised on the edge.
Bruno's voice was hoarse as he swallowed hard. "But if I say no, everyone loses. And if I say yes…" He trailed off, unable to finish.
The following day, Bruno returned to Digital Studios for another meeting. The decision loomed like a storm cloud. The board members' expectant eyes followed him as he entered, their silence pressing harder than words.
His love for Catherina battled against his duty to his father's legacy, with each tearing him like a lion.
At last he spoke, his voice firm despite the thundering in his heart.
"I'll see Tracy." he said.
Everyone in the room let out a collective sigh of relief. A few even smiled.
However, Bruno merely experienced a hollow aching that spread through his chest instead of a sense of victory.
One idea broke through his stillness as he signed the preliminary documents:
“What will Catherina think when she learns the truth?”
The boardroom still smelled vaguely of old wood and cologne, but Bruno sensed defeat. The folder of data and projections lay in front of him, its clean pages heaped like the gravestones from his father's dream. A dream that once soared with symphonies and stage lights is now bound by debts and signatures.
Mr. Hawthorne's speech had settled into him like smoke that refused to leave his lungs: “Agree to the deal, and Digital Studios survives. Refuse, and the Sanchez name will be buried in ruin.”
The remarks gnawed at Bruno’s resolve. He had always viewed Digital Studios as more than just a company. It was memory itself—his father's laughing during late-night practices, his mother's enthusiastic ovation when he first strummed a tune on stage. It was home.
And yet, here it was, teetering on the brink of collapse. He stroked his palm across the folder, feeling the paper's ridges like prison cell bars. Each breath seemed to tighten the boardroom walls around him.
Bruno whispered to himself, "I'll meet with her," his voice cracking in the silent air.
He wasn't sure whether he was agreeing to salvation or giving up his soul. The men at the table shifted, their relief evident. He marched out of the boardroom as if expelled from his own realm.
This time, he walked inside his father's office. On the wall was a faded portrait of Mr. Sanchez standing triumphantly at the launch of Digital Studios, one hand on young Bruno's shoulder and the other holding Maria his Mother. With their faces lifted to the crowd. His father's face was beaming with pride, as if nothing in the world could topple him.
“Even giants fall” he whispered. as though to convince himself that he made the right decision for the company.
Bruno fell into the chair and buried his face in his hands. His chest felt as if it would cave in.
He rose abruptly and began pacing the office. His fists clinched. "Damn it, Dad," he whispered, not angry, but anguished. "Why have you left this for me? Why didn't you tell me it was this bad?" He questioned.
But there was no response, only the echo of his own words returning to him.
Bruno turned to face the window. He could almost envision a life away from boardrooms and bloodstained legacies.
A life with Catherina— untouched and unburdened.
"How do I tell her?" He questioned himself.
If he told her everything— that the corporation was sinking and that the only way out was to tie ropes around another woman's hand— she would understand. She might even encourage him selflessly, as she usually did.
But that was somehow worse. Because her selflessness would entail watching her move aside and enduring her sorrow for his sake.
And Bruno wasn't sure he could bear to watch her break down like that.
He wanted her to be Audacious, bright, and unbroken.
Nonetheless, his silence would betray her. So he thought.
Today, he knew the board would expect him to start the moves. To call Tracy. To take on a role he had never sought after.
However, Bruno knew that the clarion cry of Duty frequently hinders the Heart from pursuing its desires.
- Writer
