“Eli, I don’t want to do this.” Nicholas Davenport paced around the living room of his Manhattan co-op apartment as his heart raced a million miles a minute. “I don’t want to join the board of Davenport. I’m not qualified!”
“You don’t have to be qualified because you’re a Davenport. Dylan and I will help you.” Eli gently sipped the ice-cold martini in his left hand. “I know all of this may seem out of left field, but with you on the board, we’ll have intel and more leverage when we take the company private.”
Nicholas turned to face his brother with angst written all over his face. For all of his life, Nicholas had been an after-thought, especially in the light of his father’s disappearance thirty years ago. Nicholas’ childhood had been marred by sadness and grief; no one took an interest in him, so he took an interest in everyone else. After flitting from career to career and failed venture to failed venture, the last thing Nicholas wanted was the burden of sitting on the board of a publicly listed technology company. “You can take the company private without me. Our family owns a majority of the stock. Eli, please drop this plan. I don’t want to do it.”
Eli stared at his brother carefully. He knew Nicholas could be a little wimp, but this was entirely unbecoming. “Nick, you need to understand that I’ve always tried to help you.”
“When?” asked Nicholas, incredulously. “We’ve barely spoken in… What? Three years?”
“I’ve been busy.” Eli cleared his throat. “Regardless, I’ve always kept an eye on you. Always. Ever since you were a baby.”
“You were barely around! After Dad vanished, you went away to boarding school. So much for being a brother.”
“I was sent to boarding school,” corrected Eli. “Mom couldn’t stand to be around me and she still hates the sight of me. I’ve learned how to live with it. But you have to know, Nick, that I always tried to protect you when you were little. Always.”
Nicholas gave Eli a quizzical stare. This was the first time in their relationship that Eli had shown a modicum of love or concern for him, let alone said it out loud. “I appreciate that, Eli. However, I don’t want to sit on the board of Davenport.”
“You’ll do what’s good for you,” whispered Eli. “You need to put your family first.”
“Like you have?” countered Nicholas, hotly. “You live in San Francisco and do whatever you please. All I want is to be in control of my money without having to go to Mom whenever I want access to my trust fund. I want nothing to do with Davenport Technology.”
“You’re such an entitled brat,” bit Eli. “It’s time for you to step-up and be a man for your family. You’ve had everything handed to you your entire life, Nick. Everything. You can’t want the rewards without doing any of the work. Maybe that’s why all of your careers and ventures fail.” Eli walked over to Nicholas and stared at him in the eye. “I’m putting your name forward to take Patrick Petersen’s seat on the board. End of. This isn’t up for discussion. The family will vote you in and that will help us take back control of the company.” Eli patted Nicholas on the arm as he walked towards the entry of the living room. “I’ve done more for you than you’ll ever know, Nick. It’s time for you to do this for me.”
Nicholas thought about Eli’s words long after he left. He couldn’t understand or fathom what Eli meant, especially when Eli had been a non-factor for so many years in his life. Nicholas wanted to call Lisa or Dylan for more information, but when it came to Eli, everyone went silent. Hell, when it came to the disappearance of their father, Larry, everyone went mum. The only facts Nicholas knew about his father were culled from the press and the collective memories of his mother. Outside of that, Nicholas couldn’t remember the man who had once loved him. In that moment, Nicholas had a thought: Maybe if he sat on the board of Davenport, it might be a way to honor the father he couldn’t remember and never knew. That thought alone filled Nicholas with joy. Maybe, thought Nicholas, sitting on the board of Davenport Technology could be just the thing for the rest of the family to take him seriously…and for him to take control over all aspects of his life…
“I think all of this is a big pipe dream,” Lisa Davenport Collins whispered to her brother, Dylan, by his pool. “Where is Eli going to get four billion dollars to take Davenport Technology private?”
Dylan took a long sip of his Tom Collins. “First of all, Eli will have to pay a premium for Davenport. With fifty million shares outstanding and a twenty percent premium on the eighty dollar a share price, he’d have to pay $4.8 billion to feasibly take the company private without upsetting the other shareholders.” Dylan took a small bite of his club sandwich before adding, “Actually, I’d expect the board to force him to pay five or six billion dollars to take the company private. They may not go for it.”
Lisa laid back on the lounge chair as she let the hot July weather sweep over her. “We control the majority of the shares, Dylan. Isn’t this our decision?”
“In theory, but we can’t make a unilateral decision such as this without bringing it to the board and the shareholders.” Dylan finished his sandwich as he turned to Lisa. “I actually think it’s a smart idea.”
“You do?!?” Lisa gulped down the rest of her white wine. “I thought you were against it!”
Dylan shrugged. “I don’t want to run the company… I’ve given enough of my life to Davenport Technology, but having the family own the company again outright while ensuring its long-term future is exciting to me. The only downside is having to work so closely with Eli.”
Lisa sighed heavily. “He’s not that bad,” she said, firmly.
“He’s always up to something, Lisa. I bet he didn’t even ask Nick if he wanted to be nominated for the board. Eli works in an underhanded way to get what he wants. Nothing he does is out of the goodness of his heart.” Dylan exhaled sharply. “I think we should all be on our guard where Eli is concerned.”
“I think you’re holding onto the past, Dylan. I’m the only one who has even been in touch with Eli over the years and he’s changed. We all have,” Lisa added, quietly. “I’ve made mistakes. You’ve made mistakes. However, I don’t think it’s prudent or wise, for that matter, to judge someone by who they used to be rather than who they are now.”
Dylan stood up, walked to the outside bar, and poured himself a tumbler of water. “Believe what you like, Lisa.”
Lisa shook her head with annoyance. As much as she loved her big brother, she hated the way he held a grudge and refused to see the good in people. She knew that Dylan could be ridged, firm, and unmoving. She also knew that Dylan had a big heart and had been hurt time and again by the women in his life. The only thing Lisa wanted for Dylan was for him to learn how to love…how to forgive…and how to let go. “Dylan, if we do vote to take the company private, you’re going to have to find a way to repair your relationship with Eli…so will Mom.” Just then, Lisa’s smartphone began to ring. She looked at the screen to see it was Oliver’s nanny. “Tanya,” she said as she moved to the pool house, “is everything all right?”
Dylan watched his sister walk off as memories of the past flooded his mind. Along with Eli and Sheila, Dylan was the only other person who could possibly remember the events which transpired on the night that Larry disappeared from the face of the earth. He could vividly recall Eli shouting at Larry as Nick cried upstairs… Sheila and Eli got into a fight… Eli chased Larry out of the house… Dylan tried to stop him, but Sheila ordered him to stay in the house… After what seemed like days, Eli returned, wet, cold, and covered in mud. Larry was never seen again. The memories proved to be too potent. Dylan quickly grabbed a clean crystal tumbler and filled it with ten-year-old whisky. He downed the soothing liquid as he tried to erase those memories from his mind. However, the only thing that raced through Dylan’s mind were the words Eli said when he walked into the house, “I tried to stop him… I tried…” Dylan didn’t know what he meant. Eli never offered up any more than that. It had altered the course of their lives. Dylan knew Eli held the missing piece of Larry’s disappearance and until his brother spilled his guts, Dylan refused to trust him ever again.
In our next installment, Alison confronts Charles…
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