Page 54 of Negotiation Tactics
“That’s half a year from now! It’s unacceptable.”
He glances at his watch, like he has somewhere better to be. “The decision has been made. Please, consider what is best for the people you represent.”
How fucking dare he?! After everything he did, after he promised…
“Fuck you, Alistair. Seriously, fuck you for doing this to the people who work their assess off so you can live like a king.”
His jaw twitches and his fingers dig into his palms. “Devon Holidays is doing what is best for the company as a whole. Running a business—”
“Oh, shut the fuck up!” People are staring at us, but I don’t care. He isn’t going to feed me that crap about difficult decisions and sacrifices for the greater good. In fact, he can shove those excuses up his ass. I’m done playing nice. “We both know it’s not true. You were pretending all along, that’s what you were doing. You don’t give a shit about your employees or if they are paid enough as long as the money flows to your pockets, because you are one greedy and entitled asshole, just like every other rich snob.”
“Mr. Anderson, lower your voice,” he hisses, looking the most uncomfortable I’ve ever seen him. “This is completely unnecessary.”
I glower at him, seeing red. He wants me to stop? After what he did? “Oh, no! Am I embarrassing you in front of your employees?” I gasp, realizing something. “Or are you worried daddy will be disappointed when he finds out?”
That hits a nerve. His entire face contorts with worry and unease. Oh yes, that’s it, Josh. You got him now.
“All you are good at is doing what daddy tells you. Isn’t that right, Alistair? How about you grow a fucking pair, huh? Or is that something he doesn’t approve of?”
Alistair pales, looking like he’s about to vomit. Satisfaction surges through me, vile and wild. I know my little outburst won’t really change anything, but it’s a start. A first step. A way for me to regain some of my dignity.
“Josh, please—”
“No.” I wrench out of the way when he reaches for me, dodging him like a pro. “You are just another rich asshole, selfish and entitled. But you know what? At least they tend to live their lives on their own terms, the way they want to live them. And look at you…” My nostrils flare, trying to get enough air to my agitated body. “You have nothing. You are nobody. You are a puppet on a string that only does what you are told. I pity you and your sad life where the only thing that matters to you is not disappointing your daddy.”
His eyes turn into a living storm, dark and furious and destructive. He gets hold of me then, heaving just as hard as I am. “Oh yeah? As if you are one to talk, Joshua. We are the same, you and I, both afraid we’ll never measure up to our parents. But you know what? At least I saw through my fucked-up dream, I achieved my goal. I am taking over just like I wanted and what do you have? You can’t win. You are powerless. And the worst part? This isn’t even your dream. You are here just because you ended up here, because you abandoned what you truly wanted to do without ever fighting for it. You gave up, Josh, just like that.”
It stings. His words open a hole in my heart, one that has been there since the day my dad died, but one I have kept covered with a thin cloth so I could pretend it didn’t exist. I love my job, I love helping people, but there is another part of me that mourns what I sacrificed to get here.
And that asshole knows what it is because I was foolish enough to share my deepest secret with him.
I can’t be here. I need to get out or I will seriously gorge his eyes out. He had no right to say that, but I guess I was the one who started it. He played with me and my feelings, he deserves even worse, but I need a time-out. A break to get myself under control and figure out a way to ruin his life.
I yank away from him, reveling in the awkward looks and muffled whispering we are getting. Serves him right. “Fuck you, Alistair. I hope you have a blast running your shitty company and living your life exactly the way your daddy tells you to.” I collect the scattered documents and push them into his hands, knowing a copy will be sent to my email anyway. “You can take your proposal and shove it up your ass.”
I storm out then, not giving him the chance to say anything back. He’s done for, I’ll make sure of it. I don’t know how, but I will figure something out, because he has to pay for betraying his employees and toying with me.
Two hours later, I’m on a call with Jazz while devouring a jar of pistachio ice cream.
“Maybe I can ask Massie to hack that asshole. She’s better at it than me or Steve…”
I laugh without humor, feeling on the inside like crying. But I don’t do that—nah, Alistair doesn’t deserve my tears. “Ugh, I can’t believe I was so stupid!”
“You just… you want to see the good in people, Josh. And he took advantage of that.”
I shouldn’t have let him! Hell, I was hellbent on using underhanded means to win, but somehow I ended up losing. God, I’m so bad at this. And for a moment, I even liked him enough to consider going serious with him. Ugh.
“I don’t know what to do.” I squeeze the cushion and sigh into it. “I might have to take the stupid deal because that way, at least those who can or are willing to move won’t be underpaid. If I don’t take it and try to fight Devon Holidays, they will probably lay off a bunch of people. Then it will be long-ass court proceedings that I am not even sure the Union can win.” And even if I have a case, arguments, evidence, a corporation like Devon Holidays can just pay their way out of it. “Jazz, these assholes are good and have their assess covered.”
Was Alistair in on this from the start? He must have been. Planning and setting stuff up while we fucked like rabbits in heat. He bought the company time by keeping me distracted with his attention and promises to help, so their lawyers could amend the proposal and add clauses that would cover their bases in court. Ugh…
“Shit, your big brother is so fucking stupid.”
“It’s not your fault, Josh. Even I believed he was different, and you know I’m good with these things. I never liked Edward.”
I’ve learned my lesson, I guess. Billionaires have rot for hearts, no matter how dorky or nice they might act.
“Jesus, how the fuck am I going to fix this mess?”
