Who Controls the Past Controls the Future

On the outskirts of Azure Rocks, off the main road, down a dusty track on a plot of land too close to the Smith Steel slag heap to be used for any public purpose, Robert Ravers parked his car where Miles Zurbrugg was already waiting. From anywhere else in town the spoil tip of the heap made it look like just another mound, dwarfed by the mountain range behind, but from here Robert could see the separation, that it wasn’t part of the mountain at all. Miles was standing in front of his car looking out at that same gap, waiting.

“Well, here I am,” Robert announced his presence as he stepped up beside the slightly older man, although Miles already knew he had arrived from the sound of the car’s approach. “I suppose there can only be one reason that you called me here. You’ve already figured it out?”

“Already?” Miles arched an eyebrow at Robert as he gently turned his head. “Did you really think I wouldn’t notice the six of you conspiring together?”

“I admit, I thought we had a little more time,” Robert confessed with a sheepish frown. “Are you going to tell me how you did figure it out?”

“It’s nothing terribly dramatic, if that’s what you’re thinking. No one sold you out, except your own actions and my own paranoia,” Miles explained, his eyes fixed on the distance again. “Daniel told me last night that he’d tell you that you’d been dismissed from the company himself. Said it would be better that way. You’d take the news better hearing it from him. I really believed that Daniel saw the best way forward for the company was without you at the helm, but family loyalty is a hard **** to shake. I was convinced that they’d find nothing, but, to quieten that small, suspicious voice in my head, I sent an aide to follow him this morning.”

“And you saw him come to the manor, along with the others,” Robert concluded. They thought they’d been careful and smart, but the truth was they’d been rumbled before they even began.

“Come, and go, where I learned your ex-wife and daughter had also been privy to the party. When Chastity came into the office, I asked her about Daniel’s whereabouts and she told me he’d be in late, that he had errands to run. The first day at the head of company and he’s out running errands?” Miles scoffed, and shook his head. “I soon learned what kind of errand he was on. The aide followed him to the Wynwick Foundation where you were waiting outside, and a recent phone call with the Smiths confirmed that your ex-wife has been there. The Nordsteins refuse to admit that anyone met with them and the Harringtons aren’t even picking up, but can I assume that you’ve seen both groups?”

Robert nodded. Miles had a good enough grasp on everything that happened that there was no point in denying it anymore. Now all they could do was hope that the alliances held firm in the storm to come.

“What’s next then?” Robert asked. “I heard on the radio on the way over that you announced my departure already. But you didn’t mention anything about Daniel or the others.”

“It’s not what’s next, it’s what’s already done,” Miles replied coolly. “As soon as I had the call with the Smiths, I called another emergency meeting and presented the evidence to the board. They all agreed that such treasonous behavior warranted firing both Daniel and Brooke. They’ve already been stripped of all their shares and assets.”

“Treasonous?” Robert felt his blood boil. “You tried to kick me out of my own company. And I was expected to take it lying down?”

“This is my job. This is the very thing that you brought me in to do all those years ago, to keep one man from wielding all the power and driving the company into the ground,” Miles insisted, countering Robert’s anger with a calm, methodical tone. “I don’t know what kind of game you were playing, handing the public face of the company over to that kid, but you showed your hand when you did so. You made it clear to everyone in that company that you held all the power.”

“It was nothing like my father. My father did almost run the company into the ground. With your help I brought it back, but the consequences of my father’s bad decisions and neglect is not in question. We all saw the effect it had. I never even got that chance,” Robert argued, folding his arms tightly over his chest. “We don’t know that Zack’s appointment would have meant the end. I was out the door before the ink was even dry.”

“Shares had fallen by-”

“Shares fall all the time,” Robert interrupted. “We announce a new building project on a piece of land that’s viewed as unstable, shares fall. We fill it in, solidify the ground, make it strong and develop the property and shares go up. Conservationists argue that a new building is going to ruin the town’s view of the mountain, shares go down. We build it and the property contributes to the community, shares go up. They take us to court, shares go down. We win the cases, shares go up.” Robert threw his arms up in exasperation. “We both know shares are a fickle bitch.”

“And it is the role of the board to mitigate those falls, which you circumvented,” Miles said firmly, then, with a sigh, admitted, “There may be an element of personal grievance on my part. We’ve been in business together for many years now. In the past you’ve trusted me with many of your secrets, some that even Daniel doesn’t know. If you had come to me and explained the situation, I likely would have agreed to Zack’s appointment. The fact that you didn’t leads me to believe that there is something else going on here. Something potentially damaging to the company. First and foremost, the company is my primary concern, and if your secrets jeopardize that…then Ravers Enterprises will have to learn to exist without Robert Ravers.”

Mile Zurbrugg’s shrewdness revealed itself again, and Robert kicked himself for being surprised once more. Of course, Miles would figure out that there was something going on behind Robert’s semi-retirement, from the public face of the company, and that it was something that he couldn’t tell anyone else. And, even now, there was no way Robert was going to admit that he’d been caught on camera getting a blowjob from his own daughter and appointed Zack as a means of damage control. But there was something else that Miles said that bothered him even more.

“Secrets that even Daniel doesn’t know?” Robert echoed the words. “Is that some kind of threat?”

“I wouldn’t call it that. Just a reminder,” Miles glanced in Robert’s direction again, briefly, cool eyes confirming his conviction. “Would Daniel be so quick to start another company with you if he knew what you’d done?”

“So, this is what you mean by trusting you with my secrets? Leveraging them against me when the opportunity presents itself?” Robert growled, furious but careful not to provoke the man too far in light of the new situation. “And you have to wonder why I didn’t trust you with the circumstances of Zack’s appointment.”

“As long as you counted me as a friend and ally, your secrets were safe with me. Since you’re now planning to gut the company that I’m at the head of, I really can’t be considered either friend or ally, so all bets are off,” Miles explained, frowning. “You asked if you were supposed to take your firing lying down. I’ll ask you the same thing. Do you think I’d let you harvest Ravers Enterprises and just leave me with the carcass?”

“A real friend would never do this. Never.”

“It really is just business. We both know that sometimes personal issues are leveraged to gain a superior position in a negotiation,” Miles argued calmly. “In fact, Henry told me that’s how you secured his vote for the Bishop kid, and it’s how you whipped up the other votes in such short notice as well.”

“If this really is just business, then that means we can negotiate on this,” Robert reasoned. “What is it you want exactly?”

“What I want is the dissolution of the new company, and for all clients and orders to turn to Ravers Enterprises,” Miles said without hesitation.

“That’s all?” Robert balked. “It’s impossible. I can’t stop the creation of the new company now, not without a good reason and the only good reason for it to not to happen is the one thing I can’t tell them.”

“Those are the terms.” Seeing the exasperated look on Robert’s face, Miles added, “this is what happens when you have power and leverage. There is no path to compromise, only capitulation.”

It was clear to Robert that Miles was giving him a dose of his own medicine, using the same tactic he’d used to make Zack CEO to **** Robert’s hand. But perhaps this didn’t have to be the end. No matter what came up, whether it be Hannah’s **** or the board of directors trying to oust him, they had come up with a plan to keep them surviving for another day. Robert knew he could pull it off again, if he just had the time to think of a way through. When he thought of their optimism and excitement, especially Heather and Zack, he knew he couldn’t just extinguish this new company they’d created.

“How long do I have?” he asked somberly.

“I’ve learned my lesson about giving you Ravers men time. If I give you a length of rope, you’ll hang me with it,” Miles said, turning towards his car. “So, the wheels are already in motion. There is no stopping what is about to come. You can either get ahead of it and end the company on your terms, or have it forcibly fragmented.”

“We’ll see about that,” Robert growled defiantly, refusing to admit that Miles had dashed his hopes. With no time and no idea how Miles even planned to reveal the treachery, Robert struggled to know how to move forward.

“Yes, we will.” Miles took a step forward and paused, adding, sincerely, “I really am sorry it had to be like this.”

Robert didn’t reply, still partly in shock. He watched Miles continue toward his car, get in, start up the engine, reverse and pull away from the unused lot. He was at a loss for words and for thoughts on how to survive this one. But he couldn’t say nothing. Daniel knew about this secret meeting, even if he didn’t know who or why. So, Robert either had to tell the truth or come up with an alibi.

Then, even if he covered up this meeting, he would have to figure out what he was going to do about the secret. There was no one who could help with this one, and even if they could, Robert wanted to deal with it himself. It was his problem, his mistake, he should be the one to make it right. But the truth would soon be revealed with or without his consent, and when that happened, all six would be torn asunder.