“He trusts me because I know to mind my own business. I don’t tell him how to run his company.”
“Well maybe it’s time you started.”
She laughed at the man’s arrogance. “You’ve tried your best to destroy his company and you expect me to take your advice? You must think I’m a complete fool.”
“I have no interest in destroying him unless he forces me to.”
Nicole switched the phone to her other hand. It was slick with sweat. “You know what I think? I think you’re an arrogant asshole who believes having a lot of money makes you better than other people.”
This made Kane chuckle. “I like your style, Nicole. I can see why Red finds you so attractive.”
“You don’t know the first thing about Red and I.”
“So tell me. Why would it be so bad for Red to work with me? He could keep his beloved company, continue to be the CEO, continue to build his empire. And together we could be even stronger.”
“He’s not interested,” she said. “And you should have this conversation with him yourself.”
“He’s far too emotionally invested for me to have a reasonable conversation with him,” Kane told her. “He believes I’m the devil or something. The truth is, I’m just a competitive person who tries to win. I’m the same as him, but with a little more experience. I could teach him a lot if he’d let me.”
“I don’t think he wants to be your student.”
“Nicole, I don’t care what he’s told you. I’m sure right now he’s convinced himself that even if he loses Jameson International, he’ll be fine. He’ll start a new company, he’ll travel the world with you and begin a new life. But I’m here to tell you right now that if he loses this company, he will be a broken man.”
She laughed. “Somehow I doubt that.”
“Don’t be so quick to laugh,” Kane said. “Very few people know what it’s like to have made yourself into a billionaire from nothing, to build a company and a brand that’s known throughout the world. Very few people know what it’s like to lose that identity, to go back to being just a regular person that no one cares about.”
“Just because he’s not a CEO, doesn’t mean nobody cares about him,” she said, but a part of her was starting to wonder if Kane might have a point. Red’s entire adult identity was wrapped up in this business, and to lose everything so fast—to be suddenly considered a failure, might have devastating consequences.
“Of course he’ll have people who care about him in his personal life,” Kane said softly, gently. “You’ll be a comfort, as will some of his friends and family. But Red Jameson lives his life in the public eye, and he’s used to being treated like a god. To fall so quickly from grace will be a tremendous blow to his confidence. His ego will be shattered.”
“How can you be so sure?” she said.
“Because,” Kane replied, “I lost everything once, in my late twenties. And yes, I was able to come back from it. I came back stronger, in fact. But I almost lost my mind in the process. And I’m not sure I ever truly recovered emotionally from what it did to me. I think I’d like to spare Red some of that pain, if I can.”
Nicole wasn’t sure she believed him. She thought he must have an ulterior motive. “I don’t know what you want from me,” she said, finally.
“Just try talking to him,” he said. “Really see if he has a good reason to not come and work with me.”
“You mean come work for you,” she corrected him.
He chuckled. “Technically, yes, I would be his boss. But I’ll give him quite a bit of autonomy. I respect Red Jameson very much, and I think with a tiny bit of guidance he will be the best we’ve ever seen.”
“I’ll mention that you said so when I talk to him later,” Nicole replied drily.
“Obviously you can tell him what you want,” Kane replied. “But I’d suggest that if you tell him we’ve had this conversation, he won’t listen to another word you say on the matter.”
“Maybe that’s because he’s smart,” Nicole said.
“There’s a difference between being stubborn to the point of self-destruction, and being intelligent and strong minded. Maybe someday you’ll both be lucky enough to recognize the difference.”
And then he was gone.
***
Nicole agonized all day on whether or not to tell Red that she’d been contacted by his archrival. Back and forth, back and forth she’d gone in her mind.
But when he came back to the hotel room in a terrible, grim mood, she knew the answer.
“It’s finished,” Red said as he entered the hotel room, his face pale and somewhat haggard—eyes dry and bloodshot. “We lost another big client today. And Jameson International’s stock dropped over twenty percent during trading. Now I’m getting calls from our other offices. People are panicking. It’s like a run on the bank. All the confidence and trust we built up over the last decade is gone, just like that.” He snapped his fingers.