Strictly Business

Strictly Business: Chapter 3

Shane Preston roared down the highway in his black Lambourghini, the wind whipping through his black wavy hair. Shades covered his piercing blue eyes. The white shirt and light slacks he wore only served to emphasis the deep golden tan he recently acquired. He did not notice the beautiful landscape he was driving through, his mind was too pre-occupied by the summons that brought him home.

Shane had been fishing in the Aegean Sea on his private yacht when he received news that his father wanted him to return home as soon as he could. Though reassured that all was well at home, he could not help being worried about this unexpected request.

Especially from his father.

After the devastating loss of his mother when he was ten, his relationship with his father changed. William was crushed and suddenly faced with having not only to manage his large business empire through a crisis but also to care for his son who had just lost his mother. Thinking that he will get the best care in boarding school, he had sent Shane away to study. He was a man slowly being torn into pieces with the load he had to carry and he thought he had chosen the best option for his son. He didn't think of the impact this decision would have on his young son's life.

Having witnessed the terrifying death of his mother and sent away to a foreign place all at once, young Shane was never the same. He was terribly home sick in the beginning and begged his father to be able to return home. But William turned away painfully from his son's pleas. He simply could not handle it at that time. Relations between father and son became estranged.

When Shane became of age, the trust fund his mother left him came into effect and he wasted no time in using his annual allowance from the fund to travel the world. He had this desperate need to get away from it all. Though now older and wiser he could understand what his father was going through back then, he was never able to be really close to him having being apart from him for so long. His interactions with his father has been cordial at the very most.

The family estate came into view. The mansion wasn't huge by most standards but to Shane it was still way too big. Too big for a young boy to live by himself. As his father buried his grief in work, his many dealings often took him away from the country, leaving Shane alone in the house whenever he got back from boarding school with servants for company. It was a place filled with lonely memories for him.

Shane parked in the spacious 4 car garage and hefted an ice box from the boot. Slinging his leather daybag onto his shoulder he entered the house through the door that linked the garage and kitchen.

The large spotless kitchen was empty. He was just about to look around for any of the servants when Simmons their old butler entered the kitchen with a tray.

"Master Shane you're home!!" Simmons was delighted to see his young master whom he practically raised from a baby.

Shane walked over and gave Simmons a bear hug. "Good to see you old man and how many times have I told you to drop the 'master' stuff?"

"I'm old school Master Shane and proud of it! Now which part of the world did you have to tear yourself from to come back?" Simmons chuckled.

"Aegean Sea and I brought back the fattest red mullets you've ever saw. Dinner is on me tonight," he grinned.

"My my those certainly are fine fish", Simmons opened the ice box and studied the fish inside, "We are going to have a treat tonight. Master William will enjoy this."

"Is my father around?"

"Master William is still in the office but he will be back early to join you for dinner." Simmons started putting the fish away.

"Do you know why Dad asked me to come back so urgently?" Shane asked.

"He didn't say," Simmons answered pouring him a cup of coffee, "but he has been meeting up with David Westville a lot more than usual recently."

"Uncle David? What's so unusual about that? They are lifelong friends."

"I don't know, call it an old man's instincts but I've just got the feeling that they are up to something"

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William and Shane enjoyed their after-dinner coffees at the conservatory.

"Dinner was excellent. I'll take it that your fishing trip was satisfactory?" William asked his son.

"Oh it was fantastic. The Aegean Sea never fails to amaze me but I would like to try something extreme the next time, maybe the Arctic ocean or something," Shane mused.

"So should Simmons start looking for seal blubber recipes then?" David laughed.

"No, seal blubber is best enjoyed raw."

Both father and son roared with laughter.

One of the rare moments, thought Shane.

"Honestly Dad what was the urgent matter you wanted me back for?"

William did not reply immediately and took another sip of his coffee. Shane studied his father's face. It was a face that was at once so familiar and yet so strange. His salt and pepper hair was neat due to his weekly visits to his long time barber. The toils of those difficult years left their marks on his face but his deep blue eyes reclaimed some of the lost mirth. Clearing his throat, he gave his spiel in pretty much the same way David broached the subject to Elizabeth.

"GreenLife is in a lot more financing trouble than appears on the surface, the stock markets are just way too unpredictable and they lost quite a bit. They need Eco-City as a legitimate reason to get more funds and from a long term aspect, this collaboration will be hugely beneficial to the company." William finished, watching his son's reaction warily.

Shane could not believe what he was hearing. He got up from his seat in a daze and stared out the glass conservatory to the darkening grounds.

Shane knew his father was right. The trust fund he was benefiting from was set up by his maternal grandfather who was a agricultural magnate. Towards the later part of his life he set up a research and development company, GreenLife, with the aim of creating newer and better farming methods. He shrewdly set up a trust fund with the company as trustee. The initial capital and assets got the company going and the rest of the capital and profits from the company were wisely invested by a board of directors. The trust fund grew and this way, the company was able to fund it's many research projects which did not see immediate results and stay profitable. With the spiked interest in organic farming recently, GreenLife went aggressively into agro-technology but progress has been slow as it was not yet widely accepted. A large project like Eco-City was the perfect platform to not only develop high tech farming methods but also to show the world it will change the way of farming as they know it. The success of the project will really allow the company to grow and bring in a lot more funding. And Shane needed that income from the trust fund.

"Dad I'm sure there's a better way than marriage," Shane protested, turning back to his father.

"I know it sounds too ludicrous to be true but you don't have to answer right away. I'm planning to meet the Westvilles for dinner in a couple of days, come along and maybe we'll discuss this through and find another solution", William volunteered.

"Yeah, that sounds fair."