Alexander found himself at the doors of Sterling Corporation exactly two weeks after the meeting with his father. He stared up the magnificent building, a place he rarely visited, or was allowed to come to, even as a kid. But then, he always remembered how fascinated he had been whenever he stood in front of the building, watching the sunbeams bounce off its reflective walls, the well-dressed security walking around the place, the people in suits walking hurriedly to wherever they needed to be, the low conversations in groups, the sound of computers clicking away. It was then he knew what he wanted to be.
Now, he simply walked past the revolving doors, smiling in greeting to the security guards. He wasn't asked to wait at the reception desk despite several people seated there. The Sterling privilege, some might think, but in actuality, Alexander knew his father must have informed the reception of his visit.
His father was in the boardroom, frowning behind a pair of reading glasses. His assistant, a brown-skinned man, Khan, hovered over him as he explained what was on the computer screen.
His father raised his eyes briefly before returning it to the computer screen. Khan was courteous enough to give him a welcoming smile, and Alexander sat at the table, waiting for them to be over.
"Good," Ethan Sterling finally said. "Have the marketing team look over it and," he raised a stern finger. "Don't let Jeff make any decision until it passes through me. Got it?"
Khan nodded in understanding. He took the laptop, closed it, and excused himself, leaving both father and son alone.
"Took you long enough," Ethan said as he removed his glasses. "I was expecting you earlier."
"I had work to take care of," Alexander replied.
"Work you can delegate, it's not a large corporation," Ethan said. Alexander said nothing to that but didn't want to remind his father that Sterling Corporation had once started from somewhere before growing into what it was.
"You're having a meeting with the team by 2 p.m. today," Ethan said. "Afterward, you're going to have a meeting with Jeffery. And any other additional duties will be handed to you by my assistant. I expect you to handle everything so I won't have to come into the office as I regularly do, do you understand?"
Alexander scoffed quietly. What had be been expecting? Some warm welcome? Yet he couldn't stuff away the disappointment that surfaced.
"I won't be working for Sterling Corporation, Father," Alexander said. He watched his father's frown deepen. "I won't quit my company, even for a period of time, to come work here."
"I said I was telling you, not…"
"...not asking me, I get it, you made it loud and clear during the last visit that it was an order," Alexander spoke up. "But I do have a life and business of my own."
Ethan leaned back in the swivel chair and squinted his eyes at his son, studying him.
"So that's it? You take all the lessons you needed to learn and then throw them away once they no longer served you?" He asked.
"Sterling Corporation wasn't the foundation of all that I learned," Alexander corrected him. "Don't you remember? Business school, to working odd jobs to get the ropes of the business, to working manager until I finally was able to build Xcel Technologies. That's how I learned."
He was careful not to mention that no one exactly wanted him in Sterling Corporation.
"This is where you're needed right now," Ethan said. "Don't make me say it twice."
"And I'm going to reject the offer all over again," Alexander said, knowing fully well it was far from an offer. He rose to his feet. "I'll be glad to review some official documents if you want me to, but this isn't for me."
The door to the meeting room opened, and Jeffery strolled in, his tie askew, and whistling a tune. He stopped in his steps when he saw Alexendar, and let out a loud sigh.
"I guess Dad's signed over the documents to you, has he?" He asked, looking between the two of them.
"I'm just here to say I'm not interested," Alexander said.
Jeffery's eyes boggled out of their sockets. "What? You're refusing? Are you for real?"
"He's not refusing anything," Ethan debunked. Alexander turned to face him then. "He's going to take some time to think about it, at least one month, and make sure he comes to the right decision."
"Father, I said…"
"I'll be leaving now, your mother said you should be home on time," Ethan said to Jeffery. "She wants you to help her out with her own business, although, I keep wondering…"
Ethan didn't say anything more, and let the silence that followed do all the talking. He walked out of the room without anything as much as a goodbye.
"Wooh!" Jeffery let out. He yanked away his tie and undid the top three buttons of his dress shirt. "That man needs to calm down. Is Sterling Corporation closed or in dire trouble? No, so give me a break or he might be the one dying from stress soon." He smiled at Alexander. "Well, how's my girlfriend?"
Alexander frowned. "I haven't met her."
"Oh, I dumped the last one. Too whiny." Jeffery said. "I was referring to Tatiana."
Alexander checked his watch. "I've got to go."
"Always seems that way around family, always 'got to go.' That's why everyone thinks you think you're better than them, except Grandma maybe. But she won't tell you if she is, she likes you like that," Jeffery pursed his lips. "Ever know that that's why Dad didn't invite you over to his birthday?"
Alexander didn't say anything to that. Whatever Jeffery was trying to drive at, he was patiently waiting for it.
"How about you forget everything work and we just hang out? Like brothers should do?" Jeffery smiled at him.
"Sorry, maybe another time," Alexander said.
"I'll be by your place," Jeffery said. "And when I come along, as long as you're home, we're hanging out. No arguments."
Alexander gave him a tight smile. "No promises."