For once, Derek did not mind that for him, sleep was a fictional thing. He had spent the night going through scenario after scenario of all the possible things that his uncle could be thinking of doing with the pull he now had at Joy solar panel plant. And not just the problems that his uncle could cause, but ways in which he could solve them.
His uncle did not like mixing with those that he deemed of a lower class unless it was to pay them for sex or have them doing his dirty work somehow. He was predictable like that, and he very rarely left Haven headquarters. In fact, his uncle very rarely left the city unless it was to go on a cruise, skiing in the alps, or some other expensive vacation.
So there was absolutely no chance that his uncle would go down to the small town himself to start up trouble. No, if Sebastian Haven was going to start something, he was going to do it from the comfort of his office while drinking his expensive civet pooped coffee from his gold rimmed mug with a picture of himself on it( the man's ego was something else).
So Derek kept hid focus on things that his uncle could attack with a single signature.
He could cancel all orders from their suppliers. Costing them heavily as there were fees to be paid when contracts were broken off unexpectedly. To combat that, Derek would have to keep the contacts of the suppliers of raw materials close. The moment he heard that something had gone off, he would be calling them personally to reassure them and to ensure that they did not take their business elsewhere.
If he threatened to close down the plant, Derek would tear him apart in front of the board, maybe he would even manage to suspend him. The plant was money, you did not throw away money.
More and more ideas popped into his head, some of them too crazy, even for his uncle( like bombing the main factory- the man was not that stupid). And when his head began to spin, Derek finally stopped. Looking over at the clock, he realized that it was almost time for him to get ready for work, so he shelved any further thoughts on the problem and went to get ready.
Breakfast was a quiet affair, his mom exhausted after pushing herself too hard during yoga, now she was quietly eating her yoghurt, stirring it with a banana despite admonishing Derek when he was younger for doing the same. When he stood to leave, she suddenly came alive, halting him with a raised hand.
She placed a familiar orange container on the table and Derek stared from the empty bottle of pills to her, wide eyed.
What was this?
Had she known all along that he was having trouble sleeping all this time. He was certain he had been careful when getting rid of the bottle of pills. How had she found it?
His internal panic was cut short when his mother spoke.
"These sleeping pills are currently the best in the market. Set up an appointment and get some. I noticed that you were having trouble sleeping a few days back," If he were a balloon, Derek would have deflated in relief. As it was, he had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from showing how relieved he was.
"Thank you mother. Though it was nothing serious, I will be sure to get some when I go visit the doctor. I found a new one by the way. No offense, but Dr Gabriel is getting on in the years, she still thinks I am four,"
His mother laughed, the sound warm.
"Darling, I still think that you are four sometimes, are you calling me old?" Derek wisely left without saying a word. At least he had one thing out of the way, it would no longer look suspicious that he went to another doctor.
Once at headquarters, Derek was nearly run over in the parking lot. His uncle's car zooming right at him. And just when he was about to hit him the car slowed down, and his uncle rolled the window down.
"Pleasant morning we are having, isn't it Derek," And then he rolled the window back up and drove over to his parking spot. Derek did not wait for him to get out of his car, simply continuing walking before his uncle could get his smugness all over him.
Being subtle really was not in the man's nature. It was as clear as day that he was up to something.
Later on in the day, lunch found him and Emily out in their usual park, eating lunch. This time it was a simple salad. Moving some lettuce leaves around her plate, Emily looked over at him.
"If whatever your uncle is planning comes to be, what are the chances that I will get to keep my job?" He could have lied to her, but they both knew the truth.
"Slim to none, he will probably have you replaced with a ditzy young thing the moment he kicks me out the building and takes the CEO's chair for a spin," Emily took the words in silently, then she finished off the rest of her meal.
"Alright then, let's head back. If this turns into a disaster bad enough to force you to resign, then you and I might be doing our final hours of work," She said it as easy as anything.
Like her leaving Haven Group would not be the most awful thing to ever happen in the history of the company. And Derek's opinion on that matter was completely accurate and unbiased, his great-great grandfather had started it afterall, he knew the company's tragedies better than most.
'I will not let it come to that,' He thought fiercely, a wave of protectiveness coming over him.
Even if he was forced to resign and banished to the manor, he would make sure that Emily made it out just fine.
The woman deserved it, she was professional to the core. Ignoring the niggling part of him that said his care for her was more than just on a work level, Derek helped her pack up as they headed back to work. Their much needed break coming to an end.