365 Having each other's back

While Liz was at the conference, Max met with Quentin for lunch.

"Are you going to tell me why we are having this lunch?", Max asked Quentin.

Quentin requested this meetup, but he didn't disclose the reason. Max can see that Quentin is uncomfortable, and that probably means that Quentin needs a favor. Something personal… and big.

Max slowly chewed and scrutinized Quentin who was avoiding his gaze like a shy teenage girl.

"You are getting married and want me to be your best man.", Max guessed since Quentin is not saying anything.

Quentin frowned at Max. "What? No."

Max arched his eyebrow in disapproval. "You are not getting married? Or you don't want me to be your best man?"

Quentin shook his head in disbelief. From where is Max getting these ideas? "No, no… I'm not close to getting married. When it happens, you will be my best man."

Max was happy about the best-man promise. But if it's not that, what is it? Max kept on guessing on the line of love life because Quentin was this sheepish only when it concerns Brianna.

"Q, if you need help with picking a ring, I'm the wrong guy. I don't know which one to get for Liz. I checked so many places, and nothing seems right."

Quentin's eyes flashed in surprise. "You want to propose to Liz?"

"It's not a matter of if, but a matter of when. There is no point in denying that I am smitten and that I can't imagine my life without her. All the rings I checked are either too small, or too curvy, and on the other side, she is a surgeon and I'm not sure if she will like a big rock…" Max stopped talking and chuckled at Quentin's confused expression. "I guess you didn't call me here to talk about me. Will you get to the point of this lunch, or should I ask for a check and go back to work?"

Quentin rubbed his chin forcibly. He does that when he is not sure what to do. Well, he knows what to do, but he is uncomfortable talking about it. However, he needs Max's help.

"For Christmas, I took Bri to meet my parents.", Quentin started talking and his words dragged like he is confessing a crime.

Max noticed that Quentin's mood was off and it didn't take a genius to figure out... "It didn't go well."

Quentin exhaled. "It was a disaster, M. My parents were reserved, more than usually, and I didn't think much of it until Bri excused herself. First, they assumed that she is a teller at the bank. Which is not a big thing but then they started yapping how she is not good enough, and how I need to look for someone better… and they had an idea who that better is …"

Quentin summarized the talk between him and his parents before ending with: "And Bri overheard them. I thought I am going to lose her…"

Max ate slowly and listened to Quentin while occasionally nodding.

"Vanessa is not bad…", Max said when Quentin finished. "She would be obedient. Boring."

"Do you want my help in teaching your parents a lesson?", Max guessed.

Quentin's eyes flashed. He knew that Max will get it.

"What is your current situation?", Max asked.

"I didn't show up at the company for a few days, and they pulled a lame story how they are sorry, and they will not bring up Vanessa or any other girl and I agreed to return to work. However, I know they are only biding their time, and that they will find a way to sneak women into my life as secretaries or assistants. Also, there is a chance they will go after Bri. I won't allow that. I want them out of the company and off my back. Currently, we are about even in terms of stocks, but their influence on directors and upper-level staff is strong. Even if I take over, they still hold invisible reins and I am at risk of being sabotaged."

"You wanted to keep a low profile and now it came to bite you.", Max reminded Quentin.

Quentin exhaled. He knows that Max is right. Max told him to demand the position of the CEO when his parents dumped most of the company's management to him, but at that time Quentin preferred to work as a lower role so that he can travel… and meet models. It was much better than being stuck in the office, attending meetings. However, now things are different in his personal life, but it is challenging to change the situation at work.

"Even if I wanted to be the CEO, my parents would not let me because it means letting go of the control they currently have.", Quentin came up with a half-truth as an excuse before asking with sincerity in his voice: "Can you help me, M?"

Max gave Quentin an encouraging smile. "I will need a list of major shareholders, all the directors, and key upper-level managers at the Reynolds publishing. Make sure to put notes on who among them is loyal to you, who is neutral, and who is supporting your parents. If you don't know, we will assume they are against you."

Quentin perked up. He knew that he can rely on Max!

"What is the plan?", Quentin asked enthusiastically.

Max lifted his hand, indicating to Quentin not to be so excited. "This is not something that can happen overnight. We will start with research and go from there. First, you need enough support so that your parents can't cause trouble. The easiest way to trim the branches will be to lower the value of your company and to buy off the stocks from shareholders that want to jump the ship. At the same time, if the company appears to go down, directors might leave, and you can promote managers that are loyal to you or hire new people."

Quentin rubbed his chin. He didn't like the idea of lowering the value of the company. Other than that, there was another thing… "Some of those people have a good experience. Can we sway their loyalty?"

Max didn't agree with this. "Once swayed, always swayed. You can get them on your side now as a temporary patch, but it will cost you and you will always need to worry if someone else is giving them more than you. Since you are going to make waves, it better be a tsunami and you clear the ranks. It will take time to rebuild, but you will know that your foundation is solid."

Max saw that Quentin's expression is not optimistic, and he asked: "Do you have a different option?"

"I was thinking of leaving Reynolds publishing and starting from scratch."

"That is an option, but even if you have unlimited resources, it will take time. Do you have money to hire hundreds of people, or are you ready to start small and fight your way up? How I see it, if you leave Reynolds publishing, you will have good connections, but that's it. You need employees and they don't work on air, and promises don't take care of the bills... you need to pay them."

Quentin puffed his cheeks. "You are saying that it's better to take over Reynolds publishing?"

Max confirmed. "It's already yours. But it's messy and you will need to clean up the trash. With my help, it should not take more than two-to-three months for the whole process, and it might be less. Compared to that, building a brand new company will take years to bring it to this level."

Quentin knows that Max is right. Quentin was aware of this, but he needed to hear it from someone else because he is not eager to go against his parents.

"How long with research take?"

Max shrugged. "It depends on the size of the list you give me."

"Thanks, M, for having my back. If you need anything, you know where to find me."

Max pursed his lips. "There is one thing…"

Quentin chuckled. He said it to be polite, and he didn't expect Max to come up with something right away. But what could Maximilian Anderson need to ask for favors? Maybe… "You need my help to pick the ring for Liz?"

Max waved his hand. "I will pick that personally. This is related to Kylie Sanders."

Quentin frowned while browsing his mental address book… that name does not ring a bell. "Should I know her?"

"Maybe. She is local… Kylie used to be a partner with Rina, and they started KS Designs together. The company grew based on Rina's hard work while Kylie took all the credit for herself. Long story short, Kylie Sanders is now the owner of KS Designs, and she is threatened by the success of Rina's FD Studio, so she is spreading fake news and gossip that I need to clean up occasionally. Rina told me not to meddle, but that does not mean that someone else can't."

"You want me to take Kylie down?", Quentin guessed.

Max was happy that Quentin got it right away. "You know people in the fashion industry and they are tightly knitted with design studios. A few negative rumors about KS Designs should keep Kylie busy so that she does not have the time to attack Rina. Don't make it too obvious. I don't want her company to shut down quickly. Let it sink slowly."

Quentin agreed right away. "I will make a few calls."

"Thanks, Q for having my back."

"Always, M."

Quentin raised his glass for a toast, and Max met him halfway.

And just like that, the future of two companies was sealed over one casual lunch between friends.

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