Chapter 130: Do You Still Want It?

"Why wouldn’t I?"

Giovanni looked at him.

Alexander frowned. "I’ve spent years running Vance Holdings."

"That wasn’t my question."

"I know."

"Then answer the one I asked."

Alexander leaned back.

There were days when Giovanni’s habit of refusing to accept the convenient answer was deeply attractive.

This wasn’t currently one of them.

"I don’t know."

"That’s allowed."

"Is it?"

"It’s your leave, Alex. I don’t believe there’s a form requiring you to know what you want before it ends."

Alexander almost smiled.

Giovanni nodded toward the report.

"What do you want to do about him?"

"The interim CEO?"

"Yes."

Alexander pulled the report closer.

"I want to know why he’s succeeding."

That answer came much more easily.

He reread the section on the western distribution problem.

There had been no miracle.

The interim CEO had approached the problem differently, consolidating part of the regional operation instead of continuing Alexander’s attempts to improve the existing structure.

Alexander had considered that option before.

He’d rejected it because the initial restructuring cost was substantial and he’d believed the existing network could still be repaired efficiently.

Apparently, he’d been wrong.

Interesting.

"What did he do?" Giovanni asked.

"He consolidated part of the operation."

"You considered that."

Alexander looked up. "How do you know?"

"You complained about the distribution problem during dinner more than once."

"Apparently, I’m very entertaining."

"You are."

Alexander returned to the report.

"I rejected consolidation because of the initial cost. He went ahead with it."

"And it worked."

"Yes."

"Does that bother you?"

"Extremely."

"Because he succeeded?"

Alexander thought about it.

"No. Because I should’ve seen it."

"Why?"

"It was my job."

"Was your job to always be right?"

Alexander gave him a look. "No."

"What was it?"

"To make the best decision I could with the information available."

"And when that decision turns out to be wrong?"

"Correct it."

Giovanni pointed at the report. "Someone did."

Alexander narrowed his eyes.

"I know where you’re going with this."

"Then I can stop talking."

"Don’t get carried away."

Giovanni laughed.

Alexander looked at the figures again.

The numbers didn’t feel quite as insulting anymore.

They were useful.

If someone else had found a better solution, Alexander could either resent him for finding it or learn why he’d missed it.

The second option seemed considerably more productive.

"Do you think I still want to be CEO?" Alexander asked.

Giovanni considered him.

"Do you want my opinion or another question?"

"Your opinion."

"I think you don’t know."

"That isn’t particularly insightful."

"I think part of you wants to go back because you love the work."

Alexander waited.

"And another part wants to go back because you’re afraid of discovering that Vance Holdings doesn’t define you anymore."

Alexander went quiet.

That was considerably more insightful.

"What if I discover I don’t want it?"

"Then don’t go back."

"That simple?"

"No."

Giovanni glanced around the Workshop.

"You’d still have to decide what role you want at Vance Holdings as a shareholder. You’d have to talk to the Board and your family. And knowing you, you’d probably spend months wondering whether you left because you genuinely wanted something else or because you were afraid of competing for the position again."

Alexander stared at him.

"That was remarkably specific."

"I know you."

Unfortunately, he did.

"And if I decide I want it?"

"Go back."

"And compete with someone who spent five months proving he can do my job?"

"Yes."

"You really don’t intend to make this easy for me."

Giovanni’s expression softened.

"Would you want me to?"

Alexander thought about that.

There had been a time when disagreement inside a relationship had felt very different.

Dominic often arrived with a conclusion already formed. Once he’d decided what was best, the conversation became less about discussing it and more about waiting for Alexander to agree.

Giovanni could be every bit as stubborn.

The difference was that he kept asking.

He expected Alexander to answer, disagree, question him back, or tell him outright when he thought Giovanni was wrong.

Sometimes Giovanni changed his mind.

Sometimes Alexander did.

Occasionally neither of them did, and somehow the world continued turning.

"No," Alexander admitted. "I wouldn’t."

"Good."

"But you could occasionally tell me I’m right."

"You’re right surprisingly often."

Alexander stared at him.

"That sounded almost complimentary."

"Don’t become dependent on it."

Outside the office, one of the artisans called for another pair of hands to help turn a cabinet.

Alexander instinctively started to rise, then noticed two others already moving toward it.

He sat back down.

Giovanni noticed.

"Difficult?"

"Extremely."

"Want me to tell them to pretend they can’t lift it?"

"Don’t patronize me."

"I would never."

"You just offered to manufacture a workplace emergency so I could feel useful."

"A very small one."

Alexander shook his head, smiling.

He pushed the Vance Holdings report aside and reached for the Second Life Workshop accounts.

Those numbers were considerably uglier.

Giovanni glanced at the spreadsheet.

"Better?"

"No."

"Good."

"You have a strange definition of support."

"Show me."

Alexander turned the spreadsheet between them.

"What are you going to do about these?" Giovanni asked.

"Figure out why they’re bad."

"And then?"

"Fix what I can."

"And if you can’t?"

Alexander paused.

Several months ago, his first instinct would’ve been simple.

Put more money into it.

Now he understood that having enough money to continue didn’t necessarily mean continuing was the right decision.

"Then I decide whether the Workshop deserves more time or whether I’m keeping it alive because I don’t want to admit I failed."

Giovanni smiled.

Alexander narrowed his eyes. "What?"

"Your master’s degree may have actually worked."

Alexander kicked him lightly beneath the desk.

Giovanni laughed.

"Do you disagree?"

"No."

"Then why did you kick me?"

"Because agreeing with you doesn’t mean I have to enjoy it."

"Fair."

Alexander looked at him.

That single word shouldn’t have felt particularly significant.

Yet somehow it did.

Giovanni hadn’t asked him to follow.

He hadn’t told Alexander which company he should choose or what kind of man he needed to become. He’d challenged the answers that didn’t make sense and left the decisions where they belonged.

With Alexander.

Alexander pointed at the spreadsheet.

"Let’s start with labor costs."

Giovanni pulled it closer.

"You know," Alexander added, "for someone experimenting with having a life, you’re spending an alarming amount of Saturday looking at another man’s accounts."

"I’m marrying him."

"That doesn’t make the accounts yours."

"No."

"Advice isn’t authority."

"I remember."

Alexander nodded approvingly. "Good."

Giovanni pointed at one of the figures.

"This is terrible."

Alexander’s approval disappeared.

"Go home."

"No."

"Why?"

"Because you asked for my opinion."

"I’ve changed my mind."

"You’re allowed."

That gave Alexander a moment’s pause.

Giovanni pushed the spreadsheet back toward him.

"But you’re still the one who decides what to do with it."

Alexander looked at the numbers.

Then at Giovanni.

"All right."

Giovanni leaned closer.

"So why are your labor costs this high?"

Alexander sighed and picked up his pen.

"That is an excellent question."

"And?"

"And unfortunately, I think I know the answer."

"Show me."

Alexander turned the spreadsheet between them again.

Then they got to work.