The Upward Ripple

“Great.” Alistair pulled his tablet out. “This is what Vale Securities is currently handling for you and as you can see there has been a steady flow of dividends since your father made the initial investment. Obviously, the portfolio has grown substantially, and it is a clear indication that any more you invest with Vale Securities is going to be well taken care of.”

Nate nodded.

“Yeah, yeah…. But the thing is, I did not call you here to invest any more money with you, Alistair. I want out of Vale Securities,” he said looking right into Alistair’s eyes.

“I’m sorry. I am a little confused,” Alistair confessed.

“Well, let me clear this up for you, Mr. Vale. I want every last cent out of Vale Securities preferably before the close of business today.”

“But… is there some kind of problem? Did Vale Securities maybe not measure up to what you expected?” Alistair asked and Nate shook his head.

“No, Vale Securities did not do anything to piss me off. You did.”

Alistair shook his head. The sparse grey hairs on his head moved a little out of place to expose the bald spot underneath.

“I don’t understand.”

“Well, it is quite simple really,” Nate said in a soft voice. “A few years ago, you had a date courtesy of an escort website. A young woman, African American. Short, probably five feet tall. Remember her?”

The grin Alistair had was slowly fading.

“You were only supposed to have dinner with her and talk to her, but you decided that you wanted more and when she wouldn’t give in to your demands, you forced yourself on her. Does any of this sound familiar?” he asked.

Alistair’s breathing had changed from the normal rhythm to a fast erratic one. He got up and made some excuse to leave but Nate was not going to let him leave that easily.

“Not so fast,” Nate hissed as he put his hand on his shoulder and forced him back down on the couch. “You are going to sit there and listen to everything I have to say, Mr. Vale or so help me God, I will fling you right out of that window.”

Something in Nate’s voice made Alistair realize that those were not just empty threats. Nate meant every word that came out of his mouth.

“You cannot blame me for treating a wh*re like a wh*re!” Alistair cried and Nate punched him in the face. The result was the old man holding his bleeding nose. Nate could not help himself. Hearing his fiancé’s rap*st call the woman he loved a wh*re was just pushing his buttons a little too much.

“That girl was not a wh*re. She was just trying to be a good girl to raise enough money for her school and her grandmother’s medical bills and you decided to take advantage of her innocence.” Nate shook his head. “I don’t think I can do any kind of business with a rap*st or a man who clearly has no respect for women.”

Alistair shook his head.

“It was a one-time thing…. The girl, she might have said that I assaulted her but that is not what happened. She wanted it….”

Nate grabbed him by the collar and pulled him to his feet.

“No, she did not want it. There is no way she would ever want it from a swine like you.”

“What do you want?” Alistair asked.

“I already told you. I want all the Duncan Estate money out of Vale Securities by the end of the day.”

Alistair shook his head.

“That’s over two hundred million dollars,” he said in a shaky voice. “There is no way I could come up with all that by the end of the day.”

“I wouldn’t mind a personal check or an electronic transfer of funds. I am sure a man of your status can easily authorize a transfer.” Nate shook his head. “I don’t care how you do it but just make sure that I never see your face again.”

He shoved Alistair back on the couch.

“That night at the fundraiser, you saw her again,” Nate said in a soft voice. “And the thing that makes me realize that you have done this before is what you said to her. The way you talked to her, objectifying her… “he forced out a laugh and shook his head. “Men like you never change.”

“Wait, how do you know the woman from the fundraiser?” Alistair asked and the look on Nate’s face made him realize just where they had crossed paths. “She is the woman you are marrying, isn’t she?”

Nate nodded.

“Yeah, she is.”

He exhaled loudly as he made his way to the door.

“Just so you know, you have better to find a way to get the Duncan portfolio out of your business because this little thing called statute of limitations can be quite a pain. If you don’t believe me, have talk with Bill Cosby or Harvey Weinstein.”

“You wouldn’t dare!” Alistair hissed and Nate laughed.

“Please try me. You would be making my day and with this new feminist movements cropping up all over, I am quite sure that a lot of women would come forward just at the thought of taking you to the cleaners…” Nate took a moment and shrugged. “You know, that is not such a bad idea.”

“You cannot do this, Duncan!” Alistair yelled and Nate shook his head.

“Watch me.”

He began walking out of the office before he stopped again.

“Remember, end of business and if I never see you again, it will be too soon.”

Nate closed the door behind him and once again clenched his fist. He took a second to take a long, deep breath and recollect himself. The whole thing was harder than he thought. Meeting Alistair. Talking to him. He was surprised that he had been able to do it without causing an incident, apart from simply punching him. He would have wanted to do so much more than simply punch him.

“Are you alright, Mr. Duncan?” Nate’s assistant asked when he didn’t move away from the door for a while.

“I’m fine,” Nate said. I am actually better than okay.”

He smiled and began walking out of the office. It was true. He felt like he had just taken a load off his exhausted shoulders.