Liar

4

I rubbed my forehead, not entirely sure how to fix the problem Dad and Emmett and I had been debating all night last night. It just seemed to be that no matter what way we looked at it, it caused more problems. Somehow I'd been landed with making the decision and dishing it out. Shortest straw loses. I swear dad always planned it so I got the short straw.

Pushing back from my desk I walked across to the window looking out onto the main road. Floor to ceiling windows would be great if this wasn't some boring view over neighbouring offices. But it was enough for me to just stop staring at facts and figures for a minute. When it came to finance, the one thing we had to get right 100% of the time was our own spending. And right now, going into the 2nd quarter of the year, we were running ever so slightly behind budget. Not a worrying amount. Not anything that was going to put us in trouble, but enough for us to need to act and act now. The problem was which way to act. We could either keep calm and hope we boost in the next quarter and take action then if we needed to or we could make a few minor changes to how we run. There was so many pros and cons to both though it was difficult.

If we don't act now, we risk having to make more impactful changes in the Summer. But if we act now, we risk freaking the staff out and worrying them. Which could lead to us losing team members we'd then have to rehire which is spending we can't really afford right now and we can't not have those positions filled either.

"Don't jump." I rolled my eyes, Dad thinking he'd scared me like the door didn't creak before you even opened it.

"Couldn't if I wanted to. Windows don't open."

"I know. It sucks. I'm thinking about smashing one and putting a bungee jump next to it. Thoughts."

"We'll get sued and no doubt you'd put that on my desk as well."

"Well yeah, how else will you learn?"

"Same way you're teaching Emmett?" I turned around, walking back to my desk and sitting down, pulling myself in and unlocking the laptop. "Why's he not dealing with this spending deficit?"

"He's working on sorting the sales team out."

"So, they are being bollocked then? Because they haven't had any big sign ups come through this year yet." Dad sighed, dragging a chair around from the front of my desk and slumping down into it. "I honestly think the teams too big Dad. 20 people we're paying and they're on calls constantly, sure they're strengthening relationships with people we already have on file, that already pay us, but no one is making those outbound sales right now."

"So, what would you do?" I sighed, scrolling through the list of names on the sales team.

"Off the bat I'd be taking away commission for customers we already had signed. They shouldn't still be getting that bonus for having a 20-minute chat with Jenny from accounting about her weekend when that can be spent trying to hook someone else in. I'd be tempted to split the team up as well. Look into having account managers who deal specifically with keeping those relationships going. Because if we look at people like Casen. He's amazing at customer retention, I mean, I've handed him customers who have been about to just drop and he's somehow made them our best buyers."

"Mhm."

"But he can't sell for shit. He hasn't made a sale in close to a year." Dad nodded. "And then you've got Harper who's always made the biggest sales for us but struggles after that first point of call. Rapport isn't her area."

"Draft it."

"What?"

"Draft me up who you'd want in what team this week. Do me a presentation for and against it and me, you, Emmett and Rachel will look at it Monday afternoon."

"You're serious?" He couldn't be. Nothing I said here ever got taken seriously. I'd give them the idea and they'd take it, rephrase it and call it theirs. Always.

"Yes. I completely agree. Make a list of people who don't fit into either category as well. We can give them the options of each team or leaving with a little pay off. This could save us quite a bit of money in the long run Victoria. Well done." Dad slapped my back gently. "Now. What I came in here for."

"Shoot."

"How's it going over at Caswell?"

"What do you mean?" Dad sighed. "I'm not quitting dad, 4 sources of income. That was on your advice from the moment I turned 16. I've had 4 sources of income for 8 years. Plus, I'm picking up some really great experience from Mark, there's problems over there we haven't had here and I know how to sort them now too."

"They're not problems that will crop up though Victoria. They're in a different industry."

"They're investments Dad. Still falls under stuff I should know. You only did financial planning until a few years back. Then you added in accounting. Investments is a really good area with not many people having super good expertise in it. Mark's up there with some of the best. If we wanted to break into that area in the future, having his knowledge on my side would never go a miss."

"You want to add an investment department?"

"Investments, pensions, stockbroking. It all falls under stuff we're already touching on in accounting anyway." Dad sat back in his chair, going quiet for a few minutes. I knew better than interrupting his train of thought so I went back to making the list of people for him, entering excel codes to highlight the best salespeople, best people for retention and the people who were rubbish at both.

"You know, we're always talking about what Emmett wants from this business when I hand it over to you two. Why haven't you mentioned what you want?"

"Because I can't get a word in around you two, besides it's not like either of you give a damn what I think is it?." He sighed again. "What? It's true!" He pulled on my chair, forcing me to turn and face him.

"Talk Victoria."

"You don't want me to take over. You want Emmett to do it. I'm just here to do the dirty work and be the bad guy on all of this whilst Emmett gets the glory. He announces the Christmas bonus, 3 months later you've got me drawing up a list of people that are under performing and finding a way to cut costs. He attends the events, he makes the company announcements, he's seen at your side whilst I'm doing all this background work. I know I'm not your favourite but it'd be nice if you could make it a little less obvious." He looked genuinely hurt that I'd said that but it was the god honest truth. I wasn't jealous of it. I had plenty of other things to be working on outside of this place and I was starting to think I could just break off my own sector of the business when dad leaves.

I love Emmett. I'm not going to sit here and say I don't. He's a pain in the ass sure but he's also my older brother and he is one of the best people I know. Doesn't mean I want to be working as a co-owner with him though. Because when it comes to it, I'll be teaching him how to do 90% of this stuff when he's been passing it off to me. If I did decide to break off, I'd give it 6 months before he was begging for me to come back and help him. I might even be able to bag myself a split bigger than the agreed 50/50. Bagging a 70/30 split would be amazing for me. No need to marry for money if I am the money.

"I don't have a favourite child Tori." I raised my eyebrow at him.

"Who'd you take out for lunch today?"

"I-"

"And yesterday? And Monday? And all last week? And all last month? I've been coming to this office for 7 months and not once have I eaten lunch with anyone but myself because you're always either already out with Emmett or in a meeting and the whole office thinks I'm a bitch because of the stuff you keep dropping on me." I pressed my lips together, returning the room to silence as I stood up from my chair. "Now, if you'll excuse me. I'm done here for the day and need to drop across to Caswell to drop Mark something off. I'll see you at home."