Chapter 22: The Counterpart

The weekend passed more quietly than Alexander had expected.

Between the horseback rides, the long conversations with his father, and the rare luxury of sleeping without setting an alarm, he’d managed to prepare himself for what lay ahead.

Confrontation.

By Monday morning, Alexander was once again seated inside the executive office of Vance Holdings.

Reports had already begun piling onto his desk before he’d even finished his first cup of coffee.

A soft knock came from the door.

"Come in."

His newly hired receptionist stepped inside.

"Good morning."

"You have a visitor."

Alexander frowned slightly.

"I don’t recall having any appointments this morning."

She glanced down at the tablet in her hands.

"He introduced himself as Mr. Sebastian."

Alexander’s pen paused.

Not Dominic.

Dominic had no reason to come.

"...Which Mr. Sebastian?"

"The interim Chief Executive Officer of Sebastian Group."

A brief pause.

"Andrei Sebastian."

Alexander leaned back in his chair.

So the replacement had arrived.

He’d expected Sebastian Group to send lawyers, accountants, or perhaps a senior executive to open negotiations. Instead, they had sent the new Chief Executive Officer himself.

That alone said enough.

Either Andrei Sebastian intended to establish the rules of engagement from the start, or he simply preferred assessing the situation in person before deciding how to proceed.

"Send him in."

"Yes, sir."

The office door opened only moments later.

A tall man with spectacles stepped inside, dressed in a tailored navy-blue suit.

Alexander recognized the family connection immediately. The same dark hair. Similar facial structure.

But unlike Dominic, whose attention had always gravitated toward galleries, theaters, and literature, this man barely glanced at the paintings by renowned artists hanging on Alexander’s office walls.

He stood tall and carried himself with the quiet confidence of someone who genuinely belonged inside a boardroom.

The two men studied one another in silence.

Neither rushed to speak nor looked away.

Finally, Andrei walked forward and extended his hand.

"Alexander Vance."

"Andrei Sebastian."

Their handshake was firm, but neither attempted to overpower the other.

It wasn’t a contest of strength.

Men in their positions had long since learned that crushing another person’s hand proved nothing. Confidence rarely announced itself through force.

It revealed itself through restraint.

By the time they released their grip, both had already reached the same conclusion.

They were dealing with someone who understood exactly what was at stake.

"I’ve wanted to meet you for quite some time," Andrei said.

Alexander gestured toward the chair opposite his desk.

"I imagine your schedule only recently allowed it."

Andrei sat.

"Until last week, yes."

A faint smile crossed Alexander’s lips.

"You’ve inherited quite a mess."

"I inherited a company."

"And Dominic?"

Andrei’s expression remained unchanged.

"My brother inherited the consequences of his own decisions."

Silence settled between them.

Alexander watched him carefully. There wasn’t the slightest trace of defensiveness in the man’s expression. No excuses. No attempt to justify what had happened.

Interesting.

"I won’t waste either of our time," Andrei continued. "I didn’t come here to ask you to reconsider."

"No?"

"No."

His answer came without hesitation.

"I’ve already reviewed the situation."

"And?"

"What Dominic did was indefensible."

Alexander remained silent.

"I’m not here to defend him. I’m here because Sebastian Group employs a significant number of people whose livelihoods are tied to those joint ventures."

His gaze remained steady.

"They had nothing to do with my brother’s affair."

Alexander folded his hands atop the desk.

"And Vance Holdings answers to its own employees, thousands of shareholders, and every institution that has placed its trust in us."

"I know."

"Which means my concern isn’t Dominic Sebastian. It’s protecting this company."

Andrei nodded once.

"As mine is protecting mine."

The room fell quiet again.

Neither man viewed the other as an enemy.

Only as the person standing across the negotiating table.

Finally, Andrei spoke again.

"I’ll be honest. I would’ve done exactly what you did."

Alexander raised an eyebrow.

"Risk management?"

"It was the correct decision."

Andrei leaned back slightly.

"If our positions had been reversed, I would’ve terminated the alliance too."

For the first time since the meeting began, Alexander smiled.

A small one.

"You’ve surprised me."

"So I’ve been told."

"But don’t misunderstand."

Whatever faint warmth had entered Andrei’s expression disappeared.

"I respect your decision, but I represent the interests of Sebastian Group and its shareholders."

He met Alexander’s eyes without flinching.

"I don’t intend to let Sebastian Group come out of this weaker than it has to."

Alexander’s smile remained.

"I wouldn’t expect you to."

The two men stood and exchanged another handshake, just as firm and measured as the first.

"I’ll have my legal department communicate directly with yours," Andrei said.

"As will mine."

Neither apologized nor threatened the other. There was no need.

They represented opposing interests now, and both men understood exactly where their responsibilities lay.

The alliance between Vance Holdings and Sebastian Group was over.

Untangling years of shared business would take considerably longer.

As the office door quietly closed behind Andrei, Alexander reached for his phone.

He sent Giovanni a message.

Sebastian Group finally has someone worth negotiating with.

Three dots appeared almost immediately.

Let me guess. Andrei Sebastian. He’ll keep you on your toes.

Alex smiled faintly before typing another message.

Lunch tomorrow? My treat.

The response came quickly.

I choose the place.

That was the offer.

A moment passed.

And the food.

Alexander raised an eyebrow.

Within reason.

Naturally.

That particular answer somehow made him suspicious.

Alexander slipped his phone into his pocket and turned toward the wide windows of his twentieth-floor office.

Below him, the city carried on as though nothing had happened over the past few days. Vehicles crawled through morning traffic, construction cranes moved above unfinished buildings, and thousands of people went about their day unaware that two of the country’s largest business groups had begun the complicated process of separating years of shared interests.

Dominic Sebastian had ended their personal alliance when he failed to appear at the Marriage Bureau.

The business relationship wouldn’t disappear nearly as quickly.

His phone vibrated again.

A calendar invitation had arrived.

Lunch

Tomorrow

Ysabella’s Steak House

There was one additional note beneath it.

No peanuts.

Alexander stared at those two words a little longer than necessary.

He hadn’t mentioned his allergy.

Then again, Giovanni had known about it since they were teenagers.

Apparently, some things survived years of silence.

Alexander accepted the invitation.

Moments later, a knock sounded at his door, and Vincent, his executive assistant, entered carrying a confidential folder.

"Everything I could find on Sebastian Group’s new interim CEO."

Alexander accepted it.

"You read my mind."

"I try."

"Keep me updated on Legal’s findings and the progress of the Mercer proposals. And tell Joe I’ll need him tomorrow around noon."

"Business meeting?"

"Lunch."

That earned the slightest lift of an eyebrow.

"With Mr. Mercer?"

Alexander looked up.

"You seem unusually interested in my lunch schedule."

"Occupational hazard, sir."

The answer came as quickly as Vincent reached for the door.

Alexander narrowed his eyes.

"Get back to work."

"Yes, boss."

His assistant turned toward the door with the faintest hint of a smile.

Alexander ignored it and returned his attention to the confidential file.

Plenty of work to do.

Still, sitting discreetly between a legal review, two project updates, and an afternoon strategy meeting was something that hadn’t appeared on his calendar in quite some time.

Lunch with an old friend.