our company from us.
When we refused, that’s when things began to heat up. Whenever we rejected one of his offers, there was retaliation, and over time, it only escalated. He’s done everything in his power to run us out of business. He wants us in a place where we have no other option but to sell. None of us will let that happen though.
He smashed our vans’ windows, poached potential and current clients, bribed customers into leaving us bad reviews, and most recently, tried to have our factory burned down. He nearly succeeded, and would have if it weren’t for an updated security system. The guy who set the fire left with a nice tattoo and a reminder not to fuck with a Hayes.
We also left a parting gift for Black: we doused his warehouse with petrol. We didn’t set it alight, though. We wanted him to know we could get to him, that we weren’t scared to retaliate. After that incident, we didn’t hear from him and assumed he’d left town, until Reid saw him on a date with a redhead.
So, we know he’s still here, waiting, biding his time. At the minute, however, we’re still playing catch up. We don’t know his true goal, and to beat a man like Andrew Black, you must know his motivations, and his strengths and weaknesses.
In one visit, we found out through his receptionist that he has a year to get business booming again or his dad will cut him off all together. Giving him control of the company is kind of a test run, to see if his son has what it takes to generate a successful business. So far, he’s done a shit job, losing clients here, there and everywhere.
The receptionist also let slip that he approached an art dealer in the hope to get his custom but was turned away. She never told us the dealer’s name, but it didn’t take a scientist to figure out it was one of our clients. Mr Yang is a billionaire who could have gone with a company that has tighter security but decided to take a contract out with Hayes Removals. When we asked why he chose us, he said that we had good security and it was the last place people would think he’d store his collections.
Although Mr Yang does have a container here at the farm, our business with him is mostly through our shipping containers. Through him, we managed to get our shipping route contract and it’s worked out best for all.
He’s been out of the country for a while now but is due back any day, and when he is, we will be paying him a visit to get all our ducks in a row.
Thankfully, our business is picking up, and not just because we are good at what we do but because Maverick and Maddox Carter have been directing work our way.
Maverick flips houses, either to sell them on for profit or rent them out. He and Maddox, who owns a construction business, refer our company to their clients. Once Jaxon found out it was because Lily had asked them to, Jaxon promised to do the same, referring them to our clients.
“Christ, are you even listening to me?” Jaxon snaps.
“Yes,” I lie.
“Look, we can’t risk it. Let’s leave it at that.”
I push the trolley through the doors leading out to the main floor, muttering, “Whatever.”
Reid has the van already backed up to the loading bay doors, ready for us to load the boxes onto.
When Evie’s head pops up from her computer, a little startled, Jaxon leans in to whisper, “If she leaves, I’m putting you on desk duty for the year.”
Her head tilts my way, her startling grey eyes piercing me in place as I lean against Jaxon’s desk. She gives me a shy smile, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear before going back to her work.
She often looks at me and my brothers in a way that never makes sense, like she can’t get a read on us or doesn’t understand our loyalty to one another. There have been times when we were close to punching each other, but we always laughed it out or got a bottle of whiskey from the drawer. She would watch, her lips parted, completely baffled by our behaviour.
However, when she looks at me, solely at me, there’s a hidden depth in her gaze, like she can’t quite make me out but is annoyed with herself because she wants