Chapter 34: Chapter 33

NOAH

Noah was staring at the stack of papers in front of him. His head was already throbbing, and he hadn’t even started going through them yet.

He knew he had to scrutinize each one carefully. He couldn’t afford to mess this up. He’d have to start small and see if he could grow from there.

But even starting small required a lot. Some things he’d anticipated; others had caught him off guard. Unexpected expenses and complications were cropping up from every direction.

He’d need buses and drivers, a tour guide, an accountant, a cleaner, an assistant, advertising, and licenses for access to certain places. The list was long and growing longer.

He was trying to come up with alternatives, but the one thing he knew for sure was that he needed money. He’d have to pay all the people he’d need to hire, and if he couldn’t, he’d have to do everything himself—which was impossible.

He could apply for a loan, but as a foreigner with no collateral, he’d likely be rejected. His credibility wasn’t exactly stellar at the moment. He needed to find a way to cover the expenses—a lot of money. Enough to keep him afloat until he started making a profit.

He sighed and rubbed his forehead. Then he pushed the papers away.

He couldn’t help but think that if Lillian were here, she might know how to help. Two heads were better than one, and hers was as sharp as his, if not sharper. He wasn’t sure he’d ever admit that to her, but he knew it was true.

She was an accountant, too. He remembered her telling him that when she first joined the company.

He found himself thinking about her multiple times a day, regretting more and more his decision to put distance between them. By now, she probably didn’t want to see him. That thought bothered him, but he had to focus on the business he was trying to build.

Still, he felt her absence in his life. He’d resisted the urge to call her or go to her place several times. It would be funny if it weren’t so frustrating. He had to admit, once again, he’d messed up.

***

“The software won’t be a problem,” Asher assured him the next time they spoke. “Our company will provide it.”

Noah had finally confided in his younger brother about the challenges he was facing. His head felt like it was about to explode, and he needed to talk to someone. Asher had a knack for business and was the best person to give him advice. If someone had told him that three years ago, he would have laughed.

“I can’t afford it, Asher, and I won’t accept charity,” he said flatly.

“Who said anything about charity?” Asher asked, amused. “You’ll get the trial version. Actually, you’ll be a bit of a guinea pig. We need to test it before we release and sell it. It’s better to try it out on a small business first. You’ll be our beta user.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure. This version is pretty basic, but it should do the job. Later, you can buy the updated version, and you’ll pay full price. You’re not getting a discount just because you’re my brother.”

“Okay,” Noah replied, trying to suppress a laugh.

“I might even charge you double,” Asher continued.

“I don’t care, as long as I can afford it.”

“That might take a while.”

“Yes, I’m aware of that.”

“You know, it’s pretty brave of you to start something from scratch.”

“Brave or idiotic?”

“No. Brave.”

“You’re the businessman in the family.”

“If you really believed that, you’d be working for someone else instead of trying to start your own business,” Asher pointed out.

“Well, someone convinced me that I might not be as bad at this as I thought, and I eventually decided it wasn’t such a bad idea to give it another shot.”

“Do I know this someone?”

“Don’t pry, Ash.”

“I won’t,” his brother chuckled. “I have my suspicions already.”

“Keep them to yourself.”

“I will. I’ll also try to make a few improvements to the software before you need it. Just email me the features you want it to support, and I’ll try to make it work for you. Or rather, my IT team will.”

“Thank you.”

“You’ve become creepily polite, you know that?” Asher teased.

“Should I stop saying thank you, then?”

“No, it’s just…it’s not like you,” Asher replied, a playful edge in his tone.

“You know what, Asher?” Noah retorted. “I’m the jerk everyone looks down on. I try to be nice, and you say it’s not me.”

“No need to get all worked up, Noah.”

“I am worked up, Asher. I feel like I’m under a microscope, and you should know that I’ll ask for your opinion when I want it.”

“But you seem to forget, Noah,” Asher shot back, his voice laced with bitterness, “you used to give your opinion all the time, without anyone asking. You scrutinized me for years, and now you can’t handle it?”

Noah knew Asher was right. He had been looking down on his brother for years, all in the name of a rivalry he had started, with their father’s approval no less.

“I thought we were past all that,” Noah said, his voice softening.

“That’s why I’m trying to help, Noah,” Asher replied, his tone sincere. “But you can’t expect from others what you haven’t given. I’ve put up with your snide comments about my mistakes more times than I can count. And now you’re upset over a little teasing? Is that fair?”

“No, it’s not,” Noah admitted. “But it’s also not fair to be constantly judged for my past. I am who I am, Asher. I’m trying to be better, but don’t expect me to change overnight. I don’t expect that of others.”

“Touché,” Asher said, a chuckle escaping his lips. “Maggie says you’ve changed, Noah.”

“Do you need your girlfriend to tell you that?” Noah shot back, a smirk on his face.

“She just confirmed what I was thinking. And for what it’s worth, I hope things work out for you.”

“Should I say thank you, or are we going for another round?” Noah asked, a grin spreading across his face.

They both burst into laughter, a sound that was unfamiliar but welcome.