ALINA´S DIARY

Alina began to write down in her diary the experiences lived in her almost unreal love and about her life so different now...



"I sat up and rubbed my eyes. I was glassy from all the paperwork on my desk. I was excited about taking the family publishing business international, but the amount of red tape and hurdles to overcome were enough to take my breath away.



Shaking my head to clear the cobwebs, I focused on the task at hand: finding the best way to disseminate knowledge. I was hoping that the conference call I was having with Christian LaMont would close the deal and we could move forward with our expansion.



There was a knock on the door and it opened. My half brother stuck his head out.



--Grandma wants a meeting--



I have a call shortly. He shrugged.



- She says it's important.



I verified that I have all my notes and call details ready on my desk for when I return. I then proceeded to the meeting room.



My grandmother was already at the head of the table with her trusted assistant, Andi, at her side. In her late sixties, my grandmother still had the sharp mind and wit of a woman half her age. She was a force of nature that we all loved to death. We appreciate the vision she had of her when she was young when she built a sandal business in her garage that she would now invest in a billion dollar company. She had managed from nothing to become a nationally known and respected shoe company. My goal was the publisher.



I approached her and gave her a kiss on her cheek.



--Good morning, grandmother



Good morning, Alina.



"I hope it won't be too long," I said, sitting down at the table. I have a call with Christian LaMont soon. It's almost closing time, so I don't want to stop.



"It will be quick," she assured me.



Hunter was already sitting across from me enjoying a muffin. Noah, he put on his leather jacket and his jeans. He was trained enough to kiss Grandma on the cheek, but not trained enough to keep up her manners. He sat down in a chair and put his feet up on the table. I frowned. My other half brothers shook their heads.



Grandma frowned, too, but she ignored the gesture. She surely knew that Noah's behavior would upset her and she wasn't one to be impressed.



"The time is coming, boys."



--They are men, well, except Alina. We're not even sure she's human, Andi joked. She was, more or less, my grandmother's idol, saying what my grandmother was probably thinking, but she would never say out loud.



Noah smiled at Andi.



--The point is that I will retire soon and I need to know that I will leave the company in good hands, my grandmother said.



This was not a surprise, but she took us all by surprise. I suspect that deep down she thought she would live and function forever.



"What are you going to do with your free time?" I asked, unable to imagine her knitting or walking on the beach to collect shells. She was a businesswoman through and through. I'm like her in that way and I don't know what. It would be me if I didn't have this business.



"I don't know yet, but I'm not worried." All I know is that I'm ready to move on. I know that you... Gentlemen, you can take care of the management tasks of the company. So today I will announce their new jobs. They build on their strengths.



"Noah doesn't have strong points," Carter teased, tossing a rolled-up piece of paper to our little brother.



He's a strong wimp, Andi said.



We all laugh. Noah shrugged. He didn't care. She admired this about him, even if she made him annoying.



—Ryan, you're going to be the head of operations, my grandmother said, ignoring the jokes around her.



"That's because you're bossy," Noah teased.



I thought he would say that he was fired, but he didn't really work like me and my other brothers. He resembled my father in this regard.



"Hunter, you will be the marketing director," she continued. "This made sense." Hunter was creative and already working in marketing. Carter, you will be the financial director. "That also made sense." He was a math wizard and he probably could have worked at NASA or something, but he preferred to stay in the family business. Noah, you will be the CTO.



In fact, that also made sense. Noah was just as bright as Carter, but his problem was that he was lazy. He created some apps, sold them for a lot of money and decided to ride his motorcycle. He worked for us from time to time, but he really hated corporate work.



"Noah, it's time you paid more attention to your life than your motorcycle." This role is for I'm fine for you," Grandma said in a way that the rest of us would interpret as having no choice.



"Grandma, you know I love you, but I don't care." Noah planted his boots on the ground, got up and walked out



left the room. I rolled my eyes.



"Little brother has to manage," Hunter said.



"We already do these jobs, so what difference does it make if we have those titles?" I asked, also implying that Noah was a lost cause.



"They're important because you're running the show now." All four of them," he said.



There was a notable position that had not been awarded.



"And the CEO?" "I asked.



— They will need to work together for the company to grow and continue to be successful now that it has diversified.



I suspect there was no CEO because that job should have been my father's. Like Noah, he retired from corporate life when my mother died. I think Grandma hoped to come back one day, but she never did.



Luckily, except for Noah, we all get along well, so she wasn't expecting much trouble, although we might have some if we don't agree on something. But since I was expecting a call shortly, I didn't have time to worry about that right now.



"I won't be leaving for a few months, so there is time to work out any issues." But I'm stepping away from business and giving you more responsibility. Make sure you don't ruin my legacy, guys. Make me proud. He got up and majestically left the room.



Andi gathered her notes and reports from her and followed her to the door.



"Do you think she's serious?" Carter asked. This company is his life. What will you do with your free time?



"Most likely, she'll spend it at the beach with her new surfer boyfriend," Andi said as she walked out the door.



We were all amazed. "You're kidding aren't you?" asked the hunter.



He didn't know, but he didn't have time to discuss it. He had a call to make and something to prove. This company was as important to me as it was to my grandmother. Like her, I planned to dedicate my life to cultivating it and watching it grow."



Alina closed her diary and would call her special love now... she missed him so much!