Watching Benjamin leave the room, William sighed and leaned back in his chair. He could tell that his brother hadn't invited him merely for reconciliation. There was still something boiling beneath the surface. And he had a good guess what the issue was.
If William was completely honest, his surprise was no less than Benjamin's when they learned that the company shares would go to William. Although he knew that his job of creating a network for the company was important, even William accepted that his feelings for the company were less intense than Benjamin's. Perhaps the issue was foresight? This was the only point where William would confidently say that he was ahead of his brother.
You see, Aquoria and even the entire planet of Levus had many issues. One of the most pressing ones was that the supply of clean water was running dry. Or at least the supply accessible to common people. Spring, rivers, beachfronts, everything had been bought up by wealthy companies and big family conglomerates. It was Aquoria's fortune that William's great-grandfather managed to secure a spring more than three hundred years ago. And it was under his father's leadership that Aquoria experienced rapid growth to become what it was today.
However, their father, Timothy Bender, implemented quite drastic measures to increase the output of their spring. Now the yearly output couldn't be increased further, at least not without an absolutely terrible cost to performance ratio. Even if everything went well and Aquoria could invade the Mecutis market, they were at risk of reaching their limits. Thus, it was William's job to open new channels, getting to know influential people so Aquoria might get access to a new source of clean water.
And William was quite successful by getting to know Marlene Garner, a possible future president. With her support Aquoria would be able to rise. If Aquoria founded their charity organization and Marlene could campaign it as her success, she surely wouldn't forget this favour.
William was certain Benjamin knew these things deep down. It was just the issues of not sharing the same ideals and the company's shares ending up with William which caused Benjamin's stubborn reaction. William was confident that he would be able to find a common ground with his brother soon.
As these thoughts were going through William's mind, he lazily studied the room and soon his eyes fell on the can of coffee. William knew his brother wasn't a fan of the brown beverage, but William himself was quite fond of it. Thus, he saw it as a good sign that Benjamin prepared coffee for them. With a light smile he poured himself a cup and brought it to his nose.
The smell was somewhat off, differing from all the types William was familiar with. His curiosity was roused. William soon took a sip and closed his eyes, enjoying the taste lingering on his tongue. For a moment he felt a bout of dizziness, but it immediately disappeared like an illusion. William appreciated the novel taste and soon the cup had been emptied.
William leaned back in his chair relaxing his body and mind when Benjamin suddenly returned.
"Sorry for making you wait. You know how it is…"
"Sure. Don't worry.", answered William while lightly waving his hand. Seeing him like this, Benjamin felt a strange mix of emotions. He strongly suppressed them as he continued to talk:
"Ok, so where were we? I think you were just talking about your trip to Endavi Resort?"
"Endavi? Oh yes. Beautiful place. I was invited to a big party at a restaurant close to Endavi River. Everything was decorated in white and exotic plants were put on the table. They even had hippos there, painted in white colour. Amazing animals, I tell you! I heard they used to be one of the most dangerous animals on Levus. I have no idea how they managed to tame them like that. It's quite a pity, though, that there are no hippos in the wild anymore."
"This sounds really incredible. Say, don't you want to go back there? Every time you speak about your travels you sound much happier. You should continue travelling around the world. I will take care of the company on your behalf."
As these words reached William, a conflict could be seen in his eyes. Benjamin's suggestion invaded his mind like the whispers of a devil. Immediately his desires were strengthened many times over. Desire and responsibility began a fierce battle. William's expression kept changing for multiple seconds until it finally settled. A relaxed smile found its way on his face.
"Maybe you are right, Benjamin. I am not really made for this corporate life. I will continue my travels, and you will take care of the company. One outside and one inside. In the hands of us two brothers Aquoria is bound to become a major company!"
Benjamin shivered hearing his brother finally say these words. All his doubts seemed to be washed away and only exhilaration remained. He had to focus to not show any emotions on his face and yet he couldn't suppress a faint smile from appearing on his lips.
Benjmain's eyes found the inconspicuous can of coffee again. Perhaps there might be repercussions someday. Perhaps he had made a deal with the devil. But if that was what it took to get what should have been his in the first place, it was worth it! Truly worth it!
Various thoughts were racing through Benjmain's mind. Now that the red beans proved to be effective, was there something else he could achieve with them? Could he use it them to get the shares from William?
After his experiments Benjamin knew that the red beans weren't all-powerful. Thus, he didn't take any risks this time and only brought up a suggestion William was likely to agree with. But after his brother resumed his travels, he might lose interest in the company over time. At that time Benjamin might have a chance…
For a while both brothers fell silent until William continued the conversation. He recounted more of his travel experiences, his eyes filled with dreamy delight. Benjamin listened for a while until he impatiently changed the topic and the two brothers discussed how and when William would resume his travels.
This went on for a few hours until Benjamin got William to make multiple concessions, causing his heart to jump in joy. Afterwards the brothers said their farewells, each with bright smiles on their faces.
After William left, Benjamin could barely contain his joy. Celebrating his success, he lit himself a precious cigar and spent a relaxed evening, even visiting a restaurant later. Everything went absolutely perfect. Now, even if others questioned William's decision in the future, they had no evidence against Benjamin.
No one would think a cup of coffee could influence someone's mind this much. Although there were substances which could cloud someone's mind, making them more open for suggestions, none of those stayed effective beyond one day.
The only loose end remained the two bodyguards. But Benjamin wasn't too worried about them. He would just buy them out from their company, hiring them as his personal bodyguards. This wasn't the first time Benjamin had worked with these men for some rather shady dealings. They had previously proven to be tight-lipped. For the right price of curse.
That night when Benjamin went to bed, his body and soul felt incredibly light. All his troubles had dissipated like smoke. The entire world felt more colourful.
And the next day Benjamin's mood didn't diminish. During work he kept an eye on William and observed that his brother indeed prepared for departure.
Two days later William arranged for another meeting to announce the news. Those present couldn't believe their own ears. William was fully invested in the charity organization but now he suddenly decided to travel? And Benjamin would act on his behalf?
Those who had been convinced by William immediately stared at Benjamin with sour faces. They were convinced that it had something to do with him. Threats? Blackmail? Knowing Benjamin, they had no doubt that he would stoop that low. But the brothers didn't give anything away, appearing incredibly harmonious. William even appeared joyous, looking forward to his travels.
Benjamin's allies were amazed as well. They had bright smiles plastered on their faces. They knew that with Benjamin taking control of the company, their time to profit had come. Under Benjamin's lead it wouldn't be difficult to extract certain benefits from the company. It would certainly be compensated by the common employers but why would they, the higher-ups and shareholders, care?
Only one person remained silent during the meeting. It was Marlene Garner's subordinate, Mister Grey, who joined the meeting via video call. Although he would prefer to work with William instead of Benjmain, in the end it didn't matter too much. He was confident that even Benjamin would honestly cooperate. Aquoria wasn't strong enough to antagonize someone like Mister Grey and by extension Marlene Garner.