"Well, what else can I do? I can only be shameless," Liam's father chuckled.
"What?"
"While it is true that I have been suppressing Damien by using his youth, it doesn't mean I am helpless in this situation. Regardless of your young age, you have already shown that you have a knack for this business. Your performance has been phenomenal so far. Damien might have seniority, but his actual performance has only been subpar so far."
"So, he can't complain much if I shamelessly transfer some of my responsibilities to you. After all, I still have the decision making power. Even if he grumbles, as long as your performance is decent, he could only keep his complaints to himself," Liam's father said with a mischievous smile on his face.
"Do you think I would let some young whippersnapper maneuver me into a corner? Your old man has seen several such situations in the past. Damien is still too green to contend with me," Liam's father chuckled.
Liam didn't know what to say to such rogue behavior from his old man. He never expected his father to act so shamelessly. It really expanded his horizons.
Damien would have never expected Liam's father to stubbornly transfer his responsibilities to Liam. Doing such a thing was both acting rogue and self-slapping. So, he should have never thought that Liam's father would be willing to do such a thing.
In the end, all of Damien's efforts ended up benefitting Liam. It was like preparing for the wedding arduously only to find the groom had been changed at the last moment.
Even if Liam had been confident of taking over from his old man, he had still thought it would be years down the line. But, Damien's actions have accelerated the timeline quite a bit.
Should Liam thank Damien for delivering him this huge gift?
Moreover, Liam realized that his old man had hidden depths to him as well. He never expected his old man to behave in such a rogue manner.
The older the ginger, the spicier it is.
As Liam struggled to form his words, his old man spoke once again.
"Remember this brat, the power our family holds in the TV Network is the basis for our family's influence in the industry. Do not let anyone touch it. No matter what you have to do, make sure this power always stays in our family's hands," Liam's father said seriously, causing Liam to nod.
"You will attend the next board meeting that will happen at the end of the financial year," Liam's father began instructing. "I will make arrangements for some of my power to be taken over by you. I still have influence in the company. So, it will not be difficult to arrange such things."
"You now have three months to sort things out at MusixZ TV. Right now, the channel is already breaking even. But, it will be better if you can show profits. So, try to do something about it. Also, find someone both competent and loyal to you to take over after you leave."
"The moment you enter the board room, you will become a player in the power game. Until now, I have shielded you from it. But, once you take over from me, you will become an obstacle in Damien's path. Right now, he only thinks of you as a chess piece to be used to discomfort me. Things will change dramatically after that."
"MusixZ TV is your base. You need to have control over it always. Damien will try to burrow into your foundation. Don't let him succeed. So, having someone, both loyal to you and competent, handling things there is a must. Be smart about your choice."
"Heh, don't worry, old man. Don't you know my character? I won't even allow you to interfere, let alone that prick," Liam chuckled, causing his old man to snort.
"Good, at least you have brains. Do you have any preferences on where you want to go? Before you say anything, let me warn you. Don't be greedy. If your performance is not upto mark, Damien will sweep you under the rug in six months. So, be sensible and choose wisely."
Liam nodded to indicate he understood the warning and relaxed back into his seat to think about it for a few moments. Sipping on his eggnog, he calmly thought about what he should ask for.
Liam had his own ambitions. So, whatever he asked for should align with his ambitions as well. While getting parachuted into a high position would indeed be nice, if he couldn't manage the internal politics there, he would end up biting more than he could chew.
His old man made it clear that he wouldn't share the power to anyone outside of the family easily. So, he didn't need to worry about someone else contending with him for it. He still had time to slowly develop his influence in the company.
Until now, he hadn't thought that someone from Uncle Kyle's family would contend with him for Hastings TV Network. After all, Uncle Kyle's family business was widespread unlike theirs. So, he had always assumed that a challenge wouldn't rise from that end. The majority shares that their family maintained had also made him complacent.
So, this recent information regarding voting rights was a surprise to him. It really gave him a reality check. Now, it was clear that he had competitors even for inheriting his own family business.
That made him vigilant.
Having competitors and not having competitors were entirely different matters. With a competitor present, he needs to be careful in his steps and not give the other party any loophole to exploit him.
The first thing he needed to do was understand his competitor.
While Uncle Kyle's family didn't just have Hastings TV Network as their sole business like their family, it was clear that Damien wanted to swallow the power of Hastings TV Network as well. That alone indicated Damien's enormous appetite. It was clear to Liam that Damien was as ambitious as him.
So, Liam began to analyze Damien from his own perspective. He began to think about what he would have done if he was in Damien's place. With it, some things became clear.
Since Damien's appetite wasn't just with Hastings TV Network, the amount of energy and attention he would spend on it would be limited. Moreover, with his old man sitting at the top, making any moves before shaking the old man's power would be a futile endeavor. That meant, Damien was merely being opportunistic in his approach.
For Damien to find these opportunities, he would require unfiltered information about the inner workings of the company. For that, Damien must have cultivated his own group of subordinates in the company. These people would act as Damien's hands.
That meant, Damien and Liam wouldn't clash head on in the early stage. Liam's opponents would be Damien's lackeys for now.
If Liam acted greedily and ended up biting more than he could chew, Damien would use these lackeys to hinder him. That would cause Liam's efforts to be stymied.
Liam had lucked out with MusixZ TV. When he took control of the channel, there were no dissenting voices. At most, some veterans complained behind his back. Now, even that was absent.
But, things would be different once he became an obstacle to Damien's ambitions.
Wherever he ended up taking charge, he would have Damien's underlings sabotaging him. They wouldn't oppose him openly, as it would reveal their affiliation and cause his old man to sweep them out.
No, they would act subtly.
They would undermine him at each and every turn. They would use factions and veterans in the office to hinder him. They would reveal his intentions to competitors and subtly hinder things. This way, while remaining in the background, they would look for loopholes and handles against him.
That made things tricky.
Liam knew he couldn't rush into things at this moment. He must step carefully and avoid traps that these people would set up for him. So, chewing the pie bit by bit was the right approach here. Even his old man had hinted at such a thing.
Liam wasn't arrogant enough to ignore such hints from his own old man. While he had his own stubbornness, it didn't mean he would be like a bull in a ceramic shop. He can be cunning when he wants to be.
So, whatever he asked must not be too big. Too many people under him will cause too many complications. It would be easy for these pests to lurk unnoticed in such a situation.
However, what he asked must also be impactful enough to cultivate his influence in the company. If he didn't create much impact, the old man's hidden goal to cultivate him as a successor will not be realized.
A combination of something manageable, while also remaining impactful should be what he needs to aim for. On the top of his head, he couldn't immediately come up with something to ask.
What he needed now the most was information.
"I need some time. I need to understand the company better," Liam said to his father.
"Good," Liam's father nodded approvingly. "You can use my study during this break. Let me know your decision after New Year."
Liam nodded solemnly in response.