You're Just My Ex-Husband,My Lord-Chapter 301- soft spot

As for Washington Co., its recent business performance has been far from optimistic.

Just as everyone had predicted, Bert’s personality carried the aloofness of a scholarly artist—he wasn’t suited for running a company. Moreover, he lacked an understanding of domestic policies. Even though he had hired several capable assistants in advance, many projects still ended up taking unnecessary detours.

For a major company like Washington Co., even a minor misstep can lead to significant losses—let alone under the current circumstances. The board of directors and all the employees were voicing their complaints loudly.

Meanwhile, Dave had remained completely hands-off. Ever since he publicly handed over all his shares in Washington Co. to Bert, he had vanished from everyone’s sight—especially from the eyes of the company’s upper management.

During one meeting, a senior executive hesitantly mentioned that he thought he’d seen someone resembling Dave at a vegetable market while shopping with his wife over the weekend. The man’s build and side profile looked strikingly similar to Dave, but the distance was too great to be certain. Just as he was about to rush over to confirm, the man disappeared into the crowd.

The rest of the executives unanimously dismissed it as a mistake. Based on what they knew about Dave, there was absolutely no way he would ever step foot in a place like a vegetable market in his lifetime.

In the end, there was no choice but for Daniel to step back into the spotlight. He assured the board that he would assist Bert in managing the company until Bert was capable of taking full control on his own.

Since then, Daniel had been showing up at Washington Co. every morning to support Bert in his duties.

Though Bert was reluctant to admit his own shortcomings, there was no way around it. The data spoke for itself. In the nearly three months since he had taken over Washington Co., the performance reports showing the decline in numbers had landed on his desk every single day.

It was a harsh blow for Bert. He had always assumed that Dave’s position as head of Washington Co. was a cushy job with little real work. But now that he had experienced it firsthand, he realized just how much he had underestimated Dave.

However, Daniel, having stepped down from his position years ago, was completely out of touch with the current situation. Many things felt beyond his control, and he was struggling to keep up.

In the end, Daniel had no choice but to suggest to Bert, "The best thing to do now is to call Dave and ask him for help."

This was the only solution Daniel could think of. Washington Co. wasn’t in its early days anymore, when they could afford to take their time to figure things out. Now, every day they wasted was a day of loss. Moreover, because of the many interests involved, the board of directors wouldn’t allow them to keep experimenting without a clear direction.

Thus, turning to Dave was the only way Daniel could see to get them out of their current predicament. Dave had been in charge of Washington Co. for many years and knew everything about the company. He also had an extensive network of connections.

Bert, however, could not accept the idea of seeking help from Dave. It was he who had used underhanded methods to take Washington Co. from Dave in the first place. Now, asking for help from the very person he had wronged? That would be a blow to his pride and dignity.

Moreover, with both he and Daniel managing Washington Co., they were still no match for Dave’s abilities. How could Bert possibly swallow that bitter pill?

"No way!" Bert immediately rejected Daniel’s suggestion in a fit of anger.

Daniel, equally frustrated, shot back, "If you don’t ask him for help, are you really just going to stand by and watch Washington Co. fall apart under your watch?"

At this point, Daniel was so agitated that he slammed his hand on the table.

"Sure, you can watch Washington Co. go down in flames without caring, but didn’t you say it yourself? It’s not your blood, sweat, and tears, so it doesn’t matter if it gets destroyed!"

Daniel thought back to the words Bert had said when he first returned to the country and compared them to Bert’s attitude now. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.

If this had been in the past, Daniel would have been furious, his anger boiling over. However, over the past few days, as father and son slowly began to work together, both of their tempers and personalities had become a little more restrained.

Daniel no longer snapped at Bert at the slightest provocation, and Bert no longer seemed to be intentionally provoking Daniel. Daniel had made an effort to rebuild his relationship with Bert, and Bert, in turn, longed for his father’s approval. So, the two of them had managed to coexist peacefully.

In fact, this was the first time in many days that they had had a full-blown argument—over whether or not to seek help from Dave.

After Daniel yelled at Bert, he was surprised when Bert didn’t respond with a sharp retort. Instead, Bert glared at him in anger, then simply turned and slammed the door, leaving without saying a word.

After Bert left, Daniel, feeling drained, closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead wearily.

This was all his own doing. He was the one who had created this mess, leading him to have to step back into the company and manage it again at his age. He had nothing to say about it.

But could he really just stand by and watch Washington Co. spiral downhill?

As for Dave, Daniel still believed in and trusted him. He was convinced that if Bert was willing to ask for help, Dave would not just sit by and watch.

But when it came to Bert, Daniel wasn’t so sure anymore.

This eldest son of his had a temper that was erratic and strange. One moment, he could drive you to the brink of madness, and the next, he would casually carry on as if nothing had happened, laughing and chatting with you as though there had been no conflict at all. And after all these years of not living together, Daniel could never really gauge Bert’s temperament.

He had no idea if Bert could swallow his pride and ask Dave for help, nor did he know what Bert might do next. In a fit of rage, Bert could very well end up selling Washington Co. for all Daniel knew.

Meanwhile, Bert, after leaving the office, went straight to the rooftop of the building. It’s said that the higher you go, the colder it gets, and right now, the rooftop was a perfect example of this. The wind was strong, making his clothes flap noisily and the chill stung his face.

He stood there, lips pressed together, staring out at the vast sky and the distant Burg Eltz. The skyscrapers and tall buildings all around him seemed to mock his thoughts.

No one wanted to admit their failure, and he was no exception, especially when the failure felt so humiliating.

He had fought so hard to gain control of Washington Co. Was it only to prove that he was not as capable as Dave?

Of course not!

Yet, reality had cruelly proven that he was, in fact, not as capable as Dave, and now Daniel was asking him to seek help from Dave.

Bert raised his hand and tugged at his tie in frustration.

Although he had once declared that he wouldn’t care even if his poor management caused Washington Co. to crumble, could he really be that indifferent?

He had a soft spot, and it was impossible for him to truly not care. That soft spot was his father, Daniel.

For the past few days, Daniel had come to the company every morning to assist him, offering guidance as they worked side by side. The father and son had spent time together in harmony, and for Bert, it was like rediscovering the long-lost feeling of paternal love.

He was greedy for it, yearning for it, reluctant to let it go, and conflicted, because he knew that if Washington Co. were to fail, everything he had worked for would be lost.

He stood there on the rooftop for quite some time, then eventually turned and walked back to the office.