Windsor Greetings - Chapter 1: The Big Announcement
The hostile takeover of a family empire—served with turkey and cranberry sauce.
Hey Friends! In my effort to be creative and not just write about creativity, I am publishing a novella here on Substack. Each Tuesday for the next ten weeks, I’ll release a chapter in the saga of the Windsor family and the greeting card empire that bears their name.
I wrote this around the same time I built the digital greeting card website: windsorgreetings.com. What I thought would be a fun way to promote the site turned into a month’s long labor of love. I’ve grown quite fond of the characters in the story. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.
If this isn’t your cup of tea, I’ll still be publishing my weekly roundup on Fridays (see you then).
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: The Big Announcement
Chapter 1: The Big Announcement
The first thing Alex did when the plane landed was check his bank account. He wasn’t used to seeing that many digits in a row and wanted to make sure they were still there. Selling his latest startup, a workspace management platform, gave him his first significant win. It wasn’t a Silicon Valley unicorn, but back in his hometown, it set him apart from nearly everyone he grew up with, his family included.
Drowning in work leading up to the acquisition, Alex had missed Thanksgiving and Christmas last year. In many ways, it would have been easier just to skip this year, too. With the deal recently closed, though, he was out of excuses for why he couldn’t come home. Besides, he had business to attend to, which required his presence. On the short ride from the airport to his parents’ house, Alex mentally prepared to be thrust back into a family dynamic where he was anything but the boss, but instead the nerdy little brother.
As always, his parents would be hosting. His brother, sister, and their families would be there too. Only Alex would be attending unaccompanied.
Alex tipped his driver generously and made his way up the walk to the front porch. He took one last breath of cool air, reached for the doorknob, and entered his childhood home. The unmistakable scent of Lemon Pledge triggered memories from his youth, his older brother pinning him down and threatening to spray him with furniture polish. With a seven-year age gap, you’d think Tyler would have served a more nurturing role in Alex’s youth. It’s no wonder he rejected the family business and moved to San Francisco to pursue a career in technology. Nothing could have been further from Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, and the greeting card business that bore his family’s name: Windsor Greetings.
From the foyer, Alex could hear his brother in the kitchen yucking it up with the old man, belly laughing in a way that couldn’t possibly be authentic. How were they brothers again? Alex thought.
Tyler was clearly riding high. Tonight, their father, Henry Windsor, the last remaining of the original Windsor brothers, would step down as CEO and name Tyler his successor. Henry’s older brother, Ronald, had passed away several years back, and his younger brother, Thomas, had retired early to focus on philanthropic matters.
Though his role on the family council had mainly been symbolic, Alex cared deeply about the business’s success. Under normal circumstances, he would have been thrilled for his older brother, but recent events had shaken his confidence in Tyler’s ability to steer the company in the right direction.
Alex blamed Tyler for blowing the Kroger deal just two months earlier. At his father's request and against his better judgment, Alex had used the connections he’d made developing software for the grocery giant to land a coveted meeting with their merchandise buyer. All Tyler had to do was read the slides on the deck that Alex had prepared, but Tyler’s “revisions” and “ideas” completely changed the tone of the presentation and altered the strategic plan into incomprehensible nonsense. Kroger passed on the deal. Unsurprisingly, Tyler refused to accept responsibility.
With mounting medical bills, a shift in consumer demand for artisanal greeting cards, and a retirement that could last twenty years or more, Alex’s parents simply wouldn’t have enough money to sustain their lifestyle. The Kroger deal would have put them on the right track. To say that Alex was pissed was an understatement.
Henry had always been blind to Tyler’s shortcomings. He made a reasonable number two, but he lacked vision. Alex didn’t think he had what it would take to turn things around for the family business.
Alex took another deep breath, left the foyer, and joined his family in the kitchen. He helped himself to the elaborate cheese plate and said his hellos before his mother, Jan, announced that Thanksgiving dinner was ready.
Before diving into the meal, and just after saying prayers, Henry stood at the front of the table to make the announcement that they all knew was coming. Alex’s sister Megan, her husband, and their kids cheered as Henry announced the succession. Tyler kissed his wife, Kelly, and hugged his kids. Even Alex applauded.
As he clapped, though, he had to fight to suppress a smile, for he knew something no one else did. Tyler would never be CEO.
Stay Tuned
Want to see what happens next? Check back every Tuesday — and don’t miss my weekly creative roundup on Friday.
Until then,
-Mike
Congrats on a captivating first chapter! Can’t wait to tune in every week for each portion of the saga.
Read chapter 3 first, loved it and then came back to read the first chapter. Loving it. I too have started writing short stories from January this year in 'Neera's Fiction.' You have inspired me to write a novella next. Fingers crossed, I shall do that pretty soon.