Looking Real Good

are the new whipping boys in the court of public opinion.” She moved through a few more slides, all of which were pictures of me. “The fell swoop that led to your decline was when you demolished the old building that used to stand right here so you could build this office tower in the historic district. Yes, you have a nice view, but the people who were born and raised here never wanted this building here, Lukas. It’s an eyesore.”
“An eyesore? Have you looked at this building, Lisa? It’s the definition of modern and exquisite architecture.”
“It’s obnoxious.”
“You’re obnoxious,” I muttered.
My sister sighed and dropped the remote control on the table, leaving the final image of my face on the screen. “You’re being accused of everything from gentrification to negative environmental impact.”
“Oh, come off it. The building that was here before I started development was a vacant health hazard. The mold and asbestos were off the charts. That alone was enough to get rid of it. It was infested with rats and vermin. It was lowering property values in the neighborhood. And you want to talk about a health risk? Teenagers were breaking in all the time, breathing that shit in. If anything, I did this community a favor by eliminating a dangerous environment.”
“You’re missing the point.”
“What is the point then?” I asked sharply. I was getting tired of this nonsense. I had other things to do.
“The press is against you right now. You need to polish your image.”
I arched an eyebrow as my attention slid back to the ten-by-ten-foot image of me shining on the screen at the far end of the conference room. “Looks pretty polished to me.”
My half-sister rolled her eyes. “Not your physical image. You’re impossible, you know that? You need to polish people’s perception of you.”
I liked grinding her gears. “Perception?”
She nodded. “Your bottom line will drop if public perception continues to be negatively affected by the negative press. Here, for example.” She clicked through a few more slides and paused at a familiar chart. It displayed last quarter’s profits which had started to dip despite a recently launched upgrade. “Your profits should have been in an upswing after your last upgrade. But they’re not.”
“Because people don’t like me?”
“And they don’t trust you.”
“I’m not a politician,” I said, straightening my suit jacket. “I’m a businessman. Since when did my success equate to being trusted and liked?”
“Since forever. Look, Lukas. You hired me because you knew something wasn’t working and you needed help. This is my forte. I’m the professional here and I need you to trust me. I’m your sister. I want to help you—even though you already have more money than any one person could spend in an entire lifetime. Or eight.”
I stayed in my seat as my sister turned off the projector and moved to the door, where she flicked the lights back on. I squinted and shielded my eyes as she packed up her things into her work bag.
She dropped into the chair beside me. “Did any of that get through to you?”
I didn’t answer her question. Instead, I returned one of my own. “I assume with all the effort you put into this to change my mind that you have a game plan?”
“Of course, I do.”
“Let’s hear it then.”
Lisa sat proudly and lifted her chin a little. She and I had an unconventional history compared to a lot of siblings. We shared the same father but different mothers. At twenty-eight, she was two years younger than me, and just like me, she was the outcome of our father’s serial philandering. He lived in a rundown neighborhood that he treated like his own personal whore house. He maintained affairs with several women—some married, some single, some somewhere in between—and managed to keep his indiscretions under wraps until two pregnancies were tied back to him: mine and Lisa’s mothers.
He got the hell out of Dodge after that so he didn’t have to pay child support or be a father.
My sister and I grew up as neighbors. It was unconventional, sure, but it worked for us. Our mothers became allies after what our father put them through and, in turn, best friends. Sunday mornings were spent alternating between each apartment for breakfast and we’d have at least three dinners a week together as a family.
Things had changed a lot since then.
“The plan is for you to institute some kind of charitable-giving campaign,” Lisa said.
“A giving campaign?”
“Yes, Lukas. A giving campaign. It’s time for your business to give back to the community instead of just reaping the benefits. According to my research, CEOs are more favorable to their audiences when they take a hands-on role. Said audiences prefer when this hands-on charity work is done to help those in need within their own cities. So with that in mind, I want to show you a couple of proposals of some projects you could dive into.”
Lisa pulled a portfolio out of her bag and flipped it open. There were dozens of charts in there, as well as more articles.
I pinched the bridge of my nose as she began laying them out on the table in front of me. “Lisa, I have other meetings today. Just tell me the bottom line.”
Lisa glanced up at me. “What?”
“You tell me what I should do. Don’t present me with all these options. Like you said, I hired you as my public-relations expert. I don’t have time to hear out all of these.”
My sister leaned back in her chair. “Fine. I have connections to a non-profit organization here in Seattle that does excellent work. I can set up a meeting with their director to fit your schedule.”
“Talk to my assistant. I have a conference call to hop on.”
Lisa started packing her things back up as I got to my feet and moved to the door. “Lukas?”
I turned back to her.
“I’m on your side, you know?” she said.
“I know.”
I left my sister in the conference room and moved down the pristine hallway