by Iris Bolling
"Cainan?"
"Yes, they went to him for the numbers yesterday. Keeping you out of the loop on this meeting was planned. Not well, but it was intentional. However, that's something we will deal with later. In the meantime, I need to put a few more touches in place to ensure this goes smoothly." She walked quickly towards the door. "Fifteen minutes, Myles. I'm holding all your calls."
Myles watched as she walked out of the door. God, she was a powerhouse. What would he do without her, Myles thought, as he settled into reading the document Chrystina had written. 'Read this first,' was written in red. It was the document outlining his weaknesses, according to Nancy. It was full, most of them he considered strengths. But there was one that hit close to home. Chrystina Price was listed as his greatest strength, and his weakness. The notes read, 'While Myles Dunning is an astute businessman; it is Price who runs the day in, day out operations of his department. Could Myles find an assistant to handle operations, yes. But it would take years to get them to the proficiency of Price.'
The next item also struck a chord. Listed as a weakness was family. 'Dunning is a family owned establishment. With the death of Hepburn it was evident that vital functions ceased. Case in point, the human resource director left several key positions unfilled. Several remain unfilled to this day.'
Setting that document aside, Myles moved on to the next. While the first document was meant to hurt the company, he believed it could be useful and would revisit it once this coup was stopped. He pulled out the document on the Hershel Automotive group.
The Hershel account was a multi-billion-dollar account with its headquarters in Japan. The executives want to move the operations back to the United States. This was the kind of account Myles wanted, a company who's looking to bring jobs back to this country. The only issue for him lies in the fact that Hershel was a Phase International account. He was certain this move would start a bidding war with Phase.
His cell phone buzzed. Knowing he had to get through the documents he glanced at the number. He had to take it. The call was from Michael.
"Mike, can it wait? We have an issue here."
"We have a bigger issue than you think. I'm getting blocked on every turn trying to get into this building. The address on the card you gave is the Department of Justice. Know what's inside? I’ll tell you, the US Marshall’s Service. Know what they do? Head up the witness protection program."
Myles sat up. "Are you telling me Cainan Scott is in the witness protection program?"
"That's just it, I can't tell you because no one is talking. In fact I can't get in to talk to anyone."
His phone buzzed again. This time it was a message from Chrystina. It was time to go.
"Mike, I have to run. Find out what you can and get back to me."
Chapter Eighteen
"Mr. Wassermann, good morning." Myles extended his hand. "Mr. Chadwick, thank you for joining us this morning. I am Myles Dunning. This is my executive assistant, Chrystina Price. Mr. Mitchell will join us upstairs."
"My brother, Herb Chadwick and my assistant, Carrie Oliver. My deepest sympathy on the loss of your father." Marty Wassermann patted Myles on the shoulder.
"Thank you, sir. It was a significant loss to our family."
"I so admired your father," Herb Chadwick said as he shook Myles' hand. "I must say his loss has left a few concerns with the deal unfinished."
"I can understand that. It's the reason I felt it was important that we speak face to face."
Marty nodded his head. "That is exactly what I stressed to William. He informed me the family was too devastated to meet with the public at this time."
"My father was dedicated to providing world class customer service. I will never defame his memory by providing anything less." Myles could see Herb Chadwick’s expression soften.
"Business has become too automated. I prefer the personal touch. Shall we take this upstairs? We are eager to share Dunning's plans for you."
"I'd like that," Marty responded as they all entered the elevator.
"Mr. Chadwick, I understand you are a jazz enthusiast. Do you happen to enjoy a little Miles Davis?"
"I am and I do.” Herb nodded.
"My parents have told me I was conceived while listening to Kind of Blue by Miles Davis, hence the name."
"Released in 1959. The man was a musical genius."
Pleased he could spark Herb's interest, Myles continued. "Indeed. They have the original. It's a treasure I happen to possess."
"We should take a listen to that, perhaps with a cigar and a good cognac," Herb offered.
"It would be my pleasure," Myles agreed.
"I believe it was a good cognac that had you married for the third time," Marty joked with Herb.
Herb nodded with a smirk as the elevator arrived on the fifth floor. "It’s the reason I no longer drink or travel with an assistant."
"Your assistant?" Chrystina questioned.
Marty laughed. "Yes, they traveled to Vegas and returned married. We refer to her as the unfortunate mistake."
"Yes, it cost me a fortune. As it turned out during my divorce proceedings she knew more about my finances than I did."
Chrystina smiled. "My apologies, sir. I didn't mean to pry."
"No problem, darling. As long as you never speak her name in my presence we'll do just fine."
"Should be easy, since I do not know the unfortunate," Chrystina said as she ushered the party into the conference room.
"Been married thirty-two years," Marty boasted as he took a seat at the table. "One look across the room and I knew my Lizzy was the one."
"Are you married, Myles?" Carrie asked.
Chrystina gave the petite blonde a quick glance then moved away from the table.
"Carrie never misses an opportunity to seek out the bachelors in a room. Forgive her," Marty joked.
"No. I haven't been so honored," Myles replied taking a step to block the look on Chrystina's face from the guests.
"Take your time locating the one," Marty offered.
"Whatever you do stay away from Vegas," Herb suggested as he took a seat.
Myles laughed as he stood at the head of the table, privately amazed at the setup. He knew the employees put this together in a very short period of time.
"I take the wisdom from each of you to heart." He smiled. "Allow me to introduce Cainan Scott who will be assisting us with your presentation."
Cainan stood and extended his hand. "Mr. Wassermann, Mr. Chadwick, thank you for the opportunity."
"I took the liberty of pouring each of you a cup of coffee." Chrystina moved towards them placing the cups of coffee in front of each of the men. "Mr. Wassermann, I believe you take cream and sugar. Mr. Chadwick, I understand you enjoy yours strong and black."
"That I do." He tilted his head to the side.
Myles hoped he was wrong, but was Herb watching Chrystina walk around the table? He shook the thought off not certain how he felt about it.
"I'm afraid I am not clear on your preference, Ms. Oliver, cream or black?" Cainan asked.
"I'm easy," Carrie replied.
"I can see that," Chrystina mumbled.
Myles cleared his throat. "Serena, will you take care of Carrie's order. Chrystina, I would like you at the table. Shall we begin?"
"Yes." Cainan nodded. "Gentlemen, if you would open the presentation package in front of you. You will be able to follow what is on the screen."
Cainan began the presentation as Holly and Serena moved around the room almost invisibly filling pastry plates, coffee cups, and documents as needed. About fifteen minutes into the presentation, William, Paulette and Nancy walked through the open door.
"Forgive the delay, Marty, I was stuck in an elevator that is in need of desperate repair. Myles is new to all of this. He will soon learn the building needs care the same as people." William laughed as he ignored Myles and went straight to Marty and extended his hand. In an anger laced voice he continued. “Imagine my surprise to learn th
e meeting had been moved from the main conference room.”
“Imagine that.” Myles smiled, then continued, “It is important to stay on top of all the moving pieces of the business world, Mitch.”
"Yes, well.” Mitch nodded. “Herbert, it’s good to meet you in person. Marty tells me you're the brains behind Hershel's success."
Unlike Marty, Herb did not extend his hand. "Yes." He glanced at Myles. "I see more of your employees decided to join us."
"Yes, they have." Myles stood. "Nancy and Paulette, thank you for coming. I believe we can take it from here." He then turned to William. "Mitch, if you would take a seat." Myles nodded to Chrystina as he re-took his seat then looked to Cainan. "Continue with the presentation."
#
Chrystina eased from the table. Taking Paulette and Nancy out the conference room she closed the door, then walked them towards the elevator before speaking.
"It seems you two have found yourselves in a bit of a situation. While Mr. Dunning may very well excuse your part in this poorly orchestrated coup, I will not. At this time I strongly suggest you each take some time to reflect on the events of this morning. Your actions starting this very moment will determine if you remain in your positions here at Dunning. Is my meaning clear?"
Paulette started to speak just as Mrs. Vazquez stepped off of the elevator. "This way, ladies,” she spoke as she held the door open.
The look Chrystina received from Paulette was defiant and definitely would have killed if she cared, but she didn't. As for Nancy, she looked terrified.
“I believe Mr. Mitchell would prefer I remain in this meeting.” Paulette glared at Chrystina.
“If I were you I would be more concerned with remaining in the job after this meeting is over,” Chrystina replied then walked back into the conference room.
#
By the time Chrystina returned to the meeting William had taken her seat next to Myles. She removed her documents from in front of him down to the seat across from Herb. She then moved the documents meant for William and put them in front of him. "We are on page twenty-three if you'd like to follow along," she whispered. She sat, shared a smile with Herb, then put her attention on the presentation.
She settled, then watched William seething as Cainan meticulously covered each aspect of corporate level services and benefits Dunning would provide to Hershel. The presentation was good…very good. It was clear Chadwick was impressed with the human factor in the presented.
It was in that moment William cleared his throat. Chrystina turned towards him.
"Where are the profit margins from investments?" William asked.
Chrystina glanced at Cainan. She knew William asked the question to break the momentum Cainan had gained.
"It was covered on page ten of the presentation," Herb replied without looking at William. "Please continue." He nodded to Cainan.
Chrystina coughed to cover her laugh. To her dismay he tried again a few minutes later.
"What is the earning timespan for the numbers you have here?" William spoke again before Cainan was able to respond.
"There is a twenty year projection of investment earning which includes possible downturns in the market," Cainan responded. "Those figures are on page twelve of the document."
"Let's take a break here," Myles suggested as he pushed his chair back from the conference table. "It will give Mitch an opportunity to catch up by reviewing the documents."
"Yes, yes, let's do that." William stood. "Marty, a moment of your time."
Chrystina glanced at Myles, shook her head and walked in the opposite direction.
#
Myles walked over to the refreshment table and poured another cup of coffee. His patience was wearing thin. He needed a moment to get it under control.
"For every action there is a reaction." Herb joined him at the table holding his cup out. Myles filled it as Herb continued to talk. "You were voted in, technically voting him out. His reaction by attempting to take control can be self-defeating as demonstrated here this morning. Use your circle to earn control. Longevity is what you are seeking, not instant gratification." He took a sip of his coffee. "I can see in your eyes, you are pissed at what Mitchell attempted here. It was to be expected. Use that anger, but never let it control your reaction."
Myles nodded as he took a drink of his coffee. "You seem to have a decent insight on the situation. Do you think I should let him remain in his position?"
"Hell no. Move him out of your front office. Not because he attempted to take you down. Take him down because he was so bad at it." He laughed. "This is a new position of power. You have established yourself as Dunning's leader. Today, you accomplished that. Surround yourself with people you can trust next to you. From what I see, you have a strong inner circle. They put together a strong presentation in a short period of time."
Myles' attempt to control his expression must have failed.
Herb laughed at Myles' surprised reaction. "Oh, we saw this coming the moment Mitchell contacted us about changing the time of the meeting. It is his intention to show your customers you are weak, not ready for the leadership role. He took the vote personally. This is why you are getting our account, Myles. You put the bank before personal preference. The way this situation was handled this morning stripped him of his power with his allies as well as with us. I must commend you. You left his pride intact. Not once have you called him on his actions. You took the high road by choosing to show a united front, even when he did not." He patted Myles on the shoulder. "You're heading in the right direction." He started to walk off. "Oh, by the way, keep that Chrystina. Mitchell pulled a classic power move by taking her seat. She nailed it with class." He shrugged. "However, she needs a little work on handling her feelings for you."
"Feelings for me?" Myles shook his head. "Chrystina and I have worked together for years. We have a close professional camaraderie."
"Camaraderie?" Herb smiled. "If that's how you want to look at it. From my point of view your comrade wants to tear into Carrie for coming on to you." Herb chuckled then returned to his seat.
Myles understood what Chrystina had said earlier about Herb being the one who controlled the decision-making. He was observant, insightful and plain spoken. However, he was off on that comment about Chrystina. They were a heck of a team, that's for sure, but there was nothing personal between them. He glanced her way to see her sharing that perfect smile with Cainan. Something primitive struck him. He did not like Chrystina smiling at the man, nor did he care for the way Herb’s eyes followed her around. Myles shook the thought off then returned to his seat as he glanced at Mitch talking with Marty Wassermann.
"I hope you have an exit strategy in place, Mitchell," Marty laughed quietly. "You were masterfully out maneuvered here today."
"The boy doesn't have it in him to let me go. I'm too valuable."
"You're too dangerous and he knows it." Marty chuckled. "You played your hand too soon. I fear you underestimated your opponent. I'm rather impressed with the way young Dunning is handling himself, especially since you gave such a distressing impression of the state of affairs here."
"I've been doing this for over twenty years. This boy is no match for me. I can take this bank places."
"You have not succeeded in taking the leadership role you so desperately seek. You've lost this round. I suggest you tread lightly or you may not have another shot at it." He bit into the danish. "This is delicious, you should try one." Marty walked away.
Chrystina and Cainan watched the interaction between the partners from Hershel.
"I think this deal is done." Cainan turned from watching the men as he spoke.
"It's done when the signatures are on the dotted line." Chrystina's eyes narrowed as Carrie flirted with Myles. "Can I yank that blonde hair out of her head?"
Cainan looked over his shoulder. "Is she worth the multi-billion-dollar account we will lose if you do?"
She looked up at him. "You have a point. I miss AnnieMarie.
She would have just let me do it."
"She would have helped you." He grinned.
The two smiled then returned to their seats to continue the presentation.
Twenty minutes later Herb turned to Myles. "I believe we have seen enough." He closed his booklet.
"I agree." Marty nodded as he stood and buttoned his suit jacket. He extended his hand to Myles. "We're on board."
Myles shook his hand. "Thank you, Mr. Wassermann. We look forward to Hershel joining our family." Applause echoed around the room.
William extended his hand out. "Herbert, welcome aboard."
Herb looked at Mitchell. "I tend not to shake hands with people who attempt to undermine their superiors. Make no mistake about it, Mr. Mitchell, Myles Dunning is your superior in every way. If I were you I would be questioning whether or not you still have a position with this financial institution." He started to walk away then stopped. "Oh by the way, the name is Herb." He then turned to Cainan. "Wonderful presentation, Mr. Scott." He extended his hand. "Your prediction indicates you are a progressive thinking young man. Exactly the type of man Myles is going to need to watch his back."
Cainan shook Herb's hand. "We are in transition mode. There will be trying times. It's my job to ensure Dunning's best interest is front and center."
"Tactful too." Herb smiled. "I like that."
William watched Cainan with Herb, then Myles with Wassermann. Yet he was standing there with no one. He was not going to be pushed out by Myles or anyone else. He turned to Chrystina's voice.
"Not to be presumptuous, but we prepared for this celebration in anticipation of an agreement," Chrystina said as Mrs. Vazquez walked in the door leading two gentlemen pushing carts of champagne with them. "I do believe this is now in order."