by J A Fielding
*****
“I have always wanted to ask,” Erica started when they had booked themselves in at the hotel. Daniel looked at her and laughed. “Now what?” Erica asked rolling her eyes.
“Nothing,” he said shaking his head as he walked towards her.
Erica sat on the bed and crossed her arms over her chest feigning a frown.
“You just laughed at me and you are telling me that it’s nothing? There is definitely something,” she said moving back on the bed so she could rest her back on the headboard.
“Fine. I’m laughing at what you said, not at you,” Daniel said. “What did I just say?” she asked looking at him.
“You just said you’ve always wanted to ask me…like you’ve known me since college or something,” he said joining her on the bed. She smiled as he draped an arm around her shoulders.
“Well, maybe it feels like I have known you since way back then. And even if I did, what’s the biggie?” she asked.
Daniel shook his head and planted a kiss on her forehead.
“No biggie. So what have you always wanted to ask me, Miss Hayes?”
“Why are you on this long vacation?”
“Have you grown tired of me already?” he asked looking into her eyes.
She smiled and playfully punched his arm.
“No silly. It’s just…” her voice trailed off when she realized that there was no polite way of asking what she was about to ask. “It seems like you are in no hurry to get back home considering that by the time I met you, you’d already been MIA from your daily routine for almost a month,” she said.
He looked down at her and took a long deep breath. “It’s a long story.”
“At the risk of sounding clichéd, I’ve got nothing but time,” she said. “Unless of course you don’t want to talk about it,” she added quickly. Daniel shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair. Erica could tell that she had pushed the wrong button. “Maybe I shouldn’t have pushed it,” she thought. “Wait. Did you take off because of what happened with Zoe?”
“Not exactly. But it had a lot to do with her,” he sighed.
*****
Daniel was breathing hard as he looked at the company’s quarterlies. There were certain days in the year he hated and this was slowly turning out to be one of them. As far as he was concerned, the company should have been making profits and not just mere profits but a shit load of profits and judging by the financial report he had in his hand QKM was in the hole. A very dark, financial hole. He ran his fingers through his hair and loosened his tie before he slammed the report on his desk. He leaned forward and ran his finger on the edge of the telephone before he finally pressed the intercom button.
“Suzie, get me Proctor and Wells. Now!” He was yelling, even though he never meant to. He walked over to his mini bar and poured himself a whiskey, neat. He flashed down the contents of the glass before he poured himself another glass. He had just put the bottle back down when he heard a knock on the door. He walked back to his desk as Micah Proctor and Spencer Wells walked into his office.
“You wanted to see us, Mr. Reese?” Spencer asked.
“Yeah I did. Come on in guys and explain what the hell those financials mean,” he said as he put the file in front of the two men from the accounting office. He took a seat and ran his finger around the rim of the glass. He could feel his heart beating hard in his chest and he knew that after years of working with his team, Proctor and Wells knew exactly what he was thinking. “Well?” Daniel pressed as he took a sip of his drink. He had no idea what kind of shit storm his question was about to raise. He looked at the two and wondered what kind of lies the two would cook up.
“Well, to be honest Mr. Reese,” Spencer started. “We’ve been looking into getting more turnover.” Daniel looked at them and shook his head. That sounded like good news but the way Spencer was talking made him think that there was something more. “We might have made the wrong choices as far as stocks are concerned,” he said. Daniel rubbed his temple and took another sip of his drink. He could not believe what he was hearing.
“And whose idea was this exactly?” he asked. Wells and Proctor exchanged a knowing glance.
“Well, it may have come right from the top,” Proctor said.
“What do you mean right from the top? Did my father do this?” Daniel asked as he looked at the two of them. He noticed the knowing look between his two accounting guys and rubbed his temple again. “Guys, if there is anything I need to know, I would like to know right now,” he said.
“Patrick Reese,” Spencer said after a long silence. Daniel took a long deep breath. Patrick was his uncle and his father’s younger brother. When Daniel took the reins at QKM, he was one of the most vocal people against the move. As far as he was concerned, he was next in line and Daniel taking over as CEO only meant one thing: that he had been robbed of his birth right.
“What the hell…he doesn’t have a say in this? Not in the very least!” Daniel was annoyed. He was sure that this was a way for his uncle to undermine his leadership. He had been doing it ever since his father named him successor and even then, Daniel knew that there would never be a time when his uncle’s idiocy got to him but somehow, it did. He flashed down the contents of his glass and closed his eyes tightly as he felt the whiskey burning its way down his throat.
“We tried everything we could but…we had no idea how we were supposed to approach any of this…there was too much at risk,” Proctor was now talking.
“What do you mean? What kind of risk are you talking about?” he asked confused. Proctor and Wells looked at each other again.
“Did you know that Zoe Willoughby bought him out of QKM?” Proctor asked.
Daniel raised an eyebrow.
“What?” he asked in surprise. “Zoe Willoughby as in my ex Zoe Willoughby? That Zoe?” he asked. Proctor nodded. Daniel knew what this meant.
“Wait. How….when did Zoe Willoughby get QKM stock? Why wasn’t I in the loop?” Daniel asked more confused than ever. He knew one thing for sure. If Zoe got her hands on his company’s stock then she must have had an ulterior motive. She was never one to do things just for the sake of doing them.
“Honestly, Mr. Reese, we didn’t think much of it until now,” Proctor said.
“Yeah and we have never had reason to question the motive of any new stock holder. To us it was just another investment,” Spencer said.
“But Uncle Patrick is still on the board,” he said matter of factly. Normally, if a member or the board sold off his shares then he had to give up his seat on the board. There was no logic to a board member sitting in on meetings in a company he had no business with.
“Yes he is but if I could speak freely sir, I would say that Patrick Reese is Miss Willoughby’s proxy,” Spencer said.
“Proxy? For what?” he asked as he looked at them. “And why the hell hasn’t this ever come up?” Daniel asked. This had to be the best kept secret next to Area 51.
“When no one questioned the change we thought it was some high level shit. We were not about to step in something we were not welcomed in. Excuse my French sir,” Proctor said.
“But there is no way my uncle would just hand over his shares without a fight. There is something more to this than meets the eye,” he said, a faraway look in his eye. Spencer looked at Proctor and shrugged. “I mean he did fight tooth and nail to get his hands on that stock after all,” Daniel added as he looked at the two guys who he had once considered his A-team. There was something off and he could feel it in his bones. He rubbed his brow with his index finger and sighed. “Get me the company’s financials going back two years. There is something more to this…stock handover and I am going to get to the bottom of it,” he said as he leaned back in his chair. Proctor and Wells looked at each other and nodded before they got up. “Hey guys. I need that report ASAP,” he said.
“I’ll have it back here in ten,” Proctor said before the two walked out.
Daniel to
ok a long deep breath as he looked at his phone. He had half a mind to call both his uncle and Zoe. He needed to know what the hell those two were up to. He had a sick feeling about all this. There was no way that his two least favorite people working together was a coincidence. There was something more to it and he was going to find out. He was not sure how long he had been staring at his phone when Proctor finally came through.
“Something’s a little off boss,” he said when he placed the report on the desk.
“Why?” Daniel asked as he grabbed the file off his desk. Proctor shook his head.
“The accounts guy was a little reluctant. Matter of fact he only did it because I dropped your name,” he said. Daniel looked at him and raised an eyebrow before he flipped through the pages. This was going to take a while. He looked at Proctor and smiled.
“Thanks, Proctor. I’ll take a look at this and get back to you,” he said as he put the file back on the table.
“Don’t mention it boss,” Proctor said before he started walking towards the door.
“Proctor, at the risk of sounding like a CIA agent, this is strictly need to know. And I determine who needs to know,” Daniel said. Proctor smiled and nodded. “Make sure Spencer knows that too,” he added before Proctor walked out of his office. He looked at the report and sighed before he picked up his phone. He dialed two and pressed call. “Julian, how’re you doing?” he said when his private forensic accountant picked up.
“Good but I’m guessing that is not the case for you,” Julian said.
Daniel smiled and nodded as if Julian could see him. “Saw right through this call, didn’t you?”
“Yes I did. So, what’s going on?” Julian asked.
“Well, I need to see you. Can we meet somewhere? I don’t think I should be discussing this over the phone,” Daniel said. “How about we do coffee in ten?”
“Sure. Same place?” Julian asked.
“Same place,” Daniel said before hanging up. Something was up and he was going to get to the bottom of whatever the hell Zoe and Patrick were up to.
*****
After his meeting with Julian, Daniel was more rattled than he had ever been. He could not wait to look his uncle and Zoe in the eye when he called them on their bluff. This was a new low even for them. His heart was beating hard in his chest as he slowly walked into the board room. His father looked up at him and smiled.
“Daniel, are you going to tell me why we are here?” he asked as Daniel sat down.
“Give it a minute dad,” Daniel said smiling at him. Ray looked at his son and shrugged. He’d been out of the QKM mainstream business for a while and board meetings were the only time he showed up at the company and now, for this thing his son had called him in for. “Right on time,” Daniel said under his breath as Zoe walked into the board room followed by Patrick.
Ray raised an eyebrow. “Pat? Zoe? What the hell is going on?”
Daniel looked at the two and then at his father.
“Always good to see you Ray. Retirement suits you. You look really good” she said with a smile. “Daniel,” Zoe added in a sarcastic tone.
“Thanks Zoe. Good to see you too. What’s going on?” Ray asked as he looked at the two of them. Daniel stood up and passed copies of the report he had in his hand. “What’s this?” he asked.
“Those are the company’s financials for the last year,” Daniel said.
Ray raised an eyebrow and shook his head. “What the hell? We are losing thousands daily.”
Zoe tossed the file on the table and shook her head.
“Is this why you called us in here? To tell us what we all know?” she asked.
“Hold on there. I did not know we were incurring this much in losses,” Ray said.
“That is not what I meant Ray. All I meant was that businesses make losses,” she said matter of factly.
“Yes, Daniel that is why there are balance sheets. With profits and loss accounts,” Patrick said. Daniel shook his head.
“That’s not the point. Look at page two of the report. It clearly states that we have all the raw materials needed for the next six months yet Uncle Patrick signed the release to procure more materials,” Daniel said.
Ray looked at his brother and shook his head. “Pat what the hell?”
“Ray I can explain…” Patrick started before Daniel held up a finger.
“And Uncle Patrick sold off his shares to Zoe,” he said. He could tell by the way Zoe’s eyes grew wide that he had taken her by surprise. She looked at Patrick and then at Ray.
“Now Ray…” Zoe started before Patrick also spoke up.
“I can explain this, Ray,” he said.
“Why didn’t you tell me that you wanted to sell your shares? After badgering me that much?” Ray asked as he looked at his brother.
Patrick shrugged. “I needed money, Ray.”
“You are a shareholder at a Fortune 500. How much money could you possibly have needed?” Ray asked.
“Dad, that’s not why I called us here. Our newest product has a number of tweaks, just a way to give us an edge in the market,” Daniel said as he switched on the projector. “This is our model. And this,” he paused as he changed the slides. “That’s our lead competitor’s newest model,” he added.
“That’s the same microwave we have in our line. Inside and out,” Ray said. He looked at his son and shook his head. “Why on earth does our lead competitor have the very same product we have? Doesn’t our R&D department put enough into their work or what the hell is going on?” he asked.
“I hired a forensic accountant to find out why we were having these losses and apart from finding out what uncle Patrick was doing, he also traced a money trail back to Zoe,” Daniel explained. From the way Zoe’s nostrils were flaring rapidly, he could tell that she was nervous. “A trail that led right up to Kitchen Depot. Zoe has been leaking our R&D designs to our competitor,” he added. Ray looked at Zoe and then at Patrick.
“You knew this was happening and you never said a word to me?” he asked.
“Ray listen…” Patrick started.
“According to the company bylaws, any board member who defies the confidentiality clause has to walk away from the table and his shares are sold to the other shareholders at half price,” Daniel said.
“Wait, what?” Zoe asked in surprise.
“Hey, that’s not fair…” Patrick started but Ray was already on his feet.
“I want you out of the building right now,” he said to Patrick through gritted teeth.
“Ray…you have to give me a chance to explain everything,’ Patrick said as he looked at his brother.
“Do I have to call security?” Ray asked.
“Listen Ray…” Zoe started.
“You too. And if you know what’s good for you, you will not contest this otherwise I will take you for everything you have,” Ray said, surprising everyone including himself. He had always had a soft spot for Zoe but the way she was acting right now, he didn’t have any heart left for her. Ray looked at Zoe and Patrick as they walked out of the door before he sat back down. “We need to do some major damage control,” he said looking at Daniel. “Get everything under control and get the mole out of the R&D department. We need to start over,” he said.
“I’m on it,” Daniel said as he picked up his laptop and walked out of the board room leaving his father seated there wondering how his bother could have double crossed him like that.
“Good move, Danny,” he heard Zoe’s voice when he walked out of the board room. He turned to his side and saw her leaning against the wall. She looked at him and flashed him a smile that would have once melted his heart.
“Why the hell are you trying to run me down, Zoe? What were you thinking?” he asked as he looked at her.
“You really don’t know?” she asked as she pushed a curl of her red hair behind her ear.
“No I really don’t,” Daniel said as he looked at her.
“You fucking left me,” she hiss
ed. “I don’t have the time for this,” he said as he walked down the hall to his office.
“You have to talk to me, Danny,” she said as she walked quickly after him. She followed him right past his assistant and slammed the door when they were both inside. “It’s been long enough,” she said as she looked at him.
“All I need to know is why you are trying to ruin my father’s legacy,” he said looking into her once warm eyes.
“You hurt me, Danny. You just left me without giving me a chance to explain…” she started before he laughed cynically.
“What was there to explain? We were supposed to get married and you cheated on me,” he said. “I deserve better,” he added as he walked to his desk. “You don’t even care what made me do what I did?” she asked.
Daniel looked up at her in surprise.
“What? You actually have a reason for your infidelity?” it was more of a statement than a question.
“You were never around. Always working and he….” Her voice trailed off. She looked at him and he shook his head in disbelief.
“So, what? You thought you’d get back at me by running the company my father struggled to build. to the ground? Is that it? Your big revenge plan?” he asked.
“I actually wanted to control the majority of the company. I still do,” she said.
“Why? Is that some crazy plan of yours to own me in some way?” he asked. He laughed cynically when she didn’t answer. That had been her plan all along. He looked at her and shook his head. “Get out,” he said as he picked up the phone.
“Annalise, get security up here right now.” Zoe looked at him and shook her head.
“Come on, Danny. We were supposed to be the power couple. To run QKM together?” she asked..
“That was before you opened your legs to another man,” he said in a low voice. She looked at him and began walking towards his desk slowly as she took off her coat. “What the hell are you doing?” he asked when she dropped her coat to the floor.