by David Allen
Christy took a deep breath and thought about her options. She offered no further argument; she knew she was beaten. The fight was lost, her scam was over. It was almost inconceivable to her, but Steve had won.
“I will sign it,” said Christy.
“There is a pen on the table.”
Christy grabbed the pen. She quickly signed her name then threw the signed document back at Steve.
“Here, I hope you choke on the goddamn thing. So is that it?” she asked.
Steve pointed to an envelope on the table. “There are the keys to the new apartment and directions. I bought you a set of luggage. It is stacked in my walk in closet. Go and pack up everything that you will need for the next few days. The movers will be here at nine o’clock on Saturday morning and they will get everything from your closet and dressers that you don’t take today. I will also get them to take the rest of your stuff that is in the storage area downstairs. I do not want you to come back here ever. Once you pack what you need, you get out and that’s it. I will be changing all the security system access codes and I want your copy of the elevator key and door key before you leave.”
Christy started toward the master bedroom. “You suck,” she called back to Steve.
Steve stood up from the couch. “One last thing Christy. Do not tell Tim Burke about any of this. I will be waiting until after the meeting tomorrow to drop the charges on you. If I find out that you uttered one word about me knowing about his plan, I will not drop the charges against you. Do you understand?”
“You don’t have to worry about that Steve. I hope the two of you rot in hell together.”
Chapter 36 - The Meeting
The boardroom of Peterson Software began to fill for the much anticipated Thursday morning meeting. Tim Burke was the first to arrive. He wanted to get into the room early in case there were any last minute changes to be discussed. He needed to be certain that everything was in place for his plan to work. So far, everything was looking good.
It was a little after ten o’clock when Steve Peterson entered the meeting. Out of all of the meeting attendees, Steve was usually the punctual one. For this meeting, he was the last one to arrive. When Steve entered the boardroom, a few of the attendees were already making comments about his tardiness. Several attendees were joking that Steve had changed his mind about giving up so much control of the company.
Steve walked to the far end of the boardroom table and placed a pile of stapled documents onto the table. He then pulled out the end chair and took his seat. Tim Burke sat directly to his left followed by Mike Powers, Paul Andrews, Frank Peters, Tazban Shirish and Kevin George.
To Steve’s right sat Linda Carter from the Human Resources department, followed by two representatives from the internal legal department. The rest of the right side was filled in with several representatives from the outside legal firm that helped prepare some of the meeting documents. Joe Jackson was seated at the other end of the table.
Steve gave a quick look around the table and smiled. The small grin helped to mask the internal turmoil that he was feeling. Steve took a deep breath and started the meeting.
“Thank you all for your punctuality this morning,” said Steve. His voice was clear and firm. There was no visible sign of his inner torment or his worry. Steve rolled his chair in a little closer to the table and continued.
“The meeting that we are having today is more of a formality to finalize a process that we started several months ago. I know we all have a lot of work to do so I will try to keep this meeting as brief as possible. As you all are aware, Peterson Software has grown tremendously over the past several years. I announced at the last quarterly meeting that several key employees would be taking on a much larger role at Peterson and will also become part owners of the company over a ten-year period.”
Steve’s voice crackled slightly. Joe gave him a nod and an assuring smile. Steve started in again.
“Much of the recent growth in the company can be attributed to the efforts of Tim Burke, Mike Powers, Frank Peters and Kevin George. To highlight their roles in our success and to reward their achievements, they have each achieved the level of Senior Vice President and Executive Director of their respective departments. Each of them will also share in the vesting rights to equal ownership of half of the company.”
Steve picked up the small stack of documents from the table and walked over to Tim Burke. He shook his hand and congratulated him on his efforts, and then handed him one of the documents. He proceeded to do the same for Mike Powers, Frank Peters and Kevin George. Steve kept the last copy of the document for himself.
“The document that I just gave to each of you, outlines the new roles that each of you will play in the future of Peterson Software,” said Steve. “It describes the vesting time table for the ownership and also details the various responsibilities that you will have within the new organization. Please take the time to read through the entire document and if you feel comfortable with everything, please sign them. By signing the document, you are stating that you will abide by the rules that govern your new positions. Your signature will finalize the agreement.”
Tim grabbed up the document and pretended to scan through the first two pages. All of the wording looked very familiar to him. He barely read a full sentence as he skimmed through the text. He really just wanted to see the third page. He wanted to see Section Six, the section that detailed the rules of voting. Section Six was his only real interest. Tim turned to page three as the others were barely finishing with page one.
The wording in Section Six looked the same as Tim had remembered. As far as he could tell, nothing appeared to have been changed from the wording in the document that Christy had provided to him. Tim scanned through the section again with the same result. All of the wording needed for his plan to work was still there. Tim’s group of four could still cast the winning vote on any issue.
The plan for the IPO was going to work, Tim thought. He grabbed a pen and scrawled his signature on the line at the bottom of the last page. The other three recipients were still scanning page two when they caught sight of Tim signing his document.
The others took it as a sign. They all flipped to the back page and scribbled down their own signatures. If the wording was good enough for Tim, it was good enough for them.
“That wasn’t too much time for a thorough review guys. Are you sure you read through the entire document?” asked Steve.
“Yes Steve, everything in the document looks fine,” said Tim firmly.
“And all of you feel that you will have no trouble meeting the position requirements or abiding by the corporate policy that was outlined in the document?” Steve added.
The group began to nod and answered in unison. “Yes,” they all replied.
“Well then, if you could all pass the signed documents over to Ms. Carter we can make this process final,” said Steve. “Congratulations to all of you. This was well deserved by each of you.”
Steve proceeded to walk around to each of the new Vice Presidents to shake their hands and congratulate them on their achievements. The rest of the group around the table joined in, offering handshakes and pats on the back.
After a few minutes of celebration, Steve returned to his seat. “Congratulations once again to all of you. I have nothing more to cover in this meeting. Unless any of the new owners have anything to add, I suggest we adjourn the meeting,” said Steve.
Tim quickly spoke up. “Steve, I have one item that I would like to cover before we end the meeting. I feel it is a very important issue and it is now my right and my duty to address the matter as quickly as possible.”
Steve sat back into his chair. Here we go, he thought.
“Sure Tim, the floor is yours. I am glad to see you are comfortable enough in your new role to take charge. I think it is an admirable trait.”
Tim stood. He immediately began to flail his arms at the attendees.
“What I am going to say will not sit well with
some of you around this table, but it needs to be said nonetheless. It is something that should have been said a long ago. In my new role at Peterson Software, I would like to submit a motion for Peterson Software to go public. In other words I would like to propose that Peterson Software issue an IPO of stock and I would like to raise the issue to a vote.”
Steve rolled his chair slightly closer to Tim. “Tim, do you know what you’re doing? Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked in a hushed voice.
“I know exactly what I am doing,” said Tim forcefully. His arms whirled about above his head. “I am doing what any strong leader of this company should do. I am doing what you should have done years ago. Does anyone wish to second my motion for a vote?” asked Tim defiantly, as he looked around the table.
Frank Peters raised his hand. “I second the motion for a vote on an IPO of Peterson Software,” Frank said quite loudly.
Joe looked up to the end of the table at Steve. He raised his eyebrows as if to ask what next. Steve caught Joe out of the corner of his eye and flashed him a slight grin. Steve then turned toward Tim.
“Tim, are you sure you really want to go forward with this?” he asked.
Tim ignored Steve’s inquiry. “I have a second to my motion for a vote on an IPO. I would like to raise the issue of an IPO of Peterson Software to a full vote,” Tim paused and looked around the table. “All in favor of Peterson Software issuing an IPO!” he called out.
Immediately, there was a call of “Aye!”
“All opposed,” called out Tim.
“Nay,” said Steve. His voice was calm and soft.
“The ayes have it four to one,” said Tim joyously. “As per the agreement that we all just signed, our fifty percent share of the company and four votes win over the single no vote by Steve Peterson.”
Tim threw his arms into the air and pumped his fists. “The vote to issue an IPO has passed,” he said authoritatively. “Peterson Software is going public.”
Kevin George leaned in toward the table. “Nay,” he announced forcefully. “I voted Nay.”
Tim spun around at Kevin. “What did you say? You can’t vote twice you moron.”
“I didn’t vote for the proposal Tim. I never voted for the IPO. My vote is ‘Nay’.”
Steve leaded back in his chair and glared at Tim. “Sit down Tim,” he said.
Tim remained defiant. He remained standing, as his mind tried to figure out exactly what had just transpired.
“Tim, you lost the vote. And you lost more than that. Did you even read the document that you signed?” Steve asked.
“Of course, I read the document. What does it matter? The vote was lost anyway, lost because of an idiot. You win.”
“Tim, did you read Section 6-A?” asked Steve.
“I told you I read the document,” came the reply.
“Well Tim, if you did read the document, then you know that by raising the issue of an IPO you committed a transgression against the company that is punishable by termination of employment and loss of future corporate ownership.”
Tim’s expression turned sour. “What are you talking about? What offense? What do you mean by Section 6-A?”
Steve picked up his copy of the document that each new owner signed and handed it to Tim. “Here Tim, take a look at section 6-A at the very top of page four, the signature page.”
Tim snatched up the unsigned copy and flipped to the last page. There at the top of page was the new section that was added since he had seen the copy that he assumed was the final draft. He had skipped right by it.
Tim examined the section that outlined several items that would be considered to be punishable by revocation of company ownership and termination of employment. The first offense listed was to pursue the issue an IPO of Peterson Software. The second offense was supporting the issue if it was raised.
Tim’s jaw dropped and he quietly took his seat. Joe Jackson looked on from the end of the table. He could tell by Tim’s expression that Tim knew he was beat.
“Tim you may want to share that portion of the document with the two people seated to your left,” said Steve. “I think they may have some interest in reading it.”
Tim nudged the document that was still opened to page four over to Mike Powers. Mike wouldn’t look at the page. He just glared at Tim.
“Nothing can go wrong, right Tim.” muttered Mike. “You know everything.”
Steve pushed back from the table. “I want to meet with each one of you individually in my office,” he said as he pointed at the somber group. As for the rest of you, I do not want anything that happened in this meeting talked about with any other employee. I will not tolerate any more of these ridiculous rumors that have been circulating around here. I will issue a formal memo after I get through speaking to everyone in order to clarify what has happened today and to discuss the company’s future direction.”
Steve rose to his feet. “Is that clear with everyone?” he asked. The room remained quiet except for a few subdued “yes” responses.
“Then if there is nothing more, this meeting is adjourned.” Steve walked behind Tim and patted his shoulder. “I would like to see you in my office now Tim,” he said. “The rest of you please return to your office and wait for my call.”
Steve was already seated when Tim entered his office. Tim closed the door and took a seat in front of Steve’s desk.
“How long have you known about it?” Tim asked.
Steve took a breath and folded his arms on top of his desk. “Not that long Tim. Just a couple of days,” he said.
“Well, Christy was in on the whole thing too. She’s been in on it right from the start,” said Tim, as he tried to inflict some pain. “I’ll bet that you didn’t know that, did you? So much for that little sweetheart of yours.”
“Yes I knew all about it Tim, but we are not here to discuss Christy.”
Steve’s response was firm and simple. It caught Tim by surprise. He grimaced and crouched back into his chair.
“Tim, you leave me with very few options. The loss of your ownership rights in the company is mandatory as per the document you signed. The only choice that I have in the matter is deciding if you remain an employee or if your position here is terminated. Quite frankly, I don’t feel that I could ever trust you as an employee again.”
Steve raised his folded hands and placed them under his chin. “What would you do if you were in my shoes Tim?” Steve asked, as he looked Tim directly in the eye.
Tim lowered his head and stared at the top of the desk. He didn’t look up again. “If I were you?” he repeated back, before taking a slight pause to think. “If I were you, I would kick my ass out of here,” said Tim. “The quicker the better.”
“Well Tim, I always did respect your opinion. In this case I feel you are correct again. You are fired Tim. You need to report directly to Human Resources to finalize the termination. I will have security empty out your personal items from your office and deliver them to you in HR. I do not want you to return to your office. Is that clear?”
“Yes, I understand,” said Tim, as he began to stand.
“And lastly Tim, because you are being fired for an offense against the company, there will be no severance package. You get nothing.” Steve stood and extended his hand to Tim who was now standing in front of his desk.
“I sincerely wish you the best in your future endeavors Tim,” said Steve.
Tim turned and walked out of the office without speaking another word or acknowledging Steve’s gesture.
The other two mutineers were each called into Steve’s office one at a time. Each one was stripped of his future company ownership and each was demoted back to a manager level position. They both remained Peterson employees and they both felt lucky.
Because they had been in the meeting and witnessed the proceedings, Steve called Paul and Taz into his office to discuss the resulting fallout. Each one admitted his participation in the plan and apologized to Steve for their acti
ons. In return for their apology, they received no reprimands.
Kevin George was the last person to talk to Steve. After Steve’s discussion with Tim the previous day, Steve had called Kevin into his office to discuss the message that Kevin left for Steve’s. During the discussion Kevin broke down. He told Steve all the details of Tim’s plan. He apologized for being part of it. Steve told Kevin that he already knew about the plan. He also told Kevin that he had the power to vote the way he wanted to vote on the IPO issue and that he was the one with the power to stop Tim. In the end, Kevin voted with his heart and not with his wallet. Steve thanked him for standing up to Tim. Kevin was the only senior team member who retained his future corporate ownership and title of Senior Vice President.
Chapter 37 - An End, A Beginning
Steve Peterson sat quietly on the front porch stoop of the Jackson’s home. In his hand he held the letter from the bank explaining the details of the trust fund set up by his parents. Steve was reading over the section that described the detailed payment history of the fund. His eyes darted back and forth across the pages as he examined all of the monthly payments that were made out to his Uncle Jack.
Luke sat silently by Steve’s side. Every so often he would try to get Steve to come with him to finish waxing Steve’s new car. But Steve couldn’t stop looking at the letter and analyzing the long list of numbers. He needed to know more. He needed to know how his Uncle Jack could have taken his parent’s dying gift to him and keep it for himself. He needed to know how his Uncle could have told him such horrible lies.
Steve turned to the last page of the letter. He slowly scanned through the rows of monthly payout entries. He reached the last entry and the line of totals listed at the bottom of the page. His eyes stared intently at the large numbers. Steve wondered how his parents could have had so much money.
Jack always told Steve that his parents died broke. He said that his dad had run up a lot of debt and that their house had a huge mortgage. There was no money left after all the debts were paid according to the stories told by his Uncle.