by Jenna Brandt
Merging with the Billionaire
Billionaires of Manhattan
Jenna Brandt
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Locale and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, actual events, or actual locations is purely coincidental. All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, email [email protected].
Text copyright © Jenna Brandt 2019.
Cover design by Josephine Blake
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Epilogue
A Note from the Author
Also by Jenna Brandt
Join My Mailing List and Reader’s Group
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Praise for Jenna Brandt
I am always excited when I see a new book by Jenna Brandt.
Lori Dykes, Amazon Customer
Jenna Brandt is, in my estimation, the most gifted author of Christian fiction in this generation!
Paula Rose Michelson, Fellow Author
Ms. Brandt writes from the heart and you can feel it in every page turned.
Sandra Sewell White, Longtime Reader
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To all those who love modern day fairytales.
Let’s dream together.
1
Twelve board members stared at Conrad Gaines with penetrating glares of distrust. Even though this was his sixth takeover of a company on the verge of financial collapse, he never got used to the looks of anger and resentment he received from the people whose lives he was about to change.
Conrad hadn’t created the mess that caused them to be in this situation, but one wouldn’t know that from the hostile looks he received from the men and women sitting around the table in front of him.
Didn’t they get it? They were lucky he was doing things differently this time. He was trying to help them salvage what they could from their company and walk away without a complete loss. It was better he stepped in now, then let them face the bankruptcy court and long line of creditors the company owed.
“Today is a new day for Vital Corp. Together, we’re going to resurrect this dying company. The plan is to—”
Before he could finish, a gray-haired man from the back blurted out, “Don’t you mean you’re here to strip the company of its assets and then leave us with nothing?”
“I’m not sure where you’ve gotten your information from, but that’s not my intent,” Conrad countered, remembering to keep his voice even and not show anything but professionalism.
“I get my information from your track-record. Everyone knows when you arrive, it means a company is struggling to breathe and you’re there to put the pillow over it to make sure it suffocates.”
There were a couple of coughs and a few raised eyebrows around the table, but from their continued animosity, it seemed they were all in agreement with the other man.
Conrad was going to have his work cut out on this latest endeavor, but he was always up for a challenge.
“If you’re aware of my track-record, then you know I take my work seriously and I always accomplish my goals. Lucky for this company, I don’t want to see it go under. I want to strip out what’s causing the company to flounder, divert those assets to the areas that are profitable, and thereby strengthen the whole company.”
“Everyone knows you don’t do something for nothing, otherwise you wouldn’t be as rich as you are,” a second man chimed in. “You’re in it for the profit, so what are you getting out of this?”
“Simple, I’ve come to an agreement with your CEO. In exchange for my help, he will give me exclusive rights to your cutting-edge, yet-to-be-released, solar panels. Once they’re folded into my solar energy company, my profits will double, Vital Corp will get a residual royalty for every panel sold, and both companies will come out stronger for the partnership.”
Conrad left out the fact that the other man was correct. He wasn’t the type of businessman that helped struggling companies on a regular basis. Most often, he was the first in line to see what he could get from their yard sale as they went under.
Why shouldn’t Conrad be that way, when no one helped him while he struggled his whole life? He was used to people treating him with hostility, and in return, he met them with indifference. Everyone around him was simply a number on a spreadsheet.
The reason for his change in pattern this time, however, was that Conrad had an ulterior motive for wanting the technology for the panels. Gaining them was the final step in his plan to get revenge on Roger Boswell, the man who made his life a living nightmare in college.
He’d heard a rumor that Boswell Oil was looking to branch out into the solar energy business, and Conrad wanted his solar company to be enticing enough to cause Boswell Oil to do business with him. The new, exclusive technology he was getting through this deal was exactly what Conrad needed to get Boswell Senior on board with letting him in the front door. Once he did that, he could set in motion a plan to get revenge on the man’s son, and finally pay him back for all the rotten things Roger and his friends did to Conrad while they were in college.
“Any other questions?” Conrad asked, looking around the room. When no one else answered, he took a seat at the head of the table and continued. “Let’s get started. Please turn to page three of the restructuring plan.”
Tiffany Boswell ignored the whispers and stares of her male employees, knowing that if she gave them any attention, it would only make the situation worse.
She was used to having to prove herself to them. They had resisted her authority at every turn since she took her position as the co-COO of Boswell Oil a month prior. She was aware they all thought her father—who still remained the CEO, at least on paper—had given her the position along with her brother because they were his children. In part, that was true, but Tiffany had earned her right to sit at the head of the table. After graduating Magna Cum Laude with a degree from Harvard business school, one would think the men at the company would understand she wasn’t just some vapid blonde with nothing upstairs. She understood what it took to run a Fortune 500 company.
“Good morning, gentlemen, it’s time to get to work,” she said, placing her briefcase next to her chair before she took a seat.
“Why were we called here? We all have work to do,” Eli Smith, a middle-aged, thin man, inquired with an irritated tone. “Every minute we’re in here is another we could be spending closing deals with customers.”
“As you know, since I’ve taken over as COO—”
“Co-COO,”
Mr. Smith corrected. “Where is your brother, by the way? Is he going to grace us with his presence today?”
“He’s probably too busy planning his upcoming wedding extravaganza to deign coming into the office today. It wouldn’t be the first time he skipped work,” John Wen, a friend of the other man chimed in.
“Gentlemen, my brother’s personal life is not the focus of today’s meeting. Let me reassure you, I’m more than capable of handling the running of this company without him present,” Tiffany stated firmly. Giving both men withering stares, she added, “You should get used to me steering the ship; this is the new way at Boswell Oil.”
“As you wish, Miss Boswell. Let’s get the meeting under way then,” Mr. Smith commanded.
Though she didn’t like the senior sales manager ordering everyone around like he was in charge, Tiffany knew to pick her battles. Deciding to let it go, she said instead, “I’ve been doing an overhaul of each department, starting with production the first week. Last week, I took a look at processing and distribution. This week, I’m examining our sales. Since all of you are the head of our regional sales divisions, I decided this conference is in order.” She reached down and pulled a binder from her briefcase, flipped it open and continued. “Looking at the sales data over the past two years, I’ve noticed consistent discrepancies between the units guaranteed and billed. Why is that?”
“There’s often shifts between what a customer initially orders and what we end up sending out,” Mr. Smith explained. “Their needs often change.”
“But it’s always a down trend; there’s never an upswing. Can you explain why the orders are consistently lower?” Tiffany inquired, unsatisfied with the answer she was given.
The team of five men shifted in their seats, averting their eyes. After a few moments, Mr. Smith replied, “No, I can’t explain it.”
“Could it have to do with incentives? I’ve looked into how your sales teams are handled, and there are incentives for meeting certain quotas for initial reporting. Wouldn’t it make more sense to have their incentives based on final numbers? The way you’re doing it now leaves room for our representatives to inflate their numbers in order to receive incentives, without a care that during final confirmation the actual units drop, resulting in a steady decrease.”
“I suppose that could be happening,” Mr. Smith conceded, “but incentives are important. They encourage the teams to produce.”
“I agree, they are important. However, to ensure numbers are being reported accurately, why don’t we have a lower incentive for initial amounts, and then if their initial orders meet their final sales, they get a bigger secondary incentive, there by encouraging more accurate reporting.”
Mr. Smith folded his arms across his chest as his brows came together in a furrow, as if he was contemplating what she just suggested. A couple of moments passed, and he finally responded, “I guess that could work. When do you propose we roll out the new incentive plan?”
“I was thinking next month. We can work on the details in the meantime and have a party in each region to announce the changes.”
Tiffany spent the next hour going over her ideas and working with the group of men to come up with the best launch plan for the new incentives. She gave them each a task list, and they agreed to get back together the following week to go over their work.
“Miss Boswell, I just want you to know, I think you did an excellent job today. You made some great points and I think the changes you plan to make will be a great benefit to the company. I know the rest of the sales managers were hard on you, but you held your own like a veteran,” Harry Stine, a man with auburn hair and a warm smile, said to her.
She stopped cleaning up and turned her attention to the man. “Thank you. I’m glad at least one of you think I’m capable of doing my job.”
“The rest of the managers are just old school and firm believers in the ‘good old boys’ club.’ They don’t understand times are changing and that their chauvinistic way of doing things is outdated. They have a hard time adjusting to the new corporate landscape.”
Now that she was close to him, Tiffany noticed for the first time that Harry wasn’t much older than herself. A surprising fact since her father tended to keep men of his own age in the higher positions of the company.
“At least I have someone who sees it my way,” Tiffany admitted.
“I do, you know, see it your way. We could go over how much if you let me take you out for a drink sometime,” Harry offered.
Suddenly, Tiffany realized the reason the man had stuck around after the meeting. He didn’t want to commend her as a leader as much as he wanted to take her out on a date. It infuriated her that he thought it appropriate. She was so sick and tired of men only seeing her as a conquest in the bedroom.
The last thing she needed was to get tangled up with another man, let alone one she worked with at the company. Her ex-boyfriend, Artie Frankhurst, had ruined any faith she had in being in a relationship when she found out he had been cheating on her with multiple women. She broke things off promptly, though he didn’t seem to get the point, since he had continued to hound her with calls and texts until she blocked his number. Once she did that, he moved on to privately messaging her on social media, resulting in further blocks on her part. He even had the nerve to track her down at the club, and various other social events, trying to explain it was all a big mistake.
Tiffany didn’t want to hear it. She decided after breaking up with Artie, she was done with men, deciding to focus solely on work. She liked that with the direct amount of effort she put in, she would see tangible results, the exact opposite of the process of dating.
“Considering we’re co-workers, I don’t think that would be a good idea,” Tiffany refused gently. “I don’t want to give anyone the wrong idea.”
A look of disappointment crossed Harry’s face as he nodded. “I understand your decision, but if you change your mind, the offer stands. I’d love to take you out sometime.”
As Tiffany made her way out of the conference room, her cell phone rang. She answered the call, then lifted it up to her ear, holding back the sigh she wanted to release. “Hello, Dad. Calling to check up on how the sales manager meeting went?”
“I wanted to make sure that you and Roger went over everything we discussed.”
“I told you, Dad, Roger couldn’t make it today. He had a parent-teacher conference for Marcus.”
“Oh, yes, yes, I forgot,” her father mumbled in confusion, causing her to feel guilty for being short with him.
She reminded herself her father was handling having Alzheimer’s as best he could. She couldn’t imagine how scary it must be to have the disease aggressively take over his body and mind, leaving him defenseless against forgetting his life and what made him who he was.
After spending his whole life turning his own father’s oil business into a global multi-billion-dollar brand, it wasn’t surprising it was the last piece of him he held onto the tightest. Since he remembered she was at work, she figured he was having a good day with his memory. She wondered how many more good days he would have before her father disappeared altogether. As it was, he often forgot his family, his business, and even himself at times.
“It’s all right, Dad, I was able to handle everything on my own.”
“I know you think you can, Tiffany, but you have to remember, most of the sales team are used to dealing with men. I doubt they—”
“Actually, it went better than any of you expected,” she said with pride. “I went over the discrepancies, and the sales managers agreed with the plan to fix the issues.”
“Yes, didn’t Roger come up with that?” her father asked, but this time she was sure it wasn’t due to memory loss, but rather the inability to see her merits as Co-COO.
“No, Dad, I was the one who came up with the idea,” she reminded him. “I told Roger about it to make sure he knew what was going on with the situation, but it was all me.”
It was funny
, even with her father as sick as he was, she still wanted his approval. She wondered if she would ever get it before it was too late.
“You’ll be home tonight for dinner, right?” her father inquired. “Are you still running around with that Artie Frankhurst boy? You better not be getting into any trouble with him.”
“No, Dad, I’m coming over for dinner tomorrow night,” she answered, purposely avoiding talking about Artie and the embarrassment she felt over how he’d treated her.
“There you are, Tiffany. I’m sorry I couldn’t get here sooner,” she heard her brother, Roger, say, as he came rushing up to her in the hallway of the office. “Traffic was a nightmare coming from the school.”
“Is that Roger?” Tiffany heard her father yell with excitement through the phone. “Is he there to fix everything with the sales team? Let me talk to him.”
This time, she let out the sigh she had been holding in, and rather than answer her father, she handed the phone to her brother instead. “He wants to talk to you.”
Roger spent the next few minutes convincing his father he wasn’t at the meeting and that he didn’t have anything to do with the original concept or convincing the team to accept it. By the time he got off, he looked as frustrated as she felt.
“Let me guess, he gave you all the credit.” Tiffany crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head in frustration. “I sure wish I had it as easy as you; the golden boy that Dad wanted to take over the family business since he was born. I’m just the accident that came after you, who for added insult, happened to be a girl.”