by Iris Bolling
“Another minute and I was going to have a word with Elaine,” Mike said as Grace walked to her normal seat. “What is the deal with her?”
“She thinks Myles is indebted to her for standing between Mitch and other employees during the shooting. She is using it for all it’s worth.”
Grace sat and crossed her legs as Elaine got up in a huff. They watched as she marched over to Myles.
“This should be interesting.” Mike smirked.
When Elaine reached Myles she whispered a few words, smiled then took her regular seat.
Grace and Mike shared a confused look. Grace then glanced up at Jonathan who had a strained look on his face. She followed his glare to Elaine’s back.
“I wonder what that is all about?” Mike said.
He apparently saw the look too. Grace shrugged. “I don’t know. But I have a feeling we are about to find out. By the way, we need to meet in my office after this meeting.”
Mike nodded as Myles began.
“Good morning everyone,” Myles greeted. “Shall we take our seats? Jonathan.” Myles pointed to the seat at the head of the table that William Mitchell once occupied. The move would have made Grace smile if it wasn’t next to Elaine.
“Grace.”
She looked up, surprised her name had been called.
“Please take the seat across from Jonathan.”
“Mother’s seat?” she questioned.
“Yes.” Myles nodded.
She hesitated, holding Myles’ eyes.
“It is where I need you to be.”
Whenever Myles decided to take his rightful seat at the head of the table, Jonathan would be on his right and she would be on his left. His intent was clear. Myles was setting up the hierarchy. He was letting the board members know that if anything were to happen to him Jonathan and Grace were in charge.
Grace stood praying the emotions of the moment were not visible as she walked to the head of the table then took the seat as Myles instructed. A smile of satisfaction appeared on his face as he nodded then took his seat at the opposite end of the table. Grace kept her eyes on her brother as he began the meeting.
“As President and CEO of Dunning Bank & Trust, I hereby call this first meeting of the new board to order. We have quite a bit to cover, however, I would like to begin with a few announcements.” He nodded to Chrystina. “Mrs. Vazquez and Chrystina are handing out the new organizational chart for Dunning. You will see that a number of you have new titles. Some come with an adjustment in duties, some do not. All are open for discussion, but I firmly suggest you come prepared for an in-depth discussion if you are seeking a change.
“Most notable is Jonathan Michael as Vice-President and Grace Dunning as Deputy CEO. They will each report directly to me along with Mike Dunning, Director of IT and System Security. The following departments will report to Jonathan, Cainan Scott, who is now Director of Global Investments, Elaine Jacobson, Director of Corporate Accounts, and Preston Long, Director of Business Development. The following positions will now report to Grace - AnnieMarie Dunning, Director of Public Relations, Gary Dunning, Chief Financial Officer and Lynn Sterling, Director of Risk Management. As you can see, we still have the Director of Customer Services, who will report to Grace and the Director of Compliance who will report directly to me, those positions are to be filled. Are there any questions?”
“What is the reason for the changes?” Elaine asked
“It is time for us to prepare for the future with clear lines of responsibility and accountability.” Myles smiled. “Congratulations to each of you and for those who are new, welcome to the Board of Dunning.”
A round of applause echoed throughout the room.
“Look around the table,” Myles stated with a look of pride. “Each of you are a key element to our future. I am excited to see what this new day at Dunning will bring. The true measure of an organization is how it handles adversity. We were handed a blow when my father passed away. It is now our duty to continue to build the legacy that was handed to us.”
Grace flinched at his words. The weight of the history of Dunning was now on their shoulders. Were they ready for this? Watching Myles she had no doubt he was ready. The question was on her. Was she ready to carry that weight? She felt eyes on her. She looked up and around until her eyes settled on Jonathan’s. He was staring straight at her as if he could read her doubts, her anguish. One corner of his mouth curled into a faint smile. In his way, he was reassuring her. At least that’s how she was taking the action. He was letting her know that she was not alone.
“We have a strong foundation. It is my belief that the team is ready for whatever the future may hold.” He paused. “With that said, I am also pleased to introduce Jonathan Michael as our new Vice-President.”
Members around the table applauded as Myles sat back in his chair then turned his attention to his new VP. Grace smiled at Myles then turned to do the same. Why did he have to be so damn charming? Grace thought as she listened to Jonathan.
“It is an honor to be here at Dunning Bank & Trust. I have admired the operations here from afar. The organization has made blinding strides.”
Grace cleared her throat. “Great strides.”
Jonathan glanced at her, smiled, then nodded. “Great strides, thank you, Grace. I have to be conscious of my vernacular here in the states. If I inadvertently call you a name that is offensive, do forgive the bloke from across the sea.”
“Man from across the sea,” Grace corrected.
“Man.” He smiled. “I appreciate having my interpreter nearby.”
The members laughed as he continued. “My task is simple. To use my expertise and skillset to assist Myles and Grace through the next phase of Dunning’s existence. I would like to take this opportunity to address the elephant in the room.”
“Yes, Mr. Michael,” Elaine spoke with a voice laced with accusations. “The elephant, more precisely, Phase International. From what I understand you were the right hand man to Richard Dewberry III. So forgive me for wondering why you would leave such a prestigious position to come to Dunning.”
“I consider the position here with Dunning to be prestigious, as well as honorable, Ms. Jacobson.” Jonathan smiled.
“Beautifully stated, Mr. Michael.” Elaine sat up. “But I’m from the old school. If you look around the table, I am the only one left from the original board Hepburn put together. So forgive me if I appear to be a bit suspicious of your actions.”
“While I understand it is in your best interests to attempt to discredit my reasons for being here, to gain favor with Mr. Dunning, at this moment I’m going to insist that you hold your argy-bargy until I complete my statement.”
Grace cleared her throat again. “Argument.”
“Thank you,” Jonathan said then turned back to Elaine. “Argument until I complete my statement.” He then looked back at Grace. “It takes a bit of the bite out when you correct me, Love.”
Grace exhaled. “You cannot call me Love in the board meetings.”
Myles chuckled.
Jonathan nodded his head. “Very well. Grace.”
Agitated Elaine called out, “Mr. Michael, I have no reason or wish to discredit you. I believe we should all have our motives on the table. Don’t you?”
“I do. Shall we display them motive by motive for all to see?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Grace could feel there was an undercurrent of something flowing between the two. What was that about, she wondered as Jonathan continued to speak.
“Are you seeking an early retirement, Ms. Jacobson?”
Gary sat up. “This is getting interesting.”
“Of course not,” Elaine replied as she squirmed a little under the intensity of Jonathan’s glare.
“Then I suggest we stop with the pissing contest. I guarantee you I will stream much farther then you.”
“Hello,” Gary chuckled.
Some of the men around the room cleared their throats as all eyes turne
d in Elaine’s direction.
“Uh-oh.” Grace raised an eyebrow. She knew that look on Jonathan’s face. He had just stepped beyond annoyed.
“Anything more?”
“I know that look.” Grace smirked. “Just say no, girl….just say no.”
Elaine gave her the evil eye, then glanced at Myles.
Grace smirked wondering if Elaine thought that Myles was going to intercede on her behalf.
Myles remained silent. Elaine gave Jonathan a slight nod.
Jonathan curtly nodded then scanned around the table at each member. It was his job to know each of them and what motivated them as far as Dunning was concerned. Before making the decision to leave Phase to work with Dunning, Jonathan had completed a thorough investigation into every member of the board. He knew which members needed closer scrutiny than the others. He also had a pretty good idea of which members would attempt to question his authority. His eyes landed back on Elaine.
“Good, let’s move on. It is important that each of you understand I am here because Dunning Bank and Trust is in danger. It is my duty to protect the institution that made it possible for me to be the man that I am today. Dunning opened its doors in 1840. That action gave people of colour the opportunity to demonstrate their ability in the area of finances. I did not walk through that door…I ran. And I kept running until I reached the top. In that time, I have kissed about all the arses I plan to and bit my tongue for the last time to learn the ways of high finance. Now is the time for me to use the knowledge and skillset I have to advance an institution I believe in.” He shrugged. “I do not need to articulate my list of accomplishments or my standing in the world of banking. You know it. Dunning is a choice for me. It is not where I have to be.” He glared at Elaine. “It is where I want to be. DBT needs to be protected against external and internal enemies. For Ms. Jacobson, and anyone else who has questions, I am here to ensure Dunning Bank and Trust is prepared to meet the challenges from those who are not ready for an institution of African Americans to control the world’s finances. For as we all know, the organization that holds the key to the purse strings of the world also holds the power of governments.”
“While I am certain that there must have been a discussion with the family regarding the selection of Mr. Michael, it is not the way this board operates and these changes….” She trailed off then looked directly at Myles. “In the past a change of this magnitude would have been brought before the board in advance of a decision being made.”
That was a strange statement, Jonathan thought. Was it her intent to cause friction between the family members of the board and those who were not? The question was why? He continued to listen to the discussion about him.
“The CEO of Dunning does not have to clear his decision with this board,” Grace stated. “Are you questioning his authority to do so?”
“Of course not,” Elaine argued. “All I am saying is that Hepburn would have brought a decision of this magnitude to this board for our input.”
“I may be missing the argy-bargy here,” Gary chuckled, “but do you have an issue with Jonathan being here?”
“Yes.” Mike nodded. “If you have an issue with Jonathan, put it on the table so that we can argy-bargy the point.”
Jonathan smiled. “Argument, all right, mate…argument.” Leave it to Gary to be the one to use comic relief to ease the tension in the room.
“I have no issue with Jonathan being in the position,” AnnieMarie stated. “To me it was a brilliant move at a time when we needed the good press.”
“You are a member of the family.” Elaine sighed. “There are a number of members on the board who are not a part of the Dunning family that may feel a little different.”
Hmm, there it is, Jonathan thought. Family against non-family. He looked around the room. A gentle seed of doubt planted in the minds of the board members who were not family. He had seen the play before. There were ten members of the board. Five were family, five were not. He made a note to keep the number in the back of his mind.
“Family or not, we all want the best for Dunning.” Preston nodded in agreement. “While I do agree Mr. Michael is a welcome addition to the team, it was a major decision that should have been brought before the board.”
One for Elaine, Jonathan thought.
“Allow me to put your minds at ease.” Myles stood. “While there will be times when I bring issues to the board, this decision was not up for debate. It would have been fruitless to bring it before you. Jonathan Michael has my full confidence. To question his reasons for being here is to question my ability to make the best decision on behalf of this board. I reached out to Jonathan because his skillset is what we need to take Dunning into the future. There is no one at this table who can refute that. Therefore, I can only ascertain that the issue at hand is my authority to make the decision.” He looked around the table. “Is there a question on the table regarding my authority?”
“No, Myles, of course not.” Elaine sat forward. “It is the manner in which it was done. I am certain,” she softened her rebut, “Jonathan would have been voted in without question. As you said his reputation precedes him. The purpose of the board has always been to include all department heads in the decision making process. Hepburn always bounced things of this magnitude off of us.”
“Good grief, if the question had been brought to the board Mr. Michael would get voted in. In the meantime, we have wasted twenty minutes of our lives that none of us will ever be able to get back.”
All eyes turned to Chrystina as her head came up from her tablet.
“Did I just say that out loud?”
Grace stood as others around the room laughed. “I place the nomination of Jonathan Royal Michael as Vice-President of Dunning Bank and Trust on the table for your consideration.”
Mike stood. “I second the nomination.”
Myles held his hand up. “It is not necessary to waste time taking a vote. Jonathan Michael is our Vice-President.” Myles sat back down. “Jonathan, please continue.”
Jonathan nodded. “Be delighted to.” He turned to Mrs. Vazquez. “Will you distribute the devices?”
Mrs. Vazquez and Chrystina stood.
“At this time we are confiscating your electronic devices,” Jonathan stated. “Your contacts and other information have been transferred to your new communication devices as well as your tablets.”
“What? Why is that necessary?” Elaine asked.
“Security,” Jonathan replied. “Your current devices are not secure. As evident by the fact that I was able to transfer information so easily. While your telly number has not been changed, the devices you are receiving have a new security chip inside. In the future each one of these devices will be changed every six months to ensure that we have the most updated security features available.”
Jonathan watched which members pulled out their cell devices to exchange for the new models. He took note of the members who did not comply with the request.
"I did not bring my cell phone with me,” Cainan stated. “I rarely bring it to board meetings.”
“Same here,” Elaine stated.
“Nor did I,” Lynn added.
“Then I suggest you collect your devices to exchange them with my assistant posthaste.”
CHAPTER 7
The meeting continued as each department head gave their reports in the order of the agenda. Grace cleared her mind of the distraction of Jonathan being so close and concentrated on the manner in which he conducted the meeting. He had such a commanding presence it was as if her father was in the room.
“Impressive numbers,” Jonathan said to Cainan. “Hershel Automotive will be pleased to see these numbers. At some point in the day, stop by my office. I’d like to take a look at projections for the third quarter of the year.” He sat forward from his relaxed position. “Who is working on the Boeing Industries Technology account?”
“I am.” Preston sat forward.
Jonathan looked at his note
s. “Your territories consist of small business accounts. Why is Boeing included in your territory?”
“BIT was within the small business criteria.” Preston nodded. “Until their unveiling of the new micro chip. Since then they have steadily moved into mid-size territory.”
“Their stock is one of the fastest growing on the market right now,” Cainan said.
“It is going to skyrocket with the announcement of the second phase of the chip development,” Jonathan added.
“Is there any indication when that will happen?” Gary asked.
“None that I am aware of,” Preston responded.
Gary nodded in acknowledgment. “You are in talks with the team from BIT. See if you can get an opening to ask about it. The more information we have up front regarding the release date the better prepared we can be for the influx of financial activities once we acquire the account.”
“It will also give us a heads up for target marketing in our presentation,” AnnieMarie added.
The tablets around the table buzzed indicating an incoming document.
“I just sent a document to each of you with information I have regarding updates on the prototype,” Elaine stated. “That may give you some indication as to when it will be released to the public.”
“I am not able to open it,” Gary stated.
“Same here,” Lynn and Preston added.
“Your security levels on your devices are much higher than before,” Jonathan explained. “The document is from an unsecured sender.”
“It is from me,” Elaine stated.
“The originator of the document is not.” Jonathan reached out, taking her tablet. He made a few adjustments. “Try sending it again.”
Elaine glanced at him, then nodded. The tablets around the room buzzed again. “As I stated before, this document may give you a little more insight into the release date for the new chip.”
That statement brought Grace to full attention. She opened the document on her tablet then glanced over it as Elaine spoke.