Warren’s eyes crinkled with amusement while several of the other executives began firing questions at me and each other. A few younger people I assumed were assistants began tapping frantically on cell phones. Little did they know Marcel’s magic messenger bag held a signal jammer.
We’d learned some lessons the hard way early on.
Warren clasped his hands together and leaned forward on the table. “Sir, I’m not sure exactly what kind of prank you’re attempting here, but York is privately held. It’s a family-owned business and has been for over a hundred and fifty years.”
“I understand,” I said, leaning forward and resting my hands on the table. The fact Warren didn’t recognize me needled at me, but I ignored it and carried on. “It doesn’t surprise me that your brother failed to notify you of the details of the transaction. Mark was understandably upset when he realized he’d transferred his shares to the same person who’d also recently acquired your uncle’s portion.” Upon the uncle’s death, his shares had gone to a very young society widow who’d been more than happy to allow me to swap those pesky business shares out with cold, hard cash. Knowing I’d managed to get both his uncle’s and his brother’s shares would be a blow to Warren York.
As I spoke, Warren’s smarmy grin died, and his face lost its ruddy hue. “That’s impossible.”
I wanted to turn to Marcel and lift an eyebrow before asking if it was possible, just so I could hear his dry, professional “Yes, sir, I assure you it is.” But I refrained. Instead, I let Marcel hand out the individual packets to the executives. Some held resignation requests, along with generous severance packages, and some held new contract offers, depending on my team’s assessment of each player on the corporate roster.
Marcel held Warren’s folder back since we would need to discuss the details of his immediate departure in private.
“Take a moment to look over the information in your packets,” I continued. “My team will be arriving shortly to answer any questions you have. Feel free to return to your office if you need some time to formulate your questions and, in some cases, gather your belongings.”
My attorneys and Human Resources consultants were most likely already set up in their temporary offices on the floor below, and it was only a matter of time before they came in to help oversee the expected chaos. Between the cell jammer and the temporary internet and phone outage on this floor, there wasn’t much risk of the news getting out before tempers had simmered down.
In most cases, anyway. Warren York was the exception.
“This is ridiculous. Get out of my office this instant. Nikki! Call building security.”
Marcel winced. He hated when people yelled at their underlings. I’d done it one time—once—and he’d spent half an hour lecturing me on respect. If he hadn’t already proven himself to be so invaluable, I would have tossed him out on his ear.
“Michael Pruitt has already confirmed my ownership,” I said calmly.
“Who the hell is Michael Pruitt?” Warren asked.
This was a prime example of what I hated about people like Warren York.
“The head of building security,” Marcel responded before I had a chance to. He had a way of saying it that heavily implied Warren was both an idiot and an unfeeling jackass for not knowing who Mike was. “I assure you if he comes up here, Mr. Blackwood is not the man he’ll be escorting out of the building.”
One slender, waxed eyebrow lifted on Marcel’s face, and Warren’s own face reddened even more. The older man reached for the phone on the conference table and tried making a call. His assistant continued tapping furiously on his cell. “This is preposterous. Why won’t any of these damned phones get a call through? Nikki!”
The harried receptionist hustled in. “Yes, sir?”
“Find out why we can’t get a call out. None of these phones are working. If building security won’t respond, call the police, for god’s sake.”
I took a breath and tried not to laugh. Several of the executives glanced nervously at me as they tried to determine the truth of the matter and choose the correct side. Others opened the packets Marcel had handed them and began to look through the paperwork. Warren’s eyes bounced from person to person, trying to determine how best to get me out of the room.
I walked to Marcel and took the final small packet out of his arms. After placing it in front of Warren, I opened the folder. “Here are copies of the share transfer instruments for my shares as well as a current summary of all shares and their ownership. As you can see, the transfer paperwork was approved by—”
His gaze landed on the name before I had a chance to say it, and his eyes darted for a middle-aged woman sitting halfway down the far side of the table. “Lillian, what’s the meaning of this?”
I’d never met the CFO in person before, but Lillian Moffit’s reputation preceded her. She was one of the executives I was most interested in retaining. The woman sat up straight but appeared relaxed. “It was a straightforward transaction approved by three members of the board in addition to yourself,” she said.
“It says here, Mark sold those shares to Milton Vernor, a member of my club and a longtime family friend.”
I saw the barest edge of Lillian’s mouth turn up. “No, sir. He sold them to Milton Vernor LLC, a company owned by a holding company under the name of BWH, I believe. Judging by what’s happened here this morning, I would imagine BWH stands for Blackwood Holdings, one of the world’s best capital investment firms according to the most recent Forbes Midas List.”
I gave her a small nod while Warren’s face lost a little bit of its flush. “You tricked us? You pretended to be someone you’re not? That’s fraud.”
“I didn’t pretend to be anyone. I own Milton Vernor LLC. I’ve owned it for at least eight years. Your brother sold York shares to Milton Vernor LLC. He did not sell them to Milton Vernor, the mediocre golfer with a preference for expensive scotch. And believe me, your brother was well aware he wasn’t selling to Milton Vernor. I approached him personally and made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. The fact you chose not to do your due diligence before board approval on the transaction is on you.”
Warren grabbed his assistant’s arm. “Go find a phone that works and get a hold of Ellison. We have a lawsuit on our hands. This can’t be legal.”
The assistant nodded and took off for the door. Marcel looked over at me, but I shook my head. My heart hammered at the mention of Warren’s son, but I ignored it.
“No attorney in the city will take that case when they discover your brother and I met personally to negotiate this transfer. I have a very clear-cut paper trail proving he knew who he was dealing with.”
“My son is one of the most successful corporate attorneys in the city, and he works for me,” he said with flared nostrils. “He’ll sue you into bankruptcy for perpetrating this fraud on our company. There is no one more fiercely loyal to me and this company than Ellison.”
Like father, like son. The image of Ellison York doing his father’s bidding made me sick. Before everything that had happened in that closet in the club, I’d noticed Ellison. I’d paid attention to him.