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The mood was sober when she arrived on the top floor, only adding to her sense of disquiet. She waited quietly for John Williams to bring the room to order. She was shocked to note that the man looked like a shell of his former self.
"Well, the verdict is in," John told the hushed meeting. "Blackwood is going ahead with a hostile takeover bid." There was a moment of shocked silence, followed by gasps and cries of distress as the news sank in, but it didn't end there.
"On top of that, it seems that Blackwood plans to force most of us out," he continued, and the chatter at the table immediately took on a panicked and disbelieving air.
"With a few notable exceptions," the CEO said, staring straight at Desi.
Desi was taken aback at the hostility in John's look.
"What?" she asked, unable to stay silent at the condemnation he appeared to be aiming at her.
"The rumour is that Blackwood senior has plans to see you in my position," John said coldly. "Apparently, you're the only one who is safe, Ms. Harper." John addressed her with snubbing formality. "He sees you at the helm of his new empire in the East."
Desi felt the anger boil up, and she noted the expressions of her colleagues ranging from disappointment, to distrust, to outright hostility. She stood up and placed her palms flat on the boardroom table, her voice shaking with fury. "Well, what Joseph Blackwood sees is all in his dreams!" Desi spat. She couldn't believe that Joel's father thought he could plan out her life without consulting her, and she couldn't believe that her co-workers could be so quick to condemn her. "You know damn well that I do not, and never have, wanted your position, John. So, why the hell would you start believing rumour and innuendo, now?"
John lowered his eyes in discomfiture, some of the wind taken out of his sails.
"And why the hell are you all cowering around the table like it's already some kind of done deal?" she demanded, looking around her. "The success of a hostile takeover is not a certainty, for Christ's sake. What's gotten into everyone? We haven't lost yet, you know!" Desi cast her eyes to each of her fellow directors in turn. "But it looks like Blackwood is doing a damn fine job of pitting us against each other, doesn't it?" she said icily.
Desi noticed a few more of her colleagues had the grace to look ashamed and pushed off of the table, standing and confronting them all. "I own a nine percent stake in this company. That makes me one of the major shareholders," she declared.
"So, I am aware." John's manner had turned hostile again, and Desi turned on him.
"And since you're so well informed, John, are you also aware that I have been investing every penny I have in buying up those shares so that I can fight this takeover?" she asked pointedly.
John's eyebrows drew together and he looked confused. "But I thought…." He trailed off.
"I can guess what you thought, John." Desi frowned, pressing her lips into a thin line. "Perhaps what you need to ask yourself is who was leading your thoughts in that direction?"
John sighed and rubbed a hand over his eyes. "I'm sorry."
Desi gave a single nod of acceptance and then addressed the rest of the room. "Okay, now, as I said, I own nine percent of this company and the rest of you should own at least two percent each and John five percent, unless any of you have invested more. That should give us a minimum of twenty four percent just between the seven of us. That means we're close to half way there." Desi looked expectantly at the six other men in the room.
Her heart dropped when she noticed that more than one of them suddenly looked uncomfortable. Desi closed her eyes and dropped back into her seat as the bottom dropped out of her stomach. "Right, let's check our share options, shall we?" she suggested, trying to stay positive in the rapidly dawning understanding that at least two of her co-directors had sold up.
Across the room, one of the younger directors cleared his throat. He was in his late thirties, another rapidly rising star, like Desi.
"I was approached about six months ago and offered double the market price for my shares," he said uncomfortably. "I figured I could take the deal and still buy back my original stake on the open market and make a profit."
"And did you?" asked Desi, already knowing the answer.
"No," Andrew sighed. "When I tried, there was no availability, but I just figured there'd be time enough later on to replace them if I wanted to."
"Anyone else sold?" John asked.
"Me." Not one, but two, other directors replied. Each of them had been approached in the same manner but had only sold half of their stake, leaving them both with one percent.
"Me, too," came another voice, just when Desi had thought they had heard the worst. Malcolm was their oldest director.
"I'm sorry," he sighed. "Like Andrew, I was offered double the market value and my thought process was pretty much the same. Since I'm so close to retirement, I figured it would give me a nice little nest egg and that if I bought back in, then I could have my cake and eat it, too. I guess those kinds of deals are always too good to be true."
Desi blew out a breath. "Is that it?" she asked, not wanting any more surprises.
"Well, on the bright side," John replied. "I increased my holding to seven percent, so we're still at twenty, overall."
"How many shares could Blackwood have possibly gotten their hands on in such a small space of time?" Malcolm wondered aloud.
Desi tapped her fingers on the table. "I might be able to find out just that," she murmured.
