A Very Corporate Affair book 3 (The Corporate series)

by Latham, D

  A Very Corporate Affair

  Book 3

  D A Latham

  Copyright © 2013 D A Latham

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN: 1492170607

  ISBN-13: 978-1492170600

  DEDICATION

  To my dearest darling Allan

  CONTENTS

  Acknowledgments

  i

  Chapter 1

  6

  Chapter 2

  20

  Chapter 3

  32

  Chapter 4

  43

  Chapter 5

  53

  Chapter 6

  64

  Chapter 7

  76

  Chapter 8

  89

  Chapter 9

  101

  Chapter 10

  114

  Chapter 11

  127

  Chapter 12

  140

  Chapter 13

  154

  Chapter 14

  167

  Chapter 15

  179

  Epilogue

  191

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  With thanks to;

  Andrea Mills

  Trystan Lutey

  Penny Harrison

  Tomme Darlington

  Michael Harte

  Becca Elliot

  Jaqui Martin

  Gail Hayward

  and

  Claire Plant

  Chapter 1

  "Elle, are you alright?" Ms Pearson's voice sounded distant. She looked concerned as I sat reeling at the revelations of the last hour of my life.

  "Why did Ivan instruct you to reveal the content of his will while he's still alive?" was all I could manage.

  "Because he wanted you to look after the companies, knowing you are either doing it for him, or doing it for yourself. Don't let the other directors push through any decisions," she replied. It made sense, with Ivan missing, his companies needed protecting from other, less altruistic directors. I would have looked after them for him, but he had needed me to understand that if the worst should happen, I would need to learn to control the other board members for myself.

  "Anything else?" I prayed that there were no further revelations.

  "No, not at this stage. I suggest you take leave of absence for now, and I hope for all our sakes that this situation is resolved quickly." Ms Pearson looked sympathetic.

  "Yes....yes, so do I...." My voice faltered as I struggled to keep control. I stood to leave, and, even in my dreamlike state, remembered to shake her hand, before heading out to the car.

  "Where to next?" I asked Roger, "and who instructed you not to tell me about Ivan earlier?"

  "I think you need to go to Retinski head office. Mr Ranenkiov asked me to bring you. Mrs Ballard asked me not to interrupt your mother's funeral with the news."

  I remembered telling Jo about the funeral during our weekend in France. "Ok, Retinski it is." We headed off, and almost straightaway my phone rang. It was Oscar.

  "Hi Elle. I understand you spoke to Darius. Has anything else happened?"

  I raised the privacy screen. "Yes, I've been informed that I'm acting as managing director of his companies in his absence, and I've been told that he asked Ms Pearson to inform me that in the event of his death, all his estate goes to me." Oscar went quiet. "Are you still there?" I asked.

  "Of course, I'm just....shocked. He's an extremely wealthy man. I'll sort his bank accounts so that you have access, including the company ones. If you need any help, you can always count on me, you do know that don't you?"

  "Thanks. Have you spoken to Darius?"

  "Yes, just got off the phone to him. The Russian government are insisting that they don't negotiate with terrorists, which, in itself, presents a bit of a problem."

  "What sort of problem?"

  "I have to set the terrorists up a numbered bank account in Switzerland so they can access the ransom, otherwise I have no way of getting the money into Russia secretly, that is, without the Russian government finding out."

  "So where's the problem?"

  "They're peasant revolutionaries, with no way of getting to Switzerland."

  "I see. How big a bag would be needed for that amount of cash?"

  "It's not that simple. There'd be nothing to stop them taking the cash, and keeping the hostages, or worse, killing them."

  I thought about it. "Retinski must have money inside Russia, especially given that Ivan inherited Vlad's estate. Let me talk to Ranenkiov."

  "Be careful who you trust, there's going to be a lot of people with a vested interest in Ivan not coming back." Like you Oscar?

  "Of course. I'm just on my way to Retinski now. I'll come and see you later on, when I know more."

  "Ok. I'll be home tonight."

  I cut the call, and sank into the seat, my mind racing with all the various pieces of information. I thought of what lay ahead, and quickly scrolled through the app store on my phone to download a Russian to English translator application. It wouldn't be ideal, but there was no way I'd be able to hire a proper translator quickly enough. When we arrived at the tower, I headed straight up to Retinski Headquarters.

  Walking into Ivan's office was difficult, and slammed it home to me that this really had happened. The room felt empty and void without his electric presence. I switched on his screen, and found that it needed a password. I tried the names Bella and Tania first, with no luck. I typed in my name, and the screen sprang to life, confirming that I had indeed been on his mind. Before I could check the emails, there was a knock on the door. I opened it to find Mr Ranenkiov looking grave.

  "Welcome to Retinski, Ms Reynolds, we have been advised of Ivan's wishes that you assume the position of managing director. Have you managed to find out any news?"

  "Not much as yet. I need to know the cash position of Retinski in Russia, in case we have to pay a ransom quickly. I also need to meet the other directors."

  "Certainly, please come this way, everyone is in the boardroom." I closed down Ivan's emails, and followed him out. We walked down the corridor, and into a large room, dominated by an enormous oak table, with ten men seated around it. Mr Ranenkiov showed me to the seat at the head of the table, before sitting in the chair beside me. I surreptitiously switched on the app, setting the phone beside me on the large chair. One man spoke in Russian to the man seated next to him, and a few people laughed. I glanced down to read the screen. *Ivan must be judging the value of directors on how good their tits are.* sexist bastards.

  "I'd like to introduce myself, I'm Ms Reynolds, Mr Porenski's nominated acting managing director. Before you all introduce yourselves to me, I would like to make it clear that only English should be spoken in my presence please." A murmur rippled around the room. Stuff‘em, I'm not sitting like a lemon while they all chat freely in a bloody foreign language. I pressed 'record' on my iPhone.

  Each man introduced himself to me in turn, outlining their position and area of responsibility. Every single one of them was Russian. "Does anyone have information on what the current situation is regarding Ivan's kidnapping?" I looked around the table expectantly. I figured at least one of them would have a link to the Russian government.

  "It seems the group were held at gunpoint at the steps of the plane. We know they were taken onto a truck. We also know that a video message was sent directly to the Kremlin. It shows Ivan, and all ten guards alive, and held captive in a room. Their captors are demanding fifty million dollars for their release."

  "Any political demands? Or is it purely money?"

  "At this stage, just money. The Kre
mlin are saying publicly that they won't negotiate, however, they have put a negotiator in place, who has made contact with the kidnappers. He will try and keep them talking for as long as possible, to ensure the safety of the captives," said the finance director, a short, rather skinny man, with rather beady eyes, and a slightly beaky nose. I racked my brain to remember his name. "Oleg Marakov, finance director," he reminded me.

  "Thank you Mr Marakov, is there fifty million on standby to pay these people?"

  "Yes, but of course, we'd rather avoid paying it, if Russian authorities can rescue them by other means. Ivan is a prominent businessman, and as such, this is huge news throughout Russia. If the authorities can be seen to not capitulate to terrorists, it is so much better."

  "Clearly. I'm sure the authorities don't want a spate of kidnappings arising from this, but my main concern is getting Ivan out unharmed. We all know what happened when the authorities tried to rescue hostages in other situations, and ended up killing half of them. I would like fifty million placed into a new, separate, bank account straightaway, just in case. Can you arrange that today please?" I fixed Marakov with a hard stare.

  "Consider it done."

  "Good. Now gentlemen, I will need you all to bring me up to speed on all the current companies, and any projects underway."

  I was interrupted by a tall, rather imposing man, who I remembered had introduced himself as Andrei. "Is there a reason why you have been asked to become acting managing director, when you don't even know our company?" Fair point.

  "I have been appointed to the board already. You have no director qualified in legal matters, so I was asked to join you as a non exec. Ivan appointed me as his nominated second in command, should this type of disaster occur. Please be aware that I will be sitting on this board when Ivan returns, so I would appreciate full disclosure from all of you."

  Mr Ranenkiov spoke up. "Ms Reynolds is our lawyer from Pearson Hardwick, and due to her exemplary performance for our company, Ivan invited her to join us.”

  "The network of companies is rather complicated....." Oleg trailed off.

  "I'm sure I can manage." I smiled at him to try and disarm him. He didn't smile back.

  "Gentlemen, I would like a full list of the companies, their structure, and accounts for the last three years please, in English. I'll use this weekend to get up to speed, as I'm sure you can appreciate, this was rather sprung on me. Is there any other urgent business?"

  Marakov looked sly. "Yes, we are about to vote through enhanced share options for the board. We are all in agreement, and it was only remaining for Ivan to cast the deciding vote. He had suggested it himself, so it was only a formality. He was planning to cut back on acquisitions, and use the cash to increase dividends and bonuses."

  I gave him a hard stare. "I don't think this is the time or place for discussions like that. There will be no enhanced share options granted until Ivan returns, nor will there be any decisions about dividends or bonuses." There was a small murmur around the table. Chancers.

  "Are you sure that going against the wishes of the board is a good idea? It would place you in a somewhat difficult position. It would be a disaster for the company if anything was to happen to our interim MD as well." Threatening me now are you? I ignored him.

  "Now, if that's all, I suggest we all get on with sorting the information I'm going to need, and concentrate on getting Ivan back in one piece. I handed each man a business card with my mobile number and email address. "Any information or news on the situation in Russia, I would be grateful if you would contact me immediately." They all began to leave. Mr Ranenkiov followed me into Ivan's office, and sat down in front of the desk, facing me.

  "You handled them very well. I think they thought you'd be a pushover. The share option thing was a crock of shit."

  I smiled, "I know. I wasn't born yesterday, besides, I'm really hoping Ivan comes back in one piece, and I don't think he'd thank me for selling off bits of his company on the cheap. Now, is there anything that needs my immediate attention?"

  "Not really. Just be aware that the other directors will begin jostling for position, should the worst happen."

  "Do any of the other directors have direct links to the KGB?" I fixed Ranenkiov with a hard stare. He shifted in his seat slightly.

  "I do, my brother in law works for them. To my knowledge, nobody else has a direct link, but saying that, corruption is common in Russia, and there's a lot at stake here."

  "Am I the only one who actually wants him back alive and in one piece?" My mind was reeling from the realisation that there was nobody around me that I could truly trust. "What all of you seem to be unaware of, is that there is a plan in place in the event of Ivan's death. He dies, most of you lose your jobs. It's in everyone's interests that he comes back." Yeah, tell that to the other backstabbers.

  Ranenkiov's eyes narrowed. "Have you seen the plans?"

  "My boss drew them up for him. As you know, Ivan is the ultimate control freak, and that will extend after his death. The other directors should be careful what they wish for."

  "You have my full support," he reassured me, "it would be a good idea for me to speak to the others, more privately, and remind them that Ivan would have made provision for this scenario. It would be far easier all round if we all worked together for the good of the company." He stood to leave. "Call on me anytime, I'll assist in whichever way I can. I'll also contact my brother in law, and see if there's any new information."

  I thanked him, and reminded him to call me day or night as soon as he knew anything. I surreptitiously switched off the voice recording on my phone. As soon as I was alone, I switched Ivan's computer on. I scrolled through his emails, and saw the point the day before when he had stopped opening them. I clicked through, using google translate to switch them from Russian to English. I forwarded a few that contained reports through to my work email, and, satisfied that there was nothing of major importance to deal with, I closed down the email screen.

  I clicked through the hard drive, finding mainly contracts and company reports. I sent some to my email to read through that evening, and changed the computer password before closing it down.

  Ivan's secretary came in to introduce herself. She was a rather plain, dumpy woman in her late thirties called Galina. She seemed pleasant enough, although rather suspicious of me sitting in Ivan's office. I had seen her rather briefly before, so at least she knew I wasn't an imposter. She was genuinely upset at the news that Ivan had been kidnapped, and I noted, was the first member of his staff to express a modicum of emotion at the news. She went off to make a coffee, and my phone rang. It was Darius.

  "Hi Elle, I just spoke to the Russian foreign secretary, and the negotiator they have in place. I have some news."

  "Go on," I replied, thinking he sounded quite upbeat.

  "Well, Ivan has British citizenship from when he claimed asylum here, so the Russian authorities are prepared to treat this differently from a domestic incident."

  "What does that mean?"

  "It means they will allow us to conduct a covert operation on their soil. Plus, here's the biggie, they'll even give us every assistance, provided we keep quiet about it, and assist them with their PR. they don't want to be seen to be allowing us in, if you see what I mean."

  "Of course. I understand they don't want everyone of note suddenly kidnapped, and it would be embarrassing to have to admit that the British had to come and sort it out."

  "The SAS have just set off for the Ural area. We have a decent idea of where the group are being held. They will do a recce, and hopefully get them out quickly, with no loss of life."

  "Do we have a timeframe?" I fervently hoped it would be sooner rather than later.

  "They want to do this quickly. Most kidnap negotiations are long and drawn out, so they won't be expecting anything yet. Russian forces tend to be clumsy and noisy, so sneaky arsed SAS men should be in and out before they even know what's happened."

  "How risky is this?" I ne
eded to know.

  "There's always some risk Elle, but he's surrounded by his own guards. They are paid to take a bullet for him." He paused, "This is a major coup, being allowed to conduct a military operation on Russian soil. Our men are the best in the world at this type of thing. That's all the reassurance I can give you at the moment. Keep your phone with you at all times, and I'll call you the moment I know anything."

  "Darius, thank you. It must have taken some doing to persuade the Kremlin to allow this."

  "My pleasure. Listen, I have another call coming, so speak later." He cut the call. I sat back and thought about the conversation. I hadn't considered finding Darius and Oscar shagging to be a stroke of luck in my life before. Now it felt like enormous good fortune.

  Galina returned with a cup of coffee, before asking if I required her for anything else that evening. I shook my head, and watched her leave. I was about to take a welcome sip of coffee, when the horrible, paranoid, thought struck me that I may well be a target now, and the only thing standing in the way of the other directors and ownership of Retinski, was me. I put down the cup, and made a mental note not to eat or drink anything there.

  I headed down to my own office. Lewis was surprised to see me, but was busy with a client. I said hi to Laura, and sat down to deal with my emails. We had Steve Robbins' float on Wednesday, and he would be arriving at our offices at eleven to watch proceedings. I noticed that Matt had been assigned to sit with him, but I thought I would have to do my best to at least put in an appearance to reassure Steve that I hadn't forgotten him. Laura came in with an extremely welcome cup of tea. I swigged it gratefully. It was the first time I'd relaxed since ten that morning.