Destiny Unleashed

by Sherryl Woods

  That alone wouldn’t be enough, of course. She also intended to use this time in London to teach him a lesson or two about business. She might be newer at it than he, but she was confident that she was as quick a study as he’d ever been. The Jameson’s acquisition was merely a beginning. She had quite a few tricks left up her sleeve. She doubted William would be expecting any of them, much less be ready to counter them effectively. Ever the gentleman, William might not be prepared for the kind of down-and-dirty warfare she had in mind.

  He’d surprised her by ignoring her opening salvo. There was no way that he hadn’t gotten wind of it by now. For several years, it seemed, he’d known what Carlton Industries intended to do even before the ink was dry on their plans. Whether he had a source inside the company or a clever outsider, Destiny intended to find that person and deal with him or her, as well.

  She caught a glimpse of her reflection in the taxi’s rearview mirror as they drove through the London mist toward the flat that had been rented for her. She couldn’t seem to stop smiling. Nor could she prevent the rush of anticipation that filled her now that she was finally here.

  It was going to be a magnificent battle, and it would all begin tomorrow.

  4

  Destiny was at her desk just after dawn, eager to put things into motion for her debut as the new chairman of the Carlton Industries European division. She’d dressed carefully for the occasion, knowing that first impressions were important if she expected to be taken seriously. Just being here so early would put to rest any notion that she was merely a figurehead, who would be seldom seen and whose imprint on the operation would be minimal.

  She’d chosen a dark brown suit, severely tailored, and added a gold silk blouse and discreet gold jewelry. She’d spent a lot of time on her hair and makeup, going for a look that was understated and businesslike. Not that her hair was happy with the attempt to tame it. Several strands had sprung free on the brisk walk to the office in the misty morning air. In retrospect, she probably should have taken a taxi, but she enjoyed walking and liked the natural color it put into her cheeks. And at her age, she’d take any chance she could to catch a few minutes of exercise. Since she loved good food and absolutely hated going to a gym, walking was her primary way to battle the effects of a slowing metabolism.

  She’d arrived at the Carlton Industries headquarters feeling invigorated and maybe just a little noble for having gotten her day off to such a healthy start. Now for the real challenge—making this office and this assignment into her own.

  She’d already spent an entire evening planning changes to her rented flat so that it would be more of a reflection of her personality and taste. At the moment it was elegant and entirely too dull, but she would have to wait until after the holidays when the decorations came down to start a complete makeover. For now, she would devote her attention to the office and work.

  In the middle of the great mahogany desk, which was far too masculine for her taste, she had placed her agenda for the day, along with personnel reports on all of the company’s key executives. She intended to meet with every one of them to establish the new goals they were going to accomplish together, beginning the first of the year. Richard had looked over and approved her strategy, but cautioned her against moving too quickly.

  “This isn’t the States. London moves at a slower, more resolute pace,” he’d warned.

  She’d regarded him evenly. “Not anymore, it doesn’t. Not at Carlton Industries, at any rate.”

  “If you try to shake things up too quickly, you’ll meet resistance,” he’d insisted.

  “Not for long,” she’d assured him, her voice filled with determination.

  Richard had regarded her with dismay. “Destiny, you can’t steamroll over everyone there, the way you do over Ben, Mack and me. It simply isn’t done. You’ll offend the very people you need as allies.”

  She’d laughed at him. “I do know other tactics, darling. Surely you don’t think all those women who’ve served with me on various charity boards take kindly to steamrolling.”

  “No, I imagine not, but sugarcoating it is not the same as using a different tactic altogether. Are you even familiar with the term consensus-building? Or a win-win strategy?”

  She bit back the sharp retort that popped into her mind at his patronizing tone. “Will you just leave all of this to me?” she’d pleaded. “I promise I won’t uproot the entire staff the first week I’m there. Nor will they leave in droves because I’m such a tyrant.”

  He’d finally taken her at her word, but she knew he continued to have his doubts about the wisdom of this entire assignment. Richard was just one more person she intended to prove wrong. It was annoying, but not entirely unexpected.

  The door to her office swung open suddenly and a rather bland-looking man, dressed all in gray, appeared. When he saw her, shock registered on his face, immediately followed by alarm.

  “Ms. Carlton, I had no idea you would be here so early,” he said. “I apologize for not knocking. You should have let me know when you were coming in. I would have been here to greet you. And I’d planned on having flowers delivered later this morning.”

  “No problem,” she said. Flowers were the least of her concern. Better to do something about the dreadful furniture and heavy, dark draperies. “I assume you’re Chester Sandhurst.”

  “I am,” he said, coming forward to grasp her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  Destiny sincerely doubted that. In essence, she’d taken the man’s job. He would continue to be the chief executive officer, but she had been installed over him as chairman, a newly created position that clearly held all the power and authority he’d once had. Still, she went along with the polite charade. Better to have him as an ally than an enemy.

  “I’m sure we’ll work very nicely together,” she said to him. “May I offer you some tea? I brought along a teapot and made some when I got here. Then we can have a little chat and get better acquainted.”

  He looked taken aback by the invitation. “Now? You want to meet now?”

  “We’re both here. I don’t see why not. Do you have anything more pressing on your calendar?”

  He blinked at the subtle hint that there couldn’t possibly be anything more important. “No, of course not.”

  Destiny rose and poured him a cup of tea, then retreated behind her desk, keeping the balance of power solidly on her side. Richard wasn’t the only one in the family who understood the subtle dynamics of the business setting. She’d never liked such formality, but it suited this situation. Perhaps one day soon she’d be able to let down her guard and relax with her staff, but not just yet and not with a man who needed reminding that she was in charge.

  She met Chester’s gaze, saw the hint of concern he was trying with some difficulty to conceal. “Have you scheduled all the meetings I requested when I faxed you my arrival schedule?”

  “Most of them, yes. They’ll begin at ten.”

  “So late?” she questioned.

  “I wasn’t sure what office hours you planned on keeping.”

  “I like to get an early start on the day. I’m sure you’ll take that into account from now on. Why weren’t all the meetings scheduled as I requested?”

  “A few people are out this week,” Chester responded, beginning to sound just a little defensive. “Some had previously scheduled vacation times and I hesitated to disrupt their plans. There’s also a nasty flu traveling through the city.”

  Letting go of her annoyance, Destiny tapped the folders in front of her. “Then let’s go over the list of those who will be in. I’d like your perceptions before I meet with them.”

  Chester seemed to relax at the suggestion that she intended to defer to his opinion. In fact, he became downright chatty, offering glowing reports on the executives he’d assembled during his ten lackluster years at the helm.

  “David Perkins is an outstanding chief financial officer. We’re lucky to have him. And Edward Wildemon is considered
tops in the marketing field,” he summarized. “You’ll find all the others quite competent, as well, I’m sure. I’m sorry you won’t be meeting Edward today. He’s one of the ones on vacation, but David will be here. If you have any questions at all about the bottom line, he’s your man.”

  Destiny refrained from responding. If all these people had been so blasted competent, there would be no need for her to be here. And at least one of them had to be knowingly or unwittingly leaking inside information to William.

  “I’ll certainly look forward to speaking to each of them,” she said. “Now, then, have you ordered the invitations I requested?”

  Chester’s pallor returned. “It’s a busy time of year at the printer’s,” he told her evasively. “Christmas card engraving, you know.”

  “But they will be on my desk this afternoon?” Destiny persisted. “You explained that this is a rush order and that the printer will be paid handsomely for the accommodation?”

  “I’m not sure why you even feel the need to have a party,” Chester said, still not giving her the direct answer she’d requested. “You’ve just arrived. It’s the holiday season. You should be enjoying London.”

  “I’m not here to enjoy London,” she informed him coldly. “I’m here to do a job.”

  Chester was undaunted. “But a party? When you’ve just arrived? No one expects it, I’m sure.”

  She was tiring of his attitude. “Then won’t it be lovely when I surprise them?” she responded. “I’ll expect the invitations this afternoon, along with the list of addresses I requested. I’d like everything addressed and sent out by courier first thing tomorrow. My secretary will be able to handle that.”

  His obvious discomfort deepened. “I’m afraid we haven’t assigned you a secretary just yet. We thought you’d like to interview the candidates for the position, perhaps after the holidays.”

  “Then isn’t it lucky I’ve brought my own from home,” she said cheerfully, relieved that she’d had the foresight to do just that. Miriam was as eager as she to get started. Thrilled to have an opportunity to live in London for a few months or longer if Destiny required it, she would do her part to whip the office into shape in no time.

  “Thank you, Chester.” She handed him a paper. “Can you please see that these people come to see me at the times I’ve indicated. Hopefully my changes haven’t disrupted your schedule too much. Those who aren’t here today can be scheduled with Miriam as soon as they’ve returned to the office.”

  “You don’t wish me to sit in on the meetings?” he asked, clearly dismayed.

  “I’m sure you have far more important things to attend to, such as getting those invitations printed. I wouldn’t dream of tying up your entire day like that,” she told him. “It was good meeting you, Chester. I’m sure I’ll have a million and one questions once I’m finished interviewing everyone. Why don’t we plan on meeting at this time every morning for the foreseeable future?”

  He paled at that, but nodded. “As you wish.”

  He left then, closing the door behind him. Destiny could almost hear him uttering a sigh of relief on the other side. She’d shaken him up, no question about it. In fact, she found that a bit promising. If Chester was intelligent enough to see that she was quite clearly in charge now, then perhaps they could find some way to work together, after all. She hadn’t relished the idea of firing him before her first day on the job was an hour old.

  “She’s doing what?” Richard asked, not entirely certain what the fuss was about, but there was no mistaking the alarm in the voice of his CEO for European operations.

  “Barely here and she’s throwing a party, sir. A few hours from now, in fact,” Chester Sandhurst informed him in a hushed tone, as though he were terrified of being caught betraying the new chairman of his division. “I tried to steer her away from the idea, but she was adamant. Had to rush the invitations to satisfy her. It’s costing a bloody fortune to do all of this in such a hurry.”

  “Is this party for the staff?” Richard asked, thinking that wasn’t so bad. A nice holiday celebration might be just the thing to get Destiny off on the right foot with everyone in the London office. She’d always been a fabulous hostess. It would also explain why she’d been so hell-bent on getting to London before Christmas despite his pleas that she wait until the New Year to tackle her new assignment.

  “The executives,” Chester told him. “And the heads of most of the companies with which we do business. It’s an impressive guest list and most have accepted, despite the last-minute invitation. It’s evident they all want a look at her.”

  Two birds with one stone, Richard concluded, ignoring the surprise in Chester’s voice. That seemed perfectly sensible to him. “Why are you so worried about this?” he asked Chester.

  “I didn’t see the complete guest list until after the fact, otherwise I could have prevented this, I’m sure,” Chester said.

  “Prevented what?” Richard asked, impatient with all the dancing around.

  “The inclusion of this one particular guest,” he said, then added in that same dire undertone, “William Harcourt.”

  Richard’s blood froze at the mention of Harcourt. Why would Destiny invite the man who had been a thorn in Richard’s side, a man who’d been pecking away at their business like a particularly pesky pigeon? What the hell was Destiny thinking by giving him an opportunity to mingle, not only with Carlton executives, but their key business associates? He knew she had something up her sleeve, but this was a dangerous game she was playing, no question about it. Add a little alcohol into the mix and who knew what corporate secrets were likely to be spilled? He’d obviously been right when he’d expressed concern to Melanie about just this sort of thing a few weeks back. Her outrage over his concerns had lulled him into ignoring them.

  “I’ll talk to her,” he reassured Chester. “Thanks for the heads-up, but a word of advice, Chester. Don’t come running to me behind my aunt’s back again. She’ll have every justification she needs for firing you and I’ll applaud her for it.”

  Chester’s gasp was audible. “Of course, sir. I realize that she’s a bit inexperienced at this sort of thing, and, well, I just thought you should know that she might be getting in over her head.”

  Richard bit back a sigh. If he’d ever doubted that sending Destiny to take over the helm of the European division was wise, listening to Chester just now confirmed it. He might not understand what his aunt was up to with this party, but whatever it was had to be better than relying on a man who jumped at shadows. Sandhurst’s overly cautious attitude was precisely the reason Carlton Industries was underperforming in Europe.

  “I’m sure your intentions were honorable, Chester, but my aunt is in charge now. It is not my intention to second-guess her at every turn,” he said, determined not to undercut her authority when she’d barely gotten started. “If I’d felt that was necessary, I would never have sent her in the first place. I’m sure you’ll find some way to work with her and see that she has whatever information is necessary for her to succeed.”

  “Absolutely,” Chester said, sounding more resigned than enthusiastic.

  Ten minutes later, Richard was on the phone to Destiny, not to second-guess her, he reminded himself, but to find out what the dickens she thought she was doing. He kept Melanie’s warning in mind, though. The last thing he wanted to do was insult his aunt and get her dander up.

  “Having fun yet?” he inquired lightly.

  “Settling in,” she corrected her.

  “Any plans in the works now that you’re on the scene?” he asked. “Any strategy you perhaps forgot to mention before you left?”

  She heaved a sigh. “You’ve heard about the party.”

  “And the guest list,” he admitted.

  “Chester, I imagine. I know he was snooping around Miriam’s desk while she was addressing the invitations.”

  “I’m not telling,” Richard replied. “I assume you have a reason for including Harcourt.”

/>   “I do.”

  “Mind sharing?”

  “As a matter of fact, I do,” Destiny said. “I’ll let you know how it turns out, though. I’ll give you a call first thing tomorrow.”

  “Damn straight you will,” Richard groused. “You do still answer to me, you know.” It was something that bore repeating with his headstrong aunt.

  Destiny merely laughed. “Don’t get all huffy with me, Richard. I know exactly what I’m doing.”

  “I just wish I did.”

  “It’s nothing illegal or immoral, nothing that will reflect negatively on Carlton Industries. That’s all you need to concern yourself with. You know the old adage about keeping your enemies close, don’t you?”

  “I do.”

  “Well, then, think of it that way. I intend to keep William Harcourt very close. He won’t make a move from now on without me catching wind of it.”

  All of which struck Richard as a somewhat risky but reasonably fine idea until later that evening when his wife reminded him over an early dinner with his brothers and their wives that they were all but certain William Harcourt was not just some casual acquaintance from years ago, but the important man in Destiny’s life when she’d lived in France.

  “Whoever that man was, she was deeply in love with him,” Melanie said. “In fact, she once called him the love of her life. Sounds to me as if she has a very different agenda in mind.”

  “She never admitted that that man was Harcourt,” he grumbled, knowing that he was splitting hairs. Destiny had conceded that she’d known William back then and she’d also acknowledged that there had been an important man in her life. The likelihood that they were one and the same man was fairly high, especially given her eagerness to take on this assignment. Richard might not like it, but the coincidences were too obvious to ignore. Wasn’t that the very thing that had him so worried about all of this?