Destined

by Patricia Haley

  “I wish I could help you, ma’am, I really do, but I can’t.”

  Madeline didn’t want to accept defeat. That would equate to letting her daughter down again, an act too difficult to bear. “Give me a ticket on your next flight.”

  “The next flight to Nice?”

  “Doesn’t matter, anywhere.”

  “Round trip or one way?”

  “Doesn’t matter.” She wasn’t going to use the ticket. It was only to get through security, an expense she would gladly pay. Madeline wanted to reach over the counter and book the ticket faster. Her patience was short, unable to remember the last time she had to take a commercial flight. The DMI private jet was her mode of air transportation. She’d forgotten how chaotic the airport could be. “Please give me a one-way or round-trip ticket on any plane leaving today that will get me through security and to my daughter.”

  “No problem, but I’ll warn you that transatlantic tickets purchased on the day of departure can be costly.”

  “Don’t you worry about cost,” Madeline said, plopping the ultra-elite American Express black Centurion card on the counter. “I’m not.” Madeline was smart enough to know the odds of catching Tamara were slipping away, but she pressed on with the same zeal she had the day her daughter left the nest. She would press on relentlessly until her dying day.

  chapter

  8

  The executive-size office was cramped, like the walls were closing in. Joel sat at his conference table twiddling the rings of keys Abigail had tossed to him practically a month ago. His head was throbbing, with no relief coming from applying pressure to his temples. He needed a bigger fix for the tenuous situation he was in. His hands stroked up and down his face repeatedly. Swirling in a state of confusion wasn’t a familiar place for Joel. He twiddled with the keys some more, wondering how Abigail could turn on him. The knock on the door gave pause to the sea of frustration he was drowning in. Only a small group of people could get past his administrative assistant and be able to knock on his door. “Come in,” he said, too tired to stand, hoping it was Abigail. He needed her more today than he had when he took on the daunting task of running the company. The two of them had racked up hours upon hours, nights, weekends—whatever was necessary to get the job done in exceptional fashion. They ate most meals together. They were partners.

  “Hello, son,” Sherry said. Joel was upset that Abigail hadn’t come to talk, but his mother was a shot of support he’d gladly take. “There’s a buzz going on in the office. Do you know anything about a group of employees gathering in the lobby for a big announcement?”

  “How did you know?”

  “I’m your press secretary. It’s my job to know.”

  The throbbing in his head intensified. “Madeline is up to another one of her schemes, that’s what I suspect.”

  Sherry plopped down in one of the chairs near Joel. “What is she doing now?” she said without a hint of surprise.

  “I’m not sure,” Joel said, popping to his feet and pacing. “I wish I knew.”

  “And I thought she’d finally given up.”

  “Never. Whatever she has planned, it’s big.” He leaned his elbows on the table. “Tamara and Don are in town.”

  Sherry gasped. “They are?” She was silent, probably processing the implication like he had a little while ago in the lobby. “You don’t think Tamara signed her stock over to Madeline, do you?”

  Of course that was what he thought. He had to act quickly to counter Madeline’s ultimate power move. With Don’s 15 percent, Madeline’s 25, and Tamara’s 15, his father’s first family was in control. Joel and his mother would be kicked out into obscurity, leaving them scrounging for respect. There was no way Joel was going to allow it. He and Sherry were finally enjoying the satisfaction of being on top. He was a Mitchell, too, entitled to the same rights and privileges as the other children. He hadn’t asked to be born. His father and God made that decision without his input. He was just living out the life he was handed.

  “What are you going to do?” she asked, wringing her hands.

  “Not sure yet, but trust me, this isn’t over, not by a long shot,” he said as he grabbed a folder from his desk.

  “Where are you going?” she asked, hustling behind him.

  “I’ll be in the legal department if anyone is looking for me,” he said, “especially Abigail.” The best plan Joel could muster on short notice was to act quickly and keep moving.

  “Excuse me, Mr. Mitchell,” his administrative assistant said, catching him before the elevator doors closed. “The board meeting has been pushed back to three o’clock.”

  Delay equaled trouble for Joel and the merger, trouble he was determined to mitigate. “Why was the meeting delayed?” he asked. He let his body rest on the door, causing the buzzer to ring. The bewildered look on his assistant’s face was appropriate, given his rhetorical question. As CEO, he was supposed to have answers, not more questions. “Thanks for the update. Please adjust my schedule so that I’m free for the three o’clock meeting. Thanks.” Poised and being in control were the outward projections he gave, but internally he was fuming. He tapped button number two several times and bolted from the elevator as soon as the door opened.

  Contracts for Harmonious Energy had been underway for two weeks. The legal team estimated the process would take four to six weeks to negotiate the terms and conduct the proper due diligence necessary for such a transaction. The problem was that Joel didn’t have four to six weeks. He had a matter of hours to produce results before the board meeting. There was no sense in asking God for help. Harmonious Energy didn’t serve a single god, and there wasn’t time to seek spiritual or professional advice from anyone before the meeting. The only possibility that remotely came to mind was the older lady whom he’d met last year during a local church visit. The last time he’d gone to see her, she directed him to God but didn’t give the kind of straight answer he was seeking. No sense wasting the trip. He had to create his own miracle. “Where’s Jim?” he asked the junior attorney sitting immediately inside the double doors. The chief counsel had to get Harmonious Energy expedited today, no exceptions.

  “I’m not sure, Mr. Mitchell.”

  “Who’s working on the Harmonious Energy deal?”

  The attorney fumbled around his desk. Joel didn’t have the time or patience to haggle with a rookie. He needed the top dog to get the job done. “Tell Jim to get ahold of me as soon as he’s back in the office. I need an immediate update.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Be sure to let him know this is urgent. Have my administrative assistant interrupt me if I’m in a meeting—got that?”

  “Yes, yes, sir.”

  Joel walked into the stairwell, talking along the way, bent on not wasting a second. There was too much at stake. He wasn’t about to be dethroned by a bunch of sore losers who couldn’t or wouldn’t embrace the future. Confident that he was acting in the best interest of the company and his family, Joel thrust his energy toward removing the primary stumbling block, which was to quickly and quietly secure the financing necessary to close the deal with Musar Bengali for Harmonious Energy. Joel stepped to the corner of the hallway, called DMI’s lending institution, and got the company’s private banker on the line. Raising the purchase price without the board’s approval was going to be a challenge.

  “Mr. Mitchell, how can I help you?”

  “We’re in the middle of a business deal that’s going to require some additional funding, and I need to find out—how much and how fast can we secure funds from you?”

  “We can wire funds into the DMI account within hours, Mr. Mitchell. DMI’s entire two hundred and fifty million dollar credit line is at your disposal, and one million of that requires only your signature as CEO. Let us know when you’re ready and we can complete the transaction to your satisfaction.” Joel felt a tinge of worry release. He was pleased that his signature carried the kind of clout needed to hopefully close the Bengali deal. Between th
e bank and DMI cash reserves, he could comfortably complete the transaction quickly. Finally there was a ray of hope with the merger. After the series of today’s events, he was overdue for good news. “We appreciate your business and, as always, we’ll make ourselves available to you. I’ll wait for the call from your chief financial officer.”

  “No,” Joel immediately responded but caught the tone in his voice, careful not to sound anxious or clandestine—discretion was key. “I’ll be working with you directly. This deal is highly sensitive and requires top level confidentiality.”

  “Understood. I’ll wait for your instruction.”

  Joel heaved a gigantic sigh of relief as he exited the stairwell. Having the credit line at his disposal alleviated a need to secure total funding in the open market, particularly with DMI taking a slight dip in sales. Searching for the full chunk of money would have delayed and possibly obliterated his chance of buying Harmonious Energy. Thank goodness only an abbreviated search was necessary.

  chapter

  9

  The mood at the small conference table was somber. Madeline had returned from the airport unable to find Tamara. She sat with Abigail and Don, much more reserved than usual. It was almost unnerving to see a lioness as gentle as a lamb. Madeline was strong-minded but effective. Many were intimidated by her. Abigail found Madeline refreshing, reliable, and bold, the ingredients they were in dire need of unleashing if DMI was to survive. Abigail was pleased that she had been able to convince Don into staying, but she wasn’t sure for how long. A plan had to be constructed quickly, before he changed his mind.

  “Madeline, do you have any comments on the board meeting this afternoon? We don’t have the votes to override Joel,” Abigail said.

  The words pierced Madeline like a laser, slicing to the core. Push the tinge of emotion aside and concentrate, she thought. Joel had made his decision with no regard for Abigail, and it was time she acted definitively and not merely with unconditional love masking as loyalty and friendship. Her head was in the room. Her heart had to wait outside. Madeline didn’t respond as she toyed with one of her Mont Blanc pens.

  “Madeline, did you hear me?”

  “Huh . . . what?” Madeline asked, clearly flustered.

  “She asked about our plan for the board meeting today. We don’t have the votes to kick Joel out of the CEO spot. What are our other options?” Don asked.

  Madeline didn’t immediately respond, again toying with her pen.

  “Mother!” Don raised his voice and clasped his hand on top of his pen. “Are you all right? You seem to be distracted.”

  Madeline looked away. Her voice faded as she said, “I couldn’t find Tamara.” She slid the chair away from the table and stood. “I can run the East Coast division of a billion-dollar company with my eyes closed, but I couldn’t get past a little security guard at the airport to find my child. Tamara needs me and I let her down.” She just stood in one spot, leaning on the top of the chair. It didn’t appear that she was crying, at least not with tears, but was obviously bothered.

  Don stood and went to her. “There’s nothing you can do, nothing. She wasn’t ready and we can’t push her.”

  “I’m not pushing,” Madeline said, lashing out at Don. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to drive you away, too.” A tear must have fallen or was getting ready to fall because Madeline took a quick swipe across her eyelid and gently pushed Don back. “Enough with the sulking, let’s get busy,” she said. “I should be crying over that four hundred and fifty dollar towing fee. They had the gall to charge me extra because my car required a special flatbed tow truck.” She sighed. “Whatever . . . it’s only money.”

  Just like that, Madeline was back to her normal self. Abigail was intrigued at how easily Madeline could conduct day-to-day operations while keeping her composure—except when it came to Sherry. Everyone familiar with the Mitchell family was quite clear about how Madeline felt. Her disdain seemed to lessen somewhat after Dave had died, but Madeline and Sherry weren’t close to becoming friends. Joel, being Sherry’s son, was an automatic target. However, today’s doing was squarely a result of Joel’s questionable management, and not solely Madeline’s revenge.

  Madeline’s energy appeared to have returned as the three sat at the table.

  “So, the question remains. What are we going to do about the board meeting?”

  Madeline responded instantly. “We need time to pull our action plan together. All is not lost. I know we were counting on Tamara’s stock.” Her voice faded on Tamara’s name, but finished strong. That was the Madeline that Abigail knew. “But that’s not our only way to regain control of the company.”

  Abigail and Don listened intently, sure Madeline had a takeover idea—she always did. It wasn’t always ethical or popular or effective, but she was never short on ideas. “Here’s what we’re going to do. Let’s get Jim in here. He can give us an update on where we are with the Harmonious Energy contracts. He can also tell us what potential things could end up delaying the merger. At a minimum, we can try to stall the deal in legal proceedings, ideally for six months. I have to believe that any deal requiring us to surrender an entire division violates at least one of our core goals, but who knows with the way poor decisions have been addressed around here. Either way, Jim should be able to give us some insight.”

  Don grimaced. “If I’m going to do this, we have to maintain discretion. I’m not comfortable letting Jim know what we’re planning.”

  “Me either,” Abigail added. She was a part of the coup, but the fewer people that were aware, the less likely Joel would get rattled. He was a few weeks or months from diving into a mockery of a wedding to consummate the merger. She shouldn’t care what he thought. Truth was, she did care, and it would take time not to.

  “Okay, let’s take another approach. One of us can stroll down to legal and have a nonchalant meeting with Jim, get the information we need, and have him none the wiser about our motives,” Madeline suggested.

  “Can’t be me,” Don said, “I’m not really here, remember.” He pulled his phone out and returned it to his pocket.

  “Not a problem, you know I don’t mind going,” Madeline said.

  “No, let me go,” Abigail chimed in, drawing glares from both Madeline and Don.

  “Oh,” Madeline said, coy. “You sure you want to jump into this pond? It’s bound to get dirty. Joel will eventually find out that you’re on the opposing team. Are you sure you’re ready for the fallout?”

  Abigail wasn’t sure, but it wasn’t a factor. “I’ll get the impromptu update from Jim.”

  “All right, it’s on you. Make sure you find out what the potential pitfalls are in the merger. Those are the areas where we want to launch our attack,” Madeline said as she extended her hand toward the center of the table.

  Don had his phone out again. “Excuse me. I have to take this call from Naledi.”

  “Everybody in?” The three stacked hands like high school kids before a big game, before Don stepped away. Must have been important, Abigail thought, noticing the way he hustled from the room. Her mind returned to Joel. She was on the opposing team, and he was alone. The decision wasn’t so hard—any man who couldn’t listen to reason couldn’t be good for her, or for the company.

  chapter

  10

  Jitters in Don’s gut were flipping, compelling him to flee for South Africa and leave the turbulent DMI boardroom for those more resilient. He spoke a silent prayer asking for guidance, believing his request would be honored if he truly was destined to be CEO. How and when the transition of power occurred between the two brothers was God’s challenge to handle. Being available and willing was Don’s role, one he was trying to accept. He drew in a deep breath of confidence when he saw Abigail approach. He would need to become staunch and unmovable if this plan was to work.

  “How did you make out with Jim?” he asked, glancing at his watch as others filed into the room, greeting him in the process. “We only have a few mi
nutes. Let’s step to the side,” he told her. Joel approached and paused. No words were exchanged, but the piercing gaze he gave Abigail before passing by spoke clearly. “Don’t worry about him,” Don told her, certain she was feeling the impact of siding against Joel.

  “Jim gave me some good information.”

  “I hope good news,” Don said, just as Madeline was exiting the elevator. He beckoned for her to join the circle. “We’re only a few minutes from showtime.”

  Abigail pursed her lips and subtly shook her head no.

  Don was hoping for better news. “Go ahead, spill it.”

  “Apparently Joel is pushing to have the contract done today or tomorrow.”

  “What?” Madeline said, rearing back. “He can’t cram this deal down our throats. He might be CEO for the meantime, but we have a voice in this company. I’ve been around a long time. I can still call a few shots,” she said, letting her head jerk around with her signature take charge if necessary attitude.

  “We need to slow this process down,” Don said, wanting to remain level in his direction and not be influenced by emotion.

  “You got that right. We have to bring this to a close,” Madeline said.

  Abigail didn’t offer any suggestions. She listened. Don could imagine the internal struggle she was battling. He’d felt the same agony when Joel had claimed both DMI and Abigail, forcing Don to find another love and place to call home, which he had.

  Don glanced at his watch, again confirming that there was only a few minutes left before meeting time. “All right, our strategy is to extend the merger time line and construct a sound plan of action.” Both ladies nodded in affirmation. “Good,” he said. “After you, Mother.” He then turned to Abigail. “I’ll catch up with you immediately after the board meeting.” He couldn’t believe she wasn’t a board member yet. Joel had had the right idea when he’d promoted her to executive vice president. He just hadn’t gone to the next level. Once Don was in charge, he would get Abigail on the board of directors and an office on the sixth floor with the rest of the executive team if she wanted. She’d proven her loyalty and vision for the company.