Musar reached for the pen and began signing as his attorney flipped the pages and pointed out the signature spots on the two sets of documents. After Musar was finished, Joel whizzed through his signatures.
“We’re done,” the attorney said, handing Joel his set of contracts. “I can leave the papers here if you don’t want to carry them during your stay.”
“Oh no, that’s not necessary,” Joel said, taking possession of his papers. He could lose his luggage and his dignity, but those documents were headed to Detroit. He secured the papers in his briefcase, to be protected with his life. After all, his life was the collateral on both the loan with Uncle Frank and in the marriage to Zarah.
“Now that we’ve completed the merger, I’d like to complete the engagement this evening and move to the wedding phase tomorrow,” Musar said.
“Are you sure you’re feeling strong enough? I’m willing to wait until tomorrow,” Joel said.
“We must proceed this evening. I cannot waste the time,” Musar said firmly.
“Then this evening it is. Where would you like for us to meet?”
“If I were well, the announcement would take place at my house. We would expect a formal procession with you and your family to my house.” Joel and his mother didn’t make for a procession and no one else was coming. “With my strength fading, we will treat this venue as our home. My family has traveled here. Zarah will not be robbed of a fitting ceremony.”
“Just let me know what you need me to do and I will accommodate,” Joel said, subtly rubbing the briefcase.
“Very good, we shall see you in the dining room this evening at six o’clock.”
Joel could appreciate Musar’s passion for a cause where the threat of death wasn’t a deterrent. Now that he was breathing easier, Joel was almost looking forward to the upcoming party. It was the closest he’d come to relaxation in months.
chapter
38
Sherry entered the dining room clutching Joel’s arm. Vibrant colors and culture oozed from each corner of the room. “My goodness, I didn’t expect this many people,” Sherry whispered to Joel. His lack of enthusiasm about the marriage hadn’t prepared her for the gravity of the event.
“I didn’t know, either,” Joel said.
Realization was setting in with Sherry. Joel’s decision was big. She felt out of sorts among the crowd of foreigners with whom she shared little, starting with their clothing. Joel’s suit was top of the line at home but appeared inappropriate at the Bengalis’. Sherry couldn’t find a source of contentment. Releasing her son, his future, and their family’s legacy to people she didn’t know made Sherry light-headed.
A man approached Joel and took him to the side. Sherry stood idle, appearing to be gazing into her cosmetic mirror. Thank goodness Joel wasn’t gone long. “What did he want?” Sherry asked.
“He gave me a quick overview of what’s going to happen during the engagement process.” Joel must have sensed her concern and stopped her before a word of warning was uttered. “Don’t think about telling me to turn around,” he said. “The deal is done. The contracts are signed. This is it, so let’s go,” he told her.
A woman approached as they entered the dining room, wearing a purple Indian garment heavily laced with gold accents and a lace veil hanging from head to waist. It didn’t cover her face, causing the small decorative jewelry on her forehead to stand out. The woman ushered Sherry and Joel to a slightly raised platform where Mr. Bengali and his daughter were sitting. There were two seats next to Zarah, where they were instructed to sit. Joel sat next to Zarah after greeting Musar. Sherry sat on the other side of Joel. It felt like being in a fishbowl. If this was the engagement, she couldn’t comprehend enduring three days of wedding festivities.
Sherry leaned toward Joel. “I have to admit, she is lovely. I saw her in Detroit that one time, but I didn’t realize how gorgeous she is.”
“Uh-hmm,” he responded.
Sherry understood how limited he was in his ability to respond, sitting that close to Zarah. After a few words from Mr. Bengali and the official engagement proposal from Joel, dinner was served. Sherry wanted to close her eyes and wake up in Detroit, wishing she’d somehow gotten locked into an awkward dream. The evening was ending but she had a feeling Joel’s troubles were only beginning. It was to be expected when marriages were done under the wrong set of circumstances, she thought from experience.
chapter
39
Madeline felt agitated and out of the loop pertaining to information about Joel’s doings. The DMI attorneys were stretching out the process and getting nowhere with finding a way to permanently crush the merger. She wasn’t about to stand around and wait while others let her company collapse under the weight of Joel’s ill-advised decisions. Madeline took the short walk past several closed doors to Joel’s office. “Is he in? I need to see him,” Madeline told Kay, Joel’s administrative assistant.
“No, Mrs. Mitchell, he’s out for the week.”
“How can he be out of the office for a week when we’re in the middle of a sales crisis? I know he’s not on vacation.”
“I’m not at liberty to say where he is.”
The possibilities of where he was and what he was doing bombarded Madeline’s brain. He was up to something, she was certain. “But I’m an officer of this company. You can tell me.”
Kay dropped her gaze and began fidgeting with the papers on her desk. “He gave me strict orders not to share any information.”
Madeline didn’t feel it necessary to grill the assistant. She was only doing her job, and doing it well. Too bad Kay couldn’t teach her boss about integrity. “Okay, I understand, but trust me when I tell you that your boss will have a lot to explain if he gets us into a situation that we can’t handle. This company is as good as gone,” Madeline said, taking a few steps back toward the elevator. “So I’m probably your best hope of saving this company and your job. If you know anything, you should tell me before it’s too late.” Madeline didn’t really expect the executive assistant to divulge her boss’s confidential information. In a weird way, Madeline was pleased to know that the top-ranking official in DMI had a trustworthy advocate, because if Kay willingly shared information with one person, she could do it with another, perhaps somebody outside the walls of DMI.
The assistant was a bust, but the hunt wasn’t over. Madeline strolled two doors down, to Sherry’s office. She raised her fist to rap on the door and stopped. Did she really feel like dealing with Sherry today? The sun was shining, spring was handing the reins over to summer, and it was a festive time. Did she truly want to usher in storm clouds? What the heck, she might as well find out where Joel was. She knocked several times with no response. Madeline gazed at her watch. Eleven fifteen. Everybody working for DMI should be in the office by nine thirty. Where was she? Madeline wanted some kind of answer for her efforts—a nibble would suffice.
Slightly agitated but more curious, Madeline returned to the only source of information available. “Is Sherry out today?” she asked Kay.
“Yes, she’s out for the week, too.”
“Wait a minute. They’re both out of the office for a week at the same time?” She didn’t know what was going on, but the slicing feeling in the pit of her stomach said it wasn’t good for her son’s claim on the CEO position. Madeline didn’t know whether to scream in torment or rally the troops in a show of strength. She did neither. Diplomacy would be the approach. “I have to speak with Joel or Sherry. We have a couple of serious issues brewing and we need the CEO to weigh in on the situation. I have to speak with him,” Madeline said, calm as could be, carefully and methodically speaking each word. If Kay had an inkling of the rift between Madeline, Sherry, and Joel, she’d know that Madeline would never ask for Joel’s help unless her house was burning down and the stairs had collapsed and there were no sheets available for her to climb out the window. Even then, she’d consider other options, until her last breath, when her smoke-filled lungs c
ollapsed. But a smile and a few soft words were the master at winning over people. It wasn’t Madeline’s way, but she wasn’t so old and stuck in her mind-set that she couldn’t try a new approach. None of her other approaches had worked.
“Why don’t I take a message and get it to him,” Kay offered.
“How quickly can you get it to him?”
The assistant pulled a handwritten index card from her top desk drawer. “This is my cheat sheet. I get so mixed up with the time differences.” She traipsed her finger along the card for a few seconds, apparently doing some form of calculation. “It’s around nine thirty at night there.”
“Where?”
“Jaipur, India.” Before Kay could realize what she’d done, Madeline was leaving. “Oh no,” Kay said, covering her mouth with her hand, wearing a look of fright. “I probably shouldn’t have said that.”
“Don’t worry, you haven’t done anything wrong. He’s the CEO, for goodness sake, and I’m an owner in this company. Any business he does that pertains to DMI is also my business.”
“But this was a personal trip.” Personal, Madeline wondered, but didn’t speak. The instant arch in her eyebrow must have spoken loudly because Kay regained her level of fear. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that.”
Madeline came close to the desk. “It’s okay, you haven’t done anything wrong. Don’t worry. You’re all right.”
“I hope Mr. Mitchell feels the same way. I need this job.”
“Trust me, you’re all right. You didn’t really tell me anything, and you definitely didn’t volunteer any information. As far as I’m concerned, he should be glad to have you on his staff.” Kay appeared less terrified. “If Mr. Mitchell has a problem with you when he returns, you have a job with me.”
“Thanks, Mrs. Mitchell, but I hope that’s not necessary.” The phone rang. “Excuse me, Mrs. Mitchell. I have to take this call.” Madeline hung around in case more information was revealed. Hunting for Joel was like putting a puzzle together. She gathered the pieces wherever she could. “Hello, Ms. Tate,” Kay spoke into the phone. “No, Mr. Mitchell is not in the office this week.” There was a long pause, while the caller spoke. Kay sat up in her seat, getting that look of fear again. Madeline couldn’t wait for the call to end and find out what was being said. “No, I can’t confirm or deny that Mr. Mitchell is in India. I’ll take a message that you called and forward it to Mr. Mitchell. Thank you for the call.” Madeline could hear the caller still talking as Kay hung up.
“I guess I’m not the only one who knows about Joel’s whereabouts.”
“I have no idea how Samantha Tate found out.”
“The TV reporter?”
“Yes, her.”
Madeline flashed a sincere grin. “Like I said, you’re okay with me. If you need a job with me, it’s yours,” she said, giving a tap on the desk and then walking away. It was bad enough that she knew where Joel was, but Samantha Tate, Ms. Media, was far worse, for Joel, that was. Madeline sensed the warmth of the air. All the answers weren’t there, but a snippet of information was the hope she needed to keep pushing. DMI wasn’t dead yet. As long as there was breath in her body and vitality in the company, she would fight until the bitter end.
chapter
40
There were instances when Madeline felt alone in the recovery effort. Abigail and Don were on board, but their plan of waiting until God showed them a sign wasn’t her way. She felt called to action, not willing to wait for the elevator to carry her down the three floors. She descended the staircase as fast as her four-inch pumps would go without sending her sailing into the air. She wanted answers and was not in a mood for excuses and laziness. Someone was getting fired if the progress she expected wasn’t done. Time for playing around with Joel’s whim of a merger deal was over.
Madeline burst through the double doors leading into the legal department doors. “Where’s Jim?” she asked the junior attorney sitting near the entry.
“I think he’s in a meeting.”
Madeline didn’t wait to find out with whom and for what. They had to get their behinds rolling. The legal team was the last hope. The independent counsel had done their job, although the results weren’t good. There was no conversation he could be having that was more important than saving the company from Joel’s huge mistake. The merger was a death sentence to DMI, and she had to stop it. Joel couldn’t win. With Joel and Sherry both in India, it was clear that time and options were short. She maneuvered through the small legal office and knocked on Jim’s closed door. The secretary looked as if she wanted to interrupt but Madeline’s counter look of don’t even try it won out. After three knocks, Madeline opened the door. No one was inside. She turned to the secretary. “Where is Jim? I thought he was in a meeting.”
The secretary fumbled around a few keys on the computer, clearly frazzled, accessing Jim’s calendar. Madeline wanted to tell her to relax, but decided to leave it alone. Her goal wasn’t to torment the staff, but she was determined not to let protocol or confidentiality hinder her from getting the results she had to have. Finally the secretary said, “He’s in conference room two, meeting with one of our vendors.
“Thank you,” Madeline said with as much sincerity as she could ooze out. “You’ve been very helpful.” The situation wasn’t the secretary’s fault and she didn’t want her to feel the brunt of discontent.
Madeline dashed to the conference room, knocked once, and opened the door in a single continuous motion. Jim and the two vendor representatives were startled. “Excuse me, Jim, I need to speak with you.” She also asked the representatives to excuse her. No one objected. Jim gave his apologies and hustled into the hallway, closing the door behind him.
“I need answers about the merger,” she said, “but I don’t want to talk here. Let’s go to your office.”
He pointed to the conference room. “Can this wait until after this meeting is over?”
“No, it can’t,” she said, not blinking or moving an inch. “We’ve dragged our feet long enough. I need answers now.”
“Okay, but let me tell the vendor that I’ll be right back.”
She waved him on as if to say “do what you have to do, but let’s get to your office.” Madeline walked ahead and Jim was less than a minute behind.
“Could you please get them some coffee or pastries or something?” Jim asked his secretary before entering his office.
Once inside, he closed the door. He extended his hand toward a seat.
“No thank you, I prefer to stand. I feel like we’ve been doing nothing but sitting on this issue for months.”
“It’s not quite a month yet.”
“One month, two months, what’s the difference? I need answers. Where are we with finding loopholes in the contract or anything that gives us an indication that this merger with Harmonious Energy is a bad deal for DMI? Having to surrender the West Coast division alone presents a hardship.”
“But legally it’s not a showstopper.”
“You can’t be serious?”
“Divestiture is a call that the board will need to make but legally there’s no barrier.”
“Then find something that is.”
“We’ve combed the document and it’s in order.”
“That’s not what I want to hear, Jim,” Madeline said, fixing her hands on her hips.
“I don’t know what to tell you. We’ve done a thorough and impartial review.”
“And?” she asked expecting more.
“And we’ve come up with very little.”
“You really mean that you’ve come up with nothing, four weeks, and you have nothing.” Madeline paced for several steps. “Why didn’t we get an update earlier, letting us know that you weren’t getting anywhere?”
“You and the board asked for a thorough and impartial review and that’s what we gave you. Just because the results didn’t turn out the way you wanted doesn’t discount me or my team’s effort.”
Madeline didn’t mind pushb
ack. Actually, she preferred members of the executive team standing up for their work and for their team. She could respect Jim for that, but the stakes were too high this time. They weren’t at odds about a vendor refusing to give a 20 percent discount versus 15. This was about the livelihood of a company, her company. She didn’t expect Jim or others to have the same energy about stopping the merger. Most of the workers could and would get jobs elsewhere. Losing DMI altogether was about far more than her job. It would kill two of her babies, the company she conceived with Dave forty years ago, and her son’s ascension to the throne of DMI. It was his birthright, and as his mother, she was determined to help him get it. He was relying on God’s, but she had a backup.
chapter
41
By day four of the wedding ceremony, Joel was exhausted. He’d wired money for the company yesterday as promised. He mustered a chivalrous disposition wearing the traditional long, dresslike garment. The ceremony was frivolous to Joel but knowing how significant it was to Musar, he had no problem conforming to their customs and traditions. One final set of activities and this would be over. He could go home and rebuild DMI, his first love.
A song blared into the doorway as Joel waited in his bare feet for his queue to enter the dining room that was converted into a temple setting. Several men had rehearsed the program order with him two or three times last night and again this morning. Joel hoped to remember as much as he could, although he didn’t believe that a minor mishap here or there was going to change the outcome. He and Zarah would be married, and Harmonious Energy was his. When the song stopped, Joel knocked on the door with his sword before entering. He’d practiced the knocking several times earlier and found it kind of amusing. Joel was led to the small platform where he was greeted and showered with flowers by an entourage of women in Zarah and Musar’s family. They were old, young, heavy, thin, light complexion, some dark, an assortment. Joel took his spot in front of the platform, facing the priest and Musar. Surprisingly Musar appeared invigorated with a burst of energy.
Destined Page 16
