“Section eight,” she replied.“The CFO can call an emergency meeting.So can a quorum.And section eleven, board members serve at the discretion of the chairman, which is you.But all immediate family members automatically have seats if they’re over the age of twenty-one.And spouses are also included.”
“Damn Helene had her fingers in that, too.That clause wasn’t in there until we got married.Always was a conniving opportunist.”
“That’s my mother you’re talking about,” she reminded him.“I think she’s quite clever.”
“I never said she wasn’t.”
Finally, Lara sat.“You will always be heard.You will always be valued and respected.But it’s time we considered some different directions and strategies.And if you want time to be on the golf course, you’ve earned it.”
“If you think I’m staying away while that Donovan bastard sits in this chair—”
“I think he’d find it too uncomfortable.And so would I.”After checking her watch, she said, “We’re due in the conference room at five.We will start without you if necessary.”
* * * *
Lara Bertrand, his future bride, was a force to be reckoned with, and Connor had never been prouder.
At four-thirty, he’d stepped off the elevator on the eighteenth floor of the building that housed BHI.Helene had been waiting for him, and she’d shown him to Lara’s office.
The place had taken him aback.He was accustomed to seeing her in her personal surroundings, and the wide space with clean lines and its lack of clutter surprised him, showed him another dimension to her.The more he saw, the more he appreciated her.
She’d said the meeting with Pernell had gone as well as could be expected, and she had no predictions about the way he would behave at the board meeting.
Together, the three of them had walked to the conference room.
She’d already had water, agendas, copies of the corporation’s bylaws, notepads and pens placed at each setting.True to Helene’s nature, a plate of chocolate chip cookies had been set on a credenza, next to a pile of napkins.
If he’d had any doubt of the pair’s ability to get things done, they’d have vanished in that moment.
The projector had been set up for his slide show.The whiteboard was empty and pens were lined up in the tray.
Lara and Helene greeted each board member as they arrived, and they introduced Connor.Between his brother’s research, his own reading and information gleaned from Helene and Lara, he was able to smoothly interact with each member.
At five o’clock, each person had taken a seat.
By five after, Pernell still hadn’t arrived, and Lara grabbed her phone and excused herself from the room.
When she returned, Connor was unable to read her expression.People started talking among themselves, and he heard whispers as they wondered about Pernell’s absence and what Lara intended to do about it.
She waited five more minutes before she stood and thanked everyone for their attendance.Her voice rang with authority, and the board members looked to her for leadership.Despite the fact that this was a position she’d maintained she didn’t want, it obviously came naturally.
He sat back now and watched her.
“Last week, Connor Donovan approached us with an offer to purchase the communications division.”
He noticed she hadn’t placed the blame on her father, an astute and adept move.
“On further reflection, I’d like us to reconsider the offer.Yes, it’s low.”She looked at him.“But it’s an excellent place to begin.Ultimately we may decide it’s not in BHI’s best interest, but we owe it to ourselves to look at it.I will have a copy for you at the end of the meeting, but with your permission, I’d like Connor to give us a short presentation, outlining potential benefits.”
For the next hour, Connor went through his slides.His team had done an excellent job of animating the presentation.Thompson had admitted that they’d gotten some help from a couple of Julien’s associates in his new movie division.In fact, Connor recognized the music that played at the end as a more refined version of Julien’s theme song.
Regardless, it was both showy and informative.
He answered dozens of questions, and provided some quick math on the whiteboard.
When there was a natural break, Lara stood, as they’d planned.“BHI has had three quarters of losses, as you know.The time has come for us to fully explore the changing landscape of our business to create a workable and profitable future.We need to be ruthless and unflinching in our expectations and vision.We need to offload unprofitable divisions, sell them if possible.And we need to focus on the things we do well.Transportation, shipping, logistics, energy.”
Mary, the woman at the far end of the table stood.“Pretty snazzy graphics, Lara and Connor.”From her tone, it wasn’t a compliment.“But we need more than cute cartoons.”
