‘Tell them why. If you told them about your father, who he is, what he did, anyone with a heart would have sympathy.’
Gregory stands so abruptly, it makes me jerk backwards. ‘Sympathy. Do you think I want their fucking sympathy, Scarlett?’ His words are a roar that shock me into silence. He charges to the window and stands with his back to me, his arms folded.
I don’t know where he’s gone butmyGregory isn’t present in the room. I wish I could read his mind but the reality is, I probably wouldn’t like what I’d see. It was a stupid suggestion. He won’t open up to anyone so he’s not about to open up to threemen he hates. I want to go to him. I want to take him in my arms but this is the Gregory I see during the night, the Gregory who wants to be alone in his own dark world.
I need to be objective about this. I need to put him firmly back in the client box and be his lawyer. ‘What’ve they said so far? Have they tried to call a directors’ meeting?’
‘They sent this letter by email this morning,’ Williams says, sliding a document across the coffee table towards me.
‘It’s a notice to remove a director under the Companies Act,’ I say, speaking my thoughts aloud. ‘That’s a good thing in terms of them knowing that they don’t have a right to remove Gregory under the Articles of Association of the company. It does mean they think they have sufficient shares in the company with voting rights to remove Gregory by a simple majority.’
‘In fucking English, Scarlett!’ Gregory yells, thrashing his arm at his desk, sending a water glass smashing into the wall.
Lawrence jumps to his feet. ‘I’m as sure as death and taxes are certain that I brought you up better than this. If you’re going to act like an ape, leave this to Williams and me.’
Gregory swings his head from staring at the pile of broken glass and glares at Lawrence, neither one of them relenting.
‘It’s fine, Lawrence, really.’I did this to him. He’s wound so tight because of me.‘I was thinking out loud. So here’s the intelligible version.’
Gregory resumes a position on the sofa sitting next to me. ‘He’s right; I’m sorry.’
I throw him a cursory glance but now isn’t the time for me to look into the distracting eyes of my man of multiple personalities.
‘Forget it. So, I read the company’s Articles on the way over here. The Articles govern how directors are appointed and removed from the company. There isn’t an express right in theArticles for Nick and the others to remove you, although there would be if… if you’re charged.’
Gregory’s shoulders tense slightly, then he nods once, his lips set in a straight line.
‘Does that mean they can’t remove him?’ The question comes from an anxious-looking Williams.
‘Well, it means they can’t remove him in their capacity as directors but they’re either ignorant of the possibility or they’ve looked at the Articles too.’
‘The former,’ Gregory grunts.
‘That gets us to the Companies Act. The legislation gives shareholders the right to remove a director. There are rules around how to exercise that right, which Nick clearly hasn’t followed looking at this letter. He hasn’t given sufficient notice first off so he couldn’t hold the meeting today to remove you. Are you with me?’
Gregory nods again, stroking his chin between his index finger and thumb.
‘Right, so based on technicalities, we can at least delay things from today.’
Gregory leans back on the sofa, unbuttoning his suit jacket and resting one ankle across the knee of his other leg. ‘A delay isn’t good enough.’
‘I know. What I need to understand is how many shares they have in the company, their percentage holding. They need a simple majority vote to remove you under Section 168.’
‘A simple majority being more than 50 per cent?’ Lawrence asks.
‘Yes. Exactly.’
‘Bloody hell!’ Williams snaps, taking his turn to rise from his seat. ‘They have 18 per cent each.’
‘54 per cent as a group?’ I ask for confirmation.How could Gregory have let that happen?
Gregory nods but his face is expressionless, controlled. ‘Does that mean I’m screwed?’
‘It means—’On top of everything else,now I have to tell him he’s going to lose…Someone switches on the proverbial light bulb in my recently overactive mind. ‘Wait!’ I rummage through my papers and pull out the company’s Articles.Please,please,please.
My eyes catch the clause I hoped I hadn’t imagined.Thank you,God!I slouch back, sinking into the sofa, and exhale the pressure that’s been building in my throat.
‘What?’ Gregory’s tone is clipped but he’s restraining his temper.
