“Well, don’t you let him put anything over on you. I hear he’s a slick one. That whole family has a bad reputation when it comes to dealing with people. The less you have to do with him, the better.”
“Don’t worry about me, mom. I can take care of myself. I’ve dealt with shrewder people than he will ever be.”
“Well I certainly hope so. Take good care of yourself, son. Don’t take any nonsense from those people. I’ll be praying that everything works out well for you. Bye for now!”
“Bye, mom!”
He made a hurried call to his mother’s broker and placed an order to sell at the market.
Kane was now ready to take on Adam Hampton III. It was an encounter he has looked forward to with anticipation for the past three months. Things were going according to plan.
Chapter 7
Evelyn Littleton placed the phone back on the cradle. She always felt good talking to Kane. He seemed to understand her better than her two daughters did.
Evelyn was in the midst of her fourth divorce. She’s being sued by her husband Donald Bartley for twenty thousand dollars a month support, claiming a disability that prevents him from supporting himself in the style to which he became accustomed. She decided not to contest the divorce in spite of the substantial evidence she had that Donald was a homosexual and was planning to move in with his lover of several years as soon as the monthly payments began. Evelyn had the worst luck when it came to men. Her first husband ran off with his secretary. The second disappeared thirty five years ago and the third died in prison while serving a thirty year sentence for mail fraud.
Evelyn Littleton is one of Old Brooking’s social elite. The family is “old money”, first moving to town in 1836 and into the current residence in 1930. In addition to Kane, she had two daughters, Melanie thirty-eight, from her first husband John Cadbury and Bridget, thirty three, from her third, Bruce Mason. Her daughters, both married, have produced four grandchildren. Kane on the other hand was wedded to his work and seemed to have little interest in marriage or children. His birth certificate shows him to be the son of Evelyn’s second husband, Peter Masterson who disappeared without a trace in nineteen seventy four, three months prior to his son’s birth. Evelyn was glad that Kane never showed much interest in his biological father. Whenever she allowed her thoughts to go back to those days, a tsunami of painful memories flooded in. Her belief was that it was best to let sleeping dogs lie.
Chapter 8
Adam Hampton III handed his gold embossed card to the receptionist at Preston Industries two minutes before noon. She nervously reached out for the card and dropped it on the counter. Adam picked it up and held on until he was certain that she had a good grip on it.
“These gold ones are a bit heavier. They take some getting used to,” he quipped, giving her comforting smile.
She relaxed immediately and smiled back in reply.
“Mister Masterson is expecting you, sir. George will take you to his office,” she said, gesturing to a uniformed guard.
George stepped up to the desk. “This way, sir. We’ll need to take the elevator.”
Kane’s office was on the third floor of the six story building. They exited the elevator and walked to the end of the long hallway. Kane’s secretary greeted him as George retreated to the elevator.
“Good afternoon, Mister Hampton. I‘m Betty Easton, Mister Masterson’s secretary. He’s expecting you.”
Adam was impressed by the women he had seen so far. The receptionist and Kane’s secretary were both very beautiful, several notches above the women at Hampton Industries. He made a mental note to talk to his Vice President of Human Resources. There was no reason why the females at Hampton shouldn’t have both beauty and brains.
Betty opened the door and led him into a modestly decorated executive office.
Kane rose immediately and walked to greet Adam. “Kane Masterson,” he proffered, “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.
“Adam Hampton. I’m pleased to meet you too.”
Kane gestured Adam to a couch. “Please have a seat. Can Betty get you anything?
“No thanks. I had an early lunch today.”
“I’ll have a bottle of water, Betty,” he said as he sat down in a chair opposite Adam. When the water arrived they settled down to the meeting they both had been anticipating, but for different reasons; a meeting of the victor with the vanquished, for Adam, and a meeting of the master manipulator with the sucker, for Kane. Each would leave the meeting satisfied that their goals had been met. Only time would tell who the ultimate victor would be, although the odds at the moment appeared to be in Adam’s favor.
With the social amenities out of the way, Adam presented Kane with the schedule for the next four hours that included a review of operating results, interviews he would have with key executives and a final hour for both to express any concerns about the plans to integrate Preston Industries into Hampton Industries.
They met back in Kane’s office at 3 p.m. This time Adam readily accepted Betty’s offer by asking for a scotch and water. Kane ordered a gin and tonic. Once the drinks were served and they were alone again, Kane offered a toast, “Here’s to the successful amalgamation of two great corporations, Preston Industries and Hampton Industries.”
“I’ll second that, but not necessarily in that order.”
Kane thought to himself, What a horse’s ass this man is.
They clinked glasses and settled back in their chairs. Kane was the first to speak.
“Adam, as you know, Preston Industries has been around for over one hundred years. Our customers depend on our reputation for quality, value and service. I’m sure that you will do all you can to protect that. As for our employees, I have no concern for the executives. They’ve all had “golden parachutes” since the last time we went through this, but having been through a number of takeovers myself I know that most of the cost reduction will come from a reduction in the ranks of our hourly employees. We’ve already had a number of resignations, but the majority of folks have decided to stick-it-out and hope for equitable severance packages.”
Kane hesitated for a second and concluded, “Those are basically my major concerns at this time and the main reason I agreed to stay on for the next six months.”
Adam was least ten years older, the result of excessive drinking, an improper diet and too little exercise. He looked thoughtfully at the ceiling before he spoke, “Kane, I’m going to be open with you. I had a rush of emotions when I realized that we had enough stock to take over Preston. My first thought was that I had finally accomplished what my daddy tried in vain to do several years back. My second thought, and I’m being honest with you, was that I had finally defeated the man who prevented this from happening back then. I’ve hated your guts for well over three years. Beating you at your own game gives me a great feeling of satisfaction.”
Adam was puzzled by a slight grin on Kane’s face. He reached for his drink, took a big gulp and continued. “On the surface our dealings will appear to be amicable, but to the victor belongs the spoils. You needn’t worry about your precious employees. I’ll do all right by them, but I intend to make the transition as difficult as I can for you personally. You obligated yourself to work for us for the next six months and I intend to make sure that that obligation is satisfied down to the last minute of the last day.”
Adam stopped speaking, leaving an opening for a reply.
Kane pushed back the lock of his sandy blond hair that had fallen over his left eye. He appeared to be frustrated. “Mister Hampton, I’m really sorry that you feel that way. This has never been personal for me. I viewed it as just another battle between two corporate titans. Your victory was won fairly and I assure you that I not only realize my obligation to Hampton Industries, but I fully intend to honor them to the letter.”