Page 54 of Companion Required
“So anyway,” said Kennedy, eager to get down to business, “before we begin, I brought small gifts. A metal remote-controlled model of a London bus for Hiro’s nephew. And for you, Tim, a few things from home that you might be missing.”
Instead of providing a formal presentation, Kennedy handed over the carrier bag.
Tim rifled through the bag and pulled out Hiro’s toy first before his eyes widened as he placed each additional item on the counter.
“Marmite. Branston pickle. Cadbury’s cream eggs. Rich tea biscuits. Tetley tea bags. You are a superstar,” said Tim, before pushing them to one side. “So, did you read everything I sent you?”
“I did,” said Kennedy. “Very interesting. Sounds like Milletto is not only a smart businessman, but a competitive one, who has made a name for himself in the industry. Cold Steel is in good shape because of him. What I don’t completely understand is why he wants out. It’s not as though he needs the money. And he’s clearly good at what he does.”
“And what did you make of the information in the private attachment?” asked Tim.
“You mean the fact that Sloan Williamson has a vested interest in the deal going through?”
“Spot on,” said Tim. “Milletto stands to make a lot of money from the sale of his company, even though, as you say, he’s already nicely off. But from what our inside sources tell us, he plans on putting the proceeds into a trust fund for his only daughter, Mary Jane Milletto. Who also happens to be in line to become the third wife of one—”
“Sloan Williamson.”
“Correct. At the moment, Sloan is paying child support to two ex-wives, so doesn’t have much money left in the bank each month. But with his future wife’s windfall, he’ll be able to buy up a substantial amount of shares in Grey Havens whenever you decide to go public. He’s probably hoping for a preferential offering for existing employees, too.”
“Yeah,” said Kennedy. “I got all that. But is Giorgio Milletto aware of any of this?”
“No, I’m pretty sure he’s unaware of Sloan’s intentions. From the people we spoke to privately, it sounds as though Milletto wasn’t particularly pleased about his only daughter agreeing to marry a man almost twice her age, and twice divorced. From what we’ve overheard, he simply wants to give her a safety net for when things go south.”
“When, notif?” asked Kennedy, chuckling.
“Milletto’s words, apparently, not mine,” said Tim.
Kennedy mulled this information over. Karl had voiced his concerns about Cold Steel being overpriced, but Sloan and his finance guy—someone Sloan had cherry-picked—had argued to the contrary. Of course Sloan would want the highest price possible, if he was going to end up with a sizeable handout. What irked Kennedy most was that the money would come from Kennedy’s own pocket. Officially the acquisition funds would be drawn from the Grey Havens business account, a business Kennedy owned and had, almost singlehandedly, sweated day and night to build into a market leader.
“So what do I do about Sloan?”
“Saru mo ki kara ochiru,” said Kazuki, who had been listening in, and which had both Hiro and Tim laughing aloud.
“What did he say?” asked Kieran.
“It’s an old Japanese proverb, which translates as ‘even monkeys fall from trees’.”
Both Kennedy and Kieran laughed.
“Problem is,” said Kennedy, “I don’t have time to spare, waiting for this one to fall.”
“Maybe you push him out of the tree,” said Kieran.
“Or you take the tree away. I’ve been doing a bit of thinking, and I may have found a solution,” said Tim. “I attended a course on problem-solving recently, and they classified all problems into three categories. First, the problem that has already happened and now needs to be fixed. Second, the problem you can foresee that lies ahead. And third, problems you want to prevent from happening in the first place. The way I see things, you are viewing this as the second category, something that lies ahead. But what if you prevent the problem from happening in the first place, take away Sloan’s leverage?”
“And how do you suggest I do that?”
“There are a number of ways. You could tell them all you’re delaying or postponing the decision to take your privately-owned company to a public limited one. Of course, then you lose out as well.”
“Agreed,” said Kennedy, but could see Tim had more to say.
“So, as is my wont, I’ve been going through your private investment portfolio. Did you know you own twenty percent shares in Securiton? They’re another domestic security company in the US.”
“I didn’t. And to be honest, I’ve never heard of them. They were probably my late uncle’s shares, transferred to me when he passed away. How are they performing?”
“Historically, good. Of late, appallingly. Even though they have great potential, they’re currently being mismanaged. The point is, after doing a bit of digging, I found out that someone else has a thirty-five percent stake in the company.”
“Go on.”
