"Ladies and Gentlemen, members of staff and shareholders, thank you for attending this extraordinary meeting at such short notice. I think it only right to air the grievances raised by some of you concerning the running of Labdacids Incorporated, the current management strategy and capability. I hope you all have a copy of the agenda. May I remind you this is an open meeting and that all points raised are minuted..."
Erik interrupted, standing up and turning from the speaker on the opposite side of the table to address all interested parties that sat on chairs and tables or stood arms crossed around the room. It was packed. None could or would muster a smile.
"Mr Cadmusson, I've just read the agenda and would like to make a point of order right here at the start. It's a question, actually. At what point did the Chief Executive Officer for this company cease to run its meetings?"
"If you've read the agenda you'll see that point number two is to review the organisation of company committee meetings and the vehicle for the airing of shareholder's concerns..."
"Yes, that's in the agenda, but it has not been agreed. By me. How can this meeting be arranged without the CEO acting as chair?"
"There'll be plenty of time for questions when we proceed to that point…"
"But you can't proceed! This committee must operate according to existing rules."
He shrugged. "That's as may be, so perhaps we ought to proceed with point number one first. This is, after all, an extraordinary meeting and the grievances made known to me must be aired…"
Erik became agitated, his chin in the air: "According to existing and longstanding committee rules, all grievances aired in an EGM should go through me. No committee can be held without me as chair. That's my role: I'm the goddam CEO; the chair. No changes can be ratified unless the committee rules are agreed. I haven't called this meeting. Anything discussed is therefore illegal according to the rules..."
"Mr De Pous! The committee is called by shareholders and employees but through me precisely because they felt they could not voice their concerns – to you. They're concerned that their jobs..."
"But the rules state that the CEO is chair and that any grievances or concerns or items for an agenda must go through the chair before they can be discussed. And they must be discussed in camera before carried motions are made public. Since when have our shareholder meetings been open? This is not an AGM or an EGM, so is this a meeting of employees or shareholders or management? Or a bloody press conference?"
"Seeing as we are already discussing point number one, I suppose I can raise the first motion: that of no confidence in the current chairman of the company and of his immediate removal. That he is not fit to manage the company has been made abundantly clear in the past 7 years, and that his current dangerous strategies have caused problems for both staff and shareholders and have led the company deeper and deeper towards oblivion. It is therefore a legitimate crisis in confidence..."
"Bullshit! That's not my fault!" Erik blurted, "That’s not my fault. Look, Labdacids has taken a bit of a dive lately because of predatory speculation, that's all. You should know this as Research Director. You've been on the past meetings where this has been discussed. I showed you the goddam figures! I'm doing everything in my power to lift the… curse on this company. I've arranged a plan to find a solution to the current financial stagnation. I've sought good advice from a futures company. They have looked at a restructuring..."
Muhammad stood and spoke over him as the others in the room began to protest, "Erik, please, everybody – let’s try to remain calm. We need to hear the evidence brought to the committee: that’s why we’re here. This is not a meeting about the company, Erik. It is about you: your management. Please continue, Mr Cadmusson." He sat.
There was an approving murmur across the room. Jo's brother tried to hide a smug smile. "Thank you, Muhammad, I think I can speak for everyone when I say that we're all here to hear the evidence first before any action can be taken: I realise you probably think that you've done nothing but the best for this company Erik, but we're only a few short steps away from ruin. We could all lose everything. There is also an issue of the gravest significance that I feel compelled to..."
"Wait!" Jo interjected, having stopped her husband from interrupting by standing up. "Wait a minute, just a minute. All of you. If I'm not mistaken, I'm the senior shareholder here and if anyone has the right to speak it's me."
The entire committee turned to Jo De Pous-Cadmusson at her very first contribution to any meeting.
"I know I don't normally do this sort of thing – in fact, if Lee were still with us I probably wouldn't have known any of this was even going on. But I have to say something. Since the merger your employer and co-CEO, Mr De Pous, has worked night and day for you all. If anyone has seen how desperately he has sought to promote the interests of this company it's me. If anyone has seen how many nights he has been unable to sleep for all the worry about the state of the business then it's me. Now, if my word has any kind of meaning here then I have to say he has been powerless against the sort of thing we've been talking about. God knows all the other businesses in the group have been sold off to finance this one: isn't that enough? Now you want to remove him? You want to set up some sort of... trial by committee? To judge... "
Her brother answered, "Jo! Mrs Cadmusson, it's not the effort of the CEO that's been called into question, but his very efficacy." There was silence.
Jo sat down again. Erik squeezed her hand.
"If we may continue?" Her brother opened a dossier on his desk. "In discussing point No 1 I'd like us to review the serious state of affairs the company has arrived at and to indicate specific actions of the author of the company's misfortunes, namely Mr De Pous."
"But you cannot say that!" Erik retorted. "As CEO I have lead this company though thick and thin. I came to the rescue of Labdacids when Sphinx were…"
"And all those years ago I was happy to give my sister away to the man who saw off Sphinx. Back then I would have gladly applauded anyone who could get us out of the mess we become embroiled in. Well, as it happens Sphinx quickly went into liquidation, no small thanks to you, and if the company had been part of it then we'd have also gone down with the ship – sunk forever. And at the time of the late CEO’s demise it seemed only right that a merger should go ahead, in the same way as your marriage. But it wasn't long before something told me things were not all rosy in the garden – with either.”
Erik and Jo both frowned at this as the chairman continued. “At the time I bit my lip, and it all seemed to be going well enough. You're right, Erik, that my job as Director of Research meant I got to see the business up close, and Jo, I agree that's probably something that just wouldn't have happened if Lee was still around. But that got me wondering why our business was struggling, why we were missing targets and failing contracts – why the company, as you say, is cursed, Erik. Well, at a chance meeting I met the manager of a specialist consultancy based in Oslo, Tiresi AS, and later asked them to find out where our problems lay. They came into the situation blind and I let them have access to pretty much any information they liked. Their representative kindly agreed to be present today to answer any questions we may have." As the chairman raised a leading arm all eyes turned towards the stranger standing at the back of the room in front of the window. He gave a nod back. "Last week they sent me their review, prognosis and recommendation. Please see pages 3-8 of the agenda..."
"Oh for God's sake! Norway? Why wasn't I told of this..."
"They're the best in Scandinavia, Erik; very efficient and totally unconnected with us other than in my dealings with them, so they're un-biased. But you're not going to like what they've said. Tiresi's review was damning. They singled out your style of management as of particular concern. Their prognosis, on pages 6 and 7, are that we have literally days before collapse and the final recommendation is that the management is changed and that a financial rescue package be arranged with the Haemon Corporation."
"Haemon? But that's your son's company?"
"Erik, we're going to have to go where the money is. If they play the tune we're going to have to dance. That's how bad it is."
"Oh – this is ridiculous! This is a… hijacking! Jo and I refuse to be treated in this way. We are the co-chairs of this company, have been for years: you know that, the employees know that, we know…"
"What I know, Erik, has shocked me. I'm sorry to have to do this here, but I see little choice. It's not just you, but also my own sister Jo who is to blame here. You and she are really the wrong people to be heading a company dealing in genetics. In their research Tiresi brought to my attention some very shocking news – news that I find difficult to relate here. I've tried to be as polite as I can during this meeting, and the following information is not included in the agenda and will not be recorded, but I feel this is the real reason for the crisis of confidence EGM. They became interested in your background, Erik, and did some research in France. It turns out the name on your birth certificate indicating that your parents are De Pous is false. It turns out that you were actually born in this country."
"Don't be ridiculous!” said Jo. “I don't believe it – and what possible relevance does this have on the meeting."
"I'm afraid it's much worse than that. The date of birth is 20 February 1988." Jo turned white. "The birth certificate they provided stated the father’s name as that of our late CEO, your previous husband, and the other name, that of the birth mother is you, Jo."
"This can't be true!" Jo blurted. "My baby died!”
A tense, breathy silence filled the room. The representative from Tiresi stepped forward. "The information is correct. I have the documentation with me." He waved two or three documents held within a plastic wallet. "There can only be one conclusion, that the birth certificate informs us without a shadow of a doubt that the two of you who have been living as man and wife, were in fact mother and son. It also means that the company's arrangements and any legal agreements formed by you were and continue to be completely invalid. The company's current ownership" he nodded at the both of them "has at present no legal standing, let alone moral propriety, and unless this meeting can formalise the assumption of ownership by legitimate parties we recommend bankruptcy and sale of business; a liquidation to cover existing debts."
Still holding hands, Erik and Jo looked at each other aghast shaking their heads slightly. The things just spoken to them seemed incomprehensible – to cut to their pounding hearts. They both thought the same thing: how could this be true? How could this have happened?
"Furthermore" continued Jo's bother, "the suddenness of Lee's death and of his role as CEO means that his company holdings were actually legally bound with the company and not necessarily the primary shareholder. In other words, Jo, your assumption of the possession of the company was not legitimate. And this meant Corinthien was in no position to suggest a merger or that you were in a position to receive such a move."
The couple remained silent, mouths open as the Tiresi rep continued, "But the circumstances of his sudden death also seemed quite strange. In the business archive we found a weekly diary of the late CEO along with many of the documents related to the Sphinx merger. It appears he was well aware of Corinthien's interests but wanted to find out more about its chairman, Mr De Pous. He therefore paid for an investigator, a Mr Phonte, to do a full background check on Mr De Pous. It is important to note that Mr Phonte's body was found in the river a few weeks after the time of the then CEO's death."
Jo's bother continued. "You remember at the time the windscreen was punched out and that the police said it appeared the car crash had an incidental victim. When the car impacted with the bridge he must have been thrown through the window into the river, drowned and swept away: but you remember, there were no eyewitnesses to the accident. Everyone assumed the CEO was with someone who… well, let's just say it was not unknown for Lee to find interest in casual relationships – we all knew that. However, we now assume the passenger thrown from the car was Mr Phonte. When the river police eventually found his body weeks later it had been so badly decomposed in the water they were not been able to identify him and it took a DNA test. At the time no-one was looking for a link between a CEO involved in a fatal car crash and a private investigator. As you know all eyes were on a different sort of relationship and enquiries dried up."
"And that is where we at Tiresi were able to find out some things. His family had already recovered his possessions, but with a little careful work we were able to get hold of the most recent files on a thumb drive in his possession. These pertained to a personal investigation about you, Mr De Pous. Clearly he suspected something about you at the time, but we are not sure exactly what." At this he smiled slightly and put his hands together to indicate he had finished presenting his evidence, as if in court.
"Oh my God!" Jo turned to Erik, "Remember he died on the bridge near the pub where we had the cocktails? You said you nearly had an accident."
Erik roused himself from his dazed stupor. "But… but I didn't… That wasn't me…"
"Hold on a minute," Jo's brother interrupted, "do you mean to say you were involved – in the accident that night?"
"Non, ce nétait pas moi! No-no, I was merely… I was nearly hit by a car on the roundabout. It was nothing to do with..."
"Blue Merc?"
"No!"
"He had a dark blue Mercedes 450: used to ride it high."
"No. It couldn't be."
"On a corner. Lambeth Bridge: he lost it on the roundabout – ran into the railings."
Muhammad interjected. "Was that you, Erik? Did you cause the accident?"
"No, I… I didn't… I was already late…"
"And you didn't stop? An accident occurred involving the CEO of the company you then went on to acquire – and you didn't stop to see what had happened?" he continued.
"No, I mean…"
"And your meeting? You were meeting with the CEO's wife? For what purpose, Erik?"
Erik turned towards Jo, "I had no idea. That it was him."
"I think it is clear the meeting must be stopped" Jo protested, standing up. "This isn't true, any of it. I don't believe a word." He rose still holding her hand. They stood together, looking into each other's eyes. In an attempt to maintain dignity they began to stride out, the shocked employees huddled by the panelled door shuffling out of their way.
"No, the meeting must continue, Jo." the chairman continued as they began to walk away. "The things revealed today show just how much this company needs to be cured. It's sick and is in desperate need of a cure. I'm sorry ladies and gentlemen; from what we have heard today the previous Chief Executive died at the hands of the present one, and it is also clear that the present one was his and the current co-Chief's son, and that their current relationship…"
–
The delicate, thin lady sat on her haunches on the damp gravel beside the stinking, objectionable man. He made barely-audible mumbles, listening to her gentle voice. She held out her hand to take his, only to realise that he couldn't see it. Was it the low light? Was he literally ‘blind drunk’? Scrambling to sit up on the cold concrete step under the monumental gateway, one of his stinking Converse shoes, old and holed, barely held together with whatever string passed for a lace, flew off a short way and he fell flat on his back. Retrieving it, she looked troubled, as if preparing to concede a mistaken identity and prepared to grimly walk away, but as she looked up into his face, now bathed in the ever-glowing London night sky, she saw behind his beard, the layers of grime and the deep clawed wrinkles – all she could see were the hopeless tears in his eyes that began to run down the cracks of his face.
Putting it onto his naked, cold, blue feet she could also see his scars – from birth, recognising them from their time together as man and wife. There could be no doubt; this revolting, unhappy, drunken man before her was Erik, the man who had once been her baby, the man who had been her wonderful husband, the man who had fathered their children, the man who more than ten years before had walked out burdened with shame heavier than any man could bear.
He knew it was her; that she had somehow found him. That from the bottom of his deep well of desperation and depravity an angelic face had appeared across the sky and was lowering the rope up which he could ascend: he knew he couldn't do it on his own.
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