Ada Burke wasn’t a suspicious woman. However, she had the sneaking suspicion that Barbara Wilkes wasn’t a woman who was being completely honest about her past or her life. To Ada, Barbara was the most dangerous kind of woman: The kind who’d become anyone to get anything. However, Ada liked Barbara well enough, but from what she’d seen the other day, she wasn’t sure she could trust her.
Yesterday evening, Ada dropped off a pie for her friend, Doreen’s, picnic the following day. Little did Ada know, but Doreen lived in the same apartment building as Barbara. Ada hadn’t known where Barbara laid her head until Doreen kept gossiping about the young woman whose father…maybe lover…was causing a raucous the other night. It wasn’t until Doreen pointed to the woman and the man that Ada realized it was Barbara. Barbara looked very familiar with a man who had some relation to her, but she didn’t know the true nature of their relationship. In that moment, Ada swore to herself that she would uncover Barbara’s secrets once and for all.
And now, as Ada stood outside of Barbara’s apartment, she raised her first to knock, but she stopped herself. Was this a step too far? Barbara was entitled to her privacy, but something nagged at Ada. Something deep within her soul. She knew that woman was too good to be true…and if she knocked on this apartment door, she could finally prove it. Ada was safe in knowing Barbara was busy working at the Montgomery Estate today, so she screwed up her courage, knocked on the door, and waited.
“Yeah, what do ya want?” Kenny Wilkes belched as he opened the door, clad in his stained underwear.
Ada was aghast at the sight of this slovenly man. She preferred men who cared for themselves…maybe not as well as Charles Montgomery and his sons, but men who tried to look neat, not raggedy. “Oh, I am…from the local church. We’re out collectin’ donations…”
“Stop ya right there, sister. Ain’t interested in no bowing and scraping to some man in the sky.”
Ada quickly took a deep breath as Kenny tried to close to the door in her face. “A friend at church said your wife had donations for us.” She searched his face carefully for any sign of reaction to the word ‘wife’.
“My wife ain’t a good Christian,” snorted Kenny. “Worse than me.”
“Huh.” Ada could feel her lips tremble with glee. “Must’ve been a wrong name. Sorry for wastin’ your time.”
“Hey,” Kenny called after Ada. “I don’t know who put us on that list, but we ain’t poor no more. My girlie’s got herself a job at that big estate with them rich folks. Tell that to your church folk.” With that, Kenny slammed the door in Ada’s face.
As Ada walked outside into the muggy August air, a sense of relief washed over her. Barbara Wilkes was married. She was common! More common than Ada or anyone else she knew. That man was old enough to be Barbara’s grandfather! Ada nearly leapt into the air, but something stopped her. Yes, she may have found out one of Barbara’s secrets, but she worried…and wondered…what else that woman from nowhere could be hiding…
Eli Davenport walked into Charles Montgomery, IV’s office at Montgomery Industries with a purposeful stride in his step. One of the benefits to being the father of Charles Montgomery’s granddaughter was being able to have direct access to this influential man. They greeted each other warmly before Eli said, “Thank you again for agreeing to see me, Charles.”
Charles gave Eli a light smile. “It keeps me from having to deal with Billy and Connor’s wedding plans. I trust you’ll be at the wedding.”
“Of course. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Eli quietly cleared his throat. “Charles, I need your help. Rather, I need Montgomery Investments help with a business acquisition.”
“I thought you had contacts from here to Wall Street to Hong Kong and London.”
“I do… I do. However, I want…I would like for this deal to be kept quiet for as long as possible.”
Charles raised a curious eyebrow. While he had been born into unimaginable wealth which stretched back almost as far as the modern book, he wasn’t what one would call an astute businessman. He had teams and teams of analysts, bankers, advisors, and the like who gave the go-ahead on any deal he or the company was considering. Charles wasn’t a born businessman, but he knew how to play the part for the rest of the world. “Do tell me more.”
Eli stared Charles dead in the eye as he said, “I want to takeover Davenport Technology.”
Charles sat in complete silence. For a moment, he feared that his senses had left him. “I’ll need you to repeat that…”
“I want to orchestrate a takeover of Davenport Technology.”
“Why?”
“It’s the right thing to do. I can unlock the potential which lies within the company. The current CEO is lackluster at best. If I don’t do this, someone else will see what I see and make a play for it. I need the backing of Montgomery Investments to fully execute my plan.”
Charles stared at Eli with marked disbelief. “Your mother is one of my closest friends. I admired your father greatly. The company was his legacy to you, your mother, your siblings…”
“This isn’t about family,” seethed Eli.
“It’s about your ego,” corrected Charles, bluntly. “Eli, we are family. India is fond of you and she isn’t fond of anyone. However, I will not betray Sheila by allowing one of my companies to steal her company from underneath her!”
“Davenport Technology is a publicly traded company! It’s not my mother’s company. We may own the largest block of shares, but we don’t have to vote in unison! Besides, we can buy the company’s bonds in order to take over the company by…”
“My answer is no!” snapped Charles, hotly.
“Charles! You and I both know this makes perfect business sense!”
“Eli, I will no betray Sheila and your family because you want to…oh, I don’t know, get one over on them. If this is what you want to do, then find someone else to help you. You’ve often intimated that you’re a business savant, so go and prove it. The Montgomery family and our companies will not be complicit in this action. I’m sorry, but my answer is no.”
“Then… Thank you, Charles.” With that, Eli turned, stormed out of Charles’ office, and out of the building. His mind was spinning at a million miles a minute. Charles Montgomery was his last hope. If Dylan were able to help block Eli’s takeover of the company, then all was lost. However, as Eli replayed the events in Charles’ office, he wondered if he could convince Sheila to vote her shares and Nicholas’ shares with him. After all, if he threw enough money at them and the public shareholders, they’d have to approve the deal. Money did talk and it was a language the Davenports loved more than anything else.
In our next installment, Connor tries with Will…
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