Sensual Light

Memories Part 3

The sun was rising and we were nowhere near a solution. I called late last night and all my five lawyers showed up before I reached the office an hour later. "Tell me there is something we can do." They looked at me with gloomy eyes. According to the documents we reviewed last night apparently my mother's marriage to my father and the fact she named the business after her name and wedding name gave my father right to the name, if he provided a marriage certificate he was entitled to sue me. This was not good, I didn't think of it when I took my mother's business and I didn't think my father would play dirty just to get me to concede but here we were. "What is the possibility of changing the name of the business, we can re-brand with a new name keeping everything else."

Harry one of my lawyers ran a hand over his face. "Not possible, not in time. It cannot be done now as an option, maybe when you started but not now because we now need you're father's signature for approval for the re-branding." Shit. All these hours and the only course of action was for a prompt merger. Apparently the news of my fathers interference reached some other jewel enterprises and right now there three offers on the table for a merger where I would merge my business and take their name and they would take all that is mine. Just like my father, they were trying to take advantage and it didn't help they were my competitors.

More and more, I was being pushed into the corner. If I was going to lose, I am going to lose this fight with grace. I could sell the company, ensure each of the employee had employment security and their benefits intact. I could go with a hefty sum, retire early to the Caribbean. "Don't even think about it." Wanton spoke, bringing me from my fantasy haze. We have been through a lot together. He was the previous manager's nephew. I remember his uncle choosing to forfeit his severance pay just to secure his nephew a job. Fresh out of the bar, no one wanted someone inexperienced in a very fragile sector but I gave him a job and he proved his worth. "We won't sell, we will sit here until there is another option." He looked around and his glance came back to me. I nodded.

This was bad. I huffed from exhaustion, "tell me how much he can ruin me, ruin this?" Richard spoke, "from the extent of this new threat, it is a surprise he didn't ruin you when you took the business." So this was his ace, he sat on it until now. God, how worse can this get? Please let it not get even worse than this? "Please tell me I am not a subsidiary of LE." George spoke, "on that side we are safe. The business is independent of LE, not even a dime of his money was used in the start up, just the name." The name, the damn name. "What if we go to court, is there a way to plead with the court that in being a Loulind and being my mother's daughter, I am entitled to the name and being the business owner he has no case?"

They looked at each other. "Wanton?" If anybody could give it to me straight it was him. He swallowed. "It has a very low success rate and based on the fact that the fight is between a father and a daughter, you would have won if your father wasn't the owner of a company which has been in the market for generations. The court is likely to plead on his side because of the heritage that comes with the name. Even with that little chance if we won it won't be before the company faced a downfall from the court case." I stood, "so his status screws me." I walked to the window, the sun was already up. There was something I was missing. "There is something I am missing," I rubbed my neck in exhaustion. I turned to them, "he said he would ruin this business not take it from me, ruin it. There is something we are missing. Find out how he can ruin the business, use you're contacts, every resource, every favor, use it. Find out how." They looked at each other and then at me. They nodded, rising up, they picked up their documents and headed out.

Just then, the phone rang, I ignored it. The phone went silent, I kept thinking there was something I was missing. I remember taking the business and the name was never an issue and I wasn't warned about it. The realization made my eyes nearly bulge out of my head. I wasn't warned because the person didn't want me to know it was an issue in the first place. If I knew then, I knew I would have changed the name then, re-branded then. It was time to pay someone a special visit.

Just then, my secretarywalked in, "Miss Loulind?" I turned looking at her. "Joel Walkins is on hold,he says he wants to speak to you directly in regards to the merger." I had togive it to him, he definitely goes for what he wants. My direct competitor. Inthe business ten years before I walk in and take top place. "Tell him to gofuck himself." The statement shocked her as she nodded, she was closing thedoor, when I called her. She turned to me, "Don't sweetened anything or make itpolite, say it as I told you and the hang up." She nodded and closed the door.It was now time to make a visit to an old frenemy.