Lynne Pemberton - Platinum Coast

Robert looked up from the letter. He was tempted to smile. Cellini had always made him feel inadequate, and now he was enjoying the chance to observe the Italian’s discomfiture. ‘May I continue?’ he enquired with a trace of smug satisfaction.

‘Yeah, you can continue,’ snarled Antonio, ‘but don’t expect me to hang around here if there’s gonna be much more of this crap. Just cut out all the amateur dramatics and get to the point.’

His voice became even more angry. ‘Christ, this is just typical of Stephen! That sonofabitch loved to play power games with people and even now he’s dead he’s still stringing us along. All we want to know is, who’s holding the remainder of the shares? When we know that we can get down to the real business.’

Robert had never been on the receiving end of Antonio Cellini’s legendary temper and wasn’t about to change that now. He became conciliatory. ‘There’s not much more.’

‘Then get on with it,’ snapped Antonio. Robert cleared his throat and continued.

‘Several years ago, for reasons I choose not to disclose, I was forced to part with a substantial proportion of my company. The shareholder, my half-brother Edward Harrington, who holds 28 per cent of Platinum Resorts, has always preferred to remain anonymous and let me act in his best interests but, in the event of my death, I am certain he will make himself known to you.

‘I must warn you that my half-brother is not to be trusted, not under any circumstances, and I am absolutely opposed to his becoming involved in any way with the running of Platinum Resorts.

‘You must always be on your guard against this man. As the other shareholders in the company, you must try to get rid of him in any way you can. Buy him out, but get rid of him. This is vitally important.

‘This is my last wish and I entrust you, particularly Christina and Victoria, with the task of carrying it out.

‘I would like to think that Platinum Resorts will enter the next decade with the same vigour and style that have made it the phenomenal success that it is today.

‘Thank you, Christina, for putting up with my obsession and loving me in spite of everything.

‘Finally, I wish all of you everything I would have wished for myself. Especially longevity.

‘Take care, and bonne chance .’

The sight of Stephen’s signature, still bold and authoritative while his body was now at the mercy of the sea, caused Robert’s voice to falter.

For a while there was a silence in the room, broken only by the soft patter of raindrops on the window panes.

Then Victoria’s voice cut crisply into the silence. ‘This is quite incredible, you know. Daddy and Uncle Edward never got on, barely saw each other. They were only half-brothers in any case. There is absolutely no reason I can think of why my father should leave Edward Harrington a controlling interest in his company.’

The Swiss lawyer glanced at her sympathetically. ‘I appreciate this has come as a shock to you, Miss Reece-Carlton, but your father’s instructions were crystal-clear. It seems that, for whatever reason, Mr Reece-Carlton intended Edward Harrington to benefit.’

‘For whatever reason,’ thought Christina. A lawyerly euphemism if ever she’d heard one. Like Victoria, she could think of no reason why Stephen should have left Edward a stake in the company he had loved. Why, she could remember him refusing his half-brother the loan of a few hundred pounds once. And now to leave him all this? It didn’t make sense.

‘But why all the goddamned secrecy?’ Antonio exploded. ‘So far as I knew, Stephen wouldn’t give his fag brother the time of day. I just don’t believe he could do this! I mean, legally, didn’t he have to notify me? We were partners, for Chrissake.’

Herr Wagner shuddered delicately at the choice of words, but hastened to assure them: ‘Mr Reece-Carlton acted quite properly. On his instructions I formed an offshore company and issued 28 per cent of the registered stock to Mr Harrington. An entirely legal manoeuvre, of course.’

Antonio snorted. ‘Legal, perhaps, but something here stinks. I’m not letting Harrington get his fat little pinkies on my company!’

Christina chose that moment to intervene. ‘Don’t you mean our company?’

For once, Victoria agreed with her. ‘Yes. By my reckoning we three are equal partners, Antonio, dear, holding 24 per cent each.’

Kingsleigh Klein broke in: ‘That’s certainly the current position, but aren’t you forgetting Stephen’s express wish that his half-brother should not be allowed to take part in the running of the company?’ He looked at Nicolas Wagner, who nodded slightly. ‘And I’m not breaking any professional confidences if I tell you that Mr Harrington himself has no intention of becoming involved in the running of Platinum Resorts. I believe you have been talking with him, Herr Wagner?’

The Swiss lawyer allowed himself a careful smile. ‘While delighted by his brother’s generosity, Mr Harrington made it quite plain to me that he does not see business as his forte. He wishes to sell his holding and has instructed me to act on his behalf. Naturally I would approach the other stockholders first.’

‘Now you’re talking language I understand. How much does this bozo want, and how soon can you arrange a transfer to me?’ rasped Antonio.

Christina felt her temples throb with suppressed annoyance. The man was impossible. ‘Hang on a minute, Antonio. There’s more than one guest at this party,’ she reminded him.

So far she had taken a back seat in this discussion. The news of the bequest to Edward had both shocked and surprised her – it seemed such an uncharacteristic move for Stephen to make. But now Antonio’s arrogant presumption had got through to her and she was determined to challenge him. He had no automatic right to those shares. No more than herself or, God forbid, Victoria.

‘Herr Wagner. I take it you would be equally happy to dispose of the shares to any of the existing shareholders?’

He inclined his head. ‘That is so. Mr Reece-Carlton foresaw there might be some – how shall I say? – healthy competition, and I have considered how best to handle it. I presume you will all three be bidding for Mr Harrington’s holding?’

He was looking specifically at Victoria who murmured, ‘Naturally.’ Christina’s heart sank. Her stepdaughter was twenty-one, had never held down a job or even completed her studies. Yet, with all the arrogance she had inherited from her father, she seemed quite convinced that she could step into his shoes.

‘I think, my dear, as your trustee …’ Robert Leyton began to bluster.

Victoria turned huge blue-grey eyes directly on him. ‘Uncle Robert, I know this is what my father would want. Obviously I need your consent to proceed, but you won’t withhold it, will you? After all, I am my father’s daughter.’

He shrugged and glanced slightly shamefacedly at Christina. She was not surprised. Father or daughter, Robert Leyton never could refuse a Reece-Carlton.

‘Then, with Mr Leyton acting on your behalf as trustee, I will accept a bid from you,’ Nicolas Wagner told Victoria. ‘I think the simplest and quickest way of handling this is to take sealed bids from all of you for outright control of Mr Harrington’s holding. I suggest we reconvene here in this office in one week’s time. That should give you all the chance to review your affairs and give me your best offer.’

Antonio was far from happy with this suggestion. ‘Now hold on a minute. Christina, Vicky, come on!’ His tone was heavily condescending. ‘It doesn’t have to come to this, surely? Competing like enemies after all the ties there’ve been between our two families.’ He put one bronzed hand on his heart. ‘If I promise, on the memory of my dead mother, to run the company just exactly as Stephen would have liked, can’t we just forget this competition shit? I mean, surely you do realize how much money I’ve got behind me? This is just a lawyer’s way of beefing up his fixer’s fee.’