K. Janssen - Hampton Manor

His calendar had only one entry for today, a 12noon meeting with Adam Hampton III. This was a meeting he looked forward to with anticipation. Two weeks earlier it was confirmed that Adam Hampton III had finally garnered enough stock to acquire Preston, the takeover that Kane covertly maneuvered Adam into making by releasing for sale, through dummy receiverships, privately held blocks of Preston shares. Adam was unaware that Kane was holding a trump card and that Preston, rather than becoming a crown jewel in the Hampton Industries group of trading companies, would become a drain on the corporation’s bottom line. Within a month, five key customers and four trading partners planned to transfer their business to a European consortium. The contracts had already been signed. Kane knew that this loss would precipitate a drop in Preston’s sales of at least forty percent and profits by more than fifty. This tightly held information was Kane’s dirty little secret. He came upon the details of the plans completely by accident; through a friend of a friend. There would be no possibility of him being accused of insider profiteering. He would have the last laugh after all and would walk away a multi-millionaire. Adam Hampton III would be left with egg on his face, the laughing stock of Wall Street. Poetic justice if ever there was.

Kane’s reverie was interrupted by the phone. It was his mother.

“Hi, mom! Did you call to console me?”

Kane planned to carry on the pretense of being a defeated man, even with his mother. He couldn’t risk telling anyone about his plan, especially Evelyn Littleton who wasn’t exactly tight lipped when it came to juicy gossip, especially about the Hamptons.

“I’m so sorry, Kane. Is there anything I can do for you?”

“It’s not so bad, mom. Actually, I’m quite fortunate. The bastard made me a very rich man by bidding up Preston stock. Finally all those stock bonuses are paying off.”

“When can you walk away and leave it all behind you?

“It’s going to a while. I agreed to work with them for at least six months, that is if they can stand having me around that long. I’ll know better in a couple of hours. I have a noon meeting with the big man himself. It’s a one-on-one so I guess that by the time the meeting is over, I’ll know where I stand. Actually, I’m looking forward to it.”

Evelyn was quiet on the other end.

“Mom, are you still there?

“Yes, I’m here dear. I was just thinking what a shallow victory it must be for them after all these years. From what I hear, his father has a very advanced case of Alzheimer’s disease. I doubt that he can even comprehend what has happened. Although, I can’t say, that under the circumstances, I really feel any sympathy for him or for his family.”

“I understand your feelings, mom. But you also need to understand that if his father hadn’t made the initial run on the company several years back, I probably wouldn’t be where I am today. I realize now that all we did was postpone the inevitable, but since that time our stock price has doubled. They’re paying a very high price with the three shares-for-one formulation for the remaining shares outstanding. To me it looks like their drive for revenge led them into making some unwise business decisions that will come back to haunt them. It’ll take years to make the merger pay off. I don’t know that their Board of Directors will have the patience to wait for a return on their investment. Their stock will eventually reflect the high cost of their decision to buy up Preston’s shares.”

“That’s the other thing I wanted to talk to you about. Would you do me a favor and call Jerry? Have him sell the new shares of stock I’ll receive from the takeover. I don’t want to own any part of that company, even for one day.”

Kane had given his mother blocks of Preston stock for the past five years in deference to her persistent refusal to provide a list of gifts he could get her for mother’s day, her birthday and Christmas. Much to his surprise and relief, she was pleased with his choice. This morning Evelyn Littleton’s fifteen hundred shares of Preston Industries had grown to forty-five hundred shares of Hampton Enterprises.

“Sure, mom. I’ll take care of that as soon as we’re finished. Do you want to leave the proceeds in the account or should I have Jerry cut you a check?

“Oh, you can leave it there for now. We’ll find something else to invest in. Maybe you’ll start up your own company and need a few investors. I’ll always be there for you.”

It got quiet again. Kane’s mind raced for something else to discuss with her. He suspected that her spirits were low because of her pending divorce, but preferred not to venture into those waters. He took the safe path, instead.

“What’s going on with my sisters?”

“Nothing much. I haven’t seen or heard from either of them in several weeks. I think Melanie is away on a trip, so I don’t expect to hear from her until she returns. She never sends cards or anything. Bridget is taking some courses during the day. I think she wants to get a teaching certificate. That’s about it.”

“How about those darling grandchildren of yours? Do you see much of them?”

“They’re as precious as ever. No, I don’t get to see them as much as I used to, but when we do get together we have a lot of fun. They haven’t tired of visiting their “nana” yet. Tell me, what else is new with you? What will you do with yourself when this is over? Have you made any plans?”

“Once my obligatory time is done, I’ll have to find something to work on. I’ve sent out a few feelers, but I don’t have anything specific yet. New England is kind of tight right now due to the economy. I may have to make a move to the west coast.”

“Oh, I hope not. I would miss you terribly. What about your love life? Are you seeing anyone special?”

“Not right now, mom. I was dating someone from an economics research firm. She was a very bright lady, but a real Jekyll and Hyde. She was all business during the day, but at night she turned into a swinger, complete with drugs and sexual deviation. I survived one night with her and made a clean break. When I find the right one I promise that you’ll be the first to know.” He hesitated for a moment. “I think I’m going to have to cut this short, mom. My meeting with Adam Hampton is at twelve and I have to put some last minute figures together for the meeting.”

“Well, don’t you let him put anything over on you. I hear he’s a slick one. That whole family has a bad reputation when it comes to dealing with people. The less you have to do with him, the better.”

“Don’t worry about me, mom. I can take care of myself. I’ve dealt with shrewder people than he will ever be.”

“Well I certainly hope so. Take good care of yourself, son. Don’t take any nonsense from those people. I’ll be praying that everything works out well for you. Bye for now!”

“Bye, mom!”

He made a hurried call to his mother’s broker and placed an order to sell at the market.

Kane was now ready to take on Adam Hampton III. It was an encounter he has looked forward to with anticipation for the past three months. Things were going according to plan.

Chapter 7

Evelyn Littleton placed the phone back on the cradle. She always felt good talking to Kane. He seemed to understand her better than her two daughters did.

Evelyn was in the midst of her fourth divorce. She’s being sued by her husband Donald Bartley for twenty thousand dollars a month support, claiming a disability that prevents him from supporting himself in the style to which he became accustomed. She decided not to contest the divorce in spite of the substantial evidence she had that Donald was a homosexual and was planning to move in with his lover of several years as soon as the monthly payments began. Evelyn had the worst luck when it came to men. Her first husband ran off with his secretary. The second disappeared thirty five years ago and the third died in prison while serving a thirty year sentence for mail fraud.