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Once the meeting was called to order and the initial Robert’s Rules followed, New Business quickly became the next item on the agenda. “Does anyone have new business?” Emersyn asked in her role as second in command.
“You know damn well we have other business to discuss,” Silverman said, his face still ruddy with anger. “You two are out of here.”
Emersyn started to stand up, but Gerard stayed her with a hand on her wrist. Don’t show fear or anger, sister. You know the routine. She sat back down, primly interlocking her fingers and resting her hands on the table.
“Before the meeting began,” Gerard said, “you said the board took a vote. Was that done as part of an official meeting? If so…” he turned to Sam, the stenographer. “…are there minutes and a vote tally?”
Sam shook his head, and Gerard swiveled back to Silverman and raised an eyebrow.
“The board didn’t need transcription. We discussed it, and it’s unanimous.”
A few people squirmed, proving to him that it wasn’t, in fact, unanimous. All right, if this man wanted to play it that way, Gerard would take on that game. He turned to the intern sitting against the wall next to the door. “Go to my assistant; get a copy of the board bylaws and bring it to me.”
The young, bald-headed man was out the door in a flash.
Silverman rose from his seat. “This is ridiculous. We all know what that agreement says. We don’t need it to proceed.”
“If you insist on doing this, Richard, we’ll do it by the book or not at all. Besides,” he said with an even voice and a shrug, “you don’t want there to be any legal questions if you manage to successfully oust me, do you?”
Even redder in the face, the man sat back down, and the board sat in uncomfortable silence for almost ten minutes. All but his sister and him.
“How was your vacation, Emersyn?”
“Absolutely lovely. The beaches were divine, as you can tell by my tan.”
They continued their relaxed and inane discussion, without anyone else chiming in, until the intern popped back in with the binder and handed it to Gerard.
“Does anyone want a copy of the agreement as we go over it?” He looked around the table. “I can have Sam here make some copies before we start.”
“We don’t need copies. Just get on with it.”
“All right.” He paged through the binder with as much slow precision as he thought he could get away with. He saw Emersyn hiding a grin but couldn’t acknowledge it no matter how badly he wanted to. She knew he was baiting his adversary, trying to get him to blow his stack. By the constant state of redness across Silverman’s forehead and cheeks, he was close.
“All right. Now, in section 14, subsection 2, it says there must be a legal board vote in order to initiate expulsion of any member.” He paged back a few sections. “I know the definition of a legal vote is here somewhere.”
“We know what a legal vote is. Just get on with it.”
The board member on his left leaned in. “Come on, man. This is getting a bit ridiculous.”
“Just following the rules. It says here a legal vote must be done within the parameters of a meeting and must have a quorum of three-quarters of the board. Since no one can validate that a legal vote has happened, is there a motion to vote?”
“I so motion,” Silverman puffed out. “Now get on with it.”
Gerard held up his hand. “All in good time. There is a motion on the table to remove me from the CEO’s position.”
“And Emersyn,” his rival ground out.
“All right. There is a motion on the table to remove Emersyn Barrett and myself, Gerard Barrett, from our positions as CEOs of Barrett Investment. Is there a second?”
The mealy-mouthed Gruner Scholtz, who always did Silverman’s bidding, raised his hand. “I second.”
Of course.
“Then let’s vote.”
He’d figured Silverman would get his quorum, and he did. Damn it all to hell. Was there no one who would believe in his ability?
Silverman stood and walked around to the front of the table. “Now, it’s official. Get out.”
