Over the next couple of weeks, the ‘hit’ on Star-Sparkles company started to bear fruit. People started to lose faith and trust in her ability to run a business… and were now looking at their partnerships just as planned.
Anthony watched the situation impassively. It wasn’t like it made any ‘major’ headline exactly. They were not that large or big of a company after all… but now eyes were on him and on his latest move to make. He read the charts that his colleague showed him on how the scenario was playing out leaning back in his chair a bit. He was dressed in his usual attire. A business suit, black tie, with a confident appearance.
“The first step is some PR,” Alex explained. “We go in looking to see what can be salvaged… we talk about saving as many jobs as possible- you know the usual.” The man spoke as if he had done all this before… which Anthony realised he probably had. The man had seriously good instincts and foresight on the interactions of large groups of people.
“You are … sure we haven’t done anything though… that could implicate-“
“Not at all.” Alex explained. “I simply placed a few breadcrumbs… made a few simple deals… and the reporters did all the work.” Alex explained calmly. “There’s nothing to worry about on that end. Besides, the people do have the right to know the truth, do they not? Star’s company is in severe debt.. and is currently at risk of default. Surly we would be in the wrong if we… hid that?”
Anthony mulled it over. It wasn’t ‘quite’ that simple to him. Sometimes, business did involve a period of debt… and as long as the model allowed it, one could survive it- but sometimes politically sensitive deals had to be hidden until those seeds bore fruit. How would he have fared if people saw how close he was to bankruptcy ten years ago? He took a big risk with a loan, heck he even embellished a few things to get that money- one might call it ‘fraud’ but it paid off…
Of course Anthony’s risk worked out and he never let anyone near his bank-balance…
Star-sparkle was careless though, and allowed too many people to pry into her inner workings and deals. She was going to pay the price for that. “Any statements from her?” He enquired. “She’s seen as quite the high riser among the changed…”
“As expected, she is defending her business… which is causing support to dry up much faster,” Alex shrugged. “The more she insists nothing is wrong… the worse it looks for her. She is drowning in quicksand... perhaps she doesn’t even realise it yet.”
Anthony laughed as the image of that. “So much for flying. The little thing tried to say she was ‘better’ then me because she could fly.” The businessman had taken that a little more personally then he would ever admit… trying to suggest such ‘freedoms’ were worth being the size of an insect? Still, he declined to say it to her face at the time. “This calls for a celebration,” Anthony pulled out a bit of wine. “Let’s have a drink… this is going to be quite a ride eh?”
Alex tilted his head. “I do not drink sir.” He explained with a shrug. “It hurts my IQ points.”
“What not even a drop?” the businessman said in surprise. “Come on I insist! With the way you dealt with her… I don’t think it could have gone any better.” He poured out a glass anyway. “Like you said, we’re going to be millionaires in a few months.”
Reluctantly Alex accepted the glass. He mulled it over before taking a sip. “It is a little early to call victory yet. We must make now perform a ‘take over’ of the important assets… you will have to go to a few places. A new industrial site, their offices, some other smaller offices… make it look like we intend to save them from their incompetence.”
“Mmm… and then we take it all?”
“Not immediately… but yes.” Alex sighed as he sipped the drink. “Bureaucracy tends to speed up when everyone ‘knows’ the story, people will see what they wish to see… what we want them to see. The assets will return to our company and we can then sell them on at a later date. Classic hostile takeover… without appearing hostile. Good PR on our side.”
Anthony had to nod to that. It was all quite a smooth operation all things considered. “Well then, let’s go to this industrial site first… we’ll hold some proper talks with them. What were they making?”
Alex pulled out a piece of paper. “Apparently, they were working on ‘therapeutic use Photo-Metatonic-Water.”
Anthony looked a bit alarmed at that. “Oh, not that stuff! Urgh, shut that crap down! I’m not going to have lawsuits from such a thing on our books.”
“That is where they have lost all the money.” He explained. “We can take a lot of the valuable assets there and shut it down… though it will cost about fifty jobs. We might be able to give half of them a job somewhere but…” He grimaced. “… I hasten to remind, all of them are ‘changed’ people.”
Once again Anthony groaned. “Well, I guess that makes the decision easy then.” He didn’t want to deal with the excess money on that either!
“Indeed. I’ll have the paperwork setup on that later. Good doing business with you… and thank you for the drink.” With that Alex left, smooth as butter as he walked past the lobby and to the lift.
Anthony leaned back as he watched again on the internet news of the company. “Well… time to go to this site…”
Anthony pulled up to the site with his Corvette. Almost immediately as soon as he stepped out there were a few flashes of cameras in his face. Reporters who had been anxiously waiting.
“Mr Douglas! Will you save the jobs?” A mic thrown close to his face.
“Douglas! Were you aware of the financial decisions being made?” Another shouted with a camera.
Anthony gestured them to calm down easily with a soft raising of his arms. “Now now, let’s see what the issues are first, then I’m sure we can remedy them. If one of our business partners are in trouble, we will lend a hand… we’re all in this together.”
“Does that mean you are going to provide them a loan? A real life line?”
“Well I can’t tell you until I see the problem,” Anthony explained quite simply. “However rest assured, good business is about helping others… now if you don’t mind, I have to attend a meeting…”
Star-sparkle looked at Anthony with a quiet rage in her eyes. “… how did you do this?”
“Do what?” Anthony asked. “Star, your trades are quite public… the reporters simply joined the dots. How was I to know how much debt you were in?” He asked with a shrug.
“This is not abnormal though!” The tiny woman protested as she fluttered about her office- complete with a tiny doll-sized filing cabinet. “This is perfectly normal! There’s nothing unusual to see here. Why the hell are they suddenly acting like-“ She paused.
“Animals?”
Star didn’t respond as she was glancing behind Anthony. The human turned slightly to see a somewhat anthro ‘fox’ man of some kind. He was quite furry, looking what appeared to be wearing casual clothes which looked to be a bit too warm for him. He placed a paper for the fairy before glancing to Anthony then leaving quickly, with a light wave of his tail.
“…no offense.” Anthony quickly added with a clearing of his throat.
The fairy gave another dark look to him as she stared at the paperwork. “I know you are involved in this somehow…”
“I’m rather hurt you think I would do such a thing, or even be capable of it.” Anthony faintly smiled. “Though we do have a problem to deal with… the people want to see us working together, resolving the situation… a bit of capital perhaps will smooth the fear of investors. There are ways out of this.”
Star bit her lip, looking down at the paper again. It appeared to be a report from the investors. “-So what’s the deal?”
Anthony rubbed his hands. “The deal…. is I bail you out. I take three quarters of your assets... and the rest will be written off. Simple enough.”
“WHAT! You’ll make me start with a quarter of what I have!?” Star buzzed her body right into Anthony’s face. “Do you have any idea how many years that will set me back? That’s fifteen years gone!”
“Better then nothing eh?” Anthony gave an earnest look. “I’m being very generous here… I think it will smooth everything over. Maybe I’ll let you work for me, to tide you over until you’re back on your feet- er.. wings.” He knew that would ruffle her feathers… and boy did it.
Star gave a look that could kill. “…I am starting to see why I left the world of humans…” She shook her head. “You’re all the worst possible of beings. Cruel… greedy… malicious…”
“Hey now I’m hurt. You used to be human too” Anthony reminded. Though he knew some changed were born that way too… it wasn’t that many. Most came from that weird colourful water, and he knew Star’s past even if she didn’t want it to be known.
The fairy glanced down to her body then back at Anthony. “…only on the outside. Inside, I always was what I appear to be now. I became free… as a child of Oberon…” Star quietly informed Anthony. “…and I swear on Titania if I find out you had anything to do with this… I’ll make you pay.” The fairy didn’t shed any tears. She locked her eyes hard to Anthony.
The businessman chuckled. He had heard the changed were quite delusional… and yes, Star really thought she was a ‘real’ fairy. “Well regardless ‘child of Oberon’… you are in the human world, and we humans got to do business now. So, let’s sort out your books…”
