"Up next on the auction block, is a lovely charming one-story modern floor plan house located in a suburb of Los Angeles. The house features 4 bedrooms, 2 ½ baths, a spacious kitchen with brand-new appliances, floor to ceiling windows, and a nice-sized backyard with a pool and quaint patio. The property, that is located at 4424 Waterfall Lane, was appraised at $450,000. Bidding will start at $75,000".
The bidding went fast, and ultimately the final bid was $215,000.
"Sold, to the redheaded lady in the black dress".
The redheaded lady stood up and made her way to the accounting table.
"Hi. I just won a house, but I have a few questions".
"Ok".
"Am I taking possession of everything in the house?"
"Yes, you are. It's as/is, so whatever repairs that weren't completed before it went into foreclosure, are your responsibility".
"Ok thank you".
She filled out the paperwork, and then took her packet and headed out.
When she got to her car, she pulled out her cell phone.
She quickly dialed a number.
"Hello, Pa? It's Jennifer. I just bought a house".
***Across town***
Jonathan Hart was sitting at his desk, making a list of the mergers and acquisitions that his company still had open.
"Ok Stanley, we need to move forward on the Watson Energies merger. And we need a status update on the Powell Electronics acquisition. And I would like to know what's happening with our takeover of Coulson Incorporated, LLC."
"Yes sir, I have all of that information right here".
"Let's hear it".
"Ok, so we are awaiting the signatures of the board members on the Watson Energies merger. The fiscal year has just begun, so we will need to call a meeting to get that signed. And the Powell Electronics acquisition is pending. The holdup is the bank hasn't processed the payment yet. As of last Friday, the bank manager told me that it would only be about 5 business days before we got the payment. And Coulson incorporated, LLC still has 10 days to respond to our offer of a takeover".
"Perfect. I tell you what, let's call a meeting with the board for next Monday".
"Yes sir".
"Thank you, Stanley".
***Jennifer***
Jennifer Edwards pulled up to her new house and parked. She quickly locked the doors on her Jaguar, and looked around. Her new home was charming, at best. She had a garage, and a nice driveway. Nothing obviously needed repairs, at least from the outside.
She walked over to the auction sign and took it out of the yard.
She set it against the house on the porch and opened the door and went inside.
She had barely looked around before her phone started ringing. She looked at it and saw that it was Hayleigh, her best friend.
"Hello?"
"Hey, it's me".
"Hey, how are you?"
"I'm fine. What are you doing?"
"Standing in my brand-new living room. Want to come see it?"
"Yes! Give me the address and I'll leave right now".
"4424 Waterfall Lane, in Los Angeles. The name of the neighborhood is Canyon Coast Hideaway".
"Perfect, I'll see you in a few".
She took a look around and began mentally picturing how she wanted each room. From what she could tell, the house was in good shape.
By the time Hayleigh got there, she had made a list of what colors she wanted to paint each room.
"Knock knock".
"Come in, come in".
"Wow! This house is gorgeous!"
"Yeah, I think so too."
"How did you find it?"
"I went to a foreclosure auction and got it for less than half of the appraisal value".
"Great job!"
"I'm thinking I want to paint…I think I want to do a soft green, like a soft mint or soft celery throughout the living room and kitchen and foyer. And then I know I want my bedroom a light blue color, and maybe some silver accents. I could even go a soft lilac, perhaps. I want my bathroom pink, like a hot pink, so it will match my shower curtain. And I want some new carpet."
They took a tour of the house, and ended in the master bedroom.
"Oh my gosh! I love your bathroom!"
It was a large bathroom, with a walk-through shower and an extra-large soaking tub and 4 walk-in closets, and a double vanity. The linen closet was also large and lined with shelves as well.
Hayleigh opened the doors to the closets.
"Got lots of shelf space too. And bonus-they left you a step stool".
"Really?"
"Yep!"
Hayleigh pulled it out and showed it to her.
"That's great! I was going to go buy one and now I don't have to".
She unfolded it and Hayleigh climbed up to the top step.
"Hey, sweet! They left you house plans!"
"Where?"
"Up here. Hang on, I'll get them".
As she picked them up, she noticed something else on the shelf.
"Here's a key".
The key was labeled "Master Closet".
She looked at the house plans and figured out that the skinny closet in the 4th walk-in closet was the master closet.
They put the key in the lock and it opened right up.
"What's in there?"
"Appliance owner's manuals. Home warranty papers. Some buckets of paint. And a folder".
She opened the folder and found certificates for shares of a company.
"What is Bristol Battery and Power Company?"
"I'm not sure, I've never heard of it".
"Hang on, let me look it up".
Hayleigh typed it into google.
"Bingo".
"What is it?"
"Well, I found a press release. "Bristol Battery and Power Company to be acquired by Hart Industries. All stock owned in Bristol Battery and Power Company will be honored by Hart Industries".
"Interesting".
Jennifer counted the stock certificates.
"There's over 300 shares here".
"You could be sitting on a bundle".
"I think you're right! Maybe I'll go by there tomorrow and see if they can help me figure this out".
"Great idea. So, when are you moving in?"
"Well, I still have my condo. So, I'll fix this place up like I like it and then hire a moving company, I suppose".
"Great".
"Are we still playing tennis Saturday?"
"Sure".
"Great, then we will be able to work off the dinner we'll have tonight. How about Mexican?"
"Oh, that sounds amazing. Just let me grab my purse".
***The next day***
Jennifer pulled her Jaguar up to the guard shack at Hart Industries.
"Hi, do you have an appointment?"
"No, this is my first time here. I'm here to ask some questions about some stock".
"Ok, park on the second level and take the elevator to the 4th floor".
"Thank you".
She found a parking spot and parked, and headed to the elevator. When she got to the 4th floor, she found a receptionist.
"Hi, can you tell me who would be able to handle the sale of some stock for me?"
"Sure. That would be Jonathan Hart, the CEO. His office is on the 12th floor".
"Thank you".
She took the elevator to the 12th floor. When the doors opened, she saw lots of glass offices and a desk with a very pretty blonde sitting outside 2 large wooden doors.
"Hi, can I help you?"
"Hi. Yes, I'm here to see Jonathan Hart about selling some stock".
"Do you have an appointment?"
"No, I don't".
"Have a seat and I'll see if he's available".
"Thank you".
The secretary left the door cracked while she went to talk to him. She could hear their conversation.
"She wants me to buy her stock? Who is she?"
"I have no idea".
"Is she old? Young?"
"I would say mid-twenties, but I'm not positive".
"Send her in, I guess. I don't really have the time to deal with her today, but I have even less time tomorrow. So, just send her in, and I'll get rid of her".
"Yes, sir".
The secretary came back to Jennifer.
"You can go in now".
"Thank you".
She noticed that the lady was a little more curt than before.
Jennifer stepped through the doors and found herself staring at the most handsome man she had seen in a long time. He had broad shoulders, dark hair and blue eyes the color of the sea.
He was struck by her beauty as well. Her flaming red hair, her eyes that were a honey brown, with specks of gold. Her absolutely perfect figure.
"Hi, can I help you?"
"Hi. I'm Jennifer Edwards. And I just bought a house and I found these certificates in the house. I did some researching and found that your company acquired this company and the press release stated that this company would honor the certificates."
"What's the name of the company?"
"Bristol Battery and Power Company".
"Yes, we own them".
"Ok, so what can you tell me about them?"
"What do you want to know?"
"How much they are worth, for starters. And what I have to gain by keeping them".
"Oh. So, the basics. Well, first of all, one share of BBPC is worth one share of Hart Industries."
"Ok".
"So, let me see what we are currently trading at".
He punched some keys on his computer and then looked at her.
"One share is currently trading for $84.93".
"I see."
"So, if you were a businessman, you would know that all you do is multiply the price per share by the number of shares you have".
"Is that so?", she said sarcastically.
"How many shares do you have there?"
"422".
"422?! Are you sure?!"
"I do know how to count. And yes, I'm sure".
"Can I see those?"
"No. But you can see this. It's a copy of one of the certificates."
"Why would you make a copy?"
"To protect my interests. I don't just hand stock certificates over to someone I don't know or trust".
"I see".
"I have 422 of those same pages in this folder."
"Where did you get these?"
"I found them".
"Yeah, right".
"I did!"
"Look, I don't know what game you're playing, but you've wasted enough of my time. Now, either show me the real certificates or we can end this little charade right now".
"I beg your pardon! I'm not playing any games. I bought a house, and these certificates were left behind."
"So you thought you'd come trick me into buying them from you?"
"I never thought that at all! I don't even know if I want to sell them. I just wanted to see what advantages I would have to keeping them, if I decide to do that".
"Ok fine."
He leaned over and pulled out a file.
"If I believed you, and I'm not saying I do, and IF those certificates are real, which again, I'm not saying either way, since you won't let me see them, by owning 422 shares of stock in BBPC, you by proxy would own 422 shares of stock in Hart Industries. 422 shares of this company equals 24%. That is enough to give you a seat on the Board and give you voting power".
"Interesting".
"Now, I've answered your question. Will you at least let me look at one of the certificates so that I can verify if it's real or not?"
She looked at him skeptically and then finally agreed. She handed him one certificate.
"They are all alike, except for one detail. They were all dated for Christmas Day, but not all in the same year".
"The date on the certificate doesn't matter one bit", he snapped.
"Glad to hear it", she snapped back.
He turned on his desk lamp and studied the certificate. After a few minutes, he got out a magnifying glass.
Jennifer rolled her eyes.
"You do want me to be as thorough as possible, don't you?"
"I suppose so", she said dryly.
After a few minutes, he turned the lamp off.
"It's legit, as far as I can tell. Now, who was the owner of the house where you allegedly found these certificates?"
"I didn't allegedly find anything, I'll have you know. And I have no idea who the owner is. I bought the house from an auction".
"Do you have an address?"
"Yes. 4424 Waterfall Lane".
He browsed through some papers.
"Here it is. At the time I acquired BBPC, the only person who owned 422 shares of that company was a man named Grady Perkins".
He picked up the phone and dialed a number.
"Hey Stanley, I'm trying to verify a fairytale here-see what you can find on a Grady Perkins, will you? Specifically, an obituary if there is one, and next of kin. Thank you".
He held his hand out to her.
"I hope you're not expecting a high-five".
"No, actually. I'm hoping you will hand me the other certificates. As soon as we track down this Grady Perkins or his next of kin, I promise you, we will make sure they are returned to their rightful owner".
"I am their rightful owner".
"Yeah, and I'm the President of the United States. Now look, this charade has gone on long enough. And I'm sorry your scam didn't work, and you didn't get the paycheck you were expecting. But that's life. So if you'll kindly go, I'll see to it that the certificates are given to their rightful owner".
She yanked the other one out of his hand and put it in her folder.
"I told you, I'm the rightful owner. And I resent you calling me a scam artist. And for the record, I wouldn't sell these certificates to you now if you begged me on your hands and knees. I think I'll go consult with a lawyer and find out what my options are".
Just then, Stanley came in.
"Mr. Hart, I found the obituary you asked for. Grady Perkins died 6 months ago, and left no heirs. I printed a copy of it, just in case. And that board of directors meeting you were asking about has been scheduled for Monday at 5".
"Hmmph". Jennifer left in a huff, with her eyes blazing.
By the time Jonathan could get to the elevator, she was gone.
"Mr. Hart, who was that woman?"
"I have no idea. But I have a feeling she'll be back".