Not right now. He held her gaze. But it could do.
Im not selling to you, Mr Stone, she said wearily. And Im not working for you, either. So can you please just give up and stop wasting your time and mine?
He applauded her loyalty to her family, but this was business and it was time for a reality check. Ive seen your accounts for the last four years.
She shrugged, seeming unbothered. Theyre on public record. As are yours.
And every year youre struggling more. You need an investor, Brandon said.
* * *
Angel had been here before. The last man whod wanted to invest in McKenzies had assumed that it would give him rights over her as well. Shed put him very straight about that, and in response hed withdrawn the offer.
No way would she let herself get in that situation again. She wasnt for sale, and neither was her business. I dont think so.
Hand-built cars are a luxury item. Yours are under-priced.
The idea was, and still is, to make hand-built customisable cars that anyone can afford, she said. We have a waiting list.
Not a very long one.
That was true; and it was worrying that he knew that. Did that mean she had a mole in the companysomeone who might even scupper the deal with Triffid by talking about the McKenzie Frost too soon? No. Of course not. That was sheer paranoia. Shed known most of the staff since she was a small child, and had interviewed the newer members of staff herself. People didnt tend to leave McKenzies unless they retired. And she trusted everyone on her team. Have you been spying on me?
The waitress, whod just arrived with their food and coffee, clearly overheard Angels comment, because she looked a bit nervous and disappeared quickly.
I think we just made our waitress feel a bit awkward, Brandon said.
You mean you did, she said. Because youre the one whos been spying.
Making a very common-sense deduction, actually, he countered. If you had a long waiting list, your balance sheet would look a lot healthier than it does.
She knew that was true. So if we dont have a great balance sheet, why do you want to buy...? She broke off. Hold on. You said you want a designer to head up your research and development team. Which means the rumours are trueStones really is looking at moving into the production of road cars.
He said nothing and his expression was completely inscrutable, but she knew she was right.
So his plan was obvious: to buy McKenzies, knocking out his closest competitor, and then use her to make his familys name in a different area.
No way.
She stared at him. His dark blond hair was just a little too long, making him look more like a rock star than a businessman; clearly it was a hangover from his days as the racing worlds equivalent of a rock star. And he was obviously used to charming his way through life; he knew just how good-looking he was, and used that full-wattage smile and sensual grey eyes to make every female within a radius of a hundred metres feel as if her heart had just done a somersault. He was clearly well aware that men wanted to be hima former star racing driverand women wanted to be with him.
Well, hed find out that she was immune to his charm. Yes, Brandon Stone was very easy on the eye; but she wasnt going to let any ridiculous attraction she felt towards him get in the way of her business. His family had been her familys rivals for seventy years. That wasnt about to change.
So basically you want to buy McKenzies so you can put our badge on the front of
your roadsters? She grimaced. Thats tantamount to misleading the publicusing a brand known for its handmade production and attention to detail to sell cars made in a factory.
Cars made using the latest technology to streamline the process, he corrected. We still pay very close attention to detail.
Its not the same as a customer being able to meet and shake the hands of the actual people who built their car. McKenzies has a unique selling point.
McKenzies is in danger of going under.
Thats not happening on my watch, she said. And Im not selling to you. To anyone, she corrected herself swiftly.
But he picked up on her mistake. Youre not selling to me because Im a Stone.
Would you sell your company to me? she countered.
If my balance sheet was as bad as yours, you were going to keep on all my staff, and my family name was still going to be in the market place, then yes, Id consider itdepending on the deal you were offering.
But thats the point. You wont keep my staff, she said. Youll move production to your factory to take advantage of economies of scale. My staff might not want to move, for all kinds of reasonstheir children might be in the middle of a crucial year at school, or they might have elderly parents they want to keep an eye on. Her own parents were still both middle-aged and healthy, but she wouldnt want to move miles away from them in case that changed. If they needed her, shed want to be there.
Your staff would still have a job. I can guarantee that all their jobs will be safe when you sell to me.
Firstly, Im not selling, however often you ask me. Secondly, they already have a job. With me. She folded her arms. Whatever you think, McKenzies isnt going under.