ANOTHER WORLD 268 The KBAY/Cory Productions merger meeting begins

ANOTHER WORLD 268

The KBAY/Cory Productions merger meeting begins

Written by:  C. Nathaniel Richardson

Consultants:  A. Washington Beeby and ML Cooks

PART 1

AT THE HOSPITAL, RUSS PRESSES END CALL ON HIS CELL PHONE, BUT BEFORE HE PLACES IT BACK INTO HIS POCKET, HE GETS ANOTHER CALL.  THE SCREEN READS “Sarah”.  HE SMILES AND PRESSES THE GREEN PHONE BUTTON TO ANSWER.

Jed Allan as Dr. Russ Matthews

RUSS:  Hey sweetheart.  How’s my granddaughter?....Good I’m glad to hear that.  Well of course I’m working at the hospital.  You know I’ve always enjoyed being a doctor...Listen when are you going to come see us.  Iris wants to see you, too you know....Well your grandmother’s been busy with the business.  Her company and Cory Productions are merging.  They’re gonna finalize it today.

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A SIGN ON THE DOOR READS:  MEETING ROOM.  RACHEL, MATT, AND AMANDA WALK UP TO IT ALL CARRYING THEIR BRIEFCASES.  RACHEL TAKES A DEEP BREATH, OPENS THE DOOR, AND TURNS THE LIGHT ON.  THEY LOOK ON AT THE LONG, SOLID, FINISHED, POLISHED OAK WOOD TABLE, WITH OFFICE WITH FOUR OFFICE CHAIRS ON EACH SIDE OF THE TABLE.  ONE CHAIR IS AT THE HEAD OF THE TABLE, AND RACHEL SITS DOWN, AND MATT AND AMANDA SIT IN THEIR CHAIRS.  ANOTHER OFFICE CHAIR AT THE OPPOSITE HEAD OF THE TABLE.

 Amanda

Matt

Rachel

AMANDA:  Where is everyone?

RACHEL:  Meeting’s not gonna start for another half hour or so.

MATT:  The other board members start coming around fifteen minutes before.

PAULINA WALKS IN.

Paulina

PAULINA:  Hi.  I thought I was gonna be late.  Traffic’s a little backed up.

AMANDA:  You wouldn’t expect that in Bay City.

MATT:  All the construction’s going on.

RACHEL:  Hi sweetheart.  Take your seat.

PAULINA GOES AND SITS IN HER CHAIR.

PAULINA:  I wouldn’t miss this for the world.

MATT:  Mom you should know that...Sandy’s proxy wasn’t designated.

RACHEL:  We may not need it to accomplish what we want.

PAULINA:  I wonder where Iris is.

IRIS WALKS IN DRESSED IN A WHITE BUSINESS SUIT AND A MATCHING HAT.

Iris

IRIS:  Someone mentioned my name?

CAMERA PAN ON IRIS...SLOW FADE TO THEME SONG.

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AT THE HOSPITAL, RUSS PUTS HIS CELL PHONE IN HIS POCKET WHEN MAGGIE WALKS UP WITH A PLASTIC CONTAINER.

Maggie

RUSS:  Maggie what’s that you’re drinking?

MAGGIE:  Iced coffee.

RUSS:  Hope you don’t crash later.

MAGGIE:  No it’s decaf.  

RUSS:  Only coffee lovers drink that.  I drink it when I need to wake up.

MAGGIE:  Caffeine is one hell of a drug.

RUSS:  Yeah.

MAGGIE:  My shift’s gonna start soon.  I’m gonna go to the locker room.

RUSS:  You’re gonna be able to finish your coffee?

MAGGIE:  Probably not, but I’ll drink it even with the ice melted in it.

RUSS:  Yeah you’re a true coffee lover.

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Brianna

IN THE LOCKER ROOM, MAGGIE OPENS HER LOCKER AND PLACES HER COFFEE ON THE TOP SHELF.  SHE THEN PUTS ON HER LAB COAT AND LEAVES.  AFTER SHE LEAVES, BRIANNA EMERGES FROM THE OPPOSITE SIDE.  SHE PUTS WHITE LATEX GLOVES ON BEFORE SHE WALKS TO MAGGIE’S LOCKER AND OPENS IT.  SHE GRABS THE ICED COFFEE, AND PLACES IT NEXT TO HER ON THE BENCH.  SHE SITS DOWN, TAKES TWO WHITE PILLS OUT OF A CLEAR BAGGY, MASHES THEM UP WITH THE SIDE OF HER FIST, AND SMILES.

BRIANNA:  Matt won’t believe a word she tells him.  Nobody will.

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AT THE BOARD MEETING, IRIS SITS AT THE OPPOSITE HEAD OF THE TABLE WITH ALL THE BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT.  IRIS HAS A FLASHBACK…

(EPISODE 205)

Iris walks up to a black car with tinted windows, opens the passenger’s side front door, and gets in.

Iris:  You finally made it.

Devin Lucas is sitting in the driver’s side

Devin Lucas:  Let’s make this quick.  I have someplace else I need to be.

Iris:  There’s a crimp in our plan.  

Devin Lucas:  I thought everything was going smoothly.

Iris:  It was.  I got your grandmother to sign with KBAY Productions, which was essentially going to sink my father’s company, and then Amanda comes to me with this ridiculous idea of a merger.

Devin Lucas:  Well of course you refused it right?  

Iris just looks at Devin Lucas.  

Devin Lucas:  Come on Iris you’re not considering this.

Iris:  She has connections that could make KBAY a huge conglomerate.

Devin Lucas:  What about you and your limitless Spaulding funds?

Iris:  I can’t drain my capital to back Cory Productions into a corner.

Devin Lucas:  If you merge with Amanda then our plan is blown out of the water.

Iris:  For KBAY to be what I want it to be, we need the connections Amanda has.  They pulled out of the company after I tried to take over as The Chief.

Devin Lucas:  What about me?

Iris:  I will make sure you have your place in the company.

Devin Lucas:  You better not be lying to me Iris.  It won’t be good for you.

Iris:  I see the apple didn’t fall far did it?

Devin Lucas:  Get out.  You’re holding me up.

The car alerts Devin Lucas of an incoming call from Lorna, but he presses ignore.

THEY CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION (NOT SHOWN IN 205)

Iris:  Not so fast Hutchins.  I’ve got an idea that might save us.

Devin Lucas:  What is it?

Iris:  What if, somehow, you were able to get your father to vote in favor of a merger with KBAY?

Devin Lucas:  My father has a seat on the board, and you know he’d never vote ‘yay’ for a merger with you.

Iris:  And you can convince him to vote for it.  

Devin Lucas:  He’s dying, so if I could somehow get a seat on the board, I could vote in favor of the merger, and put you in an executive position.

Iris:  I mean, I’m not in any way hoping that your father would die…

Devin Lucas:  Yeah right.

Iris:  I’m serious.  If something happens to him...in the event that he’s not able to vote...doesn’t his seat go to you?

Devin Lucas:  I never thought of that.

Iris:  That’s why you have me here.  

Devin Lucas:  So that’s what we’re going with.  I vote in favor and appoint you as CEO of the new company.

IRIS FLASHES BACK TO THE PRESENT AND SMILES.

PAULINA:  You’re awfully smug over there.  

IRIS:  Don’t you worry about me Paulina.  Everything will turn out the way it’s supposed to.

RACHEL, MATT AND AMANDA ALL LOOK AT EACH OTHER AS IF THEY KNOW HOW THE MEETING IS GOING TO TURN OUT.  RACHEL LOOKS AT HER WATCH AND ACROSS THE TABLE AT ALL THE BOARD MEMBERS, WHO HAVE PAPERS IN FRONT OF EACH OF THEM ON THE TABLE, BUT ONE CHAIR IS EMPTY.

RACHEL:  Hello everyone.  I think we all know why we are here today.  We are here to take a vote on the merger between KBAY and Cory Productions.  In front of each of you is a copy of the proposal for past and future earnings.  We have the chairperson of KBAY with us, Iris Spaulding.  Can you tell us more about KBAY?

IRIS:  I most certainly will.  First I’d like to say good day and I really appreciate you all coming here to take a vote on this.  As you will see in the proposal, KBAY has a very small profit to debt margin.  As you know I landed Felicia Gallant as a client and am producing her book to movie deal.  Her movie is doing very well overseas.  However I realized it will take more than this deal to take KBAY to the next level.  Cory Productions has the connections and trust in the industry, and KBAY has the financial resources to make us a very successful production company.  

AMANDA:  What about Brava?

IRIS:  Brava Sophisticate’s numbers have gone down in the last couple of quarters, but I have no doubt in my mind that merging with the Cory Production brand will revive its sales online and in print.  I was hesitant at first but this was really a no brainer for me.  

DEVIN LUCAS WALKS IN AND SITS IN THE EMPTY CHAIR.

Devin

RACHEL:  Hello Devin.

DEVIN:  Sorry I’m late everyone.  

IRIS:  We were just talking about the proposal for the merger.

DEVIN:  For those of you who may not know, this is my father’s seat I...he left it to me before he died.

RACHEL:  Fair enough.  Thank you Devin.  With that being said I think it’s time we take our vote.  All in favor of the merger between KBAY and Cory Productions, please raise your hand.

AMANDA, MATT AND RACHEL RAISE THEIR HANDS.  IRIS LOOKS AT DEVIN, AND DEVIN RAISES HIS HAND.  

RACHEL:  That’s four.  One more vote and the merger will be official.  Anyone else?  

PAULINA RAISES HER HAND.

RACHEL:  Well that’s it.  KBAY and Cory Productions are now one company.  

RACHEL GETS UP, WALKS TOWARD THE EASEL, AND TAKES THE SHEET OFF OF IT.  

RACHEL:  This is our new logo.  BAYCorP will be the name of the new company.  I have named Amanda as CEO.  Matthew will be responsible for the day to day operations.

IRIS:  What?  What about my position?

DEVIN TAKES OUT A PAPER FROM HIS PILE.

DEVIN:  There’s a...provision in the BAYCorP’s by-laws...that a convicted felon cannot serve in any capacity in the company.

IRIS’S EXPRESSION CHANGES TO A FROWN.

IRIS:  What the hell is that supposed to mean?

PAULINA:  You can’t take a hint Iris.  It means you’re out!

IRIS:  Rachel?

RACHEL:  She’s right.  Since you served time for shooting Carl, you’re disqualified from working at BAYCorP.

IRIS STANDS UP AND SLAMS HER HANDS ON THE TABLE.

IRIS:  You can’t do this to me!

RACHEL:  We just did.  

IRIS:  This is daddy’s company!

MATT:  Who’s to say you wouldn’t try to take over this company, too?

AMANDA:  You can’t be trusted.

IRIS:  How dare you!  You all can’t run a corner store let alone a huge conglomerate!  

RACHEL:  We can run a successful company without having to look over our shoulders.

AMANDA:  Worrying about the schemes that you’re going to pull is very stressful, and that’s something we can’t deal with.

RACHEL:  This meeting is adjourned.  

IRIS:  The hell it is!

PAULINA:  Take the L Iris.  You’re out of the new company.

IRIS:  I want to speak to Rachel, Matthew, Amanda, Paulina and Devin...alone.  All the other board members can leave.  We are not finished.  

FREEZE FRAME ON IRIS...SLOW FADE OUT...END OF EPISODE 268