Mike Upton
This is a story of one man’s ambition. Mark Watson while still a schoolboy sees his father’s business destroyed by the bombastic industrialist Sir Charles Houghton and vows to find a way to avenge his father when he grows up.
The story tells of Mark’s birth, his early years and his schooling while alongside charting the progression of his father’s business from its humble beginnings then through its growth and expansion phases until as a result of the underhand dealing of Sir Charles it stumbles into serious financial problems. An unsupportive bank’s refusal to lend more money forces the business to collapse.
The traumatic impact of this event on Mark and his parents is what starts him on his search for revenge.
He enters the world of business and in his single minded and rapid climb through the ranks of industry he discovers a natural skill at developing exciting new products and handling advertising campaigns. His continued climb up the corporate ladder, his ability to take risks, his ruthless approach to managing people and above all his on-going drive to succeed in the vow he made to his father, all serve to fuel and spur him on with his all encompassing ambition.
Romantic interest is woven throughout the story from Mark’s first fumbling attempts to date girls, his marriage and his many affairs. His need for women and their love flows right through the book as he struggles to understand and balance his passion for love, marriage and illicit affairs mixed with the thrill and excitement of business.
Headhunted to become Chief Executive of a large but moribund multi national corporation, he finally moves into a position of power and authority where he can start to implement his plan for revenge as the action moves smoothly between the UK, USA and Europe. The company is re energised and reorganised. Aggressive business strategies are implemented while he ruthlessly exploits uses or discards people to achieve his own personal and ultimately selfish objectives.
Progressively out thinking and out manoeuvring Sir Charles his obsession to destroy his older rival becomes all consuming.
He establishes a specialised secret commercial intelligence unit to track every aspect of his target’s company then uses a wide variety of methods to attack them. His hard-nosed ability to win Board room battles and his increasing skill in manipulating important City Institutions, Bankers and Financiers to support his own ideas, including the removal of his Chairman who he sees as blocking his ambitions, all move him inexorably towards his goal.
As matters unfold towards their dramatic climax he is prepared to do anything to win. Blackmail, industrial espionage and constant pitiless unrelenting pressure on his rival are all tools in Mark Watson’s hands as he relentlessly pursues his goal.
The question though is will he succeed and reach his Ambitions End?
Mike Upton is a recently retired businessman who for many years has worked extensively in industry as Managing Director and Chief Executive running several companies in Britain and America. He also worked in Europe, Africa and South America.
His first novel Ambitions End, although a work of fiction, draws from his extensive knowledge and experience of business and large multinational corporations.
Living in Norfolk, England he has been married to Brenda for 40 years and has two daughters and one granddaughter.
The thick tyres of the big Jaguar swished quickly along the wet road, the wipers making their monotonous constant movement across the windscreen. It was a cold dark windy moonless northern night typical of late autumn and signalling the forthcoming onset of winter and the sort of night where people hurried to be indoors or the pub or anywhere except outside.
Inside the car however it was warm and quiet and a marked contrast with the unfriendly outside. The driver and two passengers were all fully occupied but in their different ways. Classical music played quietly.
Mark Watson Chief Executive of Lovells a large multinational company sitting in the right hand side rear seat looked up from the sheaf of papers he’d been studying for the last hundred miles and was wondering if anything had been left to chance, if anything could go wrong at this last moment. He stared at the back of his driver’s head seeing his hair just starting to curl over his white collar his mind was on the coming meeting. The prize for which he had worked so hard for so many years was within his grasp. It was all nearly his.
Glancing over to the other side of the rear seat he looked at Sam slumped in the corner. While letting his mind continue to think about the coming meeting he stared at the sleeping young woman and thought of the sex they enjoyed, sometimes hurried and frantic, other times slow and tender. Those romantic images though were quickly excluded by thoughts of the meeting tonight a meeting that consumed him, worried him, excited him. It was hard to believe that when he walked in and signed the agreement tonight it would at last be all over. He was going to win after all this time.
‘Won’t be long now Mark’ Graham said softly. He’d been his driver for many years and knew about Mark’s frenetic work rate, his passion for business, his fiery temper and his occasional amazing acts of thoughtfulness or kindnesses which were so unexpected that they were all the more effective.
Graham knew when he could call him Mark, when to use the deferential term sir, and when to use his surname Mr. Watson.
‘You’ve made good time in spite of the weather’ replied Mark as he turned back to the documents.
‘You can never tell with the bloody motorways’ grumbled Graham. ‘Sometimes they’re alright sometimes they’re a real bastard. Tonight we were lucky. No accidents, no hold-ups, no silly sods trying to carve everyone up, and no bloody cops trying to make a name for themselves by booking a few speeders.
Graham was a fast driver and had to be as Mark never left enough time to get from one meeting to another. Still he paid well but in return expected not only absolute dedication and commitment but also absolute discretion.
‘What do you want to do?’ he continued. ‘Go straight to your meeting? You’ll be at least three quarters of an hour early or do you want to go to the Hotel and kick yer heels there for a bit?’
‘Hotel’ snapped Mark.
‘Okey dokey, hotel it is. I’ll come off at the next exit and we’ll be there in no time.’
Picking up the in car phone Mark quickly punched in a number drumming his fingers on his knee while he waited impatiently for the call to be answered.
‘Caroline Burton’ said a quiet cultured voice, which was deep and slightly husky.
‘All fixed?’ asked Mark.
‘Apart from the on going major issue of Sir Charles’s continued intransigence then there are just a few minor issues to resolve’.
‘What minor issues?’ he demanded instantly, his antenna alert straining to pick up any clue from her voice as to whether they were really minor or whether they might be more serious.
‘Wait a minute let me move to a quiet corner of the room’.
He waited.
‘Look apart from Sir Charles there’s nothing that looks like a deal breaker’ she said softly, ‘but there are a few unresolved points. We’re working on all of them and I am sure we can fix them if we are left to do so without being interrupted, so Mark just fuck off and let me get on and do what you pay me to do’.
He smiled to himself. Caroline was the best corporate lawyer he had ever known and he knew that she would sort out whatever were the remaining minor legal points. She was also the only one of his staff who not only would dare to tell him to fuck off but would also get away with it, except Sam of course.
‘OK Caroline, but you know how important this particular deal is to me and we are so close to it now. I want it Caroline, I really want this one’.
‘Go away and leave me to finish. We all know that this is important to you. Wait for me or Steve to call’ said the soft voice. There was a click and the line went dead.
‘Is everything OK’ asked Sam stretching and rubbing her eyes. ‘I must have dropped off. What’s the time?’
‘Yes you dropped right off. We’re about three quarters of an hour early so we’re going to the hotel first’ replied Mark packing his papers back into his brief case. ‘We’ll check in then I’ll make a couple of calls and Steve will give us a shout when they’re ready’.
Soon the Jaguar pulled up in front of the Grand Hotel which although old was still be best hotel in the City. Graham drew to a halt, jumped out and had Mark’s door open before the hotel doorman reached the car.
‘Bags in the boot’ said Graham and the doorman moved smoothly to reach them out of the car. Sam walked quickly up the steps and marched straight to reception while Mark stretched his six foot frame before following her.
