Chapter 37
Disclaimer: If you recognise it, surprise, I don't own it.
Chapter 19– A Worthwhile Investment.
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"Alright, start from the beginning. Tell me everything you can about Ellerby and Spudmore and how it has dwindled to just a single man." Honestly, I thought I had three big companies that I could possibly take over and direct to become the next best broom company. But one is just a single abandoned factory, the next is a company looking for a fall guy because they messed up on their product and the last one is a single man.
"Okay. Ellerby and Spudmore was first founded in 1940 by Ellerby and Able Spudmore when they produced the Tinderblast, though they were not that successful. The broom had some technical issues, so they were never really popular. However, their brooms were relatively cheap and affordable as training brooms for children. They tried to rectify this in 1952 with a new design, the Swiftstick, however, there were still some technical issues, and it was not a success." I nod along as she talks to show I am listening.
"Since then, they have had no more broomsticks produced, and the company has slowly dwindled down, despite their efforts. They tried their best to keep in business, selling off assets and buildings just to keep trying to develop a better broom, but it was for nothing. The more they sold, the more money they sunk into their development with nothing to show for it, and so they sold more of their assets. A vicious cycle that has now dwindled the company down to just a single man, Randolph Spudmore, the son of Able Spudmore." They wasted so much money and had nothing to show for it? I don't believe that. They already had two eligible brooms as a base, so it shouldn't have been hard to add some minor modifications to it and sell a new version.
"Hm, his son? What about Able Spudmore? And Ellerby?" This company was formed by two people, after all, so how come there is just a single person left. What happened to Able Spudmore and the original Ellerby? How come Ellerby's progeny is not part of the company? They might seem like useless questions, but questioning these things could reveal some significant issues that would make acquiring this company a bad idea.
"Ellerby did not want anything more to do with the company after the failure of the Swiftstick. He was just the money man in the situation with able Spudmore being the broom maker, so Able bought out Ellerby, though he kept the name. As for Able Spudmore, he continued to develop and work on brooms, but he was an old man born in 1910. He died just recently, the stress must have been too much for him, and his son Randolph who was working alongside his father has officially taken over." Interesting. Very interesting.
The Swiftstick failed in 1952, and ever since then, Able Spudmore had been sinking all his money into research and development of new brooms, and he apparently had nothing to show for it after all these years. Even without a desirable conclusion, thirty years' worth of research into brooms is still valuable information, and I would like to get my hands on it. It is worth it, even if this Randolph ends up doing nothing with our investment, since I could use that information and give it to another talented broom maker. Knowing what not to do can be just as helpful as having written instructions.
"Interesting. So, what type of investment is this Randolph looking for? And do you think it is viable?" Depending on the type of investment he is looking for will determine just how interested I am in this guy because it will show just how confident he is in his prospects.
"Randolph Spudmore is looking for a pure cash injection. He wants a loan with no other conditions attached and an agreement to repay the loan plus interest in two years. As for viability, that is a tough call. He has the qualifications, but the history speaks for itself." A pure cash injection? That could mean one of two things. He could just want the loan just for the money with no intention of paying it back and running off with the cash, which wouldn't even work due to the type of contract we would be using. Though I don't think this is the case, given his father worked all his life for this broom. So it means he is very confident in paying back the loan in two years, so his broom is probably on the right track.
"I want a meeting with this Randolph Spudmore. Schedule it for tomorrow. Now, about all these other broom makers looking for an investment? I am assuming that you have already done all of the research to make sure they are legit. Tell me about them." Andromeda really is good at her job, being diligent and gathering all the information. Sorting through all the idiots and getting rid of them before bringing the actual good prospects to my attention.
Though I won't be firmly committing to anything until after meeting with Randolph Spudmore, his situation has intrigued me somewhat, and I want to investigate that before investing elsewhere.
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"Gilderoy, are you ready? Spudmor- OH MY GOD!?" I hear Andromeda scream as she enters my office early in the morning, and it is so sudden that I have no time to react or to try and hide what I have been up to.
"WHY ARE YOU DOING IT IN YOUR OFFICE!? YOU LITERALLY LIVE UPSTAIRS!!" Andromeda shouts as I quickly stand up and stop my previous actions, hurriedly pulling my pants up and starting to buckle them.
"T-The atmosphere?.. You know? It is just somehow more fun and tantalising in here." I try to explain myself as I try to find my shirt in the mess around my office.
"W-Whatever, just hurry up and put some clothes on. Your meeting is soo-"
"Mr Lockhart, are we stopping?"
"Ah, yes, Ms Lumley. That will be all for today. I will owl you later so that we can continue this." Andromeda watches in shock as my partner, Ms Lumley (I don't know her first name), rises from her knees, and straightens the glasses on her face. I think it is more shocking for Andi because, unlike the last time I met Ms Lumley, she is not dressed in pink. Instead, she is dressed up very professionally, like a secretary, along with the glasses to seal the deal.
"Oh, but we will continue this? Won't we, Mr Lockhart?" She stays in character as she asks, and I quickly nod my head even though I literally just told her that. Not because I desperately wanted to see her again or anything. She was just some stress relief. I want to see her again tonight so that I can erase her memories of this, which I won't be able to do now that Andromeda is here.
"Andi, can you please escort Ms Lumley to the floo. And I will smarten up in the meantime. And what was that about a meeting?" I asked Andromeda as I pulled my shirt on and started to button it up, not rushing at all. At first, I was pretty panicked when Andi suddenly entered the room, and I didn't know how to react, but now I realise that I can act however I want. We are both under a contract, and she has to keep my secrets according to it. Plus, Andi can't suddenly up and quit, either. I made sure of that. She can leave. I am not an evil man, but I am a selfish one, and the requirements of her quitting are very stringent and dependent on several things.
Honestly, I think it is better this way rather than me trying to keep up a pure and clean image only to have it inevitably torn away a few months down the line since I would not be able to keep up the act that long. That would take a relationship I worked hard to build and absolutely shatter it. This way, she knows what I am about and won't have any misgivings down the line. Humans are the greatest when it comes to desensitising to something, so maybe in a few months, incidents like this will just be the norm, and Andromeda won't blink an eye. I much prefer this to constantly walking on eggshells and watching myself around her, and since she is my only employee, that would be constant.
"It is the meeting you wanted me to set up for today regarding the... Randolph." Andromeda says, not finishing her sentence and instead giving me a name as she eyes Ms Lumley, who is looking at her smugly, probably not wanting to reveal information in front of a random woman.
"Oh right, thank you for the reminder, Andi. I don't know what I would do without you." She gives me a blank look as she leads Ms Lumley out of the room, closing the door behind her to provide me with some privacy. Well, relations may be frosty and a bit awkward for a while, but things will come around, and she will just get used to this.
After all, we already did some illegal things together when we took over this shop, even if she did it with some righteous mindset to get rid of the loansharks praying on vulnerable people. Technically they were not doing anything illegal, and we were when we got rid of them. That crime has bonded us together, and she will probably think twice when questioning her continued employment here.
I quickly began to use various spells to dress myself appropriately and make myself look my best in preparation for my upcoming meeting, which I completely forgot about. Honestly, I should remember things like this, but I am already finding it a bit hard with all my new responsibilities. It wasn't that long ago that I was just a hormonal teenager that would spend all my time watching media and escaping into the internet. So one would think that my coming here and gaining all of Gilderoy's memories would do something for my maturity, and it did, but not as much as you would expect.
Gilderoy was a very immature, selfish man even though he was a successful author, and he was not very responsible, so I, in turn, who used to be just sixteen years old, didn't have much of an increase in maturity. Which is why I have little kerfuffles like this, and it is why I went out and got someone reliable like Andromeda to work for me as an employee and secretary to keep me on track.
I had just finished cleaning up when I heard a knock at the door, which was undoubtedly Andromeda. She must have learnt a lesson about etiquette after bursting in here and getting an eyeful. I stifle a little chuckle at that.