The Machiavelian Man

Description

Boundless ambition drives Ed Liedco. He is determined to build his own boatyard though he has no funds. He is ruthless, cunning and immoral and has no guilt over using money whoever it belongs to or however he finds it. When Blair naively invests $70,000 in Ed’s new boatyard, Ed takes the money as his own leaving no record of the transaction. He is like a dog who sees another dog’s bone and takes it for himself.

Ed establishes Olga, a retired accountant with a solid honest reputation as manager at his current rented boatyard. Though at first, he questions Olga’s too proper reputation, he soon allows himself  to rely on her support, the only employee he actually trusts.

On the other hand, Olga quickly finds herself in turmoil over Ed’s behavior. She is dismayed when Ed draws money meant for payroll from the bank leaving no way to pay his crew. She is further distressed over Ed’s falsifying his financial report, but she believes she should support him when he is paying her salary.

About this time, Blair begins to fear that something is amiss concerning his investment when Olga can find no record of it. He insists he is a silent partner. She sees Blair becoming more and more disturbed by fear of losing his money.

Olga meanwhile is contending with marriage troubles when she believes her husband has taken a lover. She fights to save her marriage and continue her job until she and her husband separate, and Ed makes one unacceptable move that causes her an overload of stress. She then goes to the bank, withdraws her pay, and without notice, abruptly quits. Ed sees this act as defection and betrayal, causing him to lie to Blair about Olga, a  final error that will destroy him.