Ambition's End

The story tells of Mark's birth during a thunder storm, 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 phase 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's parents, but especially on Mark himself, 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. He continues to fight his way up the corporate ladder where 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, to marriage and his many affairs. The reader comes to understand Mark's differing needs for women as he struggles to understand and balance his passion and desires for love and marriage alongside an illicit affair while simultaneously managing the thrills, demands, problems, challenges 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 against Sir Charles Houghton's company DGH. The action moves smoothly between the UK, USA and Europe as under Mark the company is re energised and reorganised.

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.

Aggressive business strategies are implemented while he ruthlessly exploits uses or discards people to achieve his own personal and ultimately selfish objectives.

As he closes in on his rival's Company 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 rival's company and people, and then uses a wide variety of methods to attack.

As matters unfold towards their dramatic climax he becomes 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 to destroy Sir Charles and his Company.

The question though is will Mark Watson's ruthless plan succeed and so enable him to reach his Ambitions End?

Find out more about the principle characters in Ambition's End by clicking on each person's photograph. The profiles will open in separate windows. Click the 'x' in the top right hand corner of each page to close it and return to this page.