by R. R. Banks
“I’m almost positive a can of dog food would have been better than that gyro,” quipped Robert. “I told you that nothing in that place even appeared to look like food.”
“And I should have listened, but I didn’t,” stated Dillon. “It’s a character flaw, but I’m stubborn and like random food.”
“You like having your stomach torn in knots,” continued Robert as Mina looked on with a confused smile.
“Where did you get this gyro?” she asked curiously.
Dillon shook his head. “From the terminal food court.”
“Oh, mistakes were made,” she said in disgust. “I feel bad for you, though if you ate there of your own accord, I don’t pity you.”
Dillion held his head in his hands as he laughed a bit from Mina starting to rib him about his decisions. “I agree, but I usually like Gyros so I gave it a chance.”
“To eat anything from a food court in a train terminal is playing with fire,” she continued to give him a hard time. “I’d probably go get myself checked for tapeworms or other parasites.”
“He can just add it to the list of other things he’s got,” joked Robert, as Dillon started to get defensive.
“Easy now. I wasn’t expecting a two-on-one,” he said as the waiter brought out their drinks.
With their drinks in front of them and the conversation flowing, Dillon took the initiative to start talking about the business and what was next for them. “Okay, so you want me to do what, exactly?”
Robert adjusted in his seat to face Dillon as Mina leaned in to listen. “I need you to be the overarching stabilizing force in this company,” began Robert. “You will be the face of the company to any investor who happens to come in from the outside.”
Dillon nodded. “But you’re the majority owner. Why wouldn’t you do that?”
“Because her mother is right,” he said as he pointed at Mina. “I’ve never been associated with things that are stable and growing, and we need someone else to be the face of the company if we’re going to be successful.” He paused while he sipped his drink. “Dillon, I know what I am amazing at, and it’s making the company run efficiently. However, if we need stability with investors and their funds, it might prove to be better for you to be the face of the company.”
“I’m not following you,” he stammered. “You have never been afraid to stand up and make something happen if you want it to succeed. What’s making you take a step back now?”
Robert laughed. “I’m not stepping back at all. I’m just disappearing from the public eye so that I can negotiate and make ourselves profitable. I will handle the actual business; I just need someone to be the face of the company who is better at personal relationships than I am.”
Dillon paused as he pondered the words coming from Robert and as their food made its way to the table. “So basically, you want me to handle all the public and investor relations,” he reasoned as the waiter placed the plate in front of him. “Is there anything else?”
“Not unless I need assistance,” replied Robert. “You’ll help me manage some of the people directly beneath you, but we’re going to make it a point to overpay for the best and brightest in the industry so that we never have to worry about having the right people for the jobs.”
Mina leaned in further as her plate was placed in front of her. “Have you considered how you will handle your relationships within the Consortium?”
Dillon and Robert paused and looked over at her, both shaking their heads briefly. “I was hoping to get accepted first,” said Robert. “Do we have to have someone to do that?”
“Absolutely,” she replied. “It’s essential to have someone who can communicate with the other members to ensure that productivity and distribution is maximized.”
Robert and Dillon nodded together as they listened to her. “If we have to bring on someone to do that, then we will,” said Dillon slowly. “Like Robert said, we’re going to hire the best and brightest.”
“Absolutely,” continued Robert. “I want this company to succeed and will do whatever it takes to make that happen. If I have to hire a thousand consultants to help me with a copy machine, so be it. As long as we’re successful, profitable, and happy, then I will be satisfied.”
Mina smirked. “You want to be happy?”
“Of course,” he replied. “I want to be happy in everything that I do, especially this.” He stopped briefly as the waiter set his plate in front of him. “Honestly, I’m tired of buying and selling. It’s profitable, but I’m ready to stabilize my own life and create something that will last for the rest of my life. I want to be known for my hard work and my dedication, not my quick turnarounds and lucrative deals. One day in the – hopefully – distant future, I will be the owner of my grandparents’ winery, and I can’t sell that. I must be able to run the day-to-day operations of that company, or everything my family has built will fail. I’m not at a point now where I consider myself ready for that challenge, so I feel now is the time to prepare myself.”
Robert paused for a bit and sipped on his drink. “I’m ready to give everything I have to make this oil company work so that when the time comes, I will be ready to sustain my family’s legacy.”
“That’s honorable,” Mina remarked as she grabbed her fork and knife from beside the plate. “I wish you nothing but the best and hope that everything works out for you in Zurich, Mr. Acostis.”
“Me, too,” he replied. “Me, too.”
Chapter 6
Dillon and Robert walked into the hotel and took note of the hustle and bustle of the lobby, finding people running around frantically with bell boys carrying their luggage. “It looks like everyone is in a hurry,” quipped Robert with a smile.
“Looks like it,” he replied back. “Have you already checked us in?”
“Of course,” Robert said with a grin. “I’ll go get our keys to our rooms from the concierge.” He walked over to the concierge and immediately acquired the keys, turning back and tossing Dillon his card, which he caught without much of a struggle. The two men were in the best of spirits after their rail trip through Europe. They experienced a fantastic meal, followed by four hours of sleep in their private quarters to allow them to relax and recover after their previous evening in Monte Carlo. With a pep in their step, the two were going to finish the night preparing their business plan before waking up to conquer the meeting tomorrow, giving everything they had for the sake of their success.
Dillon stood in the lobby of the hotel on his phone, looking at the several text messages he received while they were in transit to the hotel with Robert standing at the concierge’s desk, finding out about the meeting with Sulagna Patel and other accommodations. “Robert, I think there’s something you need to know,” Dillon announced as the concierge walked out to address Robert.
“Your meeting with the executive committee is in three hours during their late dinner gathering,” stated the well-dressed concierge. “Should I let them know you will attend?”
Robert looked at the man with a completely dumfounded look. “The meeting was supposed to be tomorrow. Are you sure that’s when they scheduled it?”
“Yes, sir. I made sure to double check,” replied the concierge. “Can I alert them that you will be attending?”
Without much of an option, Robert nodded his head. “I guess I don’t have a choice,” he said, conceding that he would lose a great deal of time for preparation. “I will just have to make this work.”
“Absolutely. Is there anything else I can get for you while you are here?”
“No, that’s quite alright,” he replied. “Thank you.”
Robert turned around and walked over to Dillon who stood bewildered. “What’s up?” asked Robert as Dillon tilted his head slightly to look up from his phone.
“Something isn’t right,” claimed Dillon as he handed his phone to Robert for him to read the headline that the Australian Oil and Trade Corporation was saved by tw
o women from the United States. Robert’s expression went from positive to negative within the span of a couple of seconds. “In the last hour, before filling out the petition for financial protection, these two women swooped in and saved a sister company within the Consortium.”
Robert shook his head in disbelief as the words on Dillon’s phone sunk in. “Mina did say that every company within the Consortium will take care of one another no matter what is at stake, and that loyalty to the overall body is second to none,” he said as he returned Dillon’s phone. “I was under the impression that the Australians were left for dead.”
“I was as well,” replied Dillon. “Every piece of data that I received from our accounts said the company was done for.”
“Well at least your investment in them is saved,” replied Robert. “I think I’m going to need a moment before our meeting in three hours.”
Dillon’s jaw dropped. “Our meeting is in three hours?”
“Yes,” replied Robert. “We are going to be meeting during their evening dinner, and I have yet to really figure out what we are going to be talking about since the whole basis of what we were trying to achieve is now completely out of reach.”
Dillon looked around the lobby as Robert fumed over his entire plan falling apart. “I think I’m going to head to my suite and take a few moments to myself,” stated Robert, trying to calm himself down. “I’ll meet you down here in the lobby before dinner.”
“I understand,” replied Dillon. “Clear your head. This isn’t over yet.”
“It definitely seems that way.”
Robert stepped away from the lobby and walked toward the elevator, pressing the button and immediately walking onto it. He rode it for nearly a minute before it stopped at his floor and he walked over to his room, inserting the magnetic key and walking in to find his luggage waiting for him in the entryway. He wheeled his luggage into the bedroom and placed it on a rack, opening it up to pull out the two bottles of wine he brought with him before setting them inside the small refrigerator in the room. With too much crowding his mind, Robert walked around the suite and found a couch positioned in the center of the room for him to contemplate what to do next.
The presentation and discussion with the executive committee took a much different tone with the news that the Australian company was saved by two American women. Though upset, Robert held it in as he sat alone in his hotel room, hoping for clarity and inspiration for his next move. This was not a position that Robert was used to occupying, as he was normally an aggressive businessman instead of one that relied on sitting back and reacting. This was not playing to his strengths.
He leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees with his hands directly underneath his chin, looking straight ahead at his bed. “Maybe I should just go to bed and forget about all of this,” he said to himself, as crippling negative emotions started to fill his mind. He replayed the events in his mind from the past two days of the peaks and valleys, with the successes and pitfalls. He was able to make it into the stadium to talk to Sulagna Patel where she turned him down, but then offered him a lifeline. He met an amazing woman whom he enjoyed spending time with without getting sick of her presence. He sighed dejectedly as he thought about the meeting that was still going to happen, though now was going to take place during a small dinner.
Robert shook his head again as he heard a knock at his door. “I told Dillon to leave me be,” he said as he stood up and walked over to the door, closing his eyes and placing his right hand on the door knob. With a soft sigh, he turned the door knob and pulled it open to see two Indian women standing in front of him.
“Oh good, you’re wearing pants,” announced Mina Patel, standing with her mother in front of a very confused Robert.
“Are you coming to personally tell me that the meeting is cancelled?” asked Robert dejectedly.
Sulagna laughed as she shook her head. “No, not at all Mr. Acostis,” she said with a warm tone. “May we come in?”
Robert nodded and opened the door for the two women to walk in. “And you are fortunate that I am wearing pants,” he said in a sarcastic tone. “Typically, I bare all when I’m in a hotel room sulking.”
“Why are you sulking?” asked Sulagna. “Are you upset that the Australian company was able to save themselves?”
“They didn’t save themselves. The Americans saved them,” retorted Robert. “My vision for my company was destroyed once I heard that news.”
Sulagna shook her head. “So shortsighted Mr. Acostis,” she said with a sly grin. “Mina told me about your conversation on the train and what you and your partner are trying to do, and I must admit, I’m impressed with your dedication and how far you’re willing to go to get into our organization.”
“Well I must not have went fast and far enough,” he replied again in a cynical tone. “Now I’m debating what I can do to help preserve and grow the company.”
“You should always think about that, but perhaps you’re giving up too soon,” countered Sulagna. “The Consortium is still on the table for your company to grow and expand in.”
Robert tilted his head a bit. “How?”
“It’s going to take time for Australia to be back at full functionality,” she explained. “Your company is ready, willing, and able to fill the distribution networks right now, correct?”
“Yes, absolutely.”
Sulagna paused and looked over at her daughter. “I think I remember him saying something to me about trying some of his wine,” she said slyly, changing the subject to heighten Robert’s curiosity.
“I believe he did,” replied the younger Mina, wearing a gorgeous red dress for the dinner later. “I could use a drink as well.”
Robert grinned as he sunk his head down and walked over to the small refrigerator in his room, pulling out a bottle of wine. On the bar, he pulled down three glasses and filled each, leaving just a bit in the bottle and placing it back in the refrigerator. “You’re in luck, because I brought two bottles with me.”
He turned and handed a glass to each of the ladies as they walked over and sat on the couch in his room while Robert stood up in front of the small bar. “Mr. Acostis, Mina told me about how you’re trying to organize and all of the work that you’re doing to make your company profitable and sustainable. She told me about how you gave someone a percentage of the company with an option to buy more shares so that he could help steer the company in a more stable direction. Is that true?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he replied politely, sipping on his glass while the other two ladies did the same. “I want this company to be successful, because I believe in it more than any other company I’ve ever been involved in, apart from my family’s winery.”
“I can tell,” she continued. “And this wine is absolutely incredible. If you put as much time and effort into a company that you are in for the long haul, just like creating a fine wine, will you be just as successful?”
Robert shrugged his shoulders. “I honestly don’t know because I’ve never held onto a company long enough to find out, until now that is.”
Sulagna smiled. “I think I want you to find out as well,” she said. “Mr. Acostis, I’ve spoken with the rest of the executive committee, and they are all in agreement that we would like for you to apply for admission to the Consortium of Oil Traders. Your acceptance will be pending on two things. The first, you must sign an agreement that you cannot sell any of your shares to anyone outside the Consortium or within your own company. If you do ever decide to take your toys and leave, you must sell to someone who is already involved in our business. Second, you must appoint someone to be a liaison to the COT to serve on your board of directors. They will be paid a fair salary and will be a director of your company with the responsibility of the day to day communications with COT. They will hold an office in Dubai, as well as an office in New Zealand.”
“Do I get to select this person or has it been chosen for me?” he joked.
Robert looked over at Mina and smirked. “Okay,” he replied. “I don’t have a problem with that, so long as we are able to have a great, long, and incredibly fruitful relationship with the Consortium. However, I do have one condition of my own.”
Sulagna turned her head with a confused glare, perplexed that Robert wasn’t overjoyed but was initiating a counteroffer. “Alright,” she said. “What is it?”
“There will never be a COT entity in the Philippines or anywhere else in the Pacific that isn’t already there so long as New Zealand is in business. We will service the entire area, and if we are unable to fill any orders, Australia can pick up the slack.”
“Deal,” she said without hesitation. “However, Indonesia does receive the third option to fill the orders, and if they cannot, it will go to another country that we see fit to fill the orders.”
“I can go with that,” replied Robert. “So my company is now in the Consortium and your daughter is now my…” he paused briefly, thinking of a title for her. “Director of Communications?”
Mina chuckled. “I prefer Executive Director of International Relations.”
Robert nodded, affirming Mina’s creativeness. “Yeah, that’s much better.”
“I know,” she replied with a great deal of arrogance. “Robert, I don’t want this to seem forced, even though it partially is. I want you to know that I will do my absolute best because I want my career to be beneficial, fruitful, and incredibly lucrative. I promise I will give you and the company everything that I have, and if I cannot get the job done, then we will find someone who will.”
“I know you will,” he stated astutely. “I know that you have far too much pride to let yourself fall short, and we are in great hands with your care.”