by R. R. Banks
“What’s the first?” she asked.
“Barcelona is just splendid to see,” he answered. “There’s something about Catalonia that makes me love that area more and more. Valencia is beautiful and Madrid has its perks, but Barcelona is full of a charm that cannot be matched anywhere on the Iberian.”
Alexis smiled. “I’ve never been to Valencia or Barcelona, but I hear they’re beautiful. I would love to go and see them sometime,” she said as she nudged Nathanial with her elbow.
“Hint received,” he quipped. “Maybe if you can ever get a few days off, we can travel to Spain and we can tour the Mediterranean coast.”
“Yeah, you could always start in Monaco and work your way down to the Straits of the Gibraltar,” said Dillon as he watched the waiter walk up with their drinks. “I’ve made that trip more than once and it’s fascinating. Valencia will give you a great taste of the Spanish culture without having to venture too far into the mainland.”
“I love my country and I love going home, but I hate going to Madrid because of the stressful travel. The clubs are great and the food is terrific, but if you decide to go to Madrid, make sure you walk everywhere. Driving is not advised.”
“Yeah, driving in Madrid is like driving in New York City,” Nathanial said as the waiter placed an old fashioned in front of him. “You will get where you want to go faster on foot.”
“It’s the truth,” confirmed Marisol. “Honestly, if you get stressed out in crowds, Madrid is not for you.”
“I’m from New York City. Crowds definitely don’t bother me,” affirmed Alexis. “If anything, growing up there taught me how to handle crowds better. I always know where to look for exits and how to get a drink. Hell, you know who your friends really are when you actually lose them in a crowd.”
“Oh I love New York though. The fact that every borough is a different sub-culture within its own unique culture is fascinating. I don’t think I could ever live there, but I do love how it is and how so many different cultures thrive there.”
A large smile came over Alexis’s face as she thought about her home town. “Yeah, it’s the melting pot of the world,” she confirmed. “I love the fact that when I’m home, if I want to experience Italian culture, I can go to Little Italy. If I want to experience Irish culture, I can head to any number of Irish pubs. It’s incredible.”
Marisol smiled as the waiter placed both bottles of Chardonnay in two separate chillers beside the table and placed a glass in front of each lady. “Oh, can’t forget these,” he said as he pulled two straws out of his pocket and placed them on the table. “I’d hate for you ladies to be deprived of your utensils.”
The table erupted in laughter as the waiter hovered over them with a smile. “Ladies and gentlemen, are we all going to be having the swordfish this evening? I truly recommend it.” With a quick glance at each other from across the table and everyone nodding in affirmation, the waiter bowed his head and walked away from the table to put the orders in so that they could continue their conversation.
“Dillon, aren’t you living in Monaco?” asked Nathanial. “Why on Earth would you ever want to leave Monte Carlo? They have racing, gambling, water sports, and a pretty decent soccer team in a great stadium. Why on Earth would you ever decide to leave the principality?”
Dillon smiled as he sipped on his drink. “Well, unfortunately Nathanial, there is a lot more to the world than what is just in the very small nation,” he explained as he placed his drink back on the table. “While yes, there are a lot of things there that I love to do, especially the gambling part, there are other things that I love to experience.”
“Yeah, I understand that, but what does Sydney have to offer you that you couldn’t get back home in the states?” prodded Nathanial. “I’m being serious. What drives you to want to be in Sydney?”
“Honestly, the business opportunities are what drives me to be here,” he explained. “I can make more money in this quarter of the world than I can in the states, Europe, or anywhere else for that matter. The prospect of making millions of dollars a month is what drives me to want to be in Sydney more and not just in Wellington. So, in terms of amenities or other things that Sydney has to offer, honestly, I could get them elsewhere. However, nowhere else has the opportunities that this part of the world has for me. So I will deal with the snakes, spiders, and other things so that I can live the life I want to live and be around the people that I want to be around. I can be a playboy and I can date a beautiful woman from Spain because of who I am,” he paused as he turned to look at Marisol, who glared at him with an awkward look. “I’m not saying you’re dating me because of who I am, but if I weren’t in the position that I am in, there is no way your father would’ve introduced me to you. I wouldn’t know you if I wasn’t involved in what I was involved in.”
Marisol nodded. “Good recovery,” she quipped as she dropped the straw in her glass of wine to cut the mood and invoke a laugh from the table. “What, I was serious about wanting a straw.”
Alexis, grinning from ear to ear, opened the paper around her straw and dropped it in the glass. “I’ll try anything once,” she remarked as she drank the white wine from the straw. “It creates a much different experience.”
“Yes, that it does,” continued Marisol. “What about you, Alexis. How are you liking Sydney versus New York City?”
“Well, I haven’t been here long enough to really draw my own conclusions, but so far, it’s been fun,” she said with a friendly smile across her face. “I suppose the thing that I like the most about it is that there is always something to do here, which is the same as New York City, but it’s easier to get around. Here, if I get a taxi, I can get to the other end of the city in a reasonable amount of time, whereas, in New York, it can take hours. I enjoy the nightlife and bar scene, even though I’ve only been able to really go out once.”
Marisol nodded as she continued to sip her wine from the straw. “Why’s that?”
“I work entirely too damn much,” she replied. “I get up, facilitate deals and manage logistics. Then I come home, eat dinner, and go to bed. It’s a never-ending cycle that will probably wear me out before I’m forty.”
“Oh, give yourself some credit,” exclaimed Nathanial. “You working as hard as you do saved a dying company. Without you, both Dillon and I would be out a whole lot of money.”
“An insane amount of money,” confirmed Dillon.
“Your dedication is what saved an entire company and helped stabilize a region that could’ve went into economic chaos,” continued Nathanial. “I owe you more than just dinner and a good cuddle when we get back to the apartment. I owe you everything. I could’ve went belly up in a professional sense.”
Alexis shook her head. “But you didn’t and you haven’t lost anymore money than you would’ve,” she said humbly. “In all seriousness, the only thing that I did was create channels for you to get more product. Then help you get it out without spending a great deal of capital. Frankly, the only company that I really helped was the Americans. They’re the ones who are really profiting from this.”
“You’re being incredibly too modest,” said Dillon as he looked over at Marisol. “The work that you and Hannah do is second to none and we’re lucky to have you on our team.”
Marisol and Alexis, with the aid of the straw, had already finished their first glass of wine and were in the process of pouring the second glass when the waiter brought out a small basket of bread. “Our compliments, guys,” he said as he dropped it off. “Your food is in and will be out shortly but here is something for you to snack on while you wait.”
“Thank you,” said Dillon as the waiter walked away.
“Yes, thank you,” followed Nathanial. “So, Dillon, you want to be in Sydney?”
Dillon smiled as Nathanial continued to prod on the conversation. “Yes, I do,” he replied. “I feel like it’s the best move for me to make in terms of operating the business and helping to
sustain profits, while maintaining accountability. From Sydney, I can operate everything in Wellington as well as help out the Australian company where needed.”
“Why do you want to help?” asked Nathanial. “During all of our talks of bankruptcy, you were never around to lend a hand and now suddenly you want to be involved. What’s changed?”
The conversation became a bit awkward as both girls were drinking their wine innocently through their straws. “Nathanial, I don’t think this is the place for us to have this conversation.”
“Yes, it is,” continued Nathanial. “I’ve heard rumors that you’re going to attempt to buy out enough of my shares to make me a minority owner in the company that I just helped get back up off the ground. Is that true?”
“Nathanial, this isn’t…”
“Is that true?” he asked in an affirmative tone.
“Yes, but…” confirmed Dillon before Nathanial cut him off.
“That will not happen,” stated Nathanial as he started to grow angrier. “I will not allow myself to become a minority owner when I had to help save it from the brink of collapse.”
Dillon breathed slowly as he looked across the table at Nathanial as he fumed. He reached forward and grabbed his drink, bringing it up to his lips and sipped on it slowly before setting it back down as both women looked on with a concerned gaze. “What would Robert say,” Dillon thought to himself as he left his hand on his glass and looked Nathanial right in the eye. He breathed slowly, yet loud enough for Nathanial to hear him as he formed his words carefully. “Nathanial, you didn’t save your company. The woman sitting to your right and her best friend did.”
Alexis’s eyes opened wide as she was just brought into the conversation that she wasn’t prepared to have. “Besides, this isn’t my decision nor was it my idea,” he continued, still talking slowly, in an attempt to calm Nathanial down. “This idea was created by Robert Acostis and Sulagna Patel.”
Nathanial shook his head. “Sulagna Patel is in on this idea?” he questioned defiantly. “I don’t believe you!”
“Believe it,” said Alexis as she looked down at the table with Nathanial immediately turning to look at her. She looked up at Marisol who had a concerned look on her face while Dillon looked at her with a confused stare. “Hannah told me earlier today what was going on and I didn’t know how to tell you. I’m sorry,” she said as she turned her head to look at Nathanial. “I told Hannah that you would not sell your company unless there was a deal on the table that would make you triple the amount of money you would’ve made ahead of time.”
Nathanial nodded in anger as he seethed in his corner of the table. “Please don’t be angry,” continued Alexis. “Nothing is done yet.”
“You’re damn right nothing is done!” shouted Nathanial angrily. “Nothing will be done either!”
“Please calm down,” motioned Dillon from across the table. “Look, you’re not being screwed over or taken out. We will make sure you are heavily compensated and you will still be involved.”
Nathanial shook his head as he picked up his old fashioned and turned it up, taking the rest of the drink down before placing his glass back on the table. “This is an absolute mutiny,” he said with a defiant look in his eyes.
Dillon reached across the table and placed his hand on Nathanial’s arm. “No, it’s not,” he said calmly. “It’s business and you’re going to be incredibly wealthy because of it.”
“I don’t think you fully understand what I’m going through,” remarked Nathanial as he removed Dillon’s hand from his arm. “I was prepared to lose the company that the bulk of my money was sunk in and then, it was resuscitated. Then, by an absolute stroke of luck, it was brought back to flourish. I experienced every single emotion that one man could deal with during this and I will be damned if it will all be in vain.”
“But it won’t be,” continued Dillon. “You’re going to walk away with a sizeable fortune.”
“You don’t know that,” answered Nathanial. “The consortium excels in making deals for people that screw others over.”
“But I’m the one who would have to make the move so the buck stops with me,” Dillon stated emphatically as he looked Nathanial in the eyes. “Nathanial, answer this question for me. Have I ever screwed you over?”
Nathanial paused as he looked straight ahead at Dillon. “No,” he said softly. “You have always been fair with me.”
“Right, and that will not change,” confirmed Dillon. “I give you my word. You will be fairly compensated. Now, let me ask a second question, and I want you to give this some great thought. What would it take for you to sell enough of your shares to make me the majority shareholder?”
Nathanial leaned back in his chair and calmed down as the waiter walked back to the table. “Is everything alright? Can I get you another drink?”
“Absolutely,” replied Nathanial quickly.
“Make that two,” followed Dillon as the waiter nodded and walked off. “Look, you and I both know that if the consortium wants something, they will get it. This sale will happen. However, I want you to tell me what you want from me so that you can walk away feeling you were treated fairly. That’s what I want out of all of this.” Dillon paused while he let Nathanial think about his options. “Nathanial, I’m going to make money no matter what I do, so that’s not what this is about. I told Sulagna and Robert that I would not be a part of any deal that sees you being bullied or treated unfairly. I will not stand for that now or ever. So, with that being said, name your price and maybe we can figure something out.”
Nathanial smirked as he shook his head. “I knew this day would come,” he said solemnly. “I honestly thought they would at least wait a few months to push me out.”
Alexis reached over to pat Nathanial on his shoulder before he shrugged it away, shaking his head without looking over at her. “Alexis, why don’t we go freshen up before dinner,” said Marisol as she looked at the two men at the table.
“I think that’s a great idea,” she replied as they stood up and walked away. A few steps from the table was the entrance to the small, two-person lavatory where both women walked in to find it empty. “What just happened?” asked Alexis as they both stood in front of the mirror. In a small panic, Alexis looked in the mirror to make sure her eyes were still looking presentable and that she hadn’t started to tear up.
Marisol, being as prepared as she typically was, reached into her small hand bag and pulled out a small packet of tissues. “Hold still,” she said as she put one in her hand and held it up to Alexis’s eyes. With a few quick dabs of the tissue, she was able salvage Alexis’s eye makeup before she could do any damage. “I’m impressed. You held back your tears very well.”
“Putting on eye makeup a second time is a bitch,” she responded as Marisol finished the touch up. “I think I had maybe one tear from each eye and it still did a bit of damage.”
“It’s nothing I cannot fix,” replied Marisol. “How long have you known about the takeover?”
“I told you at the table. I found out this morning.”
“No, you didn’t,” accused Marisol. “When did you really find out?”
Alexis looked at Marisol softly as she shook her head. “Sulagna told me something like this could happen a few days after Hannah and I took over. Once Robert Acostis and Dillon took over the New Zealand company and made their way into the consortium, I had a feeling that the next step was going to be ousting Nathanial. I promise that I didn’t know officially until this morning. However, I knew that this was a possibility and the second I knew that Dillon Flannigan, a minority owner in the Australian Oil and Trade Refiners, was being made an owner and the acting president of the New Zealand Company, I knew the possibility of Nathanial being removed was very possible. The bylaws of Nathanial’s company state that any sale to an outsider has to be approved by the board, but any sale to someone who already has stake in the company can go through without any red tape.”
She paused for a minute as everything came together. “It all makes sense now,” she said as she looked at Marisol. “Sulagna had no use for Robert Acostis or the company in New Zealand, but because Dillon has a stake in Nathanial’s company, she allowed them in so that she could use him as leverage. Robert had to have known this, which is why he brought him along. This is one giant professional game of chess that Dillon doesn’t realize he’s playing.”
“What do you mean?” asked Marisol with an incredibly confused look on her face. “I don’t understand. Is he being used?”
“Yes, but to his benefit and he doesn’t even realize it,” she continued to explain. “Honestly, there is another piece that would have to be put into place, but I don’t suppose that it would be much of a problem. Sulagna and Robert would have to convince Jacoby Burgess to get on board with this plan. And honestly, I’m almost positive that is possible.”
“I think anyone would jump on the opportunity to make more money,” Marisol said as she patted Alexis on the shoulder.
Alexis nodded. “I know he would,” she stated confidently. “Jacoby is incredibly gifted at what he does.”
Chapter 5
Sulagna Patel looked at herself in the mirror as she prepared for the night. “He would want me to do this,” she said to herself as she unpinned her earrings and placed them in her ear. She looked down at the dresser where her belongings were resting, noticing a picture of she and her daughter was nestled in the bottom of her jewelry box. As a soft smile crept over her face, she remembered the day that picture was taken.
She reached over for her tablet and set it on the dresser, propping it up on its stand and opening it. With a few clicks, her tablet was buzzing and her daughter appeared in front of her. “Mom, what’s wrong?”
“Just because I call you on the tablet does not mean that anything is wrong,” defended Sulagna. “I just wanted to talk to my daughter for a few minutes.”
Mina laughed as she looked away from the screen before turning back to look at her mother. “What are you all dressed up for? Aren’t you in Sydney?”