“Help yourself, please. Tea or coffee?” Sam politely offered.
“Don’t mind if I do.” Foley made himself a coffee and sat back with attitude, waiting for her.
Almost ninety minutes later, they emerged from the boardroom to find his displeased and impatient entourage still waiting for him in the foyer.
“Thank you, Dr Page. I will get my lawyers to email you everything over,” Foley said as he stepped into the foyer. “Come on, team. We need to get back and get ready for this merger. We have a deal!”
“Betty, may I see you in here, please?” Sam called as the office staff stared in silence.
Betty approached Sam, running her hand nervously over her short curly hair. Sam could see her lined hands shaking. “Yes, ma’am. How can I help you?”
“Take a seat next to me. Can you please call me Sam? Would you do that for me?”
“Yes, of course, ma’am, I mean Sam,” Betty answered.
“Thank you. I’m happy to inform you that we do have a deal with Mr Foley. Now it’s just a matter of getting government approval for the merger to proceed.”
“Sam, I love your glasses. They look old and precious.” Betty’s eyes opened wide behind her glasses as she stared at them.
“Oh yes, they are a family hand-me-down. I have only changed the lenses,” Sam said, giving her standard response.
“They certainly are beautiful.”
“Thanks, are you curious about the deal?”
“That’s not my business,” Betty said.
Sam could tell she didn’t mean it. “Well, I would like it to be your business. I would like you to be my personal assistant. Malcolm repeatedly told me how lucky he was to have you working with him and I was hoping I could be just as lucky. Would you like to stay on board as my personal assistant?”
Betty burst into tears and Sam gave her a quick hug.
“Tell me about the deal,” Betty said, once she had composed herself.
“I got him to agree to all of Malcolm's demands.”
“What? Including not staying on as board member?” Betty asked, blinking rapidly.
“That’s right, not even as a shareholder.”
“Impossible. How?”
“Easy. I told him I had others interested and if he left this meeting, he would not have another chance. He jerked me around with the price, but it’s worth it not having him on as a board member or a shareholder, just what Malcolm wanted.”
“Malcolm would be proud of you.”
“Thank you, Betty, that means a lot to me,” Sam said, teary-eyed. “I’m staying until the funeral, so can you please arrange somewhere nearby for me to stay? Also, I will be assisting his estate with all the legal work regarding both Malcolm's business and personal matters. I’m not leaving until I do my best for this great man, but I can’t do it without you. Can I rely on you?”
“I’m available for anything!” she replied.
With Malcolm's funeral finally behind her, Sam returned home to Sydney a week later feeling sad, tired, and emotionally drained. The task of assisting with Malcolm's estate had taken its toll, on top of dealing with the details of the merger.
Once back in her apartment, she collapsed on her bed in a heap, desperately seeking out Billy’s memory for comfort and as a means of escape. Heartbroken and lonely, she started to feel like the helpless and ignorant loser she had been.
Instantly, she shot up from the bed and put on the book glasses and shook off that frightening thought. She was determined never to return to that dark place where she had been so helpless and lacked any hope for the future.
Recalling her last conversation with the detectives about their department’s limited budget for ongoing protection at her apartment, she began an extensive search for a state-of-the-art security firm, the best money could buy, to provide her with round-the-clock protection above and beyond what an average detective could offer.
Sam press send on the email she had written to her new security team to ensure they were keeping their ears to the ground about any further threat from Borgata. Once that was done, she dialled Barry’s number.
He answered on the second ring. “To what do I owe this pleasure, Dr Page?”
“Barry, I need you to appoint me a legal team to represent my newly acquired business in a merger. I want four stand-out experts, the best in their fields.”
“Page Global, you mean? I’ve been following what you’ve had going on. Congratulations.”
“Thank you.” She tried to remember to smile as she knew it could be heard on the phone. Not that she had to schmooze Barry, and she did like him, but she needed to get the ball rolling on this merger so that there were no delays. If successful, Swan Coal Energy would be incorporated into Page Global, giving Sam the capacity to supply a significant portion of China’s coal needs for decades to come and financial domination within the industry. “Can you find me the people I need?”
“Not a problem. I’ll put a list together and get it to you in the next few days, okay?”
She swallowed her impatience. “That sounds great.”
As she hung up, she reminded herself that getting the best people took time. She knew Barry would give her a decent list, although, even if they were the best, they wouldn’t be able to do what she could do.
Never mind. She would keep her hand on things behind the scenes. That should be good enough.
Silverback And The Two Thugs
The glass elevator doors abruptly opened to Sam’s apartment and three men in dark suits and a woman in a pin-stripe skirt and a white blouse rushed out.
She saw them through the doorway. “Well, don’t just stand there. Come in and take a seat at the conference table.”
The four new arrivals quickly took their places and the window shades automatically opened reveal the spectacular city views. Sam viewed them askance from where she sat at the head of the magnificent solid oak timber table, a desk plate of black marble with gold writing in front of her stating: “Dr Samantha Page, CEO—PAGE Global”. She hoped they took notice of it.
“Good morning Dr Page,” said the group collectively and politely.
“Good morning and thank you for meeting me here today. Look, I’m going to get straight to the point. I want this merger hearing to go smoothly. The acquisition of Western Australia’s Swan Coal Energy will give PAGE Global the capacity to supply a significant portion of China’s coal needs for decades to come. I have selected each of you based on your outstanding successes. Your firm has assured me of your proven skills in dealing with these types of government hearings.
“As far as I’m concerned, the hearing is only a formality. Let’s give them what they want so we can get the green light and move forward as quickly as possible. I will not tolerate anything less than your best. Are we clear?”
“Yes, ma’am!” they replied in unison, each with a self-confident smirk.
“Right. I for one would like to take this opportunity and be the first to wish you a happy birthday, Dr Page,” said the man seated the furthest from the head of the table.
She didn’t know which one he was. It didn’t matter. “Get out, you’re fired. Get out now!”
His grin vanished and he made a run for the elevator, in his haste almost knocking over the butler she’d hired to cater for the day as he carried in their drinks.
She leant back, enjoying the fright on the faces of the three who remained. “Look, as you all know I am a lawyer too, and I don’t need any of you, but it doesn’t look good if I represent my business at this merger review hearing, does it? This is a routine task people, get it done.”
“Yes ma’am!” they replied, smirks conspicuously absent.
“If you don’t have any questions, you may show yourselves out but leave the briefs on the table.” Sam poured herself a lemon tea and waved the butler away.
The remaining three got up, obediently placed their briefs on the table and made their way to the elevator as quietly as possible.
; Sam’s mobile rang, but she ignored it as she bit into a warm crusty croissant and then sipped on her lemon tea. The phone buzzed and she glanced at the new text message.
Give them back or you too will die, let me in.
Ignoring the message, she flicked the phone to the side of the table and finished her succulent morning tea.
As she put on the book glasses and reached for the brief, the elevator doors opened. She quickly removed the glasses and slipped them into her bra.
“I want the book glasses now, bitch!” yelled a man who resembled a silverback gorilla. He was flanked by two taller thugs with handguns drawn.
“How did you get in?” asked Sam as she walked towards them.
“Give me the fucking book glasses and I will let you live!”
Before he got another word out, Sam kneed him in the groin and thrust her mobile into his larynx, leaving him incapacitated. She pushed him into the two thugs behind him and leapt over them to make her escape via the elevator.
Two terrifyingly loud shots rang out before the elevator door finally closed.
The lift surged downwards to Sam’s office on the thirty-fourth floor. The entire floor was secured, so she felt confident she would be safe there.
With the hearing a week away, she was annoyed they had found her, and she feared the worst. She was so close to financial domination and needed just a little more time to see it through.
Silverback and his thugs presented a problem and she certainly didn’t need any negative publicity at this crucial point in time. Killing them would be futile as they would only be replaced with who knew what. A deal must be done, she decided, to hold them back until government approval was granted for the merger.
She signed in at the security desk, made her way to her office and hastily locked the door. Then she retrieved the book glasses from inside her bodice and typed a text message:
What assurances do I have?
The reply was almost instantaneous:
Give them back or you will die, let’s meet.
OK. At the museum in one hour.
OK. Make sure you bring them.
She didn’t waste any time crossing town to the Australian Museum, leaving her forty minutes to prepare for the negotiation. She hadn’t been back there since first starting university. It always evoked fond memories of when she’d first discovered the power of the book glasses.
Despite attempting to suppress her feelings, memories of those days flooded her mind, overwhelming her to the point of feeling slight anxiety about the entire ordeal. It was difficult for her to remember being that frightened and pathetic young woman. It was almost impossible to believe she had ever been that person. She had been presented with a fortuitous and extraordinary opportunity and had grabbed it with both hands and never looked back.
If this were to be the end for her, she was grateful to have experienced the ride of her life over the last five years. Within this short period, she had seen and done things people would not have dreamed of doing in two lifetimes. She had reached great heights, achieved amazing things, and experienced the love her heart had long desired.
And even with her terrible losses, she wasn’t ready to give it all up. No, she would work the problem and do whatever she could do to hold them back until the hearing was over. There was no other option while she had the book glasses.
Thursday was a popular day for school tours at the museum and Sam was able to use the late morning rush to avoid being recognised by any of the museum staff. She made her way to Mr Harman’s office and waited for her rendezvous.
As she entered the office, a woman wearing one of the cleaning staff uniforms looked up from where she was polishing the desk.
“Who are you?” Sam asked.
“S-sorry ma’am, M-Mr Robertson is out of the office all day and I t-took the op-opportunity to clean his office, I’m f-finished so I’ll g-get out of your way.” The woman had a strong Aussie accent.
“Mr Robertson?” asked Sam.
“Yes, M-Mr Robertson, the C-CEO,” she said, looking back at Sam oddly.
“Well, Mr Robertson arranged for me to use his office all day, so off you go!” Sam tried to hurry her out.
“Yes ma’am, I-I’ll be out of your way as s-soon as I get my cleaning equipment. Have a n-nice day!” She collected her gear and hastily exited the office.
With only minutes to spare, Sam took the fake set of book glasses she’d had made and placed them into the original case and concealed them in the hidden compartment. Then she hid the real set in her bra before taking a seat on the chair behind the CEO’s desk.
She heard the step in the corridor outside before she saw the man.
“I see you have returned to the scene of the crime, Page?” It was the man who had confronted her in her apartment—Silverback. He and the two thugs entered the office and closed the door behind them. He took a seat in front of the desk opposite Sam and started to laugh.
“How’s the throat? I hope I didn’t hurt you too much,” Sam said with a grin.
He looked around. “I have fond memories of this office.”
“So, you killed Mr Harman here?” Sam said.
He looked satisfied. “Let’s not forget about Dr Julie Dunn, shall we? I didn’t have the good fortune of getting your boyfriend myself, but you would be happy to know it was my boys who finished him off when he tried to escape. Not fucking smiling now, are you, bitch?”
“When we talked on the phone, you agreed to let me live,” Sam said.
“You have them?” he asked, sitting upright, and looking interested.
“No, I don’t have them, and I knew you wouldn’t believe me, so that’s why I wanted to meet you here. The glasses have been in this office all along in a secret compartment. Everyone has searched it, including the police and you as well, and the glasses still haven’t been found. I’m the only one who knows where they are. Therefore, if you let me go now, I will text you their precise location after ten minutes.”
“And why should I believe a lying bitch like you?”
“Why would I lie? You know where I live!”
He hesitated for a moment and Sam held her breath. “Okay boys, let her out.” Then turned to Sam. “You have ten minutes, bitch, and you better not be fucking lying or I’m coming after you.”
She took off like the wind and didn’t look back. When she arrived at the refuge, she messaged him that the glasses were in the bottom drawer of the office desk, concealed in the false bottom.
The moment the detectives had informed her that Garza had fled back to Italy, she’d put this plan in motion knowing that, by the time the glasses got to Garza and her deceit was revealed, the government hearing regarding approval for the merger would be over. Then she would be free to unleash her fury on Garza and his organisation without fear of being implicated and without endangering the merger.
“Sister Sue, you need to listen to me!” Sam cried as she raced into her office and closed the door behind her.
“Slow down. What’s wrong?” Sister Sue asked.
“I need your help. Billy’s killers have found me, and I’ve managed to buy some time but I’m afraid my luck will run out soon!” She took a seat opposite Sue.
“Shush! Lower your voice. We need to go to the police now,” Sue said in a loud whisper, and walked around her desk and sat next to Sam.
“I can’t go to the police yet.”
“Why not?”
“It is complicated. I just need to wait a week before I go to them.”
Sue looked confused but she didn’t ask awkward questions. “What do you want from me?”
“I need you to wait until I tell you before you call Detective Gower and Detective Roth for me. When the time comes, I will need you to inform them of my location.”
“These people killed Billy, my darling. Don’t play with fire!” Sue said, her eyes reflecting the fear she felt for Sam.
“I know, but it’s complicated. That’s why I need your help to get the polic
e involved when the time is right. Can you help me, please?” Sam pleaded.
“I’m not happy with this and I don’t know what you are up to, but what is it you want me to do?” Sue replied.
Sam breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you. Here are the mobile numbers for Detective Gower and Detective Roth. When I message you my location next week, I would like you to call them immediately and tell them that I’m in danger of being killed and need immediate assistance.” Sam smiled as she wrote down the numbers for Sue.
“I don’t know why you’re smiling. The fact you are in so much danger is breaking my heart, my darling. I trust you, but I hope you know what you are doing,” Sue said.
“I promise nothing will happen to me, so trust me. I just don’t want the police involved any earlier, that’s all.
“I love you, but I’ve gotta go now. Thanks heaps. And if I don’t see you before you get my message, don’t worry, because I have everything under control.” Sam tried not to appear too confident and gave Sue a quick hug before she left.
The Merger Hearing
“In a nutshell, mergers and acquisitions are important for the efficient functioning of the economy. They allow businesses to achieve efficiencies and diversify risk across a range of activities. However, the Competition and Consumer Act prohibits mergers that would have the effect, or be likely to have the effect, of substantially lessening competition in a market.
“Therefore, I need you three to drive home the argument that the benefits of this merger far outweigh the risk and the economy is the winner here. The alternative is potentially two failed businesses because these two businesses are not sustainable on their own.”
Sam looked around the table. The three lawyers looked too afraid to say a word and simply nodded their heads in agreement.
The Book Glasses Page 18