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  “Mr. Jason David,” Rafael smiled. “Thank you for taking the time to listen to us.”

  “Rafael Barnett,” he replied. “It’s my pleasure. I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time.”

  “Is that right? Mr. David, I’m not planning on wasting any of your time, so I’m going to get right to the point.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Barnett. I can appreciate that. And please, call me Jason.”

  “Only if you call me Rafael.”

  “Sure.”

  Jason smiled at Rafael, who began pacing back and forth in front of the screen. Rafael rubbed his palm across his chin as he looked down at the ground.

  “What you’ve done with Corve Tech is impressive, Jason,” Rafael began. “You’ve brought some new ideas to the forefront and managed to do it all by yourself. The designs you’ve created and the ideas you’ve made come to life are nothing short of innovative.”

  “There’s no need for flattery, Rafael. Get to the point.”

  “It wasn’t just flattery. I needed to make it clear to you. You turned down several offers before. And rightfully so. It was only appropriate that you didn’t accept an offer before you heard what I had to say.”

  “Go on.”

  “One billion dollars, Jason. Barnett Industries will acquire Corve Tech and all of its assets. Under our umbrella, you’ll be able to flourish. More importantly, you’ll no longer have to work hard. You’ll be set for the rest of your life.”

  “I’m already set for the rest of my life, Rafael. Any more money would just be superfluous.”

  “Would it now? Then what do you say to two billion?”

  The smile that was always on Jason’s face disappeared. He no longer looked like the youthful and exuberant man I had seen when he first appeared on the screen. Instead, there was a look of seriousness that made me worry that things wouldn’t go as Rafael had so meticulously planned them to. There was an excitement building inside of my stomach and I began shifting in my seat as I waited for Jason’s response.

  “Two billion?” Jason said. “That’s a very generous offer.”

  “It is. But it’s definitely what your company is worth.”

  “Maybe. But I’m afraid I’m going to have to turn you down. You see, Corve Tech isn’t something that I can just give away. This isn’t just about the money.”

  “I see… I’d like to take a moment to speak with my board of advisers, if you don’t mind, Jason.”

  “Not at all.”

  Jason smiled at all of us. Rafael shut the sound of the monitor off. I could still see Jason sitting there and waiting for us but Rafael told us that he couldn’t see or hear anything we were doing.

  “Ideas, gentlemen?” Rafael asked the board members.

  “He’s holding out for more money,” one of the men said. “Just give him the three billion and be done with it.”

  “And what if he asks for more?” another man said. “He knows that we want his company more than he’s willing to sell. Jason David isn’t an idiot. He’s not just going to hand over his company when he could just wait a few years and make double what we’re offering him.”

  “Then what do you propose, gentlemen?” Rafael asked. “Do I increase the offer? I’ve already doubled my initial offer. Is there any indication that he’ll accept a third offer?”

  The board members all looked at one another then started talking among themselves. A low whisper slowly evolved into a tense argument as the board was split on how to further these negotiations. Standing at the head of the table, Rafael crossed his arms and shifted his eyes back and forth, trying to listen to everything they were saying. I had never seen him like this before.

  Rafael was significantly younger than everybody else on the board. He was half the age of the youngest man there. And yet here he was in charge of all of them, pondering a decision that could cost him billions. There was a stress on his face that was unmistakable. His throat shifted as he swallowed. His chest was rising and falling as he tried his best to maintain his composure.

  “Gentlemen,” Rafael finally raised his arms to quiet everybody down. “This is getting us nowhere. We have Jason David right here. I’m not going to get back to him later. As soon as this call is over, I want to have an agreement with him to acquire Corve Tech. How are we going to do it?”

  One by one, Rafael asked for input from every board member. The dozen men were split. Half of them were in favor of raising the bid until Jason David eventually accepted. The other half wanted to offer the initial limit Rafael set then walk away, which seemed more likely of the two. As Rafael contemplated his decision, he ran his fingers across the hairline on his forehead and stared at the ground.

  “All right,” he sighed. “I’ll increase the bid. I don’t want to spend more than what we’re offering him but if that’s all we can do, that’s all we can do.”

  Rafael looked at all of the board members. There was a silent feeling of resignation among them. It seemed like they were defeated.

  Is this really the only option? There has to be another way.

  “Anybody?” Rafael asked.

  His eyes scanned the room. Suddenly, he turned toward me and the other interns. As his eyes locked upon mine, I unknowingly started to shake my head. I did it so slightly that I didn’t even notice I was doing it. I didn’t know what had come over me.

  “Alice,” Rafael said to me.

  “Yes, sir?”

  “You’re shaking your head. Why?”

  “Um, no… No reason.”

  “No, there is a reason. Tell me.”

  I swallowed and hesitated to respond. Everybody in the room turned and looked at me. After everything I read about Jason David, maybe he was who I thought he was.

  “This… It’s not about money,” I started.

  “Yes, it is,” Rafael replied bluntly. “What Jason said was just a negotiation tactic.”

  “Maybe. But that’s not taking in everything into account.”

  “And what did we miss, Alice?”

  “You… have to appeal to him. Jason was a young man with nothing but an idea in his head. And now he’s worth billions of dollars. There’s no question about that. You can’t appeal to him by increasing the offer. He knows what it’s like to have no money. He’ll be grateful for any amount.”

  “Then what do we suggest we do, Alice?”

  “Appeal to him. Don’t view him as a businessman who’s trying to squeeze every single penny out of you. He’s a young man. A scientist with some amazing ideas. Tell him that this isn’t the end for him. This isn’t an acquisition for us so much as it is an opportunity for him to see more of his ideas come to fruition. Jason David is intelligent. You don’t want his company. You want more of him and his ideas. Don’t… don’t increase your offer.”

  I could hear the sound of disagreement from the board members. They were restraining themselves but not doing a very good job at it. Rafael was staring at me the entire time. I had trouble looking back at him. Suddenly, I saw a slight smile develop on his face. I looked down at the table in front of me and immediately felt embarrassed.

  What the hell are you doing? You have no idea what you’re talking about. You’re just making yourself look like a fool. This isn’t your place, Alice.

  I wanted to crawl into a corner and cover my eyes and ears. I had looked at everything so plainly but never considered how much money was on the line. I was just some intern. My opinion didn’t matter.

  “All right,” Rafael announced to the entire room. “Let’s resume our call.”

  He reactivated the large monitor on the wall.

  “Hello,” Jason smiled. “I was beginning to think that you weren’t interested in talking to me.”

  “We were only looking for the right thing to say,” Rafael replied.

  “Really? And what is the right thing to say? More specifically, how much is it?”

  “Jason, I want you to consider something…”

  Rafael began to pace back a
nd forth in front of the monitor. I watched him as his eyes were focused on the ground, a familiar smile upon his face.

  “You started Corve Tech because you had some ideas,” Rafael said. “Not just any ideas but some incredible ideas. You’re intelligent. You have a mind for this. That’s what we want here at Barnett Industries. We’re not solely interested in buying up your technology and trying to create a monopoly. We don’t have the power to do that. We’re looking for the opportunity to push ourselves through the ceiling of success. And what we want to do is take you with us. This isn’t just about money, Jason. This is about the chance to expand all of the ideas in your head. You’ll have all of the resources you need to make it happen. You can only grow so much without us. This is the partnership you need.”

  Rafael turned to Jason, whose eyes looked like they were contemplating everything he was just told. I looked at Rafael and noticed that he was no longer pacing. He stood there with rigid posture, his hands behind his back while he waited for a response. I then watched Jason breathe a deep sigh.

  “…Okay,” Jason said. “Two billion dollars and your support and Corve Tech will operate under the Barnett banner.”

  “We wouldn’t have it any other way,” Rafael replied. “Shall I have my secretary fax you all of the necessary paperwork?”

  “Yes, have it done. My lawyers will need to look over it but everything should be signed in the next few days.”

  “Of course. It was a pleasure coming to this agreement with you, Jason.”

  “The pleasure was all mine, Rafael.”

  Jason smiled at him then the monitor cut off. There was a collective sigh of relief from all of the board members. But there was none greater than the one coming from Rafael. The relief from all of the board members was replaced with a moderate and excited celebration.

  “Wow, not bad,” Wesley whispered.

  “Yeah, I don’t know how you pulled that off,” Travis joined in.

  “It wasn’t me,” I said. “I just… gave my opinion.”

  I didn’t want to take any credit. I couldn’t. Rafael was the one who did all of the talking. But I still smiled, feeling a similar sense of relief as everybody else. When I looked up at Rafael, he was looking back at me. He wasn’t smiling but I could see some kind of approval on his face. I felt embarrassed once again but this time, I didn’t mind.

  Chapter 10

  With the tension in the room gone, the rest of the meeting in the boardroom was standard protocol. They didn’t cover any other major investments and only glossed over the company’s finances. Everything seemed to be in order. I listened intently to everything that was said and learned more about the company I was now working for. They had their hands in so many different things that it was hard to keep track of it all. There were other people who were paid to do that. They worked in the offices below. I didn’t use that as an excuse. I was already near the top of the company hierarchy but I wouldn’t allow it to influence how hard I worked.

  After the meeting, I went inside of my office for the rest of the day. There wasn’t much work for me to do specifically, so I spent the time reading the company overview. Even though I wasn’t a part of the board, I wanted to believe that it was an inevitability.

  Time flew by. I found myself so involved in my work that I had to be reminded to take a break by one of the receptionists who knocked on my door. I worked the rest of the time. At the end of the day, I packed all of my things and prepared to head home. I laughed as I realized that I would probably be doing the exact same thing I would be doing in my office right after I left.

  “I should probably just stay here,” I said to myself as I examined the office that was just as spacious as my workstation at home.

  I was gathering all of my belongings when there was a knock at my door. When I opened the door, Rafael was standing there with a warm smile on his face.

  “Hello,” he greeted me. “How did I know that you would be the last one to leave your office?”

  “I have a lot of things to pack,” I smiled. “I wasn’t planning on staying late, if that’s a problem.”

  “It is a problem, Alice. There will be times when I will need you to stay late but not during your first week on the job. You’re still just an intern.”

  “Right.”

  Rafael was wearing a navy blue suit that looked just as finely tailored as everything else he wore. He probably had a whole closet full of those things. After seeing what he looked like half-naked, I knew that the clothes were only half of the story. He wore everything well because his frame was just as immaculate. After a long day of work, Rafael didn’t look as stressed as he could have been. Other than the beginning of a five-o’clock shadow on his chin, he looked just as ravishing as the man I slept with last weekend.

  “Did you need my help with anything?” I asked him.

  “Actually, I was wondering if I could borrow you for a moment. It’s nothing too strenuous. There’s just something I’d like to talk to you about.”

  “Of course. What is this about?”

  “Well, it’s about… your outfit.”

  “What? What’s wrong with my outfit?”

  “There’s nothing wrong with it, necessarily. It’s just… you’re in a unique position, Alice. There are business suits available for women. But I imagine that you want to look appropriate as well as feel comfortable.”

  “What are you suggesting?”

  “Come with me. We’ll discuss this further. I promise I won’t keep you any longer than you need to be.”

  Rafael didn’t say a single word as we made our way down to the lobby together. As we walked through the main floor of the building, many people greeted him warmly. All of these people worked for him. Rafael smiled at all of them and gave them some of his time when they approached him to ask him questions. I stood next to him, wondering what exactly he wanted to talk about. I thought it was strange that he wanted to talk about the dress code.

  With my curiosity piqued, I followed him outside of the building. There was a limo waiting for him, with the driver holding the door open.

  “After you,” he said to me.

  “Um…”

  “I’ll answer all of your questions, Alice. Please. Just a moment of your time.”

  “Right… Of course.”

  I stepped inside of the limo and took a seat with Rafael taking his place just across from me. The limo worked its way through rush hour traffic while I enjoyed the luxury. Rafael sat there with a bit of relief on his face.

  “What is this about?” I asked him.

  “The dress code. You haven’t received your first paycheck. And I can imagine you don’t have too many outfits that meet the standard I’m searching for.”

  “Standard? I’m sorry. I’m trying to dress as well as I can—”

  “Don’t apologize. Alice, there is no dress code. At least, not an official one. It’s barbaric and out-dated. But I would like to maintain an old-fashioned stance when it comes to all of this.”

  “What are you expecting?”

  “Alice, we deal business with a lot of old people. A lot of old men. It’s not me. They’re the ones who have this old way of thinking. If it were up to me, you could wear whatever you want. But somewhere, it was decided that a suit and tie would be most appropriate for doing business in. Not even I could break that rule.”

  “What does this have to do with me? Do you want me to wear a suit and tie?”

  “I’d prefer you didn’t, actually. But I do expect a certain kind of… formality. You haven’t been paid yet. So I’d like to take this opportunity to buy you something a little more business appropriate for the position you’re in now.”

  I felt awkward as I sat there in the ordinary clothes I’d picked out. I knew that it wasn’t the most expensive ensemble in the world but I didn’t expect to be called out on it. As I sat there across from a man who was worth billions, I felt embarrassed that my clothes were being insulted.

  “I didn’t invite
you into this limo just to complain,” he said. “What I’d like is to buy you something that you could wear to the office. You haven’t been paid yet, so I’ll take care of the bill for you.”

  “Thank you, Rafael. But I can’t—”

  “Alice, you have a lot to learn about big business. I know what you’re thinking. You see some man who’s taking some woman on a shopping spree. And maybe it is. But it’s not just that. This is a business expense. You’re an employee and this company can’t have its employees conducting business in something short of the formality I’m looking for.”

  The way Rafael explained everything to me made perfect sense. I was attracted to him. There was no doubt about that. There was tension between the two of us that Rafael was always dancing around. He acknowledged it but would then remind me that I was working for him. Now he was offering to buy me a new wardrobe under the guise that it was a business expense. I could have questioned him further but who was I to refuse?

  “Thank you, Rafael. But are you sure—”

  “Alice, please. I have an endless supply of company credit cards that have no limit on them. Besides, you saved me a billion dollars today. Maybe even more. This is the least I could do.”

  “I’m… I’m just doing my job.”

  “Then let me do mine.”

  “…Okay.”

  I sighed a deep breath then nodded. Rafael smiled at me. I was reluctant but deep down inside, I knew that I wanted this more than anything. I enjoyed his company. I never imagined that I would actually appreciate spending time with my boss.

  * * *

  The limo pulled-up to a small store in the heart of downtown. As I soon as I stepped outside, I knew that I was in a part of the city that I didn’t usually frequent. I stared at the store in front of us while Rafael walked up to it and opened the door for me.

  “After you.”