Page 80 of Analysing Her Assets

“So, what you’re saying is that...”

“Your excels are not enough.”

She deflated so completely she was short of breath. Ilan had told her something was very wrong but that he couldn’t do anything about it.

Aviad escorted them to the elevator, where all three of them shuffled in.

“Okay, Tamar,” Marina said. “Let’s give this whole thing a rest.”

“Should I talk to Gideon? Just to warn him.”

“Tamar,” Noga said. “What kind of ties does Gideon have in the company? If he is what we call a person of interest, then the minute you inform him, he wouldn’t have a choice. He would have to report your suspicions to the company’s management, which he isn’t part of. And if someone is truly bent, then they would warn Danny and jeopardize any future investigation. And Danny would guess immediately it has something to do with you. You’d be fucked either way—no job and no taking Danny to justice.”

Noga was right.

It felt wrong all the same.

39. Gideon

Gideon was ten minutes early to Berdiplast’s shareholders' meeting, which was fine by him. He made himself simple black tea from the hot water dispenser and grabbed two biscuits.

His father had always invited the employees to attend the meetings and held them in the company’s cafeteria. Gideon admired this Berdiplast tradition. “It inspires a sense of camaraderie,” Yehoshua used to say. “It’s my way of sharing decisions and being transparent with the workers.” Times were that he idolized and looked up to his father. Knowing what he did, he would never feel the same hero worship for him, but perhaps that also was part of growing up.

The room filled with factory workers, who shook Gideon’s hand and patted him on the shoulder. He was asked repeatedly if he was coming back and answered in the negative, wanting to attend the shareholders' meeting without upsetting the key players. The disappointed reaction was both flattering and worrisome.

The agenda included only two items: Approving third quarter reports, and the new employee option plan. Gideon’s phone pinged, denoting that the institutions’ votes had been placed. There were only three institutions holding shares and all voted in favor of Berdiplast’s option plan. They approved that the convertible bond’s conversion price was the same strike price for the options, linking the fate of both plans together. As matters stood, it came down to his mother. If she voted with his father, then the plan would be passed. If she voted against him, it would not.

Gideon agreed with his grandmother that Young Doron would get too much power, but when she told him to pressure his mother, he refused. He didn’t like the hard-ass approach Savta Paulina was taking, putting Berdiplast before family. His mother was upset and torn, and he wouldn’t harass her further.

The cafeteria tables, each holding eight, were in front of a temporary small dais where the management would perch. Gideon waved to his grandmother, who bustled in and seated herself at a first-row table.

“Giddichka!” She waved back energetically, a master at public embarrassment. “Come here, sit next to your grandmother. And bring me tea, will you!”

Gideon made his grandmother’s tea the way she liked it, with two tablets of artificial sweetener and a lemon wedge.

Old Doron came to shake Gideon’s hand before taking his place at the management table. Gideon’s senses filled with the expensive scent of perfume a second before his mother kissed his head. Naomi took her place on Gideon’s other side.

“So...” Paulina said. “Are you going to back me up on this?”

Naomi’s face was haggard. She didn’t answer.

Yehoshua Berdichevsky entered, followed by a slight young man with wavy fair hair. Gideon watched as he held Yehoshua’s chair for him before sitting. A polite young man.

“What a suck-up,” muttered Paulina, and Gideon coughed his laugh.

Miriam, Berdiplast’s long time attorney and general counsel, touched the microphone, preparing to open the meeting. It struck Gideon how ancient everyone at the management table seemed—except for Young Doron. Was his father marking the young man his heir apparent? It would seem so. If he did, he had every right to—he’d thought Gideon had stepped aside. Just a few more days. He had no doubt that once he announced his return, his father would welcome him with open arms as Old Doron’s replacement.

“Okay, first item on the agenda, approving third quarter financial reports.” Miriam opened the meeting. Berdiplast used to take pride in disclosing its financial reports in a timely manner, yet this was quite a late date. They were by no means the only ones, many listed companies behaved this way. But Yehoshua used to boast Berdiplast was better than that.

“We have the votes in for the option plan,” Miriam announced. “The institutions are in favor. Who else is in favor?”

Yehoshua raised his hand and stared at their table. His mother, after a long moment of hesitation, raised her hand as well. Gideon now understood that this public meeting worked in favor of his father. Naomi would hate to undermine her husband’s authority in front of his employees. Old Doron and Paulina voted against. The plan was approved 54.9% against 31.3%. Once Naomi took her husband’s side, Paulina had no chance.

“Why? I thought we talked about it.”

“I can’t Paulina, he’s my husband,” his mother said, utterly miserable.

“Then give your shares to Gideon, you sissy!” Tact had never been Paulina’s strong suit.

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