Page 54 of One Month's Notice

“Yes, there’s a meeting scheduled,” she conceded, twisting the ring on her left hand between anxious fingers. “But nothing has been signed yet.”

She heard Stefan exhale sharply.

“What does Michael have to say about all of this?” Julia’s question gave Nat the opportunity she was looking for.

“He’s in a difficult position. The board is pushing him to make a choice based mainly on the finances. I believe your offer might be more aligned with the long-term vision of the company, despite what Clara has told you. I’m asking you to reconsider. We need options, and your involvement could be exactly what we need to avoid a decision purely based on greed and ambitious financial projections.”

“It’s very late in the day for us to be having these discussions.” Stefan seemed to enjoy playing the role of bad cop. “We are in talks with other companies that would welcome our money.”

“I know, and I appreciate you meeting with me today. I wouldn’t be asking if I didn’t think it was important and worth your time.”

The call went quiet and Nat held her breath, waiting for the verdict.

Julia broke the silence. “OK, we’re willing to reconsider. We’ll review the paperwork and get it across to you by the end of the day.”

“But this is the last chance.” Stefan’s tone was firm, but not unkind. “If this deal doesn’t go through, we won’t consider any future investment deals with your company. This has taken a great amount of time and effort on our part.”

“Of course.” A wave of relief washed over Nat.

“Look out for an email from me later on today,” Julia said.

“Thank you so much. Goodbye both.”

Julia and Stefan disappeared from Nat’s screen and she was left staring at her own image, a face lined with uncertainty. Nat closed the lid of her laptop and sat quietly for a moment, thinking about the risks she had just taken. If the deal with Spinigma went through tomorrow and the investigation went public, there would be no coming back from this for Michael’s company and she would have lost their last chance for redemption.

Her gaze wandered to the window where the morning light seemed too bright. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to steady herself. Had she done the right thing? She had to believe that she was capable of making the right decision, that she wasn’t as incompetent as she so often felt. The thought of going up against Clara filled her with dread, but she had little choice if she was going to change the outcome.

Nat opened her eyes and looked at the clock on the wall. It was nine thirty a.m. and Simon wouldn’t be home until late. The day stretched out before her like an endless expanse of uncertainty. She needed to keep busy, to distract herself from the doubts that plagued her mind.

The sun had already set when Nat heard the front door open. Her shoulders tensed at the sound of Simon’s footsteps in the hallway. Her back was aching from sitting at the kitchen table for the last couple of hours, scrutinising the investment proposal that finally landed at six p.m. It was nearly eight now, and she was eager to find out from Simon what was happening the next day. But as soon as his briefcase hit the floor, he disappeared upstairs to the bathroom and the sound of the shower running filled the house.

“Simon?” Her voice barely reached beyond the kitchen. With a sigh, she turned back to the proposal. The numbers danced in front of her on the screen.

Simon finally appeared, his hair damp and face freshly shaven. Dark circles sat under his eyes and his skin was pale. He looked exhausted.

“Long day?” She watched as he set the timer for the microwave and leaned back against the counter, his arms crossed.

“Never-ending.” He adjusted his glasses up his nose. “How about you?”

“I managed to persuade the other investment company to resubmit their proposal for consideration.”

“OK.” Simon looked closely at Nat. “That sounds like a good thing, so why do you look so concerned?”

“If everything goes wrong tomorrow and I can’t persuade them to go with Ethica, it will be a disaster. Michael could lose everything and there will be no coming back from it.”

The microwave beeped and Simon retrieved his dinner. He joined Nat at the table and began to eat methodically, silently.

“Simon?” Nat tried to keep her voice steady. “What happens if my plan doesn’t work? What’s going to happen tomorrow?”

He paused mid-chew and lowered his hand. The fork clattered against the plate.

“We’re due in court at nine a.m.” His voice was laced with weary resignation, showing the stress he was under. “The first battle is to get the judge to make the initial decision on proceeding with prosecution.”

“Prosecution?”

“Yes. We know there is already a case for enforcement action, which is only a warning and a large fine. But for a company like this, the fine is just loose change and doesn’t act as a deterrent. Because their violations are so serious and persistent, we are taking the next step and seeking to prosecute them. The impact of a successful prosecution would be much more significant. If we can get the judge to agree there is merit to our investigation, we can start legal proceedings. Due to the nature of what we are doing, everything has to remain absolutely confidential until the judge confirms they will allow us to proceed. Gambling companies still have protections under law that prevent unnecessary speculation or harm to their reputation. Unfortunately, the judge will not care about the potential deal with Michael’s company. They are interested in upholding the law and following due process. Only once they have made that initial decision would the company be formally notified of the charges, and everything from that point is in the public domain.”

“So how long will it take for them to make that decision?”

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