I think his main motivation is keeping his family safe and I’m walking into this meeting at a slight disadvantage because I’ve pissed him off by marrying his sister. However, he is underthe impression that she chose to be with me, so that’s at least a good thing.
Driving into the city, I run through options and scenarios in my head. I hate being unprepared. I hate not knowing how things will turn out—but it is all part of the lifestyle I am living.
Parking outside the coffee shop where he chose to meet, on neutral territory where neither of us would feel uncomfortable, I switch my car off and take a deep breath.
Well, it’s time, I think to myself, climbing out of the car and crossing the quiet street to walk into the coffee shop.
The rich aroma of freshly roasted beans is in the air. It’s a warm scent, a welcoming one.
I walk over to where Rodion is sitting. He stands up as I approach and I hold my hand out to shake his. He glares at my hand for a moment. Not accepting it.
“Shall we get straight to it?” he says gruffly.
“Sure,” I reply, pulling my hand back and taking a seat.
I stare at Rodion, trying to read his expression.
His body language is cold and tense. His shoulders are pushed back, his jaw is tight. His eyes are narrowed and focused intently onto me.
“What do you want, Dubrov?” he practically snarls at me.
I sigh. This is not going to be an easy meeting. I can already tell he’s got his mind set on not coming to an agreement.
“I want to resolve whatever issues we have between our families and I want to come to some kind of peaceful agreement. If we can’t come to an agreement, well then, I hope to at least have a better understanding of what you want.”
“I want you to go back in time andnot marry my sister,”he snaps bitterly.
“Your sister is quite happy where she is, with me, and I want to discuss business matters instead of that.”
He huffs loudly.
We start a tense back and forth which seems to be getting us absolutely nowhere. He is determined not to work with me in resolving this and I can feel my patience begin to wear down.
“Rodion, we need to figure this out. If we can’t, you know how this ends. Neither of us wants to go to war over this shit.”
He snorts angrily.
“My only goal is to keep my family safe and build a business that allows me the chance to take care of them the way they deserve to be taken care of. I will do whatever it takes to achieve that.”
“We both have a great deal of responsibility to keep our families safe, Rodion,” I sigh heavily. “Look—how about this—we are in the same line of business, but I know the main product you deal with is a secondary product for us. Additionally, our main product is a secondary product for you. Right?”
“Correct,” he says coldly.
“So, if we agree to no longer trade in your primary product, and you agree to no longer trade in our main product, that leaves the entire market for that specific clientele open to you. We no longer have to fight over clients or cause issues between ourselves. If I do have a client looking for the product you sell, I will simply refer them to you and vice versa.”
He leans back in the chair and folds his thick arms across his chest. He looks like a hunter, watching his prey. His eyes are locked onto me as his mind races with the offer I have made.
“How do I know you will honor this deal and not sell the product behind our backs?”
“That would defeat the entire point of this meeting. Besides, I am going to have to trust you as much as you are going to have to trust me.”
He nods slowly.
“Fine. I accept the deal.”
“Great—“ Rodion is already standing while I’m talking. He glares at me one last time, tosses some money onto the table to cover the bill, then walks out of the coffee shop without even one more word.
I stare at the notes he’s left on the table and shake my head.