Page 87 of A Life Imagined
“What?”Elise blinked.“I can’t do that.”
“Why not?We’d start you off with a couple shares, and over time, you can buy me out.I’m not precious.You’ll get it for a bargain.And whatever profit you make, it’s yours.”
Elise turned the glass in her hands, chewing on her lower lip.“I don’t know the first thing…”
“You know the market, the product, how to price.While you do lack a basic level of business sense, that can be taught.”
“But negotiating with clients, navigating import laws—I have no idea where to start.”
“So do what I did—hire someone who knows more about it than you do.Then make them do all the legwork.”Mathias leaned back in his chair.“You told me yourself you liked the freedom of the job, choosing what to buy and who to sell it to.You can specialize or diversify, depending on your interests.The nature of the work was always more appealing to you than it was to me.”
“This is crazy,” Elise whispered.“I can’t believe I’m even considering this.What are you going to do?”Then she flashed him a knowing look.“You’re going to take Heylen up on his offer.”
He’d received a call from Heylen the previous evening.Everything was set.The board had agreed to Mathias’s terms, and the company’s legal team was drafting up the partnership documents.Heylen had sounded giddy over the phone, confessing that he’d grown tired of playing it safe and had been looking for the right opportunity to make a bold move.If only he knew how bold a move he was making.
“Maybe I am.”
“I’m not surprised.He’s right up your league.A pair of cutthroat capitalists.”
“I take that as a compliment.”
Elise laughed.“You would.”She shifted in her seat, and her foot hammered nervously against the floor.Mathias could almost hear the whir of her mind spinning.“Fuck it, I’ll do it,” she announced.“On one condition.”
Mathias cocked an eyebrow.“And what’s that?”
“You said business sense can be taught.I want you to be the one to teach me.I want you to be my mentor.”
Mathias snorted.“I’m not going to hang around here and hold your hand, Dumont.”
“That’s the condition,” she said, raising her glass.“I get to call you when I need help.”
What’s the alternative—stand back and watch her burn everything to the ground?Better to stick around long enough to make sure she has a decent run at it.
“Fine,” he relented.“But I get to decide whether to answer.”
“Deal.”She clinked her glass against his.They threw back the scotch, and Elise broke into a grin.“We have to celebrate.This stuff’s way too strong.I’m going to grab us some bubbles.”She glanced at the clock on the office wall.“And maybe some orange juice.”
She stepped out of the office and disappeared into the warehouse, only to return moments later, the grin gone, and her face stricken.Mathias stood, immediately on guard.He recalled the black BMW parked outside the warehouse when they’d returned from Cologne.Surely, the Albanians weren’t stupid enough to come back here.He’d confirmed with Charles that they’d picked up the shipment, but that hadn’t stopped him from stashing a gun in his desk just in case.
He walked past Elise into the warehouse.Through the small window on the staff door, he could see a dented blue hatchback pulled up out front.Beside it, a man was pacing agitatedly.
The ballsy little fuck.Well, Mathias was nothing if not a man of his word.He returned to the office and found Elise pressed against the far wall, her nails digging into the flesh of her forearm.
“I don’t know how he found me here,” she mumbled frantically.“I’ve been so careful.”
Mathias unlocked the top drawer of his desk and pulled out his gun.
“No, Mathias!”Elise cried in horror.
“I told you if you didn’t sort this, I would.”
Back in the warehouse, Mathias pushed open the staff door and strode out into the parking lot.
Theo stopped pacing and glowered at him.“Where’s Elise?”he called out.“Is she inside?”
Mathias continued toward him.
“You don’t scare me,” Theo taunted, clearly not having clocked the pistol at Mathias’s side.“I know you’re not fucking her.You’re just a—”
