Chapter 57

Zeke chuckled as he headed past Barbie.

He ignored her blank look of disapproval. He wrapped on Esha’s door with the hand holding the bag of pastries.

“I’m back,” he said as he entered.

Esha put her finger to her lips as she frowned at Zeke, then said, “Yes, Mr Walker can guarantee that he has the products here on Morpheus as we speak.”

She paused the connection and mouthed at Zeke, ‘Where?’

“They will be securely locked up in Kilos Guar’s Warehouse, CW500, in Section C,” Zeke responded.

“Wasn’t that broken into this morning?” Esha asked with concern.

“Yes, Kilos’s insurance company plans to sue the Council for not fixing the outer space doors before leasing the boys the warehouse. The cargo airlock doors, the space doors, the outer sensors on the station, and the other security measures have since been fixed. Isarki can even use a freighter to pick up the pallets from those doors now.”

Esha nodded in response and returned to her conversation with her client. “Yes, Mr Isarki. Until this morning, Mr Guar’s reputation was impeccable. I believe he is most upset that the Council let him down so severely. He values his reputation, so he has gone to personal expense to immediately fix what they wouldn’t.”

“Yes, Mr Isarki. I’m quite sure your merchandise will be looked after until you can claim it. After all, as a shareholder, Mr Walker does have a vested interest in making sure his end of the agreement is met.”

“I’m sure you will be the first person he notifies if he acquires more. Thank you, Sir. Yes, I have the contract. As soon as our attorney looks it over, I will contact you. It will be signed today if you don’t make further changes.”

“Oh, that does happen, doesn’t it. Thanks for sending it again. You will hear from us soon. Nice doing business with you. May our business relationship be long and fruitful. Goodbye.”

Esha sat back and laughed. “Geeze, did he think I was a dumb bimbo or what! Fancy trying that trick. As soon as his share price triples, we should sell.”

“So, did you get what I asked for?”

“No, he tried to play hardball, so I upped it to twelve-point-five percent.”

Zeke looked concerned, “Was that fair?”

“Zeke, he was going to give you ten percent for half of what you told me to offer. When you’re bargaining, you always ask for twice as much as you hope to get. I checked the prices and availability of those metals.”

“They must have doubled since you looked at the prices. His share price had dropped dramatically overnight. So, I offered half for twenty-five percent. He’s getting half for twelve-point-five. It was a good deal for him.”

“We will offer him the other half for cash in a month. The price may have dropped a bit, but you won’t lose a cent in reality. Your shareholding will probably double as soon as he makes the announcement.”

“Crickey! I still have to get rid of the rest of that stuff on the list.”

“Stick with me, Zeke. I’m sure I can find some bargains out there. And yes, they will be fair in accordance with market demand.”

“Okay, I trust you. How long do you need to clean out this office?”

She frowned, “A couple of minutes. Why?”

“You quit. I gave Bernard your letter of resignation.”

“Seriously? And he just believed you and accepted it?”

“Afraid so. Any objections to your new office being in Section C?”

“No, I live on the other side in Section B. Where is my new office?”

“In Kilos’s warehouse. It goes from CW490 to CW500. He recently leased the last section, and it has a spare office for you. He says it’s nice.”

“Bloody hell! That’s like a ten-minute walk from my place. Awesome,” Esha gushed.

“Why don’t you pack up, and we’ll get out of here? I’ll even spot you an early lunch.”

“So, what will I be doing again?” Esha asked as they sat outside the cafe.

“Managing my portfolio and selling the stuff on that list. I’ll get Raul and Jada to drop those minerals off here, after they have processed the salvage. Unless you need them to take it to Armstrong Station.”

“Oh, crap. I forgot that was where they were coming from. Hum, how fast do you want me to sell it all, then?”

“I reckon that after a year, the source will mostly dry up. If you want to string it out for an extra year or even two, it shouldn’t be a problem. I’m not exactly hurting for cash at the moment.”

“First, I need to get you settled. Then, I will transfer the portfolio over to you. I’ve already frozen everything and locked out certain people while I was getting your coffee. Once you have the new authentication codes, it’s yours to manage.”

“Fine, I’m ready. Let’s go,” Esha demanded before gulping down the last of her coffee.

As Zeke stood, he said contritely, “Oops, one little thing I forgot to mention. Do you have anything against gay men and magical people?”

“Is this a deal breaker?” Esha asked as she picked up her stuffed backpack.