Allea

fifty-six

"I don't see any particular reason why you have kept on requesting my presence. Still, Mr. Schmidt, I'm here."

"Miss Ciarve, I am very grateful for this, but...I wanted you to look at the retail market yourself, for it can bring enclosure to why we demanded the change."

I raised my eyes straight toward the man in front of me, perceiving my sharp gaze he tried to avoid looking at me by looking toward his sub-ordinate and ordering him to bring out papers. Maintaining my calm, I kept my voice steady as I repeated the words my assistant has been telling him, "Your approach and requests are unreasonable."

Seeing that I was resolute to not give him the way, his tone turned pleading and humble when he again tried to hold my gaze and requested, "We know Miss Ciarve, and we can't change your decisions, we have no mean to. That's why I want you to see it yourself."

I looked at the man triple my age, for a second questioning myself how come his spurious beseeching actions are apparently efficacious and is he the same obsequious man with whom I formed a business alliance four and half years ago. Mr. Schmidt started his retailing proprietorship business years ago, but it wasn't doing well and had fallen to cut-price. That's when, we reached to buy his company's forty-percent ownership. With the help of our financing and economical standing, in a year the retailing business emerged with greater revenue and with time reached, where I bet, Mr. Schmidt would have never envisioned.

Being a co-owner and CEO of this retail company, which is now among the top ten in Germany, Mr. Schmidt along with Allgaier's have gained both money and fame through our partnership. But for about a year now, I'm being sent requests and reports of how he wants to change the things, mainly the policies and name of the retail brand.

In fact, it's all his charade, which he thinks I'm unable to see —hidden behind his apparent and concerning demands are subtle attempts to push us to the edge.

My eyes flickered from Mr. Schmidt's, hands that were holding the papers, ready to be rushed toward me, to his face curled in an expectant smile. When we first time met those felicitous smiles and humble hands, which so willingly shook my hand to commence our cooperation -today they are nowhere in sight. Because today's Mr. Schmidt doesn't want the company he has built from scratch to fall heavily into other's hands, suddenly he's capable to buy the forty percent he has to sold.

He thinks of himself as a quite smart man, I just hope he has prepared well for what he'll face sooner or later.

Putting on my slight smile, I looked straight at him, my tone was mild, "If that's what you insist, now that I'm here, I find any reason inappropriate of denying to have an enclosure."

Registering my words, his smile widened, and directed toward his subordinates he started praising in German while giving them the papers back, eventually turning to me, "Very well, I have prepared a team exclusively for Miss Ciarve, they will give you extensive details of everything."

My face didn't change much, "That's very thoughtful of you, Mr. Schmidt."

He nodded his head and exclaimed of how this was no bother to him and anticipatingly looking me he spoke, "So, should I call the team, so Miss Ciarve... " leaving his words midway he waited for me to complete.

"About that, I have somewhere I need to be, till then tell your team to prepare everything, I'll join them after the lunch break."

Hearing my words, his smile faded a little but the satisfaction on his face was nowhere dimmed after knowing that I will return a half-day later.

I know he's eager, for deceiving me the biggest hurdle he faced was why would I sell something in millions when that millions can be covered by it in a year or so.