Page 3 of Cartel Rose (Jorge)

Now he does smile. He knows I’m unwilling to give more information about my client than I must.

“The information Pasha provided made your estimation correct but incomplete. I believe you knew Kutsenko Partners withheld vital records, yet you prepared the offer anyway. Not only that, you submitted it to us.”

“Mr. Diaz, I did my own investigation. Kutsenko Partners owns the company that once held the asset you want to investin. It no longer does. They sold it five months ago, which you already knew since we began the negotiations four months ago. Your suggestion that they still own it is inaccurate. The Kutsenkos offered the historical data as a courtesy.”

He smirks, and I think he’d have snorted if it weren’t rude.

“If you say so. Your firm’s commission increases substantially if the larger deal goes through. We’re buying the shell corp and the parent company.”

Presumptuous ass.

We’re buying.

No, you’re not. The parent company isn’t for sale.

“Unfortunately, that’s not an option. Heidemann Labs is what you hired us to invest in, not buy. Heidemann BioTech isn’t for sale.”

“With the Kutsenkos, everything is for sale at the right price. Before Diaz Holdings will conclude the Labs’ purchase, we’d like you to do a more thorough valuation that includes BioTech. If it’s what we expect, then we’ll proceed with the offer to Kutsenko Partners. If they won’t agree, we’ll acquire it by more hostile means.”

“A takeover is beyond our purview. A corporate lawyer would be better suited to handle such a transaction. We manage investments. If you’d like to include Heidemann BioTech in your portfolio, we’ll happily set that up.”

Jorge sits back in his seat as he listens. He appears entirely relaxed, but I sense he’s coiled like a snake, ready to strike. I don’t trust him.

“Perhaps your father’s available.”

I force myself not to curl my hands into fists I want to slam into his chiseled jaw. That was an utterly dick move, and he knows it. He’s baiting me.

“He is not.”

“Then we’ll save everyone else the time of coming in here for a meeting that won’t happen now.”

He rises and buttons his suit coat with just as much suaveness as he unbuttoned it before sitting. I stand as well, but I’m not as ready to leave.

“Mr. Diaz, an ultimatum is premature. We can do the valuations, but we cannot represent you for the takeover. That simply isn’t what we do. We can formalize your investment in the Labs, so you hold the majority shares. Once you have those, you can pursue the BioTech sale through your attorneys. Your uncle made it clear from the beginning that your company wants to invest in Heidmann Labs. However, announcing you wish to buy another company is not only unexpected but infeasible.”

“Ms. Schlossberg, it may have been unexpected, but very little in business is infeasible when you have the capital my family does. How long will you need to redo the Labs’ valuation and include BioTech? I’m in town until tomorrow evening.”

I blink at least three times before I answer. He’s unreal.

“You know the first valuation took three months. I spent weeks on each division and its projects to create the composite for the entire company. Heidemann BioTech is six times as large as the Heidemann Labs. Do you expect me to finish this by tomorrow?”

“Definitely not. If you can provide me any preliminary information by noon tomorrow, then Diaz Holdings will complete the investment in the Labs. You can submit your full report on BioTech when it’s ready.”

He’s holding the original deal hostage.

He just demolished the house of cards with one flick of his fingers. Just what I feared.

He offers me his hand, which I accept. It’s warm without being clammy just like before, but now it feels as though it singes me. He reaches into his inside breast pocket of his suit coat andwithdraws a leather cardholder. He hands me his business card, but I don’t look at it. I observe him instead.

“I’d like to meet with you tomorrow.”

“I can email you whatever I find.”

He shakes his head. “It’ll be faster if I can review the data printouts in person. If this room is available, I’d like to request its use, please. The large table will make it easier to examine everything. It’ll save you time if I do. If I don’t like what I see, then there won’t be any need for you to spend more billable hours on this project.”

“Are you always so?—”

The other senior partners’ arrival keeps me from asking if he’s always so presumptuous. Probably just as well. The six other men and women file inside and move to their usual seats. Something about Jorge shifts. I glance over at him, and any humor I saw during our conversation is gone. It’s like a wall dropped into place, and he’s more than just reserved.