‘All right, boss. Whatever you say.’
‘He calls me boss when he feels hurt or when he’s nervous,’ Robert thought. ‘Everything all right with my fishes? Have they sorted it out among themselves or are they yet pretending to be civilized…’, he plunged into thoughts, looking at the houses in the streets of London on their way.
A new page in his life history opened with London. Robert’s parents decided to try their luck in the States in the middle of the 21st century, emigrating from the UK to Los Angeles. As it sometimes happened to the middle class English aristocracy, the inheritance received by his mother did not provide even for paying utility bills in their estate, not to mention the maintenance of the ancestral nest at the adequate level. His mother was convinced of her innate artistic talents, but she believed that European venues would be too cramped for her…and it was not for her pure-blood baroness status, to measure herself against the so called local élite, as she used to say, asserting herself. A different matter altogether was the Olympus of Hollywood, with its boundless potential of studios that have written their names into the walk of fame of the world film industry. In the end, the house was sold, and they left for the west, full of new expectations. She was deeply and genuinely surprised though with things going wrong there, in the New World as well. To be fair, for the rest of the Richardson family, who remained to languish on the ever foggy island, the news from the other side of the Atlantic was not a surprise. The newcomers had to move to the suburbs of Los Angeles, Emily began working as a sales assistant in a local shop, and her father, never finding himself in the new world, could not stand new challenges and took to drinking. Robert’s uncle, Emily’s brother, who remained at home in England, managed to get back on his feet and achieved a certain position. He was well versed in marketing and being a good psychologist found his vocation as an excellent PR man, combining in his practice an understanding of the laws of perception and clients’ business interests. Later he opened his own agency in London. It was Uncle Oliver who invited his young nephew to London and agreed to pay for his studies at one of the best business schools—Oxford University. There was only one single condition—having graduated, Robert had to join his uncle’s team and develop the company together with him. Later, however, other circumstances of the deal came to light, which Robert did not suspect initially. Finding himself in the middle of the capital for the first time as an adult, Robert fell in love with its imperial greatness, inspired by the history of great conquests, financial ambitions and achievements, political intricacies. To a young man who grew up in the City of Angels, London appeared to be one of the pillars of the modern world.
‘Boss, from here you have to walk about three hundred meters to the restaurant where you
will meet the Chinese partners. Antonio, do you know where to go?’ Robert, who nearly slipped into slumber during the smooth movement of the capsule, was stirred by Barel.
‘Of course, I know where we should go, Barel. Although I am not a local, I try to do my job professionally.’
‘Don’t get so nervous, Antonio. I am just doing my job, like you are. Not joyriding’
‘That’s it. All right, Barel. Thanks. Let’s go,’ getting out of the car, Robert waved his hand to the assistant.
Noisy and discussing enthusiastically the impressions of the morning hours, tourists filled in the entire space of the café. Antonio approached the waiter, said something, and they were promptly taken over to a table near the window where the two Asian people were sitting.
‘Good afternoon, gentlemen,’ Robert greeted them, extending his hand.
‘Ah! Here you are, Robert!’ the two Chinese stood up and greeted the new arrivals. ‘Please take your seats, Robert and your friend …’
‘This is my assistant, Antonio. Have you already made an order? They do excellent fish and chips here. I would strongly recommend it, gentlemen,’ Robert immediately wanted to make it clear who the master of the situation was, and who was only a possible contender for the position of the purse. ‘Thank you very much, Robert. We’ll probably stick to tea and biscuits. We have a busy schedule today,’ the Chinese man was clearly making Robert understand that his cheap tricks were not working on them.
‘Of course, Heng. And we’ll go for fish and chips. Antonio?’
‘Yes, Robert,’ Antonio raised his hand, calling the waiter over.
‘So, Heng,’ Robert continued, ‘how do you like the view?’ Robert waved to the window looking at the Palace of Westminster.
‘The Parliament is very beautiful and certainly grand, my dear friend. It’s very kind of you to invite us here for tea.’ Heng nodded, smiling slightly, confirming with a gesture his readiness to carry on a dialogue. His thick and grey hair stood out unruly and a little funny on his head. Both Heng and the young girl accompanying him were dressed in formal business suits. Moreover, it seems that they’ve bought them quite recently, they were new.
‘Thank you. We are glad to see you and are glad to have the opportunity to discuss business. So you say you’ve been in London for some time now?’ Robert looked at the girl.
‘Not really, Robert,’ Heng replied, ‘we’ve arrived only a couple of days ago. But, as I mentioned, the agenda is very tight. Certainly you understand, our main task is to consider the risks and make…take the right decisions. Talking about politics, obviously, the right strategy would be some diversification, so to speak. Of course, for such an approach one need a certain level of resources and assets.’
‘I quite understand you, Heng. Betting on one horse…’
‘Okay, Robert. It is important that we are open with each other here, and can dot all the i’s and cross the t’s. May I ask you, Robert, what is your plan? The general line?’
‘That’s why we’re having this meeting. The plan is simple. Step one. In a year and a half, as an independent candidate, I will enter this symbol of legislative power. Step two. In the next cycle, I plan to enter another door with a well-defined street name and a house number.’
‘And in which capacity are you planning to take your second step, dear Robert?’
‘As the host of the house, Heng. You shouldn’t have given up the fish after all. They do it great here.’
Heng paused for a few seconds, assessing Robert.
‘You have a very clear strategy, Robert. But aren’t your plans too hasty?’
‘My plans have, as I expect, quite a tangible basis. Isn’t that right, Heng?’ Robert began eating with his fingers and somehow, the process seemed quite aesthetically pleasing.
The Chinese took a cup of tea and looked away in the direction of the Houses of Parliament.
‘Impressive, isn’t it?’ Robert asked.
‘Yes, the history of your country, Robert, certainly deserves a careful study,’ Heng replied. ‘You are aware of our goal. We think about our interests.’
‘Of course. As well as all the parties to this process. Finding the right balance is the subtlety.’
‘That’s right, Robert. And faith alone, as you may assume, is not enough to understand how the parties could interact.’
‘All right, Heng. I will briefly outline our expectations and our understanding of the value of the parties involved. First of all, I agree with you—the plan I mentioned does not really contain details, but obviously we understand in a quite tangible way which direction to take and how to proceed. My life story, professional practice clearly shows how we achieve results. And, of course, what results can be counted on. But may I assume that we wouldn’t have this discussion with you here were it not for your forecasts and models clearly demonstrating to us what we are talking with you about,’ the assistant nodded her head.
‘Then, the second point. Why we believe that it is in this negotiation format that we could be useful to each other. We need a slightly different resource basis. Not the one you mean, dear