Page 178 of 12 Years
‘A judgy way.’
‘I’m not. I’m just a bit confused and surprised. I’ve never heard of something like this before.’
‘Times have changed, Payal.’
‘And you like this … relationship … system … arrangement?’
‘I love it,’ I said. ‘Which guy wouldn’t? Two perfect tens, dating you at the same time. Meeting your every need.’
‘Every need?’
‘I mean the needs I have now. They meet them. That’s all I want now—no emotional drama, no obsessive attachments. Just have fun and keep things easy. I feel free.’
‘Great,’ Payal said.
‘Now, you cannot leave Sushisamba without trying their dessert. Mochi ice cream. You’ll love it,’ I said.
After dropping Payal back at her hotel, I came back home and lay in bed. I opened my phone and checked Payal’s display picture on WhatsApp. I saw the typing prompt under her display picture, and then it disappeared. This happened a few times.
Meanwhile, Tania messaged me: ‘Free to meet, baby?’
‘Sorry, baby, have work tomorrow. Some other time,’ I replied.
I was about to keep my phone aside when Payal’s message finally popped up: ‘Thank you so much for a fabulous tea and dinner. And thank you for listening to me.’
‘Welcome,’ I typed back and kept my phone aside, switching off the lights to go to bed.
‘We’ll easily attain an eighteen per cent average growth in the next three years. What are you even talking about?’ I said, my voice tense.
‘Eighteen per cent is too aggressive. I would trim it down to a fifteen,’ Payal said.
The due-diligence team had just presented its findings to me and SecurityNet’s upper management.
‘I disagree,’ I said.
‘It’s what the due-diligence team believes. There are new markets that haven’t been tested. To think business will boom there isn’t realistic,’ Payal said.
‘It is correct,’ I said.
‘In my opinion, it’s not,’ Payal said.
Our eyes locked. In contrast to our heart-to-heart on Saturday, this was a heated professional argument.
‘And what impact does your opinion have?’ I said.
‘I’ll recommend to the CloudX team that they revise their offer. Four billion is too much. Maybe three and a half is better,’ Payal said.
‘What? A half a billion dollars less becauseyouthink so? No,Idon’t think so,’ I said.
‘It’s not just my thinking. It’s based on data. This would’ve come up even in the IPO due diligence.’
‘We have a term sheet for four billion,’ I said.
‘Subject to due diligence and any material findings that might cause us to revise the bid. It’s written in that same term sheet. Clause 3.1,’ Payal said.
Damn, she was good. I remained quiet. I looked at her angelic face and delicate fingers, both of which camouflaged the tigress inside. The tigress who was going to cut down my company’s price by over four thousand crore rupees.
‘Would you like to see the clause in the term sheet?’ Payal said calmly.
