Chapter 28 - Getting Down to Business
“Hey, Callum, it’s Kerry.”
“Oh, hi, how are you?” he replied. He’d got to know her over time, and they were now much friendlier than during that first frosty encounter.
“Julian has asked me to set up lunch with you and Jack to talk about The Iron Works.”
“Oh shit.” It left his mouth before he had a chance to think, suddenly feeling heat in the base of his gut. Callum knew this was coming. Julian had told him that his legal team were looking into Noah Cott and his business dealings.
“Look, Callum, I know Julian’s had legal on this for weeks. I think he’s really only trying to help...”
“I know, I know, sorry, just an… awkward topic Kerry.”
“I get it, Callum, I really do. How about Monday, 1 p.m. at the office here? Get it over and done with?”
Callum checked his and Jacks bookings in the shared calendar. Yes, they could both do 1 p.m. Monday, so, nervously, he added it in. “Yes, that’s fine, Kerry, thanks. Can you arrange for a pick-up, please?”
“Will do. Take care, bye.”
Callum immediately started thinking about the conversation they were likely to have.
He and Julian hadn’t really talked about this.
Julian knew how emotive it was for Callum, so seemed to respect that by avoiding the subject.
Jack was tightly wound up about it and more prone to fly off the handle.
All this added up to a potentially heated meeting.
He decided not to think about it, and certainly not let it ruin their weekend plans.
***
Saturday 1st March / Sunday 2nd March 25
Callum worked on Saturday during the day, and so did Julian.
Afterwards, he went to the office to meet him, and they travelled back to the penthouse together, neither mentioning the scheduled meeting.
Saturday evening was dinner and a movie, then Sunday Callum took Julian for lunch at Chelsea Market where they met Sophia and Lara, a friend of hers.
They enjoyed a nice lunch of Thai food before Lara departed and the three of them went for a nice walk along The High Line, as it was a sunny and warm day.
They ended up at The Vessel, the funky walkway-shaped metal cone, offering great views of the city and the Hudson. After that, they walked to the new shops at Hudson Yards, where Callum spied an amazing T-shirt in the window of the Moschino store, and they ventured inside to look at it.
He immediately fell in love with it. It was black and had a faded teddy bear design on the front, with several variations in the range, all with the same bear but wearing different clothes and different hats.
After looking at all the designs, he eventually decided to try the first one he’d seen and pulled it from the rack.
He fished inside for the price tag, discovering that it was $300! He immediately went to put it back.
“What are you doing?” Julian asked.
“I’m not paying $300 for a T-shirt, Julian. That’s ridiculous,” Callum replied, keeping his voice low.
“Callum,” he grimaced, “it’s about time you started living the life we are lucky enough to have and stop always fretting about money,” Julian said, clearly exasperated.
“I don’t know,” Callum said, still perturbed about the price. But he grudgingly tried it on and had to admit it did look really good on him. The cut was fitted and flattering to his developed chest and upper arms. Julian and Sophia both agreed that it looked great.
Sophia had also tried on a leather skirt she really liked, which they both said looked great on her.
She was now debating how it had been made so she could make her own version of it.
Callum was saying to Sophia that $300 was too much for a tee, whilst she was agreeing that $375 was too much for a skirt…
Julian sat on the sofa in the changing rooms and just rolled his eyes. He’d had enough of both of them. He stood. “You two, honestly. I love you, but you’re getting on my nerves.”
He called the assistant over and told him they would have every design of the T-shirt the store had in Callum’s size, and the leather skirt for Sophia.
Both complained, argued and eventually relented, but were ultimately grateful. Julian was just glad to get out of the store after what felt like an eternity, sitting and waiting while they both procrastinated.
Callum worked out he’d just spent about $4,000 but again had to remind himself that his life was changing; and changing for the better.
He carried the bag, and both Sophia and he kissed Julian on each cheek, squishing his face together.
He laughed, hugging both of them. He loved being able to treat them but did wonder when Callum would ever stop worrying about money.
It was a lovely day, and Callum was excited to have some nice clothes to wear for a change, being the guy who lived most of his life in grey sweats or shorts.
***
Monday 3rd March 25
The G-Wagon pulled up in front of The Iron Works at around 12:30 p.m. where Jack and Callum were hovering by reception.
Markus greeted them, “Good afternoon, Callum, Mr Silva.”
Callum nervously said, “Hey, Markus,” but that was about all he could muster. They both got into the back of the car and were soon on their way to the office.
“Fancy ride,” Jack said, running his hands over the leather upholstery.
“Don’t embarrass me here, please Jack,” Callum said under his breath. They travelled in silence the rest of the way.
Callum’s stomach was in knots. He knew Julian the man, he knew every inch of Julian the man, but he was about to meet Julian the Titan, in his office, and not for a workout.
All thoughts of everything they’d done there, other than the workout, were very far from his mind right now.
Callum had no idea what Julian was about to say.
Callum felt as nervous in the lift as he had that first time. The doors pinged open, and Jack’s jaw hit the white marble floor as they stepped out.
“Are you kidding me?” he muttered under his breath, eyes bugging out at the panoramic view of the Manhattan skyline.
Callum guided him towards Julian’s office after a quick hello to Kerry, and they sat down in the casual chairs by the gym equipment, which Jack eyed up. “Is this where you…?”
“Yes,” said Callum, eyes fixed forward, grateful that Jack didn’t know all that had gone on there.
Julian came from his office, escorting a guy in a suit whom he passed over to Kerry. He walked towards them, looking smart in his own suit, minus the jacket. He didn’t hesitate. He walked straight to Callum and gave him a kiss, followed by shaking Jack’s hand. “Hey, Jack, good to see you again.”
“Follow me; let’s have lunch first. We have much to discuss.”
He led them towards a wing of the office Callum had never seen. It was a meeting room that doubled as a dining room. The table was set with a crisp white cloth and laid for lunch.
They ate a dish of poached salmon in a lemon butter sauce, with new potatoes and green beans, followed by a delicious freshly made mille-feuille, layers of thin puff pastry, with cream and fresh strawberries between each layer.
They chatted about the office, the views, and the issues with being in the financial district. Coffee was served, but the sense of impending discussion felt imminent.
Julian pressed a button on a remote, and the large presentation wall at the end of the room woke up. He then showed the documents his legal team had compiled, giving them both printed copies in neatly bound folders.
“The landlord is Noah Cott. You know the issues you’ve had with the sleazeball and the various complaints you’ve made that have fallen on deaf ears. Your experience isn’t dissimilar to others on the block. Four other retail units are having similar issues to you,” he pulled up a map.
“What you don’t know, though, is that he has signed a deed of intent and is gradually transferring his business into a shell company called Vanguard Realty, which is a front for Hart Estates, a developer I’ve had dealings with in the past.” Julian frowned at this point.
“It seems very likely that Cott is deliberately neglecting The Iron Works and others to force either voluntary forfeiture of the lease or an eviction order. He then sells to Hart, who intends to bulldoze the lot and turn it into luxury condos.”
Jack and Callum sat open-mouthed as it was laid out in front of them.
Julian looked at them both. He had surmised this would be a shock, so their reactions weren’t unexpected.
He took a deep breath and continued, opening other documents in the dossier, listing businesses known to Jack and Callum, who would also need to conveniently disappear, before the whole block could be cleared for future development, city planning, etc.
He explained that his team had even identified the architect who Hart had engaged to scope designs for the condos, and the plans, clearly showing that where The Iron Works was now would in fact become the entrance to an underground car park.
“This is bang out of order. He can’t be allowed to get away with this,” Jack said angrily. He’d listened intently to all Julian had to say and held off as his anger grew.
Julian tapped the document in front of him. “With people like this, there’s little point in negotiating or trying to change their mind, Jack. Cott has dollar signs in his eyes, and he’s not going to change his plans.” He paused, taking a breath.
Here goes, Julian thought to himself, seeking Callum’s face, but found he couldn’t tell anything from his blank expression.
“So, I see two ways forward. Option one: I buy the block from Cott, offering more than Hart. If I buy it outright, I can then transfer the deed of ownership to you two, and you own the title. You could then choose whether to let the other businesses stay or not. I could do this as a gift, so you’d then own the block, but most importantly, The Iron Works is secured. ”
Jack’s eyes lit up like a Christmas tree; Callum’s face remained blank. Julian felt even more nervous at Callum’s lack of reaction.