Rachel was worried. Donald had hardly slept in the last week. The IBC deal was wearing him down.
“Donald enough of that, come to bed, it’s late.”
“I just need to go through this draft and then I’ll come.”
“No Donald, you’re coming right now. There won’t be a deal if you’re dead and at this rate, you’ll be dead within the hour because I’m going to kill you if you don’t come to bed and get some sleep.”
“OK but I need to get up at 4.00 a.m. to read through it.”
“OK, we’ll see.”
Donald undressed and got into bed.
“It was great to see the kids tonight. They seem to be loving the school,” said Rachel changing the subject.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you. I spoke to Mr Sakamoto today.”
Rachel sat up.
“What did he say?”
“Nothing much. It was just a quick call. The kids are doing great, they seem to have a great bunch of friends and some really nice classmates.”
“We know that from the kids. How’s he getting on?”
“He’s loving it although he’s been lumbered with an incompetent deputy called Weadle or Beadle or something. Anyway, he’s a right little weasel and has trouble written all over him. So he’s spending a lot of time watching his back.”
“Why the hell doesn’t he just sack him?”
“He’s looked into to it but it’s not that easy. The governors control appointments and they’re unmovable for some reason. I’ll have a word with Sam Mitcham after the IBC deal’s done and see if we can help.”
“When will the deal be finalised?” asked Rachel wishing the deal had never happened.
“Monday at noon. I’ll sign the papers and everything happens there and then. It’s actually quite unique in that the moment I sign, I take full control. Everything is in place. The owners of IBC and some of their senior managers have already checked out or retired. The signing on Monday just makes it legal.”
“But what happens if anything goes wrong between now and then and you don’t sign?”
“That’s not worth considering but even if I get hit by a bus, as unlikely as that is, any of the Alba International Directors can sign on my behalf and the deal will still be legal. What’s this?” asked Donald, pointing to a glass on his bedside table.
“A little treat, a hot toddy to help you sleep,” said Rachel.
“Lovely, thank you,” said Donald as he drank the mixture of honey and malt whisky.
Two minutes later, Donald was sound asleep and the hot toddy, a Rachel speciality, would ensure he slept through the night, especially as Rachel had switched his alarm off.