Kian walked into his suite with a happy heart and emotionally charged spirit. He found Arya in the living room of his suite, waiting for the team of negotiators to arrive. Kian and Arya were aggressively pursuing a business acquisition. She was going through the documents when Kian walked in.
"You seem happy!" she remarked in surprise "That's unusual. Are you all right? Shall I call the doctor?"
"What's wrong with your jokes?" he retorted, "Why aren't they funny?"
Arya smiled indulgently. "You look good when your features relax," she said. "You are always so moody and irritated; I had almost forgotten that you could smile too!"
"Alright, enough of your banter!" he replied.
He pulled out his mobile phone and called his PA, "Stanley, fix a dinner appointment with Alysé Merchant for Friday."
"Dinner with Alysé?" Arya asked in surprise.
"She's your sister-in-law. She has started her own venture. As your brother, I must congratulate her. It's an innocent social call."
"Since when have you been so considerate?" Arya was not convinced.
"Well…well! Let's see what have you got here. Pass me those files."
"What are you trying to hide?" Arya was persistent.
"You are wasting your time, there is no scoop here." He said firmly.
"It is no wonder that he is a technocrat. He understands only machines." his employees would joke.
Arya sighed in resignation. "I think you should think of settling down."
Kian looked through his glasses, "What do you mean settling? I think I am quite comfortably placed in this acquisition."
Arya shut her eyes in exasperation. "I mean marriage."
"You are five years older than me and still single. Sometimes I fear, you will end up alone and bitter."
Kian sighed, "My dear, with you prowling around me every day and ten thousand plus employees on the campus, how can anyone be lonely?"
"Marriage is a happy thing! You don't know what you are missing!" she said earnestly.
Kian glared at her, "You know what they say about me in the office."
Arya shut her eyes and smiled. Kian smiled too.
"He is so insensitive, is he a human or a robot?"
"I pity the girl who marries him."
"I don't think he is interested in girls; he will probably design his own bot and marry her and they will give birth to numerous baby Apps."
Such were the jokes that floated around him.
Indeed, Kian was indifferent to the general sentiment. Robots were easier to understand than humans.
By now, the negotiators had arrived and they went to the conference room. "How do the accounts look?" Kian asked the finance director.
He handed him the file. "I have studied their balance sheet, it's well maintained. There are no nasty surprises in there. I have tallied them with our own reports. Everything is as it says."
Kian nodded, "Frons are known for their transparency and work ethics."
"The balance sheets don't look good," said Finance director Mac. "Losses are deep and glaring."
"How do you think we can solve it," Kian asked the project director.
"They have the expertise and the skills, what they lack is vision, courage and foresight. I think the company needs a strong leader. It needs you." he replied.
Kian took in a long breath. "Arya, what do you say?"
"I agree with the project manager. They do have highly skilled employees. They can match your ambition and vision."
"How many?" he was curt
"Twice more than the required number."
Kian shook his head disapprovingly. "What is the attrition rate?"
"Twenty per cent annually." – said, Arya
"List of unproductive or replaceable employees?"
Arya handed him the file. There were more than a hundred names in there. Kien took in a long draught and said to the project manager – "Have you looked through it?"
He nodded
"That's the reason the company was underperforming." Kian said dispassionately, "Lay them off. Follow the standard procedure."
"I wouldn't suggest that." Said, Arya.
"Then what do you suggest?" he asked coldly,
"We distribute them to other companies. We are revamping our other business, give them the project, those who do well can stay, whoever fails must go."
Kian pondered over the idea. It seemed fair. "Make a comprehensive report and submit it in the next meeting." He said.
Arya was an astute businesswoman and one of the board members in Kian's company. She was an expert at human resource management. She acted as his foil and made up for the lack of sensitivity in him.
Kian was a master strategist. A glaring example of this was their recent acquisition. He was particularly keen on acquiring an AI start-up 'Neotech.'
There was a lot of buzz around this company. Many business houses showed interest in it and were bidding for it. They had to be cleverly eliminated. Kian devised a sly trap for them.
Many rumours started floating in and around the business circuits. Two days later, Kian withdrew his proposal, sending shock waves and negative signals throughout the industry.
Detectives were hired, the company's credentials were double-checked, the market valuation was reassessed. They couldn't find anything wrong with the company. Yet the rival groups hesitated. No one dared touch a company that lost Kian's interest. Eventually, on the day of the auction, they withdrew their stake.
It was at this point that Kian's men forced their way through the bidding and the owners had no choice but to sign a compromising deal. The owners, the Frons family, were compelled to accept Kian's terms at his purchase price.
It was the same amount that Frank had quoted a year back to Mr Frons when he had first shown his interest in the start-up.
This was also one of the much-publicized acquisition deals in the business circuits. Kian's move had impressed Alysé. She knew if she had to win the best player at the cheapest prices, she will need his expertise at the auction.
She had worked hard on the proposal, she needed to impress him into investing and partnering with her.